Update Sixty-Eight: 23 October 2017

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Okay, let’s let Secret in Story be the case in point that the more you introduce game-y elements into an emotional story, the more those emotions are deadened on the challenge of actually, you know, beating the game.

I mistakenly classified this game as a visual novel in my spreadsheet - it’s more of a puzzle game. It has very emotional piano music, and is ostensibly about a…. broken relationship between a guy and a girl? But ends up feeling like Wario Ware: Sad Vocaloid Music Video Edition.

The game has ‘scenes’ which are various little minigames - usually ‘click the right thing’ but evolves into one-point perspective Frogger and click the bike to keep it in the center of the frame. Each scene is set on a timer - don’t do the right thing in the time alotted, you ‘die’ and use a life (which you can find hidden throughout the game, but not many). Some scenes are auto-‘die’ if you mess up. ‘Die’ enough times, and you have to start over.

The only thing this game made me feel was confused and then frustrated. Any sad feelings and appreciation I had over the art (which is actually very pretty, and each vignette is very well done) dissipates when I have to keep replaying it because I keep failing on the fifth vignette from the end. This game is kind of like the game from hell for me - it gives me exactly what I want (artsy-fartsy feelings and abstracted disjointed delivery with lovely music) but gives it to me in a way I absolutely don’t want (dying and having to restart, having everything be timed). Any kind of introspection or analysis dies on the vine if instead of piecing the vague scenes together, I’m struggling not to swear too loud at 12:30 in the morning because why is it so hard to put the fucking snowflake on her fucking hand??

What I will say that I enjoyed was the vignettes. A lot of them were incredibly human touches that showed emotion instead of just telling them to you, and the tight editing was all impact. More games, especially narrative games, need to be edited this way. It was something that shone in Virginia that helped with atmosphere and pacing. Like strong cinematography and set design helps make both video games and film wonderful, so too can editing.

At least now I have something I can point to when people say Gone Home was missing a fail state or something. Oh, ew, and I just noticed, the smaller banner is literally just the start menu squished down to size. How lazy!

Next up: Ah, yes, finally an example of WHY I play visual novels.

See you soon!