Pale Spectrum - Part Two of the Book of Gray Magic

Disclaimer: I know the creators of this game and was a primary tester for the game. I did however purchase the game myself via Kickstarter with no special discount. As mentioned I have been testing this game throughout its development and am very familiar with the game at this point. I have gone through just about every ending/each path through the game and can safely say there should be something for everyone. I would say that if I went through the game for the first time and completed the game with a real ending (Yes there are fail/dead-end paths, choose carefully!) it would take maybe about 8-10 hours depending on which ending and how often you cut off voice lines to go faster. If I had to sum up the game in a couple sentences I would say: This is a fantasy game that covers a lot of topics including: Personal growth, Love, Identity, Loss, War, Grief, Failure, and more. The game’s scope is massive and tackles a lot of hard but interesting topics while being punctuated with fun. [b]My favorite things in no particular order:[/b] • Fully voice acted: Almost everything is voice acted, narration is not (which I actually prefer). All of the voices are amazing. • Branching paths: When I said there are multiple endings that is true, but it is more like multiple story paths as there are vast differences between them. Yes, there is some overlap but each run will have a lot of new scenes and mysteries to discover. To be clear there are not just 1 or 2 of these but many. • Different stories: Within each branch there are multiple characters each with their own agenda/plot. • Humor: The game has a lot of well written jokes that help break up the periods of heavier plot. In addition to the jokes themselves some of the lines are delivered by the voice actors in such a way you can’t help but laugh. • Characters: Every character is extremely well written, even in the testing group everyone had a variety of favorite characters. • Art: Everything is beautiful. Lots of amazing peices of art ranging from comic style action strips to heavily painted cinematic-esque scenes. There are tons of characters and backgrounds that you will come across. Some of which are tied to certain paths to ensure there is always something new as mentioned above. • Hand-crafted world: The entire world and magic system is deep and nuanced, not all mysteries are covered in every path in the game and some ideas were merely hinted at setting up for future games. [b]Some things you may or may not like:[/b] It would not be much of a review if I didn’t list some things like this. • Humor: While for me this is a huge plus I understand some readers may want a fully serious game. While this game IS serious there is still a lot of humor thrown in. I could imagine some readers may not like this. • This is a Sequel: You will be able to follow the plot just fine without playing the first but this still is a sequel and that may be of fputting to some people and it is worth mentioning here. • Not a Dating Sim: I noticed that sometimes people confuse visual novels for dating sims sometimes. This is not a dating sim. There are choices you can make regarding going out and dating a few people in the game but that is not a core defining feature of it. [b]Final Thought[/b] I hope this spoiler-free highlight of the game should give you a good idea of whether or not you would like the game. I personally feel it it worth your time to play this game.

EDIT : I have now soldiered throuh the ending and I can safely say that this is the most underwhelming and irritating visual novel I’ve ever read (really). The art is great, most of the characters are engaging, the voice acting is good... but everything else is just impossible. Too many storylines, FAR TOO MANY CHARACTERS, some of which even disappear mid-game as they were so useless you later wonder what actually happened to them. When you can cut half of your cast without harming your plot at all, you should ask yourself questions. . Please, don’t offer backers the opportunity to implant a character of theirs in a visual novel. You wouldn’t do that for a book or a movie, so why did you do it here? The game loses its plot a third into the story— not that it matters anyway, since the ending is so bad and anticlimactic that I can think of a single phrase, that if uttered at the right time during the first book would have spared us THE ENTIRE SECOND GAME!! Worst of the worst, perhaps more irritating than all, is that none of the choices really seem to MATTER. I too often found myself making choices that actually led to the exact same resolution as the other options, which led me to wonder why this was packaged in a visual novel in the first place. In its hubris, this game tried to give us more content than any other, to push the limits of what visual novels are in terms of content. To give us an 8 hours visual novel! But by doing so, it simply dumped quality into the trash, making all that content a disappointing, unsatisfying, bland mess. Original message : I certainly loved the first game- one of my favourite visual novels, in fact. But... The second is just a slog. Their attempt at making the game longer is admirable for its courage, but the main plot (which is sadly pretty lackluster) is horribly filled with clutter that makes the game almost painful to play. Too many characters, and way, way, way too much filler. The Aelfnod & Aku part should have been kept as a separate book/game, much like the lost in shadows branch. It would have been a lot more enjoyable that way. I found myself skipping entire scenes towards the end because I just couldn't handle all the fillers, especially between characters that I frankly couldn't care less for. Like "oh, yet another random character appears. An entirely useless one at that, so much that they seem like a kickstarter backer reward" The game seems to take heart in pairing all its characters, and while I had a lot of fun lesbianing/bisexualing around, all those romances seemed to blend together. I counted... FIVE romances going on (one being a love... square?) at the same time! *groans* A long story only works bet if there's a central plot, really. At this point, even the series' ACTUAL ANTAGONIST seemed to be just yet another secondary plot, overshadowed by everything else. By the end of the game you're just hoping for this all to end.

As a big fan of Brilliant Shadows, I really wanted to like this game. Unfortunately, I could never quite get into the story while playing due to the pacing. It felt like there was too much jumping around from beginning to end that I could never follow the story and invest in what was happening. Brilliant Shadows kept the focus on one character, had a gradual build-up of tension, and an excellent mix of suspense, action, and character building that made the story easy to follow and very intriguing. Pale Spectrum unfortunately had too much going on to acheive this. There were too many characters that needed to spotlight, plot points, and attempts to intrigue and create mystery that the game was left feeling very unfocused. Although I can REALLY appreciate the time and effort the creators put into creating so much content, and making the game long for their audience (I finished my playthough in about 9 hrs - hat's off), it just didn't have the magic of the original that made the journey to the conclusion enjoyable. I think if each story/character arc was presented in longer sequences as opposed to being broken up, and if the number of conflicts/plot points had been reduced, the story being told here would have been a lot more satisfying. Although I cannot recommend this game, I'm still a fan of this developer and hope that the next game in this saga will be better.

I discovered this after playing through "Brilliant Shadows", having looked to see if a second part had come out. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this game as a sequel. While it maintains some of the positive themes of the previous instalment, it quickly becomes a choppy experience where we switch between characters quickly and without reason throughout the chapters. The story has no focus and no true driving conflict - any antagonist is quickly dealt with and seems to be an afterthought. The introduction of the magical spectrum also creates confusion, as we are bombarded with new magic with no explanation or focus. This creates logical dissonance with the previous game - we had two forms of magic, well thought-out and explained to us. That there are more forms of magic is not the issue, it is the lack of explanation that makes it feel like the characters are now overpowered but still in the dark about their abilities. I intend to see this game through, despite my disappointment. I hope that Ithaqua Labs have learned from this experience and create more streamlined story experiences in the future.

Pale Spectrum is the second game in the Book of Gray Magic series. The first one is called Brilliant Shadows and I strongly recommend reading it first to understand the story better. [h1]Story[/h1] The story takes place from where it ended in Brilliant Shadows. Ash is developing her relationship with Terra and this is no easy task considering how unpredictable a changeling can be. Prudence is now the King of her fairy kingdom that has lots of problems – and she also has to deal with the depression. Hektor is unable to cast magic because he lost two of his three hearts during the great battle. Belinda and Aelfnod…well, their stories are difficult but from another point of view. All characters have their own interests, dreams, fears and desires, but in fantasy stories there is always a threat that brings them together. What is it this time? That is a secret that you need to discover yourself. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1462473941 [h1]What I liked and did not like[/h1] [b][u]Pros:[/u][/b] - I loved the art in the game– it was the first thing that drew my attention when I opened the store page to check out the new visual novel. This includes characters’ design, CGs (there are lots of them) and backgrounds, as well as UI design. I should also say that this time Main Menu looks even better than in the first part of the series – it is animated with different pictures and some interesting symbols. The same as Brilliant Shadows, Pale Spectrum entertains its reader with lots of great animated scenes during the story-telling, and each one looks gorgeous. General presentation is where this game shines the brightest. And just look at this little window for choices! Even though it hides some part of the picture until you select one of the options, the idea itself is great and very creative; - Music is as good as in the first part and even better – I always enjoy folk-like tunes, so in my humble opinion, the one in the Main Menu is superb! Other tracks are good too and they go well with the story and emotions of main characters; - Characters from Pale Spectrum got further development and showed new dimensions of their different personalities; there are also new people who sometimes bring a lot of fun and sometimes make you uneasy. And, of course, the humor is still great and made me laugh a lot; - In this chapter, developers added a Progress Map – this is your guide to which parts of the story you have opened and which are still hidden. A very useful tool for all fans of visual novels; - All characters have voices – the actors did a great job again and brought additional colors to each dialogue; - Lots of different endings – and by different I do not mean 1-2 pictures and several lines of text. There will be many new scenes in almost each variation of the story, as well as new mysteries and answers to old questions; - A unique world of magic that has never been seen before (except for Brilliant Shadows, of course) – there is a lot of lore and you will be introduced to it during the whole story. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1462473125 [b][u]Cons: [/u][/b] - I have already complained about the rushed start in my review for Brilliant Shadows. We were introduced to the story too fast without little background, which, luckily, was described more thoroughly later. In case with Pale Spectrum, more than one part is too fast. I would even say that sometimes the story just jumps from one situation to another one, and I did not quite see the actual connection between these parts. It feels as if something is missing. It does not ruin the game, of course, while in general, the story is good, but it leaves this uncomfortable aftertaste after reading – did I misunderstand something? Or maybe I missed a line? No, it seems everything is OK, but why did it jump to this all of a sudden? These were my thoughts at some points. So, the story pacing is among the cons for sure; - Too many characters (30+ in this chapter) – it would be one thing if all of them were just a background for the main couple (Ash and Terra), but instead they all require additional arcs and sometimes drive the reader away from the core part. In the first chapter, I felt more connection between each person – Ash and Prude at first, then Ash, Prude and Hek, then Prude and Hek, etc. Ash was always in the center of attention and acted as the main string biding other characters together. It is not bad when there are lots of interesting people, of course, but their stories and emotions can become overwhelming; - Some small typos. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1462495268 [h1]General thoughts[/h1] So, all in all, Pale Spectrum took each and every good aspect of Brilliant Shadows – awesome art, lovely music, interesting characters, a unique world of magic, entertaining humor, – and tried to expand it even further. On the one hand, it was a good decision because it made the world more livid and helped development of both the story and the characters. On the other hand, it made both overcomplicated. Too many things to follow simultaneously at times and those jumps in story pacing can spoil the experience. As far as I have seen, there are other reviews that complaint about exactly the same issue, so it is not just my nitpicking. I have mixed feeling about this chapter of the Book of Gray Magic. However, I would rather recommend it than downvote. Why? Simply because of the amount of content that is introduces to the reader. Developers did a great job creating this world and they are trying to address some serious problems that we have to face almost every day. If you can deal with all the story lines, then you will enjoy Pale Spectrum; and if you have read Brilliant Shadows first, you will have no problem getting into this world again. A spectacular visual novel with some issues, which, I hope, will be addressed in the third chapter. I have no doubts that the story will not end here, and we will see more of Ash and her friends. [h1][i][url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/LucyCorner]You can find more reviews at my personal Curator Page. Please, give it a read ❤ [/url][/i][/h1]

An excellent sequel to Brilliant Shadows. Good stuff: [list] [*] Great writing and character development. [*] Unique and interesting lore. [*] Racial diversity, given that several dark-skinned characters have their own goals and ambitions that don't revolve around white people. [*] Queer representation, three different queer couples and a trans character. [*] Choices greatly matter, with several different consequences and endings. [*] Lovely artwork. [/list] Bad stuff: [list] [*] Several typos. [*] Despite the presence of a trans character, there were some instances of ciscentric language and cissexism. [*] Incomplete gallery? (Some CGs aren't available in the gallery) [*] Lack of compiled information for reference. With a story like this that has so many unique terms and variables to keep track of, it'd be nice to have an option in the menu for people to refresh their memory if they've forgotten what something means. [/list] It's definitely an excellent visual novel despite its flaws. If you've read Brilliant Shadows, definitely follow up with this!

Very well done sequel to the original. Honestly, I am very relieved that they didn't "blow it" on the second installment of this series, like many companies do. Everything that was awesome about the first one was all packed into this one as well; maybe a little more. The biggest issue that got addressed in this installment was the main complaint that many (myself included) had from the last game: Without giving away any spoilers, I will simply say that we get to spend a LOT more time with our main Heroine and her romantic life. This second installment really addressed that aspect of the first book in a very satisfying way. That's the good news. What’s the bad news you ask? Well, put as simply as I can: It's EXACTLY the same as the first book in that it will leave you wanting the next book ASAP. But, that is a good thing too, in some ways, right? ;) Dig into the novel today if you can, its just as good, if not better, than the first.

Поставлю этой визуалке палец вверх, но, как и у большинства обзорщиков, у меня от нее очень смешанные чувства. С одной стороны это - прямое продолжение первой части в плане сюжета и персонажей. Здесь также можно отметить хорошую проработку основных персонажей, озвучку и оформление игры в целом. Часть персонажей, мельком представленных в первой части, здесь стала одними из центральных, получив существенную долю времени в повествовании и развитие их сюжетных линий на пару с раскрытием предыстории. В игре достаточно много концовок, которые вы можете получить в зависимости от ваших выборов, только вот в силу специфики подачи истории - как в части самого сюжета, так и в его подаче от лица целой толпы персонажей, между которыми происходит переключение в процессе, не факт, что захочется перепроходить. :::::::::Очень многим не понравилось параллельное повествование от почти 30 персонажей в процессе игры. Причем временами переключение происходит часто и рывками (иногда это обосновывается перемещением Говорящего меча - говорящей железяки, которая впрочем, в местном варианте является если и не всемогущей, то здорово превосходит возможности всех персонажей). Понимать происходящее от этого конечно легче не становится, но для меня это было вполне терпимо. Куда хуже были другие моменты. Начнем с того, что в замке появляются Кобольды, а затем и наша Болтливая железяка, которые начинают учить персонажей другому варианту магии - "чакрам". При этом в тексте почти перестают упоминаться магия света и тьмы в тех вариантах, в которых они были до прибытия этих товарищей, и которыми активно пользовались и столько лет учились наши персонажи. Встает резонный вопрос - а зачем нам столько времени объясняли про эту магию и ритуал спаривания, который является следствием наличия этих школ в первой части игры? Просто чтобы забыть про все это с началом второй части визуалки? Ведь даже отправившиеся в академию в качестве новых наставников бывшая придворная волшебница и паладин - пара Белинды по ритуалу начинают все приводить к классификации сочетания открытых чакр, которым их учит Меч. Мы получим развитие основного сюжета и узнаем, последствия финального боя первой части и что стало с учавствовавшими в нем персонажами, Включая полностью потерявшего способности к колдовству Гектора, который пытается найти для себя новое призвание.Только вот история ведь на этом не заканчивается. Мы прочитаем еще много чего до получения концовки, которая свалится чуть ли не как снег на голову, при этом оставив без ответа огромное количество вопросов - такое ощущение, что визуалку не то не доделали, бросив в процессе, не то собирались сделать еще как минимум одну часть, для продолжения сюжета, но в итоге впихнули что получилось в эту часть и на этом успокоились. Как иначе объяснить все эти оставшиеся недосказанными вещи? Типа появляющихся ниоткуда магов, которые наводят шухер в замке и умирают от первого взгляда в их сторону кого-то из гг с криком "Они открыли чакры! Все Пропало!". Или как быть с тем, что половина обитателей замка оказывается способными менять внешность самозванцами, а о судьбе оригиналов, которыми они прикидывались никто ничего и не знает....? И ведь ладно бы это было до разрешения ситуации с нашим условным главным злодеем и противником, но нет, это все уже не имеет к нему никакого отношения. Так же, как и библиотека с големом-охранником в Академии. Да и с самими Кобольдами и Мечом очень много белых пятен - нам в лучшем случае скажут пару слов о них и их мотивах для общего развития, которые никак не соотносятся с их ролью в рассказываемой истории. ::::::В общем и целом история вроде бы и не плохая, но с моей точки зрения она не выглядит оконченной и финал можно считать скорее открытым и промежуточным. На мой вкус суммарно визуалка получилась довольно спорной во многих отношениях, поэтому читать или не читать решайте сами) С учетом минусов полная цена вероятно будет великовата.

So, I recommend this game if you've played Part One and are familiar with the characters. In fact, in my eagerness to find the sequel I immediately purchased this right after I finished playing Brilliant Shadows, wanting to know what happened next. I'm writing this straight out of a completionist run of the first game and only doing one run of this one. Pros: + It has pretty much all of the original cast from before, fully voice acted + The art is different but still wonderful. You can tell who is who and it even explains why certain characters look much different from before (Belinda, Hektor). + The first half of the story comes across pretty solidly and brushes up a bit more on lore than we didn't know before. + I love the characters and how they interact with one another. They're all varied and issues are dealt with in interesting, sensitive, and realistic ways. It's a nice a diverse cast. Cons(Some spoilers below but I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible): - The plot begins to drag out pretty quickly - There seem to be a lot of choices that don't quite seem to matter or affect the plot in any significant way even though there's a boast of numerous endings. - The tracking tree for endings is...incredibly confusing and tells you nothing. I have no idea how to use it to really track my progress in any significant way. - Because the game is tracking so many plot points/characters at once...some just get dropped completely with only a vague mention that events happened off screen. It gives you the feeling that if they were going to do things that way, they should have just either scrapped the plot idea entirely or done smaller DLCs to supplement Part Two. - The way the main plot is explained to the reader is haphazard and all over the place. Almost toward the end of the game a sudden New Player! shows up and conveniently handles a major plot point, treating it as if it completely minor and making it...Idk, pointless to even have in there to begin with. I felt like it would have just been better to have been focusing on the real threat instead of having what ended up being a secondary minor threat that got conveniently written off so we could move on to the real threat. - I feel that because they were focusing on too many things at once that they didn't need to, the ending of the story suffered with an unnecessary cliffhanger that leaves the reader really unsatisfied. There is no real sense of adventure like there was with Brilliant Shadows. I think they were going for a more introspective/intrigue setting this time around, but it just falls flat because the focus is in so many different directions with nothing really tying in together with strong cohesiveness. - Holy crap some scenes have 0 transition and you're left reeling at their spontaneity. One spoiler: There's one scene where everyone is at the kingdom and things are fine and have been fine up until that point. Ash, Terra and the lady Guard are in a COMPLETELY different location on a mission doing plot things. Immediately next scene without warning they're just...back and the kingdom has gone to ♥♥♥♥ for some reason? There's no warning, you're not told they've decided to head back or that they're done doing plot things...they're just back at the kingdom. Brilliant Shadows was slightly bad with this too but it was way more pronounced in this game. I know that's a lot of cons. I honestly didn't hate the game, and I'll probably go through it and do more playthroughs. But I was seriously disappointed after playing the first game and finding it so engrossing and fun. Characters were introduced and are even featured in the cover art and I still have no idea what their point and purpose were (besides looking pretty and being a love interest?)...and I don't feel like I should have to wait for an entirely new game to come out for me to discover their relevance. Maybe I just need to do more playthroughs to learn more but it'll be a bit of a bummer to do a completionist run only to find that's not true. I won't keep going on and on so I'll just tl;dr this: Play Pale Spectrum if you're a fan of the series so far and you really want to know the fate of the characters and you enjoy the world they're in, etc...but maybe get when it's on sale. I wouldn't recommend this game otherwise, there's just too many things I feel are off putting for someone to just jump right into it.

Some of the characters are pretty good, but the story is just a big mess and feels more like fanfiction writen by a ten year old. I realy liked Part 1 so its a shame Part 2 turned out like this.