The River of Rebirth

Ohhhhhh... this was such a beautiful short story! Despite the option to have it end hopelessly(?) or hopefully(?), I'm left afterwards with this feeling that's like... a combination of warmth but also this lingering sadness. Perhaps because the two different endings are playing with my head a bit kldjfasdkfa Overall though, it just has this kind of... haunting... deep-rooted feeling to it that sticks to your soul afterwards, from not only the subject matter itself, but also the beautiful and ethereal way the VN is styled.

Opening it up was like immediately opening up a living storybook in a way. I really enjoyed the dual use of both NVL and ADV. The NVL at the opening really invoked the storybook feel, and then the transition to NVL when talking to Ambrose switch over to a more intimate feel while still retaining that poignant feel of the start. It was a really cool design idea and I thought it was executed really well. Particularly in how you used similar colors and text styles to connect the two formats.

Everything from the BG to the art style to the soft fuzzy feel to the haunting music really contributed so well to making the scene feel so dreamy!!! Which makes sense considering River what River is doing and how magical the act itself of bringing their husband back is. The music in particular really gave it an otherworldly vibe, along with the floating particles. Just all in all really excellent game design, everything just came together so well to create this ethereal snapshot between River and Ambrose.

The story was both heartbreaking but hopeful. I enjoyed how you let bits and pieces of what happened come out over the course of the conversation so the player can start to piece it all together. And through River's choices you can tilt the narrative towards acceptance or... pressure(?) in a way. In my first playthrough I got an(?) ending where Ambrose does come back (I'm not sure if there's multiple where he comes back or if there's only one where he does and in the rest he doesn't). And it was only by River not pressuring him. By not laying out their grief and guilt, that he'll be willing to. Though even then, despite it being a "good" outcome, it still leaves a sort of poignant tragedy to their relationship, giving that River is so much older than Ambrose now, meaning that they won't be able to grow old together. Which made me kind of sad to think about. Like sure, they get to live together again for a while, but then River will die first, leaving Ambrose to mourn for them and be forced to keep living longer without them. I suppose it's a bit similar to how River lived without Ambrose for 48 years... It just opens up so many questions and thoughts about "the right thing to do" and that there really is never any "right thing to do" because all decisions, good and bad, lead to consequences. I thought it was a really interesting way to look at a trope in a unique light, since bringing a loved one back to life is certainly not a new idea. But often if it does broach the idea of one person dying before the other it's because of immortality, like with vampires or something, rather than this where it's just that there's this age gap now, which feels a bit more rooted in a sense of reality (if bringing people back to life can even be considered reality LOL). Anyway, I just thought it was a fresh look at the idea and it left me with a lot of swirling questions and thoughts.

Then of course there's the option where Ambrose won't come back to life. If River pressures him. Makes it feel like it's his duty to come back and support them because they need him. And it's in these choices that you can see that River really has never lived for themself at all. That though they might have been the only one to survive in their family, a good part of them still died back then. And Ambrose coming back could never do anything to solve that. It's a bit more straightforward than the ending where Ambrose comes back, as it doesn't come with all those swirling conflicting thoughts. .....hmm I take that back, because it still does have some conflict -- being sad that Ambrose doesn't come back and grieving for River while at the same time being somewhat glad because River needs to learn to live for themself and only themself. YEAH OK. Though it perhaps didn't leave my thoughts as awhirl as with the other ending lakdjflask More just kind of a dull aching sadness for both of them...

SOB.

I haven't even gotten to the gender bits. I enjoyed how it was just something... there... that Ambrose just immediately accepted it. And though it's only brought up a bit in the parts about River's name, you can feel there's quite a lot else there swirling beneath the surface. And it makes you wonder how many of the choices that were made, the parts of the tragedy, and how much of River's life dedicated to bringing back Ambrose, was also in some way affected by River's own journey to discover and know themself better.

At any rate... I realize I'm now just rambling in vague paragraphs about my questions and thoughts about the game LOL So I'll wrap it up. But overall I just really enjoyed this! Not only a story that could leave my mind with so many thoughts and questions, but also something that could touch my heart in different ways, both sad but also hopeful. And just the whole package in general! With the beautiful art and soft, dreamy vibes. It all came together so well to tell this poignant little story and I really enjoyed it! I always know I'm going to come out of one of your games with my brain on fire with thoughts and my heart Affected lkajdfa and this was definitely no different! Just wonderful! 💕

I liked it, it was a neat exploration of how a scenario like this could go. 👌

I just feel so bad for River. Because no matter which ending you get, they still spent their entire life chasing the past that would never return. Even if they convince Ambrose to come back, the gap in age and life experience would make their relationship so much different from what it once was and I can't imagine River not being disappointed about it. And if they let him go, they still can't get back those years and only have so much more to live. It's bad no matter how you look at it. 😢 (I kinda liked the selfish ending though, 'cause it feels the most realistic. And why not push the misery to the end fklsdf;sk)

I'm also low-key not buying the argument about not reviving the son. I feel that if River truly cared about him, they'd try to resurrect them both, but it seems that they only care about their husband. And since there's gender stuff mixed in all of this, I'm thinking some sort of regret or apprehension might be at play here, too. (but that could just be a headcanon lol)

Oh, and nice sparkles ✨✨✨

The idea of bringing back a loved one from death is not an uncommon trope in fiction, and I think it draws on a common human fear - that you'll be left alone by the people you love. This concept is tackled in different ways in different stories - sometimes it's embraced, and sometimes it's challenged. "The River of Rebirth" aims to explore this concept in quite a nuanced way that I haven't really seen done before, by focusing not on the bereaved's journey towards bringing their loved one back to life, but on the moment when the loved one DOES come back to life.

I'll cover the technical aspects first! The background is beautifully rendered, with a painterly quality that lends to the "fairytale" atmosphere. Ambrose's sprite is also well-rendered, with a stylized yellow color that really makes him look otherworldly (and contrasts well with the cool tones of the background). The little floating particle effects really contribute to the magical feel as well, and the yellow borders also give the game a "storybook" quality. The "once upon a time" intro is lovely, immediately cementing you in a fairytale atmosphere, and I appreciated the switching between the NOVL mode and the ADV mode for narrative and dialogue heavy sections.

======SPOILERS BELOW=====

I think that it's easy to construe "bringing back your loved one from death" as a selfless act - after all, you want your loved one to be alive and happy. That would be much better for them than being dead, wouldn't it? So the construction of ROR is very clever - all those years ago, River lost both their husband AND their son. And, right from the start - Ambrose asks River: "Then why am I the one you are reviving?" This immediately cements their motivations not as purely selfless, but at least partially selfish (if they were selfless, they would bring back their son - with his entire life ahead of him) - they don't want to have the burden of supporting their child alone, without Ambrose's support, while grieving Ambrose themself. 

There are many stories that deal with someone trying to bring back their loved ones for years - even as they themselves age. However, ROR is the first story that I've seen (that I recall) that actually DEALS with the consequences of this decision. Almost 50 years have passed since Ambrose's death - River has lived a long time compared to Ambrose. They're convinced that they're still stuck in the same place they were when Ambrose died (unable to move past their grief - symbolized by the fact that they even named themself "River" after the thing that killed their husband and child), but at the same time - it's undeniable that River has changed (even changing their gender identity). At this point, Ambrose would be coming back to love almost a complete stranger - one who has lived a lifetime wtihout him. Moreover, River is old now, and even if Ambrose comes back to life, then they'll only have a short time together. If anything, Ambrose will be placed into the role of a caretaker - and after River's death, he'll have to grieve, just as they did. Ambrose even brings this up in one of the endings - whether River wants to doom him to the same fate that they suffered.

Overall the game is set up with two sets of "good endings" and two sets of "bad endings." The bad endings result when River tries to pressure Ambrose into coming back to life, whether he wants to or not - and it's fitting. Ending 4, while it didn't have as much going on as other endings, was also one of the saddest to me - after all this time spent grieving for Ambrose, River doesn't even know what they want anymore. And as a result, on the cusp of bringing Ambrose back to life - their efforts dissipate into smoke: 48 years wasted. 

My third favorite would be Ending 1, which is probably the ending that people would expect from this tale. Ambrose, recognizing the selflessness in River's pain, agrees to be brought back to life, and the two are reunited. However, despite its sweetness and the "happily ever after" - there's something melancholic in it too. After playing the other endings and digesting the consequences of this decision, you know that Ambrose will suffer, being brought back to life. It won't be an easy existence for him. Knowing that he decides to live and love River, knowing the inevitable pain of losing them - tugs at your heartstrings. And yet I found myself drawn to this idea as well - "it's better to love and have lost, than never to have loved at all."

My second favorite is Ending 2, which is the ending that I expected! Ambrose recognizes River's suffering but doesn't come back to life - instead, he encourages them to move on. I think it's the ending that's the most thematically meaningful. It's the only ending where, after all these years spent obsessing over their dead husband and child, River is finally able to let go of their grief and move on with their life. I loved the progression, where River resolves to live - to do all the things that Ambrose couldn't do so that they can tell him about it when they reunite. It's bittersweet knowing how elderly River is at this point, but it's empowering too - at any point, you can take control of your life. And Ambrose's encouragement throughout this ending is very touching - his selfless desire that River is happy and lives for themselves. 

And my favorite ending is Ending 3 - I completely didn't expect it! In this ending, River pressures Ambrose into coming back to life - not caring for his feelings, instead focusing entirely on their own grief and loneliness. And in the end, Ambrose leaves them alone, wallowing in their anger and sorrow. I really loved this take on the "bringing back a dead loved one" trope because of how fresh the concept was. How it really delves into the realities of obsessing over your loved one for years and years, wanting them to come back to assuage your own loneliness. Like I mentioned before, this is the ending where Ambrose acknowledges the suffering that River will inevitably bring upon him when they die before him. And reading through this ending really made it hit me - this act is selfish. River is lonely and grieving, and they want companionship at any cost - not caring about their child or about how Ambrose will feel. (Ending 2 is probably canon, but Ending 3 is canon in my heart. The execution was just too good.) 

Overall, this was a really thought-provoking exploration of a common media trope that dealt very well with its themes of life, death, and grief. It was well worth the wait!