The Mermaid of Zennor

Pretty decent short VN! It's very atmospheric, I'm in love with the setting and ambient music, the soundtracks are seriously awesome. The art is cute too. Now regarding the story, I was initially somewhat concerned about in what direction this would go but luckily I ended up certainly liking it. I must admit that I found the writing to be often really frustrating, however that's actually a good point since the narrative is really well adjusted to the protagonist! I overall found the protagonist to be quite infuriating at times, however I love how realistically she gets portrayed (as well as most other characters) and I was satisfied to see her character development in the good ending. Moreover I quite enjoyed both endings, though I wanted the bad ending to be longer since it had great build-up yet ended really abruptly. Altogether, despite the short length I believe that the story is quite well done, especially when presenting conflicts and characters in a realistic way. I wish that there were more mermaids though! >_<

One thing I love about good Visual Novels is how they always are able to put the reader in the perspective of the protagonist even when the reader has nothing in common with the protagonist, like me. Every step of this story I felt like I was Lilac. For the first time I felt like I understood what being an alone, 13 year old, autistic, and bullied girl is. This VN does an amazing job at atmosphere in a way which very few medias have been able to capture. Even with the starting title screen being a dark night with waves crashing at the cliff side really set the tone for the story. I also adored the music as it does a great job with conveying Lilac's emotions and current state. One key example for this was during the scene when [spoiler]Jesse comes home with skyler with the music when Lilac hugs Jesse where it starts out in the beginning as a happy moment with a bit of upbeat tone which is one of the very firsts in the entire VN besides when Jesse called, but it slowly slows and shifts to an uneasy tone as the dialogue goes on[/spoiler]. This VN does cover some more deeper topics as described by the steam page. The way it goes through the topics in a mature way that understands that not every situation is a grimdark level of hurt. Lilac is bullied but the bullies aren't doing the stereotypical bullying that is in media like shoving in lockers or beatings, instead it shows how a lot of bullying, especially those of autistic or people perceived as different from themselves, is a slow process that focuses on destroying a person's perspective and emotional state to where they don't feel anything. Even past the bullying, how it portrays abusive households is like no other media I have seen in recent times. It shows that sometimes the worst thing you can have to a child is apathy. Covering depression and suicidal thoughts in a medium like this is very difficult as you have to portray it in a way that seems like it would happen in our world but also in a way that would make sense in the world it is in. Ebi did this extremely well as the story is told from the perspective of lilac while also using her vocabulary. I think the endings are definitly the VN's weakest point but they are by no means bad. [spoiler]The bad ending is extremely sad as it culminates in lilac shoving skyler to her death with the end screen being her crying after making her life fall to ruins. I think overall the bad ending isn't that good as Lilac's crashout is very sudden and doesn't feel like it would happen given what we have seen and know about her. However, I really like the "good" ending as it makes me happy seeing someone care for Lilac when she realizes that the reason why she loved her brother that way is because of how mistreated she was by basically everyone around her. I also like how despite this being the good ending things don't fully work out for her. I think it was a great choice to have it so that despite Lilac's dad and mom saying they will do better they don't flip 100% and instead go back to their old ways with the dad still being distant and mom being apathetic. Does a great job showing how for a lot of people change isn't a one time thing but a lot of small steps.[/spoiler] I cried at both endings. I do have 1 major issue with this game and it's the music. Where is it? I can't find it on YouTube or any other streaming service. Overall, this VN is one of the most heart breaking and sad/hopeful things I have seen. Definitely worth the $5 and 2-3 hours of reading. 9/10 made me cry at least 3 times

Перевод чучуть подводит, иногда хочется предоставить словарик переводчику. А так, история классная и интересная. Никому не желаю быть гг... Рекомендую :3

A relatable tale for me, as an autistic woman somewhat obsessed with their older brother as a child. Okay, still obsessed. It's not always easy growing up, especially when you're rock is away at university. The best birthday present ever was a trip to visit my older brother in The Big Apple. Anyway, Ebi reinforces the idea that, we are all just people at the end of the day, with our own struggles. The sense of atmosphere is reinforced by the choice of music and the character art. I'm glad of the one choice the game affords you. I think the story wouldn't feel complete without it.

I'm glad ebi included the second ending, it was both touching and heartwarming for somebody who has always felt that they parents don't understand them and it was nice to see ebi not bullying all of her characters for once.

I like how no matter the topic, ebi-hime nails the character and atmosphere that they intend. This is a very grounded, realistic story. A tragedy, about a girl growing up and her overwhelming thoughts and feelings. The forbidden/darkness of normal ebi-hime is there, but it's an easier to swallow pill in this compared to most. If the story sounds interesting and/or you already like their previous work, you won't be disappointed.

DISCLAIMER: No mermaids* were hurt or mistreated or verbally abused during production of this game. All mermaids* are trained professionals. Do NOT try to emulate what you see in this game at your home! All mermaids* are of legal age and have consented to have their likeness portrayed in this story. All similarities to any real-life mermaids* are purely coincidental. * [spoiler][i]Actual[/i] mermaids[/spoiler]

Very well-written story about a young, autistic girl struggling with feeling alone in the world. There's two endings, and I think both are very good. I especially appreciated the second ending, although the first felt complete enough on it's own. Visuals and stuff are great!