Without Within
"As life pressures her toward giving up, will she forget why she pursued this craft in the first place?"
Available for PC, Mac, and Linux
"Vinty has been getting nowhere with her calligraphy. Her confidence has sunk to an all time low. As life pressures her toward giving up, will she forget why she pursued this craft in the first place?" ~ InvertMouse
Introduction
Without Within is a short visual novel released by Indie developer InvertMouse which was released free of charge as a gift from the developer as a thank you for the support of their fans. It was released less than a month later on steam as a free download with a purchasable DLC which includes a soundtrack and digital art book.
Story
Without Within is about a young woman named Vinty, who juggles the grind of her daily life and her dreams of being a famous calligrapher (The art of decorative handwriting). The story takes place during a day in the life of Vinty as she tries to make her work known to others.
Music and Art
The art style's main focus is simple and cute Chibi sprites for Vinty. Sprites for other characters other than the landlord of Vinty's apartment are completely absent, however the background images don't get boring as they often change according to the scenery and don't overstay their welcome.
The soundtrack is only a few pieces of music long and don't really portray any feeling other than trying to fit with the current scenario, though the music isn't particularly bad either.
Replayability and Completion
While this visual novel has a fair number of choices for its very short length, the endings which, all but one, are considered bad endings, don't give much choice, as one choice will either continue the story to the next set of choices, or near instantly stop at a bad end. There really isn't any need for save states as its so short that skipping dialogue to the next choice wastes little time. There is no completion bonus or replayability after one playthrough of the good end.
Verdict: 4/10
Positives:
+ It's Free
+ Steam Support
+ Optional DLC for Soundtrack and Art Book
+ Good sentiment from the developer
Negatives
+ Extremely Short
+ Bad Ends seem too abrupt
+ No added routes or bonuses for completion
Final Words / Closing Opinion
Without Within is a fine sentiment from a developer thankful for the support of their fans, though the game feels like it was rushed or unfinished. a good quick read if you are bored or want to fill your steam library. Not worth paying money for, but worth the free download.
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