Perfection: Paper-Thin is unorthodox, to say the least.
An OELVN true-and-true that, while deriving inspiration from JVNs in things like sprite design, sound design, the relevance of music and the use of certain graphical effects, is also attempting to carve a niche of its own in more ways than one.
The contrast between the character art and the background art creates a weird atmosphere that, agree with the art direction or not, I don't think most will forget so soon. The character sprites are great, with a variety of detail, poses and expressions that are put to use for good effect.
The ‘paper sprites’ (you will know then when you see them) are downright bizarre, but fit the narrative and at one point are used for an impactful scene in a way I don’t think the use of ‘‘normal sprites’ could.
The music is very nice, with a couple of themes I really enjoyed. The loops play in the background seminglessly helping set the tones of mystery, urgency, or imminent danger.
The game has point’n’click sections, which is something I am not really a fan of. But they are quite original in their implementation and you can clearly see what the Devs were going for with them. They help with getting to know the protagonist, and peeking inside her mind, rather than just being a ‘game-y' entertainment feature.
One of the biggest 'selling points’ of P-PT is the voice-acting. The game has full VA except for the protagonist, and the voice actor of character ‘Artur’ clearly steals the show with the combination of his witty, sarcastic lines and the British accent they’re delivered in.
The story is a small episode set in a modern expanded universe inspired by Lovecraftian horror, but the execution made it feel more like a tale that one could expect to find in edgier versions of something like the older versions of ‘Dr. Who’, ‘Twilight Zone’ or ‘The Outer Limits’.
There are very few VNs who delve into the genre of Horror/Suspense/Modern Magicks tale that P-PT does, and even less (perhaps none, as far as I know) who do it in the way this VN does.
If you are interested in the genre, and like adorable bastards with suave British voices you know you should not be liking, give it a try.
It is not Perfect, but neither is it Paper-Thin.