REVIEW: ‘Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass Moon’ is Visual Novel Excellence (Switch)

Tsukihime is one of the oldest and most recognizable visual novels created by Kinoko Nasu, who famously created several works, including the Fate series. Over 20 years after the original novel was released in Japan, Type-Moon and Aniplex are finally releasing the remake to newer consoles in the West, Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass Moon. Players who play through the novel will experience a captivating story but one with noticeable pacing flaws.

Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass Moon follows Shiki Tohno, who got injured in a brutal accident when he was ten, leaving him in a weaker state. This accident also left him with a new mysterious power called the Mystic Eyes of Perception, which allows him to see “death lines” in objects and living beings. These lines represent the fragility of life, and cutting along them can destroy anything instantly. Luckily, he meets a woman shortly after his accident who allows him to keep these powers convenient and in check.

The narrative kicks off when Shiki, now living with a foster family due to his weakened health, is summoned back to the Tohno mansion following his father’s death. Here, he reunites with his estranged sister, Akiha, the new head of the family. The real turning point, however, comes when Shiki encounters Arcueid Brunestud, a beautiful and enigmatic woman who reveals herself to be a vampire and recruits him to help her hunt down a dangerous vampire, causing havoc in the city. Following this meeting, his life begins to intertwine with supernatural events.

What makes A Piece of Blue Glass Moon significantly different from the original is that instead of including the five routes from the original, the remake focuses on two routes of the two heroines: Ciel and Arcueid. Ciel is Shiki’s friendly high school upperclassman whose origins and motivations slowly reveal themselves as she gets more involved with Shiki. Arcueid, on the other hand, is the vampire who teaches Shiki the ropes and exposes him to the truths of the world that he was previously blinded to.

Despite this, the remake still features the other characters seen in the original novel and brand new ones, albeit with less focus. Returning characters include Hisui, a maid in the Tohno household whose cold and quiet demeanor hides deep emotional scars and a tragic past; Kohaku, Hisui’s boisterous twin sister, who reveals her own traumatic past the more you spend time with her; and Akiha, Shiki’s younger sister, who’s had to deal with a lot following her father’s death and her brother’s departure from the family.

All these characters are written incredibly well and are all very endearing in their own ways, so much so that you feel compelled to spend as much time with them as possible. Tsukihime does a great job of letting you choose how the story plays out through the many choices you’ll come across. These range from small choices like choosing which family member to reminisce about to major branching decisions that will affect what ending you get, like whether or not you decide to engage with a character you probably shouldn’t.

Unlike other games and novels, these decisions matter as choices you make right from the start of the novel can drastically affect which route you end up on and, ultimately, what ending you get. The remake acknowledges this as it even provides players with a Flowchart feature that shows them which decisions they’ve chosen and what path they are currently on.

This feature greatly helps Tsukihime‘s intricate narrative structure and storytelling depth. The novel masterfully weaves elements of horror, romance, and existential dread. Each route provides a unique perspective on the central themes, ensuring the story remains engaging and multifaceted. The branching paths encourage multiple playthroughs, rewarding players with more knowledge of the narrative and characters. Tsukihime notably tackles profound themes such as the nature of humanity and monstrosity, the impact of past traumas, and the struggle for redemption. The visual novel also does not shy away from exploring dark and uncomfortable subjects, making it a unique and thought-provoking experience.

However, this isn’t to say the novel is not without flaws. For one, it takes about ten hours before players experience the meat of the narrative as the novel spends too much time setting up origins and character backgrounds. While this does not negatively impact the experience, it still makes getting engaged in the story harder.

Furthermore, as this is a remake of a 2000s visual novel, it uses the same overlay, which, unlike modern novels, doesn’t display character names when they are talking. While this is more of an issue earlier on, as you’ll eventually learn all the names of the novel’s limited cast, it is worth highlighting regardless. Lastly, the English release of Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass Moon painfully does not have an English voice-over, which is a massive oversight because this is the novel’s first and only official English release after over twenty years.

However, what the remake lacks, it more than makes up for with excellent remade visuals, impeccable picturesque art direction, and brilliantly redesigned character designs by Takashi Takeuchi. It’s a shame that the novel doesn’t feature more full animations, as that would have greatly improved the overall experience. The remake also includes a beautiful soundtrack and superb voice acting from the Japanese cast, who do a great job of bringing their characters to life.

Lastly, the remake also introduces new quality-of-life features such as touchscreen functionality on Nintendo Switch, settings that allow players to customize how they read, and much more. It also adds a mode to view movies, music, and even which endings you’ve got.

Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass Moon features compelling storytelling, complex characters, and rich thematic depth. Despite minor flaws and oversights, the remake is a must-play for fans of dark fantasy and narrative-driven visual novels. It also proves that Tsukihime is still a timeless classic in the realm of visual novels.

Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass Moon is available now on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.