Some of gaming's most harrowing tragedies, most stirring moments of romance, and most agonizing moments of dread can be found in this epic gothic visual novel. Its sweeping nonlinear narrative is rich in complex, intimate character study and engrossing plot developments. It pulls very few punches in its bleak, sometimes disturbing subject matter. Altogether it makes for a thematically-rich whirlwind of emotion unlike anything else I've played.

You really need to "go with the flow" to get there, but it's a minor narrative miracle that this century-hopping story wraps up as well as it does, successfully bridging what initially appear to be almost totally separate stories. With major shifts in tone and setting, flashbacks layered within flashbacks, competing unreliable narrators, and more, there is quite a lot going on that they usually juggle very well. Impressively, very little felt fillery, or overly reliant on common character tropes. And even with all the twisted, shocking stuff in the game, nothing felt too edgy just for the sake of it.

There are inevitably some less perfect parts in a game with this much ground to cover. Though they make good on nearly everything by the end, a few reveals and other plot points do feel a bit forced and inelegant. Some important-feeling scenes seem a bit cheaply presented and glossed over, which sometimes ends up making sense and sometimes does not. A couple awkward age gap moments might have been handled even more critically than the game already treats them. Lastly, the choice to use relatively plain, modern colloquial language is usually not too bad but can occasionally clash too much with the setting.

Though very light on meaningful interactivity, Fata Morgana occasionally does make interesting use of the visual novel presentation and interface. With little bits of obfuscation and visual trickery, it's able to further its narrative goals in a pretty effective way without feeling gimmicky. Otherwise, correct decisions do need to be made to make it to the true ending, but you're mostly just here to read and soak in the audiovisual presentation.

That presentation does a whole lot with very little to create a captivating atmosphere. Backdrops have a hazy, impressionist feel that really fit the story's framing through a series of uncertain memories and tales of the past, while remaining recognizable after centuries of change. Character portraits initially struck me as a bit weird, but the game grows into the unique art style as it gets darker in tone. Several of the fullscreen illustrations are really striking. The original soundtrack also contributes a lot to the game's many different feelings and settings, and never feels overplayed.

I have never been so emotionally wrapped up in a game story as I was during the fifth of this game's eight major sections, a peak in quality that they do nearly match later on. That I got that kind of response from even one section already makes this amazing. But the whole game had things to love, and the way each section builds on the last and shows things in different lights makes for a remarkably complete, well-rounded experience.

This is instantly one of my favorite game stories of all time—addictive, constantly surprising, and overall unforgettable.

After finishing Fata Moru I can say that this VN is a masterpiece. From the beginning to the end the stories about who lived in this cursed mansion involved me a lot as I was on my way to discover the truth.

All the bigger revelations are only a little part of the real plot twist, this is like a ride on a roller coaster that never end; I guess that this is why people appreciate Fata Moru so much.

There is more than one perspective into the stories of this manor and I can say that many characters are not good people, but they are real men and real women with REAL conflicts and struggles in life. Empathize with these characters is easy because the dialogues resound with the heart of the reader. Characters, art style and music are what make this VN an original and particular experience.

I must say that initially I wasn't fond of the design because it is something that I don't see everyday, especially if you are more into the "anime style." I'm so happy that I was wrong about it because Fata Moru's design is perfect for a story like this, it takes only a little time to get used to it. Emotions like pain, happiness, hope, suffering and despair are painted very well with this drawing style.

The soundtrack has many memorable tracks that capture very well the atmosphere of this VN. Vocal songs are great and they are already stuck in my head.

The House in Fata Morgana is a gothic Visual Novel by the relatively unknown developer, Novect. The game does not look like a typical VN. The art is Western-looking with muted colors instead of an overly saturated Anime style. The setting spans centuries across different countries instead of a year at a typical Japanese high school. The choices the player makes are solely used to move the plot forward, rather than influencing which “waifu” to end up with. To say the least, The House in Fata Morgana stands out in a crowd of samey looking VNs however the lackluster production values and pacing problems ruin the experience.

In The House in Fata Morgana, you play as a person suffering from amnesia who ends up at an abandoned mansion. To your surprise there is a woman called The Maid who happily greets you and calls you her Master. To help recover the player’s memories, The Maid has the ability to bring you to the past and observe the lives of the mansion’s previous occupants. The Maid guides the player to visit four distinct doors. The protagonist starts to notice some common elements in each story: The seemingly ageless Maid always makes an appearance. A beautiful white haired girl woos the male lead. And all the stories end in tragedy. The rest of the game is figuring out the mystery of the mansion, who the protagonist is and what are the true intentions of The Maid.

For as beautifully well thought out the story is, I found it horribly paced. It does not help that I found the first door agonizingly boring. Despite my remark about how the game does not look like a typical VN, the dialog sure resembles one. The banter between characters is long winded. Conversations can easily last over a dozen minutes with only a sliver of pertinent information. The Beast’s story is especially atrocious, since players will have to click through the same gibberish dialogue over and over. The game’s script could have easily been halved and tell the same tale.

Fortunately, the music and art help elevate the repetitive script. The soundtrack is astonishingly varied. The music ranges from religious hymns, songs with vocals in Portuguese and light hearted background music. It fits the game to a tee, but I did find the vocal soundtracks a bit distracting. The hand drawn art is impressive. Character portraits are highly detailed and emotive. The few full screen drawings in the game are surprisingly well executed and conveys the characters’ mood and actions without words.

The House in Fata Morgana from a gameplay perspective is fairly pedestrian. Players click through dialogue until they encounter a choice. Most choices are inconsequential while other choices lead to Bad Endings. The game auto-saves at these critical junctures, so it is easy to reload and pick the right choice should you happen to stumble upon a Bad Ending. There are two choices in the game that are time restricted. The game will end whether you choose to pick an option or let it lapse, however the game never clearly communicates this so it is recommended to review a walkthrough so you know when to expect them. The game does a cool third-wall breaking moment in the fourth door’s story and I highly recommend perusing the message logs while experiencing it.

The production quality of The House in Fata Morgana is very basic. There is no voice-over, there are very few character portraits and the generic blurry backgrounds aren’t interesting to look at. It is especially egregious in the latter chapters, where they dump walls and walls of text. At those moments, I wondered why this is even a VN, when it could have been better served as a novella. Yes the game does have beautiful artwork, but for the majority of the game you will be staring at a generic low quality wallpaper background while reading repetitive text.

The House in Fata Morgana is wildly inconsistent. The game has its brilliant moments especially once you start connecting the dots and seeing how each story is subtly related to one another. It reminds me of the saying, “History doesn’t repeat itself but it often rhymes”. The game also has numerous lows. The story’s pacing is horrible and is worsened by the repetitive script. The poor production values simply cannot justify the retail price of the game compared to more well known VNs like Steins;Gate, they retail on Steam for $24.99 and $29.99 respectively. The House in Fata Morgana is an okay recommendation if you can get it at a deep discount and are looking for a unique story that is different from a typical VN.