[h1]It's best to avoid remote villages. :o[/h1]
[h2]Introduction[/h2]
[i]Our Burial Dolls Remastered[/i] is a Japanese visual novel full of horror and mystery elements sprinkled with a bit of the supernatural developed by granat and ROSEVERTE MYSTERY and published by ROSEVERTE. As the name states, it is a remaster of the original [i]Umerareta Futari no Ningyou[/i]. You take on the role of Yuuma, a sixth grade student whose family is planning to leave their hometown village of Mitono. However, before doing so, Yuuma's dad has to undergo the Warawa-Tomurai, a ritual that involves burying dolls who represent their children in order for their children not to be Shouden(ed), basically being spirited away. Along with Yuuma's dad, Honoka's dad partakes in the ritual as well to protect his daughter Honoka, who is Yuuma's close friend. Soon after, Yuuma and his parents move to the city, and while things appear calm and peaceful at first, soon they hear about horrific events happening to the people still in Mitono. Yuuma doesn't know what to make of things...
With the gameplay, it consists of some choices and depending on which ones are made, you can get one of three endings. After obtaining all the endings, you can view the author's notes on her inspiration behind the story. No CGs or voice acting are present although there's a nice, varied soundtrack. Steam achievements are available, but they won't count towards a user's global total until the game is out of "Steam is learning about this game".
[h2]Review[/h2]
I enjoy a good mystery, and I certainly don't mind some horror to move the story along. That's what [i]Our Burial Dolls Remastered[/i] delivers and then some. Thanks to ROSEVERTE for the advanced review copy, I got the chance to try out this game and give my thoughts. ^^
The story starts off on a bit of the slower side, but I like to think that it helps to establish the setting and whatnot. Also, stories that take place in remote Japanese villages (I'm thinking of a certain well-renowned JVN series XD) tend to start a bit slow but then pick up the pace. I like that the story is told from a child's perspective since it really gives off the mood that Yuuma has no idea what's going on or why his dad has to perform the Warawa-Tomurai. Clearly, Yuuma wants answers, but his dad and his mom won't provide them. I could feel Yuuma's frustration when all the crazy happenings occur, and especially, his pain is intense when a certain event happens to Honoka. Because of unfortunate circumstances, Honoka and her family aren't able to move out of Mitono immediately. Regardless of the choices and endings that you get, all of the mysteries get resolved. All of the endings are on the sad side, one more so than others. I kind of wish that the writer could have provided a happier ending, but I can understand that was never her intention.
As for the writing, I played the English version although the original is in Japanese. The translation is very well done, and I didn't notice any grammatical errors or whatnot. Also, the pacing is well done, but as I mentioned, the story starts off on the slow side. Still, it is a short story overall, so it won't take long to complete it. A playthrough will take about an hour. In addition, all achievements are obtainable, and it's pretty easy to figure out how to get all of the endings.
In regards to the art, there are no sprites and the backgrounds are more akin to photographs. Also, no CGs are present. Personally, I like having CGs and whatnot, especially since they can make the story feel more alive visually. However, I feel like the writer's intent was to make the reader imagine the scenes and events visually in their mind, as though they're reading a book. I can totally respect that since I enjoy reading a lot and it kind of has become a lost art. :o
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3625914136
With the music, the tracks have a good variety. While some have a slower vibe, others give off that more horror, terrified feeling. Suffice it to say that you're never going to feel relaxed, so it's always best to stay alert.
[h2]Conclusion[/h2]
Would I recommend [i]Our Burial Dolls Remastered[/i]? If you're looking for a short mystery to read that includes horror and the supernatural, you don't mind the lack of CGs, and/or you like getting Steam achievements, then you should check it out. I'm curious to see how this remaster compares to the original since I never had the chance to play it.
Finally, I'd like to thank ROSEVERTE for the review copy. I definitely got horror vibes, and I'm grateful that there's no gore since I tend to stay away from that. :o Anyway, I'd love to experience more mystery stories in the future. ^^
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