Archive for July 2024
Best Visual Novel Releases – July 2024
In
the heart of summer it is normally a quiet time for game releases,
but visual novels have stepped up to fill the gap with a flood of
excellent titles for a variety of audiences. This has been a month
defined by romance, comedy and mystery in equal measure and each of
these genres has been gifted with at least one entry into them which
will appeal to its fans. Let’s dive in and find out which of the
many new visual novels you should be playing.
Official Releases
Lilja and Natsuka: Painting Lies
Having
a mystery story focused around something other than murder, or the
threat thereof, is surprisingly rare in visual novels so it is
interesting to see Painting Lies take this less trodden path. Its
mysteries instead choose to closely look at the personal lives
of the characters and uncovering their past actions and motivations.
This is an extremely intimate tale of two girls, Lilja and Natsuka,
who confront the trauma of their own pasts through solving the
questions surrounding those who seek their skills. Lilja is a blind
and wheelchair bound painter who will paint anything their clients
ask for so long as it interests her and she works with the upbeat
Natsuka who acts as her eyes and legs. The two make for an odd pair
with their relationship being the star of the show and holding much
of the game’s appeal through their entertaining interactions. Mixed
together, this investigation game enraptures the player while walking
them down a path filled with wonderfully real feeling character
stories and bonds. If you are looking for a title which stands out in
the mystery genre then you cannot go wrong with Painting Lies.
Neko-nin exHeart SPIN!
It
is strange to see the catgirl ninja series reach their fourth title
given it seemed like a gimmicky concept when the original first
released, but it appears that there is an audience for this type of
story. SPIN follows a new protagonist for the series who is thrust
into this hidden world when a cat eared woman opens fire with a
machine gun at the funeral of his grandfather and his younger sister
turns into a tanuki eared kunoichi. The overall comedic tone is still
the heart of this game with the constant string of light hearted
jokes making it clear how it expects you to view it while playing.
Separating itself from the previous entries in the series goes a long
way to make SPIN feel fresh and able to revive some of the magic from
its unique premise which had been lost in the second and third games.
There are still connections to the rest of the titles such as
returning characters and these are handled respectfully so as it not
overshadow the focus on the new cast. Neko-nin exHeart remains an
accessible and light piece of entertainment and SPIN is an excellent
entry point in the franchise as well as a good continuation for those
already invested into its world.
B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA
Male
idol games occupy a space slightly different from their female
counterparts due to their need to appeal to the female gaze and all
the expectations which come along with it. RYUSEI*FANTASIA knows its
audience well as it caters to their desires while still maintaining
its own identity and the emotional impact of its character arcs. You
step into the role of an idol A&R where you support the growth of
14 talents as they rise up to become stars and come to know them
intimately. This is a title that really focused around the idol management
fantasy with its large cast of idols demanding the player respond to
their desires appropriately and it displays a clear love for the
music and personalities of its stars. Overall an excellent visual
novel for those seeking a heartfelt male idol fantasy and who wish to
experience its ups and down on a personal level.
Hookah Haze
Games
inspired by VA-11 Hall-A have had quite a rise to prominence recently
with Tavern Talk releasing just last month and Hookah Haze this
month. Hookah Haze steps away from serving drinks of one kind or
another and instead explores the smoking of the titular hookah. This
gives the title a unique flavour as it recounts the intricacies in
making good hookah for customers and carefully matching it to their
tastes. The game radiated with a passion for its subject matter and
this extends into the characters who engage with it. In total there
are four characters, the protagonist and three customers, present in
this story making for a small cast who the player will come to know a
lot about as their small talk over the hookah reveals glimpses into
their lives. This new take on the genre offers some much needed
spice by showcasing that it does not need to focus around beverages
and any service industry where people come into an establishment is a
valid place to set one of these games. As such this might be one of
the most accessible titles in this genre for new players to get their
teeth into it while providing a distinctive spin to appeal to those
experienced from previous games in the genre.
Fan Translations
Decoration Disorder Disconnection 1
Adaptations
of books into visual novel are rare to see and even more so when it is
a fan translation and work. Based on a series written by Nasu Kinoko
of Type-Moon fame, it focuses around the influx of so called demon
possessed due to the rise in the mental stresses of the modern world
and presents these supernatural powers from a scientific and
psychological angle. Those possessed are seen in the same way as any
other person with a mental illness and the aim of the people
attempting to apprehend them is to protect both them and the public
at large leading to a situation where both are seen as victims. It is
an intriguing take on the exorcism genre and it lends the horror of
the transformation the victims undergo a more visceral feeling given
its presented using terminology we are familiar with from our own
world. This a solid adaptation which aims to make the story of DDD
more accessible for a wide audience to expose them to what Nasu is
capable of beyond what he has produced for Type-Moon.
Event CGs – An Anatomy Of Visual Novels
Capturing The Action
When
a visual novel wants to enhance the drama and impact of a particular
narrative beat or intimate character moment they turn to Event CGs.
These large and intricate graphics depict these key moments with a
vivid detail which the character portraits are no capable of
replicating. Each one has such a profound
effect on the player due to the infrequency of their use in the
majority of games where they only exist for those important moments
so as not to detract from the expectations set throughout the rest of
the play time. Alongside the detailed Event CGs sit those in the
super deformed style and these are one of the most impactful tool for
comedy or slice of life visual novels to sell their lighter tone.
While many CGs are shown on screen in full and simply remain there
for the entire time, some games utilise camera tricks such as zooming
and panning to breathe an extra level of dynamism into these images.
How do all these different uses of Event CGs manifest in practice?
Let’s snapshot a heroic pose and find out.
Standard Use Cases
For
the vast majority of titles, Event CGs have one common form and that
is as tools to emphasise key moments within the game. The way this is
used varies from visual novel to visual novel, but broadly the
graphic is simply presented to the player in full with some type of
impactful screen transition. This way each CG is given an immediate
presence and pushes the player towards experiencing the emotions intended
by the developer. Enhancing the emotional impact is the way the CGs
are so different from all other elements of visual presentation found
in visual novels. They are single monolithic and direct images rather
than the multiple moving parts, from portraits to particle effect,
which compose the vast majority of the game’s content. Through this
contrast a heightened sensitivity to the ideas and actions presented
in the CG can be achieved as it becomes a memorable moment of a
player’s experience of the title.
 |
| A first kiss is a big moment for a Romance title |
It is also an extremely flexible
framework where the developer can slot in whatever imagery they need
to express a specific moment and ensure its importance and message is
understood from the correct angle. A romance story can use them to
block out every other thought and make the focus solely on the pair
in love which titles like Giniro Haruka achieve through intimate kiss
CGs capturing the height of their emotional ride. On the opposite end
of the spectrum, a horror visual novel can provide a sense of the
impending danger and how it exists in every corner of the game’s
world as Death Mark does with its carefully framed images of its
monsters and the destruction they can cause. Almost every genre and
title can benefit from the broad expressiveness offered through this
standard use of Event CGs given its neutral and easily adaptable
nature. The only exception would be games where the entire point is
the deliberate lack of visual input and instead they want the player’s
imagination to do all the heavy lifting which is a valid approach
when used in a coherent artistic fashion.
Super Deformed CGs
It
is worth separating out and looking at the style of Event CGs
featuring super deformed characters from the rest due to their
overall different implementation. Super Deformed CGs are
fundamentally tied to a specific comedy and light hearted tone due to
their exaggerated and cute leaning presentation. As such this heavily
restricts the kind of visual novels which can utilise them and where
it is appropriate to place them to not undermine the mood of a scene.
Despite this seemingly limited usefulness, they are wide spread
throughout the medium with many being found in titles which are
otherwise entirely serious. The reason they are valued by so many
games is the way they can quickly and easily establish a moment of
downtime between the drama and action that characterises the rest of
the content. Coupled with this ability to swap tone is the flexible
appearance of these CGs. They can appear in the standard full screen
view of other Event CGs, but they can also be presented in a small
window overlaying the background and portraits already in the scene
and not obscuring them to create a link between these elements.
In this ability to shift to the needs of the developer can be seen the impact Super Deformed CGs have due to their flexibility originating
from their exaggerated nature. This means it does not have to be the
sole focus of attention and can instead be used to highlight a
broader mood without needing to be on screen for long.
 |
| Being cute can really help a player bond with what is happening on screen |
The 9 -nine- series provides a good example of how this
works in practice due to way it shifts smoothly from high octane
action and drama into low stakes comedy and slice of life. Here the
Super Deformed CGs acts as a dividing line between the supernatural
danger the characters face and the comfortable familiarity of their
everyday lives. Each one is used to sell value of these small moments
and frame them as something worth fighting to protect while contrasting
against the monstrous actions of those who are attempting to disrupt
them. They also work to stimulate player empathy through cute and
humorous imagery which aims to make them smile in order to give them
an emotional reason to cheer for the success of the characters. At
the same time they do not contrast too much with the rest of the
game’s narrative tones through sticking as close to the original
art style as possible and making their appearance on screen brief so
they can maintain their impact without undermining the real world
nature of the setting.
CGs As Dynamic Objects
Adding
motion to a scene can completely change the way it is perceived by
its audience. As such it should come as no surprise that Event CGs
benefit heavily from this technique due to their static
nature. This movement comes from a variety of camera tricks such as
zooming in on specific key areas of the image to match what is being
described in the narrative and slow panning across a landscape to
establish the location of the upcoming events. These offer a means
through which an Event CG can be reused in multiple contexts with
only a change in its framing and acts as a way for a game with
limited resources to get the most out of every CG it produces. While
they do provide a lot of flexibility in presentation, this dynamic
movement is not suitable for every type of visual novel and favours a
more action and drama orientated title rather than something aiming
for a subdued slice of life tone. There is also the issue of how
these camera tricks can easily be overused if the developer is not
careful and actively harm the pacing where the player feels as if
they are constantly waiting on overly flashy movements to finish rather than
actually playing the game.
 |
| Clashing blade and high action are always better close up |
To see this dynamic presentation in action
we can look to Tokyo Babel and in particular at its actions scenes.
Shifting camera angles and focusing in on key areas of a CG are the
primary means by which the game works to foster a feeling of
excitement in the player. Each CG utilised in this fashion has a lot
of small details which only really come to the forefront under close
examination and these are things like the elaborate forms of the character's
weapons. This makes sure the player is always visually stimulated in
a way close to what the text on screen is depicting which enhances
the kinetic feeling of narrative and the danger each character is in.
Conclusion
Nothing
in the medium has quite the same impact and utility as Event CGs
and as you would expect this means almost every title has at least
one. In their most standard form they work to emphasise key moments in
the story through the contrast they provide with the rest of the
presentational tools available for the game. By adding dynamic
elements, such as camera tricks, an Event CG can be provided a sense
of motion and excitement its otherwise static nature would not
normally allow. Supper Deformed CGs offer a more flexible and lighter
tone version of what a standard CG can do and can work wonders to
create clean divides in tone without feeling out of place. If you are
creating a visual novel you are likely already planning to include
some Event CGs, but it is worth considering how you implement them as
they can offer a lot more to your game if you are willing to put the
effort into properly using them.
Adventure Games – Uncovering The VN Hybrid
Pixel Hunting
Creating
a sense of immersion within a fictional world has always been one of
the greatest strengths of visual novels so it is only natural they
would end up paired with a style of gameplay about interacting with
the details of that world in the form of Adventure Games. These are
titles which involve clicking on elements of the environment in order
to solve puzzles or meet certain objectives and they use this space
to fill in the details of people’s lives to contrast with whatever
threat hangs over them. As such Adventure Games can make use of the
character centric nature of visual novels to help sell the connection
between the characters and the world they inhabit. It can leverage
this to create mysteries and puzzles which span both halves to
improve their connection to each other. There is also an aspect of
role-play found in this hybrid whereby the player gets to act out the
actions of the protagonist and fully put themselves in the character’s
position. Let’s repeatedly click on an object and find out exactly
how such a harmonious merger of gameplay element can work so well
together.
Environmental Interaction
In
its focus on the world around the player, Adventure Games present it
as tactile place filled with the objects of function and mundanity
that define our lives. As every detail of these items is presented so
they can have role in progression, they take on an intimacy by
being a physical window into this familiar yet alien place. This is
in many ways a prefect partner for visual novels due to the way they concentrate on different aspects of intimacy so, while the Adventure
Game half can handle the world, the visual novel half can deal with
the characters. Through this combination a player can be brought into
the experience and provided reasons to emotionally invest themselves
in the outcome of the journey they are being guided down. They are
shown a constant stream of empathetic ideas and people from each half
of the game which offers a variety of perspectives on their lives so
the player is on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens
to them next. Preventing these elements from becoming emotionally
draining is the constant forward momentum provided by new areas to
explore and new drama to witness that keeps the player on a ride of
fresh experiences so they invest just enough for the desired effect
without wearing themselves out.
 |
| Time to start clicking everything |
The backbone of this harmony is the
way a visual novel element can easily and quickly be overlaid on top
of Adventure Game sections in order to smoothly link the narrative to
the items being examined which reinforces the connection between the
two. Last Window: The Secret of Cape Wast demonstrates how this
harmony of intimacy can be used to sell a location as lived in with
history etched into every wall. The entire game takes place in the
titular Cape West, a set of apartments containing various tenants
including our protagonist. As such the player will naturally become
familiar with the spaces within the apartments and the game uses its
Adventure Game half to have the player interact with objects they
will be know for their own lives in order to solve puzzles. This
draws parallels between the location and the player's own lives making it
easy to come to understand it as somewhere inhabited by everyday
people. The visual novel half of Last Window furthers this link
through humanising the people who live within the world built by the
Adventure Game sections. Over the course of the investigation the
player will interact with the residents and come to know this
snapshot of their lives while also getting a sense of how their
relate to the protagonist who many have as their neighbour. The
closeness afforded by the way the visual novel sections frames the
character interactions is immensely personal and supported
this sense of Cape West as a living place where people the player
knows spend their time.
Narrative As Role-play
Perhaps
the most interesting interaction present in this type of hybrid is
the way the narrative and the mechanics frame each other. Due to the
way Adventure Games promote extensive examination of the environment
it can create a sense of role-playing as the protagonist given that
these interactions are often a direct reflection of the character's actions
within the story. This is a favoured element of visual novel
integration for mystery or detective titles where engaging with clues
and crime scenes can be make a key part of both styles of play.
Leaning into this role-play provides a cohesion to the experience
such as with Danganronpa and its investigation sections. These
aspects ask the player to engage with the Adventure Game mechanics
through a narrative context which focuses their mind into the same
space as the protagonist. The act of picking through the crime scene
and interviewing suspects takes on a new emotional resonance and
draws the player into the experience through blurring the line
between the game and reality with role-play. Without the visual
novels to give a personal connection to the events surrounding the
mechanics, this role-play would be a cold affair where the player
would not be invested in the stakes of investigation and instead
merely see it as a simple puzzle to be solved.
 |
| Danganronpa has a great sense of place despite how silly it can get |
This extends into how
the clues gathered during the investigation are used to solve the big
mystery as can be seen in the court sections of Ace Attorney. In
these the player is asked to present this evidence to prove or
disprove the current arguments on both sides of the courtroom. These
sections are in many ways an inversion of the investigation sections
since the Adventure Game elements take a backseat to the visual novel
presentation key to providing the necessary tension, which is the
opposite emphasis of the investigation. The result is the role-play
of being an attorney in court has a decidedly more dramatic feeling
than being a detective and yet it still relies on the grounded nature
of the clues found during the detective role-play to sell a sense of
connection to a believable world. Linking the two creates a coherent
space for the player to experience two vastly different tone of the
mystery genre without either seeming out of place while letting both
halves of the hybrid show their best traits.
Puzzles On Two Levels
Presenting
the game on two levels offers an opportunity to engage the player’s
mind from different angles and help maintain interest in the long
term. To achieve this effect the two halves of a title lean into a
puzzle style element to give the player something to chew on. The
visual novel and Adventure Game aspects do this through the
time-frames they operate under in order to direct the overall
experience. Given the narrative centric nature of the visual novel,
the puzzle tends to take the form of a greater structural reveal or
long term mystery as with titles like YU-NO. Here the game presents a
mystery and then feeds the player a steady stream of clues hidden
within the story to help them construct theories on the truth. This
means that they are constantly reevaluating what they thought they
knew so there is always excitement when a new fact is shown to them.
YU-NO utilises this method by encouraging an exploration of its wide
narrative structure, time travel ideas and the way each of the routes
drops new hints as to what is going on overall and in previous and
future routes. This lends it a feeling of interconnectedness which
its Adventure Game elements can rely on to form the backbone of the
long term engagement.
 |
| Time to look for all the keys |
The area a visual novel aspect can fall short
is in the moment to moment sense of forward momentum and it is here
the Adventure Game half can flex its muscles. If there is one thing
that Adventure Games are good at it is have lots of small victories
as the player finds the right item or place to interact with in order
to progress. This simple loop provides just enough motivation to
continue to the next small dose of progression that it can work to
keep people moving forward. Take the Somnium sections in AI: The
Somnium Files, these are a constant parade of small rewards where
even the wrong choice for an item or place still gives some amusement
for the player such as in the form a joke. This helps
alleviate the feeling of tension provided by the time limit and
support the long term mysteries of the visual novel half of the game.
Conclusion
In
many ways the Adventure Game and the visual novel come from the same
end of the video game spectrum with a focus on a similar mechanical
tone through differing angles. They have complimentary elements of
intimacy which they hold as important to their presentation,
environmental and personal, which work well together to sell a sense
of place and this world as something close to the player’s own
experiences. Puzzles also play a large role in keeping people
invested with the two halves offering complimentary short and long
term mysteries and engagement to keep a sense of forward mementum.
Alongside all these elements there is a strong undertone of role-play
in the way the player can act out the actions of the characters both
through actions as well as the narrative which surrounds them. Adventure
Games are worth considering if you are making a visual novel, or vice
versa, due to this exceptional compatibility nature and the potential it
holds for interesting and moving titles to be made.
AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative Review – Slicing Between Weave
Genre - Sci-fi, Mystery, Thriller Play Time - 18 hours Developer - Spike Chunsoft Steam VNDB
Split In Half
Where
do you go with a story after all the lose ends of the original game
have been tied up in a nice neat knot? This is the dilemma which
nirvanA Initiative faced and the solution it chose was to split its
play time between two new protagonists. Indeed the idea of division
permeates every element of its structure and narrative from the way
the murderer splits their victims in half to the way the new
characters come in pairs. There is a well thought out consistency to
the presentation of the game’s themes and ideas allowing for the
creation of a compelling mystery where everything appears to have
significance. However, this transition has not been without issue as
the older cast members inevitably get under explored and there are
some questionable plot twists which seem to exist for the sake of
having them. Is nirvanA Initiative able to balance these weaknesses
or does it forever live in the shadow of the original title? Let’s
dive into the subconscious and find out.
A Tale of Two Detectives – Narrative and Themes
Choosing
to have two protagonists opens up a variety of opportunities for
interesting narrative presentation and differing angles on the same
information which nirvanA Initiative takes full advantage of during
its play time. On the one hand you have Ryuki and on the other
Mizuki, each one offering their own thoughts on the mystery while
showing the consequences of past actions and foreshadowing future
revelations. Binding them together is the Half Body serial killings
where only one half of the victims body is found at a time posed in a
twisted fashion. The shear oddity of these murders instantly captures
the player’s attention and maintains the uncertainty right until
the big reveal. Focusing on dual perspectives helps this along
through adding an additional layer to the reliability of the
information the player is being given as Ryuki spirals wildly down a
deteriorating mental path and Mizuki is having to pick up the pieces
in the aftermath of his failure. As the game progresses it is careful
to give out just enough breadcrumbs for theories about the truth to
be formed and yet it never truly shows its hand until the moment the
curtain is pulled back. It is the same delicate dance of anticipation
which defined the original title and is alive and well here in its
new form which will delight returning fans while existing in a new
context so as to not alienate any new players.
 |
| Two perspectives shapes the game's structure |
Character
drama has a far more important role in nirvanA Initiative than it did
in the original game. Both titles are character centric, but, where
the original used them as a means to supplement and enrich the
narrative, nirvanA Initiative relies of them to maintain the player’s
interest over the length of the story. Part of this difference is due
to the majority of the victims of the murderer being people who are
framed in a negative light or have appeared suspicious and so there
is little reason for their deaths to hold any interest outside of the
mysterious circumstances of their demise. As such the emotional
tension has to be generated from other sources or else the player
will rapidly become detached from the events in front of them. The
method nirvanA Initiative chooses to combat the shortcoming is a
strong through a current of character drama. Each one generally
involves a pair of characters who somehow relate to the protagonists
and the game follows them as they wrestle with their emotions under
the strain of murders going on them around them. Their arcs all deal with the
theme of the characters being half of a whole and it is only through
overcoming their doubt and fear to be honest with each other that
they can be happy. In doing so their lean into the idea of division
the game pushes and puts them on the opposite end of the spectrum to
the murderer with their obsession with pulling people apart. A
player’s overall enjoyment of nirvanA Initiative will rely heavily
on how much they find these dramas interesting as a fairly large
amount of time is spent focusing on them.
 |
| I do love me some cults |
It
has been a while since there has been a game with plot twists which
are so elaborate and yet completely meaningless as this one. The
twist is so complex that the title feels the need to break the fourth
wall and sits the player down to explain it to them in detail through
a sequence where all sense of immersion is broken. There was clearly
some fear on the part of the developers that the player would not be
able to properly understand the twist if it told to them in universe
so they took them aside to talk them through it. As a result the
revelation feels irrelevant to the plot itself and the characters who
are living it since it only really matters on the player’s end and
the characters are the same both before and after its reveal with no
meaningful change resulting from it. In general it is just an odd
choice as once the story resumes it is fairly easy to forget about
what is meant to be a major element of the narrative given nobody
talks about it and the game immediately moves on to its action packed
climax without so much as a backwards glance. Maybe the developers
felt the need to include a big twist because the original title had
one and they wanted to recapture the magic of those big moments, but
lacked the proper space within the story to so. This does mean that
it is relatively inoffensive and is not likely to effect the player’s
overall enjoyment of nirvanA Initiative since it is such a once and
done affair. However, for those invested in the build up to this
reveal it might be a betrayal they cannot tolerate.
Divided Personalities – Characters
To
further the idea of two halves which nirvanA Initiative pushes as its
central motif, the new characters all come in pairs. Kizuna and Lien
for example, they are joined by a common uncertainty about the future
and a concern that they will never be more than they currently are
which they can only overcome through their combined strength. This
quality is a trend among all the new cast members and the changes they
undergo between the perspectives of the two protagonists reinforces
both their connection to each other as well as the gap between their
hearts. Many of the routes focus in on one of the pairs in order to
dive into their relationship while giving the player a sense of who
they are at their core. These are careful to place the cast into
situations specifically tailored around their weaknesses in order to
ensure they are have the chance to express what defines them in a
sympathetic manner. Despite this intimacy the developers still manage
to maintains the possibility that any of them could be the murderer
in order to keep tension high in the player’s mind as they are torn
between the humanity they have witnessed and the suspicion in their
mind. It is through playing this line that nirvanA Initiative crafts
such a memorable new cast to fuel the mysteries around them.
 |
| The new cast stand out in interesting ways |
When
it comes to the returning characters there is a much wider divide in
terms of quality. The majority of them are static for the duration of
the story since their arcs have already reached their conclusion and
as a result they feel shallow when standing next to the new cast. In
order to avoid drawing too much attention to this fact, the game makes
sure to never focus on them for too long and ensures the player is
never given an opportunity to compare them side by side. They exist
as a nod to the events of the original that can satisfy old fans
while not causing new players to be confused their their sudden
appearance. Only two exceptions to this level of quality from the old cast and
they are Mizuki and Date. Mizuki has been promoted from secondary
character to protagonist and as such gets the improved
characterisation and development expected from that role and it
enhances an already strong personality with the depth needed for it
to easy to place oneself in her shoes. It is clear a lot of thought
went into how a more adult version of the Mizuki from the original
game would behave and the result is a believable and human character
who can pull at the heart strings. On the other hand, Date is a
manifestation of everything wrong with the original’s sense of
humour. As part of his personality he has always been somewhat of a
pervert which is where a lot of the original game’s jokes came
from, but it was always kept in check by the serious nature of the
murders he was involved in as well as the character arc he went
through. In nirvanA Initiative all of that nuance is gone and all
that remains is a series of gags about how much of pervert he is and
this quickly becomes irritating and repetitive. He is a shadow of the
person he was at the end of the original and it feels as if the
nirvanA Initiative wastes his old characterisation just for a cheap
laugh.
In Dreams And Reality – Visuals, Audio and Technical
From
an audio and visual standpoint there is a continuity with the
original game’s near future sci-fi aesthetic and tone. Many of the
areas found in game are reused with just enough new ones to give
nirvanA Initiative its own identity, but integrated cleanly so as to
appears as if they were always a part of that universe. The music is
a similar story as it has a new soundtrack which mixes parts of the
original’s sound with the tang of fresh material to balance out the
flavour and remind people that this is its own title. As a sequel it
only has a little room to manoeuvre in terms of what unique aspects
it can bring to the table. It still manages to make these elements
stand out through leaning into a glitched universe style to contrast
with the otherwise clean and familiar spaces which make up the world.
There is the obvious manifestation of this as a part of the Somnium
sections where these errors reveal more about the people involved,
but it is also taken further with it leaking out into the real world
and creating a visual sense of uncertainty designed to unsettle the
player. Combined these elements ensure there is no mistaking nirvanA
Initiative for the original game while allowing it to utilise what
made the original tick in a new and exciting way.
 |
| Crime scene investigation is by far the best new addition |
On
the gameplay front, the biggest change comes in the form of the crime
scene investigation segments. These take the Somnium mechanical
elements, remove the timer, and places them within a VR
representation of the real world where the player controls the
protagonist rather than their AI companion. They focus on the idea of
reconstructing the events surrounding the murder and presents the key
evidence before asking for it to be linked in order. While these
section are not particularly challenging, they do add some much need
variety to the game’s otherwise binary structure. Previously it
swapped between the real world and Somnium sections and the two never
really interacted with each other, now the investigation sections act
as a bridge where the line dividing them becomes blurred. This is
important for keeping the player engaged through a back and forth
with the game as it asked them to have a greater awareness during the
real world sections than before. Beyond this new addition, nirvanA
Initiative more or less follows the same design for its Somniums as
the first game and while the wink psync is a neat way to peer into
characters’ minds it ultimately does not change much about how a
player interacts with the real world sections.
Conclusion
As
a sequel to a complete experience, nirvanA Initiative does its best
to live up to that legacy while carving out its own identity even if
you can feel it struggling at times. The use of dual protagonist
allows for the game to offer vastly difference angles on the murders
while casting doubts on the reliability of each of their testimony.
Couple this change with the increased focus on the new cast and their
pairings and the result is a very character centric narrative where
everything takes on a personal quality. There have also been some
important additions to the gameplay and aesthetics side with a
leaning into a glitchy presentation and crime scene investigation
sections which help give the game its own style. It is a shame how
much it is undermined by the main twists of the story being so
irrelevant to the narrative and instead existing only on for the
player rather than for the characters in the world. Even with this
issue there is more than enough to enjoy about nirvanA Initiative to
make it an easy title to recommend to fans of the genre.
Verdict –
nirvanA Initiative is a riveting murder mystery which keeps you
guessing from beginning to end while it hooks you with its fun
cast. It is brought down only by its reveals being weak and some odd
character choices.
Pros -
+
A compelling mystery split across two vastly different perspectives.
+
Focusing on character drama gives the narrative a personal feel and
resonates with the player’s own experiences.
+
The pairing of new characters reflects the central themes and ensures
strong character dynamics.
+ Maintains
the high quality visuals and sound design of the original while
adding its own glitched aesthetics.
+
Crime scene investigations sections add some much needed variety.
Cons -
-
The big plot twists are ultimately meaningless as they lean to hard
into the meta level they become irrelevant to the story itself.
-
Older characters are a mixed bag with some getting the space to shine
while others are left showcasing their worst traits.
