“Return to Shironagasu Island” is a visual novel, a debut game from this game developer and believe me when I say I have a lot of mixed feelings about it. I want to like it because I can appreciate this B-movie horror that mixes genre, all the while trying to make a point with these different ideas and even enjoy something scholocky. I’m not immune to this type of genre; there’s a lot of fun to have with this type of genre and it’d be remiss of me to deny that part of it. Also, the voices are a lot of fun and each actor did a fantastic job with their respective roles in the plot.

The game mechanics are your standard visual novel flair. However, there are additional mechanics where you can essentially do point and click and there’s times where there’s a timer. Generally, they’re fine and it does add some kind of change for the usual visual novel. It even feels like there’s tension going on! There’s even a sequence where the timer and the point-and-click aspect is put to the test and it is rightfully full of tension.

This game even introduced me to one of my favorite sidekicks ever — Neneko. I was more surprised at that because I did find her a little annoying at first, and I was worried that I would have to deal with her all game long. However, when she’s done well, she’s extremely effective and I wish she was the main protagonist this entire time. Although, the plot is already schlocky enough; having Neneko go to the island by herself (and with her personality at the beginning) would have probably made the schlockiness of it all even worse. Ikeda could have been better in a lot of ways, especially in the main game proper, but I also acknowledge he could have also been a lot worse.

The other characters are likeable and the ones who clearly matter more will resonate more with their proper audience. Although, I do wish the villains were fleshed out more. Like, the point of it all is to have a B-movie type villain and motives (that make equally scholocky sense) but I didn’t really feel it in the way the game wanted me to. There were times that it wanted to be taken seriously and some of those moments shined for me. It didn’t change the fact that, in the end, it’s a mixed bag of different genres and it’s going to be dismissed by another one of Ikeda’s jokes (unless it’s that dire). Also, I would have liked some more insight between Ikeda and Neneko’s history together but this is a debut game so I’m not gonna hold that against them.

Unfortunately, here’s where my praise ends for the game because everything after this would address my more major concerns with it.

As neat as it was to have timed events, and I realize the reason why it’s done, it’s frustrating to have the timer go down and the characters would not shut up. Unfortunately, it’s dialogue that you still need to read but I didn’t care because I wanted to beat the timer and avoid a game over. It was also another thing entirely when there were moments where you had to drag the characters back and forth and this room and that room in order to eventually progress to the next scenario. Same thing with the point and click; at times, I’d have a general idea of what to look for but it wouldn’t progress until it felt all the flavor text was exhaustive (except for one scene that you actually had to guess correctly to “win”) and even then it made me wonder if anything was happen or if the game froze on me. There would be times when “choices” appear and you’d essentially have to click it until either the character runs out of information or they tell you to knock it off and choose another topic. Mercifully, though, when they do run out, the choices disappear at least. There are also some choices that can and do end up the same no matter what so have fun making different choices.

And then, the fanservice. You see, I expected something like this especially in a game about this in regards with the singular adult woman — and not the underage characters. Considering what they wanted to explore in the themes of the story (and what a time for me to read this visual novel with a batch of files being released), I honestly thought it was way inappropriate. I think there could have been a better way to have a hee-hee moment like that and I wish it didn’t linger for as long as it did, especially when getting vital information about what’s going on in the context of the story. Once again, I had to click faster to get out of those scenes quicker because it was more uncomfortable for me than titillating. Clearly, it’s meant to be silly and informative but God, I wish it didn’t linger as long as it did.

I feel extremely mixed about this. While it is meant to be a simple mystery about what happened to some millionaire that turned into something much bigger than anything else, there’s a lot of plot points (especially the fanservice scenes) that I simply didn’t like. It bogged down the game for me in ways that it shouldn’t have. I wanted to like this game because of how mixed it is. I would only feel good about recommending this game if you can look past it and don’t mind the criticisms I’ve mentioned. I didn’t like it but I also cared about Neneko and the others enough to be invested. I am curious about the upcoming sequel this dev team is working on. With all respect to them, I do hope the next game has a lot of improvements and I actually am looking forward to more of Ikeda and Neneko’s adventures.

Well, it didn’t take long for me to play and finish the sequel. I couldn’t stay away from the Duck Detective for too long! This game was just as short and comfy as the first one; I am very delighted to play these games! It’s such a delight to hear two of the main characters’ voice actors returning and reprising their role as their respective characters. And to my delight — this game does focus on their relationship a lot more!

There’s a lot more animated cut scenes this time around and, in general, a much bigger map to explore. However, it’s not so terribly big that I felt overwhelmed; I will say that it felt more progressive the more games being made for this series and it felt as though not only the devs felt more comfortable in their ability but also to keep the player’s attention. The mechanics are the same, more or less, but there’s no need to fix what’s not broken.

At least this time, the puzzles are streamlined in the way it doesn’t feel like it “came out of nowhere” but through sleuthing and putting it together a bit more natural than guessing and hoping you’re correct. On the other hand, at least for me, it did make me feel as though the game went faster than the first one did. Perhaps it’s more to the point there’s more to interact with and more character moments rather than simply getting to know the world.

Speaking of the story, I thoroughly enjoyed the story this time around as well! However, if you’re the type of person who wants to explore this world within the two-hour period you’re in, I admit, it’s a bit more lacking. There’s a lot more character development between Freddy and Eugene, which is fun for me, but it did create a way for me to see the story’s flaws a little easier. I do wish certain aspects were utilized more in the story to create either more of a mystery or at the very least, an even spookier atmosphere. I do like the creepiness of it and the humor still made me laugh.

However, because of this, I did feel that mystery itself was a little lacking. It does take its time to develop it, to be sure, but it didn’t feel as nearly scandalous as it did in the first game. I mean, it’s still there, but because of the laser focus between Eugene and Freddy, it’s less oomph when it’s revealed. It didn’t detract, though, from the gameplay or the story terribly but I wanted to bring it up if anyone cared about that.

I did love the art direction; since it’s spooky, there’s a lot of night shots and a lot of mood lighting. Because of this decision, it made it a bit hard to tell if the prompts needed to be pressed or not. Maybe in the future, these prompts could be blended in better and perhaps even enhance the scene more. Still, this was a very enjoyable game! I really hope there’s a third one in the works, especially in that cliffhanger of an ending!

See, this game was already cute upon arrival. This game is pretty much what it says on the tin; a short comfy puzzle game full of charm and humor that’s pretty fun to experience. However, it’s surprising that this short game is fully voiced by pretty well-known people. I hadn’t expected to be full-voiced, but it added to my delight for this game. The art direction is cute and, like many people too, reminds me of Paper Mario. I liked the details that’s given, especially as part of the main form investigating.

The game mechanics are really fun in terms of exploring. It does feel satisfying when you explore for clues and they appear as words. The mechanics do feel more intuitive the more you utilize it, which isn’t much compared to more complex games. However, this is a simple game; it’s meant to kill a few hours. I do like the mechanic of putting the names, places, words and other clues together in word puzzles. I want to say that the backtracking is minimal because you are confined to one building but it depends on your personal tolerance for it. I found it fine because that meant I got to talk to the characters over and over again.

One thing I can appreciate is that this game doesn’t punish you for being wrong or missing any clues. True, that means you might have to explore more or talk to the characters again. Some puzzles are a little confusing and could take some leaps in logic. Still, it’s not so egregious that it’s game breaking or takes you out. It’s just something to watch out for.

The humor, though, is absolutely millennial humor. Good thing I’m one, but if you find that type of humor cringe, you may want to step back. For me, though, I found it charming and while it is mostly light-hearted in nature, it didn’t grate me like I thought it would. It does shift to the gravity of the situation when it calls for it. It’s moody as the noir that it is, and I suspect that if given the chance, and the deeper this series goes, we could find some more depth in this world. For a first in its series, though, I found it a delightful entry and found it fun and charming. I would recommend this to people if you’re a young adult (or even an older teenager) to fellow adults. There’s a lot of cheeky humor in the flavor text but it does take itself seriously when it needs to. It’s silly, true, but it’s adult enough to consider the situation at hand.

At the end of the day, though, this is a genuinely cute game! Whether you pay full price or not, I do think it’s worth the price; between the voice actors, solid writing, and fun puzzle solving, you really can’t go wrong with playing this game. I can’t wait to play the sequel!

One thing I am a sucker for, it’s how lovingly “retro” this game appeared to me. I know it’s been said that this game has been inspired by the Ace Attorney series, which can be clearly seen. However, though I never played it but learned a lot about it despite it, this also gives me Hotel Dusk vibes as well; I mean that in the best way possible! It’s more than just some sketchy scenes that appear; it’s more about how connected everyone’s pasts are to one another and in the grand scheme of the mystery.

From the onset, I do believe this is the strongest aspect of this game. Honestly, the best relationship that I liked the most is that between the MC and Emma; they’re cute and I love the friendship (and potential romance for my end) that grows deeper in the duration of the game. In truth, I’m a little wary about games that have the main character with an assistant. I don’t like how mean-spirited it can be, even if they’re teasing each other so, for me at least, this relationship is a breath of fresh air. Is the MC a little envious of Emma and her academic prowess? Sure, but they don’t let it affect it and there are moments where they talk about their feelings and not in a jarring way that is taken out of the story. These conversations were part of the story and I liked that very much.

What already falls flat for me, though, is adding Professor Martin to the mix. Not that I think he makes things worse, Professor Martin is what drives some of the enviness from the MC to Emma, after all. I suppose the emotion I feel for him is more me wondering what does he add to this relationship — or at least further in, what does he add to the story – other than an ideal for the MC to possibly never reach. I like him for being the exposition and being the one to give additional context to what’s going on outside the train but as a character, I feel rather it’s difficult to parse my thoughts without spoiling it.

However, the other characters’ relationships to the MC, Emma, and to each other was more than serviceable to me that I enjoyed it enough. They did leave me with enough of an impact that I give a nice sensible chuckle upon remembering them.

The story itself is simple enough – find a missing woman that no one appears to acknowledge and along the way, solve a murder that initially appeared to have nothing to do with the main couple. I liked that the murder was in the background until it’s forced to the foreground (which, to my experience of the game, did make sense for this to happen) and the stakes got raised higher.

The length of the game itself made me feel a type of way; it felt a little too short for all that it wanted to say. Overall, this game took me a little over six hours, including achievement hunting, to complete. Not only that, it did feel a little too linear for me. Granted, there are ways to slow down and explore the UI and there are game mechanics, but there’s a lot of guesswork (until you get used to it) and repeated topics until you can proceed. It’s easy enough to figure out, though, but sometimes the game can be a little hand-holdy if you’re a veteran player of mystery games like this. It is fun to see how X connects to Y and there are a lot of mechanics to utilize to get to the next scene, but to me, I only wish there was more meat to it.

This adds to my grievances a little bit when it comes to the game. It’s also a little difficult if you are achievement hunting; there’s no chapter selection. If you miss one, you better hope you saved before you need to do what you need to. I mean, though, if you want to re-read a huge chunk of everything and resolve puzzles again, then that’s your choice. Just maybe for the future, include a chapter skip for those achievements.

The story itself is pretty good and has pretty good timing. I do think, though, the ending had been wrapped up a little too neatly for my tastes. Especially for the themes that it wants to tackle, I do think that it ends a little too sympathetic for the system in place in terms of “That’s the job, I guess”. I think I’m trying to say that if you want to go morally grey in some places, it’s best not to tip-toe around what you, the storyteller, want to say. I understand it’s heavy-handed otherwise, especially for a debut game, but if you’re in for a penny, you’re in for a pound. Not to say that it’s not satisfying because at the end of the day, it still is, but I do think some players may feel as unsatisfied with the ending in that aspect. It didn’t feel as strong as perhaps it wanted to but I do believe with some tweaks in the future, I can see this meaning as something more than a one-off.

For as much as I enjoyed it, I want to be clear that I did like this game a lot and I do recommend this. I want to make it absolutely clear that I do appreciate what’s trying to be done in the story to link everyone, one way to another, to what’s going on. The story itself is dramatic and serviceable as it needed to be, even if the pacing and its short length did nearly deter me. Nothing against the game to be clear, but if this is your first game (for both the devs and the player), then it’s not a bad game to start off at all. I’m someone who’s always looking for something to sink my teeth in. As much as I love the Ace Attorney games, I’m always seeking out similar games whose mysteries, stories, and characters I can sink my teeth into.

I genuinely cannot wait to see how much further this series, and by extension, the devs will go in as time chugs along.

Of most companies, I did not expect this game to come out of Square Enix. Not that I think Square Enix are a bad company by any means, it’s just that – from my viewpoint – they have always made decisions that made me question their intention beyond trying to print more money for themselves. So when I picked this up, and finally loaded it up, it was when I wanted to expand my visual novel horizons to the horror genre to see what it could offer me. And I was delighted that this game scratched an itch that I’ve been needing it to.

To start, the art and animation is extremely beautiful here. The ghouls, ghosts, and the gore hit when they need to. They’re not overt in the way that some horror games try to be and they don’t even seem to tantalize with some of the women characters (especially the underage ones) – because, let’s read the room here!

In addition to the art, the atmosphere of the game is delightfully spooky where I made the mistake of playing it at night – and I actually got scared! The combination of the music, animation, and especially the most important in my opinion, the art direction of how the characters react to the events around them. Ultimately, though, while the presentation itself is already grand enough, I have to talk about the mechanics, which added to my (delighted) horror.

When you play this game, there’s going to be quite a bit of information thrown at you – not just the curses or characters themselves but things that’s relevant to the story. Culturally and to society in the Showa era, there’s going to be a lot of contexts needed to better understand why things are like that and how certain viewpoints could even still permeate through the story that could help you, the player, put the pieces together for what’s going on in the story. Some players might find this a bit overbearing and easy to miss (especially since you may have to make the character talk about it in order to get those “files”) but if you’re like me, you’ll find that it adds more and makes the game feel more real than simply the characters on the screen.

Speaking of which, one thing I can appreciate the most in this game are the game mechanics. On top of having the files easily accessible, the game play (however you wish to choose – I happened to play exclusively on my Steam Deck) gives the player more agency to explore the characters’ surroundings and learn more of what they know, which happens to be a significant amount. However, it’s not to say that you’re stuck in solely one character’s head; there’s a timeline feature that you get to jump through to make better informed decisions that way. In a way, the fourth wall breaking is very obviously intentional and it’s nice to feel as though it’s part of the game mechanic. There are times that you, the player, would have to fiddle with your device to affect the story and it is nice to have that sort of agency. Without too much spoiling, though, I have to say that I wish that there were more instances of this to really harden the point the game is trying to make. It’s a neat feature otherwise, but at times, it did feel as though it was only showing off just to show off that it can be done.

Otherwise, I do like the timeline jumping; if you’re an achievement collector, it does make it easier to collect those different ones.

In addition to the mystery, which I’ll get to in a little bit, there’s a collect-a-thon you can do! They call them Mockingbirds and they are fun to look for if you’re that type of person. I loved trying to find these birds! You can see your collection in the same menu as well along with the hints of any hidden ones. Truth to be told, they are a little too vague, but they’re fun to hunt and you get additional flavor text with the characters to hopefully create levity in the intense moments.

So now it’s time to talk about the story itself. Especially in the beginning, it’s very strong on getting to know each character pair in their respective timelines along with the first major twist. I thought it was quite an effective way to do it by having us, the player, associate them by way of what I’d call “theme songs”, though that’s not exactly right either. Even if I can’t find the words to call it, I just know that when a certain track comes on, I’d actually leave it hanging on the scene just to hear more of it. Then again, there’s more than enough chances to listen to the music as it’ll come up over and over again to help set the mood. Definitely not a bad thing, but if you easily get tired of repeating music, this could be an issue. It isn’t for me, though, so the only thing I wish it had was a jukebox extra feature so I could listen to my favorite tracks all the time. Or better yet, if the OST were to be released…

As I’ve mentioned before, there is an exploration element to the narrative that does reward the player, I feel like, the more you do it. There is quite a bit of backtracking and repeating conversation topics but it does give you much better visual cues for when that topic is “completed” versus guessing in some games. Although, it can be frustrating when that backtracking can include going from the different points of the timeline.

Although, as much as I love the strong beginning and even stronger middle, it will begin to focus more on the male characters and the police procedurals more than the independent characters (especially if they’re the female characters). If you’re interested in that, then it shouldn’t be a problem but while I understood the connection for a few of the characters to the police characters, respectively, I wanted to learn more about them and their reactions. There are some characters that are clearly meant to be main characters but there’s not enough time to really bring them to full fruition. I think this is more evident in the school girl’s story which is where I felt the most frustration.

Another thing that could frustrate players is the fact that there are some instances where the narrative can be a bit too subtle. On top of the backtracking, at times, there might be instances where you’ll see a key item but you can’t use it until later. When you do remember it, though, it does pay off but it can be a little frustrating unless you take independent notes. If that’s your jam, then this game is definitely for you.

This is also a type of game where there were parts that felt like both it was too long (the police procedurals) and not long enough. And as a result of the strange pacing, it can be a bit difficult in terms of remembering what to do when it comes to playback after days. Thankfully for me, this game made me want to keep playing until I figured out the mystery for all the different characters anyway so I was able to go back and forth until I figured out what needed to be done.

If you’re worried about jump scares, it does occur but it’s not too over-the-top, I thought. It fits the situation and, well, it’s a horror game; horrific things will happen. Just a fair warning, though, if you’re worried about jump scares. You should be fine though as it doesn’t occur too often, just enough to keep you on your toes.

Despite my hang-ups, though, I do recommend this to people if you’re looking for something to sink your teeth into and to be scared in the process. Although I did have qualms with some of the plot and even the length, it’s still a fun enough game that I still think about certain situations over and over – and what it means to me. Again, I hope that there will be an OST release but maybe in the future (as of this review).

“Iwaihime” is a kinetic novel, written by Ryukishi07 but seemingly not made by his usual team. However, similarities to Higurashi will be made so let’s get that out of the way now; the beginning chapters of this kinetic novel are very reminiscent to the question arcs, at the very least, and the ending arcs would have answered them. The music is entertaining enough and I thought it fit the moods appropriately. The voice actors did an amazing job, but they could only bring to life what they could on their end. The art, though beautiful, does appear grotesque when, again, the mood and atmosphere calls for it. I even think there’s a character similar in Ryukishi07’s art style but made it pretty. Once you see them and recognize them, you’ll give a nice sensible chuckle.

There’s a big part of me that wants to give this game grace. After all, *the* Ryukishi07 did write for it! I want to talk about how while, yes, the format is very similar to Higurashi (even almost to a point of finding its counterparts) but this felt like it was on a speed-run. In the grand scheme of things, it’s hard to talk about this game without comparing it to Higurashi; I almost refuse to but unfortunately it kept coming up in the span of the stories for each girl, including the DLC.

So I’ll try my best to talk about this game as its own. It is unfortunate that the comparisons may still happen in the course of this review but that’s not my intention at all.

There are things to like about this, the art and music for example, but I couldn’t help but wonder if they wanted this to be an ero-guro game. There were some instances where I wondered what prevented them from going all the way because I’m sure if they could have done just that. One also couldn’t help but get Saya no Uta vibes out of it (says the person who never played Saya no Uta, as of this review) but they were too unsure of themselves to go all the way.

To be fair to the team, though, there are multiple sets of themes going on. I do think that the themes may have been too much to handle for some of the characters as it’s a bit confusing on what exactly is going on before the “answer arcs” revealed it all. I do appreciate what was trying to be said especially when it comes to the images these girls had – the image of the classroom president, changing from a punk girl to a “proper” girl, and the image of a pop star. Those stories, I felt, carried themselves well-enough on their own that I could have seen the reasons why each girl, respectively, would have fallen in love with Susumu.

It does get a bit confusing though because for a while, I thought there was going to be something similar to Higurashi where “miracles” would need to happen. However, the issue I have with the way this is presented is that – there is no one to be that person who resets the time over and over again other than “because they could”, especially when it comes to the end. It becomes convoluted and, even a bit jarring, when it comes to Toé’s story. There were some favorite routes that I had, sure but the story that mattered the most is one of the weakest and I think that disappoints me the most.

Toé’s story was the most disappointing to me. If you’ve ever seen or read AIR TV, that’s pretty much her origin story excluding who’s the one to perish in the end. I do think that there’s a lot to gather from there, especially when the story becomes the harem anime it is and the slice of life it wanted to be. If it wasn’t for Toé’s story, it certainly would have been fine if that was simply it. However, that’s not what Iwaihime is. Iwaihime is about generational curses of a line of daughters, suffering because of ignorance and failure to protect her.

There’s a lot of explicit detail of what the original bearer of the curse goes through so I would be cautious on that. I get it; this is a horror story – there’s going to be horrific things happening. Still, there’s a word of caution if you’re still new in the world of kinetic novels or Ryukishi07’s works.

Would I say this is his worst work? Possibly, and I only say that because there are better visual novels online of his that’s better and more thoughtful than Iwaihime. I do think that if you do want to read this, only read this because you’re more forgiving than I am.
I say that now because there’s a disgusting amount of fatphobia. Again, horror found in a horror visual novel, but it got to a point where it was becoming concerning. There are worse things than being fat, I promise. I do also think that only the DLC (which, truthfully is a separate issue on its own but I will say that it shouldn’t be a thing to nickel and dime fans when it’s integral to the story at large) show the most grotesque bits of this visual novel. It’s because of that DLC that made me wonder of the desire for this game to be a full-blown ero-guro game.

I do think too that it had trouble finding its ending. There were several times that I thought, “Oh thank God, it’s finally coming to an end!” only for it to continue and keep reviving and killing a certain character that I started to believe less in the finality of their death and wondering more of “when is this ♥♥♥♥ going to end”. Needless to say, that’s not the fate of this review at least.

If you absolutely must read Iwaihime, then by all means. I wouldn’t blame you, though, if you wanted to sit this one out.

To be honest with you, I really don't know where I stand with this story. It's very... cute, to be sure and it's also rather odd. The story is rather simple and it's really just a kinetic novel, meaning there are no choices whatsoever.

In all honesty, it's a fine enough novel that you can read it and be charmed by the art and especially, Sachi. There really isn't much conflict from this story other than facing off Sachi's bully (if you can even call that a conflict).

The art is fine enough although it really does seem that the artist put their all into Sachi as she was the real star of the show. It really felt everything was centered around her and it felt that nothing else really mattered. Perhaps that's fine for such a straight up kinetic novel.

There are some parts that really needed to be fluffed out and if you're not familiar with the artists' work, you might be a bit surprised by very light ero-guro stuff (particularly, touching a scab) so this is your heads up on that.

Other than that one weird scene, it's really just a very short (~2hrs) love letter to bullied monster girls - in fact, after you beat the game, there are extras where you can read more about the developer's thoughts and feelings about the creation of this game. Nothing against it, but I wish it was a bit longer than what we got. I do like the animated sections, though.

If you're looking for something to kill time with, you should totally check this out!

“The House of Fata Morgana” is one of the most beautiful visual novels I have ever played. Beautiful art and beautiful music tie a beautiful tragic set of stories behind the doors of a cursed mansion. This is the type of visual novel that will not just leave an impact on you as you’re reading this but it will continue to ensnare you even after you close the doors. However, you may look at the previews and pictures and think that the choices are varied and could easily get a game over. Without giving too many spoilers away, there may be some choices that could lead to different endings but it’s surprisingly linear. If you’re trying to get all the achievements, then, by all means, try all the different choices to see how each ending is as gut-wrenching as the next. Surely, there are a few dead ends but most of the choices are pretty common sense.

Without the music, though, this game would be nothing. There are many different songs that are in different European languages but, especially in the first half, it does become repetitive. After a certain pivotal moment, the music does change it up a bit but regardless if it repeats itself, it’s always such a joy to listen to and it sets the mood better.

The art itself is super beautiful and almost has a certain feel to it. This game is a horror thriller gothic story so there are a lot of horrific images throughout the game. There a lot of horrific situations that goes on and the art clearly depict those in a very good manner. It doesn’t go over the top with its gore – it gets to the point rather quickly – and it shows how monstrous people can be. When it’s light-hearted though, and you will be so happy for those moments, it doesn’t do anything over exaggerated either. The art is not ‘anime’ in any sort of way and it works with the tone the best. There are some awkward poses for the sprites and not as much variety but considering the possible reasons for it, it’s good.

Now, the writing itself is super amazing. You really have to pay attention to what’s being said and what’s being narrated. The devil is truly in the details. Motivations are explained not to just have the reader sympathize but mostly, to understand why the characters did what they did. These characters are more than just sprites on a screen and words on a word document – they are people. They are people with flaws and imperfections. Everyone, especially the main characters, has these flaws which got them into the position they were in. There’s no real main ‘villain’. Once you learn the history the characters have gone through, you will understand why they react in the manner they did.

One of the problems with some ‘gothic’ games and stories is that they tend to want to add in as much torture to their characters and leads as much as can in what they believe is to be a ‘beautiful’ way. They don’t add in the downtime, or reprieve, for their characters to breathe and to be themselves. It’s very important for your characters to take the time out to breathe and to relax. They need to interact and they need some sort of happiness to be their flawed, human selves. The tragedy itself isn’t beautiful but how the humans within the story live and thrive in spite of it is what makes a gothic beautiful and enjoyable – and “The House of Fata Morgana” does that in spades. There may be some instances where it feels that it doesn’t let up at all but, again, the devil is in the details.

However, the only thing I can say about this game is that it is extremely heavy to read. It’s so hard to read at times because it does deal with emotional, physical, and mental abuse along with domestic violence and actual violence. Death is also a major theme in this game as well. It is not a light read at all and would not recommend to those who would be triggered by this kind of content. While there are reprieves, it’s honestly far and few in between especially with regards to the actual story that’s being told. Unless you’re able to handle these types of themes, reading others’ tragedies in this game will remind you of your own and I wouldn’t blame you if you passed this up because of that.

But for those of you who are able to do so, please buy this game immediately. I encourage everyone who’s able to read this to do so.

"Date Warp" is an otome game that's perfect for those just starting to check out the genre. That being said, it’s just as obvious this is an early visual novel work. This isn’t to say it’s bad – everyone starts out somewhere! The story is extremely intriguing as it seems you are to figure out how Janet disappears. But for me, the way it was done disappointed me. Because of the synopsis of the game, I figured there would be a way to work somehow “backward” and figure out the ‘true’ story from Bradley’s point of view (for example) but this is fine.

You play as Janet as you and Bradley figure out how to leave the mansion. The story itself is a lot more scientific than it would lead on but that’s fine. The routes themselves didn’t feel very personal to the characters themselves. I understand that because the couple spends so little time in the mansion, you can’t really know a person after a few hours but at the same time, if you wanted to care about the characters as deeply as Janet apparently did at the end, you’re not going to find anything too deep here. But if that’s your cup of tea, that’s fine. However, I really wish it would’ve gone more into detail about a spoiler character more than just “Oh my God, they’re not what I expected!”

The only thing that actually suffers is the art itself. The sprites by themselves are fine – they have nice expressions and it would be nice to have them do different poses and different outfits besides the singular change they get. What I’m mostly referring to is the CG art – they certainly can be better but I can imagine this might take someone out of buying. Please don’t judge this game by the art! The story itself is interesting and how they get to the true ending is really nice. If they could one day release a version with old art or new art, that would be really neat!

The music is outstanding and really adds to the tension and moments in the game itself. I really like there’s a jukebox in the extra features.

One of the features that I like a lot is that while making your choices to respond with, you have to complete a puzzle. There is a bypass (though only after you already answered it the first time if you wanted to try to get the different endings) but honestly, I enjoyed it a lot to where I still did it even though I made the choices already.

Would I recommend this game? Absolutely! If you’re looking to start the visual novel genre, this is honestly a great one to start with. However, veterans of the genre might get frustrated with the plot points and romance routes and with how certain elements are handled, but it’s still fun little novella to read.

Either way, personally, this game is fun and if there were somehow more routes or it gets updated artwork and sprites, I can see myself replaying this just to see it all over again!

A cute, fun game for a decent price. It'd be nice if the costumes did something extra (like the banana peel could bulldoze bananas with no penalty, the one doge man can beat up chickens, birds, and crows etc) but it's a fun game if you want to just waste time running, collecting pantsu, and collecting doge coins.

The art is extra cute - the pixel work is really nice. Looks like I got something to play with if I just felt like being a doge on the run. Hopefully, there are additional achievements in the future but if not, that's okay. It's still a fun little time waster.