By Eu
It’s been over a year since I’ve finished The House in Fata Morgana and I was super happy to finally play this fan disc.
The House in Fata Morgana A Requiem for Innocence
Requiem for Innocence is the main story in this game. It delves into Jacopo and Morgana’s past, focusing on their youth before everything goes downhill. I’m not sure what Requiem means so I googled it and this is what I got:
Requiem – an act or token of remembrance
The meaning makes sense because it is like remembering the characters’ younger days. The innocence, meaning the time where they are still not stained by the malice of the real world. The time when there should have been redemption and hope in their hearts.
Actually, I thought I have to replay the first game to understand The House in Fata Morgana A Requiem for Innocence. It’s been a while since I’ve last played the first game and there are some things that I’ve already forgotten. Thankfully Novectacle gives bits and pieces of the story to juggle my memory.
This episode is divided by parts – part I, Intermission, and part II.
Part I
The story starts with Jacopo trying to start a slave revolt against the tyrant Lord Barnier. He infiltrates the manor and convinces his fellow slaves to stand up against the Lord. Through some turn of events, he manages to get Gratien on his side who turns out to be a strong (physically) ally and friend.
Jacopo catches a glimpse of a tied-up girl during one of the Lord’s maniacal sabbath. During the revolt, he freed the girl and takes her with them down in the slums. He puts her under the care of his friend Maria, who works as a prostitute in a brothel. At first, the girl Morgana spits sermons about how blasphemous the place is and the prostitutes are sinners. She is even against Jacopo putting ointment on her wounds. As time passes by, Morgana starts mellowing down and somehow opening up to the people around her.
Boy, I forgot how painful Fata Morgana can be. The start where it shows how Lord Barnier treats Morgana is just painful to look at. But compared to the rest of story, this is nothing. This part brims with happiness. Everything looks well and hopeful. But knowing Fata, it won’t last long ww.
The final arc in the first game briefly touched Jacopo and Morgana’s relationship. Here, it shows what really happened between. One of the reasons I loved this part is because I finally learned where Jacopo is coming from, both on this timeline and in the third door of the first game. He didn’t start as a huge jackass with a forever furrowed expression. He used to be sweet and a lot sweeter when it comes to Morgana. It takes a lot of stubbornness to consistently treat her wounds while facing her hostility. Jacopo faces them all the same.
Meanwhile, the difference between the young Morgana and the Witch Morgana that I know is huge. Well, I never really noticed it until I played Assento Dele (one of the short stories included which I’ll talk about in another post) where I encountered the Witch again. Young Morgana, while already snarky at such a young age, is more mellow. Like how you would tease a friend. Meanwhile, I could almost taste the bitterness and malice in every word the Witch says, but Morgana shows a variety of emotions during this era.
In a way, Jacopo and Morgana are the same. For one, they both have difficulty expressing their feelings which results to their never-ending snarky comments with one another. Also, these two are great at keeping people at an arm’s length. But their personalities makes a great chemistry. These two are just adorable together! My favorite part is when Morgana had an emotional breakdown and Jacopo carried her to his house. It was a heartfelt moment accompanied by a melancholic song called Serie de Fragmento.
We get to see more of Maria as well. I hated her in the third door because you can easily tell that there is something fishy about her motives for getting close to the White Haired Girl. Plus, I thought she had a thing for Jacopo www. But here, she truly values her friends. Unlike Jacopo, Maria is okay with how things are as long as the people she cared for are all alive and well. She also makes it clear that she is not into romance and definitely not into her friend.
In addition to the cast we’ve already encountered in the first game, Requiem introduces Gratien and Ceren – two supporting characters who turn the tides for the protagonists. Gratien helps Jacopo in the revolt and becomes an indispensable ally especially when it comes to anything related to drinking and brawling. Ceren calls him Beefcake which makes sense since he is all muscles and has an act-first-think-never attitude. He also helps out in the revolution where they successfully ousted Lord Barnier.
Part I ends after the revolution and followed by an intermission.
What I never expected is for Ceren to have a background story and given a tiny spot in the limelight. But I guess that is important to establish Lord Barnier’s circumstances. The first game showed the importance of point of view and it is still applicable in this game. Lord Barnier’s ways aren’t right by all means and I don’t believe him. But I can’t say that his ways are not something I do not understand. But understanding and accepting are different. People will see and believe what’s in front of them, not what is happening behind.
In Part II, suffering kicks in.
Everything that happens here goes in one direction – downhill.
Jacopo starts his lordship. And like what they say, “with great power comes great responsibility.”
Lucky for Jacopo, he doesn’t grope at the ropes of politics alone. He has his consul, Odilon. Odilon may be a minor character but his impact is great. However, at first, part of me refused to believe him, afraid that he will betray Jacopo one way or another. Instead, he did the opposite. And his character shows how you can only really appreciate someone when they are already gone. I couldn’t believe I cried for him www.
After a series of events, Jacopo spirals down to the path of tyranny, almost similar to the good-old Lord Barnier. He becomes the Lord we knew in the first game. Around the same time, Morgana experiences another betrayal that results in what we’ve seen in the first game without Michel’s interference.
What is The House in Fata Morgana without any tragedies? The latter part of the story is something that we know too well after finishing the first game. But seeing it again in Jacopo’s point of view is fresh, poignant, and heartbreaking. He reminds me of the butterfly story featured in Kokuchou no Psychedelica.
In the story, there are two white butterflies that are always together. One day the white butterfly fell sick and soon passed away. Alone and grieving, the remaining white butterfly wanders aimlessly. As it wanders around, the butterfly heard of Psychedelica, the place where you can meet with the departed. Wanting to see the other butterfly again, the remaining one set out on a journey to find the place. The journey is tumultuous. The white butterfly almost crashes and burns in search of Psychedelica.
At last, when it finally finds the gates of Psychedelica, the white butterfly passed by a small body of water. There, a black-winged butterfly stared back at it. In search of the place, the then-white butterfly did everything it could until it’s once spotless wings turned dark. It wondered if the other butterfly will still recognize it despite the black wings. It wondered if everything it did is all for naught.
That story reminds me of Jacopo. He did everything, clawed his way up to the very top. But at what cost? And what has he become?
As pointed out in the Backstage, Requiem for Innocence is all about friendship and all the ways it could affect a person. This is a big contrast to the power of love portrayed in the first Fata Morgana. Requiem manages to explore the possible effects of your friends, the good and the bad.
In terms of gameplay, Requiem for Innocence is pretty much Fata Morgana without the doors. It is almost like a kinetic novel where you just read the entire thing. You don’t need to save much since there really isn’t a choice to make. Unless you count that tiny bit of choice you get at one point. I assure you, though, that it won’t make a difference whatever you choose. Just watch the characters reaction for fun.
Playing this game makes me ship Jacopo and Morgana. So much that I want to play Reincarnation (only in the Vita port) now. But! The good thing is the PSV port will be released in English next year so I could perhaps get a limited edition. And you PS4 Pro owners are lucky enough to get this in 4K. Imagine all those glorious Moyatarou art *O*.