At the bottom of an old ruin, a young girl named Mion awakens with no memory of how she arrived at this dreadful place. Guided by two fireflies, Mion must solve puzzles, outwit monsters, and avoid traps to escape the darkness!
In htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary, you will guide Mion's escape from her dark confines by controlling two fireflies—Lumen and Umbra. Direct Mion's movements as Lumen, and destroy obstacles as the shadowy Umbra. Untold mysteries await as you guide Mion to the surface, overcoming traps and puzzles along the way. But be warned—the shadows are never far, and they're always hungry...
Options are simply separate gauges for Background Music and SFX. You can make the game (almost) full-screen by clicking on the box in the top right corner.
Although this is a platformer, it is played entirely with the mouse.
I've already put almost 4 hours into the game, and have only cleared the first 2.5 stages, so I can see that this one will take me a while to finish.
Movement:
Click and hold (or drag) the bright firefly, Lumen, with the left mouse button to move Mion where you want her to go.
Also accompanying Mion is the purple firefly of shadows, Umbra. All movement on the screen will stop when you right-click to use Umbra. This will give you time to move the firefly to an interactable area (which will glow purple). Click on purple area to select, or just click anywhere to return to real time.
At first it seems like this is more of a puzzle game than a platformer, but the further you progress, the more apparent it becomes that this is truly a platfomer - a challenging one at that! You're going to need some skill with the mouse in order to complete the game. For instance, there is a sequence where you have to move Lumen through some tight areas without touching the walls, and you'll occasionally have to do so quickly! Luckily there are semi-frequent save points.
Puzzles:
This is where the puzzling comes in, and timing is important. Umbra can only move within darkness, so you have to switch to shadow mode at just the right moment, or you might not be able to get to the right part of the screen. Mion herself can hit buttons, move boxes, climb ladders, etc, but of course only Umbra can reach switches that are out of Mion's reach.
IMPORTANT: My only gripe, control-wise, is that it can be a bit touchy when you're trying to release boxes. When you are finished pushing/pulling one, move Lumen down to have Mion release it. The explanation comes up and disappears so quickly that it's easy to miss this tidbit!
Memories:
Scattered throughout the game are Memory Fragments, which look like glowing pink sprouts. These are not easy to find, and they will affect the ending of the game, so be sure to really look around! Luckily, there is a stage selection area on the main menu, and sprouts you've found (and those missing) will be indicated there.
Finding a fragment will throw you into a mini-game where Mion remembers tidbits from the past. These are uber-cute, but can be a little frustrating. Movement is the same (click and hold the mouse to make her move), and click on people/things to interact with them when you're near them.
Bosses:
What is a platformer without bosses? Rather than agility, these "fights" are dependent upon figuring out how to defeat your enemy, and getting it done without dying. Well, that sounds like a regular platformer, doesn't it? lol~ Be sure to remember your little friends' abilities, and that will help you get through.
This video is a spoiler-walkthrough for the 2nd chapter's boss, but it will give you an idea of what kind of controls and gameplay this has (and believe me, it was harder than it looks!):
Verdict:
Don't let the charming graphics fool you. The Firefly Diary is a challenging, and sometimes punishing, puzzle-platformer that will test your patience, yet still leave you wanting to play more. Multiple endings add to this desire, as do the 24 possible Steam-achievements. Recommended to those who are looking for something a little different than the norm, and fans of the platformer genre.
