Secret in Story
- June 19, 2017
- Naivus Luo
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Secret in Story" is a puzzle-based game that tells a wordless love story through montage techniques and beautiful piano music. Players unlock puzzles to reveal memories and reconnect with their past. The game features challenging puzzles and a unique narrative style, making it a memorable and immersive experience.
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Mac OS
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Reviews
- The game features beautiful monochrome artwork and soothing piano music that enhances the emotional experience.
- It offers a unique and experimental gameplay style that combines point-and-click mechanics with timed QTEs, providing a fresh take on storytelling.
- The game has a reasonable price point and includes challenging achievements that encourage replayability and deeper exploration of its themes.
- The fast-paced nature of the gameplay can make it difficult to appreciate the story, as text and scenes change too quickly for players to fully engage.
- Some players find the point-and-click mechanics frustrating and the overall gameplay experience to be boring or confusing.
- There is a lack of options for sound and graphics settings, which can detract from the overall user experience.
- story26 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The story of "Secret in Story" revolves around the female protagonist's recollections, enhanced by beautiful monochrome visuals and piano music, but is marred by a frustrating point-and-click mechanic that hinders comprehension. Players often find the narrative difficult to follow due to rapid text transitions and the need to focus on clickable objects, leading to a disjointed experience. While the story itself is brief, lasting around ten minutes, some players appreciate the artistic elements and the challenge of unlocking additional content.
“It is in this prologue that the secret in the story begins, giving us a glimpse of the female protagonist's recollections accompanied by tender piano music and striking monochrome frames.”
“As you master each QTE flashback, it opens up more of the story until the finale; I admired the beautifully illustrated scenes, especially when in a monochrome setting.”
“There are moments where the protagonist will be drawing a scene from the flashback; this has to be memorized as it will feature later in the storyboard, and there are also portraits of the protagonist to be collected for use as lives in the game alongside other items that activate hidden levels.”
“Boring and stupid point and click with an okayish story.”
“The story that pretends to show the game is ruined by a stupid system of point and click; the text is shown so fast that you can barely read half of the piece when the other scene begins and you have to look for the clickable objects.”
“Even though you have to pay attention to the picture to understand the story, it happens so fast that you can't appreciate anything there.”
- music16 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in "Secret in Story" is predominantly piano-based, creating a soothing atmosphere that enhances the emotional depth of the game. Reviewers praise its ability to evoke heartfelt memories and complement the striking monochrome visuals, with some noting that the music is a standout feature that significantly contributes to the overall experience.
“It is in this prologue that 'Secret in Story' begins giving us a glimpse of the female protagonist's recollections accompanied by tender piano music and striking monochrome frames.”
“The music is also beautiful, as is the black and white art found within the game.”
“The music is the only thing that attracts me a little bit of the game.”
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“The music is all piano-based, creating a very soothing atmosphere while in some scenes it adds a dramatic crescendo to reflect the event being portrayed.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as experimental and combines point-and-click mechanics with elements typical of visual novels, making it a unique experience that may not appeal to everyone. Players appreciate the reasonable price and the replayability, which allows for deeper exploration of the game's beauty and hidden levels.
“The price is very reasonable too for the game content, and I believe the replay factor will not only breed familiarity, making the gameplay easier, but also gives you the opportunity to take in more of the game's beauty and hidden levels.”
“To be honest, this gameplay is not for everyone.”
“It's kinda like a visual novel, but with gameplay elements.”
“From what I can experience, here is experimental gameplay on a point-and-click system.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their appealing artwork that enhances the emotional experience of the story. However, players have noted a significant lack of customization options for both sound and graphic resolutions, which detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, the absence of a proper exit option is a frustrating oversight.
“As with every game I get, I am always attracted to the artwork first, and I feel it adds a certain panache to this touching love journey.”
“Graphically, it's very nice, and the music matches that very well.”
“It's not perfect; however, the biggest problem I had is a complete lack of options, both sound and graphic resolutions, as well as a missing option anywhere to exit the game, forcing you to alt-F4 to exit the game as even the Esc key will not work.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game emotionally resonant, as even minor details like music or ambient sounds can evoke powerful memories. The artwork enhances this emotional experience, contributing to a poignant love story that captivates players.
“The smallest things, from a song to an overheard conversation, and even a simple thing like a coin drop echoing, can set in motion heartfelt memories.”
“As with every game I get, I am always attracted to the artwork first, and I feel it adds a certain panache to this touching love journey.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by soothing piano-based music that enhances the emotional depth of scenes, with dramatic crescendos effectively reflecting pivotal moments in the narrative.
“The music is all piano-based, creating a very soothing atmosphere, while in some scenes it adds a dramatic crescendo to reflect the event being portrayed.”
