#what is going on with mazm games

[ohowthemightyhavefallen]

I'm quite upset

Soon I just wanted to rant on here because I don't see any other discourse abt this-

I don't know if you've heard of Mazm games, but they're a company that's released some really impressive games based off of history and classic literature on Google Play and Steam.

Anyways, after Phantom of the Opera and (Thy Creature I think?) I hadn't seen any more new releases from them. Then Metamorphosis came out. I thought the art looked great at the time, but when I played the game, it was GOD AWFUL.

There's no game.

It's just a visual novel that gives you a false sense of choice. That's not to say that the other games like Jekyll and Hyde or POTO didn't have that either, but they brought more to the table. They had those little chibi missions where you could complete minigames and collect items- THAT WAS THE GAME ASPECT.

I didn't even get to find out if Kafka has that because you have to watch like 5 ads to get to the next chapter and there's no saves. Like what???

They introduced a new subscription system- which won't work if you giving your subscribers mediocre content, in my personal opinion.

Then they released Black Cat- same issue, they didn't even try with that one. They're releasing Romeo and Juliet next.

What worries me is the change of artstyle and the lack of passion and theming. That's what drew me to those games in the first place, and I'm sure that's what attracted others too. The original Mazm games took everything into account- music, font, the homescreens, the loading screens, inventory, pausing screens, you name it. Overall UI was great. But now, it's just a list of chapters in like Arial font with these new games.

AND THE ARTSTYLE OH GOD THE BEAUTIFUL ARTSTYLE

Now it's just slowly devolving into generic anime artstyle # 3

LIKE LOOK AT THIS

WHAT DID THEY DO

Like, I understand cutting back a bit, especially because these games are for a certain niche, and may not bring in a lot of money but this IS NOT IT

If they cut back on character design they could at least keep the chibi minigames so it would still be a game????

I hate this. I honestly hate this. They're alienating their target demographic- people who like classic literature and art, as well as puzzle games.

They really had something going, and this new direction is making me really sad.

Because I ADORE classic literature. POTO and Jekyll and Hyde were great games- I loved them because it was rare for me to come across content for books like that. Sure, they had their bugs, but you could tell that there was genuine thought and passion put into them. There's none of that in these new releases.

[whimsy-beetle]

Ok i think it s time i show tumblr my jekyll and hyde character designs.

Them!

Ok so, i was reading the book for the second time and Utterson's description comes up and, listen, I HAD A VISION. I absolutely love the "lean, long, dusty, dreary and yet somehow lovable" middle aged man description, you don't understand. This book is peak, you just don t get fire lines like "if he be mister Hyde, i shall be mister Seek" in contemporarty fiction anymore.

And, as much as i need a low budget victorian twink anime adaptation of the story, IT WOULD GO SO HARD as one of those obscure and very whimsical european animated films [those ones with an artstyle, if you know what i mean, very shape, and with lots of funky textures (maybe)]

So i took it upon myself to design the characters! I shall now yap about them.

Utterson is pretty straight foreward, he is indeed very lovable, can confirm. He is the reason i started making these designs.

Hyde was a hard one because, yes he's drscribed a lot in the book, but no one ever mentions any particular traits. Like, my bro, "deform, but with no nameable deformity" doesn't fucking help?? Instead i drew him in a slightly different art style (most notably, i gave him irises, yes, very evil trait indeed). Can't say i wasn't influenced by the MazM game with the hairstyle :3

Jekyl..uhhh..he's kinda just there i guess.

Oh oh and also, throughout this supposed movie i imagine you don't get to see Hyde's face until what happens in the last chapter (like, his face would be cast in shadow, or hidden by funky composition idk), also because no one in the book can describe him propperly, very ambiguous litte man.

Shitposts were due, as suggested by my friends:

I did not research vivtorian fashion for this, oh well.

[songspirits]

MazM phantom could’ve been so much more solid if MazM truly understood the relationship amongst the characters , seriously — removing the forehead kiss was like removing half the redemption for everyone involved in the story

i’m not sure — often, MazM’s story contradicted itself — and as much as i love extra plot points in stories some for the sake of the original text felt odd to me (for example, Melek - a woman who is kept captive by Erik for a decade and whos whole contribution to the plot is “wow this erik guy fucking sucks” and he does, but we seriously didnt need an added captive to know that lol)

i think that MazM was too focused on emphasizing how awful erik was to truly understand the point of the phantom of the opera and most notably why erik let christine go. It was because, well, for starters he truly believed raoul was a good man and christine was a good woman but also— letting them go is eriks redemption! The forehead kiss allows erik to see its not his face that doesnt make christine love him, but the atrocities hes done — that is what gives him acceptance and peace and he lets them go

In conclusion: I *loved* MazM’s work and i do like alot of the aspects in the relationships especially erik, raoul & christine’s dynamic, but i truly believe the visual novel was mostly for the lovers of the original book - and getting rid of the conclusion and full point of the book was well, disappointing.

(not to mention it really isn’t a ‘choice’ game— and theres no route to stay with erik since they made him basically unredeemable, daroga and raoul too)

[luneemeritus]

hey there

Guess today I'm looking for controversy... but ok. Here we go. I have a hot take to make and I know people will not understand what I'm saying so I just want to make things clear.

I love Daroga. I love The Persian, I love his character, he is my favorite next to Christine and Erik (Erik is just THE number 1 favorite), the fact that he's cut from most adaptations breaks my heart. I love Pharoga, I shipp Pharoga, and I won't stop shipping because it's one of my favorite shipp dynamics ever.

BUT.

He is not a saint. Okay? No one is. How can I say this uuuh. Erik is absolutely justified in feeling left behind by him. The Persian, aside from Christine and Erik himself, is the character with the most frequent remarks about Erik's appearance. The way he talks about Erik's disfigurement is ofensive, is not good. It's a bad thing. Know what I mean? Their relationship is complicated and they're both constantly being ass to each other, but honestly? If my long time buddy was constantly making terribly cruel comments about my appearance (knowing about the abuse that happened against "me" aka hypothetical me) and making little to no effort to actually helping me ('cause it's easier to just call out and disaprove), I would be bitter too.

What I'm saying is. Erik isn't the bad friend in this relationship. At least not the only one. He isn't the only person that needs to apologize. I love Erik despite his flaws, and I do the same with Daroga.

(by the way, I really like how the MazM version adapted their relationship. Specially because Daroga/Hatim is 100% the toxic one, he is even emotionally abusive towards Erik, constantly using his PTSD to abuse him, knowing the effect it gives on his mental health. And on the other hand, he clearly loves Erik, he cares for him so much, and most of the times he takes advantage of Erik's PTSD, he's trying to stop Erik from doing Erik Things™. But still, it isn't justified. And, it's also complex, their relationship in that game was complex and pretty well written, one of the most compelling aspects of that game for all its multiple flaws).

Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

*runs*

[shyshyaaaaaa]

Masterpost of Jekyll & Hyde Content!

Art, analyses, doodles, or just silly little memes about the MazM game, original Robert Louis Stevenson novel, and TGS webcomic probably eheheheh. I'm obsessed with this franchise hshshshshsh

August 19th, 2024 -- First little doodle. (Includes: Edward Hyde, Henry Jekyll; MazM vers.)

August 25th, 2024 -- Three silly doodles :3 (Includes: Old Woman, Edward Hyde, Richard Enfield, Little Girl (jpeg), Gabriel Utterson; MazM vers.)

August 26th, 2024 -- He's innocent! (Includes: Edward Hyde; MazM vers.)

August 26th, 2024 -- Me when (Includes: Henry Jekyll; MazM vers.) (Non-art)

August 28th, 2024 -- Jar. (Includes: Edward Hyde [normal sized], Edward Hyde [chibi]; MazM vers.)

August 29th, 2024 -- Rant (Art dilemma and doubt)

September 15th, 2024 — two more doodles !! (Includes: Edward Hyde, Gabriel Utterson, Henry Jekyll; MazM vers.)

September 16th, 2024 — shopping trip! (Includes: Edward Hyde; MazM vers.)

October 4th, 2024 — Anita Max Wynn (Includes: Henry Jekyll, Edward Hyde; Chibi vers; Mazm)

October 15th, 2024 -- What is lil bro on!!!! (Includes: Henry Jekyll; Chibi vers; Mazm)

October 15th, 2024 -- Go Edward Go away!! (Includes: Gabriel Utterson, Richard Enfield, Edward Hyde; Mazm)

November 1st, 2024 — Dr. Jekyll doodle !! (Includes: Henry Jekyll; Musical vers)

November 1st, 2024 — Mr. Hyde doodle !! (Includes: Edward Hyde; Musical vers)

November 3rd, 2024 — Fucked up evil creature experiences remorse (Includes: Cat Jekyll, Cat Hyde; Mazm)

November 3rd, 2024 — He’s right behind me, isn’t he?? (Includes: Edward Hyde, Little girl; Mazm)

November 8th, 2024 — tanyon in the nest (Includes: Robert Lanyon; TGS)

November 8th, 2024 — Jekyll and Hyde rant and ideas

November 8th, 2024 — Jekyll and Hyde design rough drafts (Includes: Henry Jekyll, Edward Hyde; my own designs)

November 9th, 2024 — first rough drafts of JnH (digital) (Includes: see above.)

November 10th, 2024 — ex-husbands 💔 (Includes [from left to right]: Edward Hyde, Gabriel Utterson, Henry Jekyll, Hastie Lanyon; Mazm; VERY minimalistic doodles.)

November 10th, 2024 — Bloodied cane. (Edward Hyde; Mazm)

November 12th, 2024 — Foolish Genius. (Includes: Henry Jekyll; Mazm)

Due to update!

[gwaaaaar]

MazM Metamorphosis thoughts

mazm look away im gonna be saying some shit.

SO. I haven't finished the game yet unlike hns which i speedran in 3 days oops. But im getting through it when i do remember.

For starters let's do some positives. I know I'll be getting... pretty negative soon, so I'll at least be nice at first.

Good art! This is one of the first MazM games which maha and crack haven't worked on. I MISS THEM!!! But the new artist, martin isn't half bad at all! I think their art is super charming. They have good shapes and expressions. Something really cool MazM did with the art style was having the metamorphosis episodes translate the irl characters into a sketchier art style to illustrate the fact that its a story. Its really creative and brings some uniqueness to it. The cg cards are in a goregous messy sketchy style thatnreally shows the turmoil in Kafkas heart I love it so much. So not lacking in that department.

Nowwww I don't know how much I can judge historical fiction/rpf. I always function under a basis of as long as its respectful (especially considering it's Kafka... poor dude went through a lot) that it's fine. So far I think its quite alright. The portrayal of emotional abuse is really chilling. Honestly scared the shit outta me... good writing. Ill come back later to this once I'm done.

Nowwwww for my negatives...

You can tell mazm lost half their employees . Adyu (the animator) left the team in janurary. They did all the chibi sprites and live 2d rigging in previous games so all the characters movements are bc of them. If they don't have an animator they can't do the chibi world things they did in previous games. People complained abt mazm games lack of gameplay before but this takes it to a new level. They made do with what they had in a visual novel format but I just don't think it's as engaging as what they had before. Especially considering the fact that we don't have diverging options. Lessa Checkmate is in a similar format but I recall they mentioned it had multiple endings and alternate forms of gameplay involving chess iirc. Which is a fair compromise. But here it just feels a bit empty without extra gameplay. Like. It's ridiculous seeing the Kafka sprite just lie in bed or have a desk in front of him thats like a wide piece of wood. Theyre not animated properly like the Hyde and Seek live 2d. Which is a damn shame! Martin did such a wonderful job on the art and it should have been brought to life by good animations.

I understand MazMs going through reforms and shit rn, but we had it good with jnh/poto/pechka that was PEAK. HNS/pechka was actually on top and while Thy Creature lacked in plot, everything else is really incredibly like the lore and worldbuilding and the characters. If MazM works on dracula, id rather it be a thy creature than a metamorphosis.

[mazm-imagines]

Can't go anon or else i won't be able to show the photo :<<

Anyway,, I was the one who sent in the Remy and detective request if you still remember!! Very cute, wanna hug them smm :33

It was actually supposed to be a sketch but I found a bit of energy left to add some color before I lost it and i wanna show it!! :DD

Just a shame that POTO is not very known —atleast from what I can see— as a game, so that means side characters like Remy and the detective don't have much content, but here!

AHHHHHH this is such beautiful fanart! THEYRE SO PRETTY!!! GRRRR BARK BARK BARL BARK MEOW MEOW MEOWWWWWW GRAHHHHHHHHHHH. Thank you very much for sharing!

In my opinion mazm poto isnt the best adaptation but it has a lot of heart to it. The union part is always my favorite its iconic. I really love this ver of remy too lowk kind of a remy x raoul shipper but u didnt hear that from me. In a good world we would be living luxuriously.

[the-smiling-grinner]

for the asks... mr hyde???

You have no idea how loud i screamed. My mum came out and yelled at me..

OKAY LES GO ->

Ima do this as a mix of all the versions of him (i will specify which one just to make it less confusing) but there are so many versions and i love them all too much to pick one

1. Faiv thing abt them (Book Hyde)

Prolly how hes described as such a small, scared little man in chapter 2

Like. If scary killer, why small and anti soical huh??

2. Least faiv thing abt them (Book Hyde)

Prolly how little scenes there are with him in it. Like move over jekyll let me see the baby (also the child trampling thing but come on. Bro had places to BE 💜/j)

3. Faiv line (The Glade Scientists Hyde)

This. Just this. The fake accent is so funny for what. Bro was DRUNK.

4. bOTP (The Glass Scientists Hyde)

Hyde and Rachel THE SILLIES FOREVER :33

5. OTP (MAZM Hyde)

Call me a freak but i rly like the Hyde x Utterson headcannon thing this games got goin on. Like the fics scratch my brain just right.

6. nOTP (1931/1941 Movie Hyde)

Hyde x Ivy. No. Just no. She was terrified of him 😭 leave the poor girl alone you stupid freak (ily)

7. Random headcanon (The Glass Scientists Hyde)

Tgs Hyde has sensory issues. Fight me hoe.

8. Unpopular opinion (1931 Movie Hyde)

I love 1931 movie Hyde okay. Idfc hes a freak and looks weird, hes still silly as fuck and I fw his vibe.

9. Song I associate with them (The Glass Scientists Hyde)

Harvey - By Alex G.

I just. Yeah. Im normal fuck off.

10. My faivorite Picture of them (The Glass Scientists Hyde)

Do I need to say any more LOOK AT HIM

[lauriab]

Welcome to the phandom!!! Here is the fullest list I could come up with of every phantom you could encounter out there and a snippet of their personality (except for adaptations I haven’t seen)

(No pressure to read the whole thing btw, if you just wanna know who the main boys are they re at the top :D)

Main phantoms (the ones you’ll see referenced most often):

Leroux!Erik or Lerik: original 1909 novel by Gaston Leroux. He’s the classic, creepy and misunderstood, he’s a commentary on society’s treatment of anyone outside of the norm. One of the most fucked up phantoms tbh. Refers to himself in the third person. But rly he’s just a funny little man :D

Lon Chaney Erik or Lerik: 1925 silent film. A really faithful adaptation except for the overly dramatic hollywood ending. Mostly the same as the book.

Merik or Musical!Erik: ALW musical phantom, usually based on Ramin karimloo s performance in the 25th anniversary recordings but other popular actors include Hugh Panaro, Micheal Crawford and more. A much more romantic and seductive phantom than the adaptations that came before.

Gerik: 2004 film adaptation of ALW s musical starring Gerard Butler. He’s buff, not that ugly, and a bit of a drama queen.

Cherik or Dance!Erik: 1990 miniseries starring charles dance, based on a musical by yeston and kopit (which I’m not putting as a separate Erik since they’re so similar). By all means the sweetest cinnamon roll phantom out there. He likes picnics, is a ginger and doesn’t pretend to be an angel to trick Christine. He must be protected at all costs.

Kerik or Kay!Erik: Novel by Susan Kay. It’s basically a published fanfic of a biography of the phantom s life. This Erik is very fandom based, he’s hot, troubled and ✨the main character✨ tm. This novel is very often used when referencing erik’s backstory in the phandom, also the reason “the persian” is often called Nadir Khan.

Winslow or Bird!Erik: 1974 film phantom of paradise. It’s a very funky musical comedy/horror adaptation set in a nightclub. The phantom wears a weird bird helmet/mask.

MazM Erik: 2018 MazM mobile game. He has long flowy hair, is really fucking creepy and insane (but still a sweety in my heart)

Jerik or Rat!Erik: 1998 film Il fantasma dell’opera. Ah the infamous rat phantom. Haven’t seen this version but all I know is Erik has a weird relationship with rats, he s not disfigured and is generally considered the weirdest one of the bunch.

Hana or Takarazuka!Erik or Erika: female version of the phantom from the Japanese production of the yeston and kopit musical by the all female theatre troupe takarazuka. Quite similar to Cherik, she’s a sweety, but also hilarious and scary and I love her.

Destler or Englund!Phantom: 1989 horror movie. He’s a classic slasher, played by non-other than Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger). The adaptation that introduced the last name Destler, which is generally accepted in the fandom as Erik’s last name.

Erique or ClaudeRains!Erik: 1943 film. Haven’t seen it but from what I ve heard: ✨composer gets splashed with acid and goes insane✨, also he has weird dad vibes maybe?

Niche phantoms:

Prof Petrie: 1962 horror film

Monster in Paris: 2011 animated film, the phantom is a giant flea lookin monster, i havent seen it but by all accounts it’s a really sweet film

Animated Erik: 1987 children’s film, terrible animation, very funny, so bad it’s kinda good

Staller phantom: 1991 musical starring david staller, good actor, terrible musical, the song perfect music slaps tho

Kenneth Hill phantom: 1976 musical (which predates ALW’s musical!!!). I’ve heard a couple songs from this musical, very cool tbh, plus the first instance of a black actor playing the phantom I believe?

Phantom of the mall (Eric): 1989 film. He’s a high schooler I think? Also like a jock?? He lifts weights??? Wtf is going on here????

Honorable mentions (I’ve seen these here and there but they re so incredibly niche):

1930 oswald and the lucky rabbit short, Korvin Phantom: 1983 film, There’s a few more niche video game adaptations such as a point and click game but frankly they re quite hard to find.

A lot of really cool artists have also made little phantom guides that can help recognize the different Eriks like this one! (By @bowlersandtophats I believe?):

can anyone explain the differences between each erik for me? like the names people use / his personalities? i’m a lil confused seeing people using different ones lol

[reiboom90]

Wait there's actually people that hate erik and think he is didnr deserve love? They probably didnt read the book if they think erik is this "villainy"

I really suggest to read the original novel first before looking at other adaptations because trust me it's more complex than you think it is. Also no melek is an original character that mazm created and did not exist in any other adaptations nor the original novel

[just-somehuman]

INTRODUCTION I'M POSTING TWO YEARS AFTER I STARTED THIS BLOG LMAO ✨

Silly Wanderer header lol

A little about me ~☆

Names I go by: Nemo, Lune or my username on any social platform you find me on (there's a lot) 🕺

Secret rp blog I barely ever use shhh: @the-embodiment-of-everything

Faith: Christianity. Denomination: Protestant.

Interests: music, composition, writing, reading, gaming, physics, biology (esp. medicine, marine biology, neuroscience, biotechnology and biophysics), chemistry, astro-related sciences (astronomy, astrophysics, astrobiology, cosmology, etc.), mathematics, computer science and robotics, philosophy and theology.

Instruments I play: piano (12 years), recorder (8 years), saxophone (3 years). The hand drum was my first instrument (12 years ago) but I stopped playing it after I started the piano 😭

Fanfictions: I write mainly angst, but I also have some psychological thrillers and gory pieces tucked away somewhere (I've never got around to finishing them lol). Almost always romantic, but I'd be happy to write platonic and/or familial! I don't write explicit NSFW content or smut.

_________________________________________

Fandoms I'm actively in ~☆

Games:

- Obey Me!

- Obey Me! Nightbringer

- Ayakashi: Romance Reborn

- Genshin Impact

- Honkai Star Rail

- Starry Love

- Tamashi: Rise of Yokai

- Legend of the Phoenix

- Otome Chat Connection

- MazM: Phantom of the Opera

- My Child Lebensborn

- Mysterious Forum and Seven Rumours

- Love Island: The Game

- Big Brother: The Game

- Matsuro Palette

- Guilty Parade

- Project Sekai

- Life Gallery

- Cat Museum

- Fran Bow

- Iron Lung

- Mr Hopp's Playhouse

- No Players Online

- Sentient

- I also play Roblox btw 💀

- Royale High

- Adopt Me! (I'm too old for this game 😭)

- All Over Me

- Jim's Computer

Animes:

- Attack on Titan

- Himouto! Umaru-Chan

- Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto

- One Punch Man

- Junji Ito Collection

- School Babysitters

- Theater of Darkness: Yamishibai

- The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.

- Parasite: The Maxim

- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

- Kagewani

- Jujutsu Kaisen 0

- Orenchi no Furo Jijou

- I'm currently watching many, but these are all the ones I've finished.

Web series:

- The Walten Files

- Vita Carnis

- Interface

- Mandela Catalogue/Magazine

- Ashur Gharavi

- brandon works

Other:

- Hallo Aus Berlin ❤

- EKT

- EPIC: The Musical

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Fandoms I'm not actively in ~☆

- Ikemen Vampire

- AFTERL!FE: The Sacred Kaleidoscope

- Midnight Cinderella

- Dangerous Fellows

- Mystic Messenger

- LoveUnholyc (dunno how to spell it 💀)

- Tears of Themis

- Vocaloid

- FNF

_________________________________________

Fandoms I'm interested in ~☆

- Twisted Wonderland

- Sally Face

- FNAF

- Omori

- The Backrooms

- Little Misfortune

- Little Nightmares

- Danganronpa

- Undertale

- Devil May Cry

- Final Fantasy

- Resident Evil

- my eyes deceive

_________________________________________

Content I post here ~☆

It's mainly Obey Me! and AyakashiRR, occasionally Genshin Impact or something else. I used to post a lot of AOT, I might get back into that. Anyways, what you can expect to find is:

- In game screenshots and my two cents 💀

- Memes/fake tweets

- Headcannons

- Fanfictions (mainly angst. I don't do NSFW)

- Theories. I theorise and over-analyse a lot 💀

- My rambling and ranting about random stuff 🤡

- SLANDER 💃

- Sometimes there's just completely random stuff that is completely out of place but whatever

_________________________________________

Other stuff I'm interested in ~☆

- Urban legends

- Paranormal stuff

- Internet mysteries

- True crime

- So you know Nexpo, Snarled's "Something Scary" volumes, Leminio, and the Infographics Show's serial killer videos? Yeah, that. All of that.

_________________________________________

This is just a summary of stuff. I've probably missed a lot since I'm focusing on not burning the brownies I have in the oven right now (it's my first time baking 💀) and I just wrote off the top of my head.

ANYWAYS, WELCOME TO MY BLOG. IF I WERE TO DESCRIBE IT IN A WORD, IT WOULD BE "CHAOTIC". OKAY BYE.

[maleyanderecafe]

Hey there was a mobile game I wanted to recommend you check out! It’s called MazM: The Phantom of the Opera. Obviously the phantom himself is a well-known character and prime example of a yandere, and this version’s Raoul also takes on that trait a little (although it’s mostly because Christine is in a life or death situation and this he’s protective over her), he’s very sweet and doesn’t wait a moment to shower her with praise. Anyway it’s a pretty faithful retelling of the original book and was extra fun for me as a yandere-lover as you play as Christine caught in between the yandere and the actual boyfriend. I think it’s coming to the switch soon as well if you want to wait for that.

...Are you sure that Raoul just takes on this trait a bit...?

Joking aside, sorry it took me so long to answer this ask. I was originally going to watch a walkthrough on youtube, but then I realized that you said it would be on switch and since I just got my switch emulator, I ended up playing with a friend. I will say that there is a lot for me to say about this game, so this will be a long read.

First things first, I'll admit that I've never actually read or watched the Phantom of the Opera before, so I genuinely have no idea what happens in the story. This is where my friend who I was streaming for comes in because she has read the story so she helped fill me in on what happens (she's also making a yandere vn in the future which I will be spamming the heck out of because yandere vn). I think from what she told me, most of the story is relatively accurate, though some parts are changed for one reason or another (for instance, The Persian has a name in this game, but in the original, he doesn't), which has some pros and cons for some characters. Overall though, the story was pretty good for a first timer like me since it really let me experience what the Phantom of the Opera is truly about. I think the creator Mazm did a good job for historical detail, which makes sense considering their platform is about creating games that reinterpret famous stories (they've also done one for Wizard of Oz and Jekyll and Hyde which I sort of want to play), and there are a lot of different notes the player can collect in the game that give more historical insight into what is going on.

The story for the most part is pretty linear. There are some choices you can choose, but except for two, they don't really affect the story. For the most part, the game plays as a visual novel, though you do have to walk around to talk or interact with things to proceed the story. There are cats and notes that lie around the game too, with the notes giving more historical insight and the cats being used as hints in case you don't know where to go. The story is about a detective trying to find out the truth of the Phantom of the Opera at a request of a client whos husband was a victim of him, but most of the story is played through a flashback.

There are also small minigames as well that aren't too difficult, though I honestly felt like some of the minigames got to be tedious at times, specifically the one minigame where you have to press the order of the mirror combo which I found really annoying because besides the fact that I'm bad at those games, you had to do it every time you wanted to enter under the Opera house, which was just... ugh. The game itself seems much more optimized for mobile than it was for switch considering how slow the characters move (and its really slow walking to different places sometimes) as well as the fact that it takes forever to load between different scenes and there's no touch screen option for switch (that I know of). Plus the buttons for moving and pressing hints were annoying to deal with (though this could just be because I'm using an emulator). I also kept getting confused when I was playing, since sometimes I would walk around the entire opera house trying to figure out what to do next, only to learn that I was suppose to talk to someone that was literally five steps from where I spawned. The last thing I found annoying was the fact that there's no option to skip dialogue which is really annoying when I wanted to replay a specific part of the story to take some screenshots. If you play this game, it's probably better to play it on mobile than on switch.

In terms of artwork, Mazm's Phantom of the Opera is really gorgeous, from the overworld sprites to the dialogue sprites to the background and CGs. I love how cute the overworld sprites are (I think Jammes and Raoul's are my favorite, they're both so cute) and every background is really nice to walk through and gives a good atmosphere of what it's trying to show. The character sprites for each characters are nice and varied. I can always appreciate characters that have recognizable faces and shapes, since a lot of times I have face blindness when it comes to characters that look way too similar. The CGs of course are super well done and I love all of them. Overall, the artstyle of this game is very solid and I love the way it looks.

The main character of the story was Christine, who looks really good ( I really love her hair), was for the most part alright initially. While I found her to be a bit naive (because she believed that there was an actual Angel of Music when it was just... the Phantom), she was for the most part alright, and even ended up saving another character from the phantom. However, I found her actions annoying after she met the phantom, specifically the part where she agreed to stay underground with the phantom for two days and would be released as long as she didn't touch his mask, and guess what. Right as she was literally about to leave, SHE TAKES OFF HIS MASK, AND FOR WHAT? YOU WERE JUST ABOUT TO LEAVE?? The other thing that bothered me was the after being trapped with the Phantom for about a month, she is given free reign to go back above ground, under the conditions that she only goes to the opera house and at home. During this time, she's expected to break it off with Raoul, so she fakes a honeymoon with him before he leaves for the artic. However, during this time, she doesn't tell anyone, not even Raoul about what the Phantom is up to. She has an entire month, an ENTIRE MONTH to tell someone that the Phantom is likely to hurt people (as previously he had dropped a chandelier on top of the audience) and she just... didn't. Understandably, she might have been afraid that the Phantom might have heard her, but still, what is he going to do to the possible 100 people that Christine could have told about him. She could have saved people from death if something like that were to happen. Near the end, she does get proper character development and learns to choose things for her sake and not others, which was pretty nice and does stand up to the Phantom after all the trauma (and doesn't get stockholm sydrome, thank goodness), but I still think that a lot of her actions could have probably been written better to make her less naive (since apparently in the original she was about 16ish while in this remake she's about 20 so it's less awkward between her and the phantom).

Raoul is the next character I'll be talking about, because even though he is very adorable, he also has one braincell and talks about Christine way too much. My friend and I actually decided to make a counter on how many times Erik and Raoul say "Christine." Erik says Christines name 128 times and Raoul... says it 340 times. This isn't even counting his introduction and only starts up to when Erik is introduced as a formal character and also doesn't count any time he says it in the overworld. 340! My friend kept on joking around that because Raoul says Christine so much, his brother Phillipe became an alcoholic because he's so tired of Raoul talking about Christine. Raoul only really has like three things going for him: the fact that he was in the military, the fact that he's part of the Chagny household and Christine, and that's it. Throughout the story, his goals are pretty much always related to Christine, whether it be to give gifts to Christine, being worried about her or trying to protect Christine from the Phantom. When the chandelier drops on half the crowd during one of the performances, instead of being worried for them or trying to get out of the Opera House, he instead looks for Christine, who is on stage and quite literally in the safest location within the theater. I would consider him a redeemed/protective yandere though, considering his priority is always Christine (he even gives up his own family name to be with her) and he's always trying to protect her. There's a part of the story where Raoul becomes really unhinged when it comes to protecting Christine, lashing out her her friends and other members of the Opera house. He does some really dumb stuff because of the Phantom, specifically throwing away Christine's ring that she got from the Phantom (that she also literally told him before that as long as she's wearing the ring she wouldn't be harmed by the phantom and he just...?? okay??). When he's tortured in the mirror room, he hallucinates Christine blaming him for her capture, and he even cries while hallucinating that Christine friendzones him (which I though was actually really funny, even if it was a tad bit stupid). His redemption comes near the end of the story where he apologizes for being so emotional and realizing that he was a bit of an obsessive beast, and in one ending he lets Christine go to travel the world. To be honest, I don't know if Raoul would continue to be as protective and obsessed with her even after the Phantom's death, but I guess there's not really any way to know.

The Phantom, or Erik (which I know is his cannon name but it makes me laugh because he really doesn't look like an Erik) is the main villain of the story. Unfortunately, in this version, I don't think I can call him a yandere, for one simple character: Melek. Melek, as far as I know isn't in the original story, is a prisoner that Erik has after she refused to marry her. As a character, I do actually like Melek since she's the one of the more sensible characters in the story and she's the more rational one between her and Christine, but her role in the story basically deconfirms Erik as a yandere, at least in this version. For one, Melek is a blind maid of Erik that he did fall in love with and trap, similar to how Christine was, which kind of comes off as Erik being the kind of person who would trap any girl that he likes. Even if this is the case, I don't understand why Erik would keep her alive even after she fell for Christine. Supposedly the reason is that Erik wanted to make Christine feel despair and he did attempt to kill her, but Melek survives and he just... doesn't do anything with her. Honestly, if Melek were straight up not in the story, I would have put him as a yandere because pretty much all of his other actions point to a more possessive/worship type of yandere, but because of Melek it's just not possible in my eyes. Besides that Erik sort of reminds me of a chunni in this version (he's like this absolute darkness is my curse! Like people with 7th grade syndrom seem to have), it was kind of hard for me to take him seriously in certain times. He is very intimidating when he threatens Christine, but his overdramatic nature (which I know is something he's always known for, just this version is uh...) really makes him seem like a child. Erik is for sure suppose to be more antagonistic in this version, considering the addition of Melek and his general actions of possession towards Christine and his disdain for Raoul, but near the end we do see more of his story and we see just how devastating his life is from the moment of birth. I did feel really bad for him when Hatim/The Persian keeps on mentioning the prince he used to work with because its really obvious that he still has trauma from it (and he keeps begging him to not talk about his past and the Persian just... keeps traumatizing him I guess) and the fact that he was treated so badly because of his appearance, but this doesn't excuse his actions in the story. Christine does try to sympathize with him using her own tragic backstory, which Erik kind of pushes away (like bro, we're not trying to see whose parents are worse, she's just trying to sympathize with you, dang) as not being tragic. I think that Mazm did present him pretty well in this story, not showing just his antagonistic side but also his more tragic side. Sadly, like I said, I can't consider him a yandere because of the addition of Melek, at least not in this version.

In terms of other characters, I really like the trio of Meg Giry, Sorelli and Jammes- the friends of Christine. From what I can tell, they're all a bit more aged up in this version, with Sorelli being the oldest and Jammes being the youngest and I feel like they gave more character to them than in the original version. Sorelli is the head of the dancers and the dating partner of Phillip de Chagny, Raoul's older brother and she's the mature and strong willed one of the group, wielding a blade that she uses to protect her friends. I like the fact that they made her a bit more protective and in one of the overworld sprites its mentioned via rumor that Phillip fell in love with her after he saw Sorelli swing her dagger, which I thought was pretty cute. At the end though, after Phillips death, she realizes that she was struggling too hard to climb up the social ladder and decides to forge her own path. In the beginning she attempts to protect her and her friends from the Phantom, declaring that she'll stab him if she sees him. Next is Meg Giry, and from what my friend told me, she was very young in the original books and kind of scardy cat. In this version, she's a bit older but maintains the scardy cat position, and is very terrified of the Phantom. She does gain more character development during the story, standing up to her mother and the managers and overall being a more assertive and confident person, which I thought was a nice touch. Last but certainly not least is my best girl Jammes. In the original story, she barely makes an appearance, but in Mazm they made her quite literally the best character. For one, the canonical reason why there are so many cats hanging out in the opera house is that Jammes keeps on feeding them and letting them in and she has named all of them after the Opera House staff. Jammes loves to spin and has a cute animation and while she can be loud and a bit strange sometimes, she can be smart and assertive when she needs to. Jammes always pushes the other three into being better and protects them when needed (for instance, when Phillip lashes out at Sorelli, she steps in and demands that he apologize for his actions) and can be really smart at times (she's the only character that attempts to at least cover her mouth when the Phantom's fragrance, a hallucinogenic gas, starts to fill up the box seat, despite others who have been in there not even trying) and is the one who stands up for Christine's abuse as well as for the dancers at the opera house being treated unfairly by the manager as she organizes a strike against them. She also becomes part of the women's suffrage after the events of the story. I could go on and on about Jammes, but instead I'll leave a cute picture of her at the end of this entire analysis. Besides those three, I did like Carlotta, the original singing lead of the opera house. Originally, she became an antagonist towards Christine after she became the lead singer, however, she did apologize to her afterwards and befriended her once more before traveling the world. I love her interactions with Raoul because she basically said that Raoul only has Christine and military training and when he gets angry and lashes out, Carlotta glares and him, causing him to cower (this actually does happen multiple times), and I just found that really, really funny. Mifoid, though useless in the story is actually pretty cute as well, I love his bouncing animation. The last character I'll talk about is Phillip because he became meme material for me and my friend considering he probably is so tired of Raoul talking about Christine (we joked that the reason he was sent to military was so that he didn't have to hear her name again) and while he is mostly a decent but strict character in the story, his last appearance really makes him out as a jerk. I did think it was kind of weird that Phillip was so willing to let Raoul go to the Artic mission considering nobody that has gone there has ever returned, and he was rather elitest towards him, not letting him marry Christine because she's of lower

class but during his last chapter before he dies, he goes on a frenzy after he and Raoul have a fight, revealing to Sorelli that he only dated her for fun and not to actually settle down with her, which is just horrible. It's a bit sad though that Raoul only saw him as someone who tried to get rid of him considering that Phillip did raise Raoul and that his last actions were an attempt to save Phillip from the phantom, and yet Raoul barely has a reaction after seeing his body and doesn't even go to his funeral. It's really sad that Raoul didn't even really cry after seeing Phillip's body, considering that he was basically his father figure.

Overall, it's a good game to play and a good retelling of the Phantom of the Opera. I wouldn't consider the Phantom to be a yandere in this game, but I do think that Raoul is one. Thank you for this recommendation!

[actualhumanyes]

I posted 1,682 times in 2022

That's 1,378 more posts than 2021!

54 posts created (3%)

1,628 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@corvuscoronecornix

@a-small-batch-of-dragons

@tooaceforthisspace

@the-dragon-invasion-is-near

@svenskjavel

I tagged 198 of my posts in 2022

#kaos i alvik - 14 posts

#skeleton war - 11 posts

#wizards - 9 posts

#pride - 8 posts

#lgbt - 7 posts

#lgbtqia+ - 6 posts

#art - 6 posts

#bird art - 6 posts

#lgbtq - 6 posts

#anyways - 5 posts

Longest Tag: 128 characters

#i should bot be allowed internet communication anymore this is so incomprehensible and weird and i just want to go back to sleep

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

has anyone seen around the world in eighty days with david tennant? it’s so good i think i might cry a bit please everybody go watch it

also no spoilers i’m not done yet

13 notes - Posted May 25, 2022

#4

why is hayloft the nonbinary theme song? dont get me wrong, the song slaps, but im just so hay-lost

16 notes - Posted January 28, 2022

#3

[id: An image taken from the Mazm Jekyll and Hyde game showing two characters in a dimly lit room. The dialogue bar reads ”I can swear with my hand on the bible.” Another text box beneath it, this one from snapchat, comments ”Good for you”. End id]

damn past me, no need to be so salty???

59 notes - Posted June 20, 2022

#2

dr henry jekyll creating an entirely new identity just to be gay and do crime

thats some quality 19th century writing right there

87 notes - Posted April 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

yes im aroace and swedish and worried what about it

177 notes - Posted April 18, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[spider-xan]

I got up to the end of what would be Chapter 5 in the novella for the MazM Jekyll and Hyde visual novel before running out of in-game silver for the day, and I used the in-game gold to play the Lanyon visit part of Chapter 2, though I feel like for the experience of playing through the novella, that one should have been part of the main timeline instead of a supplementary side story bc it felt weird to skip it and have to return later to play it, plus it seems important to introduce him before shit implodes tbh

Also, putting the rest of this behind a cut for major book spoilers we haven't gotten to in Jekyll and Hyde Weekly yet.

I love how the game really gets Jekyll being shady, selfish, and obsessed with social respectability right, even if it's a little heavy-handed, but that moment where he gets all dramatic about the most important thing about the Carew murder and aftermath, and when he finally reveals what he means to Utterson, you think it might be some kind of real moral remorse about the pain and suffering Hyde caused, but it's him losing his shit about how his reputation is going to be tarnished if his name comes up in a trial, and it's like, good set up and foreshadowing for the various reveals later.

[strangestcase]

🎥 and ✨ for the hyperfixation ask game?

🎥 do you have any favorite scenes from your hyperfixation?

OK so depending on the adaptation some scenes go rawer than others. Anyway.

from the original book- 1) the scene with Utterson and Hyde at the laboratory back door. it’s Hyde’s “actual” introduction and after a good bunch of pages of building tension, it’s SATISFYING to finally get to interact with him. 2) the REVEAL. It’s dramatic it’s petty it’s scary. 3) WHEN JEKYLL WAKES UP AND HES TRANSFORMED IN HIS SLEEP. MOMENT OF ALL TIME. any transformation scene really, I am a sucker for body horror. from adaptations- Hyde’s introduction in the LXG movie, also Jekyll and Hyde’s entire argument in the LXG movie, “LEAVE ME ALONE *explodes into an aberration of flesh*” from the LXG comics, “I don’t want you to forgive me, I want you to listen and help me” from the Jean Renoir adaptation and everything that came after that too, “has [Jekyll] never had you lobotomized?” “I don’t know, all that know is that… it hurts” Also from the Jean Renoir adaptation (THAT WAS SO HOMOEROTIC AND FOR WHAT?), Jackson Jekyll outing himself as a monster kid in Ghouls Rule because he is autistic as FUCK and he has sensory issues 😔 and also can’t resist making godawful Hyde puns, and that part in the MazM visual novel when Hyde is monologuing and starts crying because he believes he’s failed as a scientist since all the potion does is change his appearance and little more

✨ what draws you towards your hyperfixation? what is interesting about it?

MAN. it’s the dramatic irony. trying to protect someone from a threat and realizing you never could have. that they are THE threat. the layers man the LAYERS. the horror of discovering someone you trusted was a monster, all along, right under your nose. the gender of mad scientists… the pain of trying to save someone you can’t save. the pain of knowing you’ve gone off the deep end. and oh god the guilt! it’s all your fault! it couldn’t have been any other way! DO YOU WANT TO BE A MONSTER OR NOT? Too late, you already are! And the loss of identity! the queer themes! Don’t get me started on the queer themes JEKYLL IS GAY AND TRANS I JUST KNOW IT. the mystery! the absolute punch in the gut that is learning two characters so different are one in the same! PSYCHOLOGY!! the Jungian archetypes!!!!! i swear to god Jung totally copied Jekyll’s theories I SWEAR- and!!! the message! The morals! the point that humans are inherently complex and flawed and that good and evil are but labels! body horror! MIRROR IMAGERY! HAND IMAGERY! UNETHICAL SCIENCE! TRANSFORMATION HORROR! DUALITY OF MAN! SHAPESHIFTING! TRANSGENDERISM! AUTISM! A MAN WITH A POTATO FOR A MORAL COMPASS! this book has it all.

[shyshyaaaaaa]

(Nonsense rant ahead)

Internally punching myself because I can never draw characters right in the first go because of my odd art style so now im left posting art that I like at first but then realize it isn’t exactly canon and start getting mad at myself for it.

Art style dilemmas :3

But seriously, it sucks. Feeling bad about art you want to be proud of sucks, and it just makes you feel less confident to post and show it to the world. And that never feels good. It’s part of the reason I’m dedicating myself to relearning how to draw the falsettos characters! And im trying to get out of that feeling, but it isn’t easy. Especially when I love the thing im drawing for; like Jekyll and Hyde, which I’ve recently got into. I try to draw the characters (the MazM designs), but I always feel like it isn’t recognizable or good enough. Especially with Hyde! His hair in the game is actually rather different than how I draw it a lot of the time, at least to my critical eye. See here:

And I beat myself up about the little differences, but then I post it and it gets a bunch of love and reception! So it’s like, mixed signals that are all my fault.

Maybe I just should stop being so critical, but it’s difficult. I’m sure a lot of artists, especially those who make fanart, can relate. It just is a feeling that gnaws at you and makes you wanna stop drawing all together.

What am I getting at? I suppose im just explaining what I’ve been feeling. Maybe someone will understand my ramblings and relate. If you’re out there, know im right there with you in that dilemma. You got this!!! (Something I need to start telling MYSELF.)