春と修羅｜Haru to Shura

Intrigueing side scrolling adventure game about bishonens finding each other in a liminal space. I wish it was longer because the atmosphere is phenenomal but it delivers all the same.

This is an extremely middling recommendation from me. Despite this being co-developed by Studio Pixel, its direction and writing are from MIYAKOpubl. That means that rather than being a metroidvania or action platformer, this is a sidescrolling adventure game which has so little interactivity that it might as well be a visual novel. I'm going to say this out the gate: this is a psychodrama, and if you've ever seen a psychodrama, especially a Japanese one, this plays all the tropes horribly straight. It feels very baby's first version of this story, and that's why this isn't a strong recommendation. I was left very much with the feeling of "seen it." Plus, a number of things, like waiting for and gathering payment for the ferryman, feels like padding to stop the game from being refundable. Also, I feel the need to mention that despite carrying the tag for some time, this game isn't gay hardly at all. There's like 3 sentences at most which could be interpreted as subtext. Whether you view that as a positive or negative is up to you. If you're the kind of person to play a game like this, give it a shot I guess, but don't expect something all that complex or nuanced.

A short, thoughtful melancholy narrative that follows Chihiro as he enters Eden, an afterlife without pain or suffering. It explores emotions and human relationships in the face of extraordinary events (especially without the overbearing weariness of classic literature!) all while inviting you to ponder. Not to mention the English localisation is pretty amazing, keeping the dialogue simple and brisk to match a conversational pace yet knowing when wax poetic to give it a literary flair. So if you're in the mood for a game to make you think, consider Haru to Shura.