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I've been planning on eventually writing an effortpost here about the horror genre and some of its problems. So I'm glad to see there may be some interest in that here.
The TL;DR is that the "modern horror film" as such has a lot of issues, as you correctly point out, but I think that works that have horror elements are quite fascinating (David Lynch films are a good example).
Please do! I would be interested in reading a horror fan's perspective, since my own interpretation is that people like them because it's a safe way to "overcome" an obstacle. Coincidentally, maybe, is why, apparently, if you decide to take a date to the movies (which is normally an awful choice, especially for first dates), it's best to pick a horror film.
Off-but-mentioned-in-this-thread, what's your opinion/review on the Hundred Line game? I know the creators' other works, I read previews which sound very impressive and make the game highly ambitious, but you called it a VN where I got the impression it's more like a TRPG. How do the two mesh together? How does it compare to similar games in those genres?
It's a lot of fun! Definitely recommended. If you liked any of Kodaka's or Uchikoshi's other games you'll like this too. Especially if you liked Danganronpa, because although it's a very different kind of story than Danganronpa it's got a similar "vibe".
Yeah so it's not a "pure" VN because it does have a combat system, but most people I've talked to classify it as a VN. (The main gameplay loop is long VN segment with a chance to upgrade units -> battle -> another long VN segment -> repeat). The combat (assuming you play on normal mode, I finished the game before the patch that added hard mode) is more than just a "formality", but it never gets super difficult. It's less complex and involved than what you would find in a game like Fire Emblem or FFT. You're really here for the story, not the combat.
Plus if you keep playing long enough (meaning you explore multiple routes instead of just making a beeline for the true ending) you basically get the ability to just skip combat altogether, which means you're just free to explore and at that point the game becomes a "pure" VN.
Regarding Uchikoshi works, would you recommend I check it out if I vastly preferred 999/Zero Escape over Danganronpa? It doesn't exactly look subtle.
Uchikoshi overall wrote less of it than Kodaka did, but he had a block of routes in the back half of the game where he had free rein to do his own thing. So if you’re willing to tolerate the Kodaka parts to get to the Uchikoshi parts then I’d say it’s still worth it.
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I'm interested. I'm in the same boat where the horror genre holds zero interest in me but films with horror elements can be good. Se7en is a good example of a film with horror elements that is not a horror movie, for me. (When I've mentioned something like this some people go "well, would you be interested in psychological horror instead of supernatural horror, then?", but it's not that, either, it's something else.)
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