Developer/publisher: Zombilica, Hunex/Dramatic Create.
Platform: PC,switch.
Official Site: N/A.
Official Site: N/A.
Release date: 19-9-2024
Not sure what to play next I decided to give The Town of Nie a try! I don't really play much
BL games and this is actually my first. I read a few manga's but that was it.
Since it has an english release that is what I am playing as I do want to support those releases.
I played the switch version which I knew was already toned down as most PC to console port
tend to be, not sure what was supposed to be different but only a handful of scenes were IMO bad.
Pro's
- Interesting setting and characters.
- Pretty decent art, Hisora has a sprite as well as VA.
Grey area
- Music fit the setting and mood but some tracks are quite mid.
- The OP did not automatically play when booting up the game, only when lingering on title screen.
Con's
- Some translation errors; most could've been fixed if it had a QA sweep.
- Sound effects were annoying; first time in long while I had to put it on lowest setting.
- Copypasta; some scenes are the same in every route that you can't readskip.
This was a supernatural VN, it has suspense and some gore to go along with it
but moments that it got gorey were relatively minor.
I wasn't really sure what kind of story it was trying to tell but there were moments
when I was like is this really a BL game? the narrative was interesting
so I was easily hooked, I liked how everything was slowly introduced
and I got a better picture of what was going on. It also didn't feel like it tried
too hard to get that japanese supernatural ghost stories effect.
Hisora as a protagonist was pretty okay, he wasn't a total asshole unlike some other
protagonist from another supernatural VN I recently sat through.
Though I did feel that he kind of felt idk bland? in general he seemed like some normal dude
but there was not much that stood out to him other than being a workaholic.
By the time of Naruomi's route I thought that Hisora was cute but a big idiot.
Hisora is also voiced and has his own sprite while the LI and important characters are
also voiced, minor characters on the other hand without sprites aren't and they only have grunts.
You can really see where the dev's cut their losses.
The art was pretty good in terms of sprite and CG's but the backgrounds
really varied like there were some good pieces but some weren't as great as others.
Some bgm's really added to the setting but much like backgrounds it varied.
There were some bgm tracks that were honestly really average to just plain out of place.
Like yea imma bang my head to that one rock bgm.............. ๐ The bgm for tense situations
also ended up being a pain on my ears I lowered the bgm volume to 1 so I think that says enough.
The Town of Nie is one of the few VN that has me really mixed on its OST.
Also the sound effect for bringing up the backlog or menu was annoying
and quickly grew on my nerves so that too had to be put on the lowest setting.
There was one more sound effect which was supposed to be kids laughing but it was like
1-2 seconds on repeat. These minor slights really brought the experience down.
Translation wise... there be errors, some of them can easily be corrected
but it seems this could have done with another Q&A sweep.
For the most part it read pretty well so I can let it slide.
System wise its standard VN stuff, the common route had map movement
and this is also what decides which route you land on.
The common route could seem long atleast I thought it did when I checked a guide
but it wasn't at all, the game was paced quite well and it didn't drag on at all.
Said common route served its purpose of slowly setting up the route itself and I liked
how it really felt like Hisora stayed at some inn that wasn't exactly normal
while still trying to find out whatever this place was.
The early hours can seem like this is a non-romance VN, Hisora is pretty much a normal guy
who doesn't really think about romance so it can seem like its not a BL game.
The most gay thing Hisora said early on was call Koko sexy.๐
It was of course a BL game and there were plenty of cute scenes with the guys.
Due to spending time with a LI he does develop feelings, in some routes it done better than others.
I liked the romance more in routes that weren't Mio
I have never played a BL game before so I have nothing to compare it to but this was pretty OK.
I generally had a good time despite there being some gore/horror elements. Maybe it was due
to the stellar cast and decent amount of suspense. Though the horror felt more like it was there
on the side, there weren't many jumpscares or anything only one that caught me
offguard in Naruomi's route. There's only one creepy looking CG in the beginning
but I was disappointed there wasn't more of that. Some descriptions were horrific
but it also was done in a comical way? atleast there was no pictures of eyeballs
or innards falling out but I do think this game would have been scarier if there
had been more cg's or sprites to give more details cuz text is just text.
If I actually had to see some of that shit it I'd probably lose it like Hisora did...๐
Maybe some stuff was reserved for bad ends but I stayed away from those.
Also there was atleast WTF is this shit moment in most route
but the rest was relatively normal tbh. It also ended up feeling
more like a comedy like how was Asuku's route not a comedy?!๐
still The Town of Nie didn't shy away from being dark. Most of it is reserved for
bad ends but that tone is still present and some routes like Koko hit hard.
7/10
In the end I stayed for the characters and wanted to do their routes simply
to understand them better. I didn't really like Mio's route due some scenes here and there
but by the time of his good end most was forgiven, he's not a bad character but I do think
some things could have been handled better. It won't take four routes to figure out who
mister mourning clothes was but its a shame you can't read skip the scene at the end of the route.
I suppose this game was designed that no matter who you go for some things need to be
explained no matter what before it can end. It can be a bit repetitive as well making the only
reasons to do more routes more or less for the LI themselves and whatever secrets they carried.
The game has a FD but I am not sure if I will get to it anytime soon... i'm also not sure
if its worth it because if it doesn't have cute after stories or fun SoL scenes
and more weird stuff it definitely isn't for me.
TL;DR What I really liked from this game was the suspense,mystery and fun SoL scenes
everything else varied greatly, some cute romantic scenes were there but it was not enough.
Honestly when I think about BL that I like Sasaki and Miyano come to mind.
The Town of Nie wasn't exactly suited for my tastes but atleast I did like some of it
and its not that bad of a VN, I did like the story and it stayed true to what it tried to do.
Its just that this sort of setting is nothing new and I thought I'd seen it somewhere before.
Ultimately while the characters and setting were great the game is dragged down
by annoying sound effects and copypasta. After the first play it essentially becomes
a character game but by route 4 I was getting tired of the repetitiveness.
The game was obviously censored but it was done in such a way you could still
understand what originally had transpired and that doesn't sit well with me
because why even bother to change it in the first place?! meh.
I used a guide for the game and it is recommended that if you care about the story
to play in the order of: Mio > Asuku > Koko > Naruomi > True.
Personally I think Mio/Asuku/Koko can be done in any order as anything sorta goes
but Naruomi definitely last due to how easily he ties into the truth end.
This game also has bad ends with content that may be a bit much for some and since I am here
only for the story and shipping I decided it would be better to use that guide
and avoid andmines that could hinder enjoyment.
Route babbles after the jump and there might be some spoilers below as well as my fav CG's
so if you still want to play this then stop reading here, kthnx bye.
