non-spoiler mermaid mask thoughts
i liked how this case was more challenging than the last one. granted, this may have been because i attempted to play the game in one go and spent 11 hours with minimal breaks going through it, but i felt it took more thought. to me, Tangle Tower was a game where you knew the culprit but not the motive, while Mermaid Mask was a case where you knew the motive but not the culprit, and that change in thinking was very fun.
i'm really curious as to why the game was renamed from The Mermaid's Tongue to The Mermaid Mask. much like how Tangle Tower had its dramatic title drop at multiple points, The Mermaid's Tongue could have had that too. i don't think anyone ever says "the mermaid mask" in the game, ever.
i really liked this game's culprit. they have a lot of different elements that make them very pleasing to my brain and i look forward to rubbing them back and forth between my palms like a marble.
i do not currently think this game's culprit can compare to the previous game's, however. quite honestly they're in such different ballparks i don't know if i really can compare them. one's meat and potatoes and the other's a salad with a sharp dressing. i'm letting TT's culprit wine and dine me before announcing there's poison in my cup while MM's culprit is some kind of creature i'm watching slink across my bedroom floor. you understand.
the art and animation was lovely, as always. i'm unsure if some of the physicality between characters was intentionally drawing on Tangle Tower parallels or those are just part of Velvet V.'s toolbox. and it goes without saying that i want to eat Catherine Unger's concept art. i want to draw like that. the use of color especially - mwah.
Raphael Benjamin Meyer once again pulled out a fantastic soundtrack. i've yet to really let the music percolate in my mind so i can't yet say how it compares to Tangle Tower's - especially because TT has been a sountrack of choice for me for years - but off the cuff i can say i'm particularly fond of Wirman and Tadpole's themes. Moon's began to grate on me after a bit, but i think this was due to me entering the "show the culprit everything and see what happens" phase of desperation in her room.
the puzzles were nice. they felt as if they ramped up in difficulty as the game progressed, which worked well. there was one particular puzzle near the end that i wish had a little more leeway though - i spent a very long time aligning and slightly rotating pieces until it let me through.
a small touch i really liked was Sally and Grimoire saying "this is close, but not quite what i'm thinking of" or "we're gonna circle back to that" when presenting evidence that was related to the segment but not yet needed. i know Ace Attorney gets kind of memed on for having punishments for presenting the wrong evidence slightly too early, and that's something i've frequently been frustrated by playing that series, so having this game respond and go "you're on the right track, you're just a bit early" was really nice. taking lessons from where your inspiration failed and working off of it. very nice.
The Big Thing At The End - no notes. incredible work.
The Thing After The Credits - pointed at the screen and went "YEAHHJHH"
i hope to do a second playthrough after a week or so. get what i missed, fill out the achievements, look for more foreshadowing, etc. many thoughts in my brain right now. need to let them settle. i may do a more spoilerly analysis once i've done that second playthrough and taken notes through its duration.
