Report 43: Tales of time (and also Far Cry 4)
This is a very thrilling gothic horror/suspense visual novel.
I’m not going to spoil any story elements, though I’d warn you it’s pretty much suffering porn kind of plot (but a good one), so if you’re not ready for some tragedy, you’re better off skipping this.
This novel has AMAZING art and soundtrack. If you were looking for something that looks less anime-esque and closer to european artstyles, this is the one. The soundtrack is really weird and consists mostly of actual songs - you know, with singers and stuff. There are some “usual”-visual-novel-type tracks, but most of the soundtrack is so unique to the point it felt somewhat distracting at first. Thankfully, I quickly got used to it.
That kind of soundtrack could be even more distracting, but another feature this vn… [doesn’t] have is voice acting. I was kinda dissapointed at firtst, but then again, it’s nothing too big to be complaining about, honestly. Every other aspect of the novel is strong enough to deliver pretty strong emotional impacts.
Overall, it’s an amazing visual novel with stunning visuals (no pun here) and soundtrack. I’d definitely recommend it.
Far Cry franchise and this exact game needs no introduction now, being one of many Ubisoft titles that mostly feel like reskinned versions of previous installments. It is very much true for this one too. Although it’s still fun and entertaining in many ways.
As usual, the villains are very remarkable and totally steal the show. Pagan Min and the plot surrounding him (including all the endings, even the bad one and especially secret one) are hilarious. Sadly the same can’t be said about the MC - he is such a bland and uninteresting character compared to any other. Even in his most cardboard-like moments, Jason from FC3 was still going through a primitive, but a character arc nonetheless. I don’t expect Dostoevsky-tier character study here, but I’d like at least something, like with game’s villains.
The core gameplay is pretty much the same as in Far Cry 3/Blood Dragon with bits of novelty sprinkled throughout. Capturing outposts, rewiring the radio towers, side activities, you know the stuff. There’s much more than it was in FC3 and even if side missions are repetitive, they tried to add a bit of flavour to each of it.
I wanted to 100% it, but then I got so frustrated with race mission that I couldn’t beat because the hovercraft you’re supposed to ride is stuck in the fucking ground and you have to [try] to move, exit the vehicle and then get back on it. Obviously, I didn’t have enough time to finish the race, making this unbeatable. I’m also pretty sure there’s no interesting completion bonuses whatsoever, just like in FC3, so I feel like I’ve just wasted my time here. This one really ruined my impression of the game.
I played it on the Hard difficulty. It was really frustrating at times, but at the same time it really helps - Far Cry 3 was a walk in the park on Normal, and good lord I don’t even know how easy is “Easy” would be then. At least on Hard I actively use everything the game has to offer.
Overall, it’s a Far Cry game. If you played one starting with 3, you know how it is.
This is a fourth installment in Space Quest series. It’s pretty nice to finally go back to parserless territory.
Just like many other Sierra titles, this game is still cruel to the player, but starts to ease off a bit. There weren’t as much deadend situations as it used to be, and almost all the puzzles feel pretty logical and sane. There were a plenty of “action”/arcade-y segments here, but nothing especially frustrating. The plot is okay - even if you’re travelling to some random locations to get the items you need, it is never too obtuse to get stuck without knowing what the hell you’re supposed to do. This game is actually pretty small in scope, and now you have a clear goal set before you (unlike Space Quest 3, see my review for deets).
It’s a shame you can only choose between textboxes and voiceover, since I’d prefer both at the same time.
Overall, it’s a solid Space Quest entry that’s worth checking out. Ooh boy, my favorite part is next.
This is a simplistic metroidvania (I guess) where you only live for 60 seconds and then respawn. The trick to beating the game is creating shortcuts, doing everything as fast as possible and unlocking new houses to respawn in.
It’s a really interesting idea, although it kinda makes playing it somewhat stressful all the time, especially at New Game + - it was pretty damn hard and I couldn’t bring myself to complete it - at least, for now.
The graphics are very simple, but cute.
It’s fairly short if you’re going for one playthrough only, even more so if you don’t collect all the stuff. The Second Run and 25-respawns-max achievements will require quite a bit more time, I think.
Overall, it was pretty good.
Backlog progress status:
YESSSS to Fata Morgana! Favourite & most hated characters??
I knew you were lurking no far :) To the OP, if you liked Fata Morgana, I highly recommend its companion The House in Fata Morgana: A Requiem for Innocence. It’s shorter but just as good.
Yeah, the friend who made me read Fata Morgana in the first place also told me I should read Requiem too. I’ll def do it later, that’s enough suffering porn for this month for me.
I’m always here with my obsession lmao
Welp, I’ll try not to spoil anything for anyone who might be passing by the comment section…
Should definitely mention the main couple first of all. Socially awkward and somewhat stubborn characters are my weakness, and cheerful and supportive lovers are always welcome.
Out of The Trio, Jacopo might be the most interesting one. Can’t point out anyone specific out of The Trio’s women.
I can’t actually say I “hated” any of the characters, I enjoyed every one of them. I guess if you rephrase it as “characters who, in my opinion, deserve everything bad coming their way”, it’s Aimee and ch.3 version of Maria (A. wins by a landslide compared to M. though) If we’re talking least favorite, I’d say Mell because I found his character arc to be the weakest. Just my opinion.
If you liked Jacopo, you’re going to enjoy Requiem I guess! (I hate him lol)
I agree with your decision of waiting before starting Requiem.