Reviews

• 

  gobbler41

  Nov 18, 2016

  I thought this game was well-written and had an unusually charming and likable cast of characters. The storytelling was usually relaxing and contemplative, and the artwork captured a range of emotions; sometimes it was downright beautiful. There was no voicework, which I didn't mind at all; the writing and art were enough. Enigma has 19 endings, and that's a good and bad thing. On the one hand, you get lots of variety: Some of the stories are short and darkly amusing, many are just dark, and others are longer and more substantive. Some were really very moving. On the other hand, I didn't consider any of the choices that produced those endings to be logical in terms of cause and effect, meaning you could easily miss some of Enigma's best stuff through no fault of your own. I'd suggest using Unlucky Hero's excellent walkthrough so you can see the endings with the least amount of aggravation: https://unluckyhero.wordpress.com/2016/11/15/enigma-walkthrough/
• 

  Amaryllis

  Nov 19, 2016

  What a thoroughly entertaining gem of a VN with a rather neat story structure going for it. In this game our protagonist is Chester, a man with not a lot of time left to live. There's a disease called Enigma, and it's eating away him and humanity as a whole. He's a man who wants to believe in heroes and heroism, and in his last few moments decides to embark on a solitary adventure by sea, not really to accomplish anything, but perhaps to find a peaceful place to die? He ends up shipwrecked and awakens on an island not on any map, almost as though it is cut off from the rest of the world. He winds up amidst some rather inviting company in this equally beautiful and mysterious island, a perfect place to spend his last moments... But there is more than meets the eye to these inhabitants. His fate slowly begins to tangle itself with the island in rather surprising ways, as if his arrival was more than just accident. This is the general synopsis. The game itself has some really interesting things to say about heroism, friendship, love, and death, and has quite a neat way of doing this with the traditional VN route system with multiple endings and a "true" ending. It's nothing that hasn't been done before in VNs, and if you're familiar with popular VNs, you'll probably intuit what the game is trying to go for after going through a few specific endings. Either way, the game does what it does rather nicely and makes for a real fun read. Chester by the way, is an amazing protagonist. He is an adult and for the most part, he acts like one. For a man who has so little time left to live, he has more chill than your average protagonist in an anime/manga/VN. And despite how easy it could be to, it never tries to go the low route with his dying condition. It doesn't try to forcibly pull your heartstrings with him not having a lot of time left and dwelling on it. Other characters are also more or less likable in my eyes at least, though there are a few whose motivations for their actions I personally found a bit weaker, especially in some endings... The multiple endings by the way, are all worth looking at, going as far as to say they are for the most part essential towards the grand finale, as well as better understanding some of the characters. The game seems designed to want you to go through the endings, as the mysterious person at the start of the game can guide you towards new routes. Unfortunately, despite this person's help, this hunting for endings can be quite a bothersome experience. Which is a shame since all the endings are worth looking at, even if some of them border on the outrageous at times (Boy, some endings can really knock the wind out of you with their brutality and cruelty). This is perhaps my biggest gripe with this game. It has to be this way because of the story it wants to tell, but in the end, it's still a bit of a pain considering how many endings there are. I found myself constantly guessing if this or that choice will lead to a new ending. Going on to presentation, the music in this game is a rather pleasant surprise. The music starts off as rather reserved, not grabbing your attention, until key parts of the plot come into play. It's then that you slowly grow to appreciate the tracks. Too bad the mini-ost doesn't have more tracks aside from the OP and ED, nor does the game itself have a music mode it would seem. The art in the game nothing ultimately amazing, and sometimes the backgrounds can repeat a bit, but sometimes the game will throw you a curveball and have a rather pretty sight or a new background you haven't seen before. There's also a decent amount of CGs and they complement whatever scenes they are depicting very well. I sadly feel that this game might get passed on the wayside by many people. It doesn't exactly have much to draw people in aside from its mystery hook. For those willing to give it a try, they might be like me and find a really interesting and entertaining experience that I do not regret having. I'm glad fruitbat brought yet another interesting VN out that isn't some big name known to many. For this game has a story to tell too, I found it good enough to want others to see it.
• 

  Zira Lee

  Nov 21, 2016

  I've got nothing but praise for this game. Amazing graphics, organic dialogue, intriguing story, what more do you want? I bought this game when it only had like 4-5 reviews, which I have never done until now. I spontaneously decided to give it a chance due to its great art style, and I'm glad I did. This game will hit you emotionally in just the right spot. And while most VN's I've played just give you CGs for all the endings and maybe 1-2 along the way, this game accentuates its most beautiful and poignant moments with some drop-dead gorgeous CGs. This game spoiled me with its art. I'm afraid to talk about the story without spoiling anything. I'll just say this: this game has some of the most original "bad ends" I've encountered, rather refreshing to see.
• 

  Moon2star

  Nov 23, 2016

  It seemed like an interesting vn to try so I took a chance and bought it. Little did I know that it would take my breath away with it's music, atmosphere, characters and fabulous storytelling. It was disturbing, heartwrenching, bittersweet and simply beautiful all at the same time. It's a masterpiece that has become one of my top favorite vn's. Absolutely loved it and would recommend it to anyone that loves to be immersed in a good story.
• 

  Green&purple2015

  Nov 28, 2016

  Enigma's biggest strength is it's story and characters. It gives you a heartwarming story that will make you smile and make you cry at the same time.
• 

  {FP$}Alexeyka

  Dec 9, 2016

  I was greatly dissapointed by this vn. Since everyone was praising it for narrative perfection (and it started out as a narrative perfection), ended up being shallow, underdeveloped and overall mediocre experience. The premise of the story starts strong and interesting enough. Throw a man on an uncharted island, give him just a couple days to live and make him uncovered its secrets, and spend his remaining time with the max efficiently along the way. The path with the first characters (Lauro/Colette) gave me a lot of high hopes even. It was filled with a lot of emotional moments, and it was actually interesting to see how the man who is one foot in the grave already sharing his experience with youngsters, who in addition, know almost nothing about the life on a mainland (the game is happening on a desolate island). I actually liked how my choices can alter the story drastically in this path. By completing the next path with Ingnis, however, I was already bored. First of all, his character is boring and unlikable as hell (worse only envirio and tai, but we will get to that). Second of all, most of his endings turned out to be a filler. As I can guess his path needed to be here in order to clarify stuff about the world, forest and the desease, but here is another problem comes in a play: we know very little about the world, and we know very little if magic is common here or not and by what laws it actually works, and, as a result, I had a little desire to be invested in the mystery. The Envirio's path is the worst. It pretty much a filler as a whole. First off, her character is terrible. She is a doll. She wants your color. That's the kind of well-thought-out character you can expect feom her. Second of all, by the time you get there, the novel itself feels overused not only on assetes but also on plot events (chatting with Genious/Lyona, debriefing of Ignis/Greta/ Collette goes mad etc), its clear that author is running out of ideas by this point. ...and what marks this fact once again is the ending. I want spoil it here, but I will say that it's very, very rushed. Tons of questions left unanswered ([spoiler] How El died faster then Chester if Chester was the first one who got infected, what actually Enigma Is, how come player is the hero, etc. [/spoiler]), characters arcs are chopping off in cheapest way possible (Envyrio goes to nowhere, Lyona goes to nowhere, Tai was a turd and remained as turd, [spoiler] Genius turns out to be a ghost [/spoiler]), and the most frustrating factor that it lacks any of final confrotation/moral dilemma/recollection. Overall... is this worth it's money? Yeah, no, maybe, depends on your preference. I feel myself kinda not in the right to ctitise this novel (i mean it's author's first work after all), but at the same time I will feel wrong if I will praise it with other players either. I believe you will like it with the rather high chance, but for me, it was too little all around.
• 

  Akinoken

  Dec 23, 2016

  I'm glad that I bought this game on a whim, one late night. It's truly a charming tale, of friendship, love and mortality. I've only played one out of twenty endings so far, but I'll definitely hold this story in my heart for a long time to come. If you're reading this review, please by this visual novel: you won't regret it. :)
• 

  Miss Nile

  Jan 7, 2017

  This is definitely one of the best VNs I've ever played and well, I played plenty. XD But everything about this one is just well done. I loved the story and every single character could make it into my heart, especially the main character. This is special because it is something that many VNs fail to do; they take great care of every single character but they forget the protagonist; so they end up being a dislikable, empty person that the player can't feel connected to. This is definitely not the case in ENIGMA, because Chester just has to make you love him. :D [spoiler]Too bad there is no happy ending for him...[/spoiler] The art was breathtaking, there was plenty of CGs and all of them were touching and quite well done. 19 different endings surely lead you to a good number of enjoyable play hours and I think I can say that every ending touches you in a way. D"= The music was also quite beautiful but if I have anything to complain about it, it's the lack of a music gallery. I mean, the soundtrack bonus is there but it isn't enough. The rest of the music should have been there too, you know. XD The story was a bit ambiguous too at some points but I don't think there was anything major that still needed clarifying so it's ok. I suppose some stuff were left open for the player to make out and all. XD Overall, this game is definitely recommended. <3
• 

  Kurozora Konoi

  Jan 14, 2017

  Enigma is a great game in my opinion, and one I highly recommend. Now, I wouldn't go as far as saying it's one of the best VNs I've ever played, because it isn't. But it's so unique and engaging! It's an experience I'll never forget, for better of for worse. Why worse? Well, I assume you've read the description of the game - this isn't a joyful one. I mean, sure it has funny moments, but it's overall depressing and has lots of very disturbing moments. An important factor to keep in mind if you want to play this game is that it isn't a game you play for romance, since friendship is the main factor here, even if it has "character routes" like most romantic VNs (though you can read in between the lines and see whatever you want in there). As for the characters, I really liked most of them, though I must admit Ignis must be my favorite from the ones who got routes. He really hits some soft spots in my heart and breaks it in some of his endings. Now, Lauro is lovely and lovable too, and Chester, the MC, is one of my favorite main characters in VNs. I think I like Envirio a bit less than the others, but I love seeing dolls in games - it's quite uncommon. One thing bothers me a lot about Envirio, but this isn't a story or character problem. The issue is that most of the characters in the game speak of them using the femenine, while they are genderless being a doll, and they even say it at some point. English has neutral forms, so why not use these? But this is roughly my only complaint. Other than what I've already said, I also think this game is gorgeous, both the art and the soundtrack are great, and don't even let me start on the opening and the ending! Overall, it was a great experience I'll be glad to replay once the trauma of the depressing story will subside a bit. PS: don't mind the small playtime recorded by Steam - I've played offline, and it didn't record the time I've played or the achievements. I was able to get the achievements by loading all of my saves and skipping from the last choice leading to each ending (I save all the time), but well, I can't help the playtime.
• 

  GraveFirefly

  Feb 26, 2017

  A wonderful tale that leaves you feeling so many emotions it sometimes make your head spin. All the characters are introduced gradully and through each route you learn a little bit more about them. No character is uniportant, no ending underserving of exploration. Sometimes the game does glitch out, and the graphics do sometimes repeat themselves, but, overall, these don't detract from the story. In fact, it's almost fascinating how each CG can be used diffrently per the scinerio you are on--besies which, it'll sometimes shots out an entirely new beautiful/horrifying CG right after so... In the end Chester and Envirio drew me to this story, but I wound up falling in love with all of the characters, and it's painfully wonderful the hope this story gives you...and what it does to it.
• 

  Aurelianus

  Mar 10, 2017

  This was a great VN. I really enjoyed how the various endings and routes slowly revealed the central mystery and many of the endings were very emotional despite the very premise of the game tipping you off to many of the outcomes. Nice Music and Art as well. Not very long, but fulfulling. Try it.
• 

  phi

  Jun 24, 2017

  This is the best game I ever played, story is secomd to none. I Cried like 10 times. 11/10
• 

  Devecent

  Jul 8, 2017

  Within the first two hours of having played this game, I’d decided I was going to write a review, however for the sake of being thorough, I waited until I finished up all the alternate routes and endings. In short, I was very impressed by just how incredible this visual novel is. I felt the visuals throughout the game were very nice. There were so many lovely CGs! And the backgrounds… I was quite impressed. They were absolutely stunning! The character designs were quite nice as well. I feel some visual novels go overboard on some of their designs, but ENIGMA seemed to have a perfect combination of unique, but still practical. The music suited the story perfectly. It was so beautiful and haunting. In fact, when I was playing without my headphones, my roommates both commented on just how lovely the background music was. I’m really glad the soundtrack is packaged in with the game, though I would have happily bought it separately if it were not. While these are all well and good, my biggest concern when reading a visual novel is its storytelling. And it just so happens that that category is one where ENIGMA really shines. While it’s true the story starts out a little slow, it gradually introduces you to the cast and the culture of the island of Carlyle. As you complete each ending, you’re given more clues and slowly you piece together the puzzle that is Enigma. Though I must admit, some of the characters are a bit flat, I felt the 'main' cast were all very well rounded. Chester in particular makes for a wonderful protagonist! I quite enjoyed getting to know more about the former soldier, and watching him interact with the rest of the cast was an incredibly fun experience. All in all, this game had me laughing, smiling, uneasy, disturbed, and tearing up—all more than once. It’s such a beautiful, tragic story about hope and despair, life and death. And perhaps most importantly: heroes.
• 

  infinirha

  Dec 28, 2017

  [b] Current status:[/b] Complete 100% [b] Current grade:[/b] 9/10 I was pleasantly surprised by this game, having cleared all the endings. I won't lie, it made me emotional, but it didn't hit me as much as The House in Fata Morgana did, although they both share this sense of unusual, twisted, dark and wonderful visual novels. Characters in this one are amazing, I loved a lot of them, they are well done, but I believe Chester wins the prize for the best protagonist. Except for that one guy - no one talks about that guy. Anyway beautiful music, wonderful graphics, stunning cg gallery (although i got all endings and it looks like 8 cg are missing from the gallery on the first page (or there weren't any in the first place?), but overall, it's worth it. Almost 95% of the game is explained, I was only bothered by the fact that there was no explanation for the [spoiler] bride deal and the purpose of it[/spoiler] (or i somehow missed that part, but... unlikely?), but considering everything else, i'll leave it up to my imagination... That was the only thing I was bothered with, but the pros outnumber the cons so I will look it through my fingers. Not to mention the fact that this game has three routes, and two of them are with guys, while the last one is with a doll of the forest, Some could consider these relationships romantic or platonic, it just depends on your point of view and I loved it. Honestly, I adored it. This game is just beautiful and solid 10-15 hours worth of gameplay (depending on your reading speed). [b]PROS:[/b] ◈ solid 10-15 hours of content ◈ solid characterisation, especially the main character ◈ interesting story and multiply endings that all form together one whole. Recommendation: play the endings in order of the routes to get the full story chronologically. ◈ beautiful music and background atmosphere ◈ horror and comedy elements [b]CONS:[/b] ◈ unexplained plot point that can be looked through fingers, as it is not the actual point of the storyline ◈ 800x600 resolution that can be fixed with the mod by ffleader1
• 

  WinterSachi

  May 26, 2019

  The story of how I’ve got the game is pretty short. At first I didn’t know anything about it. Have seen the page of ENIGMA few times but didn’t pay much attention. However, one day I saw screenshots in my feed made by [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/aniva_666]Aniva[/url], got interested, waited for a discount and bought it. So, my thoughts after 16 hours of reading (I’ve completed the novel 100%). [b]Pros[/b]: + the novel is aesthetically beautiful and the soundtrack is very good and atmospheric. + unusual fantasy setting with heavy environmental theme similar, in my opinion, to Miyazaki’s Mononoke Princess or Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. + interesting and unique cast of characters, each with their mysteries, quirks and past. + dialogues are rich and believable; I’ve enjoyed them way more than expected. + I usually distaste scriptwriters’ efforts to add jokes and humor to the story if it’s unnecessary or forced but in this case every single joke and absurd situation look absolutely natural, truly funny and sometimes even witty. + unique protagonist who finally acts like a normal adult human being. + simple yet still enjoyable lore with interesting themes of fallen heroes, unexpected villain(?) and world epidemic. [b]Cons[/b]… Ok, it’s not actually cons but more of a [b]rant[/b]. 1. Some endings look ridiculous. Not because they’re badly written but because they just feel unnecessary and don’t contribute much to the story. 2. Half of the story of the fallen heroes is great but the other half is poorly baked with one-two plotholes and many unexplained details. Plus some characters’ obsession over this theme doesn’t suit the flow of narration. 3. Genius plotline is weird. At first I though he’s [spoiler]Lyona’s diseased husband and merchant-outsider at the same time because it doesn’t contradict itself[/spoiler], however everything with it turns out to be way simpler and disappointing. Maybe the scriptwriter wanted to implement both ideas but it didn’t happen, I dunno. 4. El’s plotline tragedy was flushed in the toilet. The game was building tension and secrets over this line for… I dunno… almost the whole game? However, in the end everything turns into [spoiler]“Oh well, El kinda died of Enigma too, that’s it.”[/spoiler] WHY BUILD THE TENSION AND MAKE IT SO IMPORTANT THEN DEDICATE ONLY 5 MINUTES TO REVEAL EVERYTHING?! 5. [spoiler]Why Colette and Lauro’s mother suddenly jumped of the cliff? What’s with the Greta’s bride curse? What about Ignis fallen party members?[/spoiler] Why try to explain everything when you can just dedicate literally few lines to everything and then sweep it under the rug... Don’t get me wrong, it’s very beautiful game with unique and interesting story but, c’mon, stop sacrificing important plot answers in favor of some idiotic plotline “The-True-Hero-Will-Come-And-We-Will-Help-Him-But-It-Is-Not-You-Chester”. I don’t care about some random hero who appears for literally 10 minutes during the epilogue, I care about Chester (the protagonist), about El, Ignis, Greta, Envirio and all others who have their normal long roles in the story.
• 

  Average Joe

  Jun 1, 2019

  Painful,bittersweet and moving. I am not a VN person but something drew me to this one and I do not regret it for a moment.Its left an impression like a twisting knife in my heart
• 

  Aninx

  Dec 30, 2019

  This game was absolutely incredible! It's a beautiful visual novel that's sweet, funny, horrifying, violent, sad and just... it's an emotional roller coaster. It's also pretty interesting since the goal at the end of really any of the routes [spoiler] has nothing to do with fixing things, saving Chester, or "being the hero" it's just about living as you want until the end. [/spoiler] I also really, really love the art. There's a lot of endings and they all vary in tone. Some are really sad, some are sweet, some are bittersweet, some are happy(sort of), some are pretty horrifying, and some would still look horrifying in a horror visual novel. So you're not getting bored with the same ending with different variations, they're all wildly different and all fit within the context of the story. 10/10 Love this game.
• 

  inner caster

  Jan 27, 2020

  I was intrigued to know the link between the sealed forest and the worldly disease and the islanders, oblivious of the rest of the world and so bleak. Each [b] character [/b] has a change of behavior. We observe [u]Chester[/u]’s state of mind. He’s joyful but inside he’s fatalistic cos of the illness so he’s not keen on taking risks. I was surprised to learn he tells his type of woman after some playthrough with a candid virgin version of him. I was glad to eventually see him behave like a man as he flirts with Lyona! As the main character he has [spoiler] wit to save the day thanks to Eliot’s will to survive, [/spoiler] it’s even seen in his eyes as he dies! The will to live but to accept to die! He has an intriguing influence on Ignis. [u ]Ignis[ [/u] is so secretive. I’m happy if we are curious to get to know him we’ll see his true self. He’s powerless though he made it, why? What a joy to see him [spoiler] pressing Lauro against the tree![/spoiler]. Lyona is my fav, she’s welcoming and feels the nature of people. Colette is so sweet and grateful to Chester for giving Lauro courage. I loved the deep feeling but when you [spoiler] discover her dark side, it spoils it.[/spoiler] Envirio is deadly in some routes but so [spoiler]human in others, it’s Chester’s magic. [/spoiler] I liked some mysterious words said aside by Chester. I preferred “Address the man” route to learn the truth but the secret is all revealed. [b]Action strikes [/b]Chester surprised me as he flats Tai down, Envirio strikes and the sword make for a change to the peaceful tale. Seeing Greta has been tied by Colette. The landscapes are quite simple but the white forest has its impact of the curse. Serene Envirio is so pretty in the dark blue night. The music is peaceful with Envirio having open arms, and then it’s thrilling as she’s threatening. I like the smart morale there can be a good reason of war. Abandon thinking is the work of God to manipulate us.. The game makes us aware of the meaning of life. The rejected worth better than the flock of people. It’s a story to make us realize we must enjoy life, the value of a person. But at the same time we have the negative aspect of drinking life. Heroism is well told related to the will to fight for the sake of humanity as long as we wish it,( then not?)
• 

  xXDragonSlayerDuchessXx

  Nov 13, 2020

  [h1]Short Review[/h1] My quick thoughts about the game. [h2]Pros[/h2] Art CGs Music Sprites [h2]Cons[/h2] No voice acting(better than bad voice acting tho, but still) No real full screen This game is a prologue to a story that hasn't been written yet/doesn't exist. This is my conclusion after seeing the true end(Envirio ending 01). Thus there is no real closure and a lot of questions go unanswered. I did enjoy the game but almost 13 euros for a 10 hour prologue is not something I can recommend. [h3]In Conclusion[/h3] I enjoyed the game but can't in good conscience recommend it at full price. Maybe at 50-70% off if you got nothing better to spend money on.
• 

  Othtanis

  May 23, 2021

  Enigma is a tale of contrasts, veering between quiet mystery, sudden violence, emotional intimacy, horror, and moments of both warmhearted joy and bitter sorrow. Enigma builds both it's world and it's characters slowly and organically, you never feel as though you have all the answers, but what is implied by the masterful writing creates a vivid, breathing world in broad strokes. Every playthrough is rewarding, veering off in unexpected directions, and carrying you along as you explore the hidden depths of both the island and those who call it home. Every moment is precious in Enigma, every choice leads down a new path as you decide how to spend the last few days of your life, as you choose who to lend your strength to and to carry your memory into the future.