Manna for our Malices

Recommending, but just barely. Yes, the art is next level of atrocious (especially on Shironeko, holy moly), but it's functional, and let's be honest - we play such games for the story. And the story is the reason why I'm sort of recommending it.

It starts out a little slow. The first time loop is just some weird shenanigans to introduce the characters; it works, but don't expect fireworks. But then the plot kicks in. You try new things, you unlock new branching paths, you learn new information, you witness new events. And that part of the game is very engaging.

Luckily, it's the part of the game that's the longest! There's quite a bit to discover, and if you've fully explored a certain event branch, the game politely prevents you from entering it again - that way you're always moving forward. And everything stays pretty cool until you reach the final parts of the game.

To keep things short: it's possible to lock yourself in a literal loop, and it seems like it's a glitch; although the dev claims it isn't. The closer to the end you get, the less sense your actions and the world's reactions to them make. The ending in particular feels completely nonsensical and there's no way I would've been able to reach it without a guide.

There's also another problem. The whole story feels like it's written by a weeby teen who's interested in Japan as a whole, including Japanese society and history, and can't help but showcase that knowledge for no real reason. It's kind of like when I got my sailor's papers when I was 16 and simply had to put in all sorts of useless sailing jargon in the story I was writing at the time. It's a bit embarrassing.

Still, this hypothetical "weeby teen" that wrote this story (I have no idea if the author is a teen, or a weeb) also has pretty keen storytelling sense. And there are some tense, great moments, and the web of intrigues that the game presents is rather well-constructed - without being ridiculous.

According to the achievement stats, 60% of all players have seen the ending. I'd say that's quite a good number. So if you think you can stomach the art style and don't mind some potential jank - check this out, out of curiosity if nothing else. You won't regret it.

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Top of the review no spoilers take: I really enjoyed playing this game and I agree with other reviewers saying it's generally well written! It's not the most lengthy read, necessarily: took less than 3 hours to 100% but it's also literally less than a dollar so can't complain. If you like weird VNs I think this game will make for a fun evening!

More detailed no spoilers take:
- The art is just like that yeah. I think it's charming but YMMV!
- I was recommended this as a "Parody VN" but it's really not, It's all very classic weird-VN theme in the lore and execution, but it's an enjoyable example of the type!
- The main character is by far the most likeable character, which is very unusual for a VN but I'm pleased to see it. She's so funny!
- The Comedy Obsessive Lesbian Best Friend who is introduced early on is a pretty common trope in anime-inspired things and doesn't really indicate either way it's actual gay-friendliness but i'm pleased to announce that basically half the cast in this are lesbians and that aspect of the story is portrayed sincerely and straightforwardly with no annoying wink-nudging that's common to the genre. Hooray!
- The music is weird as hell in a very deliberate avant-garde way I enjoy. It definitely works for the atmosphere.
- I really enjoyed the gameplay and gradual discovering of information and piecing things together by you and the MC jointly during the first like, 70% of the game!

However my biggest gripe is that during the end stages of the game Once you start interacting with the knife and Janus statue some of the logic interactions start to fall apart - the MC will start discussing and making jokes about information that neither she nor I have received yet, it becomes pretty easy to accidentally trap yourself in an actual inescapable loop, (edit: apparently this is a feature not a bug! While that's good to know, I think it would be better if there was some kind of dialogue where the MC went "wait. fuck. uh oh." to tell you this, because otherwise it really does look like a bug) and while it's easily rectified b/c the game encourages frequent saves, it's a little frustrating anyway.

Expanding on these thoughts in a couple of spoilery criticisms that are basically just me talking to myself:
- Koneko feels like a bizarrely underutilised character? I really enjoyed how every other character has little changes in interactions and responses depending on what you do and don't know, and for there to be basically none of that with the character who literally Reads Your Mind feels weird. Plus, while every other investigative branch either stays open forever or has a final I Know Enough About This Now moment, the MIB story-line reaches it's peak very quickly with very little information gathering (it was literally the first thing I did on my first playthrough) and then you're locked out of it with no comment, with the rest of that plot all coming from Shironeko exposition. I did see that there's other entries in this series so I might check those out to see if she's more explored in those instead.
- I like the conclusion of the Aoi story-line where they have a heart-to-heart about the clone thing, it's very touching, though again a little odd that during that conversation the MC does not react more to the revelation about the first Aoi being dead? It has great payoff in the Ikilledhertwice bad end but it feels like it should come up before then. Related to both points: I discovered on a quick second playthrough that you don't actually need to see this scene to trigger either the bad Aoi end (how does the MC know she killed her twice, then?) or the True end (you don't even need to get into the lab and see your clone to get the idea to use your clone as a sacrifice?). This seems incorrect? See previous logic order complaint.
- I guess there's an argument that at this point all the characters are unstuck from time and it's fine if things make no sense and I would counter: You can't introduce that kind of intentional resembles-a-programming-error design decision in the last 10 minutes of the game and expect it to be satisfying.

However, I understand these kind of bugs/logic errors are easily done in time-loop stories, and I enjoyed the story anyway, so it's definitely still a recommendation from me.

Looks like shovelware at first glance, but its (mostly) pretty well written. Now whether the artstyle is genuine incompetence, a stylistic choice or an attempt to use a stylistic choice to mask genuine incompetence I genuinely cannot tell. Bottom line though, its pretty compelling and its dirt cheap, so you might as well

Great occult visual novel based around a continuous time loop. (The button that lets you skip already-seen text is much appreciated.) Well worth a play.

This is a great little game about time looping. There are lots of little clues you pick up going through the loops that all lead into a satisfying conclusion. It's not a hugely complicated game, but there's more than just linearly going through all the choices here.

I kind of wish it was longer, but as it is the game is a nice little package that doesn't overstay it's welcome.

(sorry for the mistakes, english is not my first langage).

A short visual novel with very good writing and interesting story.
The many choices help you to slowly resolve the mystery.

Pros:
-very good writing
- Even if surnatural and occult stories are not my thing usually, I enjoyed the scenario, because it was interesting enough to keep me hooked.
- the mystery is revealed little by little through the player's choices
- the sound design is well used and build a creepy ambiance
-hints of gxg love is always enjoyable ;)

Cons:
- the sprites are bad, especially the colors. It's not hard to do a better job with the appropriate tools, or even with photos and filters. Personally, I don't care, but I'm sure that lots of people didn't purchase that game because of the poor art, and it's a shame because the game is good and worth a try.
- some minor subplots are not solved, especially when it concerns characters' relationships (Aio/Ai? Aio/Mimi? Ai said she was working on it, but we never see it coming).
- Unfortunatelly, the characters were shallow, and it's my biggest complaint. Ai's bad langage is funny, Mimi is intriguing, but that's all. Not enough work is made to make them unique, interesting or likeable.

Verdict: Good ideas, good writing, interesting story. I enjoyed this VN and I'm curious to discover next developper's works.

Its a complexe game with a time warp (Rocky Horror Picture Show would be proud) & of course Bill Murray Groundhog Day). It has a few ending but they way to find is long, because you need the right choices at the right time or you stuck in eternity, its a Trial & Error but its good for achievement hunters & people who these repeating storys where you need to find the trick to get out & find the well hidden endings. Maybe this game is made by Aliens (INSIDEr JOKE)

I honestly don't remember much of what happened in this game (I decided to write a review since I noticed that I 100% it), but I guess I enjoyed it? I do remember the artwork not being pleasing to the eye, but I'm gonna guess that the story had something to do with me wanting to finish it.

Moral of this review, don't wait years to review a game.

Great time travel themed game where you keep reliving days of the past. Fun and cheap. Art is funky. It's short but it's good for the price.

I'm surprised at how much I actually like this so far. It's a visual novel horror version of Groundhog Day. I'm sure I was butchering the names but I really enjoyed following the story up to the point I'm at right now. You basically die at the end of every day and then the next day you try to make choices that will result in you not dying the next day. So, you may have ate lunch in the classroom yesterday. Tomorrow maybe try the library. Yesterday you cleaned up after class. Maybe tomorrow you try leaving instead. I can see how this could possibly branch out into many, many permutations.

I'm excited to see where it goes. If you're curious or you just want to see the game in action, feel free to check out my videos. I've only done one so far but there will be a series as soon as I get some more recorded:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_ugVRvbdY4