That was a hell of an ending

[Star Sage]

I would say spoilers, but really, the title says it all, and I don't want to say much about it. If you've seen the trailers, you KNOW where this is going, and I have to admit, that was a hell of a note to go out on. Reminded me in many ways of how Dinosaurs(Jim Henson) ended, with the two being a similar theme, save that this one was more directly facing the end, where that was a slower doom.

That said, I was surprised by how good this one was, with just enough small gameplay to keep you invested. The choices matter, though I'll admit, not one for VNs most of the time, and the ones I am into...the two I am into are a bit more diverse than this in the endings you can get(Those are Long Live the Queen and Henchmen Story).

Of course, the fact that you can't do anything to mitigate or avoid this finale is also kind of the point of this one. This was never going to be a 'happy' ending. The Power Rangers Dino Charged weren't going to show up and destroy the comet at the last second(Yes really, that season's finale is wild, and that's not even the worst bit of time travel).

Still not sure how I feel after that. It's uplifting, in its own way, and the fact that people try to live through it, not in the survive, but find some meaning to it all in those final few days of the game is interesting. I would, I think, enjoy seeing more from this team. This is obviously a one and done story, but the design ethos can be carried over into future projects.

Overall, a good one. Probably would have been better IMO with a 25 price tag instead of 30, but that's an opinion, not a fact. Played it on PS5 after it popped in my feed for reasons I don't actually know, but I'm glad I decided to splurge on this. I will also likely never play it again, I'm sorry to say. Like Persona 3, Star Ocean 4, or a few others, that ending is just too heavy not to color any attempt to see what else I can do in it, but hey, a hell of a ride is still a hell of a ride.

[Ed]

If someone hasn't finished a game, clicking on such a spoilerific title is at their own peril! 😃

Hadn't thought about the TV series, yeah that had a heck of a downer ending caused by corporate malfeasance

I think there are far too many comparing this game to a VN because it is remotely structured like one, but I've never played a VN that is anything like the scope of this game in terms of art, VO and music. It seems unfair to compare them given the quality bar of its art.

A couple weeks after finishing it, still thinking about it daily but thankfully not completely pre-occupying all my thoughts anymore. It really messed me up at first and gave me a real pang of existentialism (such is life when you get to a certain age), while also just being so upset to lose characters I so deeply loved, cared for and found kinship in. I did manage a second playthrough, but it was really tough just to get started and see everyone again knowing what's going to happen ...

[Star Sage]

I'm far too old for the existentialism to hit, and have seen this sort of story done a few too many times. Sometimes you CAN'T do anything about the world, you can just find a good way to die.

As to it being a VN, you should play more...or at least try out Henchmen Story then, the art and VO are very awesome, especially that delivery, which is up there with some Triple AAA productions in terms of effort and quality. The music is good too, though for that you have to be into the 'Comic Book' thing they're going for(Each chapter is even called an Issue).

That said it IS a VN, this one is more animated, with full on cinematics, and again, gameplay bits, but the presentation is more what one would expect from a VN in how it goes, and how it strings together the bits.

[Jospehvan]

yeah i genuinely think that this game was the experience that broke me the most since Mother 3 did several years ago
it's kind of hard to put it into words but everyone in this game feels genuinely relatable to me (namely Naser and Naomi) and i played through this knowing that they'll all probably die in the end to the meteor, but wanted to think that someway everyone will be fine
it feels like i lost some genuine friends i didn't know i had and it's just gut-wrenching, but ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ the devs deserve props for doing that even if this isn't a perfect game
based on my insane rambling from another thread here i hope this isn't the end still and that everyone's fine

[Catshy]

Originally posted by Jospehvan:

yeah i genuinely think that this game was the experience that broke me the most since Mother 3 did several years ago
it's kind of hard to put it into words but everyone in this game feels genuinely relatable to me (namely Naser and Naomi) and i played through this knowing that they'll all probably die in the end to the meteor, but wanted to think that someway everyone will be fine
it feels like i lost some genuine friends i didn't know i had and it's just gut-wrenching, but ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ the devs deserve props for doing that even if this isn't a perfect game
based on my insane rambling from another thread here i hope this isn't the end still and that everyone's fine

Man I wish there'll be a sequel where the inevitable is evitable, I guess that's my soft side going mushy for the characters in this game, genuinely one of the few times I connected with a cast of characters in high school, in which I decided to drop out of 3 years ago, and that they're facing something inevitable, in my case the future, that they also tackled. When the final scene rolled in, I was reunited with emotions so strong I haven't felt it since I watched "Kimi no Nawa" back in 2016, after that I experienced something I haven't had before, Existential Dread it just made me stare at my screen for almost an hour making me think of the purpose of my existence, my life choices, choices that I should've took instead of ending up where I am now, it also didn't help that I played it in one seating. Here's hoping we get a happy end, in a sequel.

[Ed]

Your Name didn't give me existential dread, but I do turn into a crying mess every time it gets to the message on the hand scene. You're half my age, my bloody steam account is probably older than you 😂. Find something to do with your life and enjoy yourself while you can! Dwelling on the unchangeable past is pointless.

[Catshy]

Originally posted by Edward:

Your Name didn't give me existential dread, but I do turn into a crying mess every time it gets to the message on the hand scene. You're half my age, my bloody steam account is probably older than you 😂. Find something to do with your life and enjoy yourself while you can! Dwelling on the unchangeable past is pointless.

Well I ain't dwelling on it no more, the game actually strengthened my resolve to going back to school, those 3 years of doing nothing does a number to the human brain, also GVH was the first one that gave me Existential Dread. Kimi no Nawa was the first one to actually make me feel like something better will come in my life, like a light at the end of the tunnel type of feeling, that and rooting for characters like they're close friends of mine. Also Good Morning to ya lol

[Mangus The Adventurer]

I'm glad the ending isn't about the fact that they die, but about the fact that they lived.

[Catshy]

Originally posted by Mango The Adventurer:

I'm glad the ending isn't about the fact that they die, but about the fact that they lived.

If they lived it's gonna be one heck of a sequel, the rythm segments imo has a lot of potential to evolve in difficulty but also, staying accessible for people not particularly fond of it. Edit: I would also love more music from Dabu and Brigitte Nagar, their music is stuck in my head for the past week.