Archive for November 2024
The Shadows of Pygmalion Review – Puppets On Strings
Genre - Action, Mystery, Supernatural Play Time - 20 hours Developer - propeller Steam VNDB
In A Not So Normal World
The
idea of supernatural battles happening behind the everyday world just
out of view is one which has an enduring popularity in the urban
fantasy genre. It is this sentiment The Shadows of Pygmalion taps
into with its normal school setting giving way to its true supernatural face. The
main element which distinguishes this game from others in its genre
is the Puppets, beings who have been quietly manipulating the course
of history, and how their hidden nature keeps a balance between the
normal world and the hidden one as the cast try to track them down.
Throughout its opening hours it establishes a series of strong
mysteries and a likeable cast carefully crafted to invest the player
in the action and put them on the edge of their seats when danger
strikes. Everything is geared towards helping the combat and drama
standout in a way that expresses the line each character trends
between these clashing realities. Things become messier as the game
moves into its later half as the big reveals are somewhat weak and
the vaguely romantic interactions do not lead to meaning growth in
the cast’s bonds. Let’s assemble a doll and find out if this
visual novel can stick the landing.
Doll Obsession – Narrative and Themes
Putting
the best foot forward early is key for a game’s ability to produce
long term engagement and the best way to do so it through a strong
opening act. The Shadows of Pygmalion leans heavily into this idea as
it keeps up a good pace throughout its beginning. The contrast
between the normal world and the supernatural one beneath is quickly
established. It does not dwell too long on the standard school life
setting the player is familiar with before the big turn
point event ups the stakes. Instead the normality is weaved into the
escalating drama to act as a break from the action in order to
prevent it from becoming overwhelming while also being a form of
contrast with violence the cast experiences. The primary antagonist
force, the Puppets, are made appropriately threatening from their
first appearance due to the destruction they can cause and the way
they blend into the normal world, a space the player assumed to be
safe. Soon after additional layers of characterisation are added for
the Puppets as the ambiguity of their intent and even willingness to
participate in the danger they bring are called into question. They
are lent a humanity which stands out against their artificial
appearance and helps muddy the cast’s emotions by making them
question the mysterious origins of the Puppets. All of this is backed
up with action and combat scenes that finds a balance between tension
and excitement. With swords clashing and magic flying the battles
gain a lot from the way each blow is framed within the back and forth
flow between combatants where the cast are always on the back foot so
their eventually victory seems well earned. Variety is also a major
part of the appeal of the action scenes since a lot of effort has
been put into making each one distinct from previous ones and making
the most out of the limited pool of abilities the cast has with them
being forced to use the creatively. In combination these elements
craft a story filled with mystery, emotion and battles which do a
good job of hooking the player into this world and setting up what
they can expect from the rest of the game.
 |
| Everything comes back to dolls |
When
it comes to building on that strong opening, The Shadows of Pygmalion
struggles to make the most of the opportunity it has set up. Rather
than one large and glaring problem this weakness stems from a series
of smaller choices which in their totality undermine the game. First
among these are the answers to the various mysteries established
throughout the game. These revelations are not bad per se, but rather
they are too predictable and safe in terms of their content. Having
this repeated pattern undermines the player interest in how the
events will play out as they will feel able to easily foresee the
outcome of each twist and turn. Compounding this issue is the weaker
later sections of the narrative where the game meanders towards its
conclusion with a lack of the earlier strong pacing. Once again this
is not a deal breaker itself since everything does wrap up in a
suitable manner but it lacks the impact needed to truly make those
moments stick in the memory and contains a lot of bloat that could
have been cut for a more focused experience. Part of this odd pacing
stems from the vaguely romantic elements which occupy the later half of the
title. They feel strangely vacuous due to the way the game does not
seem to want to commit to them in a way that is emotionally
meaningful to either party in the relationship. It is almost as if
the developers added this element in as a form of yuri baiting to appeal
to the audience without any consideration for the actual impact or
value this dynamic it could have for the plot and characters. Since
it is so empty it is easy to ignore, yet it adds to the already large
pile of small issues which bring weaken the player’s enjoyment.
Unfortunate Heroes – Characters
For
the cast there is a tight focus on the key characters immediately
surrounding Hajiro Mina, our protagonist, and the ways they deal with
the duality of their lives. They are introduced on the opposite side
of the world to Mina’s everyday life and serve to underline how she
has now strayed from that path. Over time it becomes clear that these
heroines are not quite as detached from the everyday spaces Mina
occupies and they are shown in a more vulnerable state where their
humanity can be on full display. This is a line all the main cast
members tread where they know the truth about the existence of
Puppets and yet have to live among people who do not recognise this
truth. Some have taken to this balance better than others and it
through their interactions with the more innocent Mina that the game
explores what led each of them down this path. Here is where a lot of
the drama comes from as the heroines insincerely reveal what drives
them while the stakes of the conflict with the Puppets rise and the
revelations undermine their place in this world. Putting their
interactions front and centre of the narrative helps The Shadows of
Pygmalion to ensure the player gets to spend the most time with the
characters it needs them to like in order for the later story moments
to work properly. Even more than many other visual novels, this is a
game incredibly reliant on this liability that the entire experience
is twisted around it and so the intense focus it places on them works
wonders to enable this method of presentation.
 |
| The vaguely romantic moments feel so strange |
The
secondary characters do not fair quite as well with a mixed bag of
presentation and arcs which muddies the water and leaves the greater
world feeling flat. Many of the minor cast members exist for a
specific plot or narrative purpose and do not demonstrate anything
beyond that one purpose. This leads to them appearing somewhat
mechanical in nature as if they are props on the stage rather than
actual people with their own lives outside of this one moment. It also
creates an unflattering contrast with the well rounded main
characters who highlight the weak characterisation of these extra
cast members. It is difficult to stay invested when the game decides
it wants to make one of its weaker characters take the spotlight as
the focus on them reveals their shallow nature. Not all secondary
characters are like this with a few standout ones that gives some
much needed substance to the world. For example Aizawa Makoto has one
of the strongest arcs and narrative involvement in the game and her
resolution is the high point in the game’s story. This difference
in quality from a lot of the other cast members is due to a
combination of a closer personal connection to a main character
leading to a greater screen presence and showcasing of their personality
and a direction to their arc which reflects well into the overall
theming of the game. Each of these gives her a flexibility of
expression lacking in much of the secondary characters due to their
rigid and functional nature and it allows for her humanity to be
self-evident without having to be spelt out.
Illuminating Magic – Visuals, Audio and Technical
There
is nothing particularly special about any aspect of The Shadows of
Pygmalion’s presentation on any front, but it does have a firm
grasp on how to use what it does have to get invoke the right
emotions. From a visual standpoint it is a slightly different take on
the expected anime art style common to most visual novels with all
the common trappings of the medium. Its liberal use of cut-ins is
where the game can effectually use its visuals to convey its
identity. This often manifests as either slow reveals of a scene by
cut-ins which showcase parts of the scene to build up the tension and
drama of events or rapid cut-ins to sell the motion and violence of
an action scene. Through the teasing of visuals the title can make
them have more impact than they would otherwise have while helping
them leave an impact in the player’s mind. The audio is similarly
standard, but does not have anything like the cut-ins to spice it up
so it ends up being a forgettable affair. In the moment it does its
job of creating the right mood and yet when thinking back on the
tracks it is difficult to remember a single on of them with any
clarity.
 |
| Action scenes have a good impact to them through the use of cut-ins |
Conclusion
There
is a lot of like in The Shadows of Pygmalion as the game knows its
genre well and provides a memorable combination of supernatural
action and drama. It opens incredibly strongly with an excellent hook
and engaging world hiding mysteries which are just waiting to be
uncovered. The main cast reinforce the strengths of this narrative
through the way they play into the dual nature of the setting as the
character’s grapple with their everyday lives and their battle
against the Puppets. From a presentational standpoint the game is
nothing special yet makes the most out what it has available. It is
only in the second half where the cracks begin to show as the
revelations are dry, the romantic elements feel weak and out of place
and a lot of its secondary cast appear shallow. Despite this the
title is still an enjoyable experience which taps into what makes
action visual novels so distinctive.
Verdict –
An urban fantasy action title which leans into the dual nature of
its setting to provide strong character moments and flashy drama. Yet
it is a flawed package that cannot quite stick the landing.
Pros -
+
A strong opening with well presented mysteries and an engaging world
which hook you in.
+
The dual nature of the setting is played on through the main cast who
have to grapple with what each half means to them.
+
Effective use of its visuals to sell the drama or action of a scene.
Cons -
-
After the opening the game never manages to reach the same highs with
weak reveals and hollow romantic elements.
-
Secondary cast is a mixed bag as many of them feel like props for the
plot rather than actual people.
