Black & White Reviews

While there is an> [url=https://ijedi1234.itch.io/12-white-or-black-english-patch]unofficial patch from Greatjedi[/url] be warned that you HAVE to set your > [url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/1998450/discussions/0/3802777108682922774/]system language to Chinese[/url] < or you won't get past the tutorial, you'll get a black screen and will only be able to repeat the tutorial over and over again. I tried to set my system in English as explained in the patch tutorial, but if you do so, be aware that you also have to delete the folder in user/AppData/LocalLow/ZeroCreation and turn off the cloud before doing so or you'll be stuck all the same. I am still wondering why this is the only game not having an official translation, just be aware of those issues before you buy the game. After spending over an hour trying to get past this black screen (and you also get blocked if you pick the second option when you launch the game) I'm giving up. I appreciate good games, but not as much when it becomes a burden needing you to set your system in Chinese and so on to not crash.

I've made an unofficial English translation, so I figure I might as well say a few things about the game. I'll be releasing the complete TL in a day or two (search "1/2 White or Black English Patch" on itchio), and I wouldn't have completed it if I didn't think the game was good. So, what are you in for? This game is mostly set in a dystopia in the late 27th century. A religious organization, the White Lords' Church, seized control of the world 600 years previously. The rebellions were crushed, and human art and culture were nearly wiped out, as dictated by the church's Doctrine. But not all hope is lost - a new rebellion is rising, one that can finally topple the rule of the church. In 1984, Oceania will beat you into compliance, ruling by fear. In Brave New World, the World State drugs you into being happy all the time, ruling through a need for joy. What does the White Lords' Church do? Well, they want you to be content. They would view Oceania as crazy people seeking death and destruction. They would view the World State as fundamentally unstable. The Church feels that, as long as your emotions aren't too strong, and you've assimilated into the church's culture, you're okay in their books. The main point of contention surrounding the church is their hate for art and culture. Any culture originating outside of the church will be destroyed if possible, and replaced with something made by the church. This is one of the main reasons the rebels fight - they want to keep humanity's identity alive, in spite of the dangers the White Lords' Church claims culture possesses. The game offers a lot of good commentary on the pros and cons of supporting Black or White, which I definitely liked. There's a fairly substantial section at the very end focusing on the rise of the White Lords' Church in the late 21st century. Interestingly, that bit isn't set in China, but Chicago. Expect some Americans in that section. As for the SRPG portion: It has the pieces necessary to make a good SRPG gamemode, but it has no impact. By the time you finish the SRPG tutorial missions, the main story is already over. The remaining SRPG portions are pretty straightforward, too - pick the 3 strongest DPSers and you're golden. I know some people want the SRPG bits gone, but I honestly feel they can stay if the battles had some meaningful story content in them. The big stuff happens in the VN sections, and what you get in the battles is narratively worthless. Many people are saying that it ends on a big cliffhanger. This is true. The story does set up a self-contained story that it resolves in this game, but the larger story is unfinished. For example, it eventually becomes clear that you, the player, have some unspecified relevance to the game's world, but they discuss this right before they say "See you in the sequel!". The cliffhangers can be really off-putting, but I assure you that there's enough stuff in here to fill a story's Act I. There are also 12 main characters in here. You're probably thinking that the focus on each character is very diluted. You'd be right. The Black Side gets a small origin story for each player character, but the White Side is not so lucky. In fact, Black Side feels like some miniature spinoffs of Hungry Lamb, whereas White Side focuses more on the main story. The 21st century content is much more focused - it has a decent amount of content for two specific characters instead of 12. I feel that structure was a lot better. It sounds like the developers temporarily shelved the sequel due to bad sales, but it just so happens that they launched their big hit, Hungry Lamb, after this game. Who knows, maybe they'll come back and make the sequel they teased by name in one of the multiple sequel hooks. I sure hope they do - this IP is legitimately pretty good, and it's a shame it wasn't officially brought over to the West.