Review of Fata Morgana no Yakata
| Subject | Fata Morgana no Yakata |
| By | Helpfulness: 1 Vote: 10ThomVD on 2023-03-25 |
| Review | Mystery is one of my favourite genres, but also a genre in which I only love a few works. Mystery is so hard to do right, both in terms of keeping the story engaging while not being confusing, and having a satisfying answer to all the questions that the reader has had over the course of the story. To come across a story like Fata Morgana, which does such an incredible job with its mystery, is such a pleasure. Twisting its story and changing your perspective of situations so many times without it ever getting confusing or convoluted, and having a record amount of plottwists without ever having any misses. The story has so many different plot threads that are being woven together into this beautiful tapestry, giving you an enormous amount of "aha" moments in which you recall an earlier part of the story that suddenly makes sense. While its mystery is excellent, it's merely the method in which the story is told, rather than what the story is truly about. Fata Morgana at its core is a tragedy. A story about a group of characters thrown in the most harrowing, painful, difficult situations imaginable. Flawed, human characters who often act out of fear and ignorance, who make mistakes, who hold grudges, who do awful things. But while it deals with an abundance of themes, such as identity, communication, loneliness, fear, bigotry, hatred, coping with unbearable pain and a lot more, Fata Morgana is ultimately a story about forgiveness. About hope, salvation and love. It's one of the most powerful and beautiful love stories I've had the pleasure to come across. And it handles all of its themes with nuance, with delicate care. It's wonderful. If I had any problems with the game, it would be a couple of pacing issues. Some parts drag a little long when we've already gotten the point. But other than that I struggle to think of any. Despite the scope, complexity and depth of its story and characters, I simply can't think of any loose ends or anything it truly dropped the ball on. Lastly I want to mention some of its most immediately striking aspects. The atmosphere, art and music are among the best I've found so far in the visual novel medium, which is a high bar. The soundtrack is utterly enchanting and unique, and greatly enhances the emotional, harrowing, eerie and euphoric moments of the story. The VN delivers in every way when it comes to telling its story. It's an experience I'll absolutely never forget, and I struggle to put into words how impressive this story is to me. So I'll leave it at that. +Mystery done to utter perfection. +Heartwrenchingly beautiful story about salvation and forgiveness. +One of the most powerful love stories to be found. +Enchanting and magical soundtrack. +Incredibly atmospheric. Does a perfect job capturing different time periods. +Nuanced, human, flawed and very well written characters. +Pitch perfect localization and English writing quality. -Some pacing issues at certain parts where it drags longer than it needs to. -Can be harrowing and depressing to the point of almost feeling too much. Not for the faint of heart. -The music doesn't always loop well, meaning the music might go silent at some of the most important moments with bad timing. Best girl: Giselle. Best chapter: difficult one, probably door 5. |
| 1 point |