Many visual novels use an anime-like appearance, which seems to be the most popular design. This makes other styles stand out more, like Vera Blanc: Full Moon, which uses old-style comic book graphics. Vera’s father arranged a unique operation when she was diagnosed with cancer, which resulted in her being cured and receiving special powers. These are best used for paranormal mysteries, so she sets off with a private investigator partner to search out the truth about a werewolf sighting. Will she sniff out the clues before the beast hunts her down?
Originally released in 2010 as a phone game, a decade later the Italian origin Vera Blanc: Full Moon released on mainstream consoles. The chapters are separated into the seven days it takes to solve the mystery, which is a standard format for visual novels. There is a map with various points of interest to investigate, although which area will yield story progression is sometimes signposted by the places literally being closed or deserted. It has an interesting twist to the standard visual novel choices that determine which direction the plot heads, and it uses minigames to determine some of these choices.
The minigames can be skipped, but are undoubtedly a highlight of the story, with three types used. The first and most common is a hangman-type scenario. Letters must be chosen to fill in the blanks on the sentence or two that the person is thinking. Only three incorrect letters stand between success and failure. It is wise to use one of the twelve save points before starting, just in case the undesirable outcome occurs. It usually isn’t game over if that is the case, but it means vital evidence that can be saved in a journal isn’t received.
Developing a strategy for picking a letter rather than trying every letter in order is the best path to avoid losing. The journal collates all the discovered clues but it is superfluous as nothing needs to be remembered for later in the game. The only use is as a reminder for those who play intermittently or who have a poor memory for health related reasons.
The second minigame is equally as fun. Playing spot the difference for three to six omitted parts of an image takes a bit of work. The mobile origins are obvious, as the selection circle doesn’t have free motion; it goes in four directions only and these are clearly in invisible lines and columns. It is easier to use the directional buttons than the joystick. The differences themselves are often tiny and sometimes just a mere mark. Goodness knows how the original phone users navigated the puzzles on a tiny screen, compared to on a forty-two-inch television that takes a minor amount of brain power to figure out. Success leads to continuation of the story and happy endorphins from completion.
Finally there is a third minigame that involves remembering a sequence of numbers. Both repeated and sequential numbers aid the recall ability. The minigame is entertaining, but it doesn’t quite make sense why the numbers are needed at all for the chosen story portion. It isn’t used for an object requiring numbers like a safe or shop till. The random use is more baffling than the memory sequence itself.
Another fourth style of puzzle, which is a one-off event if a certain choice is taken, also doesn’t quite make sense. Why would playing a number-matching game save the day?
These oddities sadly are not an isolated incident. The concept of Vera herself is praiseworthy: rather than select a man to have superpowers, a woman is used. Mindreading is an incredible ability that is invaluable in an investigation. Vera’s powers sadly are overshadowed by how her personality and character design are portrayed, though. Her intelligence is evident from how she logically deduces the presented clues, yet after a fanservice-filled surprising scene her considerable intellect feels cheapened. Fanservice still exists in gaming, and often suits the type of game it is paired with. However, for a game in the twenty-first century where women’s roles are more than simply looking pretty, depicting Vera frequently with few clothes on is a level of sexism that did not benefit the plot and felt like overkill.
There are occasions where she dresses quite modestly and certain aspects of her body aren’t focused on, but those are infrequent images. The stereotypical responses from her partner are sad to witness when considering how gifted Vera is. What is worse is that a particular fanservice moment gets repeated at a later point in the game, word-for-word with identical illustrations from the original scene. This feels like such a cost-cutting move in what had been all original images in a relatively short visual novel. Cringing at the multiple ways Vera loses her clothes becomes an unwanted habit by the tale’s end.
Better choices are taken in both the soundtrack and sound effects department. Certain chase scenes have a suitably dramatic score, and the occasions when guns are shot really stand out and add to the tense atmosphere. Voice acting is non-existent but the lack of audible speech fits Vera Blanc: Full Moon’s overall sentiment. Saving is available every second of gameplay, and is needed given how frequently death or a game over occur with incorrect decisions made. The correct choice, or the one that yields information, doesn’t always feel intuitive. One example is in the library; with Vera monitoring local news, it is believed that it should herald a clue, but it turns out to be one of the other options.
Some of the illustrations feel empty compared to others. For example, many objects are placed in such an ordered fashion that it looks lifeless, as opposed to scenes on the train and whenever the werewolf appears, which feel realistic for seasoned train commuters. There are just two endings to the tale if the premature deaths are excluded, and replaying to get each one will probably be just for completionists because what feels like the least favourable end is equally satisfactory. Although presumably the plot element that gets left incomplete will be concluded properly in the other ending.
