Release date: 2022
This Switch exclusive title has caused quite a stir. Not only is it a bilingual release (coming in Japanese and English), but it’s rather fully voiced and a full price game, meaning the expectations are high, whether Voltage can deliver on this high quality promise!?
“Raging flames sear her flesh as scolding laughter weighs her down as lead. Her last moments are as she lived: bereft of love, void of hope, and overflowing with despair. A witch whispers to the girl steeped in regret. “Don’t you want a second chance?” The witch bestows upon her the power of the “Fatal Rewind,” and her charred life is returned to a pure white. A blank slate. “This time, I will transform into the ideal version of myself.” With this oath branded into her heart, she returns to life. …Yet this resolve will only lead to further misfortune. The curtain rises on the Carnival, and this witch trial shall herald the end.
“I refuse to accept this as my happy ending.”
This story seems to scream despair and hopelessness, though I don’t expect it to be as tragic as Shuuen no Virche for example and focuses on the MCs new ability to rewind time and reinvent herself, make up for her past mistakes.
On top of that I would expect that every character has his dark secret and of course we have to find out about the witch’s goal.
Characters
MC Anastasia
“A girl who has had to deal with her stepmother’s cruelty since childhood. A musty attic room was once her whole world, but that all changed when she gained the ability to change the past with the Fatal Rewind. This unusual ability dyes her fate crimson and raises the curtain on a new manner of tragedy.”
(Is it just me or sounds this English from the website kind of weird?)
In the trailer we see the MC crucified and burning, so some awful punishment has fallen upon her.
Lucien
The kind hearted third prince of the country, who always has been a cry baby and looked down upon due to his mothers’ low social status, so no one has high expectations for him. But after the heroine rewinds time this completely changes: he becomes capable, but cold hearted. Which of these personas is the true one?
Voice actor: Ishikawa Kaito石川 界人 (Dante in Piofiore, Sharaku in Tengoku Struggle)
Crius
The brotherly leader of the knights, who always acts like a gentleman with his attractive smile. This makes him despised by other men, though his followers are very loyal to him. But he seems so perfect, yet empty inside….
Voice actor: Furukawa Makoto古川 慎 (Jack in Tengoku Struggle, Kazuma in Lover Pretend, Allan in Cupid Parasite)
Tyril
Tyril is the head of the inquisition that aims at condemning the witch. He’s extraordinarily clever and beautiful, but uses his cold attitude and whip(!) to keep people at a distance. He has a strong will and sense of justice, but seems to be bound by something…
Voice actor: Sugiyama Noriaki杉山 紀彰 (Akito in Norn or Tora in Clock Zero)
I’m definitely excited to hear his voice, as I think he is really good and needs to voice more good characters – unlike Kashika in Cendrillon palikA.
Zenn
Not much is known about the wandering and loitering Zenn. He is strong built and quite unfriendly, thus seeming intimidating. It is even unclear whether he’s friend or foe and in order to find out the MC will need to find out his true identity.
Voice actor: Takeuchi Shunsuke武内 駿輔 (Zora in Bustafellows)
The Witch of Ruin
The witch of ruin is officially not an LI, BUT he just has to!
He’s the one that gives the MC the second chance with the power to rewind time and poses these witch trials. What ever these might be….
He has a sadistic character enjoying bringing conflicts, doubts and despair to the humans. He’s crazy and evil, cruel and cold-blooded and no one knows what he wants.
Voice actor: Kakihara Tetsuya柿原 徹也 (Frankenstein in Code Realize, Keith in Hamefura)
On top of this quite stellar voice cast The rest of the voice cast for the sub-characters is also not unpopular and we have an ominous clown character with no description what so ever…
Art
The Scenario is written by the same person, who wrote Norn9. Ushio Ayane潮 文音
And the composer also wrote for Black Wolves Saga. Tsuchiya Shunsuke土屋 俊輔
This game definitely looks better than the average voltage game. But similar to Hamefura I think the CGs look a bit plain, though I definitely like the design of the sprites
Localisation
During my research I encountered a little issue with the website.
The website is even worse translated than a machine translation in my opinion, and also contains typos..just hope they will pay more attention to the localisation, as people can get really mad about this. I wouldn’t jump to conclusions here, it’s just something I noticed, but I’m sure they will pay more attention to the translation of the game, than the website.
What to expect?
The voice actors speak of unique story and gameplay mechanics in the interviews and the witch trials are supposed to be like a game of werewolf, I guess that’s the unique gameplay, a Danganronpa style werewolf game combined with time travel aka rewind. (what was actually confirmed in the B’sLog)
The story promises good foreshadowing a lot of twists regarding the characters as well as the plot.
Will it be like the other voltage games?
Probably not, I think the company is trying something new here, judging from the setting and the simple fact that it is voiced. While other voltage games tend to be more on the light-hearted side, this title undoubtedly will try to tell a very dark and serene story about despair redemption, digging up the characters past and secrets about the witches trials. There even seems to be a scene of Crius being tortured by Tyril…
I’m most excited to see how the trial gameplay will turn out exactly!