Genre: Mystery Fantasy Horror Sci-Fi Doujin Visual Novel
Developer: Circletempo
Publisher: MangaGamer
Release Date: Oct 18, 2016
If our world were a twisted reality, a place where whatever the government told you was real and always right, and the idea of your shadow not existing, what if that truly did exist in a single world? You would living in the world of Myth, a adventure mystery novel developed by Circletempo that was later released by MangaGamer. While I will admit that Myth’s premise is interesting and considerably different, this novel will leave you more curious than satisfied, depending on how you view it. Please note that I will be reviewing the adult version of Myth from MangaGamer, not the steam version so some content I speak about may not exist between the novels in the end.
Searching for that deep and dark shadow, the tale of Myth begins with an interestingly posed idea, similar to that of the Higurashi series of novels. We view the world around us through the eyes of Meito Tanabe, a student in the world of the light who lives in a government driven world where no one breaks from the mold. That is until Meito comes across a girl in a black sundress by the name of Shimon, a mysterious girl with a shadow. This interests Meito enough to follow her and convince her to take him into the world of shadows to search for the origin of a mysterious voice, which turns out to be a very sunny place, surrounded by fields and people living in peace. However, trying to leave seems impossible on his own as after splitting from Shimon, he gets lost and is saved by a young shadow girl. The rest of this tale is an exercise in thought, relating this back to the Higurashi series in terms of detail and mystery.
I will admit, however, this level of thought provoking story is an amazing feat for any development team to create so I must give props to Circletempo for being able to give me the same experience as the Higurashi novels gave me with the first playthrough. The story has some flaws, the biggest of which is this sense of openness between the three characters and Meito himself. It is an awkward set up as he barely trusts these three girls at all, and while that does melt away as you progress in the story, early on it does leave a slightly off impression.
Time to talk about the adult version differences, most notably the sexual scenes that are exclusive to this version of the novel. These scenes, while there a good few to see, are actually a nice change of pace from the mysterious and thought provoking story the novel works off of. These scenes also utilize the partial voice acting the novel received, which worth a listen as the voice actors put a lot of effort and care into the lines, adding a new level of immersion to this already deep story. Most of the rest of the adult version additions are your standard fare, including the uncensoring of certain scenes that were not censored in japan.
Just like the swaying grasses, the visuals of Myth are stylized but detailed, a combination not usually seen with novels today. The backgrounds here are middling in terms of design, with enough detail that they do feel unique visually from each other, but not enough to stand out in a crowd if you put them side by side, which works here as it allows the characters to shine. Speaking of the characters, these characters models were an excellent choice to go with for the novel, as each character is given their own personality with how they shift around and react to certain situations. Even the facial details are really good here, allowing us to tell how each character is feeling about a topic without having to be told.
Musically, Myth has an interesting set up. The soundtrack of Myth is different then most, utilizing the same styles we generally see, with the piano, some synth music involved and some jazzy pieces, but they are merged together in some cases. These pieces are a big plus for the novel, allowing it to become a listening experience worth going back to, even if it’s just to leave up in the background while you are working. Sadly, we do not get much in the way of sound effects, unless it comes to the hentai scenes and I wish they had been more utilized towards that regard outside of these, and the occasional door opening, maybe a kick or punch sound here or there.
Overall, Myth as a novel reminds me that a novel with a simple premise, even if that premise is as simple as searching for something, can be as good as a novel with a deep and rich plot, even with the few faults it has. An intriguing story with thought provoking ideas, long playtime, adult content is worth the reach for it, a stylized but detailed visual setup, excellently done character models, characters are expressive, and a solid and interesting soundtrack wrap up this novel nicely.
Pros:
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An intriguing story that is thought provoking and interesting
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A solid 5+ hour playtime
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The adult/hentai content is worth reaching if interested in it
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Novel is a good combination of being stylized but detailed in its own right
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Character models are both very well done and expressive in more than one way
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A solid, yet interesting soundtrack filled with unique pieces
Cons:
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The story can take some time to get absorbed into
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Adult content is spread a bit far between the normal reading
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Lack of sound effects make the soundtrack get repetitive over time
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Characters are awkward towards each other at times
DarkLunarDude gives Myth Adult ver. a Drastik Measure 7.9 out of 10.0 (79).
For the price of $14.99 on steam for the all ages version or $14.95 on MangaGamer.com for the adult version, Myth is a experience that, if you are okay with a slightly slower paced novel, is worth checking out. If you are looking for adult content, this novel will have it for you, but just be prepared to work for it in some cases. Also, I highly recommend this to fans of the Higurashi series as the novels are similar in build up, as well as almost playing like a sound novel.