The Stroke of Midnight

I already wrote a precursive review for [i]The Stroke of Midnight[/i], when I just started playing it. It was a very positive review, full of joy and hope. And, after reading TSoM in its entirety (aside from several story-flavouring options leading to the same consequences), I still stand by it. This narration begins as Ontological Mystery, with a person in a very strange and unnatural circumstances; this person does not know who he is and what is happening to him. Gradually, this mystery unravels and becomes a part of much bigger and much more complex story; the story, that goes deep into the past, rooting back in times when he hadn't even been born yet. Rowan's existence is intertwined with past and present events, but in what way, and what these events specifically are, we'll get to know after reading every route until we reach the True Ending. That said, I cannot say in all honesty that I've got answers to all the questions that arose in the process of reading. For majority of them, especially initial ones – yes. Each "preliminary" route (Stan's, Chloe's and The Girl's routes) gives lots of keys, little reveals and insights during its course. Some of them answer you questions, some others – bring up new ones. The Josh's route puts everything together in one coherent whole, and delineates the full picture. Still, some parts of this picture will remain open for conjecture. They are not swept under the rug, not really; however, it looks like Rowan will never know in full detail what some things were about, and, with him, we will never know it too. It concerns both the central mystery [spoiler]namely, why Rowan is able to see what looks like alternate realities and different timelines in his dreams and is even able to recall bits of them in his waking hours[/spoiler] and the circumstances surrounding the past and present of the situation in whole and people involved in it [spoiler]for instance, I feel that there is still a lot to uncover about Dominic, like that time when he brought Rowan VR set to show Emily during her mission – it kinda implied that he knew about Rowan's situation more than anyone else, including Emily and Rowan himself, especially since he is the only person who was able to visit him both in the hospital and in the Empty White Room; also, it is never really revealed how it happened that he was working both in the Josh's agency and for the extremists, and why, and what his own agenda in all this truly was[/spoiler]. It is not a bad thing; it is just how it is. [i]The Stroke of Midnight[/i] is also the longest visual novel I've ever read, and there wasn't ever a part of it when I felt disinterested or wanted to finish it as soon as possible, or to read something else instead. At all times, I felt very emotionally involved in the story, and not only because I wanted to get the full picture and to find answer for my questions. The other very important reason for my unflagging interest was my love for the characters. The way of their characterization was superb; they all felt like living and complex human beings who cannot be understood from a few interactions or reactions to events; in some cases, it took several routes to get a more or less real picture of who everyone is as a person. To read their conversations, to see them being themselves was a joy. And another joy was [i]to listen[/i] to them. Yes, the voiceover in TSoM is so, so very good. I can't even imagine the characters having other voices, so perfectly matched to their personalities they are, and so unique. The creators and voiceactors of TSoM did splendid work, and I absolutely can't wrap my mind around the amount of effort poured into it, especially given the sheer length of the game (more than 400k words, as far as I know, and around a half of it is voiced!). Actually, the words about "the amount of effort poured into it" can be said about everything. TSoM is really lengthy and really complex; it has non-linear structure and lots of cool & unusual elements that were certainly very tricky to code. They are crucial for implementing the idea behind the central mystery, which requires several replays (existence of these replays being a part of the story itself), and the whole concept is very cool and had to be very difficult to piece together. The downside (even though a minor one) is that if you poke around blindly in hope of getting to you desired route, you can encounter some confusing stuff and narrative inconsistencies. Nothing game-breaking, but I still have several recommendations for the best experience. 1. Decide whose route you want to take in advance, and stick to the cases with that person. 2. Leave the Josh's route for the last (you won't be able to unlock it without having finished other three anyway). Also, show him some support in matters of finding the extremists. 3. Stan's route is the least reveal-heavy, so it may be practical to finish it first. However, I'm not your master, so you are free to choose. As I've discovered that I'm still far from the word limit, here are several other things I wanted to point out that may answer the questions of prospective readers. The first is about romantic and/or sexual content. I don't know if I should tag it as a spoiler, but I doubt it is necessary. There is nothing of that nature in the story. The routes are entirely non-romantic; they just depend on the person, close to whom Rowan sticks during the events, and they reveal some interesting personal and professional details concerning the said person. These routes have next to no in common with each other, and an entirely new chain of event unfolds in each of them. The Girl's, Chloe's and Josh's routes are extremely pertinent to the story, as well as Josh's and Chloe's cases. Stan's route is less topical. I thought that I would like it less than other ones, but was pleasantly surprised. His route has some great character interactions and really brings out the dynamic within the detective agency. I loved it. It is also the only route when Rowan gets to work with Dominic on a regular basis, and this is such a treat! The second point is about LGBTQ+-inclusive cast. Well, it is never central to the story and is never even important to the story in any way. There is one explicit mention that Josh was interested in a guy in a romantic/sexual way, and there's that. However, there were some hints that other characters might also belong to LGBTQ+ folk. [spoiler]There is some evidence that Dominic could have initially been a girl from purely biological point of view; however, it is very inconclusive. Also, the nature of relationship between Chloe and Rachael remains unclear.[/spoiler] And, actually, I liked it that way, because personal life of the characters is their own business. We should not be privy to it without a good reason, and the story never gives such a reason, being entirely non-romantic. I will also gladly answer any other questions concerning TSoM content. I love this visual novel and consider it a very special experience. It is a labour of love and a work of massive effort. And I really, really hope that more people will give it a chance. TSoM is so worth it.

I haven't made it through all the routes in the game yet, just one, but that was enough for me to decide that this game appears to be criminally underappreciated. A long, interesting read with a fascinating story, characters with plenty of sprites, hand done backgrounds, the game is clearly a labor of love by the developers. The voice acting uses British talent, which especially makes sense with the game's setting in London. While they're not 'AAA' talent, the voice actors clearly put their hearts into the characters and are enjoyable to listen to, with a few minor exceptions of lines where for whatever reason were very poorly captured by the recording. Still, a minor quibble that doesn't detract from the experience. The game is light on sheer number of choices, sticking to presenting them only when they're major and otherwise leaving the protagonist to have his own defined personality. Choosing a route is thus less of complimenting character A over character B repeatedly and more about the major path you turn down. The routes also seem dramatic in nature and not romantic (although since I haven't played all of them I don't know for certain). I was initially somewhat hesitant to purchase this due to its hefty price for such an unknown game, but when I did and fired it up I found myself hooked and lost the whole day to completing my first route. I'm now looking forward to diving back in and exploring more of what it has to offer.

I'm a bit biased as I'm one of the voice actors in the game, but I'm enjoying the story and I'm happy with the results. I'm also happy that this is another game added to my Linux library.