Finished The House in Fata Morgana tonight; I've been slowing chipping away at it the past couple months. Not for lack of interest, mostly time, but the story kept me coming back. Then I hit Chapter
last night.
I've tried to avoid reading anything story-specific in order to go in fresh, so did not expect how tragic and messed up it truly gets, downright depressing at times
But I'm glad I stuck with it and put it among my favorite VNs next to Steins;Gate and 999. I like that it dealt with themes that I've never experienced before in a game, uncomfortable as it can get. My only knocks against it is the very limited interaction between large sections of dialogue that can drag in certain chapters. It could have used some tidying up some of the longer scenes and closure on certain characters like
but overall a fantastic story and worth the time investment. My overall playtime came in at over 70 hours although it's closer to a 35-40 hour game, it took me as long as it did as I kept it on in the background to listen to the OST (absolutely fantastic) until I bought a separate copy.
Recommended for anyone interested in a unique and dark story; be prepared to read a lot, but the payoff is worth it. I will need to toss a review on Steam once I've had some more time to digest.
Bring on A Requiem For Innocence!