- Jun 18, 2022
- 315
- 2,167
I highly recommend Say It Again if you're open to playing a VN that covers some rather dark topics including self-harm, domestic abuse, and rape. It all starts out innocently enough: Shizue needs a new roommate because her best friend Nessa has moved in with her boyfriend. Her new housemate ends up being Clementine, a lesbian art student who wants to live closer to school. Shizue at first identifies as straight, but she finds herself questioning her sexuality as she and Clem grow closer.
There is a curious dichotomy to Say It Again. The game alternates between wholesome scenes featuring Shizue and Clementine bantering with each other humorously or sharing the occasional sweet girlfriend moment and increasingly violent and out of control sexual encounters between the two. It is (unfortunately) unusual for an AVN in the way it actually uses sex scenes as a narrative device to tell vital parts of the story. They are truly integral to the plot here particularly towards the end of the game.
In broad terms, you could say Shizue is dominant and Clementine is submissive, but I wouldn't say their relationship is centered around BDSM per se. There are no rules, no roleplaying, no cultural standards, and no formalities here. Instead, Shizue tends to get horny and does whatever she wants whenever she wants while Clementine always seems to be game for just about anything. They never seem able to communicate what they want and what is acceptable to them -- Shizue has absolute free rein here and doesn't seek prior consent or give any warning even before engaging in rather painful sex acts.
You could say this is simply the way their relationship works and the way they both prefer it to be, but as the story moves along we discover Shizue and Clementine have both been profoundly affected by past trauma. One thing I found myself wrestling with quite a bit is whether Clem truly loves everything Shizue does to her or if she actually hates herself so much and is so terrified of losing her girlfriend that she thinks she deserves cruelty. It's not an easy issue to resolve and there's evidence to support either side of the argument. Similarly, the story does an excellent job of providing a nuanced and sympathetic portrayal of Shizue. In my mind, she's both a victim and a victimizer (not that uncommon a pairing unfortunately), but Say It Again refuses to write her off as simply an abusive partner whom Clem needs to escape from. Shizue does have a conscience, however slow it is to emerge, and she isn't entirely comfortable with all of her own actions. I probably spent as much if not more time contemplating the characters' actions, motivations, and innermost feelings away from the screen as I did actually playing the game which is testament to the high quality of the writing.
There are a couple of things that might dissuade some players right off the bat from giving the game a fair shot. First, it uses a rather unique art style. I at first thought it was a rare in the wild AVN use of Daz toon assets; it turns out it's actually all custom work done in Blender by the dev. The characters are definitely distinctive, but some may find their cartoonish look off-putting. I definitely needed a little time to get used to the spindly Olive Oyl-like legs and tiny hands. At the end of the day, though, I like that the game has its own unique aesthetic and doesn't look like your average AVN. Next, Say It Again is completely kinetic and has absolutely zero choices or opportunities for player interaction. Though I tend not to be a big fan of kinetic novels, the author's decision ultimately made sense to me because the game centers around a relationship that can seem unhealthy and dysfunctional at the least. Given the right set of available choices, I'd probably have broken up Shizue and Clementine early on. That would definitely have changed the story rather radically to say the least. (I'd also have had Wendy dump Jack Torrance's abusive, alcoholic ass and take Danny as far away from him as possible which no doubt would've made The Shining unfold a bit differently.)
It's debatable in my mind as to whether Say It Again fetishizes or justifies self-harm, domestic abuse, and/or partner rape. I personally tended to find the sex scenes more disturbing than erotic, but someone with different kinks than me might have a very different experience. I did think the game is perhaps a little too protective of Shizue at times, particularly in the ending. That might be an attempt at balance on the part of the author because it would be so easy to vilify her. In any case, I think there's a place for dangerous art that tackles dark themes and the less examined and uncomfortable portions of the human experience. Say It Again does that exceptionally well if you can handle the discomfort and challenge of the ride.
There is a curious dichotomy to Say It Again. The game alternates between wholesome scenes featuring Shizue and Clementine bantering with each other humorously or sharing the occasional sweet girlfriend moment and increasingly violent and out of control sexual encounters between the two. It is (unfortunately) unusual for an AVN in the way it actually uses sex scenes as a narrative device to tell vital parts of the story. They are truly integral to the plot here particularly towards the end of the game.
In broad terms, you could say Shizue is dominant and Clementine is submissive, but I wouldn't say their relationship is centered around BDSM per se. There are no rules, no roleplaying, no cultural standards, and no formalities here. Instead, Shizue tends to get horny and does whatever she wants whenever she wants while Clementine always seems to be game for just about anything. They never seem able to communicate what they want and what is acceptable to them -- Shizue has absolute free rein here and doesn't seek prior consent or give any warning even before engaging in rather painful sex acts.
You could say this is simply the way their relationship works and the way they both prefer it to be, but as the story moves along we discover Shizue and Clementine have both been profoundly affected by past trauma. One thing I found myself wrestling with quite a bit is whether Clem truly loves everything Shizue does to her or if she actually hates herself so much and is so terrified of losing her girlfriend that she thinks she deserves cruelty. It's not an easy issue to resolve and there's evidence to support either side of the argument. Similarly, the story does an excellent job of providing a nuanced and sympathetic portrayal of Shizue. In my mind, she's both a victim and a victimizer (not that uncommon a pairing unfortunately), but Say It Again refuses to write her off as simply an abusive partner whom Clem needs to escape from. Shizue does have a conscience, however slow it is to emerge, and she isn't entirely comfortable with all of her own actions. I probably spent as much if not more time contemplating the characters' actions, motivations, and innermost feelings away from the screen as I did actually playing the game which is testament to the high quality of the writing.
There are a couple of things that might dissuade some players right off the bat from giving the game a fair shot. First, it uses a rather unique art style. I at first thought it was a rare in the wild AVN use of Daz toon assets; it turns out it's actually all custom work done in Blender by the dev. The characters are definitely distinctive, but some may find their cartoonish look off-putting. I definitely needed a little time to get used to the spindly Olive Oyl-like legs and tiny hands. At the end of the day, though, I like that the game has its own unique aesthetic and doesn't look like your average AVN. Next, Say It Again is completely kinetic and has absolutely zero choices or opportunities for player interaction. Though I tend not to be a big fan of kinetic novels, the author's decision ultimately made sense to me because the game centers around a relationship that can seem unhealthy and dysfunctional at the least. Given the right set of available choices, I'd probably have broken up Shizue and Clementine early on. That would definitely have changed the story rather radically to say the least. (I'd also have had Wendy dump Jack Torrance's abusive, alcoholic ass and take Danny as far away from him as possible which no doubt would've made The Shining unfold a bit differently.)
It's debatable in my mind as to whether Say It Again fetishizes or justifies self-harm, domestic abuse, and/or partner rape. I personally tended to find the sex scenes more disturbing than erotic, but someone with different kinks than me might have a very different experience. I did think the game is perhaps a little too protective of Shizue at times, particularly in the ending. That might be an attempt at balance on the part of the author because it would be so easy to vilify her. In any case, I think there's a place for dangerous art that tackles dark themes and the less examined and uncomfortable portions of the human experience. Say It Again does that exceptionally well if you can handle the discomfort and challenge of the ride.
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