Deluge: Sermon for the Dead

Here I will leave this cat, Friends who pass by can pet it and give it a thumbs up (i need steam points). 　　　 　　／＞　　フ 　　　 　　| 　_　 _ l 　 　　 　／` ミ＿xノ 　　 　 /　　　 　 | 　　　 /　 ヽ　　 ﾉ 　 　 │　　|　|　| 　／￣|　　 |　|　| 　| (￣ヽ＿_ヽ_)__) 　＼二つ

Another underrated jewel!

Got bored after 10 minutes. The game throws you into a slow, dull experience with little to keep your attention. The atmosphere tries to carry everything, but atmosphere alone isn't enough when the gameplay feels empty and repetitive. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen, but it never hooked me.

Deluge: Sermon for the Dead, developed by leaves and published by socah, is a narrative-heavy visual novel that places its full weight on atmosphere, character writing, and slow-building psychological tension rather than traditional gameplay systems. It situates players in a quiet, uneasy town where a series of disappearances begins to unravel something far more complex than a simple mystery. From the outset, the game signals that it is less interested in immediate thrills and more invested in creating a layered, introspective experience that gradually reveals its darker undertones. The story unfolds in a deliberately measured way, drawing players into a web of relationships, local politics, and personal struggles before exposing the deeper, more unsettling forces at work. What initially appears to be a grounded investigation evolves into something more ambiguous and disquieting, blending elements of conspiracy, existential dread, and hints of the supernatural. The narrative is not driven by spectacle but by accumulation—small details, conversations, and decisions slowly build a broader picture that becomes increasingly disturbing as the story progresses. This approach rewards pat…

"You're the same chick from Darling Duality." "No I'm not." "You dyed your hair blonde, changed your name, and wasted the dude who knows your true identity. You can't fool me." "I don't know what the hell you're talking about." The only reason I bothered with this franchise at all is because of the character who shares the same art assets as the antagonist in Darling Duality. Seeing as that game will probably never get fully released, I'm viewing this game as the sequel. Obviously, I still think every other character in this game is a complete loser who loves to babble about boring crap. All I wanted to do was go in, do Castoria's route, and get out. Turns out Castoria is doing pretty well these days. After wasting the fool from Darling Duality, she got into modelling, entered law school, changed her name to Marisa, and is now running for office. That's pretty good for a video game character who got isekai'ed into reality. But she doesn't have a good relationship with the other immigrant from her video game reality, Castor, who has assumed the identity of a senator's kid. And Castoria hasn't lost her edge. She's still willing to choke a fool out if that's what it takes. And …

I really don't recommend you read this VN, at least if you haven't played the first one. If you have, then I'd say I obligate you to this rather than recommend it. I think I would pay to unread this. get my 14 hours back. It's a far cry from what Threnody of Crashing Waves was with how the plot and stakes in the story just escalate, it's hard to describe. Like in Deluge #1, Ina's route is the grounded political-thriller and Rika's route is Shadow Over Innsmouth. Rika's route is way more Lovecraftian than in last time; and it sucks, do not trust Rika, I can't even bring myself to get her ending her ending is so ♥♥♥♥♥♥. What sucks even more is that I have to pay for Mei's route when she was one of the main girls the first time. Maybe if they made the DLC Naomi's story line where you join her investigations and save her, have both political-thriller and Lovecraft, it could be a saving grace but I wouldn't know a thing. 50-50 you like this VN or not