I was surprised by this "game". I always thought that visual novels were only about anime girls and some romantic stories. I decided to give it a try and bought it. As a result, one evening, I had an experience that I had been thinking about for a long time after completing it. When I went to bed, I still thought about it and when I woke up, I decided to write a review.
There are three things that stand out to me: the plot, the dialogue, and the visuals. Of course, there is no gameplay, you just click and make choices, but the atmosphere that you are instantly immersed in shows that the author has experience in writing. I did not look up who the author was, but there is no sense from the dialogue that this was a "test". It feels like the screenwriter and designer tried their hand at making games, already having experience in their field..
The world itself? We have a new universe, the plot of which is incredibly interesting. At night, I was thinking about this universe and it became clear to me why the description states that it is not a prediction of the current world. Because the disaster in the game was so REAL in our world, it was creepy. That is, we did not literally plunge into the same world because, by some divine intervention, it could not have happened. And one short game gave me real fear of prions and the possibility of events. In short, the plot and dialogue don't fully explain the entire universe to you, as if you know you're in a game. You just enter one of the days in real life where everything has already HAPPENED. And probably from the second or third scene, I began to believe in what was happening.
The dialogue itself is very lively. I really missed the usual things, as the author is somehow Chekhov-like and Tarantino-like.. They chat about how onions are sliced, the weight of the cook in the dining room, and who manipulates whom. It's not boring at all! You want to keep reading because you feel like you just joined a group of friends who know each other well.
Honestly, it was my first time I went to the ending of "Mom's Sweater", and I cried at the monologue. This resonated with me because I come from a military background, and everyone in my family has been through tough times. I don't know if the author is faking his military experience or if he has his own personal connection to it, but I don't feel like he's faking anything. Instead, the characters speak the thoughts I've had in my own head.
In fact, the story, in my opinion, has a strong Christian theme. It's no coincidence that God is mentioned in the short description.. History shows how seemingly minor decisions, which at first glance may not seem evil, can lead to disastrous consequences for your body and soul, which cannot be reversed. By the way, I am not sure if it was intentional that you cannot rewind the game, but I think it was. It creates a strange feeling, like playing less Starbucks coffee reveals a monstrous depth and absolute attention to detail.
I know Morse code and it occurred to me during the tenth minute of the game that each letter in the dialogue has its own unique sound. The author didn't turn off the soundtrack; he decided to create a soundtrack from the dialogue itself.
Overall, I am thrilled and will eagerly look forward to future games in this series. Hopefully, it was not an isolated experience, otherwise I will deeply regret having only briefly touched upon something so familiar and frightening.
