The collaboration recruitment of 『Date A Live V』 characters, 「Space Singularity」&「Time Gap」, is being held!!✨
⏰Recruitment Period
March 14, 2026 (Sat) 10:00 ~ April 12, 2026 (Sun) 23:59
#일번가데어라콜라보
#데이트어라이브
#데이트어라이브Season 5


If I had to give an overall review, I would say another one of my life's masterpieces has been born. After finishing the 52 Hertz After Story DLC, I stared blankly at the screen for a long time. As a student who loves visual novels, the emotion this epilogue gave me was greater than the main story. The desperate love between Yeonhee and the protagonist was so vivid that I think it will remain in my memory for a long time. From the beginning of the DLC, my heart sank at the doctor's diagnosis of Yeonhee's worsening condition. She was already fragile in the main story, but feeling like she was terminally ill made me panic, wondering if it would end with a sad ending. But I had no doubt that it would end with a happy ending! Another memorable scene was when the protagonist underwent illegal surgery. Frankly, it wasn't ethically right, but that's what made it seem like the ultimate sacrifice of love that the protagonist could express. I felt sorry for the protagonist because I understood his feelings for making such a choice.
In other people's reviews, there were people who liked this line: "A small flame will eventually go out, but if you breathe on it, it can grow again at any time." I agree. I felt that it was a line that encapsulated the protagonist's growth narrative. And originally, something that seems meaningful stays in your mind for a long time. In the ending, when the protagonist reunites with the awakened Yeonhee and shows a happy behind-the-scenes look at serializing the manga, I felt sad because I thought the work was coming to an end. The main story was also heartbreaking, but I think the After Story is a work that realistically depicts the anxiety and healing after love. And the excellent voice actor's acting skills, the dreamy BGM, and the final CG added to the lingering feeling. Thanks to this, I think the quality of the work has improved. More than anything, I think the aftereffects will last for a long time. I look forward to the next work coming out soon!


Honestly just remove these options for late game players, like asking them if they gave any ***** about being in nightmare mode. What's even the point of still having the normal chaos if there are zero benefits to doing it??? And really, you want us to keep all the useless basic cards and reduce our credits by 100 to get an equipment that has basically zero use? And the season boss being basically unbeatable unless you have Nine just kills the fun, there's no way to win the battle unless by some godfkin miracle you manage to deal enough damage. BTW JUST FKING REMOVE SENECTUS.



It was a quest that made me feel a lot of thoughts and emotions.
I think that those who have had pets as family members or are with them will be able to empathize a lot.




https://youtu.be/zOOTujiy3wg?si=lJi4Nq5cXvmABCnw
Thank you for watching with BGM.
Everyone has a story they hold most deeply in their hearts for their own reasons. For me, that place is definitely taken by '52 Hertz'. To me, 52 Hertz is not just a visual novel. Just as Yeon-hee saved the protagonist in the story, I was saved by the story of 52 Hertz. That's why I can't help but love this work so much. So today, I'm going to leave a slightly different review. First, I will analyze and review some of the attractive points of the game 52 Hertz itself, and then I will tell you how I became entangled with this work and how it kept me alive.
1. Funeral
52 Hertz After Story deals with the story 2 years after the main story. The introduction of the story starts differently and intensely from other visual novels.
It's a story about someone's funeral. As a player of the game and a reader of the story, I was immediately drawn into the story from the beginning, and as soon as I saw the word funeral, I felt like I had been hit in the head. "Whose funeral is it?" It must have been Lee Myung-jin or Yeon-hee. If it's the latter, I'm curious whether the subsequent development will focus on flashbacks to the past before the funeral, or on the remaining protagonist, etc. 52 Hertz is characterized and has the advantage of having a device designed for readers and works to constantly interact with each other. It's a good article, a good story, so it's not a passive and one-sided script delivery, but a work that always has something to think about.
Fortunately, it was Lee Myung-jin's funeral, not Yeon-hee's. I was curious to see what Lee Myung-jin, who had harassed the protagonist and Yeon-hee as the main villain in the main story, would do in the DLC, but it was an unexpected and attractive development. The setting that Lee Myung-jin was in debt due to gambling gave causality to his death, and the compensation smoothly led to the resolution of the 'money' problem among the many problems the protagonist experienced in the main story.
2. The Connection Between Two Loners
After that, the episode of Yeon-hee and the protagonist organizing their luggage in the monthly rent room was also impressive. What I found really interesting while playing the game was that Yeon-hee and the protagonist are so different. The protagonist who likes Aliens and Yeon-hee who likes Predators. Yeon-hee who likes thrilling shark boat experiences and the protagonist who hates it. The protagonist wearing neat clothes and Yeon-hee wearing a flashy sukajan. Like this, the two have so many different things, but they are a pair of 52 Hertz whales that are the only ones in the world whose frequencies reach each other. One thing that has changed about the protagonist like Yeon-hee is that he, who used to call AC/DC ABCD, has come to like rock. It was impressive that the rock that comforted Yeon-hee when she was having a hard time became a connection between a pair of whales that embraced each other.
3. A Desperate Dream That Had to Be Given Up
The two talk about the protagonist's frustrated dream, a cartoonist. I think many people will sympathize with the protagonist here.The difference between what I like and what I'm good at. It's a sad thing in a way. It's like living with a wall that you don't even know if you can overcome it even if you try your whole life. It would be a relief if you knew you couldn't overcome it, but in reality, you can't know that cruelly. I could also greatly sympathize with the protagonist.
“I should be a cartoonist after all.” Even with such uncertainty, the protagonist desperately wanted to become a cartoonist and challenged himself because he loved comics. He challenged himself again and again with the feeling of chewing on broken glass and staring into the abyss of despair, but his dream of becoming a cartoonist gradually faded due to repeated failures. In addition, his parents were addicted to a pseudo-religion, he didn't have enough money, and he was getting older. In the worst situation, the protagonist's choice was compromise and death. Everyone must have thought like the protagonist.“I’ve done enough.” “If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.” At this point, I was easily immersed because I remembered the painful memories of giving up my dream in the past while thinking about this. After that, the protagonist, who left for Mangyeongdo to die, met Yeon-hee and decided to live again after being saved by her.
However, even at this point, the protagonist's dream remained frustrated, and hekept the lingering feelings for his dream as a cartoonist as a small spark inside. This is something you can see in the conversation with yourself in the latter half of the play.
4. Happy, But Uncertain Daily Life
The dates of the two who became lovers are the same as those of any other couple. They eat together, go to comic book cafes, and go to movie theaters, spending peaceful and happy days. They joke around and have tiki-taka, expressing their love for each other.
However, Yeon-hee's brain tumor did not improve, and it threatened their daily lives like a bomb that could explode at any moment.
The protagonist's inner monologue after hearing about Yeon-hee's examination results conveyed the protagonist's self-blame and despair to the reader at a rapid pace.
5. Contract with the Doctor
The doctor, who noticed that the protagonist could not accept the fact that Yeon-hee was about to die, took him to his private laboratory and offered him a contract that the protagonist could not refuse. The protagonist becomes the subject of illegal bioexperiments for the doctor's research and achievements, and a large sum of money. And the doctor's contract was to 'try' to treat Yeon-hee in an illegal way.
Looking at it coldly, it was a pretty unfair contract. It is not only unethical, but also almost certain to harm the body and cause disorders in the nervous system and mind.The price of surgery is not'successful treatment'but'attempt'.'The ordeal that came to the protagonist again was'uncertainty'. That was what had always tormented him when he was pursuing his dream of becoming a cartoonist and when he was with Yeon-hee, who he didn't know when she would leave. However, the protagonist agreed to the surgery without hesitation. What was interesting while playing multiple times was thatthe protagonist was less likely to give up than I thought. He dropped out of school to work part-time day and night to draw in order to become a cartoonist, and he kept looking for ways to save Yeon-hee and didn't give up, and then he lay down on the operating table. Rather, he was a person with stronger will than average. In the past, he lived for his one and only goal of becoming a cartoonist, but now it was an interesting point that he was sacrificing himself for the more important goal of saving Yeon-hee, without even thinking about his unfulfilled dream.
Also, what was impressive to me was the process of Yeon-hee receiving treatment. Thanks to the very specific treatment and surgery methods in the play, it gave me a sense of immersion as if it were an actual treatment method. I liked that it wasn't simply "a miracle happened and Yeon-hee's tumor was completely cured."
I have learned something from watching many stories in my life. “Give maximum causality with minimum coincidence.”The way to increase immersion by reducing coincidence and giving causality isto give solid and detailed settings. Thanks to the well-organized story, I think the development of After Story was able to become a good work by wonderfully satisfying this point.
6.Body exchanged for opportunity (- Best directing)
As many people feel, the most satisfying directing throughout the entire work is the part where there are gaps in the protagonist's memory. I was greatly impressed by the directing where the vision was distorted like a static TV, gaps appeared, and the BGM was distorted strangely. It felt like I was directly experiencing the protagonist's situation, with directing that was like something you would see in a horror movie. I have experienced some of the symptoms that the protagonist experiences, and it was a sudden but immersive directing that made me feel the fear and embarrassment of that time.Another advantage of 52 Hertz that I felt in this part is
that it is good at crossing genres.52헤르츠가 가진 또 하나의 장점은Usually, constantly changing genres interferes with immersing and focusing on the play, but 52 Hertz was able to feel a variety of fun by crossing various genres such as romantic comedy, suspense, and horror thanks to its solid and elaborate structure.The part where he argues with the doctor without knowing that Yeon-hee is next to him is one of the most fun parts while playing multiple times. It wasa conversation between the two where you could feel the doctor's struggles to somehow clean up the spilled water.
7. The Direction of Love That Goes AstrayThe protagonist and Yeon-hee both found the meaning of life by meeting each other, but they loved each other in different ways. The protagonist's method was'I can die for you.'
'
but Yeon-hee was'I want to live with you.''The protagonist gave up his body for Yeon-hee in his own way, and Yeon-hee, who found out about this, pushed him away and said goodbye for the sake of the protagonist. I felt sympathy for the fact that the fact that Yeon-hee had not finished her treatment was binding the protagonist, rather than the sadness of the separation or his physical condition. I think I would have gone crazy if I were in the same situation as the protagonist. It was a situation where the only chance to save the person you love was blown away by your mistake. Even though it was obvious to anyone that Yeon-hee would not come back to receive treatment, it was a desperate situation where he threatened the doctor to carry out his surgery and Yeon-hee's treatment so that Yeon-hee could receive treatment if she ever came back. As I said before, he was a person who did not give up in the face of uncertainty this time either.‘너와 함께 살아가고 싶어.’였죠. 주인공은 자신의 방식대로 연희를 위해 자신의 몸을 포기했고, 그걸 알게 된 연희는 주인공을 위해 그를 밀어내고 이별을 고합니다. 당장 이별의 슬픔이나 자신의 몸 상태보다는 연희가 치료를 끝마치지 못했다는 사실이 주인공을 옭아매는 것에 동정심이 들었습니다. 제가 주인공 같은 상황이었어도 미쳐 페인이 돼버렸을 것 같습니다. 사랑하는 사람을 살릴 수 있는 단 하나의 기회가 자신의 실수로 날아가버린 상황이니까요. 누가 봐도 연희가 다시 돌아와 치료를 받지 않을 상황이지만, 혹시라도 연희가 다시 돌아오면 치료를 받을 수 있도록 의사를 협박해서라도 자신의 수술과 연희의 치료를 감행하는 처절한 상황이었지만. 앞서 말했듯, 그는 이번에도 불확실성 앞에서 포기하지 않는 사람이었습니다.
8. Threat and Surgery
I found this doctor to be a very attractive character. In the story, he isa figure with ambiguous good and evil, which I think was an excellent setting. If the newly 등장한 character in the after story was completely evil, it would have been difficult to escape the feeling that Lee Myung-jin showed in the main story, and if he was completely good, he would have been less attractive.
He performs ethically and legally illegal treatments for money, and when Yeon-hee's mother dies, he seems to be a heartless person who thinks about the surgery fee first, but unlike Lee Myung-jin, he is reluctant to kill others, andI liked the character that he doesn't cross the line he set. I think the existence of the character of a doctor made it possible for the story to flow smoothly from beginning to end.
9. Facing the Embers
As Payne, the protagonist, who underwent surgery with the determination to save Yeon-hee even in the worst physical condition, experiences a systemic shock and is at a crossroads between life and death, faces his childhood self inside.
I think 52Hz has two main themes, combining the main story and DLC. The first theme is the theme that runs through the entire work"Two outcasts abandoned by the world comforting each other's wounds.". The second theme is the main theme in the protagonist's inner world"My uncertain dream."is.
In the story, the protagonist worked quite hard to become a cartoonist even in a bad environment. However, in the main story, he was fed up with uncertainty due to the trigger of 'money' and tried to give up both his dream and life as a cartoonist. But seeing that the embers were still there, it seems that he still had some regrets.
The inner child who wants to become a cartoonist does not scold the protagonist for his lack of talent or the amount of effort he put in.The child points out that he compromised without finishing. It's the same thing Yeon-hee said while walking with the protagonist on the railroad tracks. Not drawing the cartoon you started to the end. Giving up without trying to create different stories each time. Defining and compromising on one's own limitations.
In the inner world, the protagonist faces his own contradictions. In the after story, the protagonist's way of love was 'I can die for you'. The interesting thing is that this was Yeon-hee's mindset in the 52Hz main story. She was going to give the protagonist her 200 million won insurance money. When the protagonist realized this, he scolded Yeon-hee, asking if she thought he would live happily with the money he received as her life price. On the other hand, in the after story, he scolds the protagonist who is trying to save Yeon-hee by sacrificing his body, asking what meaning it has for her to live if his body is ruined. It was impressive to realize that he, too, was doing a love that didn't think about the person who would be left behind because he was more precious than himself. When the protagonist realizes that his contradiction and his method were all leading to unhappiness, his inner self forgives the protagonist.
This is one of my favorite phrases in this DLC, about embers.
"
A dream is like... a small ember.
Even if all the fire that was burning brightly on the firewood is extinguished, the small ember inside... lasts a very long time.
Hyung thought that because the fire was all extinguished... he couldn't do anything with the small ember. But that ember will burn hot again if Hyung blows wind on it again and puts firewood in it. That ember... never disappeared from Hyung's heart in the first place.
"
The pure ember continued to draw in that spot. Imagining himself becoming a cartoonist someday.
The young protagonist asks the protagonist to stop compromising and crouching down and run to the end before the embers go out.
After the reconciliation between the two, before regaining consciousness and returning to the real world, the young protagonist makes a promise with the protagonist, hooking their little fingers. A very small and warm hand full of charcoal. It was the hand of a pure child who didn't feel pain when drawing, didn't want to give up, and liked drawing. I am very moved by this scene. It was the first time in a long time that I almost cried while playing.
This is the most impressive phrase in the entire DLC, and it still gives me strength.
"
Doing what you like... won't always be fun.
Difficult things will come again and again in the future.
You'll have a lot of doubts about whether this is the right path for you... But whenever that happens, remember how much we liked this...
Even if a moment comes when you want to give up, never look back.
When I'm Hyung, make me smile... like the current Hyung.
"
I also have a dream, and I'm living for my dream, but there are more difficult days than happy days. I make mistakes, blame myself, and sometimes I feel like this isn't my path. Whenever it's really hard, I remember how much I liked this. As the inner child told me, it was a good phrase that made me determined to run to the end without looking back.
10. Goodbye (Climax)
I really liked the directing. From the inner world, the main story's ending song was played as an instrumental version and built up, and when I finally opened my eyes and faced Yeon-hee, I exclaimed out loud when the lyrics came out. I couldn't help but smile when my favorite song came out at the climax.
The protagonist eventually regains consciousness and faces the girl he wanted to protect even at the cost of his life. Fortunately, Yeon-hee's NMG treatment was successful.
The way the protagonist, who is in shock, is treated here was impressive because it was in line with the first theme of the work. Yeon-hee's treatment was done by taking the protagonist's cells. Conversely, the treated Yeon-hee's cells were used to treat the protagonist.
"An outcast abandoned by the world comforting each other's wounds."
I was impressed. Throughout the story, the protagonist and Yeon-hee seemed to be saving each other. The non-unilateral direction of love seems to have made the story beautiful.
The protagonist, who faced his younger self in the inner world, changed. He no longer thinks about dying for Yeon-hee or giving up his dream of becoming a cartoonist for Yeon-hee.
"I decided not to give up on myself for you."
Finally, the protagonist, like Yeon-hee, resolves to live with her, and to not give up on his dream and to put wind and firewood into the embers.
Yeon-hee is eventually cured thanks to the protagonist's dedication, the protagonist succeeds in becoming a cartoonist, and the story ends with him expressing gratitude to his inner child who taught him how to live again.
11. 52Hz Review
I watched it all the way to the end as soon as it was released, and it was as fun and touching as the main story. Comparing it to the ending of the main story, the ending of the main story was the connection between the two 52Hz whales, which was uncertain when it would be cut off, but therefore more desperate and affectionate. None of the problems were solved: the brain tumor of a lover, Lee Myung-jin threatening his life, lack of money, and a fading dream, but that's why it was more lingering. On the other hand, the ending of the dlc seems to have put a pleasant period to the story in a direction where all four problems are solved and everyone is happy. I've played the after story several times, just like the main story, and I'm receiving different reverberations each time I play it.
Also, I liked that the beer that often appears in the story acts as a device between the two. In the main story, they drank together and achieved Yeon-hee's first bucket list, and after they became lovers, they started drinking together on a daily basis. Later, when the protagonist was unconscious, Yeon-hee brought it to the hospital room because she wanted to drink with the protagonist, and I liked that it was a connection between the two throughout the work.
Having played it several times, I think the biggest advantage of the 52Hz production team is the power to immerse you. It was especially fresh and good to start the after story with a heavy story of someone's funeral and then divert attention. Also, I was impressed by the excellent visual and auditory directing when the protagonist's memory was cut off due to aftereffects. Even if you only look at the story excluding the directing, it was a story that made me really curious about the back story while playing. In addition, I really liked the story that continued to interact and give me things to think about.
I think the only ending where everyone can be happy is the ending of the after story. Even if the protagonist wasn't caught lying at the hospital and Yeon-hee continued to receive treatment without knowing and was completely cured, the protagonist would have collapsed. If that had happened, both Yeon-hee and the protagonist would have been hurt and unhappy.
I think the two themes of 52Hz, "An outcast abandoned by the world comforting each other's wounds" and "My uncertain dream," are so well combined that the story couldn't be better organized from beginning to end.
12. Me, and 52Hz
I have been suffering from complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) and depression due to a series of events. The roots were deep, so treatment was not easy. On the outside, it didn't show, but while my inner self was collapsing, I experienced frustration with my goals. I didn't have outstanding talent, but I liked it so much that it was my dream and goal. However, due to repeated major failures, I compromised and tried to give up my dream like the protagonist. Also, I faced myself seriously planning the act that the protagonist was going to do in Myeongyeongdo in the early part of the main story. However, I didn't want my life to end so bleakly, so I wanted to read a warm and good story before I died. I usually liked reading, so I tried to read a literary novel, but I couldn't find one that I liked. When I couldn't find an answer in literary books, I started looking for games with warm stories. If I played directly from the protagonist's point of view in the game, I would be immersed and feel the beauty of that warm and cozy story. That was my first encounter with 52Hz. It was my first visual novel in my life.
52Hz was a very well-made story, so it was easy to get immersed, but it was also easier to get immersed because the protagonist's situation was so similar to mine. A fading dream, and various difficult situations.
I faced myself crying while watching the story. It wasn't because I was sad. It was because it was such a touching, affectionate, and desperate love. I've seen so many stories in my life, but this was the first story that resonated with me so much.
The lyrics of the ending song that came out when the ending credits rolled after the game also pierced my heart. Later, while looking into 52Hz, I learned that a DLC was scheduled to be released, and at that time, I had only one thought in my head.
"I want to know the ending of this story."
With the determination to see the ending of the DLC, I temporarily postponed the extreme plan to after the DLC was released. Every time the DLC release was delayed, the plan was also delayed little by little. Until then, I set a bucket list of wanting to experience the things that Yeon-hee liked one by one and achieved them one by one. The day I set the bucket list, I immediately bought a Walkman.
I brought in the TPS-L2 that Yeon-hee uses in the story, but I didn't have a cassette tape to put in. I immediately visited Seoul Records, the background of the record store in 52Hz, and bought several rock albums. Before doing 52Hz, I wasn't even interested in rock. It was the day I developed a hobby of collecting and listening to albums.
There are other albums, but I took pictures of the 6 I listen to the most these days. AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, and Metallica and Led Zeppelin, which Yeon-hee likes and seems like she would like.
It was refreshing to visit places that were the motifs of the story, such as Seoul Records and Aqua Planet Jeju, with the Walkman and tapes and listen to the music that Yeon-hee liked.
After that, I also tried drinking bottled beer, and with the help of Gemini, I bought and mixed various medicinal herbs to recreate the afterimage of Yeon-hee's favorite Doraji cigarettes, and I was achieving my bucket list one by one. The scent of the incense pouch made at this time is better than expected and it is a scent that makes me feel comfortable, so I hang it in my room and live with it.
Then, a new bucket list was created: I wanted to draw a fan art of Yeon-hee in a great picture. When I was young, I dreamed of becoming a cartoonist like the protagonist. I drew all day at school and at home. But when I was in middle school, I faced ambiguous talent and realistic difficulties and compromised with reality and gave up my dream.
After a few years, when I tried to take out the dusty tablet from the warehouse and draw, it was difficult to draw anything easier, let alone Yeon-hee. To make matters worse, my physical condition had deteriorated significantly due to the side effects of the treatment drugs. I wanted to draw Yeon-hee well, so I worked like crazy. After the fan art drawing was added to the bucket list, I spent almost all of my free time drawing.
I focused solely on drawing, analyzing and imitating Yeonhee's face in the official illustration. I was genuinely happy while drawing. It reminded me how much I loved it in the past, and it was my desperate dream. Drawing was so much fun that I wondered if I had compromised too early, and I regretted the past. It seemed that my spark had not yet been extinguished. Fortunately, now I have another desperate dream that is burning brightly. However, for my younger self who desperately wanted to become a cartoonist, I want to continue to fan the flames and add fuel to the fire for drawing.
Originally, I wanted to finish it around February 11th, in time for the release date. Unfortunately, the time was delayed a lot due to my physical condition, but during that time, I learned the ending of the DLC that I really wanted to know, erased extreme plans from my head, and gradually the treatment began to take effect. And finally, I finished the drawing.
I am still alive thanks to 52 Hertz and Yeonhee. Just as the protagonist is saved by Yeonhee, I have been saved many times by the story of 52 Hertz, and I am endlessly grateful.
Thank you so much to the production team for creating the best story and game. I'm really looking forward to the next one.
Thank you.

After the update on Saturday, March 14th,
you can purchase the "Fox's Whisper" viewing item set in the recommended items using additional costume rights.
The composition of the product is as follows.
◆ Live 2D Lobby・Video - Border of Yeon (can manually switch between the present world and Myeongbin)
◆ BGM (Lobby) · Silence
◆ BGM (Lobby) · Other Shore
◆ BGM (During the game)・Night Walk
◆ BGM (Riichi)・Meeting with a Fox
⏰After the update on Saturday, March 14, 2026 - Sunday, April 12, 23:59
#마작일번가Ichibangai


Morning Everyone!



Arrived at Papunika?
It keeps reminding me of paprika..
After being in a dark place, coming to Papunika is a huge contrast..
I wonder if Viole and her younger sibling are doing well 🥲




Payton story end!
No, the Seikria human experimentation, are you crazy......????
Too much ㅠㅠ
I felt guilty taking the Ark out🥲🥲🥲
Am I allowed to take the Ark out of their land?
They don't have anything, so they purify rotten meat and eat it😭😭😭
I have to go back to Sunflower Island and finish my Arkrasia homework..
Runaway youth, Aman, at least you ate good food..
Payton Deron eats weird cakes and says ew...
Stop running away!



I didn't know. From the beginning, I wasn't much of a gamer, let alone someone who played visual novels. At best, I would play League of Legends to kill time when I had nothing to do, or hang out with school friends during breaks. Then, by chance, I came across information about a unique whale called the 52 Hz whale, and I became interested and searched the internet to learn more about it. But lo and behold, a game called <52 Hertz> popped up out of nowhere. Out of curiosity, I searched it and found an introduction that said, "The story of two outcasts abandoned by the world."
"What is this...? From a quick glance, is it some kind of dating sim?"
I think I've seen people playing similar games on YouTube from time to time. With nothing else to do, I decided to learn more about the game <52 Hertz>. Then I saw a picture of what appeared to be the female lead, and I thought,
"Oh, she's pretty."
That was my reason for starting the game.
[Game Story]
In short, the protagonist, who wants to achieve her dream of becoming a cartoonist, works hard to pursue her dream, but becomes exhausted due to her lack of talent and environment. Then, her mother, who is addicted to a cult, takes all the money she has saved. As a result of that incident, the protagonist, who is broken, heads to Mangeongdo, an island village famous as a suicide spot, where she meets a heroine in a similar situation and they heal each other.
[Brief Overview of the Main Story (Spoiler)]
DAY 1: First meeting with Yeonhee in Mangeongdo, contract proposal (Neoul Merchant)
DAY 2: Cleaning the Neoul Merchant shop
DAY 3: Cleaning the Neoul Merchant warehouse, discovering the bucket list notebook, beer with Yeonhee, starting to live together
DAY 4: Record store, old ramen
DAY 5: Aquarium
DAY 6: Yeonhee and the protagonist run away, Yeonhee's past, motel
DAY 7: The protagonist is kidnapped, a fight with Lee Myung-jin, Yeonhee's confession
2 months later: Trip to Australia and ending
This is a brief overview to help you remember when playing the DLC. The detailed story is quite lingering if you enjoy it while playing it yourself. I have never played a visual novel before, but I felt that the story itself was quite solid and the foreshadowing was properly recovered, so I enjoyed it. However, there are choices in the main story that affect the story, and I personally felt that the process of creating conflict in this part was a bit forced. Except for that part, the highlight (warehouse rush) of the main story was very refreshing, and I enjoyed playing the DLC, feeling that the writer's writing skills had improved.
The endings according to the choices that affect the story are listed below.
DAY 5 → DAY 6
To see the true ending here, you have to meet Detective Lee Myung-jin exactly once when making the two choices. If you meet Detective Lee Myung-jin twice or don't meet him at all, you will move on to the bad ending.
[Bad Ending 1. Unkindness](If you meet him twice)
You can check this if you choose "Go to the convenience store." → "Let's take a walk." in the previous choice. The protagonist and Detective Lee Myung-jin sense something suspicious. The protagonist quickly takes Yeonhee and runs away to a motel, but worries that Detective Lee Myung-jin will abuse the cell phone left at Neoul Merchant, so he returns home. However, he is ambushed and kidnapped by Detective Lee Myung-jin, who arrived first, and meets his end in a waste material warehouse.
[Bad Ending 2. Unspoken Truth](If you don't meet him)
You can check this if you choose "Look around the house." → "Let's clean." in the choice. The protagonist watches a movie with Yeonhee at home after taking a walk. He is curious about the identity of the medicine bag that Yeonhee didn't tell him about during the day and falls asleep. The protagonist wakes up in the early morning and finds the front door of the house open, sees sand on the living room floor, and rushes to find Yeonhee. Yeonhee's room was full of medicine he had never seen before, and a letterhead in the corner only said "To the Mister," and Yeonhee was nowhere to be seen.
If you choose only one of the convenience store or the walk and meet Detective Lee Myung-jin, the story continues and you can check the true ending.
[Impressions of the DLC]
The story takes place 2 years after the main story. I played the main story quite impressively, so I was quite looking forward to the DLC. In fact, I thought both the story and the direction were good. Because this game had an influence on me without me knowing it, I felt a little sad that the ending in the main story was open. Then, I heard the news that they were releasing a DLC and that it would end with a happy ending, and I remember waiting for the game to be released. So I played the game on the day it was released.
If you play the DLC, Yeonhee appears in a fun way from the beginning after a long time. I hope you try it if you haven't seen it. Also, if you look at the story, there are quite a few familiar details. Like in the picture above, she says the same lines as when she first appeared, and the small nuances that Yeonhee mentioned in the main story are also well incorporated into the DLC. There are quite a few hidden things, so it's fun to find them while playing.
The DLC starts with Lee Myung-jin's funeral, and I personally found it ironic that the person who was trying to get Yeonhee's insurance money ended up giving Yeonhee compensation. In addition, in the DLC episode, the story progresses in a structure that contrasts with the main story. In the main story, the relationship between the protagonist and Yeonhee and the story progression were like this.
Isolated island village (Mangeongdo)
Yeonhee's importance > Protagonist
Yeonhee sacrifices for the protagonist (insurance money)
Yeonhee hiding a secret
Conflict subject = external (Lee Myung-jin)
However, there are many parts that are reversed in the DLC.
City
The protagonist's importance is great
The protagonist sacrifices for Yeonhee
The protagonist hiding a secret
Conflict subject = internal
Also, I felt that they tried to express more diverse directing than in the main story. I think people who enjoyed the main story will also be satisfied with the DLC.
[Influence received through this game]
The first thing I thought after finishing this game was, "Let's go to a record store." To be honest, I don't know why. I just wanted to go. I turned on the map app and checked the record stores, and I saw a store that I thought, "Huh? This is very familiar?" It was the store that was the motif for 'Geumgang Records' in the game. It wasn't that far from home. I usually played the guitar, but I was ignorant of rock. So I just found AC/DC's Back In Black, which Yeonhee mentioned in the game, in the corner. It was a popular album, so there was only one left.
After that, listening to music at record stores and buying albums such as LPs and CDs became my hobby. This costs a lot of money. In addition, when I was traveling in Japan, I suddenly remembered Yeonhee's outerwear from the main story and bought it at a clothing store, and that's when I learned that such clothes are called sukajan. I must have enjoyed the game a lot. I think I'm lucky to have played such an attractive game.


후기에 앞서 고요한바위님이 나눔해 주셨음을 밝힙니다.
나눔에 대해 진심으로 감사 인사 드리며, 해당 후기글을 읽은 분들에게는 미리 이 부분을 말씀드립니다.

돈을 지불하고 게임을 구입한다면, 자신이 지불한 돈의 가치 만큼 또는 그 가치 이상을 게임이 제공해 줄 것이라 기대하게 되죠. 그 기대에 미치느냐 미치지 못하느냐에 따라서 전혀 다른 평가가 될 수 있습니다. 하지만 무료로 나눔을 받은 저는 이 "값어치"에 대한 고려가 없기에, 실제 돈을 지불하고 구입하신 분들과는 다른 가치 기준을 가지고, 마찬가지로 다른 감상의 후기가 될 수 있음을 미리 말씀 드립니다.
+ 스포일러를 소량 포함하고 있지만, 게임을 플레이 하지 않으신 분은 이게 스포인지도 모를 수준이니, 아마 안심하고 읽으셔도 될겁니다.
■ 플탐에서 보여지는 극단적인 차이

엔딩까지 다 본 것 같은데...? 어... 음... 혹시 제가 안한게 있는건가요? (더빙 끝까지 안듣는 편...)
서문에 적은 가장 직접적인 예시로 만일 제가 정가 주고 이 게임 샀다면, 이 짧은 볼륨 문제로 100% 부정적인 평가를 남겼을 것 입니다.
하지만 나눔받은 제게 이 짧은 플레이 시간은 오히려 칭찬할 부분이 되어 버립니다. 저 2시간 반 동안은 정말 몰입해서, 한 호흡에 엔딩까지 쉼 없이 달려 갔으니까요! 이게 정말 아쉬움이 없진 않지만, 칭찬하고 싶은 본편입니다. 데모 부분에서 지적했던, 쓸데없는 지식 자랑과 설명들이 싹 빠지면서 굉장히 깔끔해지는 문장으로 술술 읽혀집니다.
이게 게임 스토리의 빠른 진행이나 몰입에 매우 도움이 됩니다. 지저분했던 문장들도 상당히 짧아지고, 그와 더불어 쓸데없는 이야기들이 빠지고 핵심만 쓰다보니 술술 읽히고, 전달력도 좋아집니다. 본편이 확실히 잘 나왔네요. 물론 너무 빠뜨리다보니, 부분적으로는 설명이 부족한 부분조차 발생하곤 하지만, 그래도 TMI로 인해 소화불량 만큼 답답하던 것에 비하면 차라리 이 편이 좋습니다. 부족한 부분은 상상력으로 매꾸면 되니까요!

친절하게 스킬 설명해주는 몬스터... 어휴.... 심지어 이거 설명 끝이 아닙니다. 이런식으로 완전 없어진 것은 아니지만,
전반부에 넘쳐나던 그 "현학적인 문장"들의 크게 사라진 것 만으로도 본편의 몰입감은 매우 좋아집니다.
거기다 데모 플레이에서 지적했던, "메인 스토리와 관계 없는 쓸데없는 이야기들"은 싹다 빠져 버렸기에 집중해서 읽어 내려가기 매우 좋습니다. 데모 부분에 너무 몰려 있던 일상 회화들을 메인 스토리 부분에 적당히 분배 했다면 진짜 좋았겠지만, 이 경우 자칫하면 정신사나워질 수도 있기에 잘 선택한 건지도 모르겠습니다.
다만, 데모에서 걱정 했지만 역시나 마구 던져대던 지식들이나 어려운 문장들, 그리고 학교의 친구와 같은 엑스트라는 스토리상 아예 존재하지 않아도 문제 없는, 소위 버려진 들러리로 남아 버린 건 정말 아쉽습니다. 너무 메인 스트림에만 집중한 나머지, 은세미의 주변 인물들조차 상당히 들러리의 느낌이 들긴 하지만, 그래도 엔딩크래딧까지 한 자리를 자리 잡고 있으니 그나마 다행이라고 해야 할지.
개인적으로는 한미로같은 캐릭터가 너무 좋은데, 해당 캐릭터 스토리가 없으니... 유감입니다! 유감이라고요!
네, 억새밭길은 매우 유감스럽게도, 원 히로인 싱글 스토리 구조를 가지고 있습니다. 그래서 더욱 볼륨에 대한 아쉬움이 생길 수 밖에 없죠. 뭐, 볼륨이 아쉽다는건 한편으로는, 이 캐릭터들과 조금 더 긴 시간을 같이 했으면 하는 애착과 아쉬움의 다른 형태일 수도 있겠죠.

매우 중요한 설정 - 장면 전환 스킵 : 이걸로 몰입을 방해서던 쓸데 없이 긴 "장면 전환"을 없앨 수 있으니 매우 추천합니다!
개인적인 추천입니다만, 설정페이지에서 "장면 전환 스킵" 부분을 체크하면, 매 스샷 바뀔 때 마다 최대 3초까지 무의미하게 지나가는 시간이나, 문장을 읽을 때 마다 호흡과 몰입을 끈어버리는 씬 전환을 극적으로 제거해 줍니다. 체크 하고 조금 플레이 해 보시면 뭔지 감이 확 오실 겁니다.
위 설정에서 저는 데모 부분은 스킵을 했고(읽은 문장 스킵 설정 후 + Ctrl키 입력), 읽기만 끝나면 더빙을 끝까지 듣지 않다 보니 조금 극단적으로 짧은 플탐이 나온 것으로 생각됩니다.
다른 분들은 플탐이 짧게는 7시간, 길게는 15시간까지 나오시던데.... 장면전환과 더빙 부분을 고려하면 대략 10시간 내외의 플탐을 예상합니다. 근데... 저는 2시간 반이라니... 혹시 제가 안 한 게 있나요? 모든 엔딩, 선택지, 전일담 까지 다 봤는데...?

엑스트라 페이지에서 우측 하단에 ⓢ 아이콘을 클릭해서 전일담을 추가로 볼 수 있습니다! 대단한 내용은 아니지만, 꼭 챙기세요!
■ 캐치 프레이즈를 잘못 잡은 듯?

"지금, 현재를 살아가고 있나요?" 누가 말한 적은 없지만 저렇게 가장 앞에 내세운걸 보면, 아마 저게 캐치 프레이즈가 맞을 겁니다.
하지만 제가 겪은 이 게임의 메인 스토리는 '희생'이 한 단어로 요약할 수 있습니다. 그러니 대한민국의 정상적인 교육과정을 거친 거의 모든 사람들이 알고 있는 안도현 시인님의 '너에게 묻는다.' 의 한문장을 인용해서, "너는 누구에게 한번이라도 뜨거운 사람이었느냐?" 같은 캐치 프레이즈라면, 진짜 눈물나게 어필할 수 있었을 텐데, 하는 아쉬움이 남습니다.
메인 스토리에서는 특히나 이 "상처 입은 동물끼리 서로의 상처를 핥아주는" 식의 스토리가 펼쳐집니다. (이런걸 잘 표현하는 말이 있었는데, 생각이 나질 않네요.) 여러 형태로 상처받은 사람들이 서로에게 구원받고 치유 받으며, 그 위에서 서로를 향한 희생이 그려집니다.
그나마 엔딩에서 상기의 캐치 프레이즈와 같이 현실을 살아가게 되는 주인공이 잠시 그려지지만, 그 조차도 결국은 기다림이라는 형태의 희생과 결실로 마무리 하면서 캐치 프레이즈에 대한 의문이 들게 됩니다.

형제의 이야기도, 그 직후의 이야기도, 그리고 그 기억에 얽힌 노멀 엔딩의 비밀조차 "희생"의 이야기입니다.
스샷이 왜 이거냐고요? 플레이 해 보시면 알아요! 희생의 의미를....
여기서 캐치 프레이즈를 아래와 같이 바꾸면, 엔딩 뿐만이 아니라 스토리 전반에서 전하는 메시지가 매우 직설적이면서도 감성적인 형태로 변해 버립니다.
"당신은 누구에게 한번이라도 절실한 사람이었습니까?"
게임을 플레이 해 보신 분은, 이 캐치 플레이즈만 읽어도 눈물샘에 자극이 갈 겁니다. 억새밭에서 그려지는 수많은 희생들. 특히나 세미의 가장 핵심적인 행동 원리에도 이 "희생"이 들어가 있습니다. 그녀의 기나긴 역사 이야기에서 쉼 없이 희생이 나오고, 미로와 시헌의 이야기조차 서로에 대한 위함과 희생이 녹아 있습니다. 스토리의 하이라이트에서도 희생을 그리며, 위에서 말 한 것과 같이 엔딩조차 "기다림이라는 형태의 희생"을 그려냅니다.
이 희생이라는 단어에 집중하게 되면, 억새밭은 순애 로맨스가 아니라 한국 역사의 한 모습을 비추는 추상화가 됩니다. 수많은 희생 위에 오늘날의 대한민국과 민주주의를 이룩할 수 있게 되었지만, 이제는 이름조차 남아 있지 않은 수많은 희생의 모습들을 시간을 관통해 가면서 비추고 있습니다. 그리고 아픔 속에서도 서로를 위하고 사랑하며, 희생하고, 그렇게 공생해 가는 모습을 그려냅니다. 그렇게 헬반도에서의 생존을 위한 아픔과 희생을 이들의 역사에 대한 메타포(비유)처럼 보이기도 합니다.

단순히 역사를 그려낸 측면이 아닌, 그 생존과 희생이라는 형태에 대한 메타포로써 말이죠.
■ 아쉬움 없는 건 아니지만, 억새밭 사잇길로는 굉장히 좋은 기억으로 남을 것입니다.
'억새밭 사잇길로'는 절대로 갓겜이라고는 할 수 없습니다. 데모 플레이 리뷰에 적어놨던 대부분의 걱정이 그대로 본편에도 이어졌기 때문이기도 하죠. 그리고 이건 한번 생긴 편견이 쉽게 사라지지 않는 탓이기도 합니다.
하지만, 다른 사람이 "미연시 하나 추천해줘~" 하면, 크게 망설이거나 고민하지 않고 추천해 줄 수 있는 게임이기도 합니다. 소위 캐릭터성라고 부르는 손발 오그라 들거나, 이상 성욕으로 부끄럽거나, 유치하다거나 천박하거나, 이상한 컨샙으로 취향을 타는 그런 게임이 절대 아니거든요.

안심하고 즐기면 됩니다!
평이하지만 널리 받아 들일 수 있는 스토리라인과 준수한 신파(요즘은 부정적인 의미로 쓰이지만 ㅠㅠ 부정적인 의미가 아닌 신파.)로 플레이어의 눈물샘도 자극해 주고, 가슴에 밝은 무엇인가를 남겨주는 마무리까지, 이걸 추천했다고 욕먹을 만한 이유가 없는 무난하고 준수하게 잘 만든 비주얼 노블입니다. 취향타지 않게 많은 사람들이 넓게 즐길 수 있다는 점에서도 말이죠.
이 면에서, 이 게임은 미연시라기 보다는 일본에서 소위 말하는 "최류계(눈물 빼는 영화나 애니 장르 - 대표작 : 1리터의 눈물)"에 가깝지만, 그것보다는 덜 슬프고, 더 행복한 게임이라고 말하면 가장 정확한 표현이 될 겁니다. 최류탄 보다는 약한 오이고추계 장르(???????)라고 하면 될까요? 막판에 농담 죄송합니다. 애니 쪽으로는 4월은 너의 거짓말이나, 너의 췌장을 먹고 싶어, 목소리의 형태, 리라이프(딱 이정도의 가벼움). 이런 류의 느낌이라고 말하면 딱 맞습니다.

최류계까지는 아니지만, 억새밭의 느낌은 가벼운 최류계라고 보시면 정확할 겁니다.
취향 많이 안타면서 감동도 남는 그런 게임이요.
'억새밭 사잇길로'를 나눔해 주신, '고요한바위'님에게 다시 한번 감사 인사 드립니다.
등장인물들과 함께 웃고, 한편으로는 가슴 답답해지고, 같이 울고. 그리고 같이 기억에 남을 수 있는 소중한 시간이 되었습니다.

갤럭시 만세!


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괜히 제가 리뷰 이벤트 참여하라고 해서 죄송합니다.....


네이버 닉네임까지 한결같은 분이시네요 ㅎㅎㅎ 너무 괘념치마세요!
조건이 안되면 운영측에서 알아서 조치해 주시겠죠 ㅎㅎㅎ

오우 엄청난 리뷰!
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고요한바위님 덕분에 정말 재밌게 플레이 할 수 있었습니다! 나눔 진심으로 감사합니다!
잘 읽었어요!
긴 리뷰를 읽어 주셔서 감사합니다!
