Good but...
Personally speaking I have a large
Willing Suspension Of Disbelief. It's why I can enjoy
Widget Series. So when I started Analogue and played through it, I could accept the
Days Of Future Past and things like that. I could accept the overwhelming cynicism. I could accept a lot of things. Objectively speaking, it is an improved version of
Digital A Love Story due to it's more complex plot and characters.
It's just that it tries to portray itself as realistic and fails.
Hard. The themes it portrays are so feministic and overblown that it feels like it was written like a
Straw Feminist. Yes, I get that oppression of women
is terrible. I don't need to be reminded over and over again by
Melodrama and overwhelming amounts of
Domestic Abuse caused by people who live in a backwards society. There's just so much outright
hatred for men that it gets annoying.
I know that as I type, societies still oppress women. Probably to a worse degree than in this
Visual Novel. I have seen shit and I am not naive. However, even a
Broken Bird can show a genuine smile. When a person who sits high on their ivory tower looks down around them, they assume that everyone who lives down there must be miserable and pitiable. What they can't see are those very people finding simple joys in everyday life and genuinely
smiling even as they wallow in poverty and oppression.
In short, it's Good, but it had a very bad aftertaste. I can see someone who can accept the themes liking this
Visual Novel, but I think that it's stupidly cynical.
Love It Or Hate It Up To Eleven.
Controversial viewpoints aside, is it still worth $10?
comment #15226
Nettacki
6th Jul 12
comment #15228
encrypted12345
6th Jul 12
I don't think that there was hatred for men in the game. Most of the men treated the women poorly, but all of the antagonists were just the product of a horrible culture. Hyun-ae hated them and said she couldn't forgive them, which is understandable, but I don't think that we're supposed to blindly hate them, considering the dialogue options that allow you to show pity for them. Besides, some of the men were decent, like the drunkard and the guy studying to become the next High Magistrate.
comment #15953
NG14916
29th Aug 12
Whoops, pressed submit early. I think this is a case of Some Anvils Need to Be Dropped. Besides, Hyun-ae did find some reasons to smile for a while, such as spending time with the queen and having sex.
comment #15954
NG14916
29th Aug 12
comment #16021
maninahat
5th Sep 12
comment #16320
MartialArtsMaster
29th Sep 12
This is probably a case where
Reality Is Unrealistic. The society aboard the
Mugunghwa is based off of Joseon-era Korea, so many of the cultural views and ignorance would not be unfamiliar to a present-day Korean, or even someone who watches some historical dramas. Some of the most hideous acts are anecdotal and probably don't need to be traced to an actual event, but the possibility that people actually believed what the antagonists in the games believed is not that slim.
Of course, what you seem to truly reject is the portrayal of men in this context, and that is something that I contest. If we are feeling less forgiving of these characters, then it's easy to show that many of the women in this story are just as despicable as their male counterparts. On the other hand, there are cases where some men are merely flawed, misguided but well-meaning, or even truly sympathetic. There is no mission here to show that somehow men were the sole reason for society's downfall.
If you haven't already, I suggest that you play through the game again, perhaps on *Mute's path. While she may be a bit prejudiced, the evidence she provides regarding some male characters may be enough to show the game isn't a man-hating diatribe disguised as a game.
I will agree however, that the game is rather densely packed with drama for its length. Along these lines, I would recommend that new players proceed with the understanding that the atmosphere will be darker than many visual novels (although there are MUCH darker ones out there).
Remember, this is NOT a dating sim, you are investigating a derelict and failed colony ship. The information you find is meant to help you understand why it failed in its voyage.
It just so happens that the
A Is that are there to help you are cute anime-style avatars.
comment #16950
twoxmachine
23rd Nov 12
comment #16990
Desertopa
27th Nov 12
Well, in the end, I got the Soundtrack edition last year for $6.49 during last year's Steam Summer Sale. I'd say it's about worth it, even though I haven't played much more than the first 30 minutes.
comment #18182
Nettacki
12th Feb 13
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