Well, my beloved Kemco never ceases to amaze me. I knew they could do Platformers and RPGs; but Visual Novels as well? Now that's a surprise — and a good one at that. Just a couple more lovely surprises from them, and they'll definitely join my Favourite Developers Ever Shortlist!
Until they're granted that honour, let's focus on Raging Loop, shall we? I'll admit it: I was not impressed at first. RL was originally released on Android and iOS; and well, it kinda shows. With heavy reliance on text rather than pictures and a serious case of 'Tell, don't show', that game just screams budget — or lack thereof. Here are a couple of such 'Tell, don't show' screenshots that are so extreme it's nearly laughable:
I was rolling my eyes and snickering at first; but it didn't take long before I realized that for all its cheapness, RL was actually an awesome VN. That game is a true labour of love: you can totally feel that Kemco really did their absolute best with whatever limited budget they had, and it's really heartwarming. And my, did they indeed sublimate that limited budget into an engrossing, gripping, fascinating gem of a VN. RL is the real deal: a genuine choose-your-own-adventure experience that has you slowly descending into horror and madness. Add to this an excellent soundtrack, spot-on SFX and stellar voice acting, and you get an harrowing yet riveting package that I just couldn't drop until the very end.
Talking about the end, well... Dare I say I was disappointed upon discovering it? Yup, I'll say it. The narrative side left me unsated; however, your mileage may vary on that one. (SPOILERS!) See, the main issue I have with RL's outcome is the fact that seemingly paranormal occurrences are ultimately explained by the existence of an elaborate setup. This is akin to learning the workings behind a magic trick, and I find this painfully anticlimactic. It's all the more regrettable as the story does retain a number of supernatural elements, and heavy ones at that; going supernatural all the way couldn't have hurt that much, could it? Oh, well; whatever floats your boat, Kemco. I still love ya, y'know. (END OF SPOILERS) Beyond the narrative itself, I was disappointed simply because witnessing the ending couldn't compare to the sheer joy of navigating the story. RL is a most glorious case of the journey mattering more than the destination; and I'm pretty sure that any ending, no matter how stellar it was, would have been a letdown by sheer virtue of putting an end to that thrilling ride.
Underwhelming ending aside, I have a serious issue with the game's localization. In a VN so heavily reliant on text, translation has to be flawless; alas, RL's translation is anything but. Apart from the occasional clumsy wording, some key terms and concepts are not nearly explicited enough, forcing the reader to connect the dots themselves. I'm pretty sure I didn't fully grasp some plot points due to the poor translation, and this is nothing short of a capital sin as far as VNs are concerned. On top of that, the usual 'Lost in translation' issue is painfully blatant in RL. I'll quote the most glaring example: "kami" being translated as "god". It's pretty obvious that the game's 'kami' is supposed to refer to a wide range of phenomenons that all fall under the 'spirit that inhabits an inanimate object' umbrella; alas, the word 'god' in its western acception cannot convey that richness of meaning, forcing the reader to redefine it on the fly.
Still, I had an awesome time playing RL. And mind you, that awesome time could have been even longer: there is a neat New Game Plus feature that adds new scenes to nearly every chapter, giving you the perfect incentive to replay the whole game. I kept that treat for next run, though; replay value in a VN is rare and precious enough to be preserved at all costs, and other VNs are waiting in line. Until I meet you again with my gaming instinct's next pick, dear fellow gamers, keep playing and take care!
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