Shigetsu Youka ~April 8th~ (Free, full-length horror novel) Review 1 (No Spoilers) - Introduction (Overall progress 0% to 27%, playtime 13 hours)

I finally got around to playing "Shigetsu Youka ~April 8th~," a free horror adventure game that I'd been curious about for a while.
It was an incredibly substantial game for a free game, and the level of detail and production quality was amazing.
I haven't completed the entire game yet, but I've finished the first scenario, "The Cursed Killing Arc," so I thought I'd give a spoiler-free introduction to the game.

Game Overview

Basically, it's a traditional visual novel game where you progress by reading through the text.
In my case, it took 64 hours to completely complete the game.
The genre, at least for now, seems to be a mix of elements from horror, mystery, and science fiction.
Although it's a visual novel, it incorporates various clever features and is designed to be easy to play.

Scenario Navigation

This work is divided into many small scenes, and new scenes are unlocked as you complete each scene.
While the story is basically linear, new routes become available through branching paths once you reach the end of the main scenario.
The locations where the content has increased are immediately obvious on this scenario selection screen, making it very easy to understand.

Novel screen

This is the main game screen.
The text is color-coded so you can see at a glance who is speaking.
Furthermore, in the narrative text, words describing characters are highlighted in color, demonstrating a similar user-friendly design.

Another thing I found interesting was the number of characters displayed at the top of the screen.
You can see at a glance how many characters make up that scene and what percentage you have read so far.
If you manage to read to the end, you will be returned to the scenario navigation screen.
This allows players to see how much longer the scene will last, making it an interesting system that helps them decide when to stop playing.
I think this is a great feature, as it's something that seems like it should have existed before but didn't.

Reference

You may obtain "References" as you progress through the game.
This is like a "file" in the "Resident Evil" series, and serves as reference material for a deeper understanding of the story.
Even if you don't understand the meaning of something immediately after acquiring it, you might understand its meaning later.
Furthermore, there are many intriguing details, which stimulate the imagination regarding future developments and mysteries.

You can earn points by browsing and researching these references.
Some references can only be viewed properly by spending points, so it's a good idea to carefully examine the references you acquire.
Some games involve examining objects, while others are presented in a scenario format that you read through.

dictionary

In addition, newly introduced terms, phrases, and information about people are also registered in the "dictionary" and can be viewed.
While less important than the reference materials, viewing them allows you to gain a deeper understanding of the work's world and perceive the story in a more comprehensive way.

Review (no spoilers)

What surprised me most when playing the game was the level of detail and craftsmanship.
It's clear that a considerable amount of time and effort went into creating the graphics, music, presentation, and features.
The references and dictionaries outside of the novel section are also well-made, making it a highly polished work.

The most important part, the scenario, is also very interesting, and the plot keeps you wanting to know what happens next.
At the point where I finished playing, I had only just grasped the superficial facts of the incident, and the whole picture remains a mystery.
Of course, there are some things we can infer from the references and other sources, such as "this is probably what it means," but we still don't have enough information.
I feel the same excitement I felt when I first played the Onikakushi arc of "Higurashi When They Cry."

Just like with "Higurashi When They Cry," it's incredibly fun to speculate and try to figure out the truth in these early stages before it's revealed.
I'm sure the mystery will be solved if I read the scenario to the end, but right now I really want to enjoy the lingering feeling of being shrouded in mystery.
The next scenario is "The Clearing Chapter," and I'm really looking forward to playing it.

If you enjoy elements of mystery, horror, fantasy, and science fiction, I recommend giving it a try.
Although it's quite a long novel, it's filled with techniques that keep you engaged, so I think you'll really enjoy it.