All Ashes and Illusions

[b]Note:[/b] There is a free adult patch although I chose to play the censored version. [i]All Ashes and Illusions[/i] is a kinetic visual novel developed and published by ebi-hime. You take on the role of Yuel, a young prince who has just witnessed the execution of his mother, as ordered by the king. Why was his mother executed? It was for the crime of infidelity, specifically for sleeping with the king's brother. King Khalil has Yuel witness his mother's death to instill an important lesson - that women will be men's downfall. However, witnessing this event traumatizes Yuel, who ends up seeking comfort in the arms of his nursemaid, Safiya. Years later, Khalil dies due to illness, so Yuel ends up becoming king. However, he has never forgotten about Safiya, having grown to love her to the point of obsession. Basically, he'll do anything to have her, and I'll stop my story synopsis here to avoid spoilers and all that. As for the gameplay, the story is linear, so no choices are presented. You simply play through from beginning to end. There are a total of four acts, starting from when Yuel witnesses his mother's exection to when Yuel is king and [spoiler]he ends up dying[/spoiler]. Several CGs are presented, and there's a varied soundtrack although no voice acting. Also, there are a few Steam achievements although they won't count towards a user's global total until the game is out of "profile features limited". Now that I've gone over the story and gameplay, I'll move onto my critique. I've played a lot of visual novels by ebi-hime at this point, and I've enjoyed many of the stories. There's quite a variety. Compared to some of ebi-hime's VNs, [i]All Ashes and Illusions[/i] has a darker tone. When the story starts off with Yuel witnessing his mother's death, yup, you can guess that it isn't going to have a happy story. lol I enjoyed this darker tone, though, and as I was in the mood for such a story, I wanted to give this visual novel a try. Anyway, I like how it starts with Yuel witnessing that tragic event, and then we witness the close bond he has with Safiya, his nursemaid. His love for her blossoms very early on although it is initially more of an innocent love. As Yuel gets older and Safiya is dismissed because Yuel no longer needs a nursemaid, that innocent love turns into obsession and Yuel is no longer the same person as he was as a boy. When Yuel visits Safiya as an adult, even Safiya notices this. However, as Safiya is of a lower status, she obeys Yuel without question. I'll do my best not to spoil what happens from here on out, but let's just say that there are some tragic events, like executions and an ending that may or may not be expected. (I expected that ending to happen, though, based on some good guessing on my part. XD) I should give a heads up, though, that there are some scenes that depict [spoiler]sexual acts and violence, so do be forewarned[/spoiler]. I enjoyed reading this story with a dark tone although it might be depressing to read if you get attached to particular characters. As for the writing, I found it pretty well-paced. I like how ebi-hime divides the story into four acts, with the first act narrating Yuel's childhood, specifically the times that he spends with Safiya. The other acts depict Yuel as an adult, shortly from the time that he's still a prince to his ascension as king and such. I noticed a few grammatical errors, but they're really minor and they're not a hindrance to enjoying the story. In regards to the art, it is gorgeous, as is usually the case in this developer's visual novels. As the story takes place in a fictional Middle Eastern kingdom, the backgrounds and character sprites are drawn and colored appropriately to reflect that. They have that darker tone, which is appropriate, considering that the story itself has a dark theme. CGs are beautifully drawn and colored, too. If I had one issue, though, it's a personal one in which [spoiler]I felt like Safiya's bosom was a little too big, but maybe that's just me[/spoiler]. Regarding the music, the tracks are beautiful to listen to, depicting that whole Middle Eastern atmosphere well. There's a bit of variety and a couple of tracks even have some lovely vocals. Overall, would I recommend [i]All Ashes and Illusions[/i]? If you enjoy reading visual novels, are especially a fan of the ones by ebi-hime, and don't mind dark, disturbing themes, then this is worth taking a look. I found it quite an enjoyable read and I think the important lesson to be learned here is [spoiler]never to let admiration/love become obsession[/spoiler]. lol For the asking price, I'd say that it might be a bit on the steep side, considering that it took me about 5.5 hours to complete the story and get all of the achievements. Thus, it might be best to wait for a sale, but it's totally worth reading. ^^ [quote]Flying free and writing reviews solely for [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44702020/]The Introverted Gamer[/url].[/quote]

[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34294631/] Follow Far2close - Visual Novel Playthroughs Curator Page [/url] [b]All Ashes and Illusions[/b] Developer: ebi-hime Publisher: ebi-hime [h1]Intro:[/h1] Children say all sorts of things, they possess an untainted bias for their caretakers. Sometimes they say things like, "I love you! I want to marry you!". It's all fun and as they get older they start to understand more on the world around them. Now what happens when a child's love doesn't change when they grow into an adult? In ebi-hime's "All Ashes and Illusions" , it turns into an unhealthy obsession, one fueled by selfish desires and the will to do anything to get what they want. The story begins with a young six year old Yuel, witnessing his mother's execution set up by his father. This leaves him in the care of his nursemaid, Safiya. To Yuel, she is the love of his life. To Safiya, he is a boy that will grow into a proper man. The years go by; Yuel becomes king and Safiya no longer serves as a his nursemaid and resides with her husband and child. The years might've gone by, but Yuel's desire for Safiya remains the same and he now has the capability to get her. [h1]Pros:[/h1] [b]1.[/b]: The story is a good depiction of how the lack of parental support can have an effect on what that child becomes. Yuel wasn't close to his mother nor his father, the only one who was there for him was his nursemaid, Safiya. She did her best to support him as much as she could but Yuel's love for her was just too great that adolescence did not skew his ways. It shows just how much an obsession can become if the person is given the right set of tools to make his way to his goal. In Yuel's case, he did the worse possible action in exchange for his selfish desire, [spoiler]the murder of Safiya's husband and child.[/spoiler] After reading this, it makes you think "Should I root for Yuel? Is he still the hero he thinks he is?". Even the ending gives you that feeling that no one really won. [b]2.[/b] There is a total of 4 key character, 5 if you separate young Yuel and adult Yuel. Child Yuel was untainted, he was still learning and had the childlike desire to be Safiya's knight in shining armor. Adult Yuel still loves Safiya however has not grown mentally. He lashes out at those who speak wrongly of Safiya to the point where it leads to violence. He also does not understand that love has to go two ways and can't be only on what he wants. Tavi is Yuel's cousin, he a little more outgoing and can be called an irresponsible person. However, Tavi has changed and actually wants to be close with Yuel as he is his only family and wants to genuinely advise him that his idea is wrong. Safiya is Yuel's nursemaid and love interest, she is written one dimensionally on purpose for the story. Do not take this as a bad thing, it works for her favor as I will explain more once I get to the cons. Finally, Armand is one of Yuel's consultants, he is old, wise, and hopes for the best for the kingdom even if they ruler may not agree to his wishes. I think the characters are well written and do their best in the harsh environment they live in. [b]3.[/b] I like the art, the characters done by [url=https://twitter.com/julioalqae]julioalqae[/url] and [url=https://twitter.com/renmiou]renmiou[/url] look good along with the CG art helping enhance scenes such as Safiya comforting a young Yuel or the sex scenes showing some of the humiliating things Safiya must go through. The backgrounds consist mostly of the Yuel's room or around the kingdom but they do an excellent job in showing how Yuel is surrounded buy royalty and wealth. [b]For the list, here are the artists:[/b] Character Art: [url=https://twitter.com/julioalqae]julioalqae[/url] Additional Art: [url=https://twitter.com/renmiou]renmiou[/url] Background Art: [url=https://twitter.com/foxeleos]Foxeleos[/url], [url=https://twitter.com/fuyunokawa_art]Fuyunokawa[/url] [b]4.[/b] The music by [url=https://twitter.com/yuzukimasu]yuzuki[/url] simply does not miss. All the track is fantastic in setting the mood like the beginning where Yuel witnesses his mother's corpse piked up or even the theme that possesses vocals by [url=https://twitter.com/chiisanauta]chiisana[/url] that has two versions, the normal one and the melancholic variant. I especially love the melancholic version as when I finished reading the story, I just sat there questioning if anyone won. Excellent work and I hope yuzuki can continue working with ebi-hime in the future. Another part of the music I enjoy is being able to read the composer notes. It's that small thing that you might not pay attention to at first, but it shows a great deal in how the composer's thought process goes into making these tracks and how to incorporate it into the story. [h1]Cons:[/h1] [b]1.[/b] Now going back to where I said that Safiya's character is one dimensional, it absolutely works for this story as it is a one sided love story. We are seeing everything in Yuel's eyes and selfish deeds. One thing I wish that Safiya had was a bit more at the end where [spoiler]Yuel dies[/spoiler] is a scene showing her days with her family before their terrible fate occurred. We understand the pain but changing point of view so we see a better look into Safiya's mental state would definitely have added more to Safiya's background and our sympathy/empathy toward her. [h1]Conclusion:[/h1] All Ashes and Illusions is what the title means. This story has no winners and is absolutely devastating for everyone, including the reader themself. An excellent story with that painful spice and fantastic soundtrack. [b]Score:[/b] 9/10 OUTSTANDING

A story that's very painful at times, but Safiya is the best.

Оценка новеллы с технической стороны - рисовка (о боже, эти спрайты, кайф. Особенно с патчем 18+), музыка, ооопеееениинг - лайк ознозначный. Да и хороший РУ перевод тоже как дикий плюс. Да кстати, важное уточнение если кто не знает - выборов не будет, это чисто линейная история с одним вполне себе логичным финалом... А со стороны истории... Не буду спойлерить, вдруг кто надумает сам испытать эти чувства, но... Ща, сглотну ком в горле что не проглатывается с определенного момента новеллы и по сию минуту... В общем, история о любви, не здоровой, не щадящей, сумасшедшей... которая привела к тому чем всё и должно было кончиться, без пони какающих радугой и какого либо сострадания к читателю со стороны пера сценариста... Ненавижу такое, но, тем не менее, раз игра смогла вызвать такие чувства - значит она явно чего-то да стоит, верно?

All Ashes and Illusions is a very good visual novel game with a beautiful story. The graphics are nice and the soundtrack is relaxing... The ebi-hime games are really great!!! I highly recommend it. 💗

Pure, high-quality suffering for the whole family. I could leave it at that, but I'll also mention that the writing felt very authentic. Everyone acted in way one would expect people to act in that sort of setting and it was properly immersive. The characterization was competent, in that even the 'terrible' characters still felt like humans with some layers to them.

hurts so good

Довольно специфичная визуальная новелла, которая заставляет задуматься над некоторыми вещами, что-то переосмыслить. Как и сказано в описании, игра про нездоровую любовь (хотя, каждому свое) в отношении своей няни из детства. Сюжет: 8 из 10. Концовка одновременно порадовала и расстроила. Она логична, к тому же отсылает к выражению о женщинах в начале, но есть немного неточностей и неясностей, да и мысли няни не понятны в конце. Ну да ладно, мелочи. Саундтрек: 10 шизанутых принцев из 10, мои верблюды оценили XD Спрайты и фоны: Великолепно, больше сказать ничего не могу. В целом, новелла отличная, немного подзатянутая, правда. На 2-3 вечера самое то. Хотя у меня особо сильных эмоций новелла не вызвала. Тут каждому свое.

[h1]"Всё прах и иллюзии" - жестокая восточная сказка[/h1] "Всё прах и иллюзии" - кинетическая визуальная новелла про всепоглощающую любовь молодого принца к своей немолодой няне. [b]Плюсы:[/b] + Саундтрек. Настоящая услада для ушей. + Графика. Рисунок яркий и терпкий, как восточная сладость. Визуал хорошо помогает прочувствовать сеттинг. + Сюжет и персонажи. Хоть сюжет немного предсказуем, им всё равно приятно наслаждаться. По истине мрачная и завораживающая история об одержимой любви. Персонажи же многослойные и запоминающиеся. [b]Минусы:[/b] - Небольшое несоответствие реплик с характером персонажей. Иногда кажется, будто реплики написаны не для восточного монарха, а для современного подростка. Особенно это заметно в секс-сценах. [b]Итог:[/b] 8/10. Отличная восточная сказка для взрослых. Определенно стоит своей цены. Рекомендую к покупке.