The VII Enigma
- January 25, 2022
- Spire Games
Get on SteamFate, love, death... Can the enigma be solved? The VII Enigmais a character-driven sci-fi mystery visual novel. Set in a shadowy world of dystopian conspiracy, you must defy the fabric of reality, navigating the desperate path to the 'true end' against the tyranny of time itself.
Reviews
- The VII Enigma features a compelling and emotional sci-fi story that explores deep themes of personal connections, societal issues, and the consequences of choices, keeping players engaged throughout.
- The character development and backstory are well-crafted, providing an emotional rollercoaster that enhances the overall narrative experience.
- The soundtrack is memorable and effectively complements the story, enhancing the emotional impact of key scenes.
- The game can be overly verbose and may overwhelm players with scientific explanations and information dumps, particularly in the early chapters.
- The character art and visuals may not appeal to everyone, with some finding the style inconsistent or unappealing, which could detract from the experience.
- The linear gameplay and lack of clear choices can lead to abrupt bad endings, making it frustrating for players who prefer more agency in their decisions.
- story43 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story of 'The VII Enigma' is a complex sci-fi visual novel that explores themes of personal connections, societal struggles, and the consequences of choices through a time travel narrative. While the beginning may feel slow and laden with exposition, the plot deepens significantly in the latter chapters, revealing engaging character arcs and unexpected twists that keep players invested. Despite some criticisms regarding pacing and character development in the finale, the overall writing quality and emotional depth make it a compelling experience for fans of the genre.
“The story kept me intrigued from the very start, and I've only been more and more absorbed by it the further it went on.”
“Time travel and mysteries mix well but are hard to get right; I think this story pulls it off well by constraining its time travel with proper rules.”
“Although this story does start off using well-established sci-fi tropes, the further the story goes, the more it deviates from the norms, and the more it shifts into something more character-driven and psychological.”
“Being the first big work of the author, some moments in the beginning change the pace of the story too suddenly, and the last chapters reminded me of silly action movies from the 90s.”
“Way too positive reviews state the finale is emotional, but while I was engaged in the story during the middle part, most characters went off the radar for the sake of the main ones near the finale, and the villains were acting not far from classic popcorn movie ones, describing their actions and making silly mistakes.”
“I understand going for darker and debatable takes on some themes present in the story, but the true ending felt like an unworthy happy one for most characters, pushing the deus-ex-machina trope quite a bit.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally considered decent, featuring a unique non-anime aesthetic that sets it apart from many visual novels. While some users noted inconsistencies between character models and backgrounds, the dialogue busts received praise. Overall, despite initial reservations about the character art, players found themselves quickly immersed in the game’s world, appreciating the visuals as a commendable effort from a small indie studio.
“I generally enjoyed the visual aesthetic, and it is among the minority of visual novels that has non-anime visuals.”
“The images of the full character models that we see at times may look a little different and odd in their art style to some of the backgrounds, but the busts during dialogues are pretty great.”
“In an artistic sense, for a little indie studio without a budget from a Kickstarter campaign, the graphics are nice and the music is fine.”
“The images of the full character models that we see at times may look a little different and odd in their art style compared to some of the backgrounds, but the busts during dialogues are pretty great.”
“I admit I went in with pretty low expectations, because for me personally I don’t really like how the graphics look, especially the character art.”
- music5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's soundtrack significantly enhances the story and emotional depth, with many reviewers highlighting it as a standout feature. While the music is generally well-received, some tracks feel overused despite the promise of a larger variety, which slightly diminishes their impact. Overall, the integration of music with the plot and characters is praised as a key element of the experience.
“The story and emotions are greatly enhanced by the excellent soundtrack the game has.”
“In an artistic sense, for a little indie studio without a budget from a Kickstarter campaign, the graphics are nice and the music is fine.”
“Few music tracks felt overused compared to the promised 30+ songs, lowering the impact of these.”
“In a nutshell, it's the weaving of the plot, the characters, and the soundtrack that make it.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to evoke a wide range of feelings, with memorable music enhancing the experience during both tense and heartfelt moments. However, some reviewers noted a decline in emotional depth towards the finale, as secondary characters became sidelined and villains adopted clichéd behaviors, detracting from the overall impact.
“There were many moments that took us on an emotional rollercoaster and had me asking myself the difficult questions about our existence.”
“Virtually every tune is memorable and conveys the emotions of the scene, whether it's tension during high-stakes scenes or tugging at our heartstrings during emotional moments.”
“That was quite the emotional roller coaster.”
- gameplay1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily linear, requiring minimal player input, as most decisions are limited to occasional choices presented throughout the plot.
“As far as gameplay, most of the plot is linear and not much is required on our behalf aside from picking occasional choices that are given to us.”
