izigame.me

This game originally appeared to me as I was looking for visual novels that fit the niche of death games that I have become completely obsessed with. And, considering this basically is just Among Us in a visual novel format, I expected that I would be refunding this game on the premise of trying it and finding it not original or story-driven enough. But, once I started playing it, I didn't slow down until I'd beaten a majority of the main story because I found it a pleasant surprise how addictive the game really is.
So, the plot is still really similar to Among Us/Mafia, in which you wake on a ship where there are Gnosia (this game's version of Impostors/Mafia. You've gotta figure out who the Gnosia are by holding a meeting and voting on it before you all split off for the night, allowing a murder to happen. If you're looking for a completely original premise, then this doesn't present a completely unheard of plot. But it's the way that this game tackles the whole idea of playing Mafia that appeals more than these party games. Whilst in any other of these, if you wanted to play another game, you'd simply set up the cards/start another game, in Gnosia, you encounter a time loop that ends every time you die/have won. Whilst this may make the game seem repetitive, unlike how you may expect time loops to work in which everyone loses their memory bar the player, another character, Setsu, who acts as the supporting character, is able to recall some of these loops, giving you an ally in this game.
The reason that this game gains much of its points in my books is that it really does well at fleshing out its characters. Setsu's mindset is explored in detail, about how she wants the loops to end but has no clue how to end them and all characters have much to learn about them which unveils why they act the way they do, which adds replayability as a player seeks to find out everything they can about their favourite characters. Plus, there is an element of skill retention in which a player can continuously increase their skills, leading to a greater ease in retaining skills such as gaining influence in the meetings, allowing them to best the strongest players such as Yuriko. To add to this, there is no issue with getting frustrated at being provided a certain role, as before a player begins a game, they can choose their role and which roles are at play, which makes the game much more replayable. As well as fleshing its characters out, the game manages to insert some strong comedic relief characters such as Jonas and Shigemichi, who in one scene somehow end up announcing that they are Gnosia in a certain loop despite this meaning their 'death'. The story can be lackluster in some runs due to you not finding the key to activating the advancement of the plot but the ending of the game and the way in which the story is captivating to the extent that I'm glad I beat the game in its entirety and unravelled the mystery behind the time loops.
However, one issue that I feel is only fair to bring up with the game links to an issue caused by its premise. By having a social deduction game in which none of the characters are played by actual humans, there are bound to be limitations as to the mind games that can be played and the range of dialogue. Whilst there are many unlockable special events, some of the meetings can feel dry after a certain point, as characters repeat preset dialogue to express their opinions, an issue which becomes especially prominent when you become so overpowered that when you make a suggestion of who is Gnosia, you are likely to gain the votes needed without much strife.
Whilst this can take away from the game somewhat, I still feel that the game is worth playing on the whole, as it offers a fun game of whodunnit where you get to learn the ways in which people act and to discern who is innocent and who is not through mind games, getting close to the members of the diverse cast you want to in each loop.