Introduction, impressions, and strategy notes for the free game "The House of the Fleeting Flowers: Hell Chapter".

This article is about "The House of Fleeting Flowers: Hell Chapter," the fourth installment in the House of Fleeting Flowers series.
This work feels like the culmination of the series, and as a death game story, it was very interesting.
This time, I'll be writing an introduction, my impressions, and some strategy notes about this game.

Game Introduction

This film is not connected to the first three films in the series; it takes place in a parallel world where the character settings are reused.
Therefore, the characters' fates from previous installments are irrelevant, and the settings have been subtly altered.
While it's not necessarily bad to start with this game, you'll probably enjoy it more if you play from the first game if possible.

The game itself can be completed in about three hours.
It might be more accurate to think of it as a visual novel with mini-games, rather than a game in the traditional sense.
There are a fair number of options, but the story doesn't change drastically; it's basically a linear path.
However, the direction is very skillful, and even if the plot is predetermined, it is crafted in a way that makes it not feel that way.
In particular, tense strategic battles unfold during competitive gaming sessions.
As expected from a work written by a professional novelist, the episodes and stories of each character are very engaging.

The difficulty level is moderate, but you can basically clear it easily by reloading your save file.
There are some games where you have no choice but to think for yourself, so in those cases, you just have to rack your brains.
For any parts where you might get stuck, I've included strategy notes in the latter half of the article, so please refer to them.

For those who enjoy death game stories, this is a classic example of the genre and will undoubtedly be enjoyable.
Please give it a try.

My thoughts (with some minor spoilers)

I often got a game over, but the save opportunities were helpful, so I was able to enjoy playing the game.
The opening sequence is a typical and exciting start to a death game story.
Furthermore, it's packed with elements that appeal to adolescent sensibilities, such as a group full of eccentrics, a hierarchy, and the skills they possess.
It had an interesting element of ability-based battles, and I ended up playing through it all in one go.
The timing of the plot twists and the revelations of mysteries is exquisite, showcasing the author's skill.

Each character was well-developed, and I was able to empathize with them deeply.
The main characters' background wasn't explored much in the first three installments, but it's thoroughly explained in this film.
The protagonists in the first film had a more hopeless abnormality, which gave them a darker appeal.
This latest work feels a bit more mainstream and milder.

The ending sets up a sequel, and I can't wait for it.
The story is starting to resemble "As the Gods Will," and I feel like the scale has grown considerably.
In any case, the fact that characters from previous works are all gathered together is a welcome feature for fans of the series.
Some of the characters' backstories, which are not revealed in this game, can be found by playing previous titles in the series.
If you enjoyed this game, I highly recommend playing the previous titles as well.

Strategy Notes (Contains Spoilers)

詰まりそうなところやポイントを拾って、攻略メモを作ってみました。
If you want to solve it yourself, please do not look at this.

First Floor - Warashibe Museum

- Warashibe-kan (You can earn up to 100 points)
Since making a mistake in the procedure can be irreversible, we recommend saving beforehand.

*If you buy "stones" outside, you can sell them inside for 100 points.
However, it's meaningless unless you get 100 points internally.

Talk to the man in the room on the right and exchange straw for insects (strange things).
- Give the "insect" to the Grim Reaper in exchange for 5 points. (Even insects have "life.")
- Purchase sweets from the merchant in the middle for 5 points.
Give the sweets to the hungry man in the room on the left and get the watch.
Even when I offered them sweets again, they refused, saying they were tired of them.
You'll get 30 points if you give the apple, but you'll get stuck afterward, so give the apple to the horse instead.
Even handing them the horse itself elicited no reaction.
- Give your wristwatch to the man in the room on the right who is having trouble because his clock is broken, and you will receive a ring.
Give the ring to the woman in the room on the left and obtain the crystal.
However, if you have already exchanged points earned from selling stones for a kimono and gold bars, they will not exchange them again.
Sell the crystal to the female merchant in the room on the right and get 30 points.
- Purchase the finest medicine from the merchant in the middle.
Give the best medicine to the man in the central room to obtain an apple.
The "healing potions" that can be purchased outside the building are ineffective.
Using a skill or selecting "Help" results in a game over.
Give the apple to the horse on the left to obtain the horse.
- You can get 50 points by giving the horse to the Grim Reaper.
If you sell it to the female merchant, you only get 40 points.
- Buy a kimono from a merchant.
- If you give the kimono to the woman in the room on the left, you can obtain a gold bar.
- Selling the gold bars to the merchant in the room on the right will earn you 70 points.
Use your skill on the stone tablet in the room on the right to transfer the wound to yourself.
The instructions say, "Offer the finest items," but even if you offer the finest medicine or clothing, they will only disappear.
You can get 100 points by putting in a gold bar.

Floor 1 - True Clear Conditions

In the opening explanation, Revy explains that the clear condition is to obtain something worth "100 points".
In other words, simply having 100 points is not enough to clear the level, so please be aware of this.
The objective is to purchase six "stones" from the item shop.
The final announcement, which says it will lock "all buildings except the Item Hall," is a hint that you have to do something there.

Second Floor - Quiz Door

The first problem is Schrödinger's cat.
It's likely that the poisonous gas would start to be released in 10 minutes, so they would probably still be alive at that moment.
Therefore, ○.

Here's the second question, a quiz about national flags.
The total is 50 for the United States, 50 for Singapore, 1 for Turkey, 3 for the Philippines, 6 for Australia, 4 for New Zealand, and 2 for Panama.
Therefore, ○.

Here is the third quiz question.
Based on the keyboard layout, the statement "The moon is larger than the sun" is incorrect.

For the fourth quiz question, carefully examine the person who created the question.

For question 5, you can get the correct answer by simply getting a feel for the overall tone of the story.

Final Round - One or Two

They're quite formidable opponents, but if you can figure out their patterns, they're not so scary.
Use banned cards to break down your opponent's guard and aim for massive damage.

- Opponent's pattern
Turn 1: Opponent's card K, Forbidden card A
Turn 2 - Opponent's cards: 8 + 9
Turn 3 - Opponent's card A, Banned card 10
Turn 4 - Opponent's cards: 10 + 7
Turn 5 - Opponent's card: Q, Forbidden card: K
Turn 6 - Opponent's card J