htoL#NiQ (or Hotaru no Nikki) is a stylized point and-click adventure that centers around an amnesiac girl named Mion and a desolate world devoid of life. She awakens at the bottom of a tower that has fallen into severe disrepair with only a ‘fairy’ to guide her actions.
htol#NiQ is a puzzle game that harkens back to the days of Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island, where every scenario encountered is a puzzle. But unlike most PSVita games, this release relies solely on the PSVita’s Touch Screen and Back Panel Touchpad to interact with the puzzles that stand in your way.
The majority of the game is spent tapping your finger on the PSVita’s Touch Screen to have Hotaru, the firefly, signal Miro to walk across the screen, climb ladders and interact with objects. Since htol#NiQ does very little to explain its puzzles, you’re left with mostly guesswork and a ‘trial and error’ formula that invokes tongue in cheek responses. You can literally spend hours on any given puzzle, especially when you enter the ‘Shadow World’ to search for clues.
By tapping the PSVita’s Back Panel Touchpad with your finger, Hotaru will enter the ‘World of Shadow’ where the player can search for clues. Objects that glow with a faint, red hue can be manipulated and then used in the ‘World of Light’ where Mion is located. This can range from dropping cinder blocks to help Mion climb ladders to closing large gaps between platform, so she can reach the next area.
The gameplay mechanics for the ‘World of Shadow’ seem simple in theory, but they’re actually quite difficult to master. For example: when trying to interact with an object, you must first drag your finger across the Back Panel Touchpad to move Hotaru’s ‘shadow’ form. A bright, circular cursor is used to guide the ‘shadow’ fairy through the darkened scenery. Once Hotaru reaches the object in question, you can double-tap the Back Panel Touchpad with your finger to loosen and/or move the object in question.
However, some environmental objects make it difficult to move. A crane, for instance, has a large base that’s easy to travel through, but its support beams are much thinner, requiring a steady hand and plenty of patience to traverse. Essentially, the surrounding debris and darkened platforms are the only areas that Hotaru can pass through. And depending on the level, you can spend hours trying to squeeze Hotaru through small crevasses to reach specific puzzle pieces.
Unlike traditional role-playing games, combat relies on quick puzzle solving skills and the in-game environment to kill your hulking, shadow-like adversaries. This can include boulders, cement blocks, and even deflecting your enemy’s projectiles, to name just a few. It’s a unique, but unorthodox approach to the RPG Puzzle genre.
htoL#NiQ is one of those games that you will either love or loath for its quirky, but slow gameplay, and challenging puzzles that demand a lot from the player. This is one game where the impatient need not apply.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: PSVita (Available on PSN)
Developer: Nippon Ichi Software
Publisher: NIS America
ESRB: T (Teen)
Price: $14.99 (PSN Pricing)
htoL#NiQ The Firefly Diary’s Official Website:
http://nisamerica.com/games/htoL-the-firefly-diary/
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| Gorgeous 2D sprites and backgrounds. | |
| Sound | |
| Memorable sound effects and music. | |
| Gameplay |  |
| The gameplay is frustrating, but rewarding. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| htoL#NiQ may not be perfect, but what does it offer will challenge even the most hard-nosed of puzzle gamers. | |
