Showing posts with label Horror. Show all posts

Dark Nights Review – Solving Romantic Tension With Spooky Scares

Genre – Otome, Supernatural, Mystery Play Time – 13 hours Developer - Pinlin Steam(Free) VNDB

Supernatural Hunks

Everyone dreams of something exciting happening to them to break the mundanity of their lives, but few consider the consequences of this adventure. Such is the case for Dark Nights’ bored protagonist Miyoko who gets exactly what she wishes for when people start disappearing and she becomes entangled with a series of supernatural men. This tale of tension, romance and a light bit of horror unveils to her the hidden world living right under her nose. Each of her suitors is given their own distinct plot completely focused on them rather than a variation of a core narrative structure which keeps the game fresh throughout. Small nods to the other routes pepper each play through and invite the player to explore every possible avenue. The suitors possess a good spread of personalities that compliment and rub up against Miyoko’s own strong willed and proactive nature in different and entertaining ways. Backing them up is a secondary cast capable of playing both friend and foe to the main characters without coming across and inconsistent. When it comes to the visuals and audio the amateur nature of Dark Nights becomes obvious in their inconsistent quality and this is not helped by a few odd quirks of scene pacing plaguing certain sections. Are these traits of its production enough to undermine the otome fantasy? Let’s snoop around at night and find out.

It Goes Bump In The Night – Narrative And Themes

Variety stands as Dark Nights’ greatest narrative strength with each route bringing some new angle to the world and there being little overlap between their ideas. This keeps the experience of progression fresh throughout as the player is never quite sure what they are going to encounter next. It also uses the unexpected to help add tension and compliment a romance where the threats facing the suitors differ wildly and always remain exciting. Despite this variance, the world building has a believable consistency to it which never strays too far from the core supernatural concepts established early on in each route. No matter what a player chooses they will be met with a consistent presentation of the world without it falling into a predictable pattern. Almost everything comes down to spirits, the undead or those in charge of managing them. Yet there are lots of variations to this framework such as the spirit world being made up of different powerful spirits and even guardian demons. Helping all of these elements feel consistent with one another is the countless little nods to the other routes inside each route. These hint at the fate of characters from other routes and tease what their route involves while also providing the sense the cast do not just disappear when not chosen by the player. It makes the world feel more natural and alive where the character decide their own fates and merely intersect with Miyoko’s life rather than having everything revolve around her.

Dreaming of something exciting

Supporting these vibrant routes is the entertaining mixture of romance and light horror. The horror in Dark Nights’ come across more as spooky rather than actively trying to induce fear in the player and it is akin to haunted house ride at a theme park. This is not to say it cannot create feelings of tension and danger since Miyoko’s fragile nature is constantly reinforced through the bad endings and monsters she faces. What allows this horror to not be overwhelming comes from the playful way it presents these darker elements through making them somewhat silly punishments of obvious failure or the achievements for bad ends having funny illustrations on them. This lighter presentation of horror lets it complement the slowly building romance between Miyoko and the suitor where the two can bond in the face of their shared dangers alongside the excuse to get physically closer to these handsome men. Since these relationships are the main attraction of an otome, a stronger horror element might have overpowered the positive emotions of this romance so this is skilfully dodged and instead employed to showcase the development of their bond.

This collection for the ending achievements is a fun addition

A consistent problem throughout Dark Nights is the way scenes and some endings can be too short or abruptly come to an end. For scenes this mostly comes in the form of events which serve a function but are not given the space to feel natural. They have the characters say all the important information in rapid succession before stopping as soon as their utility has ended which is jarring since it creates the sense the cast are robots. Fortunately scenes like these are mostly concentrated in the common route and the opening sections of a few suitor routes but disappear as the player progresses further into them. This makes for a poor first impression of the game which might turn off potential new players from the joys found in later sections. In the case of some endings, not all are created equal and some normal and romance endings lack a proper climax and resolution and instead just stop. What this means in practice is things like major plot beats or antagonists dealt with of screen in a single line despite all the build up or a happy ending not earned by the characters and just shoved onto them. As you can imagine this leads to a feeling of being left without a way to tie up the player’s feelings towards the route’s suitor and leaves a sour taste in their mouth. The majority of endings do not suffer from this issue but this makes the ones which do stand out in the worst way possible and are disappointing when the bar for ending quality is so high.

Another minor issue is the weird way Dark Nights insists it is set in a village despite the location being far too large to be considered one. There are inconsistencies like the fact that Miyoko can run through the streets for an extended time to escape oncoming zombies, a lot of villagers die and become zombies yet the village never seems to run out of people and there being parts of the village Miyoko has never been to despite living in there all her life. Each one of these point to the village in fact being at least a small town where these traits would make sense since it would easily excuse them. This issues is at most distracting rather than damaging but does contribute to the overall inconsistency of the narrative at times.

Ghosts, Ghouls and Charming Men – Characters

Key to any good otome is a likeable suite of suitors for the player to select from and invest into and those on display here more than meet this standard. A wide variety of personalities exists across the suitors from the blunt but kind Zeikun to the carefree and lazy Kurato and these lead to a lot of distinct interaction based on who is the focus of a route. What further pushes their individual identities is how they do not all get along with each other and often come into direct conflict with each other and in doing so reveal new sides to themselves. Most importantly of all they bounce off Miyoko in fun ways as their banter creates a sense of the bond between her and each suitor while contrasting it with her other relationships. It makes her connection with them feel genuine and unique to each of them since they bring out different parts of her personality. Miyoko being the story’s primary driver gives her a refreshing wilfulness and helps equalise the relationship with her chosen suitor despite being physically weaker than them in need of their protection. Without her they would not be moving forwards and it is only because she drags them with her that they manage to overcome their issues and find happiness. It also makes for some amazing dialogue where the characters have to face down this force of nature and find her persistence difficult to deal with. As for the secondary cast, they nicely fill in the roles needed from them as they dynamically jump between ally and enemy depending on the route while remaining believably consistent in their motives and actions. Finding out how they will react in a new route to Miyoko and the suitor forms a strong part of the appeal of exploring the game’s narrative to its fullest. Their interconnecting web of relationships and shared history slowly unveils itself with unguarded comments and heartfelt cries providing these sneak peaks behind their masks.

Kaichi is one of the best examples of someone who is both friend and enemy at different times

Fantasy Bellow Normality – Visuals, Audio And Technical

The amateur nature of Dark Nights is brought into sharper focus when considering the three pillars of visuals, audio and design choices. From a visual standpoint it is the inconsistencies which highlight this quality through the contrast between the sprites and the CGs. There is a gap in presentation between the two which creates a feeling of disconnect where they do not seem to show the same characters. The CGs come across as lush and vibrant where their dynamic and expressive poses compliment an excellent colour palette and vivid lines to form strong visualisation for the narrative. Unfortunately the sprites cannot match this high benchmark and each is somewhat stiff in their posture with a limited variety of expressions leading to the cast feeling wooden at times. Then the small OST comes into focus as it is not quite large enough to fill what is not a short visual novel which results in a lot of repeated tracks the player will become very familiar with. Each track is used appropriately but over the course of the long play time they lose their impact and no longer invoke the emotions in the player’s mind. Another sign of the amateur nature of this title is the extremely short common route. The suitors are given one scene each before the game asks the player which one they want to pursue.

Oh my, look another handsome man

Conclusion

Keeping a romantic tone while having the pressing weight of horror is the mixture which characterises much of Dark Nights. Each route takes a different part of this setting and explores it through its suitor as it weaves in aspects from other routes to create a complete feeling world. Vivid characters dance around each other in a battle of life and love where the friends and enemies change dramatically from suitor to suitor and set to a backdrop of beautiful CGs depicting their most heartfelt moments. There are some hiccups hampering the player’s enjoyment of the game from some of the more amateur visuals to the abrupt endings to some scenes, but these are ultimately minor or infrequent enough to overlook for what is otherwise an exceptional otome.

Verdict –

Perfectly captures a spooky horror tone which allows for intense romantic interactions with its many engaging suitors and their supernatural problems. Oddly cut off scenes and some limited visuals and audio do hold it back from its potential.

Pros-

+ Every route has its own distinct plot thread which deals with a different part of the setting to keep the narrative feeling fresh.

+ Blends romance and horror together in a fun mixture of spooky and steamy moments.

+ Suitors have a good variety of personalities and clash with each other. This extends to the secondary cast who jump between friend and foe depending on the route.

+ Beautiful CGs enhance the most powerful and memorable events in the game.

Cons -

- Some scenes and endings are too short or end too abruptly leading to an unsatisfying and poorly paced feel at times.

- Weak character sprites and an OST too small for the game’s length hamper its presentation.

- Common route is too short and demands the player choose a suitor before the player has even had a chance to get to know them.

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Tag : Fantasy, Horror, Otome, Review, Romance,

Pocket Mirror: GoldenerTraum Review – Golden Hope And Young Girls

Genre – Horror, RPG Maker Play Time – 10 hours Developer – AstralShift Steam

Hold That Gold Tight

Releasing at the tail end of the golden era of RPG Maker horror, the original Pocket Mirror captured the best quality of games from that time and brought them together into a well presented package. Seven years later AstralShift released a remaster of Pocket Mirror named GoldenerTraum which touches up the visuals and adds some new content in order to bring it to a wider audience. It maintains the excellent atmosphere and creeping dread alongside the characters’ riveting journey which made the original so memorable. Those characters are dealt with separately and given the space they need to shine and inspire fear. Creating a visual and audio space filled with tension and beauty was already something the original did well so the new touches help elevate it to a new level. However, GoldenerTraum does not solve any of the flaws of the original from unclear choices to uneven pacing while adding in many of its own with its new content not meshing with the old. Is this enough to undermine this classic RPG Maker horror game? Let’s get lost in a kaleidoscopic maze of terror and find out.

Into Fear And Loneliness – Narrative and Themes

The one element a RPG Maker horror game needs to be successful is a strong atmosphere with a backbone of dread since it cannot rely on its visuals in the direct way other style of horror are able to. Pocket Mirror takes notes from its predecessors in order to embody their best traits while avoiding some of their common pitfalls. Dread is used as a subtle tool with the off nature of puzzles and interactions carrying a lot of the tonal weight. Often this manifests in moments where characters will have the protagonist do things that are twisted or not be upfront about the consequences of what they want only to turn round and be confused at the protagonist’s fear. An abnormal sense of normality is pervasive throughout as the items and scenery of a young girl’s life take on strange forms and even in the quiet moments the player cannot shake the feeling of wrongness. This encroachment becomes more pronounced as the game goes on and the characters become more openly hostile to the protagonist and this makes for suitable pacing curve to prevent the horror from becoming too stale and predictable. Its characters’ journeys and how the relate to and influence the protagonist is the main narrative driving force. Their unforgettable personalities and the way they can turn on the protagonist at any moment helps make each new encounter with them feel like a meaningful look into their minds. When combined with the player’s ability to decide their individual fates through choices made along the way, it makes for a compelling motivation to push through the fear and see the outcome of this story.

One area Pocket Mirror is careful to not overuse is the chase sequence. Many of its peers have a tendency to overuse this mechanic due to the lack of other ways to directly threaten the player which might be exciting at first but eventually results in fatigue due to the player wanting to just get on with the game. Here Pocket Mirror understands the need for palpable danger but uses the chases as a means to emphasise a specific narrative beat or to shake up the player’s expectations after a long period of their absence. By holding back it can get the most out of this mechanic without it and avoid it wearing out its welcome. A similar approach can be seen in its more selective use of dead ends compared to other RPG Maker horror titles. Rather than just killing the protagonist at every minor mistake, it instead makes its dead ending narratively appropriate and clear telegraphs the imminent danger to build up and pay off the tense situation. Using its tools when they are called for a general use of subtly and implication are Pocket Mirror’s greatest strengths and are the basis of its fear.

Be careful not to fall

GoldenerTraum is an odd release when it comes to Pocket Mirror’s narrative and tone since it makes a lot of changes and additions which undermine the strengths of the original while also failing to fix the issues it has inherited. By far the most problematic addition is the new ending which exemplifies the issues with the changes made by GoldenerTraum. It is says the quiet part out load. This ending covers something which was never the focus of the original story and was vaguely implied through subtle clues. It is not an important element of the story and not expanding on it did not hurt the original work. By spelling it out for the player it removes a layer of subtly which was the game’s greatest strength in exchange for an ending lacking in meaningful substance. To top it all off it is also a bad ending so lacks any proper sense of resolution and feels like it exists to punish the player despite another bad ending already existing to fulfil this purpose.

Beyond the ending, the other changes all roughly follow this pattern of stripping away subtly and are damaging to various extents. For example, the endings all now have little illustrations which pop up after they have been completed. While they should be a nice touch which adds another layer to presentation, they are instead highly destructive since they spell out how the player should interpret them. Ambiguous endings are now made black and white removing any need for the player to engage with narrative and undermining the horror brought about by that lack of certainty. Then there are the problems also present in the original which the new release does nothing to resolve. Chief among these is the imbalanced lengths of the sections given to each character with the first one, Fleta, being noticeable longer when compared to the others. In the original this was likely caused by the opening hours being the first to be developed meaning they got the most revisions and additions before the final release. However, GoldenerTraum does nothing to address how lopsided this can make the experience of playing the game and seems to not be interested in fixing issues so much as making unnecessary add-ons.

Girls With Trauma – Characters

Having such a small cast works in Pocket Mirror’s favour since it can spend a larger amount of time focused on their individual arc. The game knows this is one of its strength as it is rare for there to be more than two characters on screen to further narrow the player’s attention. To make sure there is no competition for space each of the main character are given their own sections of the game one after another where they become the pivot around which the game revolves. Their distinctive personalities and the way they offer vastly different kind of dangers to the protagonist helps them stand out. Felta is a bubbly and childish girl who becomes brutal and aggressive the moment she does not get her way while Harpae is a calm and mature person who poses a threat in the way she will smother the protagonist in her desire to protect them. The constant tension of waiting for the moment these characters switch and reveal their darker side allows them a larger presence in the player’s mind and makes their eventually resolution all the sweeter. Interacting with all these characters is our protagonist who carefully treads the line between the necessary vulnerability of a main character from a horror game and the good heart needed for her actions and attitude towards others to make sense. Pocket Mirror loves to play on her status as victim to inspire growth in her and highlight how her unwillingness to admit responsibility for her actions has hurt others. This makes the other character’s a great foil to her as they are all things she is not but wishes she could be and through their actions she is shown the reality of how their lives are not what she imagined them to be.

Fleta is so nice until she has a tantrum

Wonderland Of Terror – Visual, Audio and Technical

If there was one area GoldenerTraum preforms better than its predecessor it is in the improvements it makes to both the traditional and pixel art. It builds upon the strong style and direction of the original to enhance the atmosphere while bring clarity to previous muddy elements. What this means in practice for the pixel art is that it has a sharper resolution with more details being visible and the movement of the characters and their expressions being easier to see. This opens the way for a flexible use of the assets to add a layer of control over how a scene will play out so a greater degree of visual spectacle can be achieved during impactful moments. In terms of the traditional artwork for the CGs and character portraits, there have been a number of new additions throughout and many events which previous did not have any have been given one. The overall effect of these changes is a greater sense of immediacy to the danger and emotion of Pocket Mirror’s world while still maintaining enough of its mystery for these visuals to not overstay their welcome. Improvements have also been made to the game’s soundscape primarily through an expanded soundtrack. Since the original’s music was already a highlight of the experience with its mix of haunting and gentle melodies and GoldenerTraum keeps to this core identity with a few flourishes of its own in order to add to its range of emotions.

Ever screen has a dream like quality to it

Mechanically Pocket Mirror is in line with its peers and does little to try and change the gameplay formula which has worked so well for them. What this means is, outside of the aforementioned chase sequences, a fairly inoffensive adventure game format filled with simple environmental or inventory puzzles. This is not going to shake the boat but at the same time it is well enough put together that the player is likely too distracted by the story and the horror to notice the uninspired repetition. A large mechanical issue stems from the choices where it is regularly unclear what the player has to choose in order to get the best endings for the cast. At times what appears to the right option is in fact completely wrong yet the correct answers are not consistent enough to just apply counter logic in order to find them. This can make for a frustrating experience where the player may feel inclined to look at a guide since they want to see the characters they have grown to care about get the ending the deserve. On top of this the new ending added with GoldenerTraum is only available on a new game plus playthrough. For new players this will likely not be an issue, but for fans who played the original and want to experience the new content this results in two playthroughs of a game whose content they have likely already played many times before just to get to the stuff they paid for.