htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary

About

htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary is a single player puzzle game with a mystery theme. It was developed by Nippon Ichi Software, Inc. and was released on May 18, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

In htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary, players guide two fireflies to help a lost girl named Mion navigate through a dark and eerie world. Solutions to puzzles and obstacles often rely on clever manipulation of light and shadow. The game features a hauntingly beautiful art style and a somber, atmospheric soundtrack that adds to its intriguing, mysterious narrative.

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Single-Player

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63%

Audience ScoreBased on 193 reviews

story50 positive mentions

grinding7 negative mentions

The art direction is stunning, featuring hand-drawn backgrounds and a haunting atmosphere that enhances the storytelling.
The unique indirect control scheme using fireflies adds an interesting twist to the gameplay, requiring players to think creatively to solve puzzles.
The minimalist narrative told through memory fragments creates a sense of mystery and encourages exploration of the game's world.

Controls are clunky and unresponsive, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, especially during precision-based puzzles.
The pacing is slow, which can make the game feel tedious, particularly when retrying sections after dying.
Some puzzles and boss encounters are poorly designed, relying on trial-and-error rather than logical problem-solving, which can lead to player frustration.

story
145 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
62%
4%
The game's story is conveyed through minimalist visual storytelling, primarily through collectible memory fragments that reveal a layered and often dark narrative about the protagonist, Mion. While the art and emotional moments are praised, many players find the pacing slow and the controls frustrating, which can hinder their understanding of the plot. Overall, the story is intriguing and creative, but its vague presentation may require players to invest extra effort to fully grasp its depth.
- “The story is minimalist and told through brief memory fragments.”
- “The story is quite touching and the overall presentation is very beautiful.”
- “The artwork is great, the story is interesting and well transmitted to the player via pixel-art flashback scenes, and the true ending reveals a heartbreaking twist which does this game justice.”
- “The story is honestly quite confusing and vague at times, and even after collecting every memory fragment, I'm still unsure of what exactly the story is. I can kind of tell certain points but not everything, and I'm certainly not understanding the whole story, that's for sure.”
- “It instead makes the incomprehensible decision to hide the story behind hidden collectibles and impossible-without-a-guide hidden mechanics.”
- “The ending, both in the regular game and post-game, does not provide any answers, closure, or meaningful information but rather throws an entirely unheard of and unrelated plot point completely absent and irrelevant to the plot until that very last moment.”
gameplay
126 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
69%
13%
The gameplay of the game is a polarizing aspect, with many players finding it frustrating due to slow character movement, clunky controls, and poorly designed mechanics that often lead to trial-and-error experiences. While some appreciate the unique puzzle elements and atmospheric storytelling, the overall execution leaves much to be desired, making it difficult to recommend for those who prioritize solid gameplay. Despite its beautiful visuals and intriguing narrative, the gameplay is frequently described as tedious and anti-fun, overshadowing the game's artistic merits.
- “A dark and gloomy yet charming fairy tale, featuring exceptional design, captivating art style, innovative mechanics, and challenging gameplay.”
- “The gameplay style they chose for this is interesting and does constantly put your mind in thinking mode.”
- “The visuals, sound design, atmosphere, story, and gameplay are all amazing!”
- “The character control mechanics are an absolute nightmare on PC, so I can't recommend this port.”
- “The gameplay is generally frustrating and poor, with imprecise controls getting you unfairly killed, often sending you back minutes due to checkpoint scarcity and slow movement speed.”
- “The gameplay itself is extremely boring.”
graphics
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
39%
5%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful and unique art style, which effectively creates a captivating atmosphere that complements the narrative. Many reviewers highlight the charming visuals and intricate design, although some note that the gameplay mechanics can detract from the overall experience due to clunky controls and frustrating level design. Overall, the visuals stand out as the game's strongest aspect, making it appealing for those who appreciate artistic presentation despite its gameplay flaws.
- “A dark and gloomy yet charming fairy tale, featuring exceptional design, captivating art style, innovative mechanics, and challenging gameplay.”
- “The art style is gorgeous.”
- “This game is a tale of visual splendor, with a plot told through visuals and metaphors, with no spoken lines or dialogue.”
- “Where there wasn’t a specific sprite designed, there’s just the classic pure black no-graphic wall.”
- “Don't let the charming graphics fool you.”
- “Poor hitboxes and sometimes unclearly marked visuals frequently send me back to the last checkpoint.”
music
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
50%
7%
The music in the game is generally described as ambient and sparse, effectively enhancing emotional moments and the overall atmosphere, though some players find it basic or lacking in variety. While the soundtrack is praised for its beauty and ability to complement the game's visuals, it is often noted that it doesn't play frequently enough, leading to a sense of emptiness in certain scenes. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's aesthetic, but opinions vary on its depth and engagement.
- “When music does appear, it highlights emotional moments in the story fragments.”
- “The atmosphere, music, and art are also top-notch, with a sweet ending, so if you're into artistic puzzle games that require timing at times.”
- “Soothing soundtracks that ease into your consciousness and guide you along the way into the puzzles this game has to offer.”
- “The soundtrack is bland, the gameplay is boring and/or frustrating, and the storytelling isn't really worth the time investment.”
- “The 'soundtrack' is certainly fitting to the general tone of the game, but it's really basic and really boring.”
- “The music, on the other hand, is simply lackluster all around.”
atmosphere
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
36%
8%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its haunting and immersive qualities, characterized by beautiful hand-drawn visuals, a muted color palette, and an atmospheric soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. While many reviewers appreciate the intriguing narrative and clever symbolism, some note that gameplay issues and a lack of commitment to the darker tone can detract from the intended atmosphere. Overall, the game's artistic presentation and emotional depth resonate strongly with players, making it a compelling choice for those who value atmosphere in gaming.
- “Hand-drawn backgrounds, muted colors, and dim lighting build a haunting atmosphere.”
- “The art direction is beautiful, the atmosphere is thick and immersive, the narrative is intriguing and mysterious, and incredibly engaging despite not even featuring any dialogue.”
- “Gorgeous art, atmospheric level design, intriguing world with a mystery lying beneath.”
- “Hotaru no nikki is a lukewarm puzzle game that doesn't ever truly shine with its atmosphere, puzzles, or story.”
- “It has many unpolished aspects and oversights within its gameplay, has an insane difficulty spike in certain places, and does not fully commit to its tone and atmosphere.”
- “The game fails as a creative or engaging puzzle game, fails at maintaining a dark atmosphere by not being committed to it, has lots of unpolished nuances that result in frustrating waiting segments on the player's behalf.”
emotional
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its emotional depth, with music enhancing poignant moments and a touching story conveyed through beautiful pixel-art flashbacks, despite the absence of dialogue. Players find the narrative compelling and heartbreaking, particularly with a twist in the ending that resonates deeply. Overall, it offers a unique and challenging experience that is highly recommended for those seeking an emotional journey in gaming.
- “The story is quite touching and the overall presentation is very beautiful.”
- “The artwork is great, the story is interesting and well transmitted to the player via pixel-art flashback scenes, and the true ending reveals a heartbreaking twist which does this game justice.”
- “The art style is fantastic, the story is mysterious yet extremely tragic and emotional, and it's an extremely challenging game.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and monotonous, with many describing the platform design as frustrating and unforgiving. While some appreciate the art and clever moments, the overall experience can feel laborious, often requiring guides to uncover hidden secrets and lore. Those who enjoy a challenge may find value in the grind, but it often detracts from the enjoyment of the game.
- “I wish it were 'fun' rather than tedious.”
- “Rooms are built specifically to kill you, be a danger to you specifically, and slow you down with tedious and monotonous platform design.”
- “So you will miss most of the potential lore, and have to tediously work just to get scraps of it; and if you don't then you don't get any lore at all and the whole game is just puzzle solving.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
Overall, the game demonstrates strong stability with no significant bugs or glitches reported, and it runs smoothly on SteamOS. However, players have noted that the slow movement speed can lead to frustrating regressions, especially in challenging scenarios.
- “It runs great, and I haven't had any technical issues yet.”
- “The game is incredibly stable; I've experienced no crashes or bugs.”
- “Performance is top-notch, providing a smooth and reliable gaming experience.”
- “The checkpoints are plentiful, but the incredibly slow pace at which Mion moves still makes regression very frustrating, particularly when the losing condition was something unreasonable or buggy.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
Reviewers praise the character development for its appealing and cute designs, highlighting the quality of pixel art reminiscent of the studio's previous successful franchises like Disgaea and Yomawari. Overall, the character aesthetics are well-received and align with the expectations set by the developer's past work.
- “Everything looks good, the character design is cute, and the pixel art, where it appears, is also great.”
- “The character designs are what you would expect from the company that gave you the likes of the Disgaea franchise, the Yomawari franchise, and A Rose in the Twilight.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the protagonists.”
- “I was disappointed by the lack of meaningful choices that affect character growth throughout the game.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game's performance is solid with no frame drops reported, though some users feel that the menus could benefit from further optimization.
- “Performance doesn't have any frame drops.”
- “Menus could be optimized a little better.”

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70%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews

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9h Median play time

9h Average play time

4-20h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary is a puzzle game with mystery theme.

htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary is available on PC, Windows, PlayStation and PlayStation Vita.

On average players spend around 9 hours playing htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary.

htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary was released on May 18, 2016.

htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary was developed by Nippon Ichi Software, Inc..

htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary is a single player game.

Similar games include RiME, A Rose in the Twilight, INMOST, MO:Astray, Mushroom 11 and others.

htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary

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