Amarantus - a superb visual novel that gives you revolutions within revolutions

A beautifully written and illustrated tale of young people trying to change their world, which comes alive on replay.

I seldom feel like completing a game's story twice, even when a single run only lasts 3-4 hours and I know I've left mountains of stones unturned, but Amarantus amply justifies starting afresh. It's not just that a second playthrough gives you the chance to know characters in different ways - seducing him rather than her, or perhaps both at once; alienating an old friend while forming an unnervingly close bond with somebody who, last time round, threatened to kill you if you let your ideals get the better of your empathy. Nor is starting again just about uncovering what's really going on with the wider plot, with multiple playthroughs introducing people and backstories that exist initially as shadows, dancing between the lines of the prose and in the delicacies of character performances.

Amarantus is a tale of political revolution, but revolution can also mean repetition, and repetition is crucial here, not just in terms of learning and "mastering" this glorious visual novel's small, rewarding assortment of choices so as to reach the Best Ending, but also in the growing resonance of recurring scenes that explore "recurrence" as a theme. Starting again isn't simply about learning what you missed, and making less-terrible decisions. It's about learning what it means to start again, though it's hard to say more without spoiling things.

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