UNDER THE FALSE SKY | Blood:Covered Snow

GOSH THIS WAS JUST LIKE WATCHING AN ANIME, it was incredibly immersive for a VN in a way that I find difficult to put into words. The combination of the full voice acting, impeccable sound design, dynamic sprites, and the "blurring" effects really made it feel like you were sitting in this world, watching the events unfold. The movement of the sprites around the screen were especially good, with some movement almost every line. It was extremely polished. The writing was poetic and well-written - the opening narration was especially poignant. The sprites were beautiful and clean, and the photo-adjusted backgrounds really fit the gritty tone of the game. The CGs had so much life and color in the expressions and scenes displayed. The sound design was lovely and immersive, and it goes without saying but the VA performances were all top notch, really bringing the characters to life. And the GUI is nothing short of professional quality - the look is extremely clean (with the angular grey really fitting the "mecha" vibe) and the animations had a very good  "feel" to them that made them very satisfying to play around with. 

I really liked how you're plopped into this world and you slowly learn more about it as the scenes play out. There's so much going on, with different characters and character dynamics and political factions. The writing does an incredible job of navigating a complex world (both on a "macro" and "micro" scale - ranging from the large scale royalty vs rebellion to the smaller scale conflict that Micah has with his "new father") while giving the player just enough information that they know what is going on while not feeling overwhelmed. 

===SPOILERS BELOW===

As a primary protagonist, I enjoyed Micah a lot. He starts off as very rough around the edges - I can say that his first appearance, where he berates Adah, is downright irritating (purposefully so). However, as the story unfolds, you really understand where he's coming from. He's a child who doesn't want to be a child - a child who doesn't want to feel powerless, in a world that is as cutthroat as they come. He misses his father, and he rejects Gabe out of his lingering grief. You realize that, despite how coldly he treats Adah on the surface, he's actually very affectionate towards her, and he has a lot of empathy/kindness for others (even going so far as to help a stranger in the woods without knowing his identity or intentions). At the end, where he hides for his life with his sister, he finally accepts that he IS a child, that he can't fight back against the violence that invades his home. And he also vows revenge - and here the tragedy of the game sinks in, as you realize that this child acted hard but had real kindness in him - and now that innocence has been ripped away from him unfairly. 

And honestly, all of the other characters - even the ones that are ripped from us prematurely early or the ones whose motivations and backgrounds are shrouded in mystery - are well characterized, just as much as Micah. The story does an extremely efficient job at quickly establishing what each character is about without much wasted space - the script is TIGHT, and I rarely say this about anything. Adah is immature and childish, and yet she also has a hidden maturity in her as she recognizes Micah's kindness, even when he denies it. You can really tell that Gabe struggles with doing right by Micah and wants to be in the boy's life even if he'll never be the boy's father. Mari is very multifaceted - brave, mature, level-headed - she leads both her people and her family with calm reassurance and care, without being overbearing. This is evident from her first scene, when she sends Micah off to pick firewood with Adah and Gabe, trying to get them to mend their broken relationship in a kind, indirect manner. Her patience and understanding with her son, despite his attitude, really shows her magnanimous character. Kenan's motivations are shrouded in mystery, but you get a good idea of his beliefs from how he behaves - there's a real kindness to him, and a guilt that is apparent when he speaks to Micah about childhood. This sharply contrasts with his actual role, and I was constantly wondering - "why is such a kind man working in this line of work?"

Even the side characters are extremely colorful and distinct. Aaron and Ester have a real "buddy cop" dynamic, bickering while also being very close. I was genuinely torn when they died so suddenly (especially seeing Aaron so torn up about Ester's death), and the story did a great job of making you invested in even these characters despite their short screentime. Yonah and Nahum also have a very interesting dynamic, with a playful bickering dynamic like Aaron and Ester - but Nahum also comes off as a "mad dog," with Yonah being his leash. (The hints laid here really excellently foreshadowed Re:Idealize!) 

From a story structure perspective, I really can't describe it as anything else other than flawless. You're first introduced to the main character, his family dynamics and his troubles and his motivations. You become invested in the rebels. You're introduced to Kenan, and you become enamored by this wounded man in the woods, who offers a sympathetic ear to a troubled boy. The reveal that Kenan is actually working for the opposite side is a seamless transition towards introducing the opposition, instantly making you invested in both sides of the conflict and, of course, introducing drama when the boy and the man he helped are inevitably pitted against each other. The death of Micah's mother starts the ball of tragedy, rolling down the hill until it doesn't stop, culminating in the annihilation of the rebel base. And yet, even so, Gabe manages to get a COMPLETE character arc - he struggles with being Micah's surrogate father and is not accepted by him until the end, where he finally acts as a true parent by sacrificing himself so that his children can live. Finally, the game ends by introducing a few teaser characters - hinting at future plot developments. It was fantastically tightly written, and indeed felt like I was "reading" the introductory pilot to a TV show or an anime. 

This game really set up a lot of building blocks for its narrative, and I'm excited to see it all pan out. There are sympathetic figures on both sides of this conflict - and as a result, no matter how things pan out, tragedy is sure to follow. I want to see where Micah and Adah's character arcs go next, and to be honest I'm looking forward to seeing more of Kenan too - will he continue betraying his principles to obey his superiors? Or will he choose a different path? 

Absolutely fantastic work by the team, and I'm looking forward to seeing more from this universe!