A very moving experience, which I now actually prefer over the anime.
It
has barely any elements of an actual game – no puzzles, challenges or
anything like that. The closest you can compare it to is probably a
visual novel. Like the anime, this game touches on the same subjects,
though I have to say, it manages to present them in a more real and
authentic-feeling way. There is less of a focus on the sci-fi elements
than in the anime, in exchange for the focus on the psyche of Lain and
Touko, her counsellor.
They are both well-written, believable and
they do not feel one-dimensional, which is good since they are
essentially the core of the entire experience. You explore the story in a
non-linear fashion, which forces you to piece the story together
yourself. However, even with the non-linear storytelling the story is
still more coherent than its anime counterpart, which focuses more on
the surrealistic, avant-garde and sci-fi elements. I like this though,
as it really allows the whole experience to feel much more impactful.
The
atmosphere, together with the sound effects and the OST, is very
charming. After some parts of the game you really just stop, listen,
take in all the atmosphere and think about what you have been hearing
and witnessing, while the soothing sombre tune plays in the background.
Perfect execution for a game like this.
The only problem is the
controls, which can sometimes feel clunky and slow, having to wait for
animations to finish and such. You just have to bear with it.
Thankfully, you can at least jump multiple levels of the menu without
having to go one by one.
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