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A dreamlike journey...



Hello,
I had the pleasure to play many nice french Rm2k3 games (Dyhortfight series being my favourite), so when I saw this Phileas's Mirror (Le Miroir de Philéas) I decided to try it. By the way this review refers to the english version of the game (that anyway is now packed together the french one).

Phileas's Mirror is a little big adventure game in three parts about Loic, a normal 30-something guy that works, has a girlfriend and a best friend, Amelia and Raphael.
During his day he will also meet the young Lucas and the old Mr. Gonzales, two person that together with his "old acquaintances" will be present in all the three parts of the game.

These three segments of the story are:

1 - the real world (a normal urban city under the rain)
2 - the dream (the same city is now bright, full of animals and plants, everyone lives in harmony)
3 - the nightmare (the city looks now dark and empty, and the few encounters aren't pleasant! A real hell!)

More or less the locations visited will be the same (it is still the same city), it's alwais the same city with the same inhabitants, you will probably recognize some of them even if they aren't even named (like Loic's colleagues, for example).
Speaking about the locations I cannot help but marvel at the beauty of the maps and how these are populated: the city is crowded and realistic, but during the dream part the enviroments becomes really surreal and colorful. There is an incredible amount of different characters (sometimes you can notice a little difference of style/proportions between charsets but not too much), creatures and beings (clever use of the enemy sprites on the maps too!), and this also happens in the terrible and distressing scenes of the nightmare part. It's all really mysterious and immersive, incredibly detailed and impressive, considered this is just an rm2k3 game! Excellent use of light and other visual effects too (like the "ruined film effect" during the nightmare part).

The selection of music is good too, the sources are varied but the sounds and music perfectly match the mood and the setting of the scenes. You will also hear laughts and yawns, something that isn't quite common.



Ok, but what about the gameplay?
Phileas's Mirror is a game about exploration: there are many optional dialogues and characters that can be missed if you do not take the time to interact with the surroundings, and that's a pity since every line of dialogue tells something about the places visited. But yes, there is a linear story path that is about finding the way to unlock the access to the next part and this means usually collecting some items or performing some actions that will open some patch previously locked.

But wait, there is more! Game is not just about exploration but there are also minigames. These go from quick time events, small puzzles and even a couple of typical jrpg combat encounters. Don't expect them to be too difficult or to have a meaningful outcome if you perform badly (in some cases you can't lose, in others you can't win!), in any case some of the most challenging parts can be skipped if you fail (like the chase in the underground that see a drugged Loic trying to solve a sort of timed puzzle. Last level is quite difficult, consider that the movement keys are rearranged!). That and the "marching minigame" were the only two I had to re-try.

Some of these minigames can also be re-played in the same area, if tour really want, in any case these are nome other than pleasant time wasters that interwine well with the exploration and the narrative of the game, for a more varied game experience.

This game has just a little nuisance: some untranslated text. Some examples are the sign before the cave (that sadly you cannot enter) near the new house, the save point in the first part of the metro station on the nightmare part (and also some interactions in that part are not translated), and some colleagues dialogues also during the nightmare.
Another "problem" may be the absence of in game menu, or better, its availability only at save points. Only here you can save/load or quit and access to the options, while this is not too bad I'd have wished the possibility to save between some minigames sections. But hey, it's ok anyway!



Verdict
Besodes all I said before, there are some features and details I liked very much: the custom menu that is very cute and well done, the use of a "hidden" savegame to find a password (brilliant!).

Phileas's Mirror is a small adventure incredibly well made and interesting. It's a travel inside ourselves (it is a MIRROR!) through the eyes of Loic. It's a game that leaves a lot to the imagination for what concerns the end... and beyond, and I think that it can be appreciate by both expert players and newbies. There are a lot of emotions emerging from the happy dream section and from the hellish nightmare dimension (oh that part has also a "mature content" zone, not that this goes beyond the pixelated level but it is just a warning), it's a game unlike most others. It will make you reflect but also laugh (try asking the whale for advices!), and in the end it will be a short but pleasant journey (so no excuse not to play this!). It's 4.5/5, just some minor issues, otherwise a perfect special little game.

Final Note
There is a complete playthrough on youtube on three episodes about this game (in french)... BUT I noticed many differences (has some different scenes and events), probably it's an earlier version of the game. Well it was interesting anyway!

Ps: I forgot to explain who Phileas is! Well, no time for that, now you have an excuse to try this g̶a̶m̶e̶ gem. You won't be disappointed!


Posts

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Thanks for this review ! :)

I will make sure to fix the few things you noticed.
author=Kenetec
Thanks for this review ! :)

I will make sure to fix the few things you noticed.


Thanks for the reply!
Yay yes, these are a couple of things, and I guess I listed them all. It was really good, the amount of details on the maps is amazing.
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