A girl suffering from survivor’s guilt, wakes up in a strange mansion with no recollection of where she is, who she is, or how she got there. She ends up befriending five guys who also happen to be trapped in the same mysterious purgatory of eternal twilight and nightly rains. Together they attempt to escape the labyrinthine mansion by killing monsters for shards which are needed to complete a kaleidoscope that will act as a doorway to the outside world.
Black Butterfly is an otome visual novel that is focused less on romance and more on telling an interesting story. This isn't the usual sunshine and rainbows kind of love story either, it is full of hardship and misfortune. The romance sections in particular can get very uncomfortable, featuring sexual harassment and what could even be considered borderline rape. I wasn't particularly fond of these darker aspects or the heroine for that matter. Beniyuri didn't deviate much from the stereotypical damsel and was a bit too naive and forgiving. All the guys clearly had feelings for her too and took the initiative. It doesn't help that the heroine keeps brushing off their unwanted advances and physical contact as jokes, even when she is obviously scared or in distress. Black Butterfly's story certainly walks a fine line, but it never goes too far and almost meshes well with the game's darker themes and morose atmosphere.
The personal development of each cast member is largely explored within the main storyline rather than in individual character routes. Individual character routes exist, but they do not deviate too significantly from the main storyline. Each character route has two branches, a good path and a bad path, but most of them will be blocked off until certain prerequisites are met, such as seeing X number of short stories or completing other character routes. For a complete run, you must complete routes in a very specific order.
The recommended order is (highlight to read):
• Common Route/Bud Ending/Real World Ending
• Kagiha
• Hikage
• Yamato
• Monshiro
• Karasuba
• Summer Camp
Unlocking one ending will provide insight into another ending. Each builds upon the other, gradually creating a whole picture. A flowchart keeps track of the branching story paths and allows the player to jump in-between chapters that have completed. There is also a fast-forward feature that stops automatically whenever choice options appear. These features are extremely useful in a game such as this, where everything has to be done a certain way. Black Butterfly has one unique mechanic in the form of a butterfly shooting mini-game that pops up every now and then. During these segments, Beniyuri and a teammate must shoot a swarm of black butterflies emanating from a monster. Players can use either the touchscreen or the analog sticks and buttons to target and shoot the butterflies. Players are given a rating and awarded points that are used to unlock a bunch of additional short stories and daily life skits that are required to unlock certain character routes later on. It is nice getting to know and understand all of the characters a little better through these special unlockable skits, but it is odd that they are included as side content rather than being a part of the main storyline.
At its core, Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly is a bittersweet tale that tries to explore the impact of grief on the human psyche and the inevitability of death. The game is short and throws the occasional misogynistic comment around, but the atmosphere is where this one really shines. The incoherent and anatomically incorrect artwork complements the ethereal and otherworldly nature of Black Butterfly rather well. The choice of vibrant colors for the cast really pops out against the backgrounds soaked in hues of black and blue. I loved the hauntingly beautiful tones of the soundtrack, which were both eerie and melancholic - give it a listen.
As a side note, the game's audio is in Japanese with English subtitles.
First posted to videogamegeek.com
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