This review will include spoilers!

Gameplay - 3/5: Serviceable

I will say that the gameplay here is pretty light, and mainly focused around talking with people or interacting with certain locations. There are a couple opportunities for you to pick from multiple dialogue options, but as far as I can tell there isn't a big effect on the game and at least for me I never reached any kind of 'game over'.

I do think the saving system could be simpler...? It's not bad, but it's a little strange to be able to save from the menu and also from your seat. Particularly in a game where there isn't any, or at least are very few opportunities to get a 'game over', probably just saving from the menu and/or autosave would have been good enough. I will say that the autosave was a nice touch.

Presentation - 4/5: Good!

I really appreciate the custom art which is simple, but very effective. Nice touch with making the fluttering moth element in the UI!

I like the classical music at the beginning, and I think it fits the mysterious tone well. However, I think the beginning had a few too many jokes that it clashed with the darker tone of the music. I thought the jokes were pretty funny, but I think either having less of them or changing the music to something more cheerful (at least during the beginning cutscene) might help the scene to have a more consistent mood. Something like the music from the scene inside the bus would fit well.

Creativity - 4/5: Good!

I really admire the sprite design, which is very good at conveying the different character designs while still being minimalistic. Good job! I also liked the idea of tying the red string to people to follow them into their dreams, it's a cute interpretation of the myth that fits pretty well with this game. The story of a bunch of people haunted by a dead childhood friend isn't a unique one, but I did like this game's take on it.

Horror - 5/5: Great!

The horror in this game starts subtle- little footprints following along, a spooky story. The mystery on Claire's disappearance and the little clues you find in each person's dream really helped to build up that dread. Well done!

Story - 4/5: Good!

This game does a good job at introducing you to the beginning characters, starting with a cutscene between Arianne and Lily. Their dialogue is funny and helps you get a sense of not only their personalities, but the personality of another character named Lovely. I thought it was a well done scene, so good job!

Unfortunately, things get a bit confusing when you're introduced to the other characters. There's so many of them in one scene that it becomes difficult to keep track. The more memorable introductions include the purple haired girl, two of Arianne's cousins, and Lily's boyfriend Riki. Or maybe his brother, Riku?

I'll say that writing a large cast can be difficult, but this game did a very good job with giving most of them pretty distinct voices and personalities. I do think it's a little difficult to remember all the characters and their connections to each other, just due to their sheer number. A couple of the characters kind of had repetitive roles, specifically Niña and the people from the shop probably could have been condensed into one character. Especially as the story goes on, some characters had fewer and fewer lines, and you can't even go into their dreams to learn more about them or about the past. It could be more efficient in the future to cut down on the number of characters, or to recycle their designs or ideas about them into other games.

It does get easier to keep track of the characters as the game goes on. I also enjoyed the ability to go into other people's dreams to find clues about what happened when they were kids. It works surprisingly well given that each segment is long enough to give you just a hint, but short enough not that you feel like you're missing out on what the other characters went through or were thinking. These dreams also help you get to know the other characters better as well, though that does leave the characters without the dream sequences feeling sidelined a little bit. I'm a little disappointed you don't get to find out what happens to the characters after the events of the game, but besides that I was pretty satisfied with both endings I got.

Overall:

A nice little game! The focus here is definitely on it's narrative, which explores the mystery of this missing girl while traveling through the dreams of others. The gameplay is pretty light, and the art and music are good though occasionally the music and story are tonally inconsistent. Probably the most tricky thing about this game is the large cast, which can be confusing especially at the beginning. The horror is really well done for a game this light on gameplay, starting subtly before gradually building throughout the game. Good job!