[b]Note:[/b] This VN focuses on sensitive topics like death and such, so do be forewarned.
[i]Pitstop in Purgatory[/i] is a point-and-click visual novel developed and published by Tymedust Games. You take on the role of Astrid, a young up-and-coming actress who has recently died. She wakes up to find herself in Purgatory and is greeted by a being known as The Guide. However, Astrid doesn't remember the circumstances leading to her death. Nevertheless, The Guide tells her that she must make peace with her death if she is to move on to the afterlife. During Astrid's journey, she meets a few characters who are also stuck in Purgatory, such as Rahel, who likes to help others, and Locke, who's morose and would rather spend his days drinking. That's the basic gist of the story.
As for the gameplay, [i]Pitstop in Purgatory[/i] is a combination of visual novel and point-and-click elements. Throughout the story, there are choices presented where Astrid can learn more about various characters and possibly befriend them. Also, there are point-and-click elements in which Astrid can pick up items or receive items from other characters. The items can be used to interact with others. Initially, once you get to a certain point in the story, you have three routes that you can pursue. Then, once you complete all those routes, [spoiler]The Guide[/spoiler] route will be unlocked. In addition, Steam achievements are present although they won't count towards a user's global total until the game is out of "Steam is learning about this game".
Now that I've gone over the story and gameplay, I'll move onto my critique. [i]Pitstop in Purgatory[/i] caught my interest immediately based on the story premise. You play as a character who finds herself dead and has to make peace with it. Of course, I expected to go into this story, knowing that it might be dark or depressing at times, and there are such themes. Anyway, I'll first touch upon the story. I liked how, after a brief scene in the operating room, Astrid finds herself in Purgatory and is greeted by The Guide. I found it funny how, at first, because Astrid is an actress, she thinks the whole situation is part of a movie act. However, The Guide quickly corrects her. It's fun to follow Astrid as she tries to figure out what's going on and to solve the mystery behind her death. As for the cast of characters, I liked the variety. Each character has more behind them than upon initial appearance. Although there are quite a few characters, two romanceable ones are Rahel, a young woman who is friendly and wants to help Astrid (thus, there's a yuri route), and Locke, a young man who likes to drink and sleep away his time. Upon pursuing both routes, I got to learn more about them and how they died. Of course, there's a solo route as well in which Astrid can choose not to partner up with anyone. In that route, Astrid can learn (pretty much) the full details behind how she died (and it involves another love interest). However, my personal favorite route is The Guide one, which is only unlocked after completing the other routes. I loved getting to know The Guide more, and the interactions between Astrid and him are lively and humorous. There's more to The Guide than simply helping those stuck in Purgatory move on, and I got to learn his endgame. Then there's how that route ends (which is a major cliffhanger), followed by the epilogue. All in all, I'd say that I just absolutely loved the story. It's really worth pursuing all the routes. Also, the characters come to life (despite them being dead lol) and have various personalities.
In regards to the writing, I found it well paced and never felt like it dragged or anything. There are a total of three acts, the first two being the common route and the final act being the route you choose to pursue. I didn't notice any typos or grammatical errors, either. The gameplay felt smooth, and I had no issues with the point-and-click elements. Also, I was able to obtain all of the achievements although a couple of them were a bit elusive. As for the art, I liked the style used. It's definitely a departure from the usual styles, and I liked how the design and colors felt more like watercolor paintings. The sprites are animated, mainly in that the eyes blink, which is a nice touch. The CGs are very well done, too. Regarding the music, the tracks are great and fun to listen to. Despite the story occurring in a dark place, there's a variety in the tracks. The tracks range from a 1920's feelings (at least, that's the feeling I got) to a mellow, jazzy beat. I enjoyed listening to the tracks as I played through the game.
Overall, would I recommend [i]Pitstop in Purgatory[/i]? If you enjoy visual novels and are in the mood for a bit of a dark (but not too dark, in my opinion) story with some witty humor and romance (at times), this is worth taking a look. On one playthrough, I finished it in about 1 hour and 40 minutes, but it's really worth pursuing all the routes. I suppose I'm biased in saying that I really enjoyed The Guide's route and it was worth playing through the other routes to get to it. For the asking price, I'd say it's worth buying. Finally, I wish to give a huge thanks to the developer for the curator copy (and for the help in getting that one achievement that kept eluding me). ^^
[quote]Flying free and writing reviews solely for [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44702020/]The Introverted Gamer[/url].[/quote]
Experience a unique story consisting of 61k+ words (4-8 hours of playtime) across five routes that form a full storyline together.
