Dark Nights - Reflections

The art and storylines have improved since the original game was released. The branches were more developed as well, which was nice. I actually cried playing Roya's route..... can't wait for the secret route to come out. Still wondering why Kaichi never got a route if Roya got one too.

6 years (!!!) after the main game's release, we welcome roya and chain! no longer side characters, but instead the main focus. we haven't gotten the side stories yet (there's even a 3rd route in the works!) so i'll just talk about the new routes for now everything is a major upgrade compared to DN: the art is extremely pretty, the writing is tighter, mature, and more polished, and of course, the fanservice/subject matter has been cranked up! after all, compared to the original cast, chain and roya have more world experience. their hands are stained by the blood of others (and you just learn to live with it). they probably know which parts of your body make you shiver and which parts are best for cutting off circulation. they are the type of boyfriends your mother would raise an eyebrow at when you introduce them at family dinner; just don't tell her about their body count. they might even be a curse upon themselves with how many bad ends are offered in their routes. and yet... despite their crimes and multiple violations, chain and roya are intrinsically human. they're no strangers to love, pain, and loss, and we slowly learn about their grief and how it changed them. chain is insouciant with no will to take the reins of his future, while roya wears revenge as a scarf that hangs like a noose. time has stopped for both of them in different ways and, if left to their own devices, they'd sooner perish in a dingy, dark alley covered in blood than reconsider their life choices. "I can fix him"? nope it's "I'll make you want to [i]live[/i]" or die, and we do die sometimes... or a lot... 11/10 for being the 2nd game to have roya kenriji. dw i also love matcha buns <3 (forgive the hrs on record, they were spent on the itch.io version that released earlier)

等很久終於出了!!! 先買起來等漢化 期待之後還會有其他角色!

还不错，但是我还是更喜欢老画风，相比本作两位男主，我更期待死神线，不知道后面有可能出吗？

沒有中文是阻止不了我玩這個遊戲的

definetly play chain route before roya, if you want to be able to enjoy both routes. the roya route is just on another level

Everything I was waiting for <3 <3 <3 I'm excited to replay this again when the secret route is out (:

The arts are so beautiful ugh, a shame we didnt get more of jace and blace tho

I played the first part a long time ago. I liked the atmosphere of the game. I recently decided to play something old and accidentally saw the second part. Since I went through two parts at once, it is noticeable how the level of the author has increased both in drawing and in the plot. I'm looking forward to the secret route and other games. Respect to the author and all the best:)

I should say that I've only played Chain's route (for a bad + 2 secret endings) as of writing his review, and I am also a big fan of Dark Nights and Pinlin's work in general. I'd say that Reflections is about as great as I hoped it would be. If you liked the original Dark Nights you will 99% like this, and new players can enjoy the game as well. The art style is gorgeous, Pinlin's skills are top-notch, even backgrounds that weren't redrawn still look fine and don't break immersion or take away from the experience. One thing I would say is that the love interests and many supporting characters lack in diversity in race, body types and other features, so if you're looking for a game that goes off the beaten path with otome character designs, this might not be for you. The story is interesting and seems to mostly follow that of the original Dark Nights. It is not always completely logical, and sometimes hard to get a full picture of, but still more than enjoyable. The MC is pretty likeable but, again, is your typical otome game female lead (not that there's anything wrong with that). One gripe I have with storytelling in this, that I've also had with the original, is that sometimes (usually in bad endings) events unfold far too quickly to have any emotional impact or seem significant. In Chain's bad ending, for example, abruptly an important death happens, MC is understandably devastated, and then a death that signifies the ending happens. It's hard to explain without spoilers, but all of that happens in a span of a couple minutes, maybe? Every 'bad' part of the bad ending gets thrown at you at the very end and ends up underwhelming. Still, I doubt there are many people like me who pay too much attention to bad endings and many would rather focus on how the romantic ending is written, which I totally get. One other thing I'd like to mention are the love interests from the original Dark Nights. I know it's completely my own fault and wishful thinking, but I really believed they would be romanceable in Reflections... I was so so so excited for more Junoru, especially when he showed up in the prologue and seemed like he would be relevant. He is most likely prominent on Roya's route, but still. I understand that it would've taken a tremendous amount of work to write a vn with a six (or seven, if you count the secret route) love interests for just one person, but I feel a bit baited by the introduction of the old love interests in the prologue. Sorry but why was Zeikun even there..? Kurato and Sachiro had appearances in Chain's route, Junoru must be very important to Roya's story, but Zeikun just never showed up. I'm guessing he is in Roya's route? Again, this is barely a criticism, but I thought it might be relevant for players returning from the original Dark Nights: don't buy this expecting Junoru/Zeikun/Sachiro/Kurato routes. I know I was quite negative in this review, but Dark Nights - Reflections is a great game. Genuinely. The art is beautiful, menus look sleek, the story is interesting, the love interests are hot, there is extra content upon collecting all achievements. I would confidently recommend this to anyone, as long as any of the cons I mentioned aren't make-or-break for you