Playing The House in Fata Morgana: Am I Weak-Willed?

I’m currently on Door 3 of the visual novel, The House in Fata Morgana. It’s a chilling game full of tragedies. Each door presents a different story, and I’m on the third story. The game’s writing is superb – it has some of the best stories I’ve read. I’ve read that the stories become even better later on in the story. I also appreciate the game’s music a lot.

The stories are gut-wrenching and dark. Door 1 and Door 2 were fine, but it was getting a bit painful to complete Door 3. I know that I will complete it eventually, but I had to stop for a break because I was already crying while playing the game and I just didn’t know if there would be a happy ending. I still don’t know – I haven’t gone back to the story yet. But I’m not confident that it will be a happy story. Then I thought, Am I weak-willed? Why is this difficult for me? Part of me wants a spoiler so that I can mentally prepare myself. I would feel relieved if I see something positive; if not, then at least it wouldn’t be a great shock.

Don’t get me wrong – I like books, games, and shows that can evoke great emotions out of you. Something that will make me cry, make my heart pound, or give me the chills. I’d say that House in Fata Morgana ticks off those boxes. If this sounds like your type of thing, I definitely recommend buying this game.

Still, I feel a little uneasy about returning to the game. But that’s a sign of good writing, I guess.

What’s Your Ultimate Talent? (Danganronpa Inspired Post!)

In Danganronpa, the characters are “Ultimate” students, meaning they are the best at what they do. Every one of them has a talent and they were chosen because of their talent.

Some examples of Ultimate talents in Danganronpa are:

• Ultimate Anthropologist
• Ultimate Baseball Player
• Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
• Ultimate Child Caregiver
• Ultimate Cook
• Ultimate Cosplayer
• Ultimate Detective

…the list goes on.

In real life, I would not be chosen as an “Ultimate.” But this is just for fun.

One friend said I could be the Ultimate Photographer. Another friend said I could be the Ultimate Cosplayer. I gave it some thought, and think that I could be the Ultimate Blogger, Ultimate Fan Girl, Ultimate Otaku, or Ultimate Fujoshi.

What would your Ultimate talent be?

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Would you rather be the best at one talent, or be kind of good at multiple talents?

Review: Ripples Visual Novel

Ripples is a visual novel I enjoyed in 2014. I recently revisited it. It’s really short (around 10 minutes) and sweet.

Story: Koda is a pessimist who photographs nature as a hobby. He meets a girl at the park and finds himself visiting the park every day.

Writing: The writing is the best part. The dialogue is realistic and shows us the personalities of the two characters. I loved one quote in particular:

Even if my life is just a single drop, every drop of water leaves ripples.”

Art: The art is really cute. For its short length, I don’t mind the static backgrounds or that Kuu wears the same clothes each day.

Music: The music is fitting to the story. It enhances the story because it gives it a relaxing atmosphere.

Vocals: The English dubbing is great. I only watch anime in Japanese, but I found the English vocals refreshing to listen to.

Since it’s so short, I recommend everyone to play it or watch it on YouTube. I like the message a lot and even after all these years, I still think about Ripples time to time.

Catherine – HIGHLY Recommend this Game!

Don’t let the cover fool you, hahaha! I would say that the M rating is because of some blood, not so much because of nudity. I played this game in front of my parents. No big deal.

When the cutscenes are put together, it is exactly like an anime movie. They have all the cutscenes on YouTube in a couple of long videos so if you don’t plan on playing the game, I really encourage you to watch them!

The cutscenes/story of the game mean a lot to me. Vincent, the main character, is placed into a complicated life situation and he needs to resolve his problems. Whenever I am in a very low mood, I watch the cutscenes and I feel better afterwards. Why? One, my problems are not as bad as his. Two, he is a relatable and normal guy (and in the game, you are playing him). Vincent definitely has flaws, but he’s very likeable because he feels real. Three, he gets out of the mess. Every time I watch the cutscenes and play the game, I learn something about myself and about life.

I love how Vincent gets together with his friend group all the time after work. They meet at the regular bar and it’s a normal part of his day. In the bar you can order drinks, send text messages, play at the arcade, watch the news and talk to the other customers.

Now to the actual gameplay. You have to climb blocks. Sounds simple, right? Each night gets harder and you will be chased by something. My favourite monster was probably the giant baby with a chainsaw. That’s where the blood comes in! Initially, I thought I wouldn’t enjoy climbing blocks but it is actually a lot of fun!!! You have to constantly think of strategies while climbing.

It is challenging but you learn that in order to survive, you must continuously adapt to the situation. I think this is very important in real life too. A lot of the time, things don’t go our way but what we do have control over is our reaction to the situation. Plus, being chased by a monster that wants to kill you is quite thrilling. 😀

Completing a stage (especially if you win a Gold Prize) is IMMENSELY satisfying. I feel more happy about completing a stage than acing an exam LOL. Every time I complete a stage, I feel more confident about overcoming my own life situation and this will sound corny but completing a stage in the game is like practice for real life…

The soundtrack is AMAZING. Lamb Game between ♂ and ♀ is my favourite, but I love all the songs.

I’ve been in a happy mood for a long time now but if I am in a bad mood, I know that this game is there for me. I finished this game in about two weeks and I’ll play it on a harder level of difficulty next time! As you can see, I can’t stop raving about this game so yeah, play it. Or at least watch the cutscenes and enjoy the music. 😉