[Reviewed v1.0.3; Final version at time of review]
Mist is the near-perfect package. It has an exciting story supported by excellent writing, pleasing visuals, skilful cinematography, and good designs working in tandem with good writing to produce great characters. Only some integral gameplay elements prevent Mist from properly becoming a paragon of erotic video games.
Positives
Story: While on a mountain trip, the main character (MC) gets caught up in a strange mist that suddenly envelops the surrounding area. Along with the arrival of the thick fog comes malevolent creatures and a mysterious force that alternates between helping and hindering you. As you progress, you start to discover the true nature of the phenomenon, as well as its origin and purpose.
The story is a mix of fantasy and science fiction à la, The Mist, a film based on a Stephen King novella. However, unlike that movie, the fantasy elements achieve a happy symbiosis with the science fiction elements. This mixture makes the plot captivating, as mysteries are explained and resolved with mystical and technical breakthroughs.
Overall, Mist has a great story that is told well.
Characters: For your consideration, this game offers a harem of lovable ladies. Each lady is unique in their own way while also sharing the cute, endearing traits you might expect from fictional women in a porn game. These characters are complimented by good writing and pertinent roles in the story, making interacting with them enjoyable and making their inclusion feel meaningful.
Robin: Your mainstay. A blonde bombshell who's there at the beginning and sticks with you till the end. Robin acts as the principal wife; like the spoke of a wheel, the relationships you form with the other girls are helped, facilitated, or suggested by Robin. She's a driving force in how the story and the characters develop.
Mia: A mischievous daughter figure. Mia is the youngest of the group and, fittingly, the most shaken up by the strange events. She's scared and withdrawn at first but gradually grows more comfortable with her new family and becomes one of the game's most outgoing and strongly opinionated characters. Another charming aspect of her personality is her impishness. For her (and your) amusement, she is very playful, teasing the MC and the other girls with an adorably smug grin.
Lily: A step-sister figure (or an actual sister with the right mod). Smart and reserved with a cold demeanour that hides a sensitive soul. Lily makes a strong impression that might lead people to write her off as a stern, indifferent scientist unconcerned with the more intimate parts of human relationships. However, if you stick with her, you'll soon find that this brunette is one of the sweetest girls in the harem.
Noreia: A deeply maternal figure. Noreia is similar to the Jungian-inspired great mother archetype, specifically Sophia. Noreia is a mighty figure that physically towers over the other characters in the story. Yet, at the same time, she is loving, protective, and supportive. Even though early on in the game, you get the impression that she could snuff you out like gale winds to a candle, her presence always feels comforting. In the darkest moments for the MC, Noreia is the one who makes it seem like everything is going to be okay.
Mise-en-scène: An oft-neglected feature that is thankfully given its proper due in Mist.
Set design: There are a variety of locations in Mist, and each is designed in a way that suits its narrative purpose.
Your home base is warm and comforting, a rare solace in this new dangerous world. The forest, corrupted by the strange phenomenon, is foreboding. It's now home to the weird fog, from which dangerous creatures emerge to threaten the last vestiges of humanity in this cursed area. The lodge is a horror scene: blood splashed across walls and floors, abandoned luggage strewn about, and powerful monsters stalking the hallways. The city is a representation of the pseudo-apocalypse caused by the strange phenomenon. A city, an amalgamation of mankind's achievements, a place that should be teeming with people, has been conquered by weird plant life corrupted by strange energies. Quiet and gloomy, with the only light being the bio-fluorescence of the plants. The tunnels are a mechanical maze. Exposed wiring, terminals, and concrete pipes make up the majority of this environment, with a few supernatural elements that help unravel some of the mysteries of this strange happening.
Lighting: Superbly done. Great care has been taken to ensure every scene's lighting is congruous with the appropriate setting's light source, enhancing the presentation of the entire game. In addition, the game demonstrates a masterful use of light and darkness. This is perhaps the most well-done part of the game, which is saying something.
Composition: Objects and people are placed in a scene to realize their narrative goals. Additionally, the characters positioning in sex scenes are varied enough to keep the action exciting and aesthetically pleasing.
Character design: Basic, except for Noreia. She cuts a striking figure with her tall stature, purple skin, white hair, and golden tattoos. In addition, when she uses her vast powers, her tattoos gain a glowing effect, making her a visual treat.
Impressive use of text: I don't think I've complimented a game's use of text before, and I doubt I ever will again. However, I must credit a small detail that enhanced my immersion and impressed me with its inclusion in the game.
At various points in the game, the MC receives visions of a mysterious being who acts as a mentor and protector. During these visions, this being's dialogue is overlaid directly on the scene rather than contained in a text box. This minute feature made a strong impression on me as I realized how it tied into this character's nature.
A job well done. Not many many people would have bothered, but I'm glad you did.
Negatives
Gameplay: This negative results from a series of quibbles feeding into each other. A large part of this game is walking around and gathering materials, mainly food. Unfortunately, this gathering is too easy to be engaging, but not easy enough to not be a nuisance. However, at the beginning of the game, there's an option to get enough food to mitigate having to gather it, so this feature isn't terribly annoying.
When you're outside your home base on an expedition, you have two meters; one for life and the other for energy. Every time you walk around, you lose energy. When you run out, you automatically return home. This means that no matter what you do, there's only so much you can get done in any single outing. I understand this is intentional to make sure you return home frequently enough for the story to progress without pacing issues. Still, it ultimately does more harm than good. At the beginning of the game, the stamina limit feels natural and works well for how long I would stay out exploring. However, in later segments, it's just a nuisance and feels like the artificial barrier it is. As you progress through the game, you can level up and gain more stamina, but it's never to the point where finishing what you want to do is not a hassle.
Another annoyance is the system of interacting with the girls at home. The interactions are lovely, but getting to those interactions is spread across three different avenues: watching the stars with a girl, relaxing with a girl, and directly talking to a girl. These three avenues have different interfaces. You never know if a girl has a new scenario to play out until you check. This means that whenever you return from an expedition, you run through the tiresome practice of going to each girl and seeing if they have anything new to play through.
Again none of these elements by themselves is a deal-breaker but taken together, they make up a lot of what you'll be doing in Mist. That means you'll spend most of your time repeatedly clicking through the same environments to gather food. Or finish a quest you had to leave off because of a lack of stamina. Or check if there's anything new with the girls. That's a lot of the game spent meaninglessly clicking.
Conclusion
A masterfully made game with characters, writing, and presentation that stand far above its counterparts. Except for a few gameplay hiccups, every element of Mist is of the highest quality, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.
