Passage: A Job Interview Simulator!

When you take a concept as intimidating and nearly unavoidable as going to a job interview and make it into a story of about characters fighting for your attention, You got a story that makes the player feel like you're part of the story rather than having the player fill the blank to each part. The characters are vibrant and unique and the voice acting also helps bring each character to life. Each chapter has a lot of importance to the gameplay and you wouldn't feel bored or burdened because the emotions of each character finds ways to either keep you involved or keeps the story going. The game play is standard for a visual novel but I could use 8 save slots as opposed to 6 slots (5 plus the quick save option). But other than that, the game is worth playing. If you are interested in visual novels, cats and unexpected surprises from real world situations, this game is for you.

ENG: It’s a visual novel about job hunting, where you attend interviews with the twist of having a god on your side, plus a conspiracy plot unfolds in the background. It’s not the best VN I’ve read, but it stands out stand out, both for the plot and for the style of the characters' drawings. It took me about 4 hours to see all three endings, reloading saves, making different choices, and skipping through text I’d already read. There’s a demo available if you want to try it out. [quote] [i] Check out [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44959158-Critiques-Sans-Frontiers/] our curator page [/url] to discover more unknown games like this one. [/i] [/quote] ESP: Interesante, es una novela visual sobre conseguir trabajo donde vamos a entrevistas laborales, con la peculiaridad que contamos con la ayuda de un dios y hay toda una trama conspiranoica detrás. No es de las mejores VN que eh leido pero si se sabe hacer destacar, tanto por la trama como por el estilo de dibujos de los personajes. Me tomo 4 horas ver los 3 finales, claro que cargando, cambiando las decisiones y skipeando lo ya leido. Tiene demo para salir de dudas.

This game wasn't exactly what I expected, and I really enjoyed it. I didn't expect to care about the characters as much as I did, by the end, and I'm really glad I went through for the rest of the endings. <3 and I think you will, too. The character designs are fun (I especially like one of the later bosses!), and the music matches the surreal mood of the game nicely. I got the game early to help with testing and I expected to be burnt out on it by launch, but I still enjoy it. <3 I hope we'll see more games from Emcat in the future!

Be sure to check out [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37670120/]"DaRevieweD"[/url], y'know THAT brutally honest yet beloved Steam curator that you haven't followed yet!? [h1]PROS;[/h1] + Inspired and nerve-wracking use of the otherwise standardized choices in VNs, turning them instead into verbal & psychological battles in the form of dreaded interview questions. I mean, um, I welcome them. I do not fear them at all. Nor have I ever feared them... Nailed it! Also, I admired the progression and explanation of mechanics as they were being introduced. It was a little nostalgic moment akin to Danganronpa's tutorials. Each of the five bosses (LITERALLY) were different not just in terms of management styles obviously but also in their processes. Naturally, this carried forward to the solutions in overcoming them too. You are never asked the same question twice! No two bosses are alike, which we know is false, but its a blessing here. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3633346337 + This visual novel did something, no, ACHIEVED THINGS I have never witnessed before! Not only did it boast the usual intrinsic and subjective benefits like having a relatable story, feel-good characters of which I will get into more later... It had unmistakably practical and extrinsic value by being a literal job interview simulator. It felt like a real-life interrogation. Prepping me the A to Zs of what not to say and do, that honestly made me feel even more confident and less anxious for when I do eventually decide to be part of the traditional workforce. + The cute character artwork were vanilla or I should say- they were initially at least, as looks aren't the main focus after all! However, the more time I spent with the supportive tells-it-like-it-is Prof. T, the more I have come to appreciate the details of his appearance. Same goes with each subsequent character being inserted into the plot, with their signature shades that tie into and complement their personality! I have a particular soft spot for Violet, an archetype that would have been tiresome and nauseating in other games but was handled with depth here and dressed in glorious bubbly pink aesthetics! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3633346877 + I went in expecting just a run-of-the-mill story to serve as icing to the "job interview" experience bit which was the cake, right? But boy oh boy, I was misled...! I got both and more! The plot did not just defy all expectations; it shocked, wowed, and subjugated me to its mercy. It was coherently modern and had a twist unlike any other! I will recall it and its ideals on a daily basis. Even the resolution, of which there were three, did not feel cheap. It's a larger-than-life tale full of heart and soul with the right amount of theatrics but it stays surprisingly grounded. + As someone who played the demo before, I was baffled by there being some voice acting present. It's very possible they were already there before and I just forgot but no matter, they're always a neat added detail and a nice touch to have which really helps sell the narrative! While there was an odd delivery or two namely in the cadence not matching the tone of the scenario, I thought everyone was cast brilliantly and tremendous work. + I cannot stress enough the importance in the existence of this game, which is criminally underrated still, it goes above and beyond general entertainment. Don't get me wrong, it can still keep you occupied for 5 hours or so (as I am a fast reader, hmph), but its most valued contribution is how it acts as a priceless resource for job seekers. Yes, you can search up tips online, but from the manner in which everything was conducted down to Prof T's mentor-assistant approach. It felt like a personalized counselling package. Even the unfortunate circumstances in which the protagonist found themselves in... It felt representative of the everyday recent graduate. Wait a minute, "what if I already have a job? Won't it be less useful and meaningful for me?" Nope! It also grapples with the mundaneness of life after job, and as such, I felt understood and not judged once despite being posited as a "failure" both within this story and in reality (by my own family). Just trust me on this, it's a multifaceted experience that has changed my life for the better, I'm positive it will for others too~ [h1]CONS;[/h1] - Sound design felt a little hollow when compared against other VNs. I felt as though there should be more audio cues to signal the selection of less desirable answers and vice versa during the interview portions. There were also more moments of silence than appropriate with a noticeable lack of sound effects to populate the world especially when out in public or just conveying movements. - The background CG art fell short of the typical colorful standards and clashed with the cartoonish character avatars. This is not a big problem in and of itself for there were some remarkably cool and attention-stealing dynamic visuals that brought life back to the more often than not static atmosphere. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3633347588 - The "major choices" presented and being marketed as such throughout the story actually did not have much of a bearing on the final outcome. Also, outside of the interview segments, choices surprisingly seemed to be mere paraphrases yielding the exact same reply save for a few exceptions. [h1]BUGS;[/h1] x Violet's route. After a certain action, game freezes. x Number of instances where entire interface collapses and all HUD options are grayed out. x Fourth boss; backtracking on one of the questions results in IP being increased instead of a decrease allowing the bar to be filled even before the final question [h1]NITPICKS;[/h1] ~ Ever since becoming a voice actor, I've come to notice gaps both in the VAs' performances and unsuitable contexts, this has been true both for this game as well as other titles. Lines with recorded dialogue were few and far between, with the same statements getting recycled quite frequently, even when the situation did not call for them. ~ There's a delay between transitions sometimes or with text that have voice lines resulting in abrupt pacing. ~ Some typos that were likely the product of autocorrect. ~ The option to "Skip" text should be bound to a key too. ~ Choices have uneven text font size [h1]VERDICT:[/h1] "A job interview visual novel with a heart of gold and a scathing method. True to its name, it questioned you and left you speechless but also taught you to solve the problems innovatively. Ironically its strive for perfection left it vulnerable to flaws and some questionable effort in various departments. However, it recovered in the end proving it is more than qualified for the tasks at hand~" [b]3.75 out of 5[/b] Job Offers Sincerely, Chen Ying

If you like quirky visual novels and a fun soundtrack, please check this game out. Going through this was a fun experience and the entire experience is not that long at all so it's good for a fun afternoon.

Everybody is saying this is a good game.

It's nice to see devs try something new with visual novels like this where even if it's mostly a choose-your-own-adv style game, the aesthetic and theme are good accompaniments.