Face to Face fares well enough but too many things still hold it back.
The biggest problem here is the presentation. While the character sprites pop with the limited visuals, the lack of backgrounds does the exact opposite. There are points in the story with a lot of moving around, and just having the title of the location instead of an actual image is very disorientating. On a sound level, there’s the ever-present sound of rain which not only breaks the immersion of many scenes but also cannot have its volume adjusted.
Another pervasive issue comes in the pacing. The lead up to “the twist” works well enough but everything after that quickly falls apart. Readers are not afforded proper time to engage with the mystery or make their own conclusions before the truth (which itself is a little messy) is revealed, curbing much of the project’s potential.
Face to Face is interesting for the turns its story takes, but too many issues bring it down to an experience that’s just average at best.
An excellent read! The prose is propulsive, the dialogue feels naturalistic, and the narrative takes a delightfully surprising turn. Furthermore, Face to Face uses the shortform format effectively, allowing the fact that everything ultimately works out pretty conveniently to factor into the haunting ambivalence of the ending. I will not say more to avoid spoilers, but the writing certainly earns my endorsement.
Some have remarked that the unfinished, backgroundless presentation actually fits the story, but I wouldn't go that far myself. What's there is good: the stylized sprites match how archetypical the characters come off as, being recognizable as types of people you meet in high school, and the audio design sells the grounded realism of the story. I think my favorite bit is how the rain loop provides a smooth transition from the title screen to the game proper.
Still, being set in a gray void hurts the atmosphere of the piece. The writing does such a nice job of characterizing the environments with punchy descriptions, but a lot of impact is lost when you can't see any of that reflected on the screen. In particular, I think suitably moody art could make the opening section more foreboding – the genre shift feels very stark now in a sense that could even be dialed back a little.
The game is enjoyable even in its current state. I do hope to see it completed with visuals that match the polish of the rest, but I guess it can have my pre-emptive five stars as a treat.
I haven't gone through all NovemBear entries yet, but out of what I have read so far Face to Face has been the biggest surprise and possibly my favorite entry so far. Carried mainly by the quality of the writing (plus some excellent music choices), considering the very basic visuals. Even the premise of the story is not particularly novel, just masterfully told, and that makes even the VN's shortcomings shine. Even the most glaring issue of the VN, i.e. the mostly complete absence of backgrounds, ends up working for me: the story is set in a building dedicated to the performance arts, the rooms are just set pieces, the barely illuminated actors are what brings them to life.
I feel like I can't talk much more about this without spoiling the story, but I will say I appreciated how the title frames the thematic core of the story.
If you've skipped Face to Face because of the luckluster presentation, please give it a try.
Daft Punk was right - it's amazing what you'll find face to face! So many aspects of this VN are swagalicious. I got very hooked by the mid-point and I didn't expect a mystery at all, and suddenly - WHABAM. The writing had me on my tippy toes the whole time, I couldn't call any of the twists at all. Using the provided sprites but altering them to be silhouettes worked amazingly, giving this feeling of being unable to pick anyone apart, no idea who's acting in good faith and who isn't. Lack of backgrounds did not impact my experience almost at all, I would go as far as to say the grey background with text in the top left declaring what room it is supposed to be was an aesthetic choice on its own; it worked surprisingly well with the setting. (I only wish there weren't scribbles like the ladder or especially the painfully rushed trees in the final scene.) The resolution tied this all together into what feels like a complete bundle - a short and satisfying mystery in part impactful due to its own decision to leave threads hanging and still definitively concluding.
I think the silhouetted style of the sprites fits very well with a dark and stormy night. I would be interested in seeing other characters/animals with the same look if you decide to keep it. I had friends who were in orchestra so as far as I can tell this is a nice window into what it’s like and it feeds my curiosity. From my perspective, they may as well have been in another world whenever they had to focus on their performance. It makes sense that they would practice overnight and it is a cool setting. I’d love to come back to a future update or even prequels or sequels!
Comments
Face to Face fares well enough but too many things still hold it back.
The biggest problem here is the presentation. While the character sprites pop with the limited visuals, the lack of backgrounds does the exact opposite. There are points in the story with a lot of moving around, and just having the title of the location instead of an actual image is very disorientating. On a sound level, there’s the ever-present sound of rain which not only breaks the immersion of many scenes but also cannot have its volume adjusted.
Another pervasive issue comes in the pacing. The lead up to “the twist” works well enough but everything after that quickly falls apart. Readers are not afforded proper time to engage with the mystery or make their own conclusions before the truth (which itself is a little messy) is revealed, curbing much of the project’s potential.
Face to Face is interesting for the turns its story takes, but too many issues bring it down to an experience that’s just average at best.
An excellent read! The prose is propulsive, the dialogue feels naturalistic, and the narrative takes a delightfully surprising turn. Furthermore, Face to Face uses the shortform format effectively, allowing the fact that everything ultimately works out pretty conveniently to factor into the haunting ambivalence of the ending. I will not say more to avoid spoilers, but the writing certainly earns my endorsement.
Some have remarked that the unfinished, backgroundless presentation actually fits the story, but I wouldn't go that far myself. What's there is good: the stylized sprites match how archetypical the characters come off as, being recognizable as types of people you meet in high school, and the audio design sells the grounded realism of the story. I think my favorite bit is how the rain loop provides a smooth transition from the title screen to the game proper.
Still, being set in a gray void hurts the atmosphere of the piece. The writing does such a nice job of characterizing the environments with punchy descriptions, but a lot of impact is lost when you can't see any of that reflected on the screen. In particular, I think suitably moody art could make the opening section more foreboding – the genre shift feels very stark now in a sense that could even be dialed back a little.
The game is enjoyable even in its current state. I do hope to see it completed with visuals that match the polish of the rest, but I guess it can have my pre-emptive five stars as a treat.
I haven't gone through all NovemBear entries yet, but out of what I have read so far Face to Face has been the biggest surprise and possibly my favorite entry so far. Carried mainly by the quality of the writing (plus some excellent music choices), considering the very basic visuals. Even the premise of the story is not particularly novel, just masterfully told, and that makes even the VN's shortcomings shine. Even the most glaring issue of the VN, i.e. the mostly complete absence of backgrounds, ends up working for me: the story is set in a building dedicated to the performance arts, the rooms are just set pieces, the barely illuminated actors are what brings them to life.
I feel like I can't talk much more about this without spoiling the story, but I will say I appreciated how the title frames the thematic core of the story.
If you've skipped Face to Face because of the luckluster presentation, please give it a try.
Daft Punk was right - it's amazing what you'll find face to face! So many aspects of this VN are swagalicious. I got very hooked by the mid-point and I didn't expect a mystery at all, and suddenly - WHABAM. The writing had me on my tippy toes the whole time, I couldn't call any of the twists at all. Using the provided sprites but altering them to be silhouettes worked amazingly, giving this feeling of being unable to pick anyone apart, no idea who's acting in good faith and who isn't. Lack of backgrounds did not impact my experience almost at all, I would go as far as to say the grey background with text in the top left declaring what room it is supposed to be was an aesthetic choice on its own; it worked surprisingly well with the setting. (I only wish there weren't scribbles like the ladder or especially the painfully rushed trees in the final scene.) The resolution tied this all together into what feels like a complete bundle - a short and satisfying mystery in part impactful due to its own decision to leave threads hanging and still definitively concluding.
I'll remember the sound of rain.
I think the silhouetted style of the sprites fits very well with a dark and stormy night. I would be interested in seeing other characters/animals with the same look if you decide to keep it. I had friends who were in orchestra so as far as I can tell this is a nice window into what it’s like and it feeds my curiosity. From my perspective, they may as well have been in another world whenever they had to focus on their performance. It makes sense that they would practice overnight and it is a cool setting. I’d love to come back to a future update or even prequels or sequels!