Info about Narcissu 10th Anniversary Anthology Project:

Official game description:
"Life is like a waiting room, except people don't leave in the order they enter."  
So when it is time to leave, where will it be? And will you be able to smile in the end?  
Narcissu is a thought provoking visual novel series about terminal illness, living, dying, and the relationship between those leaving and those left behind. There are no miracles, no heroes, no villains in this story. Just life and the characters finding their own ways of facing death in an indifferent, relentless, ever-impartial reality.  
Praised by fans for its moving story and high production quality, the original games have been download over a million times and spawned a manga and light novel, and has been localized in several languages across the world. This anthology finally brings the games that were never released outside of Japan in any form to the world for eager fans, as well as updating artwork, voice work, and a brand new written chapter exclusive to this anthology: "Sumire".  
Further breaking new grounds, this anthology builds on the massively popular music which has captured the hearts of thousands of Narcissu fans by adding 2 video game legends to the musical roster: Chris Huelsbeck of Turrican fame, and Hiroki Kikuta of Secret of Mana fame.  
The story is told in 5 games and produced through a Kickstarter campaign. The original games (Narcissu 1st&2nd) of the series are available for free on Steam. This anthology series will contain an additional 4 scenarios in the series.  
The core of this anthology are the following included games:  
*   Narcissu - The story that started it all. Two terminally ill patients meet on the 7th floor hospice. Neither like the 7th floor, nor their own homes. And so they set off on a journey.  
*   Narcissu 2 - A prequel to the original, telling the story of a patient named Himeko through Setsumi's eyes.  
*   Narcissu 2 - Himeko's Epilogue, details the final moments of Himeko's story.
These stand-alone chapters are available as DLC:  
\]*   Narcissu: A Little Iris - A side story set in medieval Europe, exploring what it means to desire to live, or die.  
*   Narcissu: Zero - The origin story of the 7th floor hospice and its rules.  
*   Narcissu: Sumire - An entirely new chapter in the series, it tells the tale of two girls who cross paths: one dying and the other desiring death, both filled with profound regrets about their respective lives.

Release date: Jan 27, 2016

Categories: Visual Novel, Interactive Fiction, Narrative-driven Gameplay, Choice-based Narrative, Emotional Storytelling, Character-driven Narrative, Dialogue-based Gameplay, Branching Narrative

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 60; verdict: Aggressive Monetization; summary: The game has a significant amount of content locked behind a Season Pass, which players need to purchase to access all episodes and additional content. This includes multiple stories and a soundtrack. The pricing strategy seems to encourage players to buy the Season Pass rather than individual DLCs, which can be more expensive. Overall, the monetization strategy leans towards aggressive marketing of additional content.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $2.00 - $5.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that users find the game to be a good purchase when it is on sale, implying that the regular price might be considered high. The mention of the game being cheaper than juice during a sale indicates that users expect a very low price. Additionally, the specific mention of the 10th-anniversary edition being priced at 15元 (approximately $2.10 USD) suggests a very low base price point. The repeated emphasis on buying during sales and the affordability during such periods supports a low price range.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 10.0h
  - Story completion: 2.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence indicates that the typical time to complete the main story of the game is around 2 hours, as multiple reviews mention this duration. The game completion time is slightly longer, around 10 hours, as mentioned in one of the reviews. There is no specific evidence regarding typical single-session length or endgame hours, so those values are marked as null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game's enjoyment is anchored around Chapter 3, where the story becomes more engaging. Initial gameplay may be tedious and uneven, requiring patience and a willingness to engage with heavy themes.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Chapter 3
  - Time to anchor: 2h 0m
  - Friction: uneven pacing; tedious initial story; heavy themes
  - Unlock drivers: patience; willingness to engage with heavy themes
  - Conditions: engagement with narrative; patience with slow pacing
- Player Archetypes:
  - Emotional Story Seeker (buy)
    - Motivation: Emotional engagement and narrative depth.
    - Playstyle: Immersive and reflective, focusing on the story and character development.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: Story lover; Emotional gamer
    - Reference games: Narcissu 1st & 2nd; Visual Novels
  - Critical Game Analyst (sale)
    - Motivation: Analyzing and comparing gameplay experiences.
    - Playstyle: Analytical and comparative, focusing on gameplay mechanics and narrative structures.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Game critic; Analytical player
    - Reference games: Narcissu 1st & 2nd; Visual Novels; Story-driven games
  - Curious Newcomer (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Exploring new games based on recommendations.
    - Playstyle: Exploratory and open-minded, trying out new experiences.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: New player; Explorer
    - Reference games: Free Steam games; Recommended games


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Emotionally impactful storytelling (weight 0.53): The game features deeply reflective and emotionally grounded storytelling that remains impactful over time. Players describe the experience as emotionally moving and thought-provoking.
- Thought-provoking themes (weight 0.49): The game explores realistic and thought-provoking themes such as life, death, and acceptance. These themes are memorable and add depth to the narrative.
- Includes additional epilogues (weight 0.33): The game includes additional epilogues and new scenarios, such as Himeko's epilogue and an epilogue for Narcissu 2, which are highly praised by players.
- Outstanding music (weight 0.26): The game's soundtrack is described as outstanding and beautiful, enhancing the overall experience.
- Worth the time for fans (weight 0.25): The game is considered a powerful example of visual novels and is worth experiencing, especially for fans of introspective visual novels.
- Realistic portrayal of life and death (weight 0.22): The game offers a realistic depiction of life, death, and medical themes, including the portrayal of pain and helplessness.
- Deep character development (weight 0.21): The game includes well-written character relationships and connections, contributing to character depth and development.
- Personal connection to the story (weight 0.17): Players feel a personal connection and impact from the story, making it a deeply personal experience.
- Minimalist visual style (weight 0.16): The game features a minimalist visual presentation that complements the subject matter and focuses on the narrative.
- Great atmosphere (weight 0.12): The game excels in creating a great atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
- Affordable pricing (weight 0.11): The game is noted for its affordable pricing, making it accessible to a wider audience.
- Classic and Normal modes (weight 0.11): The game offers both Classic and Normal modes, providing different ways to experience the story.

Common complaints:
- Story and pacing criticisms (weight 0.54): The game's story is criticized for being uneven, emotionally draining, and sometimes confusing, with certain parts feeling unnecessary or tedious.
- Grammatical and spelling errors (weight 0.51): The game contains numerous grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and typos, indicating poor proofreading and quality control.
- Localization and translation issues (weight 0.33): There are significant delays and issues with localization, particularly for Chinese and Japanese translations, including encoding problems and lack of updates.
- Expensive DLC and pricing (weight 0.3): Players find the DLC and season pass to be expensive, with criticism directed at the pricing structure and the cost of purchasing DLC separately.
- Sequel quality issues (weight 0.22): The second part of the game is not as good as the first, with some parts not living up to the original's quality.
- Technical issues and launcher problems (weight 0.21): The game's launcher often crashes, and there are various technical issues, including audio problems and sudden scene transitions.
- Disappointing visuals (weight 0.16): The visuals in the game are not particularly elaborate or grand, leading to disappointment among players.
- Interface and usability issues (weight 0.15): The game's interface is criticized for being ugly and bland, with issues such as the inability to resize windows and lack of certain features like OST selection.
- Lack of gameplay elements (weight 0.12): The game lacks engaging gameplay elements, which may not appeal to all players and can feel like a waste of money for non-fans.
- Review and community issues (weight 0.11): There are issues with reviews being flagged for criticism and verbal abuse from Kickstarter supporters, indicating a problematic community and review environment.

Gameplay feedback:
- Emotional and story-driven gameplay (weight 0.35): The game is praised for its emotional storytelling and story-driven gameplay, making it a text-based narrative experience.
- Includes multiple Narcissu stories (weight 0.34): The game includes content from Narcissu 1st & 2nd, as well as additional chapters like Sumire and A Little Iris.
- Linear visual novel structure (weight 0.26): The game follows a linear and episodic narrative structure, typical of kinetic novels without branching paths.
- Himeko's Epilogue and final chapter (weight 0.24): The game includes specific chapters and epilogues focused on the character Himeko.
- Explores heavy themes (weight 0.23): The game delves into themes of terminal illness, death, emotional isolation, self-worth, and familial relationships.
- Anthology of stories (weight 0.21): The game is an anthology of various Narcissu releases, offering multiple stories and bonus short stories.
- New content and DLC (weight 0.17): The game offers new content and DLC with additional stories, extending the series.
- Minimalist presentation (weight 0.16): The game features a minimalist visual and audio presentation, with mostly static backgrounds and minimal character images.
- Specific plot details and updates (weight 0.14): The game includes specific plot details and updates, such as the inclusion of Zero and new songs in the OST.
- Impactful life themes (weight 0.13): The game has a significant impact on players' perceptions of life and farewell, exploring introspective themes.
- Interactive fiction elements (weight 0.11): The game is described as more like a short electronic novel or interactive fiction, with minimal gameplay mechanics.
- Gameplay modes (weight 0.11): The game offers different modes such as Classic and Normal modes.
- Multiple language versions (weight 0.07): The game is available in different language versions, making it accessible to a wider audience.

Performance notes:
- Text encoding issues (weight 0.18): Players are experiencing text garbling issues, particularly with non-Japanese locales and Japanese text encoding.
- Improved audio quality (weight 0.08): The game has seen enhancements in its audio quality, providing a better auditory experience for players.
- Launcher crashes (weight 0.08): Some players are encountering issues with the game launcher crashing.
- Refined artwork (weight 0.07): The artwork in the game has been refined, improving the visual experience for players.
- DLC compatibility issues (weight 0.07): There are reports of compatibility issues with the game's DLC content.

Recommendations:
- Highly recommended for fans (weight 0.43): The game is highly recommended for fans of introspective visual novels and those willing to engage with heavy themes and deliberate pacing. It is also suggested as a good starting point for those new to the genre.
- Read Narcissu 1 and 2 first (weight 0.23): Players are advised to read Narcissu 1 and 2 before starting this game for a better understanding. Specifically, it is recommended to read Narcissu 1 last and to finish Narcissu 2 before starting Himeko’s Epilogue.
- Wait for official Chinese translation (weight 0.07): Some players recommend waiting for the official Chinese translation before purchasing or playing the game.
- Follow updates on Kickstarter (weight 0.06): Players are advised to follow updates on the Kickstarter page for the latest information.

Other player notes:
- Language accessibility issue (weight 0.07): Players noted that they did not listen to all languages and only read the text, suggesting potential issues with language accessibility or preferences.
- Mention of living location (weight 0.06): Some reviews mentioned living on the seventh floor, possibly indicating a specific context or setting related to the game.
- Tribute to deceased contributor (weight 0.06): There was a mention of a deceased contributor, possibly as a tribute or acknowledgment within the game or its community.
- External translated blog link (weight 0.06): A link to a translated blog was provided, which might contain additional information or context about the game.

Emotions:
- Reflective (weight 0.19): The game's narrative and themes, particularly those revolving around life, death, and emotional isolation, resonate deeply with players. The philosophical themes and symbolic meanings provoke introspection and discussion about the story's depth and character development.
- Moved (weight 0.16): Players are deeply affected by the emotional impact of the story, particularly the intimate portrayal of characters like Setsumi and Himeko. The narrative themes, character relationships, and emotional soundtrack contribute to a powerful and moving experience.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.1): Players experience nostalgia due to personal memories associated with the game, such as recalling playing it during high school or reflecting on the game's impact over many years. The emotional connection to the game series and its memorable characters and stories evoke a strong sense of nostalgia.
- Sadness (weight 0.1): The story's emotional impact, themes of death, and end-of-life care evoke a profound sense of sadness. Players find the narrative moving and impactful, often comparing it to real-life experiences.
- Nostalgic (weight 0.06): Players feel nostalgic reflecting on their personal history with the game, such as playing it many years ago or re-reading the story after a long time. The game's enduring emotional impact and personal memories contribute to this sense of nostalgia.
- Frustration (weight 0.04): Players express frustration with the game's translation quality, including grammatical errors and slow localization. Issues with the game's presentation, content, and download speed also contribute to this frustration.
- Joy (weight 0.04): Players find joy in the game's meaningful storytelling and emotional impact. The beautiful narrative and the warmth brought by the story contribute to a positive and joyful experience.
- Admiration (weight 0.04): Players admire the game's narrative, themes, and character choices. The impact of character roles and story elements evoke a sense of admiration.
- Disappointment (weight 0.04): Players express disappointment with the game's visuals, lack of engaging story, and brief duration. The absence of character growth, plot development, and promised translations also contribute to this disappointment.
- Gratitude (weight 0.03): Players feel gratitude for the translation efforts by specific groups and the emotional impact of the game. The long-term translation work and personal reflections evoke a sense of thankfulness.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the game's emotional depth, realistic themes, and the degree of choice and freedom. The game's impact on their thoughts and feelings is also highly valued.
- Emotional Resonance (weight 0.01): Players are deeply moved by specific scenes and dialogues in the game, such as the interaction between characters during a meal and poignant lines like '因为……我也会难过'. The emotional impact of the story and character arcs, particularly those involving death and isolation, resonate strongly.
- Grateful (weight 0.01): Players feel grateful for the translation work done by specific groups, which has made the game accessible to a wider audience. The emotional impact of the game also contributes to this sense of gratitude.
- Melancholic (weight 0.01): The game's themes of isolation and social disconnection evoke a sense of melancholy. The emotional impact of the story and its contemplative nature contribute to this feeling.
- Thoughtful (weight 0.01): The complex motivations of the characters provoke thoughtful reflection. Players are encouraged to think deeply about the characters' actions and the underlying themes of the story.
- Moved to tears (weight 0.01): The emotional impact of specific parts of the game, such as Narcissu 0 and Sumire, moves players to tears. The poignant storytelling and character arcs evoke a strong emotional response.
- Contemplative (weight 0.01): The melancholic and contemplative soundtrack encourages players to reflect deeply on the game's themes. The music complements the narrative and enhances the contemplative experience.
- Concern (weight 0.01): Players express concern about the game's potential impact on those in a poor mental state. The heavy themes and emotional content may not be suitable for everyone.}