Chronicles of Taldun: The Remainder

[spoiler] This Relationship Situation Is Crazy [/spoiler] Great game, both addictive and frustrating, be prepared to forget about your life and responsibilities until you're finished. I think I've reached enlightenment.

This is one of the most nuanced visual novels I've ever played. It immediately gripped me with the dark, mysterious atmosphere created by the stunning and unique art, the otherworldy soundtrack and the beautifully composed writing. It's also quite challenging in the best way, so be prepared to stumble around for a while making decisions that lead to even more questions instead of answers or - also very likely - to your demise in a lot of unpleasant ways. But once you got more grip on the world and the narrative, you can make more calculated decisions and use your collected knowledge to progress towards answers. I really loved the way the story worked. It relies a lot on player knowledge instead of the protagonist's, which means you yourself have to figure out the meaning of the clues and piece them together to get the full picture. And once you do, you see already experienced scenes and barely noticed details in a different way. And you realise that the truth was sometimes right before your nose, you just didn't know what to do with it. The two protagonists Vyn and Ilar are extremely well-written, complex characters with an ever-changing dynamic that depends entirely on your own choices. Ilar has an especially wide range and will draw a lot of intense emotions from you. Every encounter, every decision and every new piece of information makes an impact, either on you, them or the narrative and your interpretation of it. I was deeply invested in this game: the lore, the story, the characters, all the mysteries and unanswered questions. I wanted to read and see everything and get to the bottom of the truth, even though it was a painful journey. Everything about this game is a piece of art the devs have created a truly marvellous experience. A fair warning though: This game WILL tear your heart out and shatter it to pieces. But if you don't give up, it will also mend it back together and stay there.

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.

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]

[h1] 这是刀做的糖还是糖做的刀？ [/h1] 目前为止玩过最好玩[最喜欢的文字游戏，文本量超大，需要超多的重开循环来看内容以及新选项，导致我不停的随地大小存，，， 内容很刀喜欢吃，好吃，爱吃，多吃（?）大喊 we need Chines!!!!!!!! 我真的很想拿个大喇叭，宣告全世界它有多好玩多完美，我想让我身边的所有人都来玩一遍，太完美了，， （涉及剧透）真结局也太……真的很想哭真该死，没想到本杂食也有被闯到的一天，打个比方 [spoiler] 我喜欢沙奈朵，但是我不接受百变怪变的沙奈朵，我不能容忍一个拥有沙奈朵记忆的百变怪代替我独一无二的沙奈朵，而且还每天在我面前晃悠，这样的一个东西每时每刻都在提醒我我所犯下的错误 [/spoiler]我真的会受不了，想哭，想要大喊大叫，感觉被创死但是又没办法，[spoiler] 沙奈朵永远的离我而去了，我就算不愿意，他也再也回不来了 [/spoiler]但是这游戏的内容和描述真的很戳我，真该死，打完真结局以后突然觉得不如就这么蒙在鼓里也不错（……）[spoiler] 也许因为我不是死了n多次的主角没有和圣人对话过足够多的次数所以不能理解吧，，， [/spoiler] 真该死，虽然被创到了但是下次还玩，，。。。

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

Yes, the art is beutiful, yes, the words are many, yes it is all very contorted and messed up. We all know that. Let's move to that part of the review that other people are unlikely to write. I was quite literally unable to play CoTD:tR for longer than one loop because Oh No Consequences Oh No It Is All My Fault. The only exception was what I came down with a sickness, was running a fever good enough to fry an egg on my forehead and was in the process of expelling my lungs. So [i[my[/i] experience of this game is: I am tired, dizzy, eveyrhting is kind of foggy, my entire being hurts, I am absolutely terrified of what's going to happen in the story, I keep on dying and this red fellow keeps asking me to bite a chair. And about the time my head stops pounding and breathing is no longer such a chore, somehow, my partner - you know, the fellow whose mood is composed of a row of switches and they keep on performing interpretative tap-dance on it - breaks down on me and my desperate "Bruh, what's your problem?" gets an answer, and honestly in good (dizzy, still slightly feverish) conscience I can say they kind of underreacted to the whole [i]* vagues gesturely*[/i] thing. I mean I am not saying that you should play CoTD:tR like that, but if you are after immersive experience, method acting and/or understanding of Vyn, this is definitely recommended.

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

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 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. :)