Miniature Garden (PC) review"Murder and mystery await players of this visual novel. Can you escape the school with your life?" |
Miniature Garden is a visual novel with horror and mystery elements. The player controls a young man named Yasunari Igusa who, along with his friends, tries to figure out why the lot of them are trapped in their school building. Something has clearly gone wrong, and the students are anxious to escape and find out why they were put in such a position. Seven endings are available, and each one reveals more of the full picture. A solid voice cast, an intriguing tale and lovely artwork ensured that even though I'm not the biggest fan of horror games, I was able to enjoy this particular title. I believe fans of the genre will, as well.
The school where the story takes place is called Miniature Garden. It's located in a secluded forest, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the nearby city. Perhaps that's why the school is the subject of numerous local rumors, collectively known as the "seven mysteries." Most of those rumors deal with death or disappearances. Yasunari doesn't believe in such things until he finds himself trapped on the property on the day of the Miniature Festival. Now he must confront those mysteries head-on in order to escape.
There is more to the story, of course, but further explanation would only spoil things. I will say, however, that the story didn't seem to know what it wanted to accomplish. Is it a high school murder mystery? Is it a ghost story? Is it the tale of a struggle against an evil corporation? In the end, it's all of those things at once, which leads to a rather muddled result. If you want to fully understand what's happening, you need to access all seven endings. Even then, some plot holes remain.
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