Current Events > Anyone here play The House in Fata Morgana? *SPOILERS*

(+) Yeah! (+)

I saw how highly it was rated on MetaCritic about 2 months ago, and was curious about it. Finally finished the story with all ending last night (still need to go through the DLC items, although I am aware that it focuses on Morganas time with the first lord). I was curious what others thought about it?

Personally I liked it, although Im still surprised with just how highly it is rated. I didnt think it was quite that good. IMO, a big weakness is just how wordy the game is. It didnt need to be that long. Characters carry on conversations by repeating information over and over way too frequently. Door 2 with the Bestia is incredibly guilty of this.

Overall though, its still good. Really liked the music at parts. Wish I knew just what the lyrics were at times - I believe I read they are Portuguese. But its music that I can listen to without knowing the words. It gives good vibes.

Also, I woulda been pissed if that game had ended without Michel and Giselle getting together at the end. And I thought they might go that route, with Giselle saying But Ill wait for you and ending it on that note.

An excellent VN. Not on the level of something like Stein's Gate or Clannad, maybe, but few things are.

Its absurdly high rating probably comes from 1: being a bit under the radar fpr most people, and 2: not really having anything particularly objectionable to complain about.

If the worst you can day about a vosual novel is "it felt a bit too wordy sometimes," then it did its job damn well.

I dunno. I felt like it was really well-written, but it was just so damn dreary that the whole thing felt like a slog. Choice was nearly nonexistent too (at least in the base story, which is all I finished) which is pretty sad for a visual novel. I can sort of see why people like it, but it did not resonate with me.

I have it but I haven't had time to play it

Bump

I played it a few years ago on Switch, so I cant recall specific details. I enjoyed it though. Depressing as hell. Also, maybe too long. There were a couple of times when I thought the game was coming to an end, only for there to be dozens of hours remaining. Never got around to playing the DLC.

Yeah it's a good read. A lot of the music is great. It really is a long and gruesome read at times though. There really is a lot of written depictions of violence that really made me feel uncomfortable at times. If ya liked Fata Morgana you have to check out A Requiem for Innocence. It's a companion piece and it's fantastic. Also it goes by a lot quicker than the first one. The story is about Morgana/Jacopo and Maria I think was her name.

*cracks knuckles*

YES.

It's my favorite video game of all time and I highly recommend it to anyone who even slightly enjoys VNs.

It's very and singularly focused on reading (IE, no gameplay if you specifically want the gameplay elements of Ace Attorney/Danganronpa/Zero Escape/etc.), but the story is fantastic, the art is incredible, and the OST rules. No game has ever made me cry more than that one.

Highly, highly, highly, highly recommend to anyone even slightly interested.

Really glad to see more love for it out there.

IronChef_Kirby posted...

I dunno. I felt like it was really well-written, but it was just so damn dreary that the whole thing felt like a slog. Choice was nearly nonexistent too (at least in the base story, which is all I finished) which is pretty sad for a visual novel. I can sort of see why people like it, but it did not resonate with me.

Also, while this is true, I kind of feel like that aspect just made the ending all the more satisfying.

I feel like the depressing stuff makes it that much more satisfying when the ending is so hopeful in a way that feels totally earned.

It is a game that probably best described as one that essentially the only people who will even find out about it are the ones that will like it. It's super underground in all non-VN circles, and even in those it isn't even in the circles for the most popular VN's (Phoenix Wright, Danganronpa, etc.). Thus if you've heard about it at all you heard about it from someone very into VN's in the first place.

Kamil posted...

A Requiem for Innocence. It's a companion piece and it's fantastic.

I am in the middle of that. Still fairly early on. Jacopo has overthrown the lord and he just had a drinking contest.

It's very good and both the main game and Requiem for Innocence brought me to tears, and very few games can do that.

My only complaints would be that the beginning chapters are a real slog and paced pretty badly. Obviously you can't get rid of them but they could have done with trimming the fat out.

I tried about 30 minutes of the extra chapter unlocked after Requiem where it's set in the present day. I just couldn't get into it, clearly written by a different, worse team.

Trelve posted...

It's very good and both the main game and Requiem for Innocence brought me to tears, and very few games can do that.

My only complaints would be that the beginning chapters are a real slog and paced pretty badly. Obviously you can't get rid of them but they could have done with trimming the fat out.

I tried about 30 minutes of the extra chapter unlocked after Requiem where it's set in the present day. I just couldn't get into it, clearly written by a different, worse team.

For what it's worth, Reincarnation is apparently extremely low-stakes and nowhere near essential for the story, so you're not missing much by skipping it.

In fact, it's not even available on Steam (where FM is its own game, and Requiem is sold completely separately, albeit for much cheaper). From what I understand, yeah, it was made well after the fact by largely different people. The general impression that I get from seeing others discuss it is that it's alright, but also completely skippable.

I was surprised to see there was some epilogue thing on consoles only. I've only read these two games on Steam.

So I believe I just finished part 1 of Requiem. Basically, Jacopo has overthrown the lord and Ceren is dead.

At this point Requiem just seems like it is a much lower quality of storytelling to me. I intend to finish it because Ive poured a ton of hours into this so far, so Id like to see it through to the end.

Finished Requiem. I enjoyed it as a whole, but I do think it was still below the quality of the main story.

Assento Dele (the story about Imeon) seemed a bit out of place, but it was short and nice.

Happily Ever ~After~ I really liked that. At the very beginning of it, I was thinking that I didnt need to see how their future would pay off, but I ended up liking it a lot. And I was beaming at the end shot of Giselle and Michel seemingly reuniting with Morgana.

Gonna start Fragment soon.

Assento Dele was awesome. I believe they explain this in the post credits wrap up thing (that is completely out of character). If I remember right that was a written fiction that they decided to recreate for that game specifically. It didn't feel out of place I thought for the general tone of the game. I do wish more of the side stories got that kind of care because I was like wow there is a lot of extra content and oh most of it is just all text.

I actually really liked Requiem. It had absolutely the happiest moments in either game but knowing the original story...... Plus it was a faster experience. I think some stuff did drag a lot in the first game mostly Door 2, but it still was overall an awesome read though too.

Happily Ever After was nice. I do think it was good to throw that into Requiem too considering how that one read out.

I revisited FM recently when someone I know streamed it. I was surprised by just how much all of Requiem was foreshadowed in the base game. There are obvious things like Maria's writing, but there's a line that mentions a visitor to the mansion during a period of time where Michel is otherwise alone, which is a direct reference to Assento Dele.

It's clear that Requiem was planned pretty thoroughly in advance, which I appreciate.

Anyway, yeah, I think that the base game beats Requiem, but I still think Requiem is strong. It fills in Jacopo's character really nicely and elevates him a lot for me, it's a much more comprehensive look at the events that you don't really get to see super well in the base game, and most of the new characters for it are good. Also more of badass past Maria is always a plus in my book, she's great.

The music in Requiem is more focused too, though less variety. A lot of times the music in Fata Morgana 1 it'll fit the scene but the same playful tune with vocals will repeat over and over while reading it can get distracting hearing it repeatedly while trying to read and get into the story. This is more of a complaint for earlier doors but nonetheless.

I forget one of the new characters in Requiem it was the one new girl who worked at the brothel. (I tried to look it up). I wanted to mention that one of the surprisingly happiest moments was when they all went to the fair festival in the slums. There was so much joy there.

I played it back during the summer of 2019. Great story and characters. Beautiful music, too.

Ive been making my way through Reincarnation. The stuff with Michel & Giselle was ok. Marie is a minor character and Yukimasa basically has only made a cameo appearance. But dear lord, the Nellie & Mell part is just dragging on forever.

I heard there are some other stories that aren't translated out there on the net. I should look into that more. Not sure if they are vusual novels or just untranslated fiction. I've been listening to a lot of songs on youtube lately.

Reincarnation was made for the console/Vita release iirc. I only played the two on Steam. Also isn't Reincarnation voice acted? It would seem so weird (at first) to hear some of these characters voiced officially.

Kamil posted...

Reincarnation was made for the console/Vita release iirc. I only played the two on Steam. Also isn't Reincarnation voice acted? It would seem so weird (at first) to hear some of these characters voiced officially.

Yep, its voice acted in Japanese.

The_Popo posted...

Yep, its voice acted in Japanese.

Oh not American too? I remember reading somewhere it was voice acted and thinking huh how about that.

Finished Reincarnation - and in doing so, unlocked the platinum trophy. Large parts of reincarnation really dragged on, but the ending was ultimately very satisfying.

There are several short stories as well, so I may go through them. Based on the first 2 paragraphs, the first one seems to be about what happens in the aftermath of Nellie and her fianc calling off the wedding in the 1600s (I dont think it is a spoiler necessarily, since it is how the first two paragraphs start, but Id rather leave the subject matter a surprise for anyone who does not want to know anything).

Kamil posted...

Oh not American too? I remember reading somewhere it was voice acted and thinking huh how about that.

I dont mind Japanese dubs with English subtitles, particularly when that is how the media was originally released. By it seemed weird to me at first, with a game that takes place in Europe to be in Japanese. I got over it quickly, but I woulda really preferred it with an English dub. And Im not sure that Ive ever said that about anything before.

That's interesting. Just wondering but have you have ever tried Steins;Gate or Robotics;Notes? I am currently reading R:N and I know S:G is more popular than Fata Morgana. But I found out after playing 13:Sentinels: Aegis Rim. I really like these stories that don't always need a ton of action and or aren't just about romance. I thought the battles in 13 Sentinels were fun too.

That's how I got into Steins;Gate and I eventually took a shot on these Fata Morgana reads.

I own Steins;Gate, but just havent gotten around to it yet. I will eventually. you didnt mention Chaos;Head, but that is apparently available on several platforms as well. Same with Chaos;Child.

I think the only games that Ive ever played that would even be somewhat considered as visual novels in any capacity are

All Ace Attorney games but Investigations 2 (will play it eventually with the new collection)
The 3 Danganronpas
The 3 Zero Escape games
428 Shibuya Scramble
Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind
The House in Fata Morgana

The only one I didnt complete of those is 428. I got bored of it somewhat early on. I feel like I should give it another shot at some point.

Steins;Gate is the best starting point, though I dunno how much these games are connected though I didn't play any of the Chaos games. I just played the three Steins;Gate and well I posted a bunch of Spoilery stuff on the appropriate board here about it (in spoiler tags because there is really no reason to read this if you know a lot of the story because, that's all there really is).

People say you need to play Chaos before playing Robotics;Notes, but I doubt that. Plus I'll probably get Anonymous Code when it goes on sale for the Winter Steam thing. I got Robotics;Notes:Elite for 7 bucks during a recent MAGES sale, A, Code was only 30 on sale. Selling a VN for a 60 that's not a pro tip.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/2/21df4130.jpg

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As for Steins;Gate, the Chaos; entries and Robotics;Notes, all the games in the Science Adventure series are very much connected and build off each other with each installment.

Steins;Gate has slight references to Chaos;Head but going forward each game refers back to previous entries in the series with Robotics;Notes requiring knowledge of Chaos;Head and Steins;Gate. Chaos;Child is a sequel to Chaos;Head and Anonymous;Code is related to every single previous entry in some way or another.

I love the Science Adventure series because of how it's connected and how the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. If playing on PC, I'd recommend picking up the Committee of Zero patches for each game which add a lot of translation fixes and consistency with terminology. Chaos;Head Noah's original translation is almost unreadable without the CoZ patch.

But this is a Fata Morgana topic, sorry for talking about SciAdv a bit too much.

I brought it up because I was curious if TC tried that series. I played Steins;Gate all of them and there are some terms that are just easter eggs and Nae is in Robotics;Notes: Elite for some reason. As if that really matters. I can believe possibly that there are some other terms from Chaos Head that can matter, more but all the Steins;Gate references are just "but I refuse" minor references so far I am not marking this because it's part of the promotional material. Daru is in the fan game after where he just hits on everyone. It doesn't seem so weird honestly with how horny Frau is.

I am playing Robotics;Notes Elite on Steam with the CoZ patch.

Kamil posted...

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THE GOOD (I woulda stopped reading if this didnt eventually happen)

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/0/043ce26f.jpg

THE BAD (This fate wasnt as bad as Morganas, but I still felt horrible about it)

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/7/75ed36ac.jpg

THE UGLY (Fuck this character)

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/0/0f93bb50.jpg

I couldn't sleep damn yet. I was going to talk about Jacopo more and Requiem spoilers now it really is interesting to learn a lot more about his backstory in his original life. I think his life in Fata Morgana was just another life of pain he was forced to live because of the witch's curse. He wasn't likable there at all, though the beast was still worse.

Jacopo really wanted to be not bad like the old lord who seemed absolutely horrible and while his advisor at the time had the right idea about not showing you are a pushover to the other realms and going into mercantile trade by the time he wanted to help the slums out that he came from it was just too way way too late.

Such a beautifully sad song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De1HHsKs8gk&list=LL&index=13

Ok this is watchable, and listenable. Foolish dreams. >:( *tears* There is no context :P kinda like the first picture I showed.

Giselle is my favorite song in the story. I hear it and I think Two people dealt a very shit hand in life who finally have a chance at some happiness, as short lived as it may be.

Also, I love that in finishing all aspects of the story, it unlocks the soundtrack, complete with lyrics and translations from the Portuguese lyrics.

https://youtu.be/uTBlhe7iVyU

Seeing the title screen change really does mean a lot. Requiem does that too. I happen to be here still. I've been pushing through Robotics;Notes heh just recently. Fata Morgana was a lot of stop you to listen music as the moment happens.

Giselle is a great song.

FM made me cry a lot, but that title screen at the end totally got me one last time.

The entire ending was so beautiful, seeing them finally get to be together and be genuinely happy after fighting so hard for so long, and seeing the music and visuals change as the curse is finally lifted really got me. It's just the perfect song for them & to show how hopeful the ending is despite the tragic nature of a lot of the game.

It was great, ya'll probably don't remember but when there was the visual novel discussion here it was all the sexual ones and I was the one posting here about Fata Morgana, Steins;Gate and some really obscure ones.

Ive gotten really slow about finishing the remaining short stories. They dont seem to add a lot, and I wonder if they are written by the same people as the original story. They seem different.