I’m not sure how I stumbled upon Mamiya. Somehow it found its way onto my Wishlist regardless and I decided to purchase it out of the blue one day as I was intrigued by its relatively mysterious nature as there really isn’t much coverage surrounding this VN.
Mamiya is a seemingly innocuous VN that is without a doubt criminally underrated, an overlooked masterpiece just waiting to be recognized and acknowledged. From the very beginning to the bitter end, Mamiya weaves a hauntingly captivating yet undeniably bleak tale that follows a distinct and well-established set of characters each with their own unique backstories, perspectives, motivations, and inner struggles that we, as the readers, are privy to bear witness.

Each character within this sorrowful world held my attention throughout my roughly forty-hour playthrough. I never found myself bored or uninterested in any of them, mostly due in part for how realistic and relatable they felt. In fact, I was actually surprised how emotionally invested I became with them as I felt very attached to this endearing cast, internally hoping that everything works out in the end for everyone (even as this hope seemed more and more unlikely as things continued to play out).

Also, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone mention this, but I really really like the character designs, as well as how varied everyone’s facial expressions are! I also appreciate the slight change in character designs/sprites during or after significant scenes.

There are multiple layers to the complex narrative of Mamiya, and I was thoroughly impressed just how deep every single plot point was interconnected with each character’s interpersonal connections with each other and while some storytelling instances are a bit confusing at points or are explained very abstractly, its somewhat convoluted storytelling doesn’t detract from the narrative’s inherent heartfelt yet bleak mystique. These complicated story beats are most notable during the final act, even so, it never deterred me from wanting to delve deeper, to further discover the truth and learn more about Mamiya).

Without going into too much detail, there are several heavy topics that are depicted and discussed so caution is advised!
There are tons of impressively beautiful CG’s that make excellent usage of lighting, evocative angles, and choice colors that are an absolute treat to just sit back and admire (and they also make great desktop wallpapers!). There is sadly no voice acting but frankly I don’t see that as a negative, I think the excellent writing and narrative more than make up for that in spades.

Despite the music being all freeware/royalty free I found each track to fit the atmosphere perfectly especially during particularly impactful moments. It’s evident that each track (and where and when they played) was chosen with utmost care and also because they’re just really really good tracks!

Mamiya is a profoundly engrossing VN seeped in sorrow and tragedy that will surely leave a lasting impression on you and keep you pondering long after you’ve finished reading. I recommend purchasing the DoomsDay Dreams DLC as the story will be incomplete without it!
I hope with this review I was able to get my esteemed recommendation across. As many have advised before me; Mamiya deserves to be experienced by all.

Thanks for the memories, Mamiya, (and unlike Natsume, I'll never forget you),