Chronicles of Taldun: The Remainder

This game is sentimental and haunting in ways I never expected. I walked into it expecting a Lovecraftian romance and mystery with some timeloop elements. And sure, it's that but much less emphasis on romance than I thought. Instead, it uses Lovecraftian worldbuilding to expound upon our relationship with identity, humanity, memory, endings, and beginnings. One person called it the "Dark Souls of visual novels" and that's not far off. You NEED to die (but you MUST try, don't misunderstand) in order to keep unraveling the story. What happened? Are you truly who you think are? Is Ilar? The luccasi? The sage who greets you in death? What transpired between you and Ilar? What were you two? Is there any hope of being that ever again? The answer will hurt. And then you play again. And the answer will hurt. And then you play again. And every answer will hurt, but you must keep going. You cannot give up, because Vyn won't either. You *will* be disoriented. Your own internal clock on what happened in a given run will mix indistinguishably (which I LOVED because that's exactly how Vyn would feel). It'll feel hopeless sometimes. But every time you fight for a memory—just one more flashback with Ilar—it's so incredibly rewarding. And then it ends. You remember where you truly are. The things you lost. But somehow, it doesn't leave you emptier than before. There's this undefeatable warmth. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this game is beautiful. And I'll be eagerly awaiting this studio's future releases. Their game design is unlike anything I've seen before and their command of storytelling so exciting. Well done, Square Weasel. Also for steamdeck users: This game works well enough with our console! Saving is finicky, but everything else is fine and operates how most VNs do on the deck. :)

In short: much to like, but the writing is not good. The positive: [list] [*] Visually excellent; the art is beautiful and moody and creates this ominous, magical, ornate impression of the world and story. I also love Ilar's character design—they're attractive. [*] I like the overall idea of the story. I liked learning about Ilar and the main character's relationship, and I think it has some decent emotional weight. Near the end of the game when I was learning what's really happening, I was engaged and found the reveals compelling. I'll be thinking about the story for a while. [*] The ability to [spoiler]cast spells[/spoiler] was a surprising and cool mechanic. [/list] The neutral: [list] [*] The world is a very complex behemoth of lore, some necessary to understand what's happening, some just because the creators clearly liked building the world. I like that I could clearly tell that the world expands far beyond the bounds of this game. I love the sense of magic in this world—it's intricate, strange, dangerous, and cruel. But some aspects of the magic seemed overly convoluted to justify the events of the game. [/list] The negative: [list] [*]The writing is overwrought. It sacrifices clarity for a grand poetic effect. The sentences are overly verbose and abstract, so it feels like they're using many words to say very little. I enjoy ornate poetic sentences, but if given the choice, I'd rather be able to understand what the hell is happening—what does this room look like? What does this dialogue option mean? When my character is dying, what are they dying of? [*] A lot is confusing, really. What's physically happening around the MC. Who is speaking—characters often have consecutive lines of dialogue, without dialogue tags. What is going on with the worldbuilding. Whether the Abyss is an imminent, deadly threat or something to constantly get distracted from. [*] Relatedly, the main character is insufferable. They're incapable of reacting with any sense of urgency to the Abyss. They take a nap; they whine about their grimoire whispering; they yell about some flirtatious letters they found. They're a petulant YA protagonist who doesn't understand anything, doesn't listen to anyone, and explodes on everyone at the slightest excuse. Given what's actually happening, I could excuse some emotional volatility, but their extreme immaturity is just too much. [*] There's a lot of variation in the formality of the language, especially the MC's dialogue, and it doesn't feel intentional or natural. I can enjoy a mixing of higher older language with casual modern language, like in Gideon the Ninth. But it does not work here. [/list]

Beautiful game. I really think that small, uniquely crafted games like this deserve more support. The art style is INCREDIBLE, the way characters are drawn, the backgrounds and locations... it feels very unique and appealing. I also found myself really enjoying the soundtrack, which complemented the atmosphere perfectly. The story drew me in immediately. Despite being scatter-brained myself I was very intrigued. I played so many games and very few felt "different" like this one, in a good way though. Because of that, I absolutely recommend experiencing it for yourself. My only real criticism is that I wish the pronouns used for some characters (they/them and xe/xer) were optional. Personally, I prefer more generic pronouns, as it makes the text flow less confusing and helps me stay immersed without being reminded of modern-world drama/debates through association. That said, this is ultimately a minor nitpick and doesn't take away from the overall quality of the game. About the ending (SPOILER!!!): [spoiler] The true ending made me so sad. I really wish we could have saved real Ilar, apologized and then eat some lemon crumble cake together... :'( [/spoiler]

Where do I start? There are only two games that struck me deeply - that is, broke my heart in the most delicious and wonderful way - and The Remainder is one of them. This work of art is one of the most emotionally gratifying things I've had the pleasure of experiencing. I still come back to play it and I cry every time. The incredible writing, the well-chosen music, the themes and messages explored throughout really make you think, and would convince even the most seasoned cynic of the beauty and endurance of love. And that's what this game is, in my opinion. An ode to the most powerful magic there is and a testament to art.

This game thoroughly chewed up my heart and ruthlessly spat it out. 10/10

Pain. I don't remember the last time I cried this hard... I've reached the 'true ending' and... Wow. It's really really well written, I feel like I gained something from it. [spoiler]That last letter about 'true achievement', damn...[/spoiler] Congratulations and my thanks to the devs <3

oh. my. gods. so this is how it feels when player's love interest is the same gender as you?... i know, it probably sounds funny, but it's the first time when i feel full immersion as an androgynous person. there are only a few other games with androgynous main characters that i feel good connection with, the inclusion. it means a lot to me. and about dark fantasy - it caught me here, too. i'm a huge fan of this genre. and creatures design? art? eldritch abomination? the window into bigger worldbuilding through this small personal story?! i'm in love. <3 (bought on steam, will leave a review there too)

This game filled the hole that Signalis left in my heart. I would also compare it to Slay the Princess in terms of mechanics, but I personally enjoyed this game so much more. I think it's a completely different feeling that it leaves you with. It felt so rewarding to uncover little pieces of the past, see how they shape the entire story and its characters. It's one of those games that tells you to sit with it, listen to what it has to share with you, and see where it takes you, without relying on previous experience with games. I loved it so much it's one of my top 10 now for sure.