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Review of Rei-Jin-G-Lu-P

SubjectRei-Jin-G-Lu-P
ByHelpfulness: 4
Vote: 4
bernkasmell on 2021-03-10
ReviewGood up until the end of "Yomi". And takes a drastic nosedive after that.

The "does Kami exist or not" parts and the entire "magic system" (which is only explained in post-game content) feels a bit reminiscent of Umineko in its use of concepts as magic, as well as whether or not magic exists being up in the air. But they ruin it by, again, not having these concepts properly shown in the main story.

This leads right into the next problem, which is that its an "unfair mystery." With a game like Raging Loop, where it seems as though you're being given the power to play the game with various choices to determine and find the secrets yourself, you aren't really given the actual tools to do so. For one, the nature of the supernatural elements (that it's all a conspiracy) is difficult to determine from the main story clues alone, especially when you aren't allowed any insight into the protagonist's thoughts. For another, it breaks basic mystery rules - the culprits, the leaders of the main village, are never shown or seen. Breaking basic rules is fine normally, but when it's a visual novel where you're meant to find clues and uncover the truth... nope.

And this leads into the next problem, which is its protagonist - having his thoughts and true nature obscured allowed them to make for nice "twists" and "surprises" for the ending, but makes for a totally incomprehensible character that you can only understand by playing the game again. And, again, makes every single reveal in the ending come out of absolute nowhere.

Ultimately, Raging Loop is a great visual novel up until the end of the third route. After that, all these problems, which didn't affect the Werewolf game story, begin to pop up. It's like partway through their re-enactment of Higurashi, Werewolf-style, they read Umineko and decided to throw in everything they could. Comparing it to Higurashi and Umineko like this is about the only way I can understand the salad-style mixing of their components into incomprehensible mush in the ending.

Honestly can't recommend it as a read. I was very excited to read what came after "Yomi", only to find an abrupt, nonsensical, out-of-nowhere ending using a (really cool!) magic/logic system that should have been foreshadowed from the very beginning.
4 points
#1 by hannibalmick
2021-04-08 at 07:03
< report >The magic aspect is foreshadowed with the character of Rikako (you can assume in the second route that there are surnatural elements given how she healed the main characters).
I think the aspect that could have been foreshadowed ks more the end of the 3rd route.
And concerning the last route, I don't see how you can compare with Umineko, and I think it ties very well with all the presentation in the previous routes about the rituals of the village and the importance of it for the villagers. I agree it could have been introduced more progressively and earlier but it does not came from nowhere neither.
#2 by bernkasmell
2021-04-08 at 23:22
< report >I wouldn't say magic is foreshadowed, considering that you could probably chalk her healing up to some kind of conspiracy very easily. And the magic system's basis and entire workings aren't even touched upon in that scene.

As for how to compares to Umineko? A magic system based around your perception of the world, subjective truths, and with logic concepts also applicable? Ring a bell? Just with less meta.
#3 by flvbycjctnheheh
2021-04-09 at 02:19
< report >You are spot on about game being good until the end of the third route, but imho it deserves more than 6/10 for everything before that alone. The first two routes and most of the third one are probably the best executed story in the "a group playing a killing game" genre. Better than danganronpa or any written novel. And while the last parts of the game are fail, they aren't GOT level of epic fail.
#4 by kiru
2021-04-09 at 07:16
< report >I never liked this game, simply because all the protagonists do is think along in "normal" logical ways, while the players are quickly forced into a bad end proving that that's not gonna fly.

It's like reading an entire story about someone theorizing that the earth is flat, while from the very beginning you know, it's not. To me this was terrible from the very first chapter on. Mind you, that's why I never got past the beginning of the second chapter.Last modified on 2021-04-09 at 07:17
#5 by hannibalmick
2021-04-09 at 10:49
< report >I don't see how it compares to Umineko actually, it's just a visual novel inspired by Japanese folkore and other influences, and I think you misunderstood the thematics of the visual novel since it deals with the influence of traditional beliefs herited by centuries of rituals in this village and how it's important for the villagers even though it makes them doing things perceived (rightly) as cruel. The comparaison is more relevant with Higurashi than Umineko actually since their settings are way more similar and both have a folkroric aspect. And if you go with "it's the same since there are subjective truths", a certain amount of visual novels also deals with this aspect (but in a different way) and it makes not them being inspired by Umineko. I just think you are too obsessed with Umineko (like how some Muv-Luv fans compares everything to Muv-luv) so you make weird comparaisons when there are tons of subtilties in the works that makes it different.
#6 by rewcal
2021-08-16 at 13:13
< report >Not to grave dig an old review but this is spot on.

And yes it definitely is inspired by Higurashi and Umineko.