Artwork
The artwork of Nie no Hakoniwa is really good, and has a very consistent design theme to the characters.
+Very high quality CG artworks for each of the characters.
+Character portrait fully reflects the attire (or lack thereof) of the character, even in cases where the character is partially undressed.
+/- Well proportioned character design in CGs, though the proportions in some portrait variations can seem a little off.
-In one of the scenes, the character’s portrait does not match the CG (white shirt, when the portrait is black shirt)
Literary
+Professionally translated with no grammatical errors.
+May actually increase your vocabulary. (I learnt that wont is a word, and no, I didn’t miss an apostrophe lol)
+Proper formatting for every line, with no instance of texts going out of the box.
+Translation is faithful to the spoken lines.
-In a few instances, the text refers to a character’s eyes and limbs (plural) even when it is established that a said character only as a singular one of those.
Audio
I’ve never considered myself someone who cared too much for the music or voice acting in a VN/KN, and so long as it is fitting I’d take it as good enough, but precisely because of that, the music and voice acting in Nie no Hakoniwa deserves a special mention for how much of an impression it left on me.
+The voice acting for each of the characters is some of the best I’ve ever come across. While most Japanese VNs/KNs published by a studio have professional voice acting, most VNs/KNs do not demand so much from the voice actors/actresses. The way the voice acting conveyed stronger emotions like fear, anger, disgust and pain is frankly awe-inspiring. More than a few times I’d go back to a certain line just to listen to it again.
+The music in Nie no Hakoniwa is also top-notch, with each track tying the scene together, emphasizing the tone from uplifting to somber to jazzy to tension and everything in between. Each main character, as well as the seven noble houses all have their own fitting theme.
-One of the sfx used is unfortunately quite distracting. It is common for eroges to include sfx for… the friction of wet flesh. Yet, one of the sfx during scenes sounded like a running faucet, and it just doesn’t seem to fit.
Story
Nie no Hakoniwa is a lengthy story spanning three different eras, ultimately stringing together to tell a much bigger story. As the name suggests, the story centers around a box of sacrifice, or better known as the Kotori Bako (translated as ‘child-stealing box’), inspired by an urban legend of the same name. It is a cursed item used by the oppressed to seek revenge by paying an ultimate price.
+There really isn’t a way to discuss the story without delving into spoiler territory, so I won’t. I will, however, say that the story is engaging, littered with multiple plot twists and a big mystery that the reader can try to figure out along the way. The story sprinkled in clues along the way, and trying to figure out the story, the intentions and the reason behind the characters’ actions made Nie no Hakoniwa very memorable to me.
+/-Reading through the story, I felt equal parts bummed and cathartic. You know how in many stories, the hero does the right thing despite losing something or someone important to them? And while we may agree that the hero did the right thing, we also felt bad for the hero because of what they had lost? The bittersweet ending? Well, Nie no Hakoniwa felt like the polar opposite of that. Seeing the protagonist make the villains pay is cathartic, but watching the same characters you were rooting for devolve and turn into monsters step by step, at some point it just feels a little depressive, somber, and gloomy.
+/-Nie no Hakoniwa is a kinetic novel, so there isn’t any sort of decision making or branching paths in the story. That said, this allows the devs to focus on the story and its delivery without distractions.
-There are some parts of the story that felt contrived, or illogical. Some of the ones I caught are:
H-Scene
+The H-Scenes are of superb quality, with a buttload of variations. Unlike most VNs, Nie no Hakoniwa’s scenes are usually at least a two-parter back to back, and each part easily contains 10-15 variations of CG. Many of the subtle shifts in expression are done really well too.
+/- Having said that, the total number of scenes is relatively small for such a lengthy story. Nie no Hakoniwa took the story first, eroge second approach, which is why the scenes felt close and personal, because by the time you get your first proper scene you’d be a good 15 hours into the story and have been introduced to all the characters. This just made the scenes that much more emotionally impactful.
+/-In case the tags and the screenshots didn’t make it abundantly clear, Nie no Hakoniwa centers on some pretty heavy themes. If you are not someone who does well with these themes, best to give this a pass. Just saying, it isn’t often you see rape, loli, guro, cannibalism and snuff(?) all in a single scene.
-Due to how long it takes for the scenes to come up, this is definitely not for people who are looking for a quick fap.
Miscellaneous
Playtime: Fairly lengthy, took the better part of the month to go through, though I only had time for a couple hours a day.
Completion: 100%
Version:V1.1.0
Closing
For the engaging story, beautiful artwork and really good music and voice acting, I’d highly recommend checking Nie no Hakoniwa out if you either like the heavy themes, or you can at least stomach it. There is room for improvement, yes, but even as is it oozes with quality, and it is hauntingly beautiful.
The artwork of Nie no Hakoniwa is really good, and has a very consistent design theme to the characters.
+Very high quality CG artworks for each of the characters.
+Character portrait fully reflects the attire (or lack thereof) of the character, even in cases where the character is partially undressed.
+/- Well proportioned character design in CGs, though the proportions in some portrait variations can seem a little off.
-In one of the scenes, the character’s portrait does not match the CG (white shirt, when the portrait is black shirt)
Literary
+Professionally translated with no grammatical errors.
+May actually increase your vocabulary. (I learnt that wont is a word, and no, I didn’t miss an apostrophe lol)
+Proper formatting for every line, with no instance of texts going out of the box.
+Translation is faithful to the spoken lines.
-In a few instances, the text refers to a character’s eyes and limbs (plural) even when it is established that a said character only as a singular one of those.
Audio
I’ve never considered myself someone who cared too much for the music or voice acting in a VN/KN, and so long as it is fitting I’d take it as good enough, but precisely because of that, the music and voice acting in Nie no Hakoniwa deserves a special mention for how much of an impression it left on me.
+The voice acting for each of the characters is some of the best I’ve ever come across. While most Japanese VNs/KNs published by a studio have professional voice acting, most VNs/KNs do not demand so much from the voice actors/actresses. The way the voice acting conveyed stronger emotions like fear, anger, disgust and pain is frankly awe-inspiring. More than a few times I’d go back to a certain line just to listen to it again.
+The music in Nie no Hakoniwa is also top-notch, with each track tying the scene together, emphasizing the tone from uplifting to somber to jazzy to tension and everything in between. Each main character, as well as the seven noble houses all have their own fitting theme.
-One of the sfx used is unfortunately quite distracting. It is common for eroges to include sfx for… the friction of wet flesh. Yet, one of the sfx during scenes sounded like a running faucet, and it just doesn’t seem to fit.
Story
Nie no Hakoniwa is a lengthy story spanning three different eras, ultimately stringing together to tell a much bigger story. As the name suggests, the story centers around a box of sacrifice, or better known as the Kotori Bako (translated as ‘child-stealing box’), inspired by an urban legend of the same name. It is a cursed item used by the oppressed to seek revenge by paying an ultimate price.
+There really isn’t a way to discuss the story without delving into spoiler territory, so I won’t. I will, however, say that the story is engaging, littered with multiple plot twists and a big mystery that the reader can try to figure out along the way. The story sprinkled in clues along the way, and trying to figure out the story, the intentions and the reason behind the characters’ actions made Nie no Hakoniwa very memorable to me.
+/-Reading through the story, I felt equal parts bummed and cathartic. You know how in many stories, the hero does the right thing despite losing something or someone important to them? And while we may agree that the hero did the right thing, we also felt bad for the hero because of what they had lost? The bittersweet ending? Well, Nie no Hakoniwa felt like the polar opposite of that. Seeing the protagonist make the villains pay is cathartic, but watching the same characters you were rooting for devolve and turn into monsters step by step, at some point it just feels a little depressive, somber, and gloomy.
+/-Nie no Hakoniwa is a kinetic novel, so there isn’t any sort of decision making or branching paths in the story. That said, this allows the devs to focus on the story and its delivery without distractions.
-There are some parts of the story that felt contrived, or illogical. Some of the ones I caught are:
- Rigor mortis happens within minutes of a person’s death - I am no doctor, but from what I gathered rigor mortis sets in a couple of hours after a person’s death, not within minutes.
- The Kotori Bako’s usage and powers - While the nature of the box’s power is steeped in mystery by design, many times the story will just plop in a new thing the box can do, which sadly makes the deus ex machina box feel contrived.
- The mastermind of the story’s grand plan (which isn’t overtly explored) is so far out that it requires the miracle of plot armor to pull off.
H-Scene
+The H-Scenes are of superb quality, with a buttload of variations. Unlike most VNs, Nie no Hakoniwa’s scenes are usually at least a two-parter back to back, and each part easily contains 10-15 variations of CG. Many of the subtle shifts in expression are done really well too.
+/- Having said that, the total number of scenes is relatively small for such a lengthy story. Nie no Hakoniwa took the story first, eroge second approach, which is why the scenes felt close and personal, because by the time you get your first proper scene you’d be a good 15 hours into the story and have been introduced to all the characters. This just made the scenes that much more emotionally impactful.
+/-In case the tags and the screenshots didn’t make it abundantly clear, Nie no Hakoniwa centers on some pretty heavy themes. If you are not someone who does well with these themes, best to give this a pass. Just saying, it isn’t often you see rape, loli, guro, cannibalism and snuff(?) all in a single scene.
-Due to how long it takes for the scenes to come up, this is definitely not for people who are looking for a quick fap.
Miscellaneous
Playtime: Fairly lengthy, took the better part of the month to go through, though I only had time for a couple hours a day.
Completion: 100%
Version:V1.1.0
- Being a kinetic novel meant forgoing decision making for the players, and while it is still a really good story, the idea of being able to reach different outcomes based on my decision is still a very enticing one. I can’t help but wonder the endings we could have reached if the devs made Nie no Hakoniwa a VN instead.
Closing
For the engaging story, beautiful artwork and really good music and voice acting, I’d highly recommend checking Nie no Hakoniwa out if you either like the heavy themes, or you can at least stomach it. There is room for improvement, yes, but even as is it oozes with quality, and it is hauntingly beautiful.
