[WARNING]
Nippon Ichi's first foray into the Dungeon Crawler genre was also a step back into the ballpark of Soul Nomad & the World Eaters and The Witch and the Hundred Knight with regards to tone, and in some ways went even beyond what those two before have done, to the point of being one of the few M-rated games they've developed.
Due to the nature of this page, there will be unmarked spoilers.
- The enemy design in this game, especially the bosses, are visually jarring compared to the cheerful anime style of Takehito Harada, as pictured above with Velkuvrana, the normal final boss of the game. No NIS title has reached this level of imagery before, the closest candidate being Yomawari: Night Alone.
- The story is no slouch either, as even being outside the Well of Khalaza doesn't spare the player from seeing some dark and unsettling events. Early on, you see the Unclean Ones, blue creatures that appear almost gelatinous and have no definite features aside from red dots for eyes and a perpetual frown. Worst of all is that their only method of speech is unintelligible groans, almost sounding like they're in a perpetual state of pain. Even despite them posing no threat to Dronya and the others, they still keep an unsettling air to them, making Refrain outside the well feel hostile.
- The Dead Ends that are achieved in a mandatory manner. The first one in particular is where Dronya, confronting Maylee after the latter quite clearly gave Luca a black eye, attempts to trick her with a transmutation potion. What does Maylee do? Stab Dronya with the dagger she stashed away on her person, all the while rambling like a madman. The sudden cut to credits after this is bound to shake anyone up given how unceremonious the whole event is. It all happens in the span of a minute or two and the game treats it like a real ending, with notifications for clear data and the lot.
- Late into the game, Refrain's truth is revealed to be a purgatory for sinners. This is told by Petrone, who also has his Berserk Button pushed and sends guards to kill Dronya for lying about her identity. Once she steps out, the entire town is now cast under an absolutely chilling red sky, with what almost looks like dark matter seeping out of every crack in the town. It removes any semblance of discernible safety from the town of Refrain in one fell swoop.
- Pecorino's ultimate fate is to be sent off to the gnome labor camp, where the player can find her, now lobotomized (*partly* lobotomized), sealed top to bottom in torturous armor, and begging "gelp me".
