''Animamundi: Dark Alchemist'' (アニマ・ムンディ終わりなき闇の舞踏 ''Anima Mundi: Owarinaki Yami no Butou'') is a Japanese

gothic horror Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

developed by

Karin Entertainment Karin may refer to: *Karin (given name), a feminine name Fiction * ''Karin'' (manga) or ''Chibi Vampire'', a Japanese media franchise *Karin Hanazono, title character of the manga and anime ''Kamichama Karin'' *Karin Kurosaki, a character in ''Bl ...

and distributed by

Hirameki International Hirameki International Group Inc. was an American company founded in March 2000 which specialized in translating visual novels from Japan and releasing them to the American market. It is named after the Japanese word for the noun "flash" or "insi ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Story

Many years have passed since Count Georik Zaberisk, once famed as the brilliant Royal Physician serving the King of Hardland, relinquished his title and moved to the country to care for his frail sister, Lillith. The King offers Georik a new position as doctor in the capital, to which he agrees. During his absence, the villagers suspect his sister of

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

and as a result, an angry mob storms the Zaberisk manor and Lillith is burned and beheaded. Devastated by this turn of events, Georik is overcome with grief until he discovers Lillith's severed head still lives. Once settled in the city, Georik turns to

alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...

, forbidden in the kingdom of Hardland, to restore his sister's body. Treading a dark, dangerous path, Georik's research may lead him to uncover horrific truths about the Kingdom, his colleagues, and himself.

Characters

; : : The protagonist. He makes a contract with the devil

Mephistopheles Mephistopheles (, ), also known as Mephisto, is a demon featured in German folklore. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust legend, and he has since appeared in other works as a stock character (see: Mephistopheles in t ...

in order to save his sister. A former royal physician and an aristocrat who must resort to the forbidden art of alchemy to restore his sister's body. ; : : Georik's sister. Before she was beheaded, she had an affinity for animals and collected

Gothic Lolita is a subculture from Japan that is highly influenced by Victorian clothing and styles from the Rococo period. A very distinctive property of Lolita fashion is the aesthetic of cuteness. This clothing subculture can be categorized into three ...

dresses. After her beheading, she's somehow survived. ; : : Hardland's greatest inventor and the Secretary of Science and Technology. As Lillith's fiancé, he is distraught upon hearing news of her death. He is a close friend of Georik. ; : : Another good friend of Georik; loyal and religious. He is the Captain of the Royal Guard. ; : : An alchemist with unsavory intentions who worships devils and yearns to contract with

, who has no interest in working with him. He became the royal physician after Georik quit the job. ; : : The Devil who forms a contract with Georik. ; : : A mysterious fortuneteller and spirit medium. He runs the Golden Goose shop which deals in magical tools and ingredients. He is also skilled in the art of exorcism. ; : : A broker who trades organs and stolen goods on the black market. He tends to pester Georik. He is also a member of The secret Hell-Fire Club.

Reception

''Animamundi'' did not attract much attention in the mainstream gaming press due to its limited distribution. The game was positively received among indie gaming websites focused primarily on visual novels, but many fans criticized the North American release for editing or omitting in-game graphics that featured gore or soft

yaoi ''Yaoi'' (; ja, やおい ), also known by the ''wasei-eigo'' construction and its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that features Homoeroticism, homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typi ...

. In response, Hirameki released limited copies of the Japanese official game book. Another source of criticism was a text error that would be activated by clicking a particular series of events in a specific order. In its review, GrrlGamer.com noted the "beautiful artwork, great musical score composed of symphony and chorus, ndsuperb voice acting," as well as the elaborate story line and dialogue. The review also complimented the English language adaptation, noting that "aside from a couple of minor typos here and there... Hirameki has truly done an outstanding professional job in this title." GamerGirlsUnite.com gave the novel an 85% rating, praised the voice acting with particular notice given to Yui Horie's performance as Lillith, and concluded that "... if you want to explore a new gaming genre, you're fond of reading stories and not afraid of getting into a gothic horror adventure, this is the game you need to experience. You won't regret it!

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Official page (Japanese)

Review at Gamer Girls Unite
2004 video games Fiction about alchemy Hirameki International games Role-playing video games Single-player video games Visual novels Windows games Windows-only games Yaoi video games