A few hours later Misericord: Volume 1In a crime graphic novel set in a monastery in England in 1482, the nuns get into an argument over the slaughter of ducks for dinner.
That’s not exactly a logical argument — at least not for Flora, who’s just hanging out with her nun, Eustace. After Eustace has assured everyone that she doesn’t find it difficult to kill ducks – “To be honest, they’re not much of a foe for me” – Flora counters by asking, “How many ducks would it take to kill you ?” Do you think you would lose?” And although Misericorde
But it’s not a duck that was murdered. It is the convent’s liveliest freethinker, Sister Catherine, who has just been found dead. And for at least one of those characters, Catherine was no match them.
This haunting, and at times rather humorous, visual novel (as the duck-killing debate demonstrates) unfolds primarily from the perspective of the pious, naïve Hedwig, who begins… Misericorde
Unfortunately for Hedwig, her position at the convent means she’s the only person who definitely not Assassination of Sister Catherine. For this reason, Mother Superior drags her from the simple but quiet intimacy of her cell, forcing Hedwig to then secretly survey the few members of the convent to discover the identity of Catherine’s killer.
Misericorde is a visual novel in the strictest sense: there is no player choice, no branching dialogue; It’s about just clicking through and reading the story as it unfolds. So far, only the first volume of the game has been released on Steam, so the mystery is still unsolved. Still, it’s already topped my personal list of favorite games of the year for the depth of its characters and the twisted, sometimes even supernatural twists of its crime fiction.
It’s rare for an ensemble to see such a well-developed and characterized cast, especially in a crime thriller, a genre that often relies on trope and shorthand. When I first saw the black and white art where all the nuns were dressed in (apparently) identical robes, I worried about how I would be able to keep track of all the suspects. But I didn’t worry for long. Each nun has her own voice – and her own secrets, which are closely guarded from Mother Superior, Hedwig and the others.
Once I played that unforgettable opening salvo, Misericord: Volume 1I went straight to The Solo Developer’s Patreon and became a paid subscriber because I knew I wanted to play volume 2 as soon as it became available. Misericorde is available on Steam And itch.IO.