I just finally played this last night. I quite enjoyed it. The story was compelling, and some of the visual effects were particularly inspired; I especially enjoyed the "blood link" and "red dot in your mind" sequences.
When Melissa mentioned that the observable world consists of "dreams of Araiah", I recognized the idea from other mythic traditions, but in particular I thought of this passage from Lewis Carroll's
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There:
`It's only the Red King snoring,' said Tweedledee.
`Come and look at him!' the brothers cried, and they each took one of Alice's hands, and led her up to where the King was sleeping.
`Isn't he a LOVELY sight?" said Tweedledum.
Alice couldn't say honestly that he was. He had a tall red night-cap on, with a tassel, and he was lying crumpled up into a sort of untidy heap, and snoring loud -- `fit to snore his head off!' as Tweedledum remarked.
`I'm afraid he'll catch cold with lying on the damp grass,' said Alice, who was a very thoughtful little girl.
`He's dreaming now,' said Tweedledee: `and what do you think he's dreaming about?'
Alice said `Nobody can guess that.'
`Why, about YOU!' Tweedledee exclaimed, clapping his hands triumphantly. `And if he left off dreaming about you, where do you suppose you'd be?'
`Where I am now, of course,' said Alice.
`Not you!' Tweedledee retorted contemptuously. `You'd be nowhere. Why, you're only a sort of thing in his dream!'
`If that there King was to wake,' added Tweedledum, `you'd go out -- bang! -- just like a candle!'
`I shouldn't!' Alice exclaimed indignantly. `Besides, if I'M only a sort of thing in his dream, what are YOU, I should like to know?'
`Ditto' said Tweedledum.
`Ditto, ditto' cried Tweedledee.
He shouted this so loud that Alice couldn't help saying, `Hush!
You'll be waking him, I'm afraid, if you make so much noise.'
`Well, it no use YOUR talking about waking him,' said Tweedledum, `when you're only one of the things in his dream. You know very well you're not real.'
`I AM real!' said Alice and began to cry.
`You won't make yourself a bit realler by crying,' Tweedledee remarked: `there's nothing to cry about.'
`If I wasn't real,' Alice said -- half-laughing though her tears, it all seemed so ridiculous -- `I shouldn't be able to cry.'
`I hope you don't suppose those are real tears?' Tweedledum interrupted in a tone of great contempt.
`I know they're talking nonsense,' Alice thought to herself: `and it's foolish to cry about it.' So she brushed away her tears, and went on as cheerfully as she could.
This is probably just because I'm an outsider to the otaku and/or VN community, but I found the comedy in the story almost jarring. Of course, there were some really funny moments, though.
One thing that bothered me about the story was
that Melissa didn't try to stop Denz. Even when I accept that, it bothers me that Jason wasn't at all angry at Melissa for helping Denz make his ill-fated protest.
I saw little warning that the story would end when it did, but I didn't feel too cheated, because I was able to appreciate the characters and the relationship that had been developing since the story began. Thanks for making and sharing this.
Peace,
Kazuki Mishima
