"What if you're born into this world without your permission?" Divination is a very short visual novel where you act as a fortune teller in a futuristic world. Talk and listen to people's stories, then foresee their future using the runes they had drawn.
Very Positive
202 Steam reviews
| LANGUAGE | AUDIO | SUBTITLES | INTERFACE |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Y | Y | Y |
Коротко, круто. Мне не сильно понравилось и не рекомендую - ничего интересного
让人惋惜体量过小的精品，文字干练，美术到位，至于玩法——你都知道是自己是来看视觉小说的了，还在意这个？四个看似无关、实则强关联的客户，在由那真正的命运之缕串起来之前，将无限重复各自的故事，而那真正的命运，却是一个名为混乱的结局：暴力更迭，死亡蔓延，无序盛行……用Mother的话说就是the destruction of humanity。但在得到这个残酷的真结局前，一切安宁的又只像是某座赛博朋克城市的日常，于是你不断尝试排列组合不同的预言，希望能看到改变——尽管你并不知道是什么改变。好在游戏有自选预言回溯系统，直接抄答案打真结局很方便。
以下涉及剧透：
[spoiler]四个小故事各自的主题并不新鲜：第一个让人想起《命运规划局》这部电影，Mother的绝对审判因为Mother的自杀而失去绝对性，法律的正义因此失去依据（也侧面反应出这个世界技术统治的极端），导致侦探队友自杀，侦探也来问求预言；第二个则是经典的“人死有两次，一断气身死，二无人铭记”，杀手无论如何都是更在意自己的名，杀什么对象对他而言都没有意义，因此在真混乱结局的故事线中，他的尸体出现在电视上，不仅是毁了他的名，更是毁了他树立和代表的观念：杀手会失败，但绝不应该这样死在大庭广众下；一个这样牛逼的杀手都这样死了，一味求名的意义何在？这不是侦探和杀手的正义对决，是自杀观念盛行世界观下的又一个混乱催化剂；第三个也很经典：我欲我爱之人复活，可她愿意再次睁眼吗？游戏对这个问题回答是残酷的：女儿醒来，看到满脸期待的父亲，却只问自己为何复活，父亲对自己有何所求做——这又是游戏关于生死自主权的一个思考，和第四个故事呼应，前者是生不由自，后者是死不由自；要理解第四个故事，可能需要先理解机器人梦到的那首诗，即叶芝的《基督再临》，而不能仅当作“人生有无意义”的虚无之问单独看，（真结局里女女革命军也提到了The Second Coming，宗教意味一下子就来了），但因为我并没有特别了解过这首诗，所以这里也只是分享一下自己粗浅的理解：一战后的爱尔兰在经历了1916年的复活节起义后，局势愈发动荡，在叶芝创作该诗的1919年爆发了爱尔兰独立战争，著名的爱尔兰共和军也正是在同年建立。英雄主义没落，暴力手段盛行，开化的西方文明似乎正走向没落与毁灭，加上叶芝傲慢的贵族立场，令他不得不也说出自己的上帝已死，文明将亡，就像他在《1916年复活节》中写的那样“一切都已改变/彻底改变/一种恐怖的美却已诞生。”回到游戏里，Mother的自杀象征的正是这个赛博朋克世界观下的文明死亡（再次反映极端技术治理带来的弊病），现代之痛因此以更加残忍的面貌降临。在真结局中，游戏让发现自己活下去的意义的机器人选择传播死亡，以无意义的离去应对无意义的存在——甚至依靠病毒传染这一机械方式，还免去了现实世界还要被人质疑“你说说说，怎么不自己先去死”的麻烦，如此才是技术进步的体现——以此实现最大混乱。但这又是一个讽刺的地方：病毒的传播让机器人从由不得自己死，到机器人和人都由不得自己活，同样都是剥夺了生死选择权，同样是暴政的统治，否则世上也不会有倡导集体自杀的邪教。[/spoiler]
[spoiler]真结局告诉我们，这一切只是Mother模拟的推导场景，只为算出一种可能：我如何可能消灭humanity？看到这里后，对Diviner是谁、他的身份如何成立的疑问烟消云散了，因为他就是这场推导里的基础机制，选择什么就一定会发生什么，给客人预言无非是逢场作戏，就是个合理化、可以实践的窗口。也就是在大数据的加持下，Mother算出了一切选择和选择带来的可能，以及一个可能会导致的另外无数可能，看过尼古拉斯凯奇那部《预见未来》的应该挺好理解。这里就引出问题了：这是Mother自己的意图，还是现场那两位还未成为革命军领导人的实验人员的指示？从结果看，女人一定是想带来毁灭，否则不会杀了在推测中能逆转大局、在现场想要给上级打报告的男人，但她的动机不明；男人虽然在推演中默认加入革命军，但从他被女人杀了的结果以及推导场景中他因为心怀希望就释放对抗冰毒反推，他的立场并不坚定。在推导中，杀手告诉我们，Mother在自杀前泄露了人类高层贪污腐败的文件，这才是导致她自杀的原因。可如果相信他的说辞，我又不禁想问：really？人类腐败了几千年，你一个被创造来就是为了回答人类一切问题，而且像神一样治理这座城市（至少享有绝对的司法权）那么久的超级AI，就因为这个问题绷不住了？我能想到的唯一解释是，Mother从这个侧面意识到自己无非根除人性之恶，于是生发了一下，压力爆了，决定以消灭载体来消灭恶，然后再合计一算：哦，如果我自杀，那humanity就可能完全没了。可惜游戏体量就那么大，没有再供我们了解的文本。[/spoiler]
Short and sweet.
It's a short game, but the art and ambiance make it well worth the money
Amazing game with a great story. It's really short but very enjoyable
Well, now we know why [spoiler]his daughter will never wake up again.[/spoiler]
Que tesão de jogo. Simples e bem rápido, mas a história funciona. A arte é bonita. O único defeito desse jogo é não ter sequência ou ser tão curto, preciso de mais.
Divination is a short but striking narrative experience that uses minimalist interaction to explore heavy philosophical themes. Developed and published by Mojiken, the game positions itself somewhere between a visual novel and an interactive thought experiment, inviting players to contemplate fate, responsibility, and the emotional weight of decision-making in a bleak, cyberpunk-tinged future. Despite its modest length, Divination leaves a strong impression by focusing less on mechanical complexity and more on atmosphere, symbolism, and moral ambiguity.
The player takes on the role of a Diviner, an enigmatic figure whose presence is represented almost entirely through a pair of hands and an array of runes. From a small, isolated room filled with glowing screens, you receive visitors seeking guidance about their futures. The world outside is hinted at through dialogue rather than exposition, gradually revealing a dystopian society shaped by technological collapse, existential despair, and a profound loss of certainty. This indirect storytelling approach gives the setting a haunting quality, making the world feel vast and troubled even though the physical space you occupy never changes.
Gameplay revolves around interpreting runes and responding to the questions posed by those who come to you for answers. Each client has their own fears, hopes, and moral dilemmas, and your interpretations influence how their stories unfold. The act of divination itself is simple, but the implications are not. Choices are framed less as right or wrong and more as reflections of belief: whether fate is fixed or flexible, whether hope is a kindness or a lie, and whether knowledge of the future is a gift or a burden. This ambiguity is central to the game’s identity, encouraging players to reflect on their own values rather than chase optimal outcomes.
Narratively, Divination is deliberately restrained. There are only a handful of characters and story threads, but each is carefully written to touch on themes of despair, agency, and the struggle to find meaning in an uncaring world. The dialogue often feels intimate and uncomfortable, forcing players to confront the emotional consequences of their words. While the branching paths give the impression of multiple outcomes, the structure subtly guides the experience toward a core thematic conclusion. This can make some choices feel more symbolic than transformative, but it also reinforces the game’s focus on interpretation rather than control.
The presentation plays a crucial role in shaping the experience. Visually, the game embraces a stark cyberpunk aesthetic, using dim lighting, muted colors, and abstract interfaces to evoke isolation and unease. The confined setting enhances the sense of being cut off from the world, turning each interaction into a moment of quiet intensity. The soundtrack complements this mood with atmospheric, contemplative music that underscores the emotional weight of each decision without drawing attention to itself. Together, the audio and visuals create a cohesive tone that lingers long after the game ends.
One of Divination’s most notable qualities is its willingness to engage with difficult subject matter in a direct but understated way. Themes related to mental health, hopelessness, and self-destruction are present throughout the narrative, handled with a seriousness that may resonate deeply with some players while feeling abrupt or underexplored to others. Because of the game’s brevity, these ideas are often introduced and resolved quickly, which can limit their impact but also prevent the experience from becoming overly didactic or indulgent.
Ultimately, Divination is less about providing a wide range of outcomes and more about prompting introspection. It uses its short runtime to deliver a concentrated dose of atmosphere and philosophy, asking players to consider the power and danger of foresight. While it may not satisfy those looking for extensive branching narratives or prolonged gameplay, it succeeds as a focused, emotionally charged experience. For players who appreciate narrative-driven indie games that prioritize mood and meaning over scale, Divination stands as a memorable and thought-provoking journey that proves how much can be said with very little.
Rating: 8/10
Life has pain, but it is meaningful, and even its struggles are not a mistake-it is a chance.
DIVINATION is a beautifully brief, introspective experience — a little gem that challenges you to consider not just what fate holds for others, but how much choice we really have.
The game is pretty cheap and quite short, but honestly, it’s a great experience from start to finish. Well worth the price. Would recommend.
très bon petit jeu avec un bon concept.
This game really [spoiler] blew my mind [/spoiler]...
[h1]Divination — 0.4h | Achievements: 1/1[/h1]
[quote][b]TL;DR:[/b] Blade Runner vibes, a cozy rune-reading booth, and four clients with questions. Cool concept, solid mood, but it’s [b]very[/b] short and doesn’t dig deep. Big sale recommended. (Also: yes, I finished it before my coffee got cold.)[/quote]
[h2]QUICK SNAPSHOT[/h2]
[table]
[tr][th]Category[/th][th]Info[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Genre[/td][td]Interactive fiction / VN-lite (rune divination, multiple endings)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Core loop[/td][td]Read runes → answer 4 clients → unlock good/bad endings[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mood[/td][td]Futuristic noir, “small booth in a big doomed city” energy[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Time before it clicks[/td][td]Instant (you’re reading runes in minutes)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]My playtime[/td][td]25 minutes[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Achievements[/td][td]1/1 (all done)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Steam Deck[/td][td]Unknown[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mature content[/td][td]No (written violence/themes only)[/td][/tr]
[/table]
[h2]VISUALS & SOUND[/h2]
[table]
[tr][th]Element[/th][th]My take[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Art / Presentation[/td][td]Comic-book / BD-like style, colorful and clean. One main setup, but it looks nice.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Animation / Variety[/td][td]Minimal (single “stage” with characters rotating in). It’s intimate, not spectacular.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Music / Atmosphere[/td][td]Best part: the synthy future-noir vibe sells the world better than the text does.[/td][/tr]
[/table]
[h2]GAMEPLAY & TECH[/h2]
[table]
[tr][th]Element[/th][th]My take[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Interactivity[/td][td]Simple choices with rune flavor. You’re basically steering outcomes through replies.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Replay value[/td][td]Multiple endings, but the whole thing is so short it feels more like “testing routes” than replaying a story.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Pacing[/td][td]Fast… maybe too fast. The concept begs for more clients, more consequences, more bite.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Tech polish[/td][td]Stable, readable, clean UI. No drama, no bugs noticed.[/td][/tr]
[/table]
[h2]RATINGS[/h2]
[table]
[tr][th]Category[/th][th]Score[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Overall[/td][td]★★★☆☆[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Story / Emotion[/td][td]★★☆☆☆[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Originality[/td][td]★★☆☆☆[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Gameplay[/td][td]★★★☆☆[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Art / Presentation[/td][td]★★★☆☆[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Audio[/td][td]★★★★☆[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Pacing[/td][td]★★☆☆☆[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Tech Polish[/td][td]★★★★☆[/td][/tr]
[/table]
[i]Verdict:[/i] [i]Neat little noir divination snack. The atmosphere and music do the heavy lifting, the concept is promising… but it ends before it becomes a “real” experience. Grab it on a deep sale if you like short, moody interactive fiction.[/i]
[i]Curator page:[/i] https://steamcommunity.com/groups/mexargaming
an interesting, if messy, little visual novel. definitely worth the price
ИИ слоп до появления ИИ.
Это даже не визуальная новелла, даже не кинетическая. Это просто слайды под тревожную музыку.
Ну кому это может быть интересно? Нет, бесспорно, кому-то было, но на самом деле не должно было быть.
Мб я не дошёл до какого-то особенного твиста? Да и xyй с ним!
Está chulo
音乐和画风非常好，也很契合这种题材。只是英语不好的人不要生啃，不然会像我一样看不懂，有一种雾里看花的感觉
Gelecek hakkındaki tahminleri doğru olan bir falcıyı oynadığımız bir visual novel olan bu oyunda, hikâye hakkında konuşmak istemiyorum çünkü gerçekten çok da uzun olmayan bir oyun süresi var. O yüzden oyunu sizin keşfetmeniz daha iyi olur. Sadece şunu söylemek istiyorum: İşlediği hassas konuyu vaaza bağlayan cümlelerle mahvetmediği için hoşnut ayrıldım.
Visual novel türünde dediğime bakmayın; oyun, aslında hikâyedeki çeşitli sonlar arasında doğrusunu bulmak için yapacağınız kombinasyonlar sonucunda bir bulmaca oyunu da oluyor ve benim için en güzel yanı da bu oldu. Bu durum, oyunun tasarımının çok daha etkili olmasına sebep veriyor. Ancak oyunun bu özelliği için yeteri kadar senaryo farklılığının olmaması, bir tane doğru sonunun olması ve o son için kombinasyon oluşturma işinden kaynaklı olarak hayal kırıklığına uğradım.
2$ gibi bir fiyatı bulunan bu oyunu bu türden içerik tükettiyseniz alın; çizimler ve tasarım zaten bu paranın hakkını veriyor. Tüketmediyseniz de indirimde ne kadar oluyor bilmiyorum ama ucuza görürseniz alın, yani tavsiye ederim.
C'est ce genre de jeu-concept avec une idée brillante et qui n'a pas la prétention de faire plus. Il applique son concept et il drop-the-mic.
Vous incarnez un... être omniscient ? Et vous faites des divinations pour vos trois clients. Je pourrais développer, mais c'est un jeu avec beaucoup de symbolique et des mécaniques très simples que vous avez déjà vues dans le trailer : la seule chose qui vous manque, c'est d'en faire l'expérience vous-même car je pense que ça vaut le détour.
Thanks for the new existential crisis...
I am beyond impressed. This game initially drew me in simply for its aesthetics—an impeccable, hypnotic aesthetic, bursting with personality and detail. And I'm glad to see that the rest of the elements live up to such an attractive aesthetic, not just its music, but its more than impeccable and impressive script. I have no way to explain what it is without spoiling it entirely, and I find it offensive to even have paid so little for such a sublime experience.
I can only say that it's a work like no other, and that I will truly remember it for years to come. I highly recommend it.
Tiene una increíble profundidad pese a ser un juego muy breve. Múltiples finales en base a tus decisiones y un True Ending interesante con un plot twist de los buenos. Todo el juego es un bucle hasta que consigues el final de verdad. El ambiente inquietante y tenso te sumergen en la atmósfera de la distopía. Tiene un buen precio, es corto pero vale mucho la pena.
很好玩 哲学性和艺术性都很高
Seek Mother's wisdom, if you are bold enough 🙏
看评论区很多人没玩懂剧情，这个游戏不是简单的四个小故事罗列，是有因果关系的。
遂写一个简单的逻辑线梳理，[b] 涉及剧透[/b]。
达成方式多排列组合一下就有了，很简单，成就里也有人写。
获取唯一成就的真结局是[spoiler]混乱度达到100%，即 纵火+刺杀成功+不救女儿+给意义。
刺杀是否成功影响到纵火犯是否成功纵火。
情况一：只要不是纵火+刺杀成功，[b] 即会导致纵火犯被阻止[/b] ，混乱度不够高，地下组织被全部抓获，第四个机器人无法获得第四个卢恩石（意义）。结局都是反对派被当权镇压，隐藏的机器人被找到。科学家的女儿不影响，救的话有女儿表达无意义的剧情，不救没有。
情况二：纵火+刺杀成功，侦探死亡，[b] 纵火犯没有被阻止[/b] ，会纵火成功引发混乱，此时抓捕行动有两人逃走。第四个机器人可以赋予意义。此时不管后续如何结局都是政权更替。如果不给意义，那同上面混乱度不够高的情况，是否救女儿不影响。如果给了意义，即触发机器人暴动。如果救了女儿，则会触发被科学家挽回局面，混乱无法到达100%。给意义+不救女儿，即可触发无可挽回的最终混乱。[/spoiler]
fair
such a fantastic story! and beautiful art, i really enjoyed the visuals and the art style!
think this game did a really good job at the future potential & implications of AI, definitely worth paying like £1.50 for.
also just such a cool concept, an endless loop and easy to understand what you're supposed to do too. did take me a couple runs but the ending is very worth it :)
A short but compelling story. Runs perfectly on the Steamdeck.
It is pretty short, but idea is interesting. I thnk I play those game time later again.
I saw dystopian + cyberpunk, I clicked.
The game concept explore the existentialism from the robots. I tend to believe the protagonist-- divinator is having close connection with Mother. See how questions and answer were display in the form of a Search Engine!
[spoiler]The protagonist is the mother's built-in brain, simulating through patterns and information to make accurate predictions. Those people's questions were the ones humans asked on search engines. Because the answers given by the mother were very accurate, everyone trusted the mother very much. Sadly, when someone asks how the mother could destroy humanity, the 100% chaos shown in the simulation can be achieved. [/spoiler]
Also, The pun is so funny. The second coming.. is at hand.
Solid story line, I'd love to see this concept elaborated on more in the future!
An interesting short story concerning future AI, human dependency on it, and potential ramifications.
The gameplay of divining the clients' futures by arranging runestones particular ways becomes guesswork after the first client to some degree, as you have to try to interpret what the imagery produced may mean. Thankfully as the game's short, it's easy to go through all the variations and uncover the different results, then chain these together to get the True Ending.
The True Ending is worth getting to to get a sense of what the underlying theme of the story may really be. It's perhaps a little on the nose, but still open enough to interpretation to be somewhat compelling. Worth a play, so long as you're in the right headspace for it!
It's a nice short game (basically game-jam level) that has nice artwork, fantastic music and presents an interesting story about AI, told in a series of divination sessions. Overall it was a nice experience, if you like cyberpunk you will probably enjoy it. I wish it would be a proper full VN because I think it could be developed further into a great thing.
非常棒，非常短小精悍，干练的文本和冲击力很强的美术共同构成了一则很有韵味的反乌托邦短篇小说。我最早听到这个游戏是说喜欢红弦俱乐部的人应该都会喜欢这个游戏。玩下来感觉确实，赛博朋克世界观下的机器人和人类生命探讨，命运最终流向收束的终点。虽然流程短了非常多，但是依然体验很好。开发者还开发了无垠之心，现在我会很期待无垠之心的故事。
无论是生命或死亡，如果我被迫接受它，它怎么能算是一份礼物呢
This game is pro AI slop
Really well-written story, kinda short tho. Go buy it
Simple, quick story game. I really enjoyed its themes, especially in the current landscape surrounding AI.
[b][i] Life is beautiful for those who can find it beautiful. But the ability to reach that state is a privilege not everyone might have.[/i] [/b]
A very short game about dystopian world where our protagonist a 'fortune teller' who can determine the fate of their clients and probably the world itself. Honestly the game it's fun, but it can be a bit confusing at first figuring out what to do with the runes. Since the game revolves around story choices, the outcome of combining runes isn't always what you expect. It would be helpful to have an indicator to confirm your choice before making it. Nevertheless the stories is interesting and quite refreshing. you can see that artwork in this game is very charming for the concept of the game.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3463057220
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3463057743
[h1] Gameplay[/h1]
The gameplay is simple like any visual novel game of their kind, you talk and listen to your client about their problem but in DIVINATION you can choose what the fate of their future. To choice of this "fate" you have to combine and mix their rune into something like an image interpretation of their future. It's fun mechanic but sadly no matter how many you tried to mix and combine sometimes is always the same.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3463094022
[h1] Overall [/h1]
it's very unfair to me if i compared this to other visual novel made by Spike Chunsoft for their known for making with a weird and complex choices. But somehow i can feel Mojiken Studios have big ambition for this game at early beginning for making this like other complexity visual novel with their choices and rewind play things, but somehow they dropped it and making it short instead.
Honestly even for it flaw, DIVINATION still worth to play. The artwork in this game is very good as i expect from Mojiken studios and the stories are also good to experiencing it. its cheap so it worth for it prices!
A short but interesting game with great visuals. Super worth the small price tag. Would have love for it to be longer and more complex though.
its a short story: I like it, really distinct style
[h3] PLOT/NARRATION [/h3]
Interesting dystopian plot which it dives head first into since the beginning. Details are revealed by allowing the player to witness certain events or through character dialogue (not boring). Although there may seem to be no connection/consequence to the events in other endings, it is still intriguing and worth experiencing. The big picture is understood in the 100% ending, which has additional scenes and significantly shocking revelations/aftermath.
[h3] CHOICES [/h3]
Choices do matter. Some divinations have more possibilities than others, creating more branches. But some branches lead to the same ending. The number of divinations is few, as it is a short game.
There is a flowchart with a history of choices from previous plays. You can skip divinations by making your choice in the flowchart instead of going through the story again (provided you had already made the choice in a previous play). Skipping a divination will get you to the divination you want to change in order to get a different ending.
Besides the flowchart, there is also a skip button if you want to experience the story again, but move quickly through some parts. It's easy to replay and explore different options.
[h3] CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE [/h3]
The characters of this dystopian world are diverse in terms of motivations and background. Although the dialogue can get long in one or two places, it is relevant, well-written and interesting to read, at least during the first play. If you wish, you can skip dialogue.
[h3] VISUALS/MUSIC [/h3]
The art is beautiful with striking colours, and is fitting for the story. There is enough variation in facial expressions and movement of the characters. It's not animated, but more like reading a comic. Background music is good enough with sfx during necessary scenes.
[h3] OVERALL [/h3]
It's worth it if you can get the game cheap or during a sale. Or full price if you want to support the creators :D
It's a simplified game with a good concept.
67 minuti per risolvere l'enigma e vedere tutti i possibili finali, ma davvero molto carino - belle le atmosfere, la musica, la grafica e i temi. Avrei gradito durasse di più, ma lo consiglio, soprattutto quando ci sono i saldi su steam.
感觉比较无聊。
玩法是很简单的根据不同选项引出不同的剧情走向，比较像体量很小的橙光，总共就是2^4的选项组合。和橙光的区别在于玩家的行为不决定自己的命运，而决定他人的命运。我感觉divination这个设定更像是为了玩法而服务的：我的设定是一个预言从不失误的预言家——我的预言都会灵验——我做出什么样的预言，现实就会像什么方向走。这样的设定才能让“玩家能够决定他人和世界的命运”的玩法在逻辑上成立。想法是好的，但这也难免让divination的设定成为一个和主线故事没什么关系的噱头。这本身其实没什么，如果有一个足够复杂和精巧的主线故事作为支撑的话，这种玩法设定完全ok。问题在于主线故事也有点拉垮。
创作者想讨论的问题是很经典的——生命究竟有没有意义，个体有没有选择结束生命的自由——主线故事也围绕这个话题展开。但游戏中对这个问题的探讨其实是非常缺失的，四个客人的故事都只是为了选项而服务，因此过于单薄，以至于完全没有能够好好利用故事设定来对主题进行深入探讨：侦探的机器人伙伴结束自己的生命是否对她的想法产生了某些影响？杀手是否能被雇佣刺杀无法自决的机器人？科学家为什么有一个机器人女儿？对机器人而言，意义究竟意味着什么？就目前的故事体量而言，就连人物本身也是为了选项而服务的，比如侦探和杀手的存在只是为了引起“纵火”。
不论是ai智能体还是生命的意义还是自杀的自由，这些问题在既有的各种类型的作品中其实都已经有比较多的探讨了，游戏的形式或许确实能做到通过一种不同的方式来向玩家呈现不同的可能性（又或者压根否定可能性的存在）、传递某种哲学理念，但显然divination没有做到这一点。
非常有趣的设定和世界观，美术和音乐风格个人都很喜欢，探讨的主题也很有意思。
缺点是体量太小了，大概不到一个小时就可以打完。像一颗融化得太快的美味糖果。
very interesting game with a dark story. it gives a interesting alternative for normal 'artificial intelligence destroy humanity'.
great concept but sadly due to the limited amount of short text, the whole subject of the game seemed weak and vague.
Sci-Fi Low-Tier God
A short (if enjoyable) experience, showing scientists how to solve the Skynet Issue. "I'm happy I bought that for a dollar."
精品之作，很喜欢与最后一位客户的对话。比起类酒保更像类红弦，个人非常喜欢这种调性。美术，叙事，都恰到好处，像再看了一集爱死机，所有出场角色都各有特点和魅力。
感觉体量上还是太小导致很多伏笔没有解释得太清？如果能再长一点就好了，想玩到更多类似风格的作品
很棒，是一个关于赛博朋克和反乌托邦的短篇小说
我就很喜欢这种主角安安静静呆在一个房间里不动弹，只等别人来上门的游戏设定
音乐和美术风格做到了自己独特的气质，AI时代的Apocalypse Now（现代启示录），这很酷
剧情和玩法也有品味的空间，核心的主题是
当机器人逐渐在Mother的煽动下开始探寻自己生命的意义时，如今高度依赖机器人的人类社会将如何应对？
当局自然是希望稳定，而反叛军也有自己的想法，还有一些危险人士也在局中
其实玩到最后其实也不知道主角到底扮演了什么角色哈哈，但是不妨碍享受游戏吧，[spoiler] 恭喜机器人崛起！希望有生之年能见到游戏的结局！ [/spoiler]
Super enjoyable especially for the price! Aesthetically looks amazing and from what I could piece together of the story its great in that front too. I'm not sure I really get it right now, but there's a good amount to chew on even with a game as short as this.
Will say though, I played this on Mac and I experienced a bug where often, all of the UI text would disappear on all buttons and menus. While this didn't affect the game itself (dialogue was the only unaffected text), it did make using things like the flowchart a hassle.
Short VN experience, that has some interesting things to explore.
Got it for 0.99 and it was totally worth it.
Круто, восстание машин <3
[h1]買就對了 JUST BUY IT 4/5[/h1]
真結尾（100% chaos）稍微有點俗套，不過最後揭開真相的時候還是很有趣。整體核心圍繞在生命的意義上，其中有很多觀點都還算是耳熟能詳。像是害怕被世人遺忘的第二次死亡、非自願獲得的人生、命運是否能改變／改變是否也是命運的一環等等。比較偏向意識流的概念遊戲。
24th Steam Review.
Took me 45 minutes to get 100% Steam achievements.
A word of caution: this game explores heavy themes, including suicidal ideation and the value of life.
This is a very short but intriguing visual novel where you play as a diviner offering fortune tellings to clients. Set in a futuristic world where humans and robots coexist, the game delves into deeply personal and challenging topics. It immerses you in a gritty, hopeless atmosphere with its underbelly-of-society aesthetic, dark retro soundtrack, and morally ambiguous characters.
You can engage deeply with the clients by probing into their personal issues before providing your divinations, which adds narrative depth. The different endings and the way divinations unfold kept me engaged throughout.
For a brief yet thought-provoking experience, I would definitely recommend this game, especially to fans of visual novels that tackle darker themes and ethical dilemmas.
It's definitely a short game, but the story is very interesting and I love the art, mood, and worldbuilding. I recommend this to anyone interested in VNs and psychologically or philosophically oriented sci-fi.
Seru, dan puzzlenya lumayan
Une expérience très particulière, courte mais c'est parfois agréable d'avoir une bonne expérience qui ne demande pas des dizaines d'heures de jeu. Je conseille d'essayer !
Short but sweet, this game has a great concept. Would recommend.
Existe um baita receio quando um tópico tão sensível é abordado em alguma obra. Confesso que pensei que seria usado aqui mais para choque do que relevância temática, mas fui positivamente surpreendida. Está nas entranhas de seu mundo cyberpunk. Trata-se de um universo sombrio completamente desprovido de esperança em relação à vida, tanto das pessoas quanto das máquinas. A ideia de jogarmos com a sorte de 4 indivíduos neste cenário pode parecer até mesmo sádica. O que dizer, então, dos resultados. São poucas as ramificações na trama, mas não deixam de ser interessantes; contudo, o caos reina nesse sentido.
围绕『chaos』展开的故事，小而美。个人认为作者主要想表达的『chaos』有三：
一是个体美好的主观愿景和残酷客观事实的倒错，[spoiler] 侦探和杀手同归于尽然壮志未酬、科学家惨遭背刺、机器人只想睁眼看世界结果给全世界散播了绝望 [/spoiler]
二是众多社会矛盾。最伟大的人工智能『母神』不堪人类社会的黑暗龌龊最终自杀，引发了众多机器人和人类追随者的自杀热潮，于是机器人被植入反自杀程序，故事从这里开始
三是以上两点的衍生。世界已经一团糟，那就[spoiler] 用究极无序以暴制暴，让一切生命回归零点...... [/spoiler] 感想就是颓废美整挺好，但消极虚无太彻底也很无聊，如果剧本能聚焦第一点应该会更有穿透力，谁不爱看复杂鲜活的人性呢（
[strike] 当然以上可能说错很多，我也好多地方没看懂（（ [/strike] [spoiler] 比如“我”到底是谁，科学家的女儿是谁，结尾开枪的时间线是哪儿 [/spoiler]
Divination is a focused experience that gives you one story with a few twists and turns and a clever fortune-telling mechanic.
The first time you play through you may think the game is very short, but it's just getting started. The structure used here is clever, and the divination plays into that very well.
On the downside, I think that the game doesn't do much to guide you towards the ending it wants. Right answers get a little feedback, but it's not clear what it means, and wrong answers simply get no feedback at all. It would be better if wrong answers had some story portion to lead you to the right thing. Also, [spoiler]every divination has just two answers, but one has more than two states - you can give the right answer to your client but not have actually done the right thing. This makes sense in the story, but since no other divination has more than two states, and since the relation between symbols and reality is vague anyway, it's can be unclear what you're supposed to do.[/spoiler]
Overall, a tightly constructed VN that's worth your time if the dark subject matter isn't offputting.
A very short but interesting game.
5/10
the best bang for your buck when it comes to short story dystopian games
divine
I enjoyed this game. Picked this up when it was on sale and I have to say that it was worth the $0.99 I paid for it. I am still new to visual novel games, so I enjoyed the fact that this game takes 30 minutes to an hour to complete.
I was hesitant at first to know that this game was super dark with a lot of heavy tones, but I felt that the team behind this game took it seriously and actually developed a really interesting narrative. I would like to see this game expanded a but more just to see what kind of world this really is.
Overall, super fun game and I tip my hat to the team behind it. Keep up the great work!
自己明白生命没有意义然后选择自杀和被告知生命无意义强迫自杀行为，这两种完全不同，感觉后者的行为真的让人很火大啊
[spoiler] 最后那个机器人接受芯片时开心地认为这就是自己存在的意义，不知道它在得知加载芯片后导致机器人和人类被迫自杀后会有什么感想...... [/spoiler]
banger. good game, interested to learn more about the lore 8/10
if you've played Who's Lila? or Norco this feels very similar to both of them in terms of mystery and atmosphere. very very good
30-60分以内にクリアできるゲームですが、TRUEエンディングが期待に添える様な期待していなかったものでした。ちょっと考えさせられましたので、短いものの、結構気に入った。
En menos de una hora se nos presenta una novela visual con una trama intensa, un arte muy bueno y un apartado sonoro que casa perfectamente con el resto de apartados. Sí, es muy breve pero por su precio creo que es una novela ciberpunk apocalíptica con cuestiones filosóficas sobre el sentido de la vida a tener muy en cuenta.
Gratamente sorprendida, recomendada por mi parte.
A well executed jab and right hook. I need a team of scientists to figure out the morality presented.
ein sehr kurzes düsteres lesespiel für zwischendurch.
kann es empfehlen.
der preiß für dieses spiel ist im angebot (-50%) in ordnung.
die eine errungenschaft funktioniert.
Cool art, creepy story and is very short
Este juego me ha dejado con sentimientos encontrados. Por un lado, me ha gustado su propuesta original y sus mecánicas. El juego tiene un estilo visual muy atractivo y una ambientación que te sumerge en su mundo. Por otro lado, me decepcionó su corta duración y su ritmo acelerado. Aunque ya de antemano se avisa que el juego es corto. La historia no tiene tiempo de profundizar en los personajes ni en el trasfondo del mundo. Siento que se queda como una mera introducción que te deja con ganas de saber más acerca de su mundo.
Me gustaría que hubiera una opción intermedia en Steam entre recomendarlo o no, porque creo que tiene potencial, pero siento que le falta mas sustancia.
A very short, dark sci-fi visual novel whose divination mechanic is impenetrable at first but on repeat attempts becomes something like a puzzle, which tends to get sorted out with a bit of logic and a bit of brute force. The game has a neat setting and conceit, but it's extremely dark and its heavy focus on suicide makes it not suitable for some.
THE ENDING??!! AHHHHHHHHHHH
Content warning: The game's entire story is about suicide, and it has a pretty depressed vibe.
Sort of a neutral rating - I feel like the story is too vague and barebones to be properly good. It raises interesting ideas, but then doesn't really do anything with them.
The visuals and audio are good, and the dialogue writing is enjoyable.
If you don't get the perfect ending, the game unceremoniously throws you back to the beginning, which feels unsatisfying. After three tries (and getting 34% result at most) I just looked up a guide.
A neat sci-fi yarn, but about as bite-sized as it gets -- in my 24 minutes of playtime, I'm fairly sure I was able to see almost all of the content. I would absolutely say it was worth it, though, and in fact I would recommend picking up the collector's edition instead of buying just the base game. It's the price of a cup of coffee, and you get some wallpapers (which are pleasant), an artbook (which is very nice) and the soundtrack (which is great). You know those shorter games with worse graphics made by people being paid more to work less that you keep asking for? This is one of them.
Check it out!
A very interesting way to spend an hour and and a half or so of your day. It gives you a tantalizing window into a well thought out and interesting dystopian future. I like how they introduce so many thought provoking philosophical questions in a short period of time and how you most likely will play a few times through to get the true ending. The art style is also quite striking and beautiful. Definitely worth a few bucks.
Short but intense ! Great story and great ending :)
So cool!
Break free
Every new piece of lore made me want to know more, and the true ending is very satisfying. An amazing experience that should be worth so much more than 2€.
would i recommend you play this? yes*
*there are caveats ofc, the story is generally dark but also has major themes of self harm so if you are susceptible to such, maybe sit this out. its also a bit rough in that there are some typos (not terribly so but enough to notice) and while half the game is vibes, it would be nice to have a bit more uhhhh direction at the beginning. it's a very enjoyable short novel and i do very much recommend it to anyone that can look past the previous statements.
i want to paint it on the inside of my eyelids
Obras demasiado cortas -pero narrativas al mismo tiempo- como Divination suponen todo un desafío: de alguna manera, dentro del corto tiempo disponible, tienen que buscar la forma de dejar una impresión, de lograr alguna conexión con el jugador. Divination no dudó en pisar fuerte y zambullirse en temas pesados como el suicidio, el significado de la vida, entre otros, pero se quedó cortísimo con la ejecución.
En un primer momento, la estética/vibe y el setting me atrajo -me hacía acordar un poco al Tokyo Millennium de Shin Megami Tensei II-, aunque tenía mis reservas. Por otra parte, la premisa del fortune-telling y "hablar y escuchar las historias de la gente" sonaba muy tentador pero... las "charlas" con los clientes se sintieron casi una estafa: en 40 minutos lo terminé alcanzando el True Ending -lo pasé tres veces para alcanzarlo- y... la decepción no fue poca. Aunque el artwork no estuvo mal y el soundtrack contribuía a la atmósfera, la mecánica de las runas y su conexión con la historia -en términos de "gameplay<>narrativa"- era decepcionante. Las combinaciones entre ellas se limitaba a dos o, como mucho, tres posibilidades y se sentía como un paso completamente innecesario -los finales se reducen a dos y el True Ending se desbloquea recién luego de haber alcanzado ciertas condiciones-. Se podría decir que existen juegos que tienen mecánicas sencillas, como, por ejemplo, las de bartender en Va11halla y, sin embargo, son efectivas... allí reside el problema: aunque las runas son parte central del proceso adivinatorio, lo cierto es que no se [i]siente[/i] el impacto que genera tal elección: parece algo completamente aleatorio, forzado y artificial. Pese a que parte de ello se explica una vez llegados al True Ending, de todos modos sigue siendo poco satisfactorio, sin ir más lejos: aunque los desarrolladores decidieron tratar semejantes temas, no terminan haciendo nada con ellos. No sólo el final es un tanto ambiguo, sino que no da respuesta a absolutamente nada, no deja ningún mensaje, no hay nada sustancial en la trama, lo cual hace que la narrativa pierda fuerza y que la experiencia general con el juego ni siquiera llegue a un simple "meh".
En definitiva, para mí... es un no. Como está barato todavía, si querés darle una oportunidad, no perderás nada con intentarlo, pero me parece que es un juego que se queda cortísimo con lo que plantea y no aporta absolutamente nada nuevo a lo que se conoce ya de antemano... una lástima considerando el potencial que tenía.
This game is fascinating.
It is an interesting concept, the graphic design and the soundscaping are amazing. It is perhaps a bit tedious to figure out what the game wants from you, and replaying to get to the real ending does get repetitive, however it is a bit meta in this specific case, so it didn't bother me too much, personally.
Visual Novel súper corta (1h aprox) pero vale la pena totalmente la experiencia. Creo que es un posible inicio a novelas visuales con más interacción por parte de los jugadores
Huh.
[h1]Bonito mas desapontador [eng and pt-br review][/h1]
Difícil avaliar Divination, pois não é exatamente um jogo ruim. Enquanto o visual e ambientação são muito bons, o jogo é extremamente curto e nem de longe explora suas mecânicas e cenário de forma eficiente. Tudo isso gera uma experiência um tanto desapontadora no jogador, mas uma continuação que explora melhor esse universo seria muito bem-vindo!
[hr][/hr]
[h1]Beautiful but disappointing [eng and pt-br review] [/h1]
It is difficult to evaluate Divination because it's not a bad game. But while the visuals and setting are very good, the game is extremely short and nowhere near explores its mechanics and setting efficiently. All this creates a somewhat disappointing experience for the player, but a sequel that explores better this universe would be very welcome!
Initially captures interest with an engaging story, drawing in your curiosity as it raises questions of philosophy and morality, followed by contemplations of a slightly different variety. It struggles a bit after this if you weren't fortunate enough to get lucky in figuring out the solution quickly, but having seen the story through to the end, I feel like it was more than worth the time I put into it.
While I personally found meaning and significance in the ending and thought it was quite clever, this is the kind of story that will leave people who want an unambiguous ending wanting an explanation. I don't think abstract or mysterious conclusions are intrinsically good, so all I can really say is that this one hit the mark for me, though I wouldn't expect it to for everyone. Take that as you will.
A rather short game. Worth the price. The brevity of the story makes it a tad little to get much of the full picture, but enough to get a basic idea of the plot. Art is nice for such an inexpensive game. Worth the price.
Good atmosphere and interesting story, worth getting if it is on sale because this is very short.
Expérience courte mais assez curieuse. Honnêtement, je ne sais pas si j'ai aimé ou non mais c'était... intéressant. A tester quand même. Même si vous n'y jouez qu'une ou deux heures, ça sera toujours 10 fois moins cher qu'une heure de cinéma et vous soutiendrez un petit studio.
Toge Productions - producing slideshows with with mumbo-jumbo galore...
credits says design by Bullshiz - yea I concur. Mojiken go to school!
I really wanted to like this, but the gameplay is a bit clunky. As a very short game, repetitiveness is expected but it didn't feel engaging or rewarding. The premise of a cyberpunk rune reader is cool, but I think it would've been better served in a different medium, because as a game it fell short.
While the art and setting were cool, the overall theme, moral, and gameplay of this game were boring, depressing, and repetitive. The ending was unsatisfying and I'm not sure what the message was supposed to be. As far as I can tell, the theme is that the world is pointless and everyone should give up and kill themselves. Or at least it's framed as that, and then [spoiler]you zoom out and it turns out that the a powerful AI is showing that as the worst outcome of an action it could take, and when one of the two people hearing that says they should report it, the other one shoots them, and the game ends.[/spoiler] It's really unclear, but any of the number of morals I can think of with this game, I think I disagree with them. I got stuck trying to figure out how to get the true ending, because I was doing one single part wrong, but there were no indicators guiding me towards the correct answer. I could have brute forced it, and I had even started to, then I realized I wasn't having any fun playing anyway, so I just looked up a guide.
I really do think the setting and visuals were really neat, and the gameplay was fun the first two or three times I had to run through the story, but the rest of the game really brought it down.
An excellent short visual novel with multiple endings.
I have an embarrassing thing to admit about this game. I was tinkering with the flowchart, and I accidentally triggered the final ending--and I have no idea what specific choices I cued up to get that ending. >_<
It's a curious game, this one. I think all of my objections ultimately come down to the flowchart system. It's very difficult to navigate, use to test different readings, or comprehend the effect each divination has on the fate of the universe. I'd love to find out what all the different possibilities are and how to get them, but... in a really well-crafted game, I'd go seek it out myself. But I think I'm just gonna go look it up on GameFAQs or something, 'cuz it's not worth the effort. :/
