Alright. [i]Bread around bread around bread around bread[/i] is done and dusted. I think we have here our very first [i]milk inside[/i]-like. Except this one is far more horror-centric. And it does something I don't believe I've seen in a game before.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3397397304
This is presented in choose your own adventure-lite fashion. Which is to say the game follows a dialogue chain, with impact moments where you will have two dialogue options to choose from. The first time you play, it's going probably going to end the same way for everybody, and once the game is concluded, it automatically closes on its own. When you start the game again, the beginning is altered slightly, but you will probably still end up getting the same ending again, only this time it introduces a new gameplay mechanic that is baked into the dialogue as well. Technically, it's introduced in your first run, but it doesn't become a factor until now. The third time you start the game, the beginning is altered significantly, and the game starts to give you suggestions as to the proper dialogue tree to follow. And after all that resolves itself, I want to say there was a fourth playthrough necessary to finalize the story, although after you complete the story, the game asks you if you want to delete...well...something I won't disclose here and then lets you start again from the beginning to try to clean up missing achievements. And that is why I don't exactly remember if the third or fourth playthrough concluded the story, as I played it a couple more times immediately afterwards.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3397397215
I said that this game does something unique. You remember [i]way back[/i] in the last paragraph how I mentioned the new gameplay mechanic beginning in your second (well, really in your first) playthrough and it being a significant part of the third playthrough? The game uses achievements as part of the dialogue. For example, you might get an achievement saying, "bottom choice". That is specifically what the game is telling you to do if you want to advance the story beyond a certain point. There is also one other gameplay mechanic added to this game that I think most people will catch onto, but via the achievements, it tells you to remember a certain letter on your keyboard. Hitting that letter at a specific moment will allow you to see the true ending. I thought this was a very imaginative and cool way to add some new wrinkles to what is otherwise a pretty well explored genre in gaming.
With all that in mind, I can easily say this is actually an innovative visual novel that really likes to break the fourth wall to interact with the player. Which is uncommon. Paranormasight did this with some of its gameplay mechanics, but they are different than what was explored in this game.
Visually, this is a minimalist and yet striking game. It definitely has that hand drawn vibe and presents evocative imagery. I can't say I really found the audio to be noteworthy, however.
Now, it's not all sunshine and roses. The English translation is not very good. It is good enough, and you do know exactly what they're trying to say, but it is still a bad translation, especially with regards to proper sentence structure. And there are typos as well.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3397397321
The story itself dives into a bit of trans dimensionality and is definitely more focused on horror despite not being scary. More like disturbing.
I thought the game was pretty cool overall and I really enjoyed the new gameplay mechanic quite a bit. It only costs a buck when not on sale and will take about a half hour to complete the entire story arc. I think it was well worth that buck. And something people should consider taking a look at.
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