"...Everything would work out since we were still alive. Anything will work out if you're alive."
WARNING: Euphoria is an 18+ visual novel that contains a wide variety of disturbing content, including rape, torture, gore, and a wide variety of deranged fetish content. Please do not look into playing this game unless you are over 18 AND have a very strong stomach.
I have always considered myself a lover of horror, and a lover of media that explores incredibly dark and treacherous areas of the human existence. However, this is a game I initially never would have considered playing. I knew of its notoriety from small areas of the internet, and nothing more. However, a very positive review of it from a leftist trans woman's blog encouraged me to give it a shot, and I'm eternally grateful for that push.
Make no mistake, Euphoria has no shortage of deranged and disturbing content. However, what amazed me was how it makes use of its format and content to create a complex, developed, and incredibly meaningful story throughout all of its routes.
Euphoria has several parallels to feminist literature in its storyline, something other people have already explored better than I ever could. I was truly blown away by the intricate ways it uses character development the explore the pain of mental illness, womanhood, and abuse, and yet also explore a side of hope and light that makes the rest of the game worth it.
I have never seen a mentally ill character be humanized in quite the same way I saw in Keisuke. The developer of the game described it as "a game for sadists," but I would argue that it is a game for anyone who has ever felt alienated and ashamed because of their symptoms. The turmoil expressed through Keisuke of hiding apart of himself that he feels no one would ever accept him for, feeling nobody knows his true self, even hurting others in his symptoms, yet still experiencing forgiveness and love at the hands of other characters is something that spoke to me in a way I have never really felt from any other VN protagonist.
I found the character development in itself to be excellent. From the beginning the game very clearly lays out each character in a distinct manner, and then immediately subverts expectations with the first death. From there, every character is given a unique exploration of their flaws, strengths, trauma, and place in the story's underlying messages with every route. I can honestly say I didn't dislike a single character - even Nemu, whose route can be repetitive with her behavior, is eventually fleshed out in a way that I think does her a lot of justice.
As a queer trans girl with childhood trauma, I found a lot to connect to in this game. The brutality in which it explores suffering and misogyny, combined with the sheer sense of hope displayed in the good endings, spoke to me in a special way that I haven't felt from a lot of games. This game is doomed to be a niche title due to its content, but I think the creators knew that going in. They chose to create a story that could only be expressed through this medium, and that would only be enjoyed by a small audience.
I can confidently say I would never recommend this game to anyone, but I can also confidently say I love it, and that it holds a very special place in my heart.
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