Archive for September 2023
Best Visual Novel Releases – September 2023
The
wind rustles the dry leaves on the ground and signals the arrival of
Autumn and the riches of the seasonal harvest. Visual novels have
reaped a some rich releases this month with some big names getting
titles and interesting new ideas being demonstrated. There is
everything from games about hacking and cyberpunk to confinement
horror to a twisted fairytale and all of them showcasing the variety the medium is
known for. Let’s sweep away those leaves and find out what
treasures can be found in the world of visual novels.
Official Releases
ANONYMOUS;CODE
As
the latest entry in the Science Adventure Series ANONYMOUS;CODE has
some big shoes to fill next to the giants of Chaos Head and Steins
Gate. The foundation it chooses to rest its narrative on is that of
hacking in a near future Japan where the prevalence of technology is
clear to see. From a visual identity standpoint it mixes its sci-fi
aesthetic with a comic book presentation as it regularly shifts away
from the expected textboxes of the medium into a panel style to
highlight key moment of emotion and tension. Even its more direct
story push a very different set of feelings on the player compared to
what has come before in this series. While there is an element of
mystery to what is going on in the world, this is a tale more
interested in being exciting and engaging you with the character’s
struggles than building up any form of slow boil tension. If you come
in expecting this to be in line with what has come before then you
may leave disappointed, but that would be missing the point of an
energetic and personal visual novel which deserves its place
alongside those older titans.
Solace State
Continuing
the theme of visual novels with interesting presentation is Solace
State. This cyberpunk title is not content with simple textboxes and
instead expands its reach through ‘hacks’ to every vaguely flat
surface so long as it makes for an arty and powerful framing. All of
this is supporting a tale interested in ideas of community and
humanity in the face of division and the march of technology. Putting
on the shoes of the protagonist Chloe, you must utilised the power of
‘social hacking’ to engineer a future for her and her friends
under the crushing pressure of a harsh world. Solace State is a game
which wants to present the consequence of your actions and so leans
into the short and wild divergent ending style of visual novel with
it boasting about its 38 possible endings. The variety in everything
from its world to its characters gives the game a sense of life and
life lived that textures its locations and make clear the vision
around which the narrative is based in a way only this team is
capable of doing.
Mary Skelter Finale
As
a hybrid visual novel utilising a dungeon crawler as its partner,
Mary Skelter Finale bring the series to a close in a suitably
dramatic fashion. This PC port may not be the best way to play the
game due to strange choices made during the porting process which
have resulted in a weaker graphical experience, but the issues are
not large enough to overshadow what is an excellent example of how
visual novels can merge with other types of game. The twisted
manifestations of fairytales that the characters encounter as they
traverse the jails are reflected equally in gameplay, through the
nightmare chases, and in the narrative, through the characters own
nature as blood maidens. Atmosphere is what Mary Skelter Finale does
best and each second of the game oozes tension and surreal imagery in
a way few others in either style of game can match. While not a good
game to enter the series with, it is a treat for fans who wish to see
how it all ends.
Fan Translations
H2O √ after and another Complete story Edition
Patch Download VNDB Genre
– Slice of Life, Romance Play Time – 40 hours
To
centre a game around a blind character is an interesting choice for
any game to make, even more so for a visual novel where the
importance of the visual is even in its name. However, H2O cleverly
integrates this disability into its presentation through making it
clear that what we are seeing is the protagonist’s imaginary vision
of what the world must look like and things start out of focus but
shift into clarity as he gains more knowledge about them. This
intelligent writing extends to the rest of the game as it deftly
deals with the ideas of trauma and how one can heal from those
experiences through their own will and through others. Each character
brings their own scars to the table and not all of them are open and
willing to be healed as their pain has made them defensive against
attempts to have a meaning relationship with them. It is the clashes
between these contrasting desires of haunted individuals that makes
its evocative emotional moments all the more potent. A title for
those who are look for some meat on the bone of their romance visual
novel.
Gensou Rougoku no Kaleidoscope
Patch Download VNDB Genre
– Confinement, Horror Play Time – 7 hours
This
game lists Ryuukishi07 as its scenario writer and that alone should already
cue you in to the kind of twisted horror game on offer here. Follow
the story of girls who find themselves confined in a mysterious place
with their life on the line. Do not be fooled by the cute visuals
this is a title not afraid to engage in bloody scenes and bring out
the worst in its characters in order to unveil them for what they
truly are inside. Its short length also helps it since the narrative
has a relatively simple and direct destination which allow it to
be bite sized bit of fear and prevents the shock value the game
relies on outstaying its welcome. Overall it is a nice treat for fans
of horror with one of the greats of visual novel horror at the helm.
Character Customisation – An Anatomy Of Visual Novels
What Shall I Be Today
There
is a leaning in visual novels to have some degree of self insert
aspect in their protagonists due to the prevalence and intensity of
first person narratives. Some of them take this to its natural conclusion by
giving the player a means of deciding parts of the character they are
going to inhabit and these manifest as customisation options. They
range from choosing the protagonist’s gender and pronoun to
directly naming them to visual elements such as clothes. Each builds
upon the foundational idea that the more control the player has over
a character the more they will project onto them and empathise with
their plight. While this might bring to mind images of dating sim
style games, there are a great variety of visual novels which
make use of this technique to achieve a similar
but distinct effect, from subversion to secondary character
reactions. How and when this customisation is presented also decides
a lot about its perception and there are many ways to bring it into
the game for differing effects. Let’s load up the character creator
and find out how visual novels use it to charm the player.
Naming Characters
By
far the most common form of player customisation is the ability to
name the protagonist in some fashion. This could be anything from
just their first name all the way up to naming everything about them
including what nickname they are called. Regardless of the extent of
the name customisation given, the effect is a sense of co-authorship
with the game and room to self insert into the protagonist you have helped
form. When you name something you impart a bit of yourself into it in
the same way a parent does when naming their child and the bond
formed is a surprisingly potent one. For visual novels, the developer
and the player are the co-authors and parents of the protagonist that
the player named and this joint venture places the player in a
supportive role cheering on the character. This method is common in
otome titles such as Collar X Malice where the developers have a set
identity for the protagonist in mind but want the player to
understand that without losing the link between player and character.
In Collar X Malice’s case the player gets to give the protagonist a
first name but the family name is set by the game as Hoshino and in
doing so makes it clear to the player what type of control over the
character they will have during the game. This manifests as the choices which decided
the ultimate fate of the protagonist, but not what type of person they
are nor how they react to the consequences of these choices. Providing
distinct divides about what the player can expect allows for these games
to avoid disappointing the player as well as giving them some agency
to help engage them.
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| And the player can be the protagonist |
On the other hand being able choose the entire
name of the protagonist let the player completely sink into the
character as a self-insert by let the game signal its intent to allow
for such a type of role-playing. Taking a look at Doki Doki
Literature Club shows how effect this can be at getting the player
immersed in the setting and how it can be used against them to
subvert expectations. Since Doki Doki plays off the tropes of romance
visual novels it was only natural it would have a nameable protagonist from
which the player can view the narrative and project onto in order to
better emphasise with the heroines. This closeness
is taken advantage of by the game when it starts to address the
player more directly and the established link formed by the
self-insert naming makes sure this does not come out of nowhere and
is instead an expansion of what the game has already established.
Either approach leans into the open relationship between game and
player in a collaborative way leading a generally amicable air around
the experience.
Choosing Gender And Pronouns
Standing
equal to naming in terms of character customisation is the ability to
choose gender and pronouns, but the effects these two have on the
visual novel differ quite a lot. Creating a protagonist who can be
any gender or use any pronoun the player desires would be an
extremely difficult task for the narratively intense medium, so
instead many developers who use this customisation element tend to
have their protagonist be silent or say as little as possible. This
way the player can fill in the gaps with the identity they have
assigned to the character. However, another angle is to have the
other characters acknowledge this choice by it bringing up in natural
conversation and having it affect the characters' view of the
protagonist. For a good example of this we should look to Analogue: A
Hate Story which gives the player agency of the protagonist’s
gender. This is particularly important given the emphasis on
traditional Korea gender roles and so the manifestation of this
viewpoint, Mute, treats the protagonist subtly differently depending
on their gender. These changes are never heavy handed and generally
exist as as slight alterations in her speech patterns or off hand
comments that she thinks of as minor but reveal to the player a lot
about her world view. Unlike with a name there is no need to
constantly remind the player of their choice in a direct manner as in
the real world the reactions of people to gender are far less
pronounced to the point of only the slightest hints existing about
how they see you.
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| Mute certainly has interesting things to say... |
Visual Customisation
The
ability to customise the appearance of characters is most
prevalent in hybrid visual novels that have an RPG or dating sim
element as their companion. This choice of secondary genre stems from
the role-playing aspect already having a presence there and allowing
the player freedom when it comes to the visual identity of their
characters. There is no stronger
element of our appearance than the clothes we wear with their striking
colours and as you can
imagine this makes them the primary means of visual customisation.
The player is often given them as unlockables that lets them treat the
characters like they are dress up dolls to express what the player
thinks these people should be or what best matches their
personalities. Just as child get attached to their favourite toy or
action figure, so too does the tool of visual customisation make the
player invested in these characters. Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side makes use of visual
customisation to help the player project onto the blank slate
protagonist so they can feel as if they are romancing the heroes by
proxy. Being able to pick out the outfit the protagonist will wear
gives the player room to conceive of the character as a person they
can relate to and who has similar tastes in both clothes and men.
Even the slightest touch of empathy can do a lot to bridge the gap
between the real and the fictional in a game so centred around it as
its key selling point.
-1.jpg) |
| Clothes make the woman? |
Conclusion
Giving
the player control over the characters in any capacity can be a scary
thing for a developer as the player could ruin their vision for the
characters. However, the advantages of this choice for certain types
of games far out way the risk of the player giving the protagonist a
stupid name. Through naming a character the player can engage in a
co-authorship of them or be able to completely sink into the role of
the protagonist which allows the developer to set their expectations
as well as create empathy. Should the game also use gender and
pronouns as customisation options then the opportunity arises to have
the other characters change their reactions based on the player’s
choice to make them feel more involved in the narrative. If that is
not enough then the developer can give up aspects of the character’s
visual identity to provide a compelling source of player investment.
Not all visual novels demand customisation and those with extremely
defined characters will not want to give up any control of them, but
the benefits are worth considering if you are creating a game with a
less defined protagonist or cast.
Developer Spotlight – Studio Elan
Website Twitter Patreon Itch.io Steam
A Gentle Touch, A Quiet Bond
Not
all stories need to have a grand scale or expansive themes, sometimes
the most profound things can be expressed in the smallest moments
between two lovers. There is an energy and life to Studio Elan’s
visual novels which forms a feel good ethos surrounding the
characters as they come to know their own feelings and is infectious
in its presentation. This is infused into their yuri narratives that
tend to lean into some element of magic or fantasy to support the
bewitching atmosphere as the pair explore their feelings. As a small
indie studio their portfolio is not large, but what is here is some
of the best the western visual novel scene has to offer in terms of
well told and heart felt romances. Above all else it is a studio
never content to rest on the familiar and are always pushing their
ideas out into new stories and characters. Let’s take a closer look
at what Studio Elan bring to the yuri genre and how their approach to
visual novel design defines them.
Developer Overview
At
first glance it might be tempting to characterise the narratives of
Stuidio Elan’s games as simplistic or standard in nature. On a
surface level this is true with a leaning into direct stories that
present their core ideas to the player without any attempt to conceal
or surprise. However, looking beyond this level we can see what the
developers are truly interested in and that is the nature of romantic
relationships, particularly those between women. Each game places its
pairing in the direct light of the narrative and slowly peals away
their masks to reveal the different parts of a person that go into
forming a bond with another. This is often accompanied by the
developers characteristic magical element which reflects some aspect
of the heroine’s emotions and adding a touch of mystique to
proceedings. What results is a brilliant stage upon which the cast
dances, revealing to us and to each other the universal truths about the
closest bond a person can have. It is at once theatrical
in its directness and intimate in its contemplations which is an
impressive line to tread, one that Studio Elan regularly does with
grace.
In
their games there is sensitivity to emotion few other developers can
match. When a character expresses their feelings it is always in a
gentle and sympathetic manner where each word carries a
human fragility. Yet this is never presented as a weakness but
instead a well of strength the characters can draw from to work
towards their dreams together. Every relationship reflects this
positive forward momentum even when the character does not
necessarily end up with what they want and this evenness prevents it from becoming to unbelievable. The greatest benefit of
this angle is way it smoothly integrates the romantic core with the
other themes the game wishes to cover by bringing them into a
cohesive whole that the player will never question. In reverse this
also means that when the chips are down and the lovers take centre
stage, they are never overshadowed or interrupted by side elements or
unresolved ideas since they have already been dealt with in the lead
up to this moment and this gives the couple space to be themselves
without unnecessary narrative burden.
Selection of Notable Works
Highway Blossoms
Road
trips are an exciting prospect where many interesting and unusual
encounters can happen along the way to your destination. Highway
Blossoms taps into this sense of adventure and freedom to push our
two heroines, Amber and Marina, towards each other as the space given
to them allows for a searching of their own feelings as they overcome
the trials. The motivation for this journey is the recently
discovered journal of a gold miner filled with cryptic clues that
promise hidden treasure. So a new ‘gold rush’ is sparked as our
heroines join a race to uncover the hidden riches and this provides a
background sense of this period in American history which acts as a
nice contrast to the romance’s value on the intimate and
immaterial. Overall this is by far the studio’s most grounded work
but even this early on you can see the sensitivity and understanding
of relationships which would come to define their later works.
Heart of the Woods
The
supernatural presence in Studio Elan’s works goes up dramatically
with Heart of the Woods with our protagonist, Madison, actively
seeking it out as part of her role in an online show on the subject.
Of course when she goes to a remote village in the woods she get far
more than she bargained for both in terms of ghost from the past and
love. It also has an ex-girlfriend who is actually present in the
story and Madison has to sort out her feelings about this former
lover as love for someone else blooms, which makes for one an
interesting back and forth as they try to decide where they stand in
relation to each other. This interest in the dynamics surrounding
romantic relationships and how they begin and end is carried over to
the rest of the cast. Each one brings their personality to bare in
this debate of values through their actions even as the supernatural
threat is out to get them. Giving both sides of this divide, plot and
romance, the right amount of time and the sensitivity to the
characters intimate emotions is the game’s greatest success.
Please Be Happy
Knowing
love and loving another are integral parts of being human and Please
Be Happy takes this angle to explore the meaning of having humanity
and its value. This is a tale where the most human people are
supernatural in some way such as our protagonist, Miho, who is a fox
turned human on a quest to find a certain kind human. Despite seeing
the darker aspects of humanity she remains good at heart and this is
very much a tale of good people who are just a bit awkward with their
emotions. Finding their happiness is something the cast struggles
with as their past, affections and commitments pull them in different
emotional directions which leads to the majority of the game’s
conflict. Please Be Happy is by far the studio’s most character
centric narrative with emotions and interpersonal conflict being
almost the entire narrative substance and this clear purpose allows
for their distinctive style to shine at its brightest here.
Conclusion
The
strength of Studio Elan’s sensitive narratives cannot be overstated
and works to make their visual novels some of the best in the English
speaking sphere. Being able to tap into the well of complex emotions
which go into human romantic relationship through the lens of yuri
gives room for a proper consideration of what they mean to each
character. Placed alongside their game’s sympathetic and gentle
presentation of the fragile nature of the human heart and the result
is a series of extremely well rounded titles which are willing to
push their characters within the framework of the plot into revealing
to the player who they really are deep down. Picking up a game from
this studio is always a worthy investment of your time if these are
the kind of experiences you are looking for.
Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- (Remake) Review – Reimagined Under A Brilliant Moon
Genre – Urban Fantasy, Suspense, Horror, Action Play Time – 30 hours Developer – Type Moon VNDB
Will It Disappear At Dawn?
The
remake of Tsukihime was once considered a dead project by the fanbase
due to how long it took to show any results to the point of being a running joke. Even when it finally did
produce something the resulting visual novel only covered the first
half of the original with the second half coming later. This release
was subtitled A Piece of Blue Glass Moon and is the subject this
review. The game covers the Near Side routes, these being Arcueid and
Ciel, which focus around the greater world of Tsukihime with its
supernatural forces on full display. In the original this was
arguably the weaker half of the game given its role to act as set up for the other routes and in particular how much Ciel’s route retreads a lot of Arcueid’s
route. Through this remake Type Moon tried to address these
shortcomings of the original 2000s title and create a definitive
version of their first work with the bells and whistles provided by
modern techniques and a vastly bigger budget. Was the wait worth it
or does this vampiric tale burn in the light of day? Let’s skulk
under moonlight and find out.
Once Again Walking With Death – Narrative and Themes
As
a remake there are certain expectations the game inherits from the
original when it comes to content, characters and overall theming.
This is a strong and well defined legacy to inherit and there are
times when you can feel the game struggle under its weight as it can
occasionally give certain moments more emphasis then they deserve.
However, overall the title is a broad success in terms of preserving
and enhancing the elements which made the Near Side so distinctive,
these being a commitment to psychological and vampiric horror, a leaning
towards action and world building. For Arcueid’s route this hold
especially true since the game copies much of that route verbatim
with the only real alterations being made on the moment to moment
interactions between characters, otherwise this revision is faithful
to a fault. Beyond the adhering to the original there is an
understanding of what the new technology can bring to older scene
that enhances them in a such a way that you know the original would
have done the same if it had the ability to do so. This includes the
proper use of movement, lighting and camera angles to sell the
emotion the text is trying to invoke in a subtle way so as not be as
unnoticeable as it is powerful. The effect these enhancements have in
making the remake seem more like you remember the original cannot be
overstated and is one of the game’s strongest aspects for returning
fans.
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| Ciel is by far the character who benefits the most from the remake |
On
the opposite side we have the many changes the remake has made in
order to rectify the flaws and limitations of the original work.
These includes range from minor things like the reordering of events
to make more sense and the expansion of certain character moments to
increase their prominence to the wholesale rewriting of Ciel’s
route. The original version of Ciel’s route suffered from borrowing
too much from Arcueid’s route and a general sense that it had been
rushed so it was a perfect candidate for a reimagining to bring out
the potential of Ciel’s character. However, rather than throwing out
the entire original route, the broad strokes have been preserved and
the new material fitted around them so as to maintain the identity of
Ciel’s route and offer a little subversion for returning players.
The new additions to the route revolve around exploring Ciel’s past
in a more expansive way which was a previously lacking area. It does
this through having more character’s related to the Church being
present for Ciel and Shiki to interact with and by drawing more
parallels between Shiki’s plight and the experiences that have
shaped Ciel into the person she is today. These touches do wonders to
improve upon Ciel’s characterisation and give the route a much
needed identity distinct from Arcueid’s route. The revitalisation
of Ciel’s route is by far the game’s greatest success and the
main reason to play it if you have already played the original.
This
reimagining is accompanied by a need to be bigger and better than the
original, even more so when it is only half of the overall narrative
of that first game. Due to this need to fill space the remake can
often extend scenes beyond their natural ending and adding in fluff
events that are cute but do nothing to progress any part of the game
forward. This is most noticeable in Arcueid’s route where the
changes to what was a tightly paced experience are more obvious due
to the way they temporarily grind events to a halt to accommodate
them. While downtime is necessary to keep the player from burning out
from all the tension and high stakes, there is a difference between
having these moments further character dynamics and just repeating
the same basic jokes or adding in long-winded monologues that do
nothing to engage the player. Throughout other parts of the game
you can feel similar occasional hiccups in pacing and they
temporarily bring you out of the story as they put on the breaks in a
highly unnatural manner. However, they are overall uncommon enough as
to not destroy the game’s core narrative and are instead a series
of minor nuisances.
 |
| Umm... are you okay Shiki? |
Power
level might seem like an odd thing to bring up as a criticism of a
game which has always had its fair share of action, but it is in the
inconsistency of that power level where the biggest issue with this
remake lies. The problems manifest at two distinct points, fights
related to the vampire Vlov and the final battle at the end of Ciel’s
route. These conflicts are almost apocalyptic in scale and feel so
detached from the rest of the game which deals in relatively down to
earth and deadly threats. This is especially strange when considering
our protagonist Shiki is presented as fragile and human outside of
these battles but inside them he displays an ability to fight and
survive damage he never uses outside of these moments. Vlov is the
bigger offender since he is in the middle of the narrative meaning
that the power level spikes when he appears and afterwards drops like
a stone back down to its original levels. This causes a strong
sense of whiplash and a feeling that Vlov does not belong with the rest
of the game making it obvious he is a new addition. The final fight
in Ciel’s route at least attempts to justify why the power level
spikes, but its problem is the jump is just so ridiculously large with
the strength of the characters involved moving from vaguely realistic
to completely over the moon in a short space of time. It seems to be
this way so as to have a big finale for the game since it now lacks
the second half and must end on some kind of resolution to provide
catharsis for the player. Since these two examples constitute a very
small amount of the overall play time it would be misleading to say
they ruined the game, but the poor way they were handled as part of
the whole narrative does leave a sour taste in your mouth as it kicks
you out from enjoying what are in isolation very impressive fights.
However, they feel like the belong more in Fate Grand Order than they
do in Tsukihime.
Of Vampires And Mortals – Characters
The
majority of the remake’s cast is inherited from the original
Tsukihime and they are as distinctive here as they have always been.
Time has been kind to the main characters, they have remained
relatively unmolested by imitators or an obsession with moe and feel
as fresh as they did back when the original was released. Having a
protagonist like Shiki at the helm helps a lot since his mixture of
kindness, violent urges, supernatural powers and physical weakness
makes for a soup from which a variety of character arcs are possible
and provides things for the heroine’s to bounce off to create
engaging dialogue. He is at once likeable and interestingly flawed
which makes seeing events through his eyes an entertaining journey
and his mortality adds stakes to every confrontation with the world
of vampires. The two main heroine’s of the game, Arcueid and Ciel,
strike the right balance between being proactive driving forces for
the narrative and being vulnerable enough that it is believable for
them to need Shiki both emotionally and as backup in battle. Beyond
this the rest of the returning cast have mostly background roles in
this game but even here they showcase a degree of complexity while
hinting at what is yet to come. Together they are as memorable as
always and the remake captures why they entranced so many people over
the years.
 |
| Noel is an... interesting character |
As
for the new cast members introduced in the remake, those which are
directly involved in the plot work to expand the horizons of the
narrative and provide a more well rounded character experience. They
are mostly related to the Church and thus shine in Ciel’s
route, but make enough of an appearance in Arcueid’s route so as to
not appear out of nowhere when it is their time on screen. Their
existence is an effort to give Ciel and Shiki some characters to
interact with who relate to the side of the world Ciel exists on
which the original was sorely lacking. For example Noel acts as
Ciel’s work partner and is a complete contrast to Ciel’s
personality being a strange mix of cowardice and adult, almost
predatory, charm. This makes her an excellent character for Shiki to
interact with and receive information that Ciel would not be willing
to give up and allow Shiki to express feeling through an outlet
beyond the main heroines. All the Church related cast broadly act in
a similar manner and allow for a richer understanding of the world,
past and beliefs of Ciel that were not properly explored before. It is in the new content that they shine their
brightest and showcase the wonders well constructed additions can do
to breath life into existing stories.
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| Oh boy is this guy creepy |
Not
all the new additions are used quite as effectively as those related
to the Church and these are the characters who are in the waiting
room for their important role in the next game. They mostly relate in
some way to the Tohno household which is the subject of the Far Side
routes but is only loosely touched upon in this game. As
such they appear repeatedly in the common route before mostly
dropping off the face of the earth as soon as a heroine route starts.
Saiki Gouto is a good example of this as he is introduced early on
with a unique antagonist relationship with Shiki and his abandonment
of the Toono family. After this he appears a couple more times to
deliver cryptic messages and veiled threats and then he is never
heard from again. He is probably the most blatant set up for next
game character in the entire visual novel and this makes he come off as a
distraction which is wasting the player’s time since there is no
pay off to his presence. On top of this it gives a general sense of
the game being only half finished which is not something you should
be regularly remaining the player of while they are trying to enjoy
what is here.
A Revitalised Full Moon – Visual, Audio and Technical
Visuals
and audio were never the strong points of the original Tsukihime so
any improvement to them would make the remake stand out against it.
However, rather than simply replacing the identity of the original’s
visuals and audio, the remake takes them as a basis to improve upon
and regularly invokes these elements of the original through subtle
nods or complete recreations. Above all else it brings these aspects
of Tsukihime in line with the standard of modern Type Moon and makes
them more accessible to a modern audience. There is a surprising
amount of movement on display as the characters display a dynamic
suite of positions and expression for their portaits to sell
everything from the power of a blow to their hidden feelings. This
move towards the unifying of the game’s style with the rest of the
developer’s catalogue does come with an occasional hiccup where
certain characters can look very similar to character from other
games they have developed. Arcueid and Shiki suffer from this when
they drift into looking like Saber and Shiro respectively and this is
very distracting when you are trying to be invested in these
characters. On the musical front, the majority of the tracks are
entirely new since the original only had a handful of songs, but some
of that old catalogue is maintained here in the form of remixes and
bringing in motifs from them. In combination they make for delightful
soundtrack perfect from enrapturing both new and old fans.
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| Flowcharts are important for a more complicated visual novel |
On
a broader technical perspective, the remake makes use of a variety of
presentation and accessibility elements to create an experience that
is both tense and flows well. The choice of NVL as the game’s
formatting style carries over from the original and is as good here
at building atmosphere as it was before. There have been a few
touches to make the potential walls of text more intelligible through
having only the most recent line of text be bright and all the
previous ones take on a darker hue to ensure clarity. In line with
this move towards lucidity, a flowchart has been included in the game
which allows for the player to see their progress, the consequences
of their actions and jump to any unlocked scene at will. This lets
the player navigate through the game without having to worry about
constantly saving at every choice and wondering what action caused
what outcome and, with the return of the helpful Teach Me Ciel
Sensei, every effort has been made to ensure the player is never
lost.
Conclusion
Tsukihime
is certainly a game that needed a remake, but it is also a game with a
lot of exceptions and baggage attached to it and for the most part
the remake does a good job of capturing the essence of the sections
it adapts. It is at once faithful to the original while taking on
board new ideas to improve the weaker elements of the base game. In
doing so it does run into some issues with how it handles the power
level of the game which leads to a feeling of inconsistency at times.
The old characters continue to be as charming as ever and the new
additions who stand out here share a similar level of quality. There
are some new characters that exist as set up for the next game and
they feel really out of place here given they have no real role to
play in the narrative. From a visual and audio stand point the game
is a dramatic improvement over the original and breaths some much
needed life into it. Modern conveniences have also been included in
the remake with things like a flowchart making for a more streamlined
and smooth experience. This is about as good a remake of Tsukihime as
could be expected and with the second half coming at some point it
will be interesting to see what the complete title will look like.
Verdict –
A gold standard for visual novel remakes which captures the essence of the original while not being afraid to improve upon its weaknesses, even if it does stumble under the weight of these changes.
Pros -
+
Faithful to the narrative and themes of the original visual novel.
+
Adds additional content where needed to expand upon the weaker elements
of the narrative, in particular with Ciel’s route.
+
The old cast is as memorable as ever and they are joined by a set of
new characters who wonderfully fill holes present in the original
game.
+
Having a modern coat of visual and audio paint does wonders for the
effectiveness of the emotional beats.
+
Modern accessibility features such a flowchart allow for a smoother
recovery from any potential bad endings.
Cons -
-
The inconsistent power level of the battles can draw you out the
experience and make it difficult to suspend your disbelief.
-
Not all of the new cast are utilised in this game and many of them
exist as set up for the next title.
-
Having a modern Type Moon art style can sometimes lead to characters
looking eerily similar to ones from their other games.
-
The new content can make the game feel bloated at times.
