Just like any other Mystic Messenger fan, I’ve been waiting for V (Jihyun Kim)’s route full of joy and high expectations. I thought I could have the chance to laugh and flirt with my beloved five from RFA and, eventually, also to get to know better V, the very controversial non playable character from the original story. It was clear since day one that this new route allowed room for 3 highly dark and dramatic characters: V of course but also Rika and Saeran.
The outcome of these 11 days of game is the most merciless, stark and desperate tale in the story of otome games. No real happy ending allowed. Not even if player does get a “good ending”.
My personal thoughts about V route are conflicting: on one side I believe this is the bravest, strongest, most revolutionary route ever written for a visual novel because nobody else ever tried to dig so deep in characters’ souls before. On the other side I wonder: why? Just why Cheritz decide to make their fans sad and miserable by showing them three desperate people instead of letting them enjoy a romantic story with a genuine (though obvious) happy ending?
At the end of infamous “day 10” I really started blaming myself for dedicating so many days listening to Rika, Ray and V’s terrible luck without being able, as a Main Character, to guide them towards redemption.
Out of the 3 new playable characters, V, as the holder of the route, is the one who end up somehow been saved. But the whole situation around him, his cruel past and his desperate present are so hard to face for him and for MC that the player receive no actual romantic feeling. No one could ever fall in love while people around them are falling apart piece after piece.
During all of my gameplay, I wished to confort Ray (Saeran‘s fake name given by Rika. “Ray” like ray of sunlight, as Rika is obsessed by the sun. “Ray” also matches the other name given by Rika to his brother: Luciel –bringer of light-).
If in 707’s route V sacrifices himself in order to save Saeran and, somehow, redeem Rika, in his own route he just cannot do that. So Rika and Saeran, literally, cannot be saved by their demons.
Why, Cheritz, did you have to break our hearts like this? Right now the release of a seventh route dedicated to Saeran Choi/Ray is absolutely a must. And it had better end very very happily as we all need to cleanse our souls from all we have gone through in this one tragic story!
Even if I can’t say this is my favourite otome route, I won’t deny Mystic Messenger’s V route is the most courageous and most unexpected outcome I could ever imagine for a visual novel. After this one, dating sims’ universe will never be the same innocent and fluffy world ever again.
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