Trybien wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 5:51 amDJJ6800 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 5:28 amAwsome2464 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 3:12 am Review: "The Dividing Line" by GizmologicalSpoiler : :
A whodunit where even the killer doesn't know whodunit
Synopsis: A man and a woman awake in a locked room, having no memories of their identities or previous events. Working together, they must figure out which one of them killed the third person in the room with them.
Broken Commandment:
- Rule 2: All supernatural or preternatural agencies are ruled out as a matter of course.
Followed Commandment:
- Rule 4: No hitherto undiscovered poisons may be used, nor any appliance which will need a long scientific explanation at the end.
Story: Right off the bat, I was hooked into what was going on in this scenario, and when the main plot of figuring out which of these 2 amnesiacs was responsible for the murder was revealed, I definitely was intrigued into figuring it out. It's a relatively short mystery, only taking a couple of hours for my playthrough, but seeing our protagonists' dynamic evolve in that time was very believable, with them both being very logical thinkers in their accusations of the other while simultaneously showing them pity and sympathy. It's also worth mentioning that this case has multiple endings that can be achieved based on your decisions. While each ending makes sense in its context, the real light shines on the true ending. I won't spoil it here, but it was definitely great at wrapping everything up and answering all the questions the player had. Overall, the story was very well-written and had me invested the whole way through.
Presentation: While the character sprites we see in this case come from the free-to-use forums and the music is from a pre-existing game, that's about where the premade assets end. The backgrounds and evidence all seem to be custom-made for the case, which is very impressive given how much of it there is. And even though premade assets were used, they were still used wonderfully and believably, with the character sprites and music doing well to showcase the proper tone. Also, the beginning of the case has a custom title screen, which gives a good cinematic feel for me. There was one moment of immersion-break, however, and that was during a gameplay segment where we had to answer three questions pertaining to a much larger question, which each answer having a corresponding pictogram. While that is certainly a nice touch, the pictogram doesn't change once it's selected, even when you pick a new answer. But that's in no way game-breaking, and it's my only issue with the presentation, so this is otherwise a very well-looking case!
Gameplay: For the most part, this is standard Ace Attorney-like gameplay, with an investigation to gather evidence and then a debate (trial) to figure out who the culprit is. The logic in this section is sound for the most part, though there were a couple of times I needed the guide to find the "contradictions", as my thought process was technically correct, but the way to present it was wrong. One of these instances actually did feel unfair, as a key fact about the particular evidence led me to believe that it couldn't be what the game was looking for. But for the most part, this basic gameplay we've come to know and love was easy to understand and follow. There were a few custom gameplay mechanics added, as well. As mentioned in Presentation, there are certain points similar to thought routes from DD and SoJ where you have to think back on all that you know to answer three smaller questions that, when combined, answer an overarching question. While I pointed out the slight issue I had with the presentation of this, the mechanic itself was decently-executed, though if you really have no idea what the answer could be, it'll be hard to guess it, as there are so many different combinations to go through, with me actually getting stuck briefly because my logic was a bit off. Fortunately, though, I wasn't so far off track to where I needed the guide, and I got another one of these segments done on the first try, so it's overall not a bad mechanic. There is also one more gameplay mechanic added to this case, but going into detail requires spoiling the ending, so I won't do that here. All I'll say is that it was very immersive and was a fitting way to reveal a plot point before it was officially revealed.
Theme Relevance: As much as I've praised this case so far, there is one major criticism I have to give, and that's the fact that, even after completing the true ending, it wasn't really immediately clear which rule was broken and which was intentionally followed. I believe I've finally worked it out, as showcased at the start of the review, but the fact that it needed a good chunk of thought, as well as the fact I'm still not sure if that was the intended "answer", is definitely hurting the case in this department. Not by a lot, mind you, as it was able to be deduced with some thought, but it wasn't as clear as I would've liked.
Final Thoughts: Overall, "The Dividing Line" is a great mystery that had me hooked and invested the entire way through, with an ending that really brings everything together. While figuring out the theme relevance was a bit difficult, it still did a good job at executing the task given once it was worked out. And since this case is completed, I really hope Gizmological makes the case available for you all to play, as it's one I think you'll all enjoy.
Spoiler : :Wow. That sprite is used in my case, Rune's case and this case. Wonder how many more it's used for.Also, I said this on the discord, but Gizmo's case sounds exactly like my cup of tea. I hope to see it public after judging is over.Spoiler : :That sprite is actually in every AAO fancase, it's illegal not to.
Spoiler : :
Then perhaps I should call Enthalpy to arrest you and Sponge for not putting that sprite in Turnabout Turnabout, hmmmm?