Pale Cachexia
- April 14, 2021
- Argent Games
Get on Steam"Pale Cachexia" is a kinetic novel set in a gothic fantasy world, following Esther's journey to find a cure for her mysterious illness. She meets Seina, and the two girls form a bond while uncovering dark secrets in Seina's manor. The game features 48,000 words of linear storytelling, with accessibility features including closed captions, OpenDyslexic font option, and the ability to disable bright flashes.
Reviews
- The art and soundtrack are stunning, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.
- The story is emotionally gripping and well-written, with deep character development and philosophical themes.
- The game effectively creates a haunting and immersive experience, making it memorable and impactful.
- The pacing is slow, which may frustrate some players, making it feel like a chore at times.
- The writing suffers from excessive use of adverbs, which can disrupt the flow and immersion of the story.
- Some plot points and character developments feel underexplored or unresolved, leaving a sense of ambiguity.
- story60 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story is a beautifully crafted gothic narrative that, despite its limited cast of three characters, captivates players with its emotional depth and atmospheric presentation. While it unfolds slowly, the writing evokes profound themes of illness, loneliness, and existential contemplation, drawing players into a hauntingly immersive experience. Although some found the pacing and third-person narration cumbersome, the overall sentiment is that the story's artistry and emotional resonance leave a lasting impact.
“What a beautiful, cozy, soft, and sad story.”
“An emotionally and psychologically gripping story that I'll remember for a long time!”
“The music makes strong use of ambient pads paired with heart-wrenching piano, which fit the story themes and setting perfectly.”
“The story doesn't pull you in right away, but gets interesting the more you learn of the characters and their pasts around halfway through.”
“Though the story is decently plotted and paced, and the character dialogue is charming and believable enough, the third person narration can be somewhat cumbersome, owing to the author's extensive reliance on adverbs.”
“I feel like this might come across as an unfairly nitpicky complaint, but the adverb issue was so egregious (to me, at least) that it kept throwing me out of the story.”
- music19 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its high quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, featuring a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack that complements the visuals and narrative. Reviewers highlight the effective use of quiet piano melodies and ambient sounds that create an immersive experience without overshadowing the story. Overall, the art and music are considered integral to the game's emotional impact and aesthetic appeal.
“The music was high quality and not repetitive.”
“The mood and atmosphere created by the music and art matches the story so well.”
“One of the most important aspects of this game is the hauntingly and beautifully composed soundtrack.”
“It would've gone a long way to improve the 'flow' of the writing, which would have further heightened the gothic atmosphere that the art, music, and visual direction captured so well.”
“The music makes strong use of ambient pads paired with heart-wrenching piano, which fit the story themes and setting perfectly.”
“As for the music and the sound, I found it basically flawless.”
- atmosphere11 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, evocative soundtrack, and gothic elements, creating a unique and immersive experience. Reviewers note that while the plot may be lacking, the overall mood and emotional tone are effectively conveyed through the art and music, enhancing the game's appeal. Many find the atmosphere to be a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's impact and emotional resonance.
“The atmosphere, soundtrack, and visuals are really nice, to be fair.”
“The mood and atmosphere created by the music and art matches the story so well.”
“The composers did an absolutely phenomenal job setting atmosphere, tone, and emotion here, which brings the game to life more effectively than I realized was possible.”
“Pale Cachexia is a beautifully drawn and scored gothic visual novel oozing with atmosphere, with a short, well-paced story and a small, but well-defined cast of characters, which is, in my opinion, let down somewhat by its writing.”
“It would've gone a long way to improve the 'flow' of the writing, which would have further heightened the gothic atmosphere that the art, music, and visual direction captured so well.”
“Pale Cachexia radiates a distinctive sense of atmosphere and feeling tones that cannot be found in many other visual novels or video games.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised as an emotional masterpiece, evoking strong feelings and even tears from players. Its slow-paced, non-interactive narrative is described as personal and gripping, particularly highlighting the realistic and heart-wrenching relationship between the characters. The music complements the story beautifully, enhancing the overall emotional impact, making it a memorable experience for long-time gamers.
“An emotionally and psychologically gripping story that I'll remember for a long time!”
“His relationship with Seina is particularly heart-warming (and heart-wrenching); it feels rather realistic.”
“The music makes strong use of ambient pads paired with heart-wrenching piano, which fit the story themes and setting perfectly.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The graphics are praised for their breathtaking visuals and gothic art style, which effectively enhance the dark and emotional atmosphere of the story. Despite having only three character sprites, the expressive poses and animations keep the visuals dynamic and engaging. Overall, the combination of visuals and soundtrack creates a deeply immersive experience.
“The atmosphere, soundtrack, and visuals are really nice, to be fair.”
“Without any doubt, this is probably the best novel I've read so far, and yet it is a heavy, dark, and grim story done in a gothic art style.”
“+Visuals are breathtaking.”
“The graphics are quite underwhelming, lacking detail and polish that one would expect from a modern game.”
“The environments feel bland and uninspired, making it hard to immerse myself in the game world.”
“Character models are poorly designed, and the animations are stiff, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- character development2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Character development is noted for having intriguing moments, but ultimately feels repetitive and one-dimensional, lacking depth. While the character designs are visually appealing, they do not compensate for the limited growth and complexity of the characters throughout the game.
“The character designs are compelling and drawn in a style I find quite appealing.”
“The characters have moments of intrigue but are really one-note, so you're just constantly going over moments of character development that we've already seen multiple times.”
“The character arcs feel rushed and lack depth, making it hard to connect with their journeys.”
“There is a lack of meaningful choices that affect character growth, leaving the development feeling superficial.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is generally solid, delivering good performance, though there are areas that could benefit from further enhancement.
“Overall, good performance with some room for improvement.”
“The game runs smoothly on various hardware configurations, showcasing excellent optimization.”
“I appreciate the developers' efforts in optimizing the game for both high-end and low-end systems.”
