Update Three Hundred and Ten: 27 May 2019
Natural - Beyond Nature -
11.5 hours playtime, ~2.5 hrs actual, No achievements
6.5/10
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
This one was a lot shorter than I was expecting, and, unfortunately, is just shy of making the Visual Novel Masterpost.
What’s here is good… it’s just not enough, you know? The game is split into essentially two different routes—do you spend more time with Flori or with Llima— that you get locked into from the first choice. You’ll end up having to play the game several times (I didn’t optimize my playing, and I think I played it through like 7 times) to collect all the ‘fragments’ to unlock more endings. This wouldn’t be so bad, especially considering the length… if there were a ‘skip read text’ option.
There is not.
Its length then becomes its only saving grace from having to press and hold the ‘down’ key to forward through text, hoping you’ll be quick enough to stop if/when you reach a new-ish scene. I may have missed some things, i’m not sure. Even though you’ll be playing through the game on different routes, things don’t change that much and not a ton of new insight is to be had. The ‘real’ ending, when you get all 30 fragments, is a nice one, but not anything groundbreaking.
The art is lovely, and I think the writing has improved a TON since Voices from the Sea, characters from which make an appearance in here, but with a price tag of ten US American dollars… there’s just not enough here. So close, and yet so far!
Next up:
See you soon!
I understand complaining about the length (or rater: shorth :P and yes I know there are actual words for “shorth” ;)), esp. in this case. On the other hand, shorter games mean you can have more varied experiences. I played about 80h of AC over the last 1.5 months and… well it’s fine, but it’s always the same. For 80 hours. 80. Sometimes I get a bit jealous seeing other people completing a whole bunch of games in the same time!
That is true! You know me—I love finishing three games in one day so I can bug the shit out of everyone about it.
For me, though, the shortness still needs to be complete, and needs to have a point. Short stories have to be incredibly economical and pin-tight with what they say and how they say it. Longer stories get more leeway bc they can build things in a slower fashion, but short experiences are unforgiving—they gotta know what they want to say, say it fast and accurate, and have it land with a point. When that doesn’t happen… well, at least the amount of time you ‘wasted’ on it is small!
I definitely prefer shorter games over longer ones, though, especially for the reason you picked out.
You’re right, this is probably not the right game to praise brevity. So, my point is true, but maybe there are more fitting reviews to post it under :)
Anyhow, keep on the good work, always enjoying the reviews of yours.
Aww, that’s not a problem at all! I always like hearing from you. Maybe on the next smaller game you play that hits that brevity milestone, you go on in more depth about it? That’d be a cool vehicle for discussion!
Aww, that’s not a problem at all!
Haha thanks. When I think about it, I could write about that in my next post, there is a fitting game I’m going to speak about. So, let’s see what I can come up with.
Ah, Zeiva Inc. … another developer who somehow can’t understand the importance of making VNs in actual VN engines :/
I KNOW RIGHT? PLEASE YOU NEED TO HAVE BASIC QUALITY OF LIFE FEATURES. EVERYONE NEEDS A FUNCTIONAL SKIP READ TXT OPTION IF YOU WANT PLAYERS TO PLAY THROUGH YOUR GAME MORE THAN ONCE
Why are we screa- I MEAN YES, PLEASE, STOP MAKING VNS IN ENGINES THAT ARE EITHER OUTDATED OR MEANT FOR TOTALLY DIFFERENT KINDS OF GAMES, I BEEEG
HA! Fuck yeah, Amitte! Way to match the energy!
insert same energy meme here
…yeah and that’s the reason I’m not interested in this dev’s games anymore after having tried 3 of them!
I want to like them soooo baaaaad but they just don’t… have much of a point!