Showing posts with label Sci-fi. Show all posts
Sunrider: Liberation Day Review – Freedom Is Within Reach
Genre - Sci-fi, Action, Mecha Play Time - 14 hours Developer - Love In Space Steam VNDB
Welcome Aboard Captain
Of
all the games in the Sunrider series this was by far the most
controversial on release and saw a major revision to its ending as a
result. It is now a well regarded entry yet the scars of this change
are evident in many subtle ways. Throughout the story there is an
effort to up the stakes and provide a more dramatic experience than
Mask of Arcadius by taking a broader picture view of the war.
The crew of the Sunrider return in all their amusing glory as their
conflicts and relationships continue to grow in the face of
adversity. Mechanically this continues to utilise the turn based
tactics systems of Mask of Arcadius which remain enjoyable even if
you can feel them reaching their limits. All of this is presented in
a complete package of visuals and audio that perfectly capture
the fantasy of being a starship captain. Then there is the issue of the ending and the lack of player agency, these hang over the later parts
of the game even in its transformed state. However, are they enough
to undermine the sci-fi adventure this title is built on? Let’s
engage the warp drives and find out.
Fighting On New Fronts – Narrative And Themes
Picking
up seconds after the plot twist ending of Mask of Arcadius puts the
player right back into the action and sets up the tone for what is to
come. As the war between the Alliance and Pact enters its next stage, the scale of conflict threatens to swallow the Neutral Rim. It is
a narrative with a lot of forward momentum where everything seems to
be pushing towards an inevitable climax as if guided by unseen hands. Contrasting this threat is the promise of an end to the war which is a
constant presence throughout the game as the characters dream of what
they will do after the liberation of Cera. These thoughts act as
a means of distracting the player and lulling them into thinking they know
how this will all end. Despite being revealed to the world the
Prototypes still hold the reins of power over the galaxy and their
madness and machinations make for a great complement to the big space
battles. They combine well with the rising personal conflicts between
the crew with Asaga growing increasingly suspicious that her best
friend Chigara might be one of the Prototypes. Creating these rifts
and slowly pacing out character moments helps the title not lose
sight of the people fighting this war and the cost for them both
physically and mentally. The consequences of the player’s actions
in the first game contribute a lot to this feeling of personal
involvement with some like Ava’s appearance being constant
remainders of the scars left behind by this conflict.
 |
| The plot develops both inside and outside the Sunrider |
The later half, and in particular the original
ending, is where Liberation Day makes a few choices which rubbed some
players the wrong way. Chief among these issues is the presence of
a forced romance despite the previous game giving the freedom to
interact with cast however the player wanted. Obviously if you liked
the character in question then there would be no issue, but many
people did not and felt betrayed by such a substantial change to the
direction of the series. Narratively this forced romance exists for
the purposes of creating a conflict between the cast and setting up
the big plot twist. In the context of Kayto Shields’ personality
and character arc this choice makes sense, the issue is that up until
this point the line between the player and Shields has been
deliberately blurred to allow for a self insert angle. As such this
adds a friction between the two which was not present before. The original ending
was a plot twist which was sudden and over quickly while leaving the
fate of the cast up in the air in an inconclusive fashion. On its own
this may not have been a problem since this is the very nature of
cliff hanger, but when combined with the forced romance it compounded
the loss of agency and pushed it over the boiling point. The
resulting backlash led to considerable changes as the
developers tried to put out the fire. These include an expansion to
the original ending so it is no longer such a cliff hanger and an
entirely new and separate what if chapter focused on the heroines. However, they do not change the fundamental structure
and railroading and are instead attempts to soften the blow. Whether
you are okay with what Libration Day is at its core and the
concessions it made will determine how much enjoyment you will get
out of it.
Motley Crew – Characters
The
old cast returns with their suite of strong personalities from both
the Sunrider crew and the various other factions. They form the majority of the
characters and make for an experience which feels like the direct
continuation it is and as such their arcs develop here in much the
same way as before. Each crew member is afforded the time to move
their arcs forward in a meaningful way and it adds to the sense that
the Sunrider is a small community. Of them, two in
particular are given the majority of the screen time, Asaga and
Chigara, since their conflict drives much of the crew’s internal
struggles. As Asaga descends into a pit of hostility and paranoia
about Chigara’s allegiances, her actions become similarly
problematic until it all boils over into an open clash. Watching this
descent slowly and inevitably creeping up, much to Shield’s
ignorance, is the most compelling through line present in the
narrative. It is the fall of a character the player has come to like
which gives it a power the abstract and grand war could never have
and makes for a perfect complement as they build up alongside one
another. There are a few new characters in the form of the Prototypes
with distinct personalities who are added in order provide substance
to their motives and identity. While they have relevance to the plot,
their relatively small amount of screen time leads to them feeling
hollow and they seem to exist to explain their plans to the player rather
than being entities with any depth beyond simple antagonists.
 |
| Look at them scheming |
War In The Final Frontier – Visual, Audio and Technical
Visually
there has been a much need upgrade to both 2D and 3D art assets from
those of Mask Of Arcadius. Everything is more vivid in the game’s
depiction of this larger than life sci-fi universe and it makes sure
to push this new coat of paint into the player’s face as much as
possible. There are no dramatic redesigns so it all comes across as
what these characters and places were originally meant to look like
and that vision has just been allowed to make itself known. As you
might expect it also continues to reinforce the space captain fantasy
through its bright and spacious interiors and grand space battles.
The soundtrack contribute to this feeling with music which ranges
from emotional to empowering wrapped up in the common sense of a
space adventure where great deeds will be accomplished. This upgrade
and increased focus on the idea of the space captain as a heroic
figure were needed since Mask of Arcadius was on the weaker side in
terms of its visuals and they
needed the more complete package of Liberation Day to properly
mature.
 |
| While larger than before, this system has reached its limit |
As
for the tactical turn based mechanics, there has been little in the
way of changes made outside of the streamlining of unit abilities so they make more sense within the system. A few new enemy types have been
added to the mix to ensure the player has something new
to consider in their calculations. Beyond this change, it remains a
well formulated means of presenting the space battles and the
characters’ part within it. Every unit has a defined role on the
battlefield and they mesh together to create a series of engaging
tactical choices. The enemy
units inspire a similar response as they work to counter the player’s
decisions and demand certain targets be prioritised in a back and forth
exchange of fire and abilities. However, Liberation Day marks the
extreme of what this system is capable of doing as the game struggles
to add complexity and difficulty as the playtime rolls on. The later
sections are characterised by unit spam or inflated health pools in
an attempt to challenge the player. Instead it just feels drawn out
and cheap compared to the earlier stages and results in the mechanics
ending on a weak note.
Conclusion
Liberation
Day is an interesting transitionary phase in the series where
elements of the old rub up against the change in direction. It
successfully raises the stakes and transitions the war to its next
phase in a manner which builds off the established world in entertaining
ways. The characters remain the same driving forces for the narrative
as before and are given the space they need to continue their growth.
Improved visuals and audio design further the space captain fantasy
with a vivid depiction of this sci-fi setting. While the mechanics
mostly adhere to this trend of improvement, it is clear that they
have reached their limit in terms of complexity and difficulty. Then
there is the railroading of the narrative and the forced romance
which feel contrary to the emphasis placed on player choice by Mask
of Arcadius. Overall, this is still a strong entry in the franchise
even with the problems it has implementing its new ideas.
Verdict –
Another strong entry in the Sunrider series which continues its
grand narrative and loveable cast while giving it a new coat of
paint. Even if it does stumble in implementing its new ideas.
Pros -
+
Ups the stakes and builds off the established narrative in
interesting ways.
+
The cast remains entertaining and deeply human as they continue their
character growth.
+
Improved visuals help sell the space captain fantasy in a new light.
Cons -
-
A forced romance and reduced player choice can make for a sense of
whiplash after Mask of Arcadius.
-
While the gameplay still remains fun to engage with, it has clearly
reached its limit and resorts to inflated heath and numbers to
compensate.
Stories From Sol: The Gun-Dog Review - After The War Is Over The Adventure Begins
Genre – Sci-fi, Mecha Play Time – 7 hours Developer – Space Colony Studios Steam VNDB
Into The Depths Of Space
Drawing
from 80s sci-fi stories and anime aesthetics creates a powerful first
impression and opens up a wide array of genre ideas to play off.
This foundational choice of direction defines much of Stories From
Sol’s narrative and mechanical features for both good and ill. It
fully embraces the pulpy spaceship fantasy of the era with a suitably
dramatic roller-coaster which sees its cast face all kinds of
shipwide calamities. Each one of the crew has their own distinct and
conflicting personalities and these lead to a variety of entertaining
tensions and clashes from minor headbutting to those endangering
everyone. Focusing on a PC-9800 artistic style results in an
imaginative exaggeration of the period that plays into its best
elements in everything from mecha design to classy
chiptune tracks. However, in embracing the period it has
inadvertently brought onboard some of the issues of game design from
the period in is adventure game sections. They suffer from the obtuse
nature of the genre and this impacts what is otherwise a well paced
experience. Then there are the problems with the writing in terms of
consistency and resolution which rear their heads in the later
sections of the story. Is the strong design direction enough to
overcome these weaknesses? Let’s jump into our mech and find out.
Captain I Think We Have A Problem – Narrative and Themes
From
the moment the player steps into the Gun-Dog, the game does
everything it can to sell the ship as a lived in place worth caring
about while still being just another run-of-the-mill military vessel.
Each location has a specific member of the crew associated with it
and they can be visited at any point for short conversations about
the current situation or just some small talk. In doing this the game
provides each space an identity and functionality through how its
cast interact with it from the Chief's tinkering in
engineering to Vanessa’s constant power plays on the bridge. The
ship gains a collective character despite its regular lines and metal
panels and it is a pleasant place just to exist within and invests the
player in its safety to mirror the protagonist’s role as head of
ship security. Later in the title when you visit another ship of
the same class this familiarity is cleverly turned on its head as the
spaces once filled with personality assume their natural cold metic
nature to make it clear this is not home. This build up of the ship is
important since once events start to be put in motion the player will
be strapped into a roller-coaster ride which will not stop until the
credits roll. There is a good variety of types to the drama and
action from high octane fights in mechs to tense sleuthing with
enemies breathing down your neck. It never rests on any one of these
for too long as each are given the exact amount of time needed for it
to feel complete before being replaced by the next narrative beat.
The results is a pulpy feeling story which plays into all the right
notes from the period it draws its inspiration and it
understands what made the peroid appealing while avoiding all of the
elements that have not aged so well. In many ways its is a rose
tinted glasses version of a story from the time, but it does not ever
come across as self-indulgent and instead feels like an honouring of an older
kind of sci-fi.
 |
| New sitations are constantly pushing the player forwards |
It
is disappointing then when this roller-coaster comes to a juddering
halt as the game enters its finale. The factors which make this
conclusion feel weak stem from the way it neither offers proper
resolution nor sets up anything concrete for the future. By far the
biggest sin the game commits is the way it tosses aside the crew
of the Gun-Dog who are given a moment or two of screen time before
being unceremoniously shoved into a metaphorical bin. They were the
heart of the experience up until this point so not having a proper
send off makes for a hollow note to end on. Then there is the way it
hurriedly resolves the main conflict while not actually providing any
solid answers about what is going on. Coupled with the fate of a number
of characters being uncertain by the end and the result is an
unpleasant taste in the mouth of a player hoping for some kind of
resolution. It does not even function as a cliffhanger since it is
too vague to feel dramatic while also lacking any sense of where this
will lead or what it means for the future of the cast. Overall, it
feels like the ending was rushed out of the door either because of
budget or time constraints and big chunks of it were cut so what is
left has holes in it which sour the experience.
 |
| Having a clear vision helps sell the experience in a way few other things can |
A
more minor criticism is game’s inconsistent presentation and
understanding of how space works and in particular how deadly it is
for humans. For example, at one point the protagonist enters a ship which has had
its atmosphere removed and yet all this does is cause the crew to
asphyxiate with no mention of how the change in pressure and
temperature might influence the bodies. In and of itself this is not
an issue, since this work is clearly not aiming to be grounded
sci-fi, but rather how it is inconsistent with its established rules.
One moment you will have characters wearing spacesuits and another
you will have characters jumping through the vacuum of space in their
normal clothes. This is a bit of nit pick, but the game is filled
with these kinds of inconsistencies and they build up to be
distracting from the core experience.
A Motley Crew – Characters
Any
story focused around a ship needs a crew with good spread of
interesting personalities and Stories From Sol
truly delivers on this for the Gun-Dog. The breadth of characters on
offer serve a series of important functions in such an isolated
setting where they occupy the majority of what the game’s narrative
has to work with. On their most basic level they provide a sense of
the wider universe which the game does not otherwise address since
their different viewpoints speak to where they came from. The brusque
Chief clearly comes from a vastly different background to the bubbly
Cassandra and they both contrast with the laser focused Dylan. While no
specifics are ever given to their lives before being assigned to the
Gun-Dog, outside of crumbs here and there, the player can easily
draw conclusions about what the world beyond is like. Their strong
identities make them easy to remember and recall which is
important given how quickly the game moves in its later parts. As
events spiral to their conclusion it is good to have a simple frame
of reference so the player immediately knows how each event is going
to impact the characters. Crucially their personalities constantly
clash against one another in dramatic and entertaining ways
reinforcing the idea of them as individuals with their own aims and
values. Their interpersonal interactions form the backbone of a lot
of what makes the game’s moment to moment so engaging as they
bounce off each other in fun and sometimes dangerous ways. The
Gun-Dog’s crew have just the right amount of depth while also being
memorable to make them the most enjoyable part of the entire game.
 |
| Every character has their own lovable personality even those who can be antagonistic |
Retro Is The New Future – Visual, Audio and Technical
Style
appears to have been at the top of Space Colony Studios’ list of
priorities and it oozes from every inch of the game’s presentation.
Its artistic vision is one which emulates the limitations of
classical hardware through the flexibility of modern technology to
create a larger than life version of this era of games. What this
means in practice is intricate pixel art images which lean into the
PC-9800 sci-fi aesthetics to form a space where their angled nature
can feel right at home. There are lots of nice touches that help sell
the spaceship and characters with the most prominent being the motion
on constant display. Each portrait has their own selection of emotive
movements matching the character's personality while backgrounds and CGs have
dynamic elements that change to reflect what is going on in the
story. Character portraits even have three different versions
which change their colour and the complexity of their designs to more
directly resemble their inspiration. The soundtrack follows a similar
philosophy with its chiptune music embodying an upbeat and energetic
tone. While it is not without its darker and serious tracks, the
general feel of the music is one focused on the idea of a big space
adventure and how cool all of this is as it looks longingly at the
giant mechs and fantastical ships. All-together this style creates a
consistency to the experience and further pushes the core identity present in the narrative.
 |
| From the moment you start the game it makes its artistic choices clear |
As
for the gameplay which lives alongside the narrative, it is a solidly
built adventure game with little beyond what you would expect from
the genre. It offers the player the option of one of several
commands, such as look and use, to interact with the environment and
progress. The visual novel narrative is the focus here and the
adventure game parts are a means of pacing the player while giving
them something to do with their hands in between key plot moments.
However, it does suffer from one of the common pitfalls of the genre,
unclear progression. What this means is the course of actions
required to progress operates on a logic which is not immediately
apparent and this leads to confusion and a stalling of the
experience. Stories From Sol does not have the esoteric solutions
present in many of its peers, but it does have moments where the
player is required to perform actions on things seemly unrelated to
the matter at hand. None of these are going to stall a player’s
progress for any extended period of time and yet their repeated
presence does lead to some frustration.
Conclusion
When
a game knows exactly what it wants to be and directs everything into
it, the result is a vivid and memorable title as it is with Stories
From Sol. Focusing solely on selling this 80s style spaceship fantasy
gives it the ability to craft a roller-coaster ride of drama and emotions
with a strong sense of direction. Its characters are large and
contrasting, allowing for all sorts of interesting interactions and
conflicts to naturally arise. The retro mix of pixel art and chiptune emulate period styles while using the advances in technology
helps create striking locations and emotive characters. While the
ending does feel rushed and there are issues with its adventure game
parts, none of these overshadow the game’s wholehearted commitment
to its vision.
Verdict –
Vivid 80s style and a strong vision craft an unforgettable sci-fi
story with lovable characters and suitably pulpy drama. However, the
lacklustre ending and the pitfalls it inherits from adventure games
do bring down the title’s overall quality.
Pros -
+
Knows exactly what kind of experience it is and firmly sticks to the
best elements of 80’s sci-fi while avoiding the parts which have
not aged well.
+
A roller-coaster of a story which sells the spaceship fantasy in a
suitably dramatic manner.
+
Its characters are an endearing spread of personalities who
constantly rub against each other in this boiling pot of a ship.
+
Having a strong retro aesthetic and musical direction makes each
moment a feast for the senses.
Cons -
-
The ending feels rushed and has neither the conclusiveness to
satisfying nor the impact and set up needed for an engaging
cliffhanger.
-
Suffers from some of the classic issues with adventure games relating
to their sometimes obtuse requirements for progression.
Time Loop – Genre Deep Dive
Déjà vu
Of
all the subgenres of sci-fi and fantasy there are none as popular and
influential in visual novels as the Time Loop. It feels as if half of
all titles which want to be taken seriously go with some form of Time
Loop in order to tell their story. This is perhaps a natural result
of wanting to explain the existence of routes from an in-universe
perspective without having to deal with their often complex and
contradictory content. Of course it can also be used as an excuse to have
serious elements sitting right next to silly moments while trying to
preserve some sense of continuity. Character reactions to the Time
Loop are a favourite playground of this genre and the existance of a loop means they
can be pushed to extremes without having any lasting consequences
since it will be all be reset. Furthering this approach is the effect
dehumanisation has on the person undergoing the loop as they struggle
to maintain their sanity in a space without an ending or any means to
escape it. Let’s break the loop and discover the appeal and power
of the genre.
The End is The Beginning
Attempts
to marry the structure and narrative of visual novels define the
medium’s use of this genre. It provides a suitable justification
for its route based nature or the flexibility to have a more open
ended construction and neither of these extremes feels out of place
within the context of a Time Loop. There is an inbuilt expectation for
repetition in this genre which aids in the smooth transition in and
out of common routes and other opening scenes the player will
encounter since it makes sense for the protagonist to experience these events
again if they are caught in this cycle. In playing into Time Loop
conventions such as these, visual novels can gain the freedom to
create twists and turns with the knowledge that the consequences do
not need to be immediate. For route based titles the expanding
tendrils of each route and their endings are an easy to
understand representation of the possible outcomes of the loop. A
classic example of this type is YU-NO which shows its differing routes as
multi coloured splinters off the opening line on a flowchart through which the player is encouraged to think about how each relates to
the others. It is to this menu the game goes after each ending to
further push the cyclical nature of its Time Loop and nudge the
player towards the branches they have yet to explore. The fact that
in order to progress down certain routes requires key items from other paths
creates a feeling of the protagonist utilising the loop for their own
benefit as more about what is happening becomes clear. On a higher
level there is also the collection of special stones
which are needed by the player to break out of the loop and push into
the second half of the game. All of this comes together to create a
tactile weight to unlocking more of the paths and an easy to observe
forward momentum.
 |
| Representations of Time Loops in visual novels are always interesting to look at |
When it comes to Time Loops within a more open and
less directly linear structure Type-Moon’s fandiscs offer a pair of
interesting examples. Fate/ Hollow Ataraxia splits itself into
individual and self-contained events which the player can pick from during each time period. Since this creates a variety of possible paths
through the loop it cannot be easily presented in a flowchart even if
the paths for progression are indeed linear. Instead it is the amount
of choices and how more are slowly unlocked with each new cycle which
sells its repetition while not actually reusing more content than it
absolutely has to in order create a connection between player and
protagonist. Kagetsu Tooya leans closer to the continuous perspective
approach like YU-NO but takes it to its logical extreme with so many
paths and off shoots that attempting to make a flowchart for it would lead to an difficult to understand mess of lines. It forms a labyrinth of ways forwards where the player is going to constantly bump into endings or
new routes as they work to help the protagonist escape. There is an
implicit challenge in this structure where the player must explore
and understand the space they are operating within so they can find
the way out and so fosters an engagement not otherwise possible
without the existence of a Time Loop.
People Under Pressure
No
matter how interesting a Time Loop might be structurally, if there are
not characters being pushed to their extremes then it will be a dry
experience. Visual novels address this potential issue through
pushing their already character centric nature and keeping their
focus squarely on the people caught up in the loop. Due to the way
the loop removes a lot of the immediate consequences from character
actions they can be pushed to extremes that might normally be damaging or life
changing but here are removed once the loop resets. This lets the
story probe deep into a character’s motivations without having to
worry about how this will effect anyone in the long term and allows
it an adaptability when it comes to how to handle and frame each new
clash of identities. Extremes like these still have to make sense
within the context of the world or risk the loop appearing incoherent
so this freedom with the characters is not a ticket to do whatever
wild things the developer wants. Even if the characters do not
remember their actions in the loop, the player will and so it is
their mindset the game has to form its believability around.
 |
| Characters are key to a good Time Loop |
Generally this character focus pushes the cast into the spotlight one at
a time as with our two examples of this use of the Time Loop, Cross
Channel and Little Busters. Route based Time Loops such as Little
Busters already have an inbuilt mechanism where the player expects
the visual novel to concentrate on the selected character and so does
not have to contrive a situation for this emphasis since the player
has already created it themselves. It also helps the player
understand each character’s place in the world and their role in
the greater plot in a controlled yet exciting manner. By contrast
Cross Channel is far more rigidly constructed with heroines each
getting their turn in a linear order and provides a lot of fine
control over the player’s expectations and anticipation. The main
advantage this approach brings is the way it integrates the otherwise
isolated character arcs into a smooth and natural feeling direct path
as opposed to the bitty feeling route system.
Dehumanisation And The Looper
Repeating
the same few days again and again is going to have an impact of the
mental state of the looper and change how they view the people around
them. When there are no lasting consequences why should you care
about your actions? If people are just going to reset as soon as a
new loop starts can they really be considered anything more than set
dressing? There is an inevitable nihilism that seeps into a looper's
world-view the longer they remain trapped and they start dehumanise
the individuals they once cared about before eventually doing this to themselves. Since this is
a pretty dark subject many Time Loops in visual novels skirt around
the issue by have the protagonist only remember parts of the loop so
they get to keep being themselves. However, when it is addressed the
character development opportunities it offers are powerful and lead
to many memorable moments. This is generally handled in two ways,
witnessing the character struggle with the birth of these emotions or
showing someone who has succumbed to the nihilism pull themselves out
of it.
 |
| Rika is interesting since we see her from the outside for most of the story |
Perhaps the most iconic example of the first type is Okabe
Rintarou as he fights against a loop which seems set in stone. From
the intimate perspective afforded by the visual novel format we get
to see the decline in Okabe’s mental state as he tries many different
things in order to save those he cares about only for the world to
just adapt to his actions and lead the same outcome regardless. It is
only through opening up to the people he has started to dehumanise that he can pull
himself back from the pit of despair and move towards resolving the
loop which is a satisfying arc to watch unfold. On the other side we
have Rika Furude who has long ago been consumed by the nihilism of
the loop. What makes this noticeably different to Okabe’s portrayal
is the way the player gets to see this repeatedly from the persective
of someone who is unknowingly trapped in the loop. This makes her
sudden personality switching, treatment of her friends like pawns and
loss of interest when she considers the current loop a failure appear
alien and creates a tension between her perspective and the rest of
the cast as they try to salvage what she knows to already be doomed.
Once the player finally does get to see the twisted inner workings of
her head it is as a means to show her pulling herself out of this pit
through the new hope she has found and ultimately resulting in her
finding a way to her desired future.
Conclusion
Visual
novels and Time Loops are a perfect match for each other and a
constant source of new and engaging stories. The genre gives an easy
justification for the standard route based structure as well as more
experimental and flexible paths through the game. It offers an
opportunity to push its characters to their limits with the knowledge
that the long term consequences do not have to be considered so the
extremes can be wild. The person aware of the loop offers a unique
means of showcasing how easy it is for humans to slip into nihilism
and the dehumanisation of people they once cared about when pushed beyond
their limits. Overall there are few more fertile grounds then the
Time Loop and if you are thinking about making one then considering
the various options available to visual novels can go a long way.
MYTH Review – Walking With My Shadow
Genre – Mystery, Thriller, Denpa Play Time – 20 hours Developer – Circletempo Steam VNDB
Walking Without A Shadow
In
a world where everyone is shadowless, should you trust someone who
has one? This is a tale of multiple dimensions, interweaving
character relationships and even parents eating their own children.
There is nothing quite like MYTH and it can make explaining its
qualities to another person somewhat difficult, especially since it
relies so heavily on plot twists and this constrains what can be
discussed. Nevertheless, this review will endeavour to cover the ups
and downs of the game while keeping away from the deeper aspects of
the winding plot. One of the ways it likes to keep people guessing is through a
variety of POV characters who at first glance seem to have nothing to
do with one another and the small casts which surround them. In order
to keep track of all these different moving parts MYTH gives ample
charts and reference information to encourage theorycrafting at every
turn. The most noticeable flaw in the title is its limited
presentation which stems from its low budget and small development
team. Is the weakness enough to draw people out of the experience and
undermine its elaborate narrative? Let’s locate ourselves a shadow
and find out.
Step Into The Labyrinth – Narrative And Themes
The
largest reason to play MYTH can be found in the complex and
interconnected narrative and the way it is carefully given to the player
one helping at a time. From the moment the game starts we are
presented with a mysterious world where people do not have shadows
and it is here we are introduced to our first protagonist, Tanabe Meito.
Not much time is initially spent here and Meito is swiftly pulled
into another equally strange world by Shimon, yet it will linger in
the player’s mind while leading to a pay off much later on. This
process of highlighting key elements of the story for future reveals
through their sheer abnormality is what makes the journey so
memorable as it pulls on all kinds of sci-fi and mythological
references to hint at the bigger picture. Slowly teasing ideas with
distinctive yet separate elements, which invite the player to consider
how they functions, provides an incentive to form theories about
how all these pieces link to one another. The way MYTH loves to jump between protagonists, sometimes
without informing the player, reinforces these feelings of intrigue
as it reframes concepts which the player may have thought they
understood. In many ways the build up where all the theory crafting
takes place is more interesting than the truth about what is going
on. Not because the truth is boring or underwhelming, but rather the
back and forth between player and game as theories are tested
against new information is so incredibly engaging that it carries a
powerful momentum throughout the entire experience.
 |
| MYTH is broadly series yet know how to add some levity into the mix |
Perhaps
it is inevitable that the strengths of a complex visual novel are
also one of its primary weaknesses. This is a game so in love with
its plot twists and reveals it can sometimes take it too far and they
become somewhat overwhelming and nonsensical. Towards the end of the
story the twists come at a rapid pace and in order to justify certain
revelations there have to be leaps in logic to accommodate them. Many
are inoffensive and make some degree of sense, but there are a fair
few pushing the bounds of believability too far and causing the
player to be distracted by them when they should be focusing on the
narrative climax. The really important twists manage to avoid this
fate since it is clear the developers have thought about their
implementation at length, but it hurts them by proximity and a
feeling of inconsistency. At the point this issue arises a player is
likely already going to see the game through to the end, but it does
take away from what it otherwise an emotional and tense finale.
Many Universes, Many Faces – Characters
Swapping
between the various point of view protagonists and seeing their very
different opinions on their worlds acts a major pillar for MYTH. To
start out there are just two POV characters in Meito and oddly named
Berserker with more being added as the game moves along. This pair
perfectly captures the range of characterisation the player can
expect from future POV characters. The seemly ordinary Meito
contrasting against the violent and strange Berserker who is being
eaten by his mother perfectly represent the extremes of MYTH's narrative
space. Everyone other POV character falls somewhere within
this range and expands their respective angle on the greater
mysteries. Being inside their heads helps make the more esoteric
protagonists, in particular Berserker, more engaging to witnesses as
the player gets to see the full twisted and morbidly fascinating
workings of their minds rather than the potential vague outline of
them a third person view would provide. The regular switching between
them helps keep the narrative feeling fresh through a constant sense
of new things being uncovered and new strange worlds coming into
focus. It is important for MYTH that these POV characters be as
memorable as possible since they form a large part of what is a
relatively small core cast and so the scrutiny placed on them from the
player is more intense than might otherwise be found in a large
group. As such their intense nature is a direct response to the requirement and this elaborate solution defines a lot of the game’s
identity.
 |
| Berserker is a truly odd character |
Beyond
the POV protagonists, the main cast is a relatively small affair with
each group consisting of no more than a handful of characters. Take for example Meito, he has a total of three important
characters around him, in Riri, Shimon and Sou, and together they are
the people the player will spend the majority of their time interacting with. Such a small group ensures an intimate knowledge of
their relationships and a greater number of opportunities to grow
attached to them during the slower paced moments. These bonds make it
more personal when the doubts about the characters’ intentions come
crawling out of the woodwork and the player has no choice but to
reevaluate them in the context of Meito’s story and also their
appearances from other perspectives. Having this doubt weave into the
protagonist switching creates an interesting push and pull about how
the player feels about certain cast members due to their seemly
contradictory presentation. While this is happening the game provides
characterisation to all these sides of them so they come across as distinct
and create uncertainty about the reliability of each protagonist’s
testimony.
Pushing Through Limitations – Visual, Audio and Technical
The
first thing you will notice when starting up MYTH for the first time
is its low budget nature. From the simple character portraits with
limited expressions to the small pool of background music and sound
effects, it is a constant presence throughout its play time.
Having this reuse of assets can lead to some sources of
confusion about what is being show on screen. For example, if a
background asset of a forest is used in two different characters’
perspectives how should this be thought about? Are they in the same
location or is this just a strategic recycling of assets? Due to how
vague the narrative can be, and the fact that both are true at
different times, it muddies the player’s understanding of what is
going on and hurts the viability of their theorising. It also suffers
from the standard feelings of repetition from being forced to use the
same visuals and audio on a regular basis. Through a clever
re-framing of these assets from the different perspectives and
contexts MYTH mitigates the fatigue that might otherwise be present.
Keeping everything fresh with new framing is a key pillar of every
part of MYTH and it is just as strong here as it is everywhere else.
 |
| Good charts are always a blessing |
As
the complexity of the plot and the number of cast members increases
it can be difficult to keep track of everything. To alleviate this
burden MYTH has a series of charts and notes which documents of all
the big reveals and character relationships.
This helps the narrative avoid repeating information for the sake of
catching the player up on something they may have missed and it gives
the player a space to take a break and speculate about what is going
on. Keeping each part as clearly defined as possible is a big focus
for these charts and one of the main way they achieved this is
through dividing it along the narrative lines player’s are encountering in
game. The largest example of this is how the character relationship
charts are each centred around a different POV protagonists to match up
with what the player is experiencing. It cannot be overstated how
much these charts and notes make the feeling of playing MYTH more
accessible and it is something more visual novels should include if
they want to lean into complexity in their narratives.
Conclusion
Strange
is perhaps the single word which best sums up every aspect of MYTH
and it uses this to its advantage. The twisting story keeps the
player guessing and encourages them to engage in their own
theorycrafting about what is going on. This is aided by a well put
together suite of charts and notes to help them keep track of events
and characters. Presenting all of this through a variety of POV
protagonists each with their own small main cast works to create an
interesting and dynamic set of characters. It is only held back by
its status as a low budget title limiting its available assets and
the way it can sometimes push its plot twists a little too far.
Verdict –
Strange worlds and imaginative characters populate a rich and
winding narrative that rewards the player’s willingness to engage
with it. Despite its low budget presentation, there is nothing quite
like MYTH.
Pros -
+
Complex and interweaving plot which engages with the player’s
ability to think about the situation from different angles.
+
Smart use of a variety of POV characters to create intrigue.
+
Small core casts around each protagonist ensure the player is able to
get intimately familiar with them.
+
A suite of charts and information which constantly updates to help
the player keep track of what is going on.
Cons -
-
Can push the plot twists of its tangled plot too far and it can be
distracting.
-
Its low budget nature leads to the reuse of a lot of assets.
Himawari – The Sunflower – Review – Between Earth And Space
Genre – Mystery, Sci Fi, Slice of Life Play Time – 40 hours Developer – Blank Note & Frontwing Steam VNDB
Blooming Under The Sun
A
girl mysteriously falling from the sky and changing the protagonist’s
life is a well worn cliché. So when Aries crash lands the player
likely thinks they already know where this is going, but Himawari has
more than a few tricks up its sleeve to prove them wrong. Divided
into two halves, earth and space, this is a tale of love, sacrifice
and loss played out by a broken cast of colourful
characters. It is an odd mix of an early slow burn with a dynamic
second part where the game shifts genre dramatically which will
either turn people off or intrigue them. The twists and turns present
in the later parts of the game work to keep the game feeling fresh,
but there is a definite feeling that the game does not quite
understand when it should stop. Does this story
of heaven and earth glitter brightly or collapse under the weight of
its own dramatic reveals? Let’s escape from space and find out.
Crash Landing From The Heavens – Narrative and Themes
The
opening section of the game is a decidedly slow burn in terms of
pacing with the narrative content taking its time after Aries
arrives. Slice of Life antics become the focus of events and there is
an effort to establish a baseline for the characters and world which
the later parts can build upon or undermine. Having the Space Club
being the binding element helps provides a means to connect the
sci-fi existence that is Aries and Co. to the otherwise grounded
presentation of the setting so they do not feel out of place. It also
works as a means of giving the characters an objective to aim for in
the form of their miniature spacecraft in order to offer a sense of
direction these opening hours might otherwise lack. On a surface
level, there is nothing here that the player has likely not seen many time
before as it leans into a lot of the standard story tropes of the
Slice of Life genre, but it is in the finer detail where Himawari
begins to expose its true nature. There is an unsettling air hanging
over the entire of this section with character’s behaving very
slightly off and key gaps beginning to form in the player’s
understand of what is going on. If the player takes a step off the
beaten path and into one of the bad ends then they are greeted by
events which call into question the reliability of the protagonist
and the intentions of those around him. These feelings build up over
time while the game still maintains the bright and happy veneer which
does a good job at keeping long term interest and unease. All this
build up is paid off when the first part ends and the mask comes off
as Himarwari reveals what kind of story it really wants to tell.
 |
| Aries is far from a normal girl who falls from the sky |
Once
the narrative shift occurs the game moves into being more direct with
its themes and character arcs. Despite the dramatic change in setting
there a sense of continuity maintained through the duality of earth
and space as a core motif around which it can place its twists and
turns. The new characters introduced do a good job of getting the
player invested in them quickly so the plot does not have to slow
down and returning ones are looked at from a new angle to make them
stand out once again. The many twists and revelations come to define
the feel of this half of the game with it often adopting the
approach of putting major plot reveals in every other scene. As the
truth nature of what was witnessed in the first part becomes clearer
it retroactively adds layers to its story while keeping the focus
firmly on what is happening in each new event. If a player remembers
anything about Himarwari it will be these sections given the contrast
it utilises to carve out its own identity. After these twists are
finished the game returns to the original setting to wrap up the
remaining plot threads and bring the other characters back into the
narrative to provide closure. The route following this return to the familiar works
well as a means to bring the game down from its previous high into a
more grounded sense of place so the themes and ideas can once again
be examined from this angle in light of the new information the
player has learned. At the end of this route there is a feeling of
conclusion to all that has come before as the important characters
reach a suitable resolution.
 |
| Everything is normal right? |
Unfortunately
the game does not end at this point, there
is still one last route before the final credits roll. It focuses on
a side character who up until this point has been mostly a plot
device to motivate the primary antagonist. This does give them a chance
to shine after being sidelined for so long and there is no doubt that
an expansion to her role within the story was a much needed element.
However, it is in its execution and placement within the overall
structure of the game where it falls down and creates the feeling of
the game not knowing when to stop. Part of this stems from the
attempt this route makes to have the primary antagonist appear
sympathetic which in theory sounds like a good idea, but in execution
does not sit well with the rest of the game. The issue stems from the
way the antagonist has been shown to be irredeemably horrible to
characters the player has been made to care about and then game then
turns around expecting the player to forgive them without them really
doing anything to make amends for the harm they have caused. It also
hurts the side character who is meant to be the focus of the route by
cutting into their presence within the story and undermining their
character arc. Overall the route is messy and leaves Himawari feeling
inconsistent and unable to end its own story properly.
A Field Of Sunflowers – Characters
Nobody
is what they first appear in Himawari as their scars run deep and twist
them in ways which are not immediately obvious from the outside. It
is this duality that provides much of the tension within the
narrative as the player constantly finds themselves uncertain about what motivates the characters. Rather than framing this act of
concealment as negative and deceitful, it is instead shown as a
desperate act of someone afraid of the pain they might risk from
opening themselves up to another. Each character plays this fear from
a different angle with some putting on a confident and energetic
front while others choose to be cold and abrasive, but all do so for
similar and interconnected reasons. The exploration of how and why
they became the way they are forms a lot of the appeal of Himawari as
it gives a long term feeling of progression for the player to dig
into and an easy means of tracking it. Through this concealment and
revelation, the characters can reflect the change between the first
and second section by performing the character equivalent to plot
twists and keeping up with the increased narrative drama. The unique
textured and sense of humanity this gives to the cast cannot be
oversold and makes them memorable long after the game has concluded.
 |
| Everyone has a side to them they don't want others to see |
Due
to the need for the characters’ motivations to remain hidden so the twists can
have their desired impact, the cast is noticeably restricted in the
first section and become more dynamic later on. On paper this might
sound like an acceptable compromise for the sake of the overall game,
and to a certain extent it is, yet the opening part is what the
player is initially presented with and it can struggle to hold their
interest until the meat of the narrative. Once the characters finish
their introductions they more or less remain static for the rest of
the opening in way which is obvious to the player and prevents the cast
from feeling like real people or providing reasons to be invested in
them. This hurts in the long term as it encourages a detachment from
the events of the story since
the game focuses so much on its static character in its early sections.
While the more dynamic and developed character presentation of the
later sections does a lot to remedy this issue, the damage never quite
goes away and there is a definite sense of imbalance to the game’s
structure as a result.
On Earth And In The Stars – Visual, Audio and Technical
The
version of Himawari available in English is not the original release,
but instead the remaster. This is reflected in the higher quality
visual and audio design as well as some interesting technical
features for player convenience. Visually there is a core moe art
style with cute and round characters who fit right into the slice of
life and light hearted opening section and act as a contrast to the
darker elements displayed later on. It works as an upgraded version
of the original game’s visual design by preserving the intent of
its choices while giving it a much needed facelift to allow it to
appeal to a wider audience. The soundtrack has received a similar
injection of new life where the tracks have been provided with a
wider range of sounds and an improved audio quality. This invokes the
same feelings as the original but smooths off the rough edges to give
the player an overall more engaging experience with the fewest
barriers to their enjoyment as possible. In this vein the scene
viewer Himawari has available offers accessibility for the player to
any of the content they have already seen without having to play
through the entire game again. It is rare for a scene viewer to allow
for the picking of any scene in the game and most just show a select
few important ones, so the presence of such an expansive one here is
notable and leads to a more pleasant repeated play experience.
 |
| It is a very pleasent game to look at |
Conclusion
More
than most visual novels, Himawari relies on its plot twists and the
overall structure of its narrative and characters to present its
ideas and themes. It is a good thing then that all these elements are
so strong. The plot starts out as a slow burn where tension is built
up and it transitions into a plot twist driven drama before coming
back down to earth for a grounded wrap up of loose threads. Backing
this roller-coaster ride up is a cast of dynamic and deeply flawed
people who hide behind masks out of fear of being hurt again which
gives the narrative a unique texture. The game does have its
weaknesses such as static feeling characters at the beginning and the
story going on far beyond the point it should have reached its
natural conclusion, but none of this is enough to overshadow the
outstanding and human tale being told.
Verdict –
There are few titles which can match the perfect balance of
personal and thematic storytelling of Himawari. Even if it does
stubble in executing the pacing of some character development and dragging on
beyond its narrative conclusion.
Pros -
+
Early slow burn adds tension and makes you question the character’s
motivations and reliability.
+
Once the twists start to kick in things are appropriately escalated
and lean into the key dramatic moments.
+
Cast is an engaging mix of dynamic and fragile characters with each offering
something unique, but they are also deeply connected to one another.
+
The visual, soundtrack and accessibility benefits of being a remaster
improve appeal of the title to wider audience.
Cons -
-
Story does not know when to stop and continues on beyond its natural
conclusion.
-
Characters are relatively static early on which can make it difficult
to invest in them to the degree the game wants.
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