Game Review | HtoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary

When I first laid eyes on this puzzle platformer from NIS America I was captivated by it’s hand drawn look, and the possibility of another unforgettable experience like Limbo, but soon after booting up the game on my PC I quickly realized that this was not Limbo.

So what is HtoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary?

The Firefly Diary as I’ll be calling it for this review is a puzzle platformer title about a young girl named Mion who has to navigate through the depths of a treacherous labyrinthine with the help of a pair fireflies, all the while discovering about her parents, who she is, and how she got to where she is at the beginning of the game. Now this all sounds great and all, right? It’s the same basic formula as all other puzzle platformers. You get a silent protagonist, place them in a mysterious environment, litter it with traps on every inch of the map, and leave the player with the task of navigating their way to the end. Games like these are not meant to be easy, oh no they are a test of platforming and puzzling skills of the highest variety, but they are never cheap, and once most players figure out how to complete a certain section, they usually return to try and beat their previous time. The Firefly Diary “on PC” is some of the things mentioned above, while at the same time it misses some key elements that are required for a truly great puzzle platformer.

 

While playing the game there were moments when it give me a nice euphoric feeling of intelligence for finally figuring out how to get past a puzzle that had me stumped for a couple hours. I kid you not I spent more than an hour trying to figure out how to escape the first shadow monster and when I finally did, I couldn’t help but feel like I had become a complete genius of sorts, but sections like these are equally met with others that make you want to pull out every inch of your hair till you look like Sitama from One Punch-man. The reason for this is because though the game has some pretty cool mechanics, and some really well designed stages that beg to be explored. The game is held back by controls that make some segments more of a test of patience than skill and when it’s not that it’s sections without a clear way to progress, that become more trial & error than puzzle solving. While playing the main sections Mion is controlled by using either the mouse or PC controller (I used the Xbox One Controller at first then switched to mouse) to control one of the fireflies which she then follows, however there is a bit of latency between the firefly and the movement of the controller or mouse, and then there is some between Mion and the firefly, so as a player you are spending most of your time trying to average your movements. These movements are not complicated during most segments, but problems begin when there are any that require accurate input.

I’ll reference a segment where Mion has a mushroom growing out of her head which cause her to move the opposite way than usual, (Yes I know Limbo did it first) and then navigate her way up a wind tunnel section that requires the player to make it past some obstacles that require perfect precision and foresight, and I haven’t even mentioned the use of the second firefly that moves through shadows to interact with aspect of the world that Mion can’t and remove obstacles or fight enemies. 

The amazing team at NIS America have made some substantial changes to the game.

With controls like the ones presented in this game, sections like this one will lead most to either stop playing or to more likely toss their controller in rage. Counting the amount of times I rage quite this title, I can safely say that it hurt my gameplay experience, and the control faults don’t end there. During the flashback segments where you find out about her past the controls and mechanics are tank-like (means: to move like a tank). Thankfully these are pretty short and so you don’t have to spend too much time worrying about why it’s so hard to move Mion around the furniture.

htoLNiQ-4Update: Now that being said this review was originally written more than two months ago and the amazing team at NIS America have made some substantial changes to the game. One of which happened to be controls as that very same frustrating section mentioned above was a lot easier after the updates. Still frustrating, but easier. The flash back sections are still clunky, but they are not the meat of the game and just require a little patience. 

The Firefly Diaries is a Really good looking game, in a unique artsy kind of way.

Controls and mechanics aside the visuals do not fail to impress, and are one of the few things I really liked about the game. The Firefly Diaries is a Really good looking game, in a unique artsy kind of way. It’s simple yet effective at visually presenting to the player what he or she need to figure out. Mion for one is pretty well detailed. Her reactions every time something in the environment surprises her is hilarious the first couple of times i saw it, although it’s appeal faded with over exposure, or maybe it was because I kept dying. The fireflies and the environments are simple designs, but detailed enough that they pop. The best way to describe it all is that it’s like a watercolor painting drawn by a young child.

The game had audio?

Unlike the visuals the audio in game are nothing special. They get the setting right and are not bad or anything, but none of it stood out to me. It got the job done and so I can’t fault it. I also can’t praise it either.

Final Verdict

The updated mouse controls are probably the ideal way to play the game and they definitely make the game a lot more playable, however I can’t understand why some sections were not made more clearly so that progression is not tied to trial and error, but rather skill and intelligence. NIS America has proven that they support their titles with updates, so those that get it may likely have more updates in the future to make the game better.

In conclusion, though I liked the visual style a lot and the stages/ bosses are really well thought out, I can only recommend it to those who have a lot of patience, and lets face it possibly a Walk-through. 

Qudduws Campbell

That messy hair bloke: Romantic, Food lover, Gamer, Sports Fan, Manga Reader, Tech Head, Podcaster... Pretty much do a bit of everything.