I want puzzles to come back. I enjoyed this, but the gameplay part felt like an obligation, like the shootouts in an uncharted game. gotta be there to hit some minimum interactivity quotient and claim that status of "a game," but doesn't seem like anyone involved particularly enjoyed it. I miss adventure game puzzles designed by people who like adventure game puzzles, is what I'm saying. plot-wise, though, this is really neat! a compellingly purple blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and, uh... anti-imperialism! (the "blood" in "blood nova" is similar to that of "blood diamond.") the empress has abdicated and the princess readies to take the throne and hasn't really thought about what that entails, when holy bajeebus does the universe smack her with a bunch of reality. like, a whole lotta people around her die all at once in what may be an assassination attempt and she's got to resolve a situation that may or may not result in galactic war. yesterday she was a party girl, this is like the fate of billions resting on the sound judgment of paris hilton.

so! a compelling setup! game's ambitions are way, like way beyond what it can accomplish with a 3.5-hour runtime and a visual novel presentation. whole lotta ground trying to get covered here. but it's nice to see devs with a VISION, y'know? none of it sings, but all of it sparkles. gonna keep an eye on this team.