A Chinese-produced VN about a fledgeling journalist—a very determined and idealistic one. Now a question: do you like reading newspaper articles?
You are put into the shoes of a freshly graduated intern reporter, Ji Zhe, who has dreamt of becoming a journalist since childhood. Honestly, this is the worst kind: frequently idealistic and naive, pushing themselves into dangerous situations eagerly. On the flip side, they're often inspiring and pushing boundaries. Such characteristics match Ji well, and if you applaud her attitude, you are very likely to enjoy her escapades.
The main story unfolds over ten chapters, during which you will conduct journalistic investigations, interview people involved, and 'write' articles relaying what occurred to the public. While you will encounter several choices, they're typically either fake or meaningless, bearing no impact on the story. You will reach the same finale, no matter what. Still, do keep in mind that some of those pointless decisions will yield achievements, so it's worth doing some clicking. The limitation of only six save slots is a bit unfortunate, though, so you can't make a save before every decision.
As you progress through the events, you will encounter several helpful characters who will tag along frequently. An oblivious but reliable policeman, Jing; a top rookie reporter and romantic pursuer, Xin; a well-intentioned but somewhat sexist newspaper director; and many more. The events you'll encounter are more often than not rather dramatic in nature, but some light-hearted and hopeful ones appear too, serving as a counterbalance. Quite a few times, the perspective will shift to another person, presenting you with a complementary narrative. Additionally, the occasional flashback and foreshadowing embellish the experience. There is also a supernatural element: Ji's ability to see the memories of the dead.
Altogether, these literary instruments form a relatively coherent and emotional story that I certainly enjoyed. While the experience was linear and the English translation was iffy, the positives outweighed the negatives easily.
Aside from the main story, there are also three shorter ones, tangentially related to the events Ji experienced. They can be accessed from the main menu. A nice extension, indeed.
I can easily recommend this VN to all who enjoy real-life-inspired drama and/or crime and mystery stories.
The art accompanying the story is pretty good, reminding me of the Korean webtoons. Most of the cast has several tachies displaying different poses and emotions. Moreover, in some scenes, character sprites were not placed above the textbox, adding more variety to the action. Not a common feature among low-cost VN.
The number and quality of backgrounds are also above average. Every location has its own background, and some are big enough to allow the zooming or side-scrolling effects. You can also see location marks or indicators on several backgrounds or maps. Nice and simple interactive elements.
Overall design and interactivity are way above average considering the price of this title.
The effort put into audio quality does not disappoint either. There is a good variety of music tracks, and while none of them was particularly memorable, the enjoyment of events was amplified by them. There is also a decent opening song in the start menu. A fair number of sound effects add to the experience even further. I certainly have no complaints about the audio side. Well done.
No bugs were encountered.
Overall, this medium-length VN presents you with the growth story of an aspiring female journalist in China. The rendition of the real-life events was done tastefully and, in my opinion, with a tangible emotional impact. I certainly enjoyed the experience and feel confident the majority would as well, even though the English translation feels a bit off. Very good value for the price: 7.6/10
