In the late 1990s a very unique series was born. While it didn't have a name yet, it was the beginning of something that would have a great influence on the world. The name of this "series" was "Kara no Kyokai" (also known as "The Garden of Sinners") and it was released as a novel by a man named Kinoko Nasu. Nasu, while unknown, was a very unique writer who wasn't afraid to tackle taboo themes. His Garden of Sinners novel dove into ideas and themes not really seen in media at the time, and with this novel he setup the building blocks for his eventual breakthrough. Introducing characters like Shiki, who has multiple personalities within her, as well as characters like Touko Aozaki, who was a mage running a detective agency. Together the two investigated supernatural events throughout the town, all while slowly revealing the origin of this new world. Again, it was an interesting setup, but this story isn't what Nasu would become known for.
Jumping ahead to the early 2000s, Nasu met his friend, and artist, Takashi Takeuchi in college. The two started working together, and decided to form a little company known as "Type-Moon." Using Nasu's writing skills, and ideas he had already established, the two began working on what would become their very first video game. A visual novel known as "Tsukihime."
While not directly connected to The Garden of Sinners, Tsukihime reused themes and ideas from the original story, such as the idea of "Mystic Eyes." These magical eyes give the owner great power, but can also be seen as a cruse. For example, the legendary figure Madusa with her eyes that turn people to stone are classified as Mystic Eyes within this series. Shiki from the original Garden of Sinners could see the "lines of death" within the world, and the new Shiki in Tsukihime followed suite. These ideas became central parts of the new plot, and began what would eventually be known as "the Nasu-verse."
Of course, Tsukihime wasn't going to be an instant hit, so the two decided to include something that would bring fans... Adult scenes.
After the success of Tsukihime, things began to change for Type-Moon. Game developer French Bread took Tsukihime and created a follow up fighting game series titled Melty Blood, and Type-Moon themselves began working on their next project. A little game known as "Fate/Stay Night." This game was going to be Type-Moon's first commercial work, and as such they decided to go all out for it. Of course it retained the adult scenes that Tsukihime had (at first), but the storylines themselves became massive. Rather than being a single story, the game actually included three full stories within it, and further expanded the universe with it's idea of summoning "Heroic Spirits" from the past. Eventually due to it's success, the title was rereleased without the adult content, and became the series we know today.
Fate/Stay Night would go onto receive a prequel novel known as Fate/Zero, it received follow ups like Hollow Ataraxia, which then lead to other follow up series such as Prisma Illya. The canceled MMO would be turned into the Fate/Apocrypha novel series, and the online idea would eventually be reused for the massively popular mobile game Fate/Grand Order. The series continued to snowball after the release of Stay Night, and the adaptations helped bring exposure to the rest of the world.
Ufotable adapted Fate/Zero as an anime series, which was eventually followed up by Unlimited Blade Works, as well as the Heaven Feel movies. They also released The Garden of Sinners as a movie series, and other studios picked up works like Fate/Apocrphya. The series has continued to grow and grow over the years, and it honestly shows no signs of slowing down...
But how does all of this relate to Witch on the Holy Night?
Well...
Witch on the Holy Night is the "beginning." It has strong connections to the series as a whole, and is the direct prequel to the remake of Tsukihime. It's a story that long time fans will appreciate for it's new plotlines and further development of central themes within the "Nasu-verse," but it's also a story that is perfect for newcomers to jump into. Those who start at Witch on the Holy Night and choose to continue on will have fun seeing where this series goes. They will be able to view the other entries with new insight that previous fans didn't have, and have a better understanding of the world from the get go. Of course it is also great as a stand alone story, so it's not required that anyone continue past this point. On the flip side, two additional Witch on the Holy Night entries are planned, so be aware that this story doesn't actually bring an end to it's story arc, just to it's current story.
With all of that being said, how is the game itself? Is it worth reading through, and what is the gameplay exactly like? To be frank, this visual novel is one with possibly the highest production value in the genre, so it's going to be a little different.
The Story of Two Witches and Soujyuro:
Witch on the Holy Night begins it's story in the late 1980s with a young woman named Aoko Aozaki (the sister of Touko from The Garden of Sinners). Aoko comes from a family that has contained a long line of mages, and her grandfather decides to name her as the family successor. Of course, magic, mages, and everything related to the supernatural is hidden from the world, with a group known as the "Mage Association" working in the shadows. The Mage Association trains those with the gift of magecraft in England at a place known as "Clocktower," but Aoko herself isn't studying there. Instead she's living in a rural town with another young woman named Alice.
Alice too is a mage, and together her and Aoko are put in charge of protecting their town as they develop their powers. Strange things happen in the city at night, and after a run in with a creepy doll like figure, the two girls find themselves fighting for their own lives. Of course as Aoko is a high school student, she has to balance both her secret life as a mage, with her schoolwork. Being a part of the student council keeps her busy as well, but unknown to her, this job is about to make her life a lot harder.
Soujyuro is a young man who enters Aoko's school after spending his entire life up in the mountains. He doesn't know anything about society, he doesn't understand technology, and he doesn't really have a clue what he's doing. He's signed up for school and realizes he needs to make money to survive, but he doesn't quite get what this means. His life up until now has been anything but normal, and now Aoko is put in charge of making sure he gets everything he needs. Needless to say, the two's personalities clash from the get go, but Aoko owns up to her role, and helps him when possible. Except things eventually go south.
After getting caught up in a battle, Soujyuro learns about Alice and Aoko being mages, and that's not good. Mages need to remain a secret, and anyone who discovers their existence must be exterminated... At least, that is what is supposed to happen. Rather than going through with the act, Aoko and Alice make a deal with Soujyuro and have him move into the mansion they are staying at. Here they can keep an eye on him, and deal with his situation once the time comes. Him being here of course also means he's going to be pulled deeper into the women's fight, but that's a risk they have to take.
Ultimately the story of Witch on the Holy Night covers the daily lives of these three characters, as they live in a secret world unknown to the public eye. It's not a very long story, but it's a very well written and nicely developed one.
The Surprising Presentation:
To be clear, Witch is a full on visual novel with no choices during it's main game. You will be reading and watching the entire time, and listening to the music, sound effects, and Japanese voice acting. While this isn't anything out of the ordinary for visual novels, Witch steps everything up to an entirely different level.
The typical format for a visual novel is to have background images, and still character images for anyone on screen. Sometimes these character images have mouths that move, and sometimes there are multiple "versions" of each character for each emotion they show. It's a pretty simple format, and it allows the developers to create long stories without dedicating a lot of resources. Reuse the same character art and backgrounds over and over again through the entire game, and throw in some special images for key moments, and you've got yourself a game.
Witch on the Holy Night doesn't do this.
Rather than taking the standard "easier" route, Witch does something completely crazy. The game has a wide verity of backgrounds, and every background has multiple views of the location. Even if the location is only used a single time in the game, there is still a view of possibly all corners of the room the characters are standing in. Characters themselves also have a wide verity of artwork attached to them, with all different angles being covered. The game is filled with countless unique images as the story goes on, and fight scenes are a lot more animated than you will usually see. Even when something new isn't being shown, the game will typically do unique camera angles or split screens to mix things up, and give it a unique flare. It's an impressive amount of detail put into something that could've been so much more basic, but the story for sure benefits from it all!
To put it simply, if a normal visual novel is like a TV anime series that has multiple episodes, Witch on the Holy Night is more comparable to a movie. It's not as long as some visual novels out there, but it covers everything it needs to while also giving viewers plenty of eye candy along the way. It's impressive what this visual novel pulls off during it's run time, and it makes the entire experience a joy. That being said, the game is only 25-35 hours long, based on how fast of a reader you are. It's a story that doesn't overstay it's welcome, but it's also one that will leave you wanting more. Again, just like a really good movie.
Of course the visuals aren't the only part of this visual novel that's high quality. The music and sound effects are also top notch. Even the title screen's track is something that'll make you pause just to listen to it. The voice acting is also on point, and even if you can't understand Japanese, you can still hear the actor's emotions as they deliver their lines. Everyone fits their character perfectly, and they all nail their performances.
Again, this is a rare visual novel where everything is top notch.
Extra Content:
Although Witch is a linear visual novel, there is some extra content within the game to extend it. As you read through the main story, side episodes become unlocked along the way. These episodes often show a bit more of the daily life of the characters, while also showing characters that don't get as much screen time during the main plot. The biggest extra however is the additional story unlocked upon completing the game.
The final extra story of Witch is a unique one. It's set outside the main story, and is the only part of the game that features choices. The chapter is quite long, and the game itself warns you that you should take a break if you are feeling burned out. Once you start the story however, you are introduced to a new plot line that has multiple branching paths and options along the way. It's a fun distraction from the main story, and visual novel fans are sure to appropriate what they've done here. That being said, it's only available once you finish the game, so it's not something you can come back to while playing the main story.
Should you read it?
Before jumping into Witch on the Holy Night you should understand what kind of story it is. It's not a long drawn out experience filled with tons of action and drama, but instead a quick read that sets up exactly what it needs to. It introduces the characters, sets up the world's lore, brings in the main plot, and throws in a key event that brings our main cast together. From that point on, we get to see the characters learn more about each other and develop their relationships, as we eventually make our way to the climax. It's a more grounded story, and it uses it's setting and atmosphere to help draw it's readers in. The "Holy Night" in the title refers to Christmas, and the snowy backdrop of the game really helps set the mood. Sure, there are some laughs here and there, but overall this is a melancholic tale that features a group of characters you'll want to hold onto.
Those who are familiar with the Nasu-verse will be surprised to see the new themes and ideas brought up in this title, while other aspects of it will let them see the earlier releases in a new light. Getting to see Aoko before the events of Tsukihime is a fun experience, and even Soujyuro has some surprises in store. His connections to the rest of the series might not be obvious at first, but over time fans will piece it together.
Newcomers on the other hand can start here. You don't need to know about the Mage Association, or the Dead Apostles or know what a True Ancestor is, as this is a story of Aoko, Alice, and Soujyuro. It's self contained in their snowy town, and focuses on the here and now. The story introduces themes and ideas that are important, and tells you everything you need to know to enjoy it. Again, this is the beginning of the story, and those who continue on from here an appreciate the knowledge they've gained from this experience.
As to if you should read it or not, it's really going to depend on what type of story you enjoy. However, I'd strongly recommend giving this one a chance, even if you're unsure of how you feel about it. Who knows, this might just be your introduction to your new favorite series.
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