Sunday, July 23, 2023
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Knowing What You Are Good At
Sticking
to what you know is a fairly common feature for a developer and it
makes sense given the monetary and time investment required to make a
game. Most developers tend to at least try to somewhat off the beaten
path in order to keep their games feeling fresh, but there are some
that stubbornly stick to one template for all of their titles and
PixelFade is one of them. This is by no means a bad thing with a
focus on a single framework leading to a refined and polished
product. As such PixelFade make for an interesting test case as to
the pros and cons of this approach while also showcasing the amazing
work possible within the western visual novel scene. They have craved
a niche from themselves in a way common among their peers but in a
far more direct and unapologetic manner which is impressive in its
own right. Let’s dive into a whirlpool of romance and drama to see
what makes PixelFade tick.
Developer Overview
For
PixelFade the maypole around which their games rotate is the romantic
adventure. This being a series of conflicts acting as a flavour to coat
the romance between the protagonist and their chosen heroine to
distinguish itself from the many other romance stories and provide
pacing to that romance. It takes many different forms in PixelFade’s
work, from mecha combat to isekai, but all share the characteristic
of being background elements placed in such a way as to overwhelm
what the game is really about. In knowing exactly what they want from
their visual novels, PixelFade has had the time to pin down the parts
of the experience they see as its core and they seem to have settled
on the idea of the romantic journey. The beginnings of this approach
can be seen in Ace Academy through the directed nature of the common
routes core conflicts, it then comes to the forefront in Crystalline
where everything about the game is pushing the player forwards and in
Ethereal Enigma they find the happy middle ground between the two
previous extremes. Over the course of their lifetime as a developer
they have made dozen of similar changes to their formula and it is
like night and day when it comes to the overall quality of their
later games.
Even
from their very first visual novel PixelFade have maintained a sense of
quality through how they effectively use their specific skill set.
The most immediately striking example of this is the exclusive use of
live 2d for character portraits with not a single static one in
sight. Before anything else this marks it out since there are few
other visual novels making sure prolific use of it at the moment due
to the technical know-how required and this gives their work an extra
avenue to stick in the player's mind. On the practical level it animates each
scene with a sense of playfulness as the exaggerated emotions of the
scenario play out in motion in front of the player and sells the
tone in a way few others in the medium can match. In setting itself
apart in this way PixelFade can ensure an instantly recognisable
standard of quality that any prospective player will associate with
them no matter the context in which the see those games.
Selection Of Notable Works
Ace Academy
Mecha
school action was the starting point for PixelFade’s production of
visual novels and what a way to state your intentions it is with a
stylish basis from which all their other work would diverge. It set
up the features that the studio would become know for such as full
English voice acting and the extensive use of live 2d and still
managed to be a solid example of its genre. Following the protagonist
as he transfers into the titular Ace Academy and discovers that his
hand me down mech might not be as outdated as it seems. What results
is a game drawing heavily from its shounen influences to the point of
spending a good degree of its duration focused around a tournament
arc. At the same time the romantic elements are ever present as the
decision about which heroine to pursue keep the downtime feeling
exciting as each one of them offers something distinct to the group
dynamic. With all this said it is the most flawed of all their game
and suffers from a variety of issues from pacing problems to
characters behaving as the plot demands rather than what makes sense
for them. However, despite these shortcomings the title saw success
and started PixelFade’s path into the realm of visual novels.
Crystalline
After
the route based structure of Ace Academy there is a noticeable shift
into a more curated and controlled direction for PixelFade’s games.
Crystalline makes this immediately felt with a story that leads the
player from event to event with PixelFade acting as a kind of absent
dungeon master who is attempting to keep the pacing even. The
consequences of this methodology are profound as characters now exist
in a shared space where they cannot expect to be given their own
screen time and so the focus shifts onto the dynamics of
the group creating a selection of very human party members. As for
the content of the story itself, it is a fairly predictable isekai
narrative which is carried by the sincerity of its teller and
PixelFade clearly have a love for this genre and it shows. There is
nothing here to convert someone into a fan of the genre but for those
who already are it is a fun time. The presence of a fully formed
romance not involving the protagonist is a nice bonus and helps make
the world feel as if it does not whole revolve around the player.
Kaori After Story
Existing
as a fandisc like expansion to Kaori’s ending from Ace Academy,
Kaori After Story has none of the pressures for a forward moving
narrative since all the work has already been done by its
predecessor. Instead, this is a game focused on the relationship
between Kaori and the protagonist to the point of spending the
majority of its play time having the protagonist be accepted by
Kaori’s family. Concise and to the point perfectly describe this
visual novel, it knows what it wants to be and head right for that
goal with none of the diversion of PixelFade’s other titles. As the
relationship with Kaori is what the game wants to sell, there is a
thick air of romance and every opportunity is taken to create cute
moments which relies of the player already having a strong bond with
the pairing. This can be an issue at times since it puts no effort
into setup and can feel like it is spinning its wheels with nothing
to contribute to these characters. Its short length ultimately
prevents this problem from distracting from what is an entertaining
demonstration of the pair’s bond.
Conclusion
There
appears to be no slowing down for PixelFade’s output with the
upcoming Astral Ascension taking their stories to space for an
adventure across the vast black. Their fixation on a single
style of narrative has served them well in refining their ability to
give their audience what they want and maintaining a strong
presentation to their games which immediately tells the player who
made it. If what they are selling is to your tastes then you are
guaranteed a good time and should pick up whatever setting among
their games takes your fancy for the best experience.
