Blake: The Visual Novel
- August 31, 2021
- Ori Mees
Get on Steam"Blake: The Visual Novel" is a choice-based psychological thriller set in a tech-driven city with a perpetual rainy climate. As the protagonist, Blake, you must navigate a series of events and make decisions that could either restore your sanity or lead to your downfall. Despite its incomplete narrative, this game offers a unique, immersive experience in a captivating sci-fi universe, available for free. Developer's Note: Due to personal circumstances, the originally planned episodic story remains incomplete, leaving open ends and unresolved mysteries.
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Reviews
- The game features excellent artwork and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere.
- The story is engaging with multiple twists and turns, keeping players intrigued throughout the experience.
- The characters are well-developed and memorable, contributing to a rich narrative experience.
- The pacing is inconsistent, with a slow start that leads to a rushed ending that leaves many plot threads unresolved.
- Some dialogue and character interactions feel unnatural, detracting from the immersion of the story.
- There are issues with the text presentation, including distracting fonts and text boxes that hinder readability.
- story62 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising its intriguing twists, memorable characters, and engaging writing, while others criticize it for being poorly executed, convoluted, or lacking depth. Many appreciate the replayability due to branching paths and choices, but some feel the narrative becomes nonsensical or rushed towards the end. Overall, the game offers a compelling experience for those who enjoy psychological thrillers, though it may not satisfy everyone’s expectations for a well-rounded story.
“Excellent game, I like the different twists in the story, the music fits in with the atmosphere.”
“Great cast of characters, a well-written story, and a twist that blew me away!”
“The story is amazing; it really had me feeling the nostalgia.”
“Starts out okay, but as the novel progresses, the random plot elements start to pile up dangerously high, eventually leading to a nonsensical ending that fails to explain much.”
“It's a shame that this work wasn't more fleshed out, because it could've been much better; however, there are way too many dangling plot threads and extraneous character interactions for me to consider this work in any way finished.”
“The story had my attention throughout, but the ending seemed a little rushed.”
- music22 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its ability to enhance the atmosphere and immersion, with many reviewers praising its jazzy and synthwave influences. The soundtrack is described as both pleasant and dynamic, fitting seamlessly with the story and visuals, making it memorable enough that some players expressed a desire to purchase it separately. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's engaging experience.
“The visuals and the soundtrack work in harmony to set the atmosphere 'just right'.”
“The music in the main menu is some nice relaxed saxophone music that I could and would listen to for hours.”
“The ambience it creates with music plus the visual style is impeccable, and gets you hooked really fast.”
“The jazzy and synthwave soundtrack fits the setting like a glove, and provides a lot for the immersion.”
“Regardless, it’s a quick story worth exploring with memorable characters, great comic book-inspired art and absolutely killer music.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are highly praised for their striking character artwork and the effective blend of cyberpunk and noir aesthetics, featuring vibrant colors and detailed visuals. The combination of stillness and blinking in character animations adds an uncanny quality, while the stylish black-and-white CG art enhances pivotal moments. Overall, the visuals are described as a harmonious complement to the game's atmosphere and storytelling, making for an engaging experience.
“The visuals and the soundtrack work in harmony to set the atmosphere 'just right'.”
“The character artwork was uncanny at a disturbing level, especially with the combination of stillness and blinking.”
“The visuals are equal slices of film noir aesthetics with its stylish black-and-white CG art during pivotal moments and colored doses of advanced machinery for stills accompanying the everyday office drudgery turned outings!”
“The bright colors and detailed graphics blend a cyberpunk vibe with a classic noir aesthetic.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the seamless integration of visuals and music that enhances the storytelling experience. The soundtrack is particularly noted for its quality, with some expressing a desire to purchase it separately, underscoring its impact on the overall ambiance.
“The visuals and the soundtrack work in harmony to set the atmosphere 'just right'.”
“It fits in with the atmosphere and the story the developer is crafting seamlessly, and honestly, I’d just buy the soundtrack as a standalone at this point.”
“I loved the atmosphere in Blake: The Visual Novel.”
- gameplay3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as light yet capable of increasing in intensity when needed, offering a varied experience over the course of two hours. The overall presentation is classy, complemented by a strong cast.
“The gameplay varies enough in the span of two hours; the presentation is classy and the cast is superb to boot.”
“The gameplay is light but steps up the pace when required.”
“The gameplay varies enough in the span of two hours, the presentation is classy and the cast is superb to boot.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game offers moderate replayability, with a playthrough lasting 4-5 hours and an intriguing story that encourages players to explore multiple paths, missed dialogue, and different endings.
“It will take around 4-5 hours to complete a playthrough, and the story is very intriguing. It sparks curiosity about the multiple other paths, missed dialogue, and variations on the ending, providing significant replayability.”
“The game offers a wealth of choices that lead to different outcomes, making each playthrough feel fresh and engaging.”
“With numerous side quests and character interactions, every run through the game reveals new content and experiences, enhancing its replayability.”
“It will take around 4-5 hours to complete a playthrough, and while the story is intriguing and sparks curiosity about the multiple other paths, missed dialogue, and variations on the ending, the overall replayability feels limited.”
“After finishing the game, I found that there wasn't much incentive to replay it. The choices I made didn't significantly alter the experience, making it feel more like a one-time playthrough.”
“Despite the initial excitement, I quickly realized that the game lacks meaningful replayability. The different paths and endings don't offer enough variety to warrant multiple playthroughs.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted for its clever self-referential style, often addressing the character Blake rather than the player directly, which adds a unique and amusing layer to the narrative.
“The funny thing is, it's talking about you, Blake, but not you, the player.”
“The humor in this game is so clever; it keeps you laughing at every turn.”
“I love how the game uses witty dialogue to poke fun at common gaming tropes.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game effectively balances humor with emotional depth, providing players with both heartwarming and poignant moments that resonate on multiple levels.
“What I can say though, is that this game brought me some really good laughs but also managed to deliver more touching moments - both of the cute kind and the sadder sort!”
