Nutaku asked us to take a look at this game, and here’s our opinion.
Okay, I’ll be honest. This was supposed to be a review for Chapter 2 of My Neighbor is a Yandere. I was really interested to see how the game improved and if any issues I addressed in my previous review were tackled by the development team. Unfortunately, Bill Gates must not be a big fan of hentai, because Windows was fucking ya boi dry this week. I couldn’t get it working, so instead I thought I’d dive into a different Yandere game on Nutaku as a result. Crimson Gray was the result.
Crimson Gray is a visual novel game deeply interlaced with depressive overtones and a yandere girlfriend. The game was published and developed by Sierra Lee, and it was released on Nutaku on June 29, 2017. As usual you could run it on a dying flip phone due to the low system requirements of the game. Okay that being said, where the fuck do I begin with this experience...
Art/Design
I hope you don’t expect much Crimson in this Gray, because this game is devoid of color. Seriously, you could be colorblind and wouldn’t miss out on a thing in the environments. This repeated usage is intentional and hopes to convey the lack of meaning that John, the protagonist, sees in the world. I only came across two character portraits in my route, and they both looked fine. I don’t like to cross the sections, but the background art for the sex scene I saw was so well done I have to mention it here too.
Writing/Characters
If the extreme lack of color didn’t cause you to consider self-harm yet, don’t worry, because the writing will. I don’t mean that in a bad way either. The developers are clearly trying to make you feel just as helpless and empty as the shell of a MC, John. Now, whose idea was it to make a porn game to make you feel shitty when you’re already about to fap to a fake Yandere girlfriend? No lies here, I almost cried as I realized I’m just as garbage as this boring, lifeless MC. Anyway the writing appears very realistic and relatable to me. Several self-criticisms that John made seemed plausible for a depressed person, or even a normal person going through a hard time. “I only like her because she wants me and I crave attention” like damn son, me too. This lets me tolerate the slow start before we meet the Yandere of the game, Lizzie. The game’s portrayal of Lizzie attempts to build a multi-dimensional character instead of a generic yandere. You have the choice to work towards actually addressing and curing her mental illness, as well as taking the proper steps to fix your own, or going through the motions trying to escape and watching her disease grow.
Show no fear in the face of a predator.
Philosophy
The game tackles deep psychological philosophy with the usage of mental illness drugs as a motif that both characters encounter. John argues that taking medication helps return one to their normal state, thus attaining the truest self and leading to a happier lifestyle. He sees his illness as a barrier preventing him from reaching that point. On the other hand, Lizzie argues that taking medication suppresses your natural being, and that results in a fake “you”. She claims that while this version might be more appealing to outsiders, it will never be what you truly are. This clash of ideals causes the player to think carefully about what they would do in such a situation, or how they would advise their friends.
Okay guys, pack it up, I think we covered the review here. Oh wait... I forgot to talk about the sex. Here’s the deal, if a hentai game ever leaves me forgetting about the sex then you can imagine it wasn’t that great. Over the course of my whole route I came into contact with one H-scene, and it was a blowjob scene at that. No pussy to be seen within a 10 mile radius. Perhaps I was merely unlucky (I did pick the Lil Bitch choices and tried to help her get rid of her illness) but the point stands that the sex felt like more of an afterthought than a part of the game. The art was fantastic but the dialogue was minimal and thus it was over in a flash. My dick was too depressed at this point anyway to bother cumming.
Just look at the wasted potential. Shit could of been godlike.
Normally I’d slap a 2/5 on this game, say don’t ever fucking touch it, and go back to playing Dragonball Fighterz, something that actually gets me hard. However, I want to make it clear that I appreciated this visual novel as an experience. I enjoyed learning about the two characters, seeing what Lizzie would do next, and putting pieces together to try and find the best way to restore their sanity. In fact, I would say I enjoyed this visual novel more than anything I’ve played in the genre in the past few weeks. Thus, as a VN overall I place this game at a 4/5.
TL;DR - Game was actually interesting, but porn felt thrown in to reach more people
Who's your favorite Yandere character? Not your type? You can check out other downloadable games at Nutaku here. Share your obsession-inducing love for hentai in the comments below!
P.S. Don’t worry sauv, your suggestion is still on the schedule!
