htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary

 PlayStation Vita
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 25 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 25
  3. Negative: 4 out of 25
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  1. Ryuuto
    Dec 13, 2015
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game gives me the different kind of chill. The decent art with the dark atmosphere, the deadly traps and monsters, and the music. The memory fragments are kind of tricky, which is worth to replay the game to collect all of them. Normal puzzle games make you go all kind of places to find things and read stuffs, but The Firefly Diary requires your skills, quick reaction and right timing which are something I like. Cute Mion is the reason I keep playing this despair game because I cannot allow to see her never be saved by my own hands (funny is in the artbook limited edition, the book says quite the same thing about Mion).
    When you actually try to figure it out what the hell is wrong in this game, you try to find each memory fragment and the truth about Mion and the world she lives. When you collect everything, each chapter makes sense to you. Like the boss in chapter 2, the forest and Mion's corpses in chapter 3, the plants can kill shadow monsters, and the shadow parents. When I understand that, it makes me feel this game is better than I thought, NIS shapes the game perfectly.

    To make the game less fearsome like trying to collect all memory fragments but you really hate to go through 100% the game, you can select chapter and specific area to find them. For example, I didn't know there was a fragment inside the box hanging in 1-3, so I go to select chapter 1 -> 1-3 to find it, then u can select other area like 2-2 to continue your searching without going through the whole nightmare (Also to skip sometime to unlock secret place).

    The cons of this game are the controlling in either the touching screen or the joystick are really getting my nerve sometimes (especially when I have to guide Lumen out of her dead zone). Puzzles of this game is its strong and also weak point. Several places when you need to be extremely careful can kill you a dozen of time before you can proceed further. In fact, there's a high chance that you need to die before you can solve the puzzle.

    Those reviewers who give the game bad scores is because they are impatient about the controlling system and the puzzle. You can't accuse a horse is bad because you can't ride on it when you don't have the skill and try to spend time to train. In my opinion, I feel they try to make the game look bad. Mion is slow because she is a young frail little girl in a dreadful place. When you actually finish the game, you can make sense why she's slow + fast pace is not what this game made of.

    In my conclusion, it's a strange horror puzzle game that you, who are reading this review should try. For anyone who is emotional, you would try to finish the game 100% story, and the same for anyone who is like me, doesn't want to abandon Mion. This game has no text but you can figure out everything. One thing I want to say after I finish the game is "Screw the war".    … Expand
  2. Oldbeaver
    Feb 24, 2015
    9
    Most "professional" (check the air quotes) reviewers are giving it a bad score on this game because of the "touchscreen-only" controls in despite you can easily switch the control schemes (C scheme for analog controls) in the options.

    However, htoL#NiQ is a game that focuses primarily in trial-and-errors, pretty much like Limbo, which is also available on Vita and have a great artstyle    Most "professional" (check the air quotes) reviewers are giving it a bad score on this game because of the "touchscreen-only" controls in despite you can easily switch the control schemes (C scheme for analog controls) in the options.

    However, htoL#NiQ is a game that focuses primarily in trial-and-errors, pretty much like Limbo, which is also available on Vita and have a great artstyle too. If you liked this kind of game however, then you'll definitively love htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary.    … Expand
  3. Happyspelling
    Aug 23, 2021
    9
    I was nervous about going into this game because I had never played a horror game before. Fortunately, this game is about building atmosphere rather than being actually scary, so for people who prefer to avoid scary stuff like me it's a perfectly suitable game. That's not to say the game isn't spooky, it can get very dark and can be pretty disturbing. The story is really good despite thereI was nervous about going into this game because I had never played a horror game before. Fortunately, this game is about building atmosphere rather than being actually scary, so for people who prefer to avoid scary stuff like me it's a perfectly suitable game. That's not to say the game isn't spooky, it can get very dark and can be pretty disturbing. The story is really good despite there not being any text. It can be pretty confusing but I love the idea of finding memories to slowly uncover what happened. The presentation is also amazing. The hand-drawn look of the game is beautiful to look at, and the music and sound design perfectly builds the atmosphere for a quiet but tense experience. When it comes to the gameplay, the game shines just as much. Some people won't like the tough trial and error gameplay loop, but I love it. It feels incredibly rewarding to figure out your way through a hard section, and the level design is some of the most creative I've seen in recent years. The game does what a lot of platformers fail to do: keep things interesting. It constantly introduces new mechanics, and also finds way to keep them interesting without getting old. I'm a huge fan of Nippon Ichi Software games, and this is definitely up there as one of the most memorable ones. The director of this game also made 2 other games after this: A Rose in the Twilight and Void Terrarium. It's better than Rose but not as good as Void. If I were to score these three games based on a score out of 100 Rose would get an 84, NiQ an 88, and Void a 95. I really hope we get news of a 4th game soon, I bet it will be just as amazing as the first three. (Technically there is a 4th game but it's a Japan exclusive). The moral of the story: this game is amazing but PLAY VOID TERRARIUM! I could gush about it for paragraphs, but I already did a review on how amazing it is.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

41
#41 Best PS Vita Game of 2015
33
#33 Most Discussed PS Vita Game of 2015
33
#33 Most Shared PS Vita Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 16
  3. Negative: 3 out of 16
  1. CD-Action
    Jul 27, 2015
    30
    Its charm fades away the moment you look past cute graphics and notice terribly imprecise and unnecessarily complicated controls. [08/2015, p.78]
  2. The Vita Lounge
    Apr 17, 2015
    62
    In all, htoL#NiQ is a decent platformer that is wrapped in a truly beautiful and terrifying experience.
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  3. DarkZero
    Mar 11, 2015
    60
    In the end, htoL#NiQ is a beautiful and encouraged experiment marred by a frustrating difficulty and clunky controls (even if intentionally clunky). It will require a bit of patience and several hundred deaths, but those willing to commit themselves will appreciate the game’s haunting beauty the most.
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