The main selling point of Gnosia is the absolutely gorgeous art by Cotori. The game is a visual treat from beginning to end.

As an actual game, it works, but not spectacularly well. You'll play somewhere around 150 somewhat short rounds of gameplay trying to find the Gnosia hidden among the crew or working with other Gnosia and to take down the crew yourself. There are a few other wrinkles to add complexity but they aren't terribly important. As you go through these rounds, repeating the same loop over and over again, you'll gather information about all of the characters and finally solve the underlying mystery.

This hunt for secrets is what makes the game actually compelling to play- especially once you level up your abilities to the point that you're almost invincible and you can lead the debates whatever way you wish. The game does some things behind the scenes to point you in the right direction but whether a round of gameplay will yield anything new or not is kind of a toss up.

Raging Loop was a much more interesting way to tell a story like this because it was fully scripted without any of those random elements. Because this one is randomized, you'll hear the other characters repeat the same lines in their debates over and over again and seeing the same general outcomes over and over does get a little tiring.

I still found myself getting attached to some of the characters and there are some legitimately emotional scenes. But I can't help but think that this could have been a legendary game with a different approach.

I still have a soft spot for it and I recommend it for anyone looking to enjoy the beautiful visuals and spend time with this crazy cast of characters.

The main selling point of Gnosia is the absolutely gorgeous art by Cotori. The game is a visual treat from beginning to end. As an actual game, it works, but not spectacularly well. You'll play somewhere around 150 somewhat short rounds of gameplay trying to find the Gnosia hidden among the crew or working with other Gnosia and to take down the crew yourself. There are a few other wrinkles to add complexity but they aren't terribly important. As you go through these rounds, repeating the same loop over and over again, you'll gather information about all of the characters and finally solve the underlying mystery. This hunt for secrets is what makes the game actually compelling to play- especially once you level up your abilities to the point that you're almost invincible and you can lead the debates whatever way you wish. The game does some things behind the scenes to point you in the right direction but whether a round of gameplay will yield anything new or not is kind of a toss up. Raging Loop was a much more interesting way to tell a story like this because it was fully scripted without any of those random elements. Because this one is randomized, you'll hear the other characters repeat the same lines in their debates over and over again and seeing the same general outcomes over and over does get a little tiring. I still found myself getting attached to some of the characters and there are some legitimately emotional scenes. But I can't help but think that this could have been a legendary game with a different approach. I still have a soft spot for it and I recommend it for anyone looking to enjoy the beautiful visuals and spend time with this crazy cast of characters.