The House in Fata Morgana
a game by | Novectacle |
Platforms: | 3DS, PC (2012) |
Editor Rating: | 9/10, based on 1 review |
User Rating: | 9.0/10 - 2 votes |
Rate this game: | |
See also: | Visual Novel |
Japanese visual novels have been popular for many years now, but most of them are light and happy slice of life or romance novels. In this 2012 offering by Novectacle, things get real dark with a tragic story that will leave the reader on the edge of their seat until the end.
The House in Fata Morgana is similar to Steins;Gate in many ways, featuring a dark and tragic story that will keep you guessing as the story twists one way and then another.
A tragic story
In this visual novel, the story opens in a mansion with the main character nothing more than a shadowy figure. In order to regain your memories, the player must travel back in time with a maid that works at the mansion, and learn the tragic stories of people who have lived in the mansion before.
It turns out that the mansion is full to the brim with dark secrets. A curse befalls everyone who lives in the mansion. If you don’t enjoy dark themes or tragedy, this game has nothing whatsoever for you. If you do like this kind of story, sit back to enjoy 20-30 hours of game play with strong writing that will take your breath away.
Excellent art and audio
The strong writing and powerful story isn’t the only thing going for The House in Fata Morgana. It also features moody artwork that moves away from the normally cutesy cartoon style popular with visual novels into something deeper and darker. The audio is also beautifully done, with sound that changes depending on the year the player is visiting and many vocals. One unique factor to the game is that the vocals for the songs aren’t only in Japanese, but also in Portuguese and other languages. One surprising part of the audio is that there are no voice actors for the parts, and the sound effects can be a bit harsh compared to the overall beauty of the artwork and music.
Choose your own adventure
Like most visual novels, the player makes choices throughout the story that will determine the end. The pressure towards the end peaks with timed decisions that will see your options disappear if you take too long to make a decision. This can leave you with a series of bad endings, and it’s not always remember to save your game before these options appear. This makes it more of a challenge to play, and in some ways more enjoyable over all.
One minor flaw in this is that the pacing is sometimes slightly flawed. A scene might feel a bit rushed here, or linger over something a touch too long. This is only really noticeable because the rest of the pacing is so good, but it’s still there.
This is a stunning visual novel that is a far cry from most other novels in this field. It’s a romance similar to Shakespearean tragedy rather than the normal, friendly romances we tend to expect. It’s an excellent game with few flaws, and is guaranteed to draw the reader into it’s painful yet still beautiful embrace.
Pros
- Beautiful visuals and audio
- Gripping story
Cons
- Sometimes pacing is a tad off
Download The House in Fata Morgana
System requirements:
- PC compatible
- Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
System requirements:
- PC compatible
- Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP