STORY
Before we talk story, know that my understanding of PoKéMon extends to Generation 2. I left after Johto. Why is this important? This story combines a lot of things from different seasons - all the way from Generation 2 to Generation 8. The VN isn't unplayable if you don’t have all the knowledge, but you will need to google a few times. That said, it’s a testament of great writing that the VN mostly holds up without having current PoKéMoN info.
You live with your cousin and aunt in Kalos while helping your PoKéMon through an operation. While your friend is in the hospital, the craziest thing happens to you which coincidentally puts you on a path with Marnie, the girl from Galar. She’s a cute girl with her unwanted fanclub Team Yell and from what I understand of fans, criminally underused by PoKéMon.
The developer has made a lot of effort to keep this story connected with the complex PoKéMon universe and the actions in both the games and other media. This story happens after the original PoKéMon Sword/Shield game and deals with her opening up to strangers.
Overall, the story is a nice arc where a PoKéMoN causes trouble for both you and Marnie. During this story, you learn to appreciate each other and it’s up to the player how that plays out. It’s a text heavy game and it frequently repeats itself, not just because of the story. Slowly, the VN draws in more recognizable characters from the universe until the plot of your adventure finally unfolds.
In all honesty, I found the justification and my personal ending to be quite underwhelming - but in PoKéMon, this is usually also the case. Spending time with Marnie is fine and the PoKéMon have different personalities that stand out, helping the story keep it’s dynamic. That said, there are quite a few story stands that aren't tied up - which feel like they could have collectively amounted to a better ending. Safe to say there are multiple endings, so I could just be missing out because of that. The moment-to-moment writing is great, although Marnie’s Galarian accent might be a bit too much of a stereotype to me. The idea is nice and I’m not sure if it’s original to the developer or adapted from PoKémedia. In the end, it works to convey languages or dialects.
Marnie’s Moment is more than a moment and won’t always sweep you off your feet, but is an enjoyable ride and definitely expands on Marnie’s world. If you crave more Marnie than the PoKéMoN world allows, this is a must-play. It serves as a cut deepening to a character that the series kept too shallow if I am to believe the fans of the series.
PRESENTATION
The game looks great in my opinion, utilizing 2D sprites over AI-generated backgrounds. While not 100% true to the original style, it works to sell the characters well. Since the game has so many scenes, I probably would have loved a bit more variety to Marnie’s sprites. The text describes her acting out, while sometimes the sprites won't show it. It works because the PoKéMoN games have always been like that, but makes the game feel absolutely narrative driven.
Across the many locations, you learn to appreciate the little details the developer adds - at times even feeling like a PoKéMoN game on rails. All of the cameo characters are instantly recognizable and handle fairly consistent to how they would in official media. The fact backgrounds are AI won’t bother you too much, even if you’re being picky about locations potentially not being accurate.
There is a lewd scene - and it’s far too little for what the VN could offer. While I realize it’s hard work to create them and the one that's in there is actually good, Marnie had far more lewd potential before diving in deep. It’s a missed opportunity and I would gladly have sacrificed one or two entire locations in order to mess with Marnie more. This is her moment, after all.
GAMEPLAY
It’s a Visual Novel, but with a little twist. Not only does the developer question your PoKéMoN knowledge (for which you can google), but there are two active attributes - ‘confidence’ and ‘love’ - that your story choices attribute to.
There are branching stories, but the branches are in-scene and fairly short. The game does call-back to earlier choices which is a nice feature, giving you the idea of a continuous story. In terms of replayability, the game does have multiple endings - so you'll have to play at least three times (or load saves) to have the full experience.
OVERALL
Marnie’s Moment is a fun ride, especially if you’re a PoKéMoN fan. The game could have been even more accessible if the developer had gone through the trouble of educating players to the context, but does focus on it’s core group by keeping the explanation light.
Play this if you like a nice story and don’t care about NSFW content. There hardly is any in it, and while it is good, it’s not worth running through hours of content for if you don’t care about the story. If you do care, this game will set you up nicely for a timely adventure.
Feel free to add a +1 to the score if you're a PoKéMoN fan.
Rating: 7/10
Developer: Writefuck
