Note: This review will contain spoilers for MAMIYA – A Shared Illusion of the World’s End, which we would suggest you play before reading this review of MAMIYA – DoomsDayDreams. Please be aware that there will be details that are integral parts of MAMIYA – A Shared Illusion of the World’s End’s mystery.
MAMIYA – DoomsDayDreams is a sequel to MAMIYA – A Shared Illusion of the World’s End, a visual novel released internationally back in 2021 by Kenkou Land under the publisher Fruitbat Factory. The series is a solo project by Kokoroten, the only member of the Kenkou Land, who served as MAMIYA’s scenario writer, artist, and programmer. DoomsDayDreams serves as the finale of the series, placed directly after the cliffhanger ending of the first game.
I had high expectations going into MAMIYA – DoomsDayDreams because of my positive experience with its prequel. Although confusing, the elements and themes of the first MAMIYA resonated pretty well with me. They showed incredibly real struggles portrayed with a unique, artistic flair to them that makes the reader unable to look away. With what I felt was such a strong predecessor, how can I not look forward to reading its sequel?
Let’s take a dive into the finale as everything comes together to unravel the mystery behind MAMIYA.
An Unacceptable Ending
With Natsume Souichirou having decided the True Course of his story to be set in 2012, the world gently shifts to adjust to his established truths. Little did he know, however, that his decision would result in the cruel demise of one of the people closest to him. To enforce consistency, the world takes away the life of Suou Keito, a character whose truth involves his death in 2003. Grieving the loss of his friend, he reluctantly goes back to the Trichiliocosm where more trouble awaits.
Upon his return, Natsume is welcomed by a fellow Spectator and the Librarian, who both start to reprimand him about his shirking of his Spectator duties by prolonging his involvement with his assigned story. They tell him that they are aware of his interference in the story’s progression, and that in order to avoid disciplinary action, he must now perform his work under the supervision of a fellow Spectator. He begrudgingly does as he’s told, slowly adapting to the usual pace of a Spectator’s work. But with MAMIYA’s mystery and the fate of his friends still looming at the back of his mind, he finds it hard to immerse himself in his duties.
Unable to dismiss his worries, Natsume decides to take matters into his own hands once again. With the handgun his senior left behind for him, he threatens the supervisor into telling him how to change the True Course of a story. Although not without sacrifices, Natsume is able to change his decided truth. He reinstates the year in which the world was prophesied to end in as the anchor of the story, and spectates his friends once again as both 2012 and 1999 merge to form a new tale. The mystery of MAMIYA is once again brought into the spotlight.
Dreaming of the Past Today
MAMIYA – DoomsDayDreams features a total of four routes spread across two parts that center around the same main characters from the previous game: Kikuchi Ryou and Suou Keito on side Daydream, and Toujou Minato and Morichika Haruki on side Doomsday. The story is presented in a way where each route narratively intertwines with the other route they’re paired up with. After reaching their conclusion, each presents a key detail necessary to solve MAMIYA’s mystery in the True Ending’s scenario. In total, there are sixteen endings to unlock, not including the True Ending and additional ones from a hidden EX chapter.
The visual novel stays consistent with the style that its predecessor had. It felt like a piece of candy with multiple layers of wrapping, slowly unfolding every chapter you read yet not fully exposing its tasty center. What’s unique about DoomsDayDreams in particular, however, is the implications around Natsume’s decision to return to the original anchor of his story. They imply that the story, even if solved, needs to unfold in a certain way to reach the desired ending. Otherwise, you break the candy in half. It’s a very cool way of emulating the actual format of the medium and brings much-needed gravity to decision-making, not only as a mechanic but also as something with a direct consequence on the story’s characters. I really like how well it parallels the previously established role of a Spectator, which is to observe rather than act.
Honestly, I feel as if MAMIYA flows like a dream sequence. It takes everything we’ve experienced so far and throws it back at us in new ways. The story involves the same characters, but with what we’ve discovered from its first installment and what we’re being told in this one, establishing what is actually correct takes a backseat to just experiencing the full absurdity and outlandishness of MAMIYA’s mystery. But it’s not as if novelty is the only thing it has going for it. Each reveal that gets us closer to the answer of the mystery feels full and significant, hitting so hard that it got me squirming in my chair. It’s a two-fold package that satisfies both the desires to know and to feel the story.
A Clear Redemption
One of my gripes in the previous installment was the vagueness of its narrative, especially in the main character routes. Although MAMIYA featured incredibly sensitive themes that are relevant and full of worth, I felt like they fell short of hitting their target because of self-imposed writing limits to retain its mystery. These themes, as expected, make a comeback in DoomsDayDreams. However, it ended up as not just a rehashing of what’s already been said. Instead, it’s a reevaluation of the main characters’ issues through interactions both old and new.
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration when I say that I’m incredibly happy with what they did with the main characters’ struggles in DoomsDayDreams. Compared to its predecessor, the routes here are satisfyingly aggressive with how they handle not just the unraveling of MAMIYA’s mystery, but the issues the main characters face as well. Primarily, the creative decision of introducing the anchor at the beginning of the story and making two previously separate sets of characters interact with each other only added to the value of both the story and the experience of reading it. The narrative was flexible enough to retain the unique creativity present in MAMIYA’s writing, and the parallels they made with each character was amazing. Along with heart-pounding tension and tangible stakes, the struggles and their resolution were moving and full of emotion.
Additionally, the story subverts the traditional pairing of a main character with a specific antagonist, instead opting for a conflict found under multiple layers of intersecting relationships. The roles of aggressor and victim feel fluid, inviting moments that are thought-provokingly deep and dense to digest. It’s still incredibly confusing, yes, but the satisfaction that comes from being able to sort out your confusion to understand the character is incredibly rewarding. As a result, the routes kept me invested not only in the mystery but in the characters themselves as well. It felt like the much-needed supplement to make MAMIYA an overall great read.
The Mystery of MAMIYA
As a culminating chapter, I felt that MAMIYA – DoomsDayDreams was an apt way of closing off the mystery of the MAMIYA series. While MAMIYA (the character) felt somewhat like a metaphorical device in the first installment, the answer that Kokoroten unveils in DoomsDayDreams solidifies MAMIYA’s role not just as the central mystery, but also as characters of the story. And I feel that’s where MAMIYA as a mystery visual novel makes its mark.
I usually think that the answer to a mystery is the least interesting part of a story. The most exciting, heart-pounding part of a mystery, after all, is the uncovering of clues that lead you to an indisputable truth. And that journey, as much as possible, needs to present evidence that stays consistent enough to make the answer actually convincing. However, in MAMIYA, the overarching mystery is introduced as its own separate character. MAMIYA is a main antagonist, which means that it has motives and stakes in the story. Therefore, whether unintended or not, the mystery novel places significance on the answer of MAMIYA’s identity, making that reveal not just a consequence of the journey but also a central part of a character arc. And let me tell you now, the reveal is satisfying and sensible. As a reader, it’s the kind of conclusion you’d want your favorite series to have.
Unnecessary Elements
Despite being a stellar visual novel, there are two aspects of MAMIYA I felt were unnecessary. In fact, I think that the game would overall be better if these just weren’t there anymore. The two I’m talking about are the gacha mechanic found in the Extras section of the title screen, and the EX chapter unlocked after finishing all side story chapters.
First of all, MAMIYA as a whole has sixteen side stories unlockable through a mechanic in its Extras section. Each of these side stories feature either a random and heartwarming scene involving the eight characters present in DownFall that give a little bit more nuance to their personalities, or an “IF” setting where MAMIYA is realized in its fullest. I recommend reading them not only for completion, but because they’re honestly really nice scenes. If you liked the characters, you’ll love the side stories.
However, to unlock the sixteen chapters, you need to go into the side story gacha. The gacha gives you a random one out of the sixteen, and to make it just a little bit worse, you can roll duplicates to those you already have. To put icing on the cake, you can only roll the gacha five times per system day. That basically means if you want to read everything, you either have to wait out the days naturally or change your system date to cheese your way through it. For a visual novel, that’s a completely unnecessary and annoying mechanic!
The game tries to make it worth your while though, because after you finish reading all sixteen side stories, you unlock an extra chapter called EX. It’s heavily implied to come after the True Ending of DoomsDayDreams, so you’d think there’s some epilogue contained within it. But no, instead it’s a bit of extra (and important) exposition accompanied by a scenario that seriously makes no sense. Its tone disregards the True Ending and cheapens the overall experience. If I could, I wouldn’t read it at any time within a week of finishing DoomsDayDreams. It left a sour taste in my mouth for what otherwise was an impeccably good visual novel.
Art and Music
It’s the same staff and series, so let me just reiterate: MAMIYA’s art is superb. For a solo project, it’s honestly a really amazing product. Kokoroten’s not only an amazing scenario writer, but also incredibly talented at art. The watercolor-like feel of the CGs make the artwork feel close to the heart. Coupled with a narrative full of emotion, MAMIYA ends up being a powerful yet attractive visual novel. The characters are expressive, the colors feel apt for the scenes they are featured in, and the atmosphere they create is great. I’d love to read another game drawn by Kokoroten.
DoomsDayDreams also retains the artistic presentation the prequel utilized in its decision-making points. Lively cut-in portraits reflect the characters involved and what they’re feeling, and the title screen neatly reflects your progress in the story. These are just a few of the things to appreciate and look forward to. It all comes together to make a product that’s not only meaningful in terms of text but also looks superb.
Just like the first title, DoomsDayDreams makes use of only royalty-free tracks in the game. Some of them felt like they were featured in the previous installment too, but honestly, with how many were used in the game, I’m not entirely sure myself anymore. The music direction is consistently good as well. While most, if not all, of the sung tracks are in English, they’re in no way jarring because of how well they’re placed within the visual novel (despite it being Japanese in origin). Instead of off-putting, it makes you appreciate sounds that feel new yet hit the same chords that visual novels traditionally hit with their personalized OST tracks.
Verdict
MAMIYA – DoomsDayDreams is a great way to end an amazing series. It preserves the characteristic creativity present in its predecessor and doubles down on it, presenting a narrative that’s not only good but also full of its unique flavor. Although a mystery visual novel, it echoes sentiments that are relatable and close to the heart, pulling at emotions that resonate with experiences very relevant to today’s society. Dark but thrilling, readers will find themselves glued to the screen as MAMIYA guides them toward an answer that’s satisfyingly unique.
While I did like MAMIYA as a whole, I feel that its unnecessary elements detract from making it a better product than what it currently is. Although I applaud the freedom it takes with its text, I’m not exactly fond of how it handled its extra content. The time-gated mechanics that prevent you from reading the entirety of the content are completely unnecessary and only serves to subtract from the good experience I’ve come to love as a reader.
If you’re looking for a good indie title that’ll give even your favorite visual novels a run for their money, I’d definitely recommend MAMIYA – DoomsDayDreams. Full of passion and emotion, it’s one of those stories that you just have to experience for yourself to fully appreciate—a story worth reading at the end of the world.
MAMIYA – DOOMSDAYDREAMS IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Purchase: JAST USA
If you are looking for another visual novel, you may enjoy The Shell Part II: Purgatorio. We have also covered a wide variety of visual novels both original to English and localized from Japanese, which you can check out here.
Many thanks go to Fruitbat Factory for a PC review code for MAMIYA – DoomsDayDreams.
Visual novel reader that wishes there were more than 24 hours in a day. Gacha victim, TCG enjoyer, and VTuber simp. Still trying to live happily.
