Recent reviews by Chris O Semrik

Writing a review immediately after finishing the game might not be the smartest idea, but the urge to do so being this strong says something in and of itself.
Have you ever been pulled into a book in such a way that you couldn't put it aside at night, even though you knew you still had 400 pages left and wouldn't be able to finish them before you passed out from exhaustion? Hashihime of the Old Book Town recreates that experience, visual novel style.
The story starts out innocent enough, but gradually twists and turns, until the reader is just as lost as the protagonist.
But before I get into other details, I should mention the gameplay. As with most visual novels, there is not much “gameplay” to speak of, but the structure is a bit different than what you would usually see in this genre. While Hashihime does have multiple endings, it is mostly a kinetic visual novel. This might sound confusing, but it's actually rather simple, and ends up making a lot of sense.
The first time you play through the game, there are no choices at all. You simply read the story from the beginning to the end. The first playthrough itself is the longest of all, and is so well put together that the player might feel like they have finished the game completely. All the elements are there – characters are introduced, the protagonist grows and comes to terms with his own personality and feelings, the evil is defeated, love is found. After the credits you are simply returned to the main menu and the book is closed. But if you paid any attention, you noticed that it's not actually the book that has come to an end, but Chapter 1. Plus, there are so many things that have been mentioned throughout the game that you're curious about -what happened to all the other characters? What were their motivations?
The Chapter 2 begins upon hitting the “Start” button again and starting a new game. If you still remember what has happened during your first playthrough, you can hit the “Skip” button in the bottom left corner. The story will go along just as it did before – until it doesn't. At one point in the story you encounter something that wasn't there before – a decision. If you decide to take the character's hand in this scene you will continue on to Chapter 2, and if you push them away you will simply read Chapter 1 again. From this point on, the game is very different from before – while there are no more decisions to be made, Tamamori has gone down a different path, and learns more about his friends from a different perspective, finding a different solution to his problem at the end.
Once the credits are over, you are greeted by the main menu again. The game is still not over however. Same as before, start a new game, and skip until you get to the decision you made to unlock Chapter 2. This time ignore this option, and don't take the hand offered to you, playing along the lines of Chapter 1 (meaning you can once again hit the Skip button). And voila – not long after, another character offers Tamamori their hand. See the pattern? Taking the hand will lead you down Chapter 3, while pushing them away simply continues Chapter 1.
The same formula repeats for Chapter 4 and 5 – each time ignore all the people whose chapter you have already seen, and you will unlock a new option down the road.
The fifth chapter is the last one, so upon finishing it, you have seen all that the game has to offer. Although at this point you probably don't even know who you are or what is real anymore, so that's not really a problem.
The story is incredibly entertaining, or at least I found it to be so. It's a beautiful mix of murder mystery, fantasy, horror, and anime-like comedy. This mix creates a very dreamy experience, but it does deal with some dark themes; do take the warnings at the beginning of the game seriously so that it doesn't become a nightmare.
There were a few things that I didn't enjoy about the story, but the final chapter and its revelations make it a lot easier to forgive and forget those. Some of these issues are explained in the end, and a lot of it is nothing but personal preference, but I will still mention one piece of the puzzle that just didn't fit in for me:
The sex scenes. After being engrossed in the story for about ten hours, the first sex scene sort of comes out of nowhere. I personally felt like all the endings could definitely do without that. It never felt important or like it was really a part of the same story, and it went on for longer than necessary. Plus, I found these scenes to be kind of boring, so I skipped through all of them, and then just quickly ran through the Backlog to see if there was any important information I might have missed that way (most of the time there really wasn't anything at all). The worst thing is that upon finishing the game completely it kind-of sort-of makes sense why the sex scenes were there, but I still believe they could have been handled in a much better way.
Also, be warned – some of the characters will be absolute scumbags. Tamamori will somehow overlook this, probably because he believes he's a scumbag himself, but be ready to deal with some insane individuals. The fact I hate one of them so passionately is not such a bad thing though, as it provides some variety.
On a different note - it was very interesting to see how homosexuality could have affected some people in that time. While certainly not a perfectly accurate depiction, I appreciated how bigger characters dealt with this problem in their own way; what moved me the most however was seeing how it affected the minor characters' lives. I do not want to spoil anything, but sometimes the little things have a much bigger impact than what's right in front of you the whole time. There is also a character that is implied to be transgender, and although they never outright confirm or deny it, the context is very interesting and provides something to think about.
Sinking deeper into the story wouldn't be a good idea at this point, as it's difficult to talk about without spoilers. That's why I'll just mention a few things other than the story that make this game what it is.
The art is incredibly beautiful. Many of the scenes have their own CG rather than relying on character sprites, and they guide the reader through this fantastical world really well. The artist's use of colour is breathtaking, and I haven't encountered any art in this game that felt unpolished. All the characters and backgrounds are very detailed and consistent, and fit with the story and each other perfectly.
The soundtrack is just as pleasant. While I wouldn't mind if there were a few more songs, the music is not annoying even after hearing it for a while, and it truly brings out the emotions of all the scenes. If you ever want to relive what you've felt while playing this game, all you need to do is listen to the soundtrack and close your eyes to see all those vivid colours again.
And last but not least – Pop-Up Encyclopedia. As the story takes place in 1922 Japan, there are many terms and places that not all readers will be familiar with. This function highlights such terms, so that you can easily click on them and the game will explain what the word means or tell you a bit more about the history behind it. It's a very useful tool, and one I recommend turning on in the settings.
All in all, this game is not a disappointment. If you enjoy dark visual novels and don't mind seeing two men being ridiculously awkward with each other, it's definitely something to add to your library.

Before I start writing a more in-depth review, I want to make one thing clear – I do not recommend playing this game if you haven’t finished playing the first one. While the main story of Requiem for Innocence could be understood if played separately, it’s far from ideal, and it would absolutely ruin your experience if you were to play the first game after. Rather than a prequel, this title serves as an elaboration of some parts of the original story, and a way for fans to see their favorite characters again. Also, the Sub Episodes would make little to no sense without previous knowledge of the full story and characters. I should also add that this review might contain some minor spoilers for anyone who hasn’t finished The House in Fata Morgana.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get into the actual complicated review of this complicated game.

Reviewing Requiem for Innocence without comparing it to the first game is difficult, and I say this fully aware of the fact that they are quite different and should not have the same expectations placed on them. For one, this game is much shorter and the main story is focused on a small group of characters in a single timeline. Also, the way the story arc evolves and the overall tone of the entire experience are quite different. That’s why I’m simply going to write down some of my observations, and let anyone reading this decide how they feel about them or if they even take them seriously at all.

1. The writing is very straightforward. Characters’ thoughts are simply handed to the reader, feelings and intentions are revealed without any provocation. Sometimes the simplicity of the language can be refreshing and make it easier for the reader to relate, other times it feels very out of place and somewhat cheap.
2. The descriptions are more graphic, and gore and sexual content are frequent compared to the first game. This might be enticing to some, but uncomfortable for others, so please be aware of this.
3. Related to the first point, sometimes good old clichés pop up. For instance, during an intense duel to the death, characters have the time and energy to converse about their views and explain their reasons/goals, as if there wasn’t a battle raging around them.
4. Some of the jokes are a bit low-brow and blunt. It fits with the setting of the slums, but I still wanted to mention it in case someone is not comfortable with a lot of sexual innuendo.
5. The language is not as period appropriate as before. Not a major problem, and I definitely didn’t expect for everything to be written in a flowery old language, but characters using words like “dude” and “bro” can kind of break the illusion sometimes.
6. The first part of the main story can feel a bit awkward at first, but the longer you keep going, the better it gets.
7. This might be a weird thought, so forgive me please. One of the characters (Ceren) is referred to as “dark-skinned” on numerous occasions, and characters also comment on how unusual and exotic it is. While I understand that even little differences could matter a lot in those times, I honestly wouldn’t have known she had a different skin color if the game didn’t keep pointing it out. The sprite simply doesn’t reflect that at all in my opinion, and it kept confusing me.
8. All in all, it was a nice addition to the original game’s story and it cleared some things up. Seeing Jacopo evolve into Lord Barnier was an incredible experience.
9. While the soundtrack is incredibly beautiful, it’s not as entrancing as the one from the first game, which it also borrows a few tunes from.

Now, that’s for the main story. The Sub Episodes are very different, and so I would like to talk about them separately. I absolutely loved all the bonus content – anything that might have bothered me in the main game I didn’t find in these little stories.

Assento Dele adds another beautiful story to the pile on Michel’s shoulders. The story-telling is similar to the original game, and learning a bit more about the character and his life in the mansion was a real treat. It is probably my favorite part of this whole thing, and I would definitely recommend it to everyone.
Tales Wasted in Obscurity consist of three short text-only stories that further evolve the background of the first game’s story and characters. They add a lot of depth and some resolution – sort of.
Happily Ever ~After~ is another beautiful story, a little slice of what happened after the ending of The House in Fata Morgana. Unlike a lot of the other content in this game, it’s sweet and light-hearted, and bound to bring a smile to the faces of the original’s fans.

Well, if you’ve read through this whole mess or if you’ve just skipped to the bottom line – buy this game if you were a fan of the first one. If nothing else, do it for the bonus stories, and I promise you – you will not regret it.

I feel almost intimidated writing a review for this game, because it is - in my opinion - the best visual novel in existence, and my word stacking could hardly do it justice. That’s why I’m just going to write a simple summary first, before I make my attempt:

Pros:
Complex and fulfilling story that draws out real emotions in the player
Realistic character development
Many, many plot-twists that tie in together perfectly
Beautiful art and mood-appropriate surroundings
Most likely the best soundtrack I have ever come across
Leaves an impact and a lot of thought in the reader
Struggles and dilemmas that are not presented cheaply, nor unrealistically
Auto-saving during choices and a lot of save spaces that can be locked so that you cannot overwrite them by accident
Extras

Cons:
No “skip only read” option, although in this game that’s not really a problem

Now, let’s start at the beginning. When I first opened this game, the first thing I noticed was how the art and the original soundtrack worked perfectly to create an almost palpable atmosphere. That, together with the writing style, has set a mood so intense I could literally feel all the emotions the characters were going through.
There was one thing I was disappointed with at first - the backgrounds. At the beginning of the game, it just didn’t seem to fit to me - everything had so much effort put into it, and so the background art looked simple and out of place in contrast. It even birthed a faint feeling of doubt in me. But as I delved deeper into the mansion and its story, somehow all of that transformed - the backgrounds were still done the same way, but I didn’t mind anymore, I actually loved it. That’s when I realized the choice to use those backgrounds was definitely the right one. They were perfect - didn’t show too much, just enough to hint on something deep within you and let your mind paint the picture.
Visual novel is a perfect fit for this story. I have read a lot of books that could be turned into visual novels, and a lot visual novels that could be turned into books. This one is unique - it works with everything it has, and uses every aspect of storytelling and each piece of what makes visual novels a genre, and ties them together. Words, pictures, sounds, emotions and assumptions all work in tandem to create an experience unlike any other, and really suck you into the lives and fates of the game’s characters.
Speaking of characters, I was surprised at how well they have been handled. Each and every one of them feels like a real person - one that you cannot just love or hate, but one that you can have conflicting feelings about or even change your mind about completely without forgetting their previous transgressions.
Without spoiling anything, I also have to praise the developer on how they handled gender and identity issues. It can be very tricky to tackle these things, especially in certain time-periods and settings, but they didn’t seem to struggle at all. I believe that players who have ever experienced gender dysphoria - or really any kind of dysphoria about their body - will really appreciate that.
I cannot but recommend this game to everyone. If you dislike reading, this game might be a bit too tedious for you, but if you enjoy books and/or visual novels, do not hesitate. I promise you that it will be a very rewarding experience.

Rockstar lost another customer with this title. The game itself is fantastic, but the customer service makes me sick. That's why I have decided to not only never buy another game from them again, but also to never play any of their titles that I already own. Treating your customers like garbage is just not okay. All this "anti-piracy protection" nonsense only harms the people who actually paid for the game, and banning people who never cheated or hacked anything for no reason is just disgusting. All I wanted to do is play the game and have some fun, but the more I learn about Rockstar's practices, the less interested I am in the whole ordeal. They'll never get another cent from me ever again.

This game took everything I love about The Elder Scrolls series and threw it into the dragon fires (the same way I'm going to be after posting this review). It's really hard for me to build a character I feel special about, or even get involved in all the mysteries unfolding in Tamriel, when there are guys on bears running in circles and shouting at each other to trade items. I keep trying to get into this game, but between all the grinding and crown-addicts it's just hard for me to do. I suppose what I'm trying to say is - just loving The Elder Scrolls series is not enough. You have to be into online gaming at least a little bit, which apparently I'm not. So for myself, I cannot recommend this, but for people who love online games - go for it.

I got this game on my phone when it came out. A year later I got in on Steam as well. Why? Because it's worth it. Amazing writing, captivating story, endless choices and enough paths and endings to explore to last a long, long time. If you like choice and consequence games, you won't be disappointed.

One of the best games to play when you're too bored to do nothing, but too tired to do anything.

original take on classic dungeon games. Great for lazy evenings.

Funny, beautiful, and entertaining! Definitely a must-try for fans of music-themed games.

A very simple but beautifully executed game about Punnett squares.