The House in Fata Morgana

Incredible game. Although it starts off slowly, once you get to the good part--you'll know when you see it--you'll be crying. However, please be aware that there are flashing lights throughout the game. If you have a condition prohibiting you from being exposed to such things, do not get this game.
Besides that, the game itself is not for everyone, which should be obvious enough. If you don't like it, then suit yourself. More sorrow for me haha ^_^

What drew me into this game was that out of all the visual novels ever created, this one is the highest rated on Metacritic. At the time of writing, The House in Fata Morgana is the 25th highest rated game of all time on Metacritic, beating out games like Elden Ring, Skyrim and Persona 5 Royal. Although that release of the game is actually the Nintendo Switch version (a newer release that is much better quality than the steam release), I recommend downloading a free patch called THiFM: Remaid of Dreams so that you can play the Nintendo Switch version of the game on the steam release. Anyways,

What makes this game the 25th highest rated game of all time on Metacritic?

The Story: 10/10
The first 3 chapters (or doors if you played the game), were slow at times, but the game rewards your patience with absolutely brilliant storytelling in the last 4 chapters of the game. If you have the patience to read for ~10 hours, then you will be rewarded in the 2nd half of the game.

The Characters: 10/10
Undoubtedly the strongest aspect of the game. The characters are well written and sympathetic given the tragedies all of them had to go through.

Art: Subjective
This visual novel stays away from the usual anime art style of the genre and adopts a more naturalist art style. I think the art style is why the game is able to be so highly rated on Metacritic; other highly rated visual novels like Umineko or Higurashi are nowhere to be found presumably because of their usual anime art style.

The House in Fata Morgana is a well-written visual novel that I would recommend to people who have already played a visual novel. If this is your 1st visual novel, then perhaps you will be disappointed since visual novels are for people who like reading novels with some very minor gameplay. This game supposedly being the 25th greatest game of all time can be misleading because of it's medium, but as a piece of fiction, it's fantastic.

The most tear shedding, anxiety inducing, suspense building, drama bombing, guilt tripping, mind altering, eye twitching, bladder grabbing, leg shaking, spine tickling, nerve wrecking, hope shattering, closure providing, life changing story I have ever played. Please try to go into this visual novel blind.

The House in Fata Morgana te abre las puertas de una mansión perdida en la eternidad en cuyos pasillos y habitaciones resuenan las historias de quienes alguna vez tuvieron el infortunio de habitarla.

Es una novela visual que trasciende lo narrativo, conmovedora y tan bien escrita que sin duda marcará un antes y un después en tus recuerdos.

This is one of the best God dang stories I've ever read.

Art: 10/10
Music: 100/10
Characters: 1,000/10
Themes/ Moral: 10,000/10
Gameplay: Book/10

Peak

A masterpiece.
If I had to describe it in just one sentence, "Characters are complicated", is probably the most fitting one.
Fatamo broke me, and it were some of the best 30-40 hours I spent in my life.

This is the best visual novel I have ever played in my life. Everything is 10/10. The music. The art. The characters. The plot. The writing. My life is now divided into two parts: before THIFG and after THIFG. This changed me fundamentally. I played this three years ago and not a day goes by where I don't think about it. Fight through the first three doors for the love of God I'm begging you. Play this game. If you ever listen to a review on anything let it be this one. Play The House in Fata Morgana.

I love everything about this game. The music, the art, the writing, the characters are just all so peak

Happy people build their inner world and unhappy people blame their external world

This game has inspired me to build my happy world, no matter what other unhappy people say in an attempt to tear it down.

Thank you Michel

the most beautiful game i`ve ever played, i love this game with all my soul, thank you for this masterpiece

The Best story I have experienced in any medium.
I did my research how they came up with the story and it seems it was influenced by Tanith Lee's books, and the films Millennium Actress (2001) and The Best of Youth (2003).
Must Read Visual Novel

This visual novel tackles timeless themes, most notably the cyclical nature of history. While this is a refreshing departure from typical visual novel fare, especially the prevalent nukige genre, it feels less innovative compared to broader media. The audio and art style, reminiscent of Saya no Uta, share a similar fate: unique, but not necessarily compelling. The writing, while functional, failed to truly engage me for extended periods.

- - -

-Themes-
The Cyclical Nature of History: This is perhaps the most central theme. The tragedies within the mansion repeat across different eras, with characters and situations echoing each other. This suggests that human nature, with its capacity for both love and cruelty, remains constant throughout time. It also explores how past actions and unresolved issues can continue to haunt the present.

The Enduring Power of Love and Loss: Love, in its many forms (romantic, familial, platonic), is a driving force in the story. However, it is often intertwined with loss, grief, and regret. The story examines how love can inspire both great acts of kindness and terrible acts of desperation, and how the loss of loved ones can leave lasting scars.

The Complexity of Human Nature: The characters in Fata Morgana are not simply good or evil. They are complex individuals with their own motivations, flaws, and strengths. The story explores the gray areas of human behavior, showing how people can be driven to do terrible things by love, fear, or despair. It emphasizes that everyone is capable of both good and evil, depending on their circumstances.

The Weight of the Past: The past is not something that can be easily forgotten or ignored in Fata Morgana. It has a tangible presence, influencing the present and shaping the destinies of the characters. The story suggests that confronting and understanding the past is essential for moving forward and finding peace.

Forgiveness and Redemption: Despite the darkness and tragedy, Fata Morgana also offers a message of hope and redemption. It suggests that even the most flawed individuals are capable of change and that forgiveness, both of oneself and others, is possible. The story emphasizes that breaking free from the cycles of tragedy requires understanding, empathy, and a willingness to forgive.

The Search for Identity and Meaning: Many of the characters in the story grapple with questions of identity, memory, and the meaning of life. They search for their place in the world and try to understand their own pasts.

Best Visual Novel, dont hesitate, be patient and enjoy the ride

greatest story ever told

This shit beautiful

ive been looking forward to playing this game because of the gorgeous art and the wonderful ost but the incestuous relationships were a deal breaker. if you like incest then this game is perfect for you

This is peak fiction, please read it. If you are new to visual novels then this one is the best one to start with, it will keep you hooked the whole way through.

This game is everything to me
i cannot simply put it in words how much this game means to me
its the greatest novel of all times
notice how i just said novel
cause it bypasses william Shakespeare and franz kafka
the art is something i am aiming for
the literacy
the story telling
the art
the SOUNDTRACKS!!!!
i never disliked anything in this game
and all of the soundtracks are an absolute favourite
this game genuinely changed my view to the world
i feel like it speaks to me
if a game can understands one soul
then this game understands me
it teaches you lessons
the house in fata morgana isnt just a game
its life
please never let me stop obsessing over THIFM
if you want to play it then what are you waiting for?
live laugh fata morgana
i want everything in my life to be fata morgana themed
i love everything in the game
even the characters that were written to be hated are written so well that i cannot help but admire the writing
i am genuinely being overstimulated by how i cannot form my thoughts and use the right words to to


id die for this game

however i am a huge gatekeeper of it

gospel so good i cannot spread it and cant help but to keep it to myself

happy new years

changed my life. kept putting it off for years and suddenly decided to go for it. i feel like a different person before and after playing it. the plot and characters drive you mad to tears, keeping you guessing and twisting and turning while not breaking immersion.

music is phenomenal. at several times, given how dark the game is, i was tempted to close it and leave the next scenes for tomorrow... but the music just kept pulling me in.

phenomenal and one of the best VNs ever. i wish i could relive the experience all over again.

I read this VN from start to finish in a single 24-hour marathon session. I doubt my critical and analytical faculties were functioning at 100% that whole time, so it's not impossible that the latter half of the story has problems I missed. I can say, though, that it was compelling enough to make me do a 24-hour marathon VN reading session, and it left me satisfied afterward. I RECOMMEND this VN but DO NOT RECOMMEND reading it in one sitting.

I've just finished this game, it is a beautiful game with heart wrenching stories and unexpected twists and turns. The game is a fair bit longer than expected and has a beautiful soundtrack that adds a lot to the general ambience of the game.

I wholeheartedly recommend you to buy the game, just be prepared to cry a fair bit.

It's somewhat important to note this game was released in 2012.

First, because technically it's dated - there's no 16:9 support and you'll be experiencing the story in 4:3. If that worries you, you can stop reading here.

Second, there are some topics here that are divisive. I won't go into spoilers, but I noticed two. One of them is central to the story and (at the time of writing in 2024) is not welcomed by many. However, I do not think the authors of the story intended to preach when the visual novel was released in 2012 and it doesn't really feel that way. Again, if this worries you, you can stop reading here.

Now, for the real review. To get it out of the way - I don't think the art is generally great. A lot of the time you'll be staring in a background while stuff are happening and they are not depicted. It looks like a watercolor paintings and sometimes you have no idea what you're looking at, you'll need some imagination to figure it out by the text description.

Music is stellar. I loved the soundtrack and it fit the atmosphere to a T. I can definitely see myself listening to it outside of the game.

Last, but not the least - story. I liked it a lot, but I felt it dragged a bit. The closest way to describe it without spoiling is a very dark fairy tale, where everything and everyone are f***ed up. Every time I believed I'm closing to the end there was yet another tragedy to be told. Depending on reading speed you're looking at 30+ hours (it took me 60 on auto with a cup of tea in my hand). There's a degree of suspension of disbelief that you'll need to apply to enjoy the story - not everybody enjoys fairy tales, and this is a fairy tale. But if you do this one is for you.

Mudou minha vida.

Pretty good

This game is about many things: veneration, identity, conflict, but the most important one is Love.
And love can be wholesome, scary, and often exhausting. This game explores all of that to, in my opinion, sometimes unnecessary detail.
Up to act 6 everything is very good in pacing and content, a great mystery lingers on the atmosphere during these chapters. However, by act 7 the pacing just starts feeling a bit... exhaustive. A lot of repetition of what happened, like A LOT of times. I'm of the opinion that the developers wanted this game to be longer than it actually is.
The ending itself is fine though, pretty satisfying for it's own sake. I just wish that it was less bloated.
Great story, okay narrative. Leaves almost no plotholes, which if very surprising for a game this long.

This feels like a light 8

absolute cinema

Despite going through over 30 hours of misery and tragedy, there are brief pockets of happiness and joy found in this visual novel! I recommend this visual novel if you can stomach a lot of pain and suffering. The music is top notch 100%

Everything in this game is amazing, I truly loved it and recommend it.

A tragic but also beautiful story.

this is pretty good

This is my first real visual novel besides DDLC. I've heard this was the best when it comes to storytelling and I have to say it did not disappoint. I'm a big mystery thriller fan and that's in part what this is, along with a love story. The writing in this was great plot-wise. The way the story weaves each door together and takes you on a journey across time and through people's lives was really amazing to play, and the final culmination itself was great, with all themes and values carried out to fruition in what for sure feels like a magnum opus.

The characters, plentiful they are, are all rich and diverse, really popping with their own personalities and personal struggles. Getting to know each of these people over the course of several hours was really a highlight of the experience.

Putting the plot aside, I had a couple of complaints that I'm not sure are completely founded, with this being my first VN. While the plot itself was great, I thought in parts the writing was lacking—not in terms of quality but in substance. It lacks a lot of descriptions for things that happen or places we see. We have character sprites, so that is fine, but other things I think could use more description. Now, this is where I'm not sure if it's just a visual novel thing and that's what they're all like, and that I'm comparing too much to an actual book, but anyways.

Then also, with the choices, they all felt pretty meaningless, which from an interactive game, I expected it to be more plentiful in its options to really give it that reason to be a game and not a book, but again I'm not sure if that's common or not.

Lastly, the art that exists in this game is beautiful, so beautiful that I wish there was more. Some scenes felt that they could have used an art piece to accompany them when there just wasn't. The sprites work for most things, but I think it also could have used more variety in that regard.

Little list of complaints, but they're really all minor in the grand scheme. I'm nitpicking because it was great. For my first visual novel, it was great, and I'm a little saddened that people say this is the best because I feel the rest will lack in comparison, but regardless I am looking forward to trying more, as well as the additional content for this one.

One of the best visual novels I ever read 💖💖💖✨✨✨ The story, the mystery, the characters, the narrative style, everything is very perfect 💖💖💖💖 I love it 💖💖💖💖

amazing holy moly great story great characters great protag crazy plot twist
just a 10/10

10/10

the best to ever do it

most engaging vn i've read. so many plot twists

A beautiful tragedy with brilliantly-written characters and relationships, and I especially appreciate how it manages to exemplify the duality of its characters.

A beautiful game with a beautiful story and soundtrack

The House in Fata Morgana is one of those hidden gems within video games. It has an incredible story with lots of plot twists that just blowed my mind. Every chapter it just gets better and better and it changed me in ways I cannot even describe on the 3d level. Everyone on Earth should at least play this game once in their life and it will forever change them. 10/10 game plus the prequel "The House in Fata Morgana: A Requiem for Innocence" and the Sequel "The House in Fata Morgana: Reincarnation.

this game ruined my life and im not even joking

I played this game on Switch and honestly if you have a chance play that version. Switch versions improvements really works great on it. That being said you can very well play this version too without issues and believe me you absolutely MUST experience this story.

"It's time to let go, Morgana."
10/10 very personal story to me.
Letting go does not always equate to forgiving; yet perhaps with letting go, you can set at least one person free, someone who deserves it most—and that is you.

Peak Fiction

I am now emotionally broken... thank you

peak writing. bawling my eyes out

Peak fiction

one of the best stories imo, i read this back in 2018 and until now i still shill it to anyone who'd listen. without fail every single person who i got to finish this game also love it

One of the best novels if not the best novel I've had the pleasure of reading.

1000/10
I was so impressed with this game, so I replayed it maybe 4 times. I feel this story like it`s real. And I must say, that I kinda felt this story because from my childhood I felt like I really forgot something, like from past life. Like I also need to find someone specific, the special for me.
Also I cried a lot, but not for fourth door. Beause it was lie. And it felt like really sad story, but jut story. (for the first time I didn`t notice Morgana speach). So it was great also in this way. Perfect manipulation with my feelings about this all.
The music is stunning. Two songs (Bianco o nero and sanctus) was in my top of the year in spotify last year. And I was in 1% of listeners of spotify account novectacle.
There were only one thing I disliked but it didn`t have much influence on my impression. However I must say it, and I hope that creator will give me the answer if it as so importan to make Jacopo kinda ped o file, cuz even since Morgana acted so adult like, 10 years gap and he fell in love when she was like ???twelve??? this excuse not helping o understand why at least not 16 and 20, and if Morgana died at 20 or 12 and 16, still strange but more understandable. It would have sense. Hower, I kinda feel bad for Jacopo and hope he and Morgana will be without so big age gap.

Also my story can feel kinda unreliable since I bought it only last week and had just 15 hours in it, but the answer is simple. I played pirated version. Even since it was time when in society piracy was kinda normalized and I didn`t even consider other options, no I feel kinda bad for it and I want to apologise before whole team of creators. In my defence I ned to say that I also bought this game last year for one my friend and I will buy for another tommorow or day after tommorow to another. Firstly I felt important to buy it at all, because this game too good not to pay for i and secondly I wanted to make this game even more popular, because it worth to be one of the mos popular visual novels ever.

I am really big fan of it because it touched every string of my soul. I would like to say it personaly, but since I have not this possiility, I`ll say i here. Thank you. It helped me in my life to come through really dark hours. And sorry again that I played pirated version. I know I could not o say this, but I am really feel bad.

Me: So how much depression is in this visual novel?

NOVECT/Hanada Keika: Yes