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WE DID IT!

Now that Sony has backtracked, we can enjoy the best coop shooter in the market today

Sable’s Grimoire is a Visual Novel telling the story of Sable Labyr, a 18 years old boy who has just enrolled at Amadronia Academy, the world best magic learning institution.

And while it might, at first, look like your typical highschool VN, the similarities pretty much end there: Instead of the ubiquitous fanservice and shenanigans, we have themes ranging from the nature of friendship, relationships, boundaries, to trauma and mental disease. Don´t be surprised, if you feel the need to pause your reading, in order to reflect upon the themes the story will place before you. They are often surprisingly - and refreshingly- deep.

As for the writing iself, it can be summarized as this: as you read this story, you will NOT feel immersed; instead, you will feel INVESTED.

Why? The answer is simple: in this story, the characters are their own persons, as opposed to the clichés and archetypes so commonly found in other VNs of this genre. The MC? Sable could not be more different from the blank slate so ubiquitous in highschool settings. The First Girl? The MC can barely stand her presence, and with good reason. The Tomboy? Other than her school uniform and taste for physical activity, she is probably the most traditionally feminine character in the entire cast. The Tsundere? Here, she does NOT act like she is bipolar towards the MC (and the MC alone), instead her abrasiveness is an integral part of her character, and heavily implied be traumatic to some extent, due to a less than ideal childhood. And so are all others.

And, as you progress your reading, and get to know the characters better, you will also find yourself reflecting about their interactions and relationship dynamics. The MC isn´t a horny teenager determined to chase as many skirts as possible, and the girls don´t simply exist to fall for him at his mere approach. Each relationship, romantic or not, is NOT an idealistic caricature; each one of them has their pros and cons, ups and downs. The MC calls out the girls on their mistakes, and they do not leave him out of his hook either. When (and if) a girl falls for the MC, it is not because a mere wooing attempt, but instead being consistently supportive, understanding, helpful and respectful to them, as persons.

In fact, for 2 of the girls, if you make the right choices, it is possible to pinpoint the moment in which the MC earns their admiration, and later when said admiration transforms into true, capital “L” love. And the way it warms your heart is, to put it simply, glorious. You might, and probably will, find yourself holding back tears, as the characters open their hearts to each other and take care of each other.

Now obviously, even though the writing in general is fantastic, it is not perfect. There ARE a few cringy lines here and there (Indirect kiss? Really? What kind of 18 years old would ever say that?), but I think most of those can be chalked up as personal preferences, and do not detract from the whole.

So, TL; DR? Buy it. Read it. Enjoy it. Ahead of you is a tale that you won´t soon forget.

The only REAL criticism I can make is not a mistake on the author´s part, but instead… a missed opportunity. I am well aware that it is NOT my place to dictate what an author should do with his story, but perhaps my feedback might shed some light on a different perspective. Minor spoilers ahead.

Rei´s story is… different from the others. While all routes are, ultimately, stories about people, their problems and their relationships, all of them have one good ending in which, through persistence, hard work and good will, the problem, while not exactly solved, it is at least addressed, Sable and the girl being set up to a better, brighter future, be as a couple, or just friends.

Rei´s route… doesn´t. In fact, one could easily read her story as a take on toxic people and how the best (only?) way to deal with them is to remove them from your lives. On one hand, I commend the courage to write a non-antagonistic character like that. But on the other hand, the way the story treats Rei is, to put it simply, heartbreaking, and not in a good way. She is constantly hungry to the point of eating trash (the story is ambiguous in regards to where the gluttony ends and the actual starvation begins) NOBODY likes her (she is considered a nuisance at best, and a parasite at worst) and even her only friend often makes cruel remarks towards her.

And while ALL of those are true, and are Rei’ s fault and no one else’s, it is hard to believe that Sable, who can go to such extreme lengths for others, including one who WAS actually malicious, dishonest, dangerous and unwilling to be helped, would do so little, reluctantly, and, ultimately, feel relieved for not having her in his life any longer.

While I understand and respect the decision to not go for the “Opposites Attracts” trope, an option COULD have been made, for those 2 have a moment of clarity, and make the decision to truly become friends. To reach out and learn from one another, to face their respective shortcomings together, and appreciate their own qualities and, like in all the other routes, have their relationship grow and become something better and brighter.

Yes, it would be difficult to write such story. Maybe impossible. But the end result? It could become even MORE glorious, beautiful and – why not- thought provoking than the other routes.

Edit: Well, the latest update (1.08) has added a few new routes, And one of them *completely* addresses the criticism I made in the few paragraphs above. No spoilers, though. Instead, just go read it. You won´t be disappointed.