Update, as of 23/06/2022: After having spent some time away from this series, I must admit that the story was weaker than I remember. I think I was fairly invested in the characters (especially due to their voice acting - it was incredible in this game) but the story itself felt fairly poorly written except for maybe at the start. I've also rewritten parts of the review to flow better, and remove unnecessary spoiler tags.

This review contains spoilers, which are marked appropriately. Please read with caution if you want to go in blind. The last paragraphs will be a summary, so to speak, while the ones prior will describe my thoughts on features of the VN and the story (this will have spoilers tagged).

This story is not for the very weak of heart. There are events that occur that admittedly made me cringe a little, though I won't discuss those here due to story spoilers. The game does show blood at times (and doesn't shy away from it) but unless one is very squeamish they should be fine reading this novel, in my opinion.

With a moderate reading speed (or using the auto function), and assuming you don't reread sections should you hit bad ends, this novel shouldn't take longer than 10-12 hours to complete. Due to a fast reading speed (and missing all of the bad ends until a later replay), I was able to complete the novel faster.

The visual novel has a clean artstyle that very rarely strays from the images you see in the Steam store page (exceptions tend to be deliberate, artistic choices as opposed to incompetency). If you like it (like I personally did) then you'll like it throughout. If you didn't, you probably won't enjoy the "visual" part of this visual novel very much.

This novel has full voice acting (including the protagonist), which is quite nice. The voice acting seems exclusively Japanese (I was unable to find an option to change the language, but as I usually prefer the audio in visual novels to be in their native language I didn't bother changing this), but the cast seem very skilled and were able to really sell the idea to me that "this is the character talking - this is how the character genuinely feels right now". I don't remember any of it feeling unnatural, and the voice actors were able to really capture the characters' emotions.

The settings feel comprehensive enough. There's sliders for text speed, auto play speed, precise volume controls and the option to quieten the background music while people speak. There is slightly more, but I don't remember. The volume controls do not extend to the opening song, so please exercise caution if you typically play games with very low sound settings.

The game window can be resized, but only has fullscreen and windowed modes (no borderless fullscreen, and no typing a resolution). This makes it easy to use, but frustrating if you need to switch tasks often, since you can see your desktop in the background.

The game comes with a "Tips" section, that lets you review key words of the series. This is helpful if you forget the meaning of something, or a character's explanation confuses you. The tips unlock as you play the game.

The gallery and OST are only available after you clear the game. While this makes sense for the OST, I don't like it that much for the gallery. These will appear under a tab called "Extras" in the main menu.

Fight scenes in the series are not brilliantly executed, in my opinion. The overall low use of CGs (this wasn't a major issue for me, but it was a shame as I very much enjoyed the artstyle) and extreme length and wordiness of the battles means that they can often drag on. In this regard, it feels far more like an endless wall of text with some soundtrack in the background, as opposed to a voice-acted visual novel. Despite this, the fights were able to capture my attention as they happened for the most part.

All choices in the game are timed, which I do appreciate, as it helps me keep my attention on the novel (my mind often tends to wonder). Unfortunately, the game has a one-route storyline (if you're familiar with the term "kinetic visual novel", this it it) with any bad ends being extremely abrupt, no alternative endings and the few choices that don't end the game having no significant impact on the story or the reader's perception of it. This takes away some of the replay value, though it makes sense as it has been stated that this series is episodic. Furthermore, the next instalments in the series will be in the form of light novels (not visual novels, like this game).

The story's start was its strongest point, but I believe that it falters towards the middle due to the excessive cast of characters, some of which felt horribly jarring in the setting provided and the jarring shift between the original, believable sci-fi plotline and a second one involving supernatural abilities[/spoiler]. If you want to play this visual novel for a hard sci-fi plot, you've come to the wrong place.

There is no explicit sexual content in the novel, though there is one scene in which you walk in on a female character in the shower . This scene has its own CG, if I properly recall. Besides from this one scene, the novel contains no content of a sexual nature.

The soundtrack is very good, but I don't believe it is the sort that I would download and listen to on my phone. It sets the tone and sets it well, but there are not many songs (exceptions being the OP and OST 13 - Day To Day) that stood out to me in particular.

I suppose to sum this review up, I see why people don't like Memory's Dogma. I really do. That said, this game gave me a sense of peace that not many visual novels have. The sort where I can just slow down, put my head back and smile as I think about the characters. I appreciate any visual novel capable of doing this, but even ignoring this last little point, I could easily recommend this for a £10 read.