Athanasy
- April 13, 2022
- Wirion
Get on Steam"Athanasy is a single-player Horror Visual Novel game set in a dystopian, biopunk City. Play as Josiah Kaviani, a young mathematician, as he encounters something monstrous and secretive, challenging his solitary life. With a dark, intriguing story based on real science, Athanasy features complex characters and a good soundtrack for an immersive, bone-chilling experience."
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Phone
Windows
Linux
Mobile Platform
Windows Phone
Reviews
- Athanasy features a masterful blend of dystopian themes and philosophical undertones, creating a hauntingly immersive atmosphere that captivates players.
- The game offers complex storytelling with morally gray characters and tough choices, enhancing replayability and depth.
- Visually stunning with detailed art and a compelling soundtrack, Athanasy successfully evokes a sense of unease and curiosity throughout its narrative.
- The game's unrelentingly dark tone and mature themes may be challenging for some players, potentially making it unsuitable for those seeking lighter experiences.
- Limited interactive elements and a heavy reliance on reading may deter players who prefer more dynamic gameplay.
- Some players have noted issues with the English translation, including grammatical inconsistencies and occasional untranslated lines, which can disrupt immersion.
- story84 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of the game is a complex and thought-provoking exploration of power struggles, enforced immortality, and moral ambiguity, featuring richly developed characters and multiple branching paths that enhance replayability. While it delves into dark themes such as drug abuse and self-harm, it balances these elements with philosophical undertones and a gripping narrative that captivates players. The world-building is praised for its depth and originality, making it a compelling experience that resonates long after completion.
“The game features captivating storytelling with complex, morally gray characters, and presents players with tough, morally challenging choices that add depth and replayability.”
“Athanasy is a truly exceptional tale worthy of praise for the story it tells and the ideas within.”
“The story is marvelously written, and the plot will touch even a person distant from tech.”
“The result is something disturbing and oppressive, akin to Cronenberg nightmare fuel blended with a pervasive, Kafkaesque sense of dread and despair that never lets up as the story continuously gets worse with every turn of the page.”
“It's just a story; most of the time you just click 'next, next, next'.”
“Also keep in mind, to explore different story branches, you will need to reread many parts of the previously read story.”
- music30 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its immersive quality, with many reviewers noting its ability to enhance the overall experience and evoke strong emotions, including moments of terror. Composed specifically for the game, the soundtrack is described as polished, varied, and well-paced, complementing the stunning visuals and deep storyline. Comparisons to the visual novel "The Song of Saya" highlight its thematic resonance, making it a standout element of the game's design.
“My delight in such magnificently composed music is beyond words.”
“The music is well paced and makes the fantastic visuals even better.”
“This game has great immersive music, an amazing storyline, great writing, and some of the best art I've seen in terms of this style.”
“For dessert, I saved an important element of 'Athanasy' - the music, which was written specially for this game.”
“If you were looking for a comparison point, it has similar tones to the song of 'Saya, Saya no Uta'.”
“Grafics, music, dialogs - all at very high level.”
- atmosphere12 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is described as hauntingly immersive, with detailed environments that create a sense of unease and curiosity. Players appreciate the unique ambiance and the way it enhances their connection to the story and characters, often leading them to engage deeply with the narrative. While some aspects may not be perfect, the overall atmosphere effectively draws players into its world, making them feel both present and distant simultaneously.
“The game’s atmosphere is hauntingly immersive, with detailed environments that evoke a sense of unease and curiosity.”
“All the compositions fit perfectly into the atmosphere of the game, adding to the feeling that you are immersed in this world, in a situation, you are there, in that universe, so close and so far away.”
“All 6 hours I read aloud in order to better immerse myself in the atmosphere; probably the voice acting of the characters is not enough, but on the other hand, I invented the voices myself and got used to them, which gave me a feeling of immersion.”
“It is far from perfect; however, strangely enough, this enhances the strange atmosphere and ideas, and I stopped noticing it after an hour.”
“All 6 hours I read aloud in order to better immerse myself in the atmosphere. Probably the voice acting of the characters is not enough, but on the other hand, I invented the voices myself and got used to them, which gave me a feeling of immersion.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the visual novel are widely praised for their beautiful and striking art style, particularly the biopunk aesthetic that effectively conveys a grim societal backdrop. Reviewers highlight the exceptional quality of the artwork, considering it among the best in recent Russian-language visual novels, and note that the well-paced music enhances the overall visual experience.
“Beautiful art style.”
“This is an extremely dark visual novel and while not having the usual 'dark' tropes, the biopunk aesthetic really shows just how grim society can get.”
“Have to note absolutely amazing artwork, it's probably one of the best looking ru-lang visual novels of recent times.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability due to its intricate storytelling, morally complex characters, and challenging choices that encourage players to explore multiple endings and story paths. Players often find that subsequent playthroughs reveal deeper subtext, enhancing the overall experience and understanding of the game's world.
“The game features captivating storytelling with complex, morally gray characters, and presents players with tough, morally challenging choices that add depth and replayability.”
“Various endings and story routes explore different aspects of the world of Athanasy, making it highly replayable.”
“Replayability; the game only gets better after finishing all the endings once, because you're able to understand all the subtext on the second playthrough.”
- character development6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers significant character development, allowing players to make impactful choices that shape their character's identity, such as being a coward, traitor, visionary, or revolutionary. This depth contrasts sharply with typical visual novels that often lack meaningful character progression or rely solely on shock value.
“There are a lot of choices and character development; do you want to be a coward, a traitor, a visionary, or a revolutionary? It's entirely up to you.”
“This game offers a depth of character development that I haven't seen in many visual novels, allowing for meaningful choices that impact the story.”
“The character development is impressive, providing a range of paths that make each playthrough feel unique and engaging.”
“I'm used to the cheap visual novels that barely have any character development, or which are simply gore porn like the Saw movies.”
“A lot of choices & character development (do you want to be a coward, a traitor, a visionary, or a revolutionary? Up to you entirely).”
“In terms of what you are shown, it doesn't get much more grotesque than what you can see in the promotional images of the game; at most, you can find some disgusting character designs.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report that the game evokes strong emotions, unexpectedly blending horror elements with a heartwarming narrative that fosters a sense of belonging and connection to a larger story.
“This game really made me feel like I was a part of something bigger.”
“I expected a horror story, but I got a heartwarming tale with gore and monsters.”
- gameplay2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay is not suited for players looking for lighthearted adventures or straightforward mechanics, suggesting a more complex or serious experience that may not appeal to everyone.
“Those seeking lighthearted adventures or a focus on direct gameplay may want to look elsewhere.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the amusing personalities of the hell citizens, who provide comedic relief, while Gabriel is endearingly described as a "cinnamon roll," adding to the lighthearted tone.
“The hell citizens are very funny, and Gabriel is just a cinnamon roll.”
