It's August 14th and I've played the first 5 cases(?) of Flower Sun and Rain for the Playstation 2

Flower Sun and Rain is a direct sequel (not sure what differentiates a direct sequel from a normal sequel but there's not a lot of 'direct' going on) to The Silver Case, and is the 2nd game in the Kill The Past Series. I think it's really fun so far.

There's a lot that's changed between The Silver Case and Flower Sun and Rain. The Silver Case was definitely a visual novel with a lot of adventure game elements; Flower Sun and Rain has enough going on to be considered a full on adventure game. You spend a lot more time maneuvering space and (at least this far in) so much of the game is directed at presenting you with a puzzle and then you finding a solution.

It feels weird to delineate these two this way because it's very clear that they come from similar DNA. The label 'Adventure Game' is honestly pretty frustrating because almost all of the games I've played this year are considered Adventure Games by game databases. They're all really different even if they kind of have some similar elements. It's like calling every movie that has a romance: a romance film; that just doesn't feel helpful. At the same time I play The Silver Case and I categorize it visual novel, maybe it's because there's not a lot in terms of gameplay so I run into trouble calling it an Adventure Game. But everything I'm encountering in Flower Sun and Rain is only a degree different: just because I'm running Sumio around a space it's no longer a visual novel no matter how much dialogue?

Anyways, Flower Sun and Rain is also visually and tonally very different from The Silver Case. There's a very similar but distinct approach to visual design going on in Flower Sun and Rain, we're no longer in the 24 Wards so the frantic kind of almost collage-like style is lessened a bit there's still a little noise, there's still a little Cool. Instead of being built around the dark blues and black of The Silver Case, Flower Sun and Rain is like building off of white as the starting point. This matches the tone of the game so far, which is frankly a straight up comedy. Obviously there's more to come and I'm sure there'll be a point that gets a little heavier (probably?), but also The Silver Case can get funny, it can be pretty silly but the, like, almost horror pitch-black tone of The Silver Case isn't apparent. Kitano's influence can't reach us here (now that I write that.. maybe this is still Kitano? his filmography has range....)

Even if maybe I end of hitching the tone and themes of this game to Kitano's work in the end. There's a pretty clear Twin Peaks kind of style or feeling happening here. It's not as blatant as The Silver Case biting Kitano, but the kind of surreal comedy element, as well as the interiors which look just like a forest lodge despite being on a tropical island are the biggest giveaways. Also the coffee. Twin Peaks gets dark as well, so I'm curious how that will shake out. The most fun thing about tying this to Twin Peaks in my head is it actually is kind of connecting to my 'The Silver Case is built around film' psycho-delusion because:

Flower Sun and Rain isn't film, it's television. The way we move Sumio around the Hotel is kind of counter to the filmic feeling I was getting in The Silver Case, but it kind of lends to a television feeling especially as you start to move from screen to screen in this kind of repetitive, even syndicated-feeling cycle: TV and repetition. Also the ON AIR tag that sits in the top left corner of the screen is also kind of giving TV. Very early thoughts may be on to something/nothing .....

Last thought but the soundtrack is so fun in how it's built almost entirely from rearrangements of classical/folk/jazz standards. Almost to the point of distraction where you're like "wait what is this I know this" all the time. I like it though. Also where's Morishima !!!!!!!!!!

ok c u next week.