On the one hand, the story idea is so simple, it's genius. There's a village of ponies in the middle of the Everfree Forest that appear friendly, but they have no cutie marks and view anyone who does as a potential danger. When Apple Bloom discovers the murdered body of a pony in the fireplace, it is revealed that the town is under a curse that makes them the living dead.
Apple Bloom, as a CM crusader, is the best choice for protagonist in such a story. The irony is only boosted if you've seen The Cutie Pox, even though this is actually coincidence. It's hard to imagine a scenario that taps the horror tropes better while being consistent with the cutesy setting.
On the other hand, the plot that gets us to this point is contrived and shows a few inconsistencies with the show (Twilight can't lift a bunch of logs at once? Really?) and relies a lot on Apple Bloom holding the Idiot Ball. You'd think she learned her lesson after Staremaster. Also, the game is short, and somewhat uninvolving at the stage when you're doing the fetch quest and the push-the-boxes puzzle.
Leaving a lot unexplained works for the horror, but only at the first playthrough. After that, it feels like a cop-out. Who exactly put the curse on them? Were they thinking that this was actually a punishment, considering it just makes the victims immortal and capable of more killing? Why are they all in the forest to begin with, and why do they hate the cutie mark so much? The whole thing feels more like a juicy teaser trailer than a satisfying short story or game.
The ending was just one big copout, though: the ghost saves Apple Bloom when she's stuck in a corner and takes her back to Twilight, as if nothing happened. The small white ball representing this event just looks silly. Flat What was never more appropriate.
The graphics... well, they're supposed to look Retraux, and they do a great job, so I'll leave it at that. Imagine what a Story of the BlanksPS 3 game would be like, though...
In summary, the story concept and the emotional punch of putting Apple Bloom in danger are both the best things about it.
FanficRecs Poor Apple Bloom (warning: no spoiler tags)
I don't know how highly I would rate this.
On the one hand, the story idea is so simple, it's genius. There's a village of ponies in the middle of the Everfree Forest that appear friendly, but they have no cutie marks and view anyone who does as a potential danger. When Apple Bloom discovers the murdered body of a pony in the fireplace, it is revealed that the town is under a curse that makes them the living dead.
Apple Bloom, as a CM crusader, is the best choice for protagonist in such a story. The irony is only boosted if you've seen The Cutie Pox, even though this is actually coincidence. It's hard to imagine a scenario that taps the horror tropes better while being consistent with the cutesy setting.
On the other hand, the plot that gets us to this point is contrived and shows a few inconsistencies with the show (Twilight can't lift a bunch of logs at once? Really?) and relies a lot on Apple Bloom holding the Idiot Ball. You'd think she learned her lesson after Staremaster. Also, the game is short, and somewhat uninvolving at the stage when you're doing the fetch quest and the push-the-boxes puzzle.
Leaving a lot unexplained works for the horror, but only at the first playthrough. After that, it feels like a cop-out. Who exactly put the curse on them? Were they thinking that this was actually a punishment, considering it just makes the victims immortal and capable of more killing? Why are they all in the forest to begin with, and why do they hate the cutie mark so much? The whole thing feels more like a juicy teaser trailer than a satisfying short story or game.
The ending was just one big copout, though: the ghost saves Apple Bloom when she's stuck in a corner and takes her back to Twilight, as if nothing happened. The small white ball representing this event just looks silly. Flat What was never more appropriate.
The graphics... well, they're supposed to look Retraux, and they do a great job, so I'll leave it at that. Imagine what a Story of the Blanks PS 3 game would be like, though...
In summary, the story concept and the emotional punch of putting Apple Bloom in danger are both the best things about it.