Miserere

Before I discovered Miserere, I had never played a game like it. Not even Yume Nikki. The experience was completely new to me, and what an experience that was! I hope that through this review I can show you just how awesome the game is.

Premise

The premise of the game is very simple and easy to understand. A lone human being lives in a space station somewhere on another planet. This has naturally made him bored, and so he sleeps a lot. His deteriorating mental health is clearly visible in his bizarre dreams, but there is more to it - you can actually uncover the mysterious past of the protagonist by dreaming.

Gameplay

The gameplay is as simple as the story. You can move around and interact with objects of interest. Occasionally you collect items and tools and use them in other places to unlock new areas and progress. In addition to this you have the option to wake yourself up, whenever you are in the dream world. Very simple, right?

Simple, yet works well. Miserere doesn't require any skill to play it, which makes it pleasingly accessible to many different audiences. The game relies on exploration and its fantastic graphics, which are, in this case, more than enough to keep the player's interest.

I may have mentioned that I had not played Yume Nikki before Miserere. Well, this game inspired me to try Yume Nikki later on, and I immediately noticed a big difference between the two games. While I never felt like things were progressing too slow in Miserere, despite the slow walking pace, Yume Nikki felt like it was dragging from the beginning.

Better pacing is not the only thing Miserere has over Yume Nikki. The settings are also much more interesting, partly due to the graphics, but also because you can actually interact with points of interest. In Yume Nikki, this was very limited. In Miserere, you can examine almost any object and hear the protagonist's thoughts on it. This is very engaging, as it extends the gaming experience and provides more depth to each dream scene.

Did I mention that things actually change sometimes, when you revisit previous dream world areas? Even if you have already explored a location, you can never be too sure that it will remain the same. The same applies to the space station, to some extent.

Story

The story of Miserere is straightforward. The intro refrains from giving you an infodump, which is a good way not to scare off players right away. The story pretty much ravels through the gameplay. This makes you curious; you actually want to learn about the protagonist's mysterious past and you want to find out what is going on behind his peculiar dreams.

Not to spoil anything, I will just briefly mention here that I liked the ending really much. You have to play the game to see it, but trust me, it's worth your time (although it feels like the game ends too soon, cause it's so good).

Visuals

The definite high point of Miserere. Snow Owl is known for his amazing custom graphics in other games as well, but I think he put extraordinary effort into this game and really pulled it off. The graphics create an almost overwhelming surrealist atmosphere everywhere you go. This is not only limited to the dreamworld: the actual space station looks gloomy and is very well executed.

The reason for playing this game is the dream world exploration. I couldn't have hoped for a better experience. It's not just that each world has its own unique style, but it also has its own backstory and reason for being there. Each place reflects the feelings of the protagonist, or foreshadows future events. It is really fun speculate on this.

All in all, the graphics are spectacular and nothing I have ever seen in other RPG Maker games.

Audio

While the terrific graphics are largely responsible for creating an atmosphere in the game, it wouldn't be anything without the soundtrack. The audio in this game works perfectly with the visuals. The music is not original, but well selected to suit the needs of the game.

More than once, you can actually tell something bad is going to happen beforehand, thanks to the music. This emphasizes the horror aspect. When the music turns dark and foreboding, you cannot help a feeling of anxiety washing over you. You just know something is out there, wanting to get you. Still you end up being surprised often. Along the same lines, happy and positive scenes have somewhat upbeat music that manages to lift your spirit.

Overall

What can I say? This game is one of the best games I have ever played. The simple concept draws you in very fast and the excellent teamwork of graphics and audio maintains interest throughout. The story actually develops gradually, and eventually leaves you with an ending you can't be disappointed about (except that the game is too short).

Pros
- Those graphics!
- Amazing soundtrack
- Simplicity of the story
- Almost impossible to feel bored at any part of the game

Cons
- Some spelling errors, nothing serious

I loved the Miserere experience and I would recommend this game to anyone who likes games with exploration and a suspenseful atmosphere. You won't be disappointed.