Dear [Name] (Free Suspense Adventure) - Introduction and Review

This time, I'll be introducing some adventure games with interesting stories.
This is a work created by "Satsuki no Yume," and the title is "To My Dearest ○○."
The meaning of the title will be completely different depending on the ending you reach.

Since it was created with the WOLF RPG Editor, it's not a visual novel-style game where you read text throughout.
It's an adventure game where you walk around like in an RPG, talking to people and examining objects to solve mysteries.

It took me about 3 hours to complete it.
It wasn't a very long game, but I enjoyed it very much.
It's best to approach this game with the expectation that it's about the length of a thick mystery novel.

Game Overview

The story centers around Tsukasa, a female college student who suffers from stalking.
The creepy harassment gradually escalates, leading to a terrifying experience.

This isn't just a visual novel where you simply read text; there are plenty of opportunities to explore rooms and other areas.
Depending on your actions and choices at that time, you will encounter different developments and endings.

There are also moments where the perspective switches to another character, and you control that character.
There are also puzzles to solve, so if you don't understand...Official websiteYou should check out strategy guides.

About the ending (no spoilers)

There are three types of endings: good ending, bad ending 1, and bad ending 2.

When the protagonist experiences fear, their "fear level" increases, leading to bad ending 2.
Bad Ending 2 leaves the mystery unresolved, so try your best to get Bad Ending 1 on your first playthrough.
Since it was originally intended to be the main story, I think bad ending 1 is the most fitting.

Getting the good ending without any hints is practically impossible.
In practice, it would be difficult unless you've played through it a second time or later.
In the second playthrough, "inner thoughts of characters other than the protagonist," which were not present in the first playthrough, will be inserted.
Even if it's the same sentence, it's better not to skip it.

If you can't solve the puzzles along the way on your own, just look up a walkthrough website.
It's not that relevant to the main plot, so if you just want to enjoy the story, I don't think you need to insist on solving it on your own.

My impressions after playing the game (contains spoilers)

First of all, the beautiful graphics made it very approachable.
And as for the story, I was completely fooled.

The story had a clever twist: it made you think this person was a stalker, then made you think they were actually a friend, and then...
Furthermore, the narrative tricks related to the younger brother, or rather, the tricks unique to the game, were brilliant.
I thought it would end up being a typical split-personality twist, but I never expected it to be a time-axis trick.

Bad ending 1 was the most straightforward and I liked it the best.
It leaves a bad taste in your mouth, but I think this is probably how it would normally end.
At Tsukasa's wake, her parents' words really hit home.
It's a common occurrence in reality for innocent people to be killed, but it's still heartbreaking.
The good ending is a bit contrived, but I think it was good that it was provided in order for Tsukasa to be saved.

As I played more carefully, I noticed that there were various hints provided to help me figure out the tricks.
For example, if Tsukasa's indoor photos are taken during the daytime, but another personality took them late at night, the time of day would be different.
I did notice something odd during my first playthrough, but I didn't think about it too deeply, so I failed to figure out the author's trick.

I thoroughly enjoyed the show, especially the main tricks, and even the moments where I was fooled.
It was very interesting.

Character impressions (with spoilers)

・Tsukasa
A poor woman who, without knowing it, becomes the target of hatred and is ultimately murdered.
Because she was such a capable child who could do everything on her own, I think she probably didn't know how to rely on others very often.
The good ending provides a happy conclusion, which left a good feeling.
If it were to be published as a novel, I think bad ending 1 would be the best storyline.

・Touma
She has a charming contrast between her love for Doraemon and her fear of mice, but you only get to see this in the good ending route.
Even though he's playing the hero, he somehow seems to have a rather weak presence...

Shiho
In a sense, he could be considered the unsung hero.
The only route where she can be happy is bad ending 2, and her smile is a must-see.
But what exactly is the mechanism behind the hole in the bathroom?
I'm sorry to say, but I couldn't help but laugh when I saw someone fall out the window and get impaled and die.
What's more, even the lid activates.
In order to keep the facts of what happens on land from changing, there certainly needs to be a woman's corpse...
Cheers to the decisiveness of stealing the keys from a friend who was dozing off and rushing to the locksmith in the middle of a lecture!

・Aso
In a sense, he's a character meant to be a stepping stone for others.
Having such an obvious stalker (or potential stalker) as him misleads the reader into thinking that Touma might be the stalker, thus fueling their fear.
It seems they eventually reached a settlement, which shows that Tsukasa is quite generous.

Yosuke
He appears as if he were Tsukasa's younger brother.
He seems like a carefree guy, but since he got into the same university as Riku, it looks like he worked hard on his entrance exams.
A dog-like boy who cares deeply for his older sister.
I hope they find happiness in bad ending 2.

·land
He appears as if he were Tsukasa's male personality.
This means you'll be playing the role of a detective.
He's a guy who loves his sister so much that he immediately comes to investigate even though it hasn't been long since she went missing.
By the way, were you originally holding the key to your sister's room, or was the door already unlocked?
Judging from the follow-up conversation with Yosuke, he seems to have a reasonable way of thinking and appears to feel some sympathy for Yosuke, the culprit's younger brother.
In bad ending 1, where the sister dies, I'm not sure how you would interact with her...

summary

I wrote a review that contains various spoilers.
I think it was an excellent adventure game in terms of misleading the player.
It's not a very long game, so if you're even slightly interested, I recommend giving it a try.