“It gets so lonely here” and the desperate search for company — Visual Novel Spotlight
Please don’t mind my candid manners, I’ve been so lonely lately…
I’d gather that everyone has felt trapped at least once in their lives. If we’re being honest, probably quite a few more than once. Life has a way of feeling uncaring and unappealing, especially during hardships.
Clinging to hope might not feel like the most reasonable option, but reason rarely is sufficient to keep the heart content. When it comes to people, their struggles and desires, that’s the realm of emotion you’re entering.
Said realm might very well be the forest our dear escapee protagonist is running through at the beginning of It gets so lonely here. Desperately trying to get away from someone, she arrives at a crossing and gets to choose between three paths.
Will our frail and insecure protagonist go to the shore, to the castle, or the village? Your input is quickly solicited and, once the poison’s been selected, you go on your merry way along with our girl.
What ensues are short but moving personal stories dealing with loss, isolation, and toxic dependency. In a rather clever use of the mechanics of a visual novel, you’ll be treated to a sort of anthology that, nevertheless, all share the common aforementioned threads.
They also have some more, ahem, fatidic beats in common. It all flows with a pristine presentation, mesmerizing music, and some wonderfully detailed prose that’s sure to engage you as the story unfolds.
While the aesthetics and characterization are wonderfully done, I can’t write this recommendation without commending the themes of the work and the way they’re depicted.
You might be surprised to know that we’re dealing with genuine love stories here. Each vignette comes with an enchanting damsel, a morbid circumstance, and a passionate, though distressing, ending.
Truly the realms of reason are far behind. On more than one occasion we’ll get confronted with logic that only stands as a testament to someone’s emotional state rather than a carefully considered plan.
Our protagonist is no less of an emotional being. It seems likely that emotion itself brought her into this situation, and it’s a deep desire for love and being loved that compels her through some bizarre happenings.
The end result is a story of desperation. People fixating on other people as a means to solve something within themselves and quickly finding out that drastic measures are in order.
Loving can be a hurtful endeavor, of course. Sometimes we can’t do anything except get in harm’s way to help someone. Other times, however, something darker might be at play.
The desire for love can blind someone to some horrible situations. How many people suffer while looking for true companionship? A sense of complete belonging that doesn’t seem to quite materialize.
Maybe running through the forest is as futile an effort for our protagonist as it is for us to desperately cling to painful things, all trying to convince ourselves that this is the place we ought to be.
Happiness is not attached to just one place, however. Hardship is unavoidable, but love has to be more than just getting hurt. So keep looking, and keep yourself sane.
I know. It gets so lonely here… but you can’t let that absence force you to swallow whatever darkness finds you first. You’re far more precious than that.
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Author: Walker M
Aspiring game developer and hobbyist writer. Perpetually doing too much. Chronically burnt out.
Argentinian. Passionate. Unbearable?
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