Piofiore - Fated Memories: Me against the Mafia

 

 

I've been warned against that game, by both my fellow gamer Kumiko and the official reviews on Metacritic; however, my gaming instinct was dead set on playing it, and you know how my gaming instinct operates — once it decides something, there's no swaying it. Not only do I really feel like playing VNs now, but the Italian setting is very much to my liking. See, I revealed my French roots already on that blog; and it's now time to unveil the fact that my great-grandfather hailed straight from Italia, which obviously makes me partial to all things Italian. I must add that I have yet to set foot in the country to this day — which is exactly why Piofiore's over-the-top, highly romanticized version of Italia is right up my alley.

But beyond those fickle yet perfectly valid arguments, my gaming instinct was drawn to Piofiore for another major reason. One review on Metacritic compared it to Amnesia: Memories; and once I read that, there was no turning back. If you remember well, Amnesia: Memories was my first foray into the world of otome; and it remains one of my most memorable otome experiences, even to this day. It wasn't just an otome game: somehow, it was also a survival game, in which I had to navigate my way through dangerous shoals and make it alive to the Best Ending shores. Gruesome endings were aplenty, douchey guys with murkey motivations abounded, treacherous dialogue choices were everywhere, untimely deaths were a dime a dozen — and I lapped it all up. If Piofiore offered something even remotely similar, then there was no way I would pass on it. 

 
So here's my goal with that game: to survive my entanglements with the Mafia, and make a beeline for the Best Endings — because if I do succeed in surviving the Mafia, then I might as well do it with a beau in my bed. Lofty goals indeed, if the reviews insisting of the delicate balance of dialogue choices in Piofiore are to be believed; but I'm confident I can make it. I won't bother playing the Normal Endings, let alone the Tragic ones; not only have I witnessed enough of Otomate's blood-chilling outcomes for a lifetime already, but I have a crap ton of other VNs ready for the reading. Instead, all Endings but the Best will be treated as Game Overs, proof of my glaring unability to navigate the Piofiore shoals.

In order to make surviving that game even possible at all, a bit of homework was in order. Perusing reviews taught me that all characters have two gauges, and that both need to be filled to get the Best Ending. One of those gauges represents Affinity, and the other represents a secondary attribute specific to each character. Since the latter are nowhere to be seen at the beginning of the game, it's safe to assume they're revealed after finishing one route. Now, do I want to play extra-fair and play a crash test route for each character, just for the sake of unveiling Attributes? Why, not at all! Although this may be the intended way to play Piofiore, it doesn't square with my goal at all. And pray tell, doesn't it smell a mite like fake longevity — mixed with a whiff of fake difficulty to boot? I'm having none of that, I'm telling you; and so I'm starting the game with clear knowledge of all Attributes, courtesy of the all-knowing internet. 

 
From now on, my path is clear. Just like I did in Amnesia: Memories, I'll monitor every single choice, comparing the Status screen after both options and choosing my path accordingly. In case a choice doesn't land me an Affinity increase, I'll go with the answer that best fits the character's Attribute. This means that I'll have to rely on my own judgement on a regular basis, which is a thrilling prospect. Now, will I be enough of a shrewd operator to make it unscated through the game? Wish me luck, dear fellow gamers; I'll see you soon with a run report!