In terms of music and graphics, well, the graphics probably aren’t going to win any awards (as the devs themselves note in a tongue in cheek manner). This game definitely puts me in mind of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, itself a deconstruction of the magical girl genre.

By the way, astute readers have probably noticed some obvious Sailor Moon references. They definitely fit certain stereotypes, but they also feel real.

I knew at least one Neptune in elementary school, I suspect most people will recognize the characters in this game. I appreciated “mean girl” Neptune’s brutal honesty and frustration with her peers when they just didn’t get it, and although I didn’t connect with “tomboy” Jupiter personality-wise, I resonated with some of the things left unsaid on her route. I instantly identified with “shy, shy” Venus, probably the nicest of the main cast, something of a doormat, and a reluctant drinker. I found the characters to be surprisingly relatable. Your choice of OTP can lead to one of three endings with a hidden “true” ending. Instead of choosing to follow individual characters, you choose pairs of characters, with one always being left out. The game has an interesting way of handling player choice.

We Know the Devil is a visual novel about queer kids at a Christian summer camp who are exiled to a isolated cabin where their mission is to defeat the devil. I suspect many of my fellow queer folks can relate. I was never sent to a Christian summer camp, but I’ve heard enough stories about being different in a repressive religious environment. Being a teenager at a Christian summer camp and feeling like you don’t fit in has to be Hell.

Stella glow orbs