Eyes Like the Tide

[h1] 给文学名著一个翻案的机会，顺便谈个恋爱♥ [/h1] 视觉小说，其实是巴西文学名著Dom Casmurro的同人版，只不过这次换女主角Capitu亲自下场讲故事。原作里她被丈夫写成“不忠的谜”，一百多年来只能由别人替她开口，现在她终于能自己说一句：“他写的只是他的记忆，让我来说我的版本”。 你可以选Bentinho（那个后来把自己活成怨夫的青梅竹马），也可以选Escobar（更自由、更危险的选项）。游戏里有两组看不见的关系值，信任、疏远、耐心、感情，每次对话都在悄悄变化。而且Capitu自己也说了，她的记忆未必可靠，到底什么是真实、什么是渴望，全由你自己判断。这比单纯选谁谈恋爱有意思多了，它让你同时审判一段文学史上最有名的公案，也审判你自己。 we need chinse！！！ [h1] 好向金銮殿，移阴入绮窗。 -- 巴江柳 李商隐♥ [/h1]

Obviously, I'm going to review this visual novel favorably, as it's a literary adaptation of the work of one of the greatest authors humanity has ever known, but in it the player will find so many problems that I feel I have no choice but to make up for this recommendation by listing and discussing every fault I found in detail. First of all, there are serious problems with the English translation. It was clearly done in a rush and not very attentively, as there are many choice options that are untranslated, the menu just before quitting is missing text and there far too many deficiencies overall. For instance, there's a line where Bento says (in the original PT-BR version) "há coisas que não se dizem", or words to that effect, and this was translated as "there are things that are not said", which makes no sense since it would sound much better to translate this excerpt as "there are things better not said", or words to that effect. Often the main problem with the translation is its low quality, but at times the issue is that it creates a strange formality that I know one wouldn't find in the original Machado de Assis novel. For example, there's an excerpt in which Sancha tells Capitu: "I'm with child", meaning she is pregnant. Too formal for two old female friends discussing intimate topics, even if it's in the 19th century! But enough about the translation. The adaptation has its problems as well. First of all, it will become patently obvious to anyone who has read the original novel that the literary quality of this adaptation does not do justice to the original work, which is neither surprising nor a cardinal sin, since Machado de Assis was none other than Machado de Assis; but, even then, I still expected more. There are many moments when the writing is clearly deficient (or rather there are certain aspects of it that could be improved) - for example, the famous scene where Capitu first kisses Bentinho feels a bit rushed, whereas in the original novel the timing does indeed feel a lot better. Many conversations (or moments in conversations between characters) feel too fast-paced and trivial in character, like they're there just to fill space. For example, Capitu's discussion of a book that was then becoming popular in Europe with José Dias. She says that she was interested in the book and that she asked Dias about it, yet we never even learn the name of the book and all we are led to know about it is that it's about "destiny" and "things like that", and that it "mixes literature with philosophy", something that - supposedly - "Europeans are very fond of", or words to that effect. Here and at other times one perceives the absence of the philosophical tact and the Machadian intelligence that make his work so intellectually powerful, without which, in comparison, this adaptation appears as a mere game, a narrative lacking the artistry that the 19th-century author mastered so well, and which the digital medium does not prevent from being reproduced, although, in a way, it makes it considerably more difficult. All in all, I still recommend the game, especially to foreigners who want to become familiar with Machado de Assis's work. As an indie visual novel, it's a decent title, but one that could use significant improvement.

Новелла на разок.

Na posição de pessoa formada em Literatura, devo dizer que o jogo é impecável no que se propõe e uma excelente forma de apresentar a obra de Machado de Assis. Na condição de player de visual novel desde que era adolescente, a dinâmica de escolhas e as escolhas visuais estão maravilhosas! Só acho que uma rota onde o Bentinho e o Escobar ficam juntos fez falta :v Comentários à parte, iniciativa 10/10!