The Longing Ribbon

I generally hate the horror genre. I finally decided to play The Longing Ribbon out of a trusted friend's recommendation. When I first saw the game's screenshots, it didn't strike me as anything special. Though as I started playing it, I realized quickly how I should not judge a game by it's cover. Well, in this case, screenshots.

You play as a girl named Jeannine who is travelling to with her two friends, though unfortunately, they wind up lost in the forests when they arrive as a large manor to use a phone. The owner of the house, Lannie, explains that there is no phone availible in the house, though there is shelter from the poor weather. Jeannine and her friends decide to stay overnight, where they are thrown into a complete nightmare.


Visuals

When I first saw screenshots of this game, I thought, "How scary can a game that utilizes mainly RTP be?" I was wrong for underestimating the abilities of the designer to create an engaging and interesting environment and atmosphere.

The Longing Ribbon definetely is not your typical horror game - it creates a very interesting mood through sepia and dreamy tones which I have not seen in other games. He uses primarily RTP, but it is so well done, unlike other RTP games which are typically sloppy.

The characters are quite animated and keeps your eyeballs on the screen. Overall, well done. I never though I would give four stars to this game based off of the screenshots. It just shows you have to play it to really understand.


Sound

I am unsure where the source of the songs are from this game. Though I know that the sounds and music, which are pivotal in horror games, worked perfectly. I can recall some of the songs gave me chills down my spine.


Writing

This is one of the areas that the game really shines - the dialogue is completely nature. Though Jeannine's speech is primarily through options. I like how the author of this game included a lot of badass/smart ass choices. I am glad it did not have a major impact on the story or anything because I chose to be a bitch throughout the entire game. Haha.

The other characters in the game aren't neglected either - they are all well developed and each of them have their own personalities, though some may feel they are your basic horror archetypes, it worked out in the end and I enjoyed it.

Though I think towards the end of the game, The Longing Ribbon stopped becoming horror for me as it was fantasy - perhaps it is because you started to know too much, and the author become more involved and interested in the mythos surrounding the game. It is not really a bad thing - it didn't bother me, at least. However, I am just saying that the original fear I experienced waned towards the end. Rather, The Longing Ribbon felt more like a thriller.

Gameplay/Interface

This is the area in the game that probably needs the most amount of revisions. The author decided to include these custom battles. It's a nice idea, as the default battle system in the game just ... wouldn't work here. Though I think it was very clumsily made, and it is excruciating. Luckily, the author was considerate enough to add the option to skip battles through a cheat found in the walkthrough.

There would be no other way for me to enjoy the game without it. For the others who finds the battles frustrating, I suggest you look into that because I personally though the battles were a waste of time.

Other than that, the game was done well - it didn't have the excessive amount of pauses that annoy the crap out of me. Though sometimes the hero's walkspeed is a bit slow, it is done only momentarily and for a dramatic effect. I think it was employed well here.

conclusion:

This game is fucking delicious.