Reach for the Stars Demo

Depression is a pretty serious issue in our modern society, especially if you take a look at the studies and see just what percentage of the population is affected. On the other hand, it’s still not regarded as a serious illness by many people, especially because there are no physical signs to go along with the feeling of dread, which means that it’s rather easy to fake.

Reach for the Stars is an interactive novel in which you get to find out more about depression and its effects on people, albeit in a much more colorful environment. The main attraction of the game is the fact that you can take the desired decisions and observe their effects on the story, which means that you can replay the experience multiple times and witness different events.

In essence, it all revolves around a girl by the name of Abby. She suffers from depression and decides to return to her hometown after a suicide attempt, where she meets a group of jolly girls. As it turns out, on the other hand, Abby is not the only one having problems in her life, since the other girls require assistance and emotional support as well.

The writing is very important in a visual novel, because it practically constitutes the bread and butter of the game. Thankfully, everything is more or less fine in this regard, at least if you do not have high expectations. Granted, the game is not designed for hardcore audiences anyway, so it’s only natural that the plot and the dialog are written to be understood by almost everyone.

As for the graphics, the artwork is very pleasant and colorful, especially when it comes to character design and the backgrounds. There are no animations to talk about, but the characters have multiple facial expressions they can alternate between. There a nice soundtrack playing in the background as well, even if the playlist is rather tiny.

When it’s all said and done, Reach for the Stars could certainly keep you engaged for a while if you are a fan of visual novels. You might actually learn something about depression and its effects on people. You can support the developers by contributing to their Kickstarter campaign.