Brilliant Shadows - Part One of the Book of Gray Magic

Refreshing, unique, and captivating. A little background about myself - I'm not a big visual novel 'buff', the most experience I have in such games would be the Phoenix Wright games on handheld, but after watching a youtube video of the game, I was immediately drawn to the story presented, and after doing a little bit more research, promptly purchased the title and completed my own playthrough several times to get the different endings, and little changes in plot based on choices. Given that I've just explained I'm not big into visual novels as a gamer, I still enjoy a good story, and this title definitely has a good story. Presenting a very different world from the norm in most media, with Necromancy not necessarily being evil but instead another school of magic that's balanced out by Light magic, the game does a good job presenting the basic principles of the world at a good pace, and the player also gets the opportunity to learn more about the world if the right choices are made. I learned that the voice acting in the game (FULLY voice acted) was actually a stretch goal of it's kickstarter, and I have to say it helped breath life to the characters, and it was quite refreshing to hear new and different talent in an industry that sometimes feels only a handful of voice actors are always given work. (I hear voice actors like Jennifer Hale and Steve Blum across a LOT of titles, across different mediums, and while definitely great voice actors, it's once again so refreshing hearing new talent). While the writing can also stand on it's own, the acting definitely helps you understand what kind of personality each character exhibits, and makes them that much more memorable. From the character designs to the backgrounds, the artstyle is also beautiful to look at, and speaks of the artist's talent in presenting this world and the people who live in it. There are some games, or even TV shows, that you can play or watch for a while, and then you need to take care of something else. Then there are others that grab your attention so much that you forget where the time went, or you're compelled to finish in one sitting. This is one of those games. I finished my first playthrough until the wee hours in the morning (totally worth it xD). I'm so glad this is part one, as I cannot wait to see what else this indie dev will bring out next in the story.

Brilliant Shadows is a really interesting LGBTQ+ friendly visual novel with a diverse (in designs as well as personality) cast, good themes, interesting worldbuilding. The story follows Ash, and her friends as they try and figure out who recieved her pair mark after her ritual was completed. Despite being called Book One, it does wrap up very well on it's own. There's no cliffhanger. I do hope to pick up Book 2 eventually though, as I enjoyed this much like I've liked Ithaqua Lab's other work. Ash is great and very relateable. Having a crush on a friend who will never feel the same is pain. Also I love her design and magic concept. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2431039338 If I have any complaints, it's that the worldbuilding in Embers of Magic was referenced less than I hoped. It's still there mostly in dialog from Aelfnod, but I wanted more. Maybe in the sequel? And thanks again to the person who gifted this to me. I loved it <3

The writing, art, and especially the choice design of this game didn't appeal to me; some interesting world building, but I found the dialogue and writing less than snappy. More significantly, the choices were rarely presented in a way that felt weighty or that felt that I had control or context for the choices I was making--the game never felt branchy enough to work well as interactive fiction. Too often you are reading long, long bits without input. I think it's an ambitious project, but this game's narrative wasn't my cup of tea.

If you're going into this expecting a charming lesbian romance, you'll be sorely disappointed. Yes, the main character is gay, and yes, there is romance, but it is far from the focus of the story. Think of this more as the standalone prologue to a fantasy epic.

Typically, a visual novel has no gameplay, and this places an extreme burden on the narrative. Brilliant Shadows is crushed under this burden. Devoid of even the most basic attempts to emulate a medieval or feudal culture beyond cliche visuals and terminology, I couldn't help but think of cheap, printed-on Halloween costumes. The script lacks even a crumb of verisimilitude. Every other text box is laden with current dialogue or something so profoundly out of step with reality it could only be the product of modernity. Consider the absurdity of a political system where a democratic election would elevate someone with no social standing to the status of "King" and that said status would convey no political or social benefits to his family members. I think we are supposed to see this as a positive example of Enlightenment values safeguarding against corruption, but all I see is someone who has no idea how humans or societies actually function. I found the dubious anatomy of stuffing your torso with the magical organs of your victims to gain their powers more believable. The romance is also severely undercooked and the actual plot is rushed. This is called Part 1, but "Prologue" would be much more appropriate.

Неплохая и весьма своеобразная визуальная новелла, действие которой происходит в по-своему уникальном мире, где маги в академиях учат путь тьмы (некромант) или света (паладин), а перед завершением обучения все ученики проходят ритуал спаривания (pairing ritual), который объединяет их в пары свет-тьма для поддержания баланса. Впрочем, эти пары обычно становятся большим, чем просто напарники по магии. Однако, в этом мире есть еще и "серые" маги - люди с двумя сердцами, соединяющие в себе обе силы и не нуждающиеся в напарнике для баланса. Но подобные индивидуумы скорее исключение из правил и, поскольку происходит подобное получение двух сердец далеко не всегда законным путем, к серым магам большинство испытывает страх и отвращение. Поскольку в этом мире хватает однополых пар (в том числе образованных в результате ритуала), здесь есть темы ЛГБТК+, что понравится далеко не всем (хотя конкретно в этой части этому уделяется довольно мало внимания - в основном это будут упоминания и игра на этом не центрируется). Вообще эта часть достаточно короткая и представляет собой скорее вступление, знакомя читателя с миром и персонажами. По сути в сюжетном плане речь пойдет о последствиях одного такого ритуала спаривания. Персонажи довольно неплохо "прописаны" и имеют собственные персоналии, чему также способствует их озвучка. Цена по-моему осталась без изменений с момента выхода игры и достаточно демократична.

I just completed the game for the first time. There were few choices to make but they seemed like they might be fairly impactful. Curiosity will drive me to replay, I'm sure. Anyway that's the experience my review is based on. The story and aesthetics vaguely reminded me of the Abhorsen books, The Adventure Zone, Guild Wars, and some sort of anime. I enjoyed this blend. Good balance of humor and drama. If you have a particular taste for stories of magical shenaniganry where the rules of the world's magic are laid out, thoroughly explored, [spoiler]and subsequently brought into question, and which may or may not be setting up a power creep arc between the protagonist and mysterious big bads,[/spoiler] you're in for a good ride with Brilliant Shadows. (MISOPHONIA WARNING: there's some coughing in the post-credits blooper that has only Luciana in it.)

I watched Dodger play this and enjoyed it enough that I had to buy it just to support the Devs.

What a beautiful game! Art: Gorgeous, luminescent, grabbing. I ONLY buy visual novels for their art, and when I found this, I couldn't wait to play it. Even if you didn't like the story, you'd still get your money's worth out of the experience. The characters have their own colour pallets, which is great for telling them apart - especially when a lot of characters are introduced in a short time-frame. Characters: A lot of representation: short & sturdy, yet sensible Long & thin, yet vulnerable Tall & muscular, yet sensitive Average looking, yet qualities of leadership Mixed with an lot of different ethnicities, skin tones, and backgrounds. Story: I really liked how the story started out. A lesbian witch, with a crush on her best friend needs to find a new balance in their relationship. (Gosh, have I been there..) And to top it off, she's kinda stuck with this guy she doesn't like.. The story is a lot about accepting weirdness, and being okay with how other people are - not necessarily in a deep soul searching way, just a "look beyond what annoys you about them" sorta thing. It's cute, and allows for a colourful cast. Personally, I felt the ending had been rewritten a million times, and the writer was being pressured to just finish it. There is a follow up game that, hopefully, will shed light on the sudden ending - I haven't had the chance to play it yet! Voice Acting: It's very obvious that they put a lot of effort into hiring talent. With voiced visual novels it's very hit and miss - If not done well, it may just ruin the entire experience. This game made sure that especially the 2 main characters (the green girl, and the redhead) were absolutely gorgeous to listen to. Sometime the pacing was a little off, but in their defense, that's very hard to do on a game that is supposed to let you pace it. I got this game for christmas, but I definitely would have bought it for myself within time! I even keep revisiting the art, because I sometimes feel myself missing it, and I will definitely play Pale Spectrum when I get the chance! Big thanks to the developers. Lesbian witchcraft is definitely a gap in the visual novel market I desperately need filled!

I cannot gush over this game enough. It was everything I expected and then more. The voice actors are amazing, the art beautiful and the story is really phenomenal. I loved this so much