MazM: The Phantom of the Opera

TLDR: This take on the 1910 novel of Phantom of the Opera gave me a ride that kept me coming back for more even if I did know the order of events. With a soundtrack that compliments the story progression this is by far one of the best visual novels I have played this year. Highly Recommend, I will keep an eye out for future projects from this team.
Growing up and in the later years of my public education I was incredibly enthralled with the world that was the Phantom of the Opera that I got to see the actual musical on Broadway, got the chance to play Music of the Night in my high school advanced orchestra (even memorizing and playing it at gigs) that it goes without saying, I had high expectations going into this. There was a lot for them to live up to given my obsession with it and what I got was everything I wanted and more.
The game play is a simple and plain point and click adventure type of experience with a few "mini-game" sequences that appear throughout including pattern recognition sequences, a single run sequence that is easier than those in their previous game Jekyll & Hyde, and a few swipe in a direction sequences. Most of the story is told by interacting with specific individuals and finding footnotes that add to a "diary" of sorts that gives more background on events, characters, symbols, and a few other categories. These footnotes will generally show up naturally near the character with natural story progression with a few exceptions.
While I truthfully, didn't use much of the background information footnotes or the summary of interactions between characters (cause I binged the game and all events were fresh in my memory) I did find the latter screen neat but cluttered. You had all the key figures to the story in a branched sequence and upon clicking them info about their relationship with other characters. What makes it cluttered is that when you get to the main characters like Raoul or Christine those notes are incredibly long due to all the interactions for them in the game. This however doesn't detract from the game as it's only there for the players benefit if they needed a quick refresher about something in a previous chapter. What could make this frustrating is that it's organized by character not chapter, but I find that to be a pickier note personally rather than a true hindrance to the game.
The interaction in turn with all the main characters was incredibly intriguing for me. Each of them felt alive and three dimensional rather than a caricature created off the most basic idea of the character they are meant to portray. The story explores difficult topics that we still see even today with the ostracizing of those who are different from what modern society deems "normal", and the effects it has on those individuals depending on their surroundings. Here the phantom is not romanticized, here the phantom is pitiable and the actions he takes are not ones easily, if ever, forgiven. Due to the actions the phantom takes against Christine in his warped pursuit of love, parallels are also drawn between the relationship between Christine and Raoul as well. It was this dynamic between the three main figures that despite knowing how everything ended that had me holding my breath waiting to see how different sequences would be handled.
My favorite motif that I didn't even realize explicitly until the end was the prevalence of a black rose and roses in general. This simple addition added another layer to the complex relationship between the main cast and hinted to the ending to those unfamiliar with the story from the very beginning. Even if you already know what a black rose symbolizes it simply gives you a general idea of what kind of story you're in for, and no, it's overall not happy. This is ultimately a tragedy, that you start to unfold through a story as a detective in the beginning. You listen to people regal their tales of what happened and how it ultimately affected the lives of those involved.
In the end this is easily one of the best visual novels period, I have ever played, but it's not perfect. Some may not like the more kinetic tone the novel takes with only a few minor choices making an impact. Despite the high regard I held the original works, this version entertains, offers an additional new ending instead of just the canon ending of the book, and most of all left me thinking of it long after I finished the story. If a story can manage to make me think about it days after I finished it, that's a story well told in my book. Highly recommend and will be keeping my eyes out for future works by this group.

I've been a fan of Phantom of the Opera (book and movies) for years and this has been such an entertaining way to enjoy the story. I'm genuinely frightened during some scenes and it's fun and thrilling, even if you already know what happens.

come watch a little femboy run around and panic because a nightmare vision of his childhood gf said they were just friends

Reading the original Leroux novel is an annual tradition for me. If you're a fan of the story like I am you'll likely love this game. I started originally with the movie, then read the original novel, then Kay, and loved this game even more for the darker elements of the story. This game expanded upon that and gave some new twists and even made me think of the some of the characters and themes differently. If you're looking for a good story, I think the game is worth playing.