The Shadows of Pygmalion Review (PC)
Created by Propeller the same company that brought us religious Tokyo Babel, The Shadows of Pygmalion has its name rooted in an ancient Greek myth. For those unfamiliar with Greek mythology, Pygmalion was a man who was so entranced in the statue he carved that it came to life. The game takes this setup as inspiration and instead of retelling the same old tale it creates its own captivating story.
The tale follows a typical innocent high school girl Mina. Her simple everyday life soon comes to an end once she starts visiting a nearby doll mansion, mesmerized by what’s on display. She soon starts realizing that the world is not as it had previously seemed, as dolls have been living amongst humans taking their place, unbeknownst to the rest of humanity.
She unwillingly joins a group of people who have taken upon themselves the task of hunting down these inhumane creatures. Mina must now balance her school life with the adrenaline filled missions to go out and murder dolls.
The Shadows of Pygmalion does exceptionally well to reel you into the story and keep you hooked throughout. You can expect a number of truly shocking twists and turns throughout the adventure. However, the game has a bad habit of foreshadowing a few of its events a bit too heavily, spoiling some of the bigger reveals for particularly observant readers.
Being that this is a yuri visual novel, outside two or three male characters the rest of the cast is female. Rico is a mysterious white-haired girl. While reserved, she does her best to make the transition for Mina easier, knowing well what kind of shock it must be. Her polar opposite is Yang. She is a cold girl wearing a Chinese floral dress. There is an air of hostility whenever she sees Mina. Of course, there is the obligatory loli, tsundere character. While she may be in elementary school, Jessica has an excellent understanding of the history and enemy which they are fighting.
As you can gather at first there is a rather unhospitable atmosphere between these expert fighters and the innocent high school girl who reluctantly entered their world. But as Mina grows to accept her fate she grows closer to the team who might have not wished for this fate either.
Aside from your comrades in arms, Mina will come across other mysterious allies and enemies all who have their own, often sinister, hidden agendas. The game does well to pace out its romance, mystery and action elements, keeping a constant forward momentum.
Even though this game doesn’t contain any sex scenes, it’s very much a mature title. The themes the game covers can be grim at times. Death, paranoia, lust and even the loss of innocents are here, and they are equally told in a dark tone.
Other than the single choice found late in the game, The Shadows of Pygmalion is a rather linear experience. There are three endings with the forth one accessible only once you clear all three and start the game from the beginning. The game is not particularly long and can be completed in less than 30 hours.
The artwork here really helps the game stand out from the crowd of similar looking visual novels. Characters have detailed lush hair and deep expressive eyes. Everything has a pinkish hue giving the game that dream-like feel. There are also moments where the game’s surreal visuals come into focus – seeing Ruka for the first time can be truly awe inspiring.
The audio department is no slouch either. The game is fully voiced, with even our protagonist Mina having a voice for herself. The soundtrack does well to complement the eerie atmosphere of the story. Its brooding and foreboding soundtrack is enough to get that uneasy feeling in the back of your head, however it’s not without its more melancholic moments.
All around, The Shadows of Pygmalion is an excellent visual novel. The interesting characters slowly grow on you making for a captivating drama, while the action-packed scenes serve as a perfect break of pace. Its strong production values and unique eerie story makes this a game that will keep you hooked as you slowly unravel the mystery.
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