Just Another Life

The journey of playing 200 free games with the Visual Novel tag #2 This is a very well-done, unique and complete game! It takes a while to finish and includes design choices that I've never seen done before. The game progresses in EXTREMELY unique ways. For instance, at one point, I thought I needed to delete my save to advance the story. That was not the case, but it was actually not something completely outrageous considering some of the other ways the game progresses, which are in line with the game's tone and story. Part of the fun is also discovering those ways yourself, which is why I’ll not discuss them any further. One word of advice for players is that the game follows a linear story, meaning there is generally only a single way to progress. Therefore, the progression of one quest may be locked behind seemingly unrelated events or quests. At the start of the game, we are introduced to the protagonist, John, and it's clear he is not living his best life. The first thing we witness is [spoiler]John receiving a call from his boss, telling him he is 30 minutes late for work, followed by calls from both his girlfriend and landlord, with equally delightful news. After that exposition, we gain control of the character and can leave John’s house. Upon leaving the house, players are greeted by a grim visual narrative: barred and broken windows, walls defaced with crude graffiti, and a neighbouring house, in a similar state, marked as “for sale.”[/spoiler] [spoiler]The state of John’s house paints a clear picture of his standard of living. Additionally, being 30 minutes late is particularly important to imply that his situation is not solely due to circumstance but partially because of the way he chooses to live. This relates to what, at least in my interpretation, the main focus of this game's story is. Afterwards, a series of events gives him the opportunity to climb the corporate ladder at a company.[/spoiler] In the search for a better standard of living,[spoiler] from almost not being able to afford rent to eventually buying his own house, [/spoiler]John learns lessons about life and what gives him happiness through personal experience and advice he receives from a wise hermit who lives in the woods. Throughout his journey, John faces several challenges:[spoiler] a fictional economy with its own rules and inflation rate, annoying coworkers, challenging personal relationships and, most importantly, his own approach to life. Along the way, John learns life lessons and gets closer to understanding what personally gives him true happiness. On top of that, he also learns about the people around him, getting to know about their struggles, challenges, worries, fears, regrets and other hurdles on the road to their own happiness.[/spoiler] In essence, the story is about [spoiler] John overcoming his vices, which are the seven deadly sins, and becoming a happy person, or rather, his true self. By the end of the game, he not only manages to make a big difference in his own life but also a somewhat relevant one in the lives of the people around him. Well, at least that is what I interpreted the narrative to be about.[/spoiler] Overall, I think the game was an overwhelmingly positive experience. Although the gameplay can get somewhat repetitive, it was definitely worth playing. Score: Excellent[X]* Good[] Mixed[] Bad[] *[spoiler]Strongly influenced by personal biases and preferences[/spoiler]