It has been a while since the first article in this series, since it have been quite the experience to pick Visual Novels which I deem worthy of being included, sure I do have a list of VNs which for sure I am going to write about eventuality, but, I also have certain criteria as to what order I want to follow, and the order is the one that I keep thinking about incessantly.
I mean, it could very easily be Key’s VNs back to back, but that would be difficult to do, reading Clannad or Air, after Little Busters? Hell nah, those will be spaced out, I can only take so much nakige at a time. On the other hand, I could cover one of the many kamiges out there, those will be covered according to my own mood, as most kamiges have been discussed a plenty, there is very little else to say, sure I might cover some to pay my respects, but I don’t like to cover popular things for the reason I just mentioned.
So, in a quest to find a worthy VN to gosh over, as well as it not having the amount of attention it deserves, I stumbled upon this one. This isn’t really a set criteria for the series itself, the only criteria is what I feel like covering at any given moment.
I don’t think I have read a Chinese Visual Novel before, but I have read a lot, it could very easily escape me if one or another is from there, still, this novel is deserving of this article, not just for the novelty.
First, let me tell you a little important thing, that ain’t the full name of this VN, I did that to keep the title compact, the complete name is as follows, The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the late Ming Dynasty, if anything, it gets all the premise on the title.
And, if at any point you feel compelled to check this one out, be aware that this game covers quite a lot of sensitive subject matter, it is mature but not in the overtly sexual way, but it has some pretty heavy themes, and some scenes which albeit presented in a tame manner (when compared to other visual novels) they cover some very sensitive topics, the more predominant ones being: violence against children, human trafficking, and cannibalism.
There is also a relationship between an adult man and a young girl, which can raise a few eyebrows.
You still here? Good, now lets move on to the visual novel proper.
I mean, it could very easily be Key’s VNs back to back, but that would be difficult to do, reading Clannad or Air, after Little Busters? Hell nah, those will be spaced out, I can only take so much nakige at a time. On the other hand, I could cover one of the many kamiges out there, those will be covered according to my own mood, as most kamiges have been discussed a plenty, there is very little else to say, sure I might cover some to pay my respects, but I don’t like to cover popular things for the reason I just mentioned.
So, in a quest to find a worthy VN to gosh over, as well as it not having the amount of attention it deserves, I stumbled upon this one. This isn’t really a set criteria for the series itself, the only criteria is what I feel like covering at any given moment.
I don’t think I have read a Chinese Visual Novel before, but I have read a lot, it could very easily escape me if one or another is from there, still, this novel is deserving of this article, not just for the novelty.
First, let me tell you a little important thing, that ain’t the full name of this VN, I did that to keep the title compact, the complete name is as follows, The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the late Ming Dynasty, if anything, it gets all the premise on the title.
And, if at any point you feel compelled to check this one out, be aware that this game covers quite a lot of sensitive subject matter, it is mature but not in the overtly sexual way, but it has some pretty heavy themes, and some scenes which albeit presented in a tame manner (when compared to other visual novels) they cover some very sensitive topics, the more predominant ones being: violence against children, human trafficking, and cannibalism.
There is also a relationship between an adult man and a young girl, which can raise a few eyebrows.
You still here? Good, now lets move on to the visual novel proper.
The Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins With A Single Step
It is the Late Ming Dynasty, it is a time of strife.
A long lasting drought has created major famines, leading to massive death and displacement of people, both giving a devastating blow to the economy, with an administration laughably incompetent, many corrupt officials and their cronies take the opportunity to fatten their own pockets while they still can, can’t have a good crisis go to waste after all.
What little income there is for the Empire’s coffers, is used to either suppress the many rebels and bandit armies forming all around the territory, for bolstering the defense against the Manchurians, and, of course, to the friends and family of the Emperor, those extravagant lifestyles won’t pay for themselves.
Now, the upper echelons are filled with nobles and bureaucrats far far out of touch from their subjects.
The people are pushed to the limit, what little they have, is taken by either corrupt politicians, rebels, or bandits, its a dog eat dog world. And, many are forced to commit many atrocities, just to make it another day.
Among them, we have our protagonist, Liang, having lost his family at a young age during the Great Tianqi Explosion, while young he becomes a refugee, then without any practical skills, nor a country stable enough for an honest job to be worth it, he eventually takes to banditry.
Him and his buddy Tongue, have been killing and stealing for a while, but, business is slow, with the current state of affairs, the people they are robbing, are as broke as they are, and those worth stealing from are heavily guarded. They are at an impasse, but, Tongue’s got a solution, break into human trafficking, so off they go to the local shady guy.
The new job pays well, and its not that difficult all things considered, Liang and Tongue must take 4 girls to a noble’s house, that’s it, whatever for, not their problem, the girls are likely to become servants. Each girl was either sold by their family, or kidnapped, even becoming servants is a far better fate for them than many in such trying times.
Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Liang and Tongue take the job, and off they go Traveling the late Ming Dynasty, with four little lambs in tow.
A long lasting drought has created major famines, leading to massive death and displacement of people, both giving a devastating blow to the economy, with an administration laughably incompetent, many corrupt officials and their cronies take the opportunity to fatten their own pockets while they still can, can’t have a good crisis go to waste after all.
What little income there is for the Empire’s coffers, is used to either suppress the many rebels and bandit armies forming all around the territory, for bolstering the defense against the Manchurians, and, of course, to the friends and family of the Emperor, those extravagant lifestyles won’t pay for themselves.
Now, the upper echelons are filled with nobles and bureaucrats far far out of touch from their subjects.
The people are pushed to the limit, what little they have, is taken by either corrupt politicians, rebels, or bandits, its a dog eat dog world. And, many are forced to commit many atrocities, just to make it another day.
Among them, we have our protagonist, Liang, having lost his family at a young age during the Great Tianqi Explosion, while young he becomes a refugee, then without any practical skills, nor a country stable enough for an honest job to be worth it, he eventually takes to banditry.
Him and his buddy Tongue, have been killing and stealing for a while, but, business is slow, with the current state of affairs, the people they are robbing, are as broke as they are, and those worth stealing from are heavily guarded. They are at an impasse, but, Tongue’s got a solution, break into human trafficking, so off they go to the local shady guy.
The new job pays well, and its not that difficult all things considered, Liang and Tongue must take 4 girls to a noble’s house, that’s it, whatever for, not their problem, the girls are likely to become servants. Each girl was either sold by their family, or kidnapped, even becoming servants is a far better fate for them than many in such trying times.
Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Liang and Tongue take the job, and off they go Traveling the late Ming Dynasty, with four little lambs in tow.
Of course, there is a catch neither of them were told, Liang learns from one of the girls, Sui, the more mature one whom has taken the role of elder sister to the others, that the girls are being taken to a “Swine Demon,” they are lambs to the slaughter, as, let’s just say that the Swine Demon has certain proclivities, among them, he likes them young. And the reason that girl is tagging along, is to kill the Swine Demon, as revenge for her family.
Liang thought he had done away with morality, he has taken many lives, he believes himself a wolf, unburdened by emotions, yet, the little lamb’s story stroke a core within, if he’s going to atone for his own sins, he must help the girl cleanse the land from an evil far greater.
But, not everything is what meets the eye, there are many lies and half-truths sprinkled within, what does it mean to be a good person? Is it even worth being a good person during times of crisis? What does it take to be forgiven? This is a story of deception, hunger, revenge, and redemption.
Of course I won’t spoil the whole thing, the whole purpose of this article is for people to check it out themselves! This VN is already short as is.
Liang thought he had done away with morality, he has taken many lives, he believes himself a wolf, unburdened by emotions, yet, the little lamb’s story stroke a core within, if he’s going to atone for his own sins, he must help the girl cleanse the land from an evil far greater.
But, not everything is what meets the eye, there are many lies and half-truths sprinkled within, what does it mean to be a good person? Is it even worth being a good person during times of crisis? What does it take to be forgiven? This is a story of deception, hunger, revenge, and redemption.
Of course I won’t spoil the whole thing, the whole purpose of this article is for people to check it out themselves! This VN is already short as is.
Lambs, Cat, and Wolves
Liang is a very interesting character, although he is a bandit, and it would have been very easy to have him as the typical extremely questionable anti-hero, the writer opted for a different approach, he is a bandit, he has done many bad things, but, he is still haunted and sometimes disgusted by his own actions, even while fully knowing it was out of necessity, as much as he tries to cope by saying that he is a wolf and that its part of being a wolf, he still clings to the childish desire he once held of wanting to be hero.
You can also play him as a bumbling idiot though, since there are many ways in which Liang can get killed, some being quite… Stupid.
Or, you can play him as someone who does have a conscience, but doesn’t really care about redemption nor about what he has done in the past.
Thing is, his morality has to be dragged back out, his edge has to be dulled, by the most complex character in whole game, Sui, the little girl, the one he doesn’t call a lamb, rather, he calls her a cat, I really have to pick my words carefully, as by explaining how brilliant of a character she is, its very easy to give spoilers.
You get some hints at the start, she willingly handed herself over to the human traffickers, she pretends to be a mute, all to bide her time, then, she plays the innocent act, trying to lower their guard, finally when alone with Liang, she tries to kill him (don’t worry these are chapter one things), and fails, that’s when she reveals the whole Swine Demon thing, that’s all you get for a long time, ponder about it.
But, it isn’t just that, Sui and Liang slowly bond, specially once they find a kit for Shadow Play, and Liang reveals he used to love Shadow Plays as a kid, while Sui reveals she knows how to do it, every night the two sneak off to make dolls, and practice.
Their travels through the land will expose them to many things, many of which will test Liang’s morals, from stumbling into a village filled with cannibals, to having to cut and boil a human, even meeting the Dashing General Li Zicheng himself (although he is more important if you know your Chinese history, he is portrayed as just another character rather than the very relevant historical figure he is, he gets his time to shine later), while all of it is happening, the cat will be observing from the shadows.
You can also play him as a bumbling idiot though, since there are many ways in which Liang can get killed, some being quite… Stupid.
Or, you can play him as someone who does have a conscience, but doesn’t really care about redemption nor about what he has done in the past.
Thing is, his morality has to be dragged back out, his edge has to be dulled, by the most complex character in whole game, Sui, the little girl, the one he doesn’t call a lamb, rather, he calls her a cat, I really have to pick my words carefully, as by explaining how brilliant of a character she is, its very easy to give spoilers.
You get some hints at the start, she willingly handed herself over to the human traffickers, she pretends to be a mute, all to bide her time, then, she plays the innocent act, trying to lower their guard, finally when alone with Liang, she tries to kill him (don’t worry these are chapter one things), and fails, that’s when she reveals the whole Swine Demon thing, that’s all you get for a long time, ponder about it.
But, it isn’t just that, Sui and Liang slowly bond, specially once they find a kit for Shadow Play, and Liang reveals he used to love Shadow Plays as a kid, while Sui reveals she knows how to do it, every night the two sneak off to make dolls, and practice.
Their travels through the land will expose them to many things, many of which will test Liang’s morals, from stumbling into a village filled with cannibals, to having to cut and boil a human, even meeting the Dashing General Li Zicheng himself (although he is more important if you know your Chinese history, he is portrayed as just another character rather than the very relevant historical figure he is, he gets his time to shine later), while all of it is happening, the cat will be observing from the shadows.
Don’t worry, the game isn’t as graphic as I make it sound, it leaves a lot to the imagination.
For most of the game, we see things from Liang’s perspective, and all of his backstory is told by himself to Sui, as for Sui, her backstory gets a different treatment, hers is played as a flashback, which will quickly contradict many things she says, and you won’t get to see the full picture until much later, as the pivotal moments will unlock once you have seen at least two endings, not counting the ones in which Liang gets himself killed.
Those endings, are determined by multiple factors, but there are two which have the most influence, the affection Sui has towards Liang, and, how much Liang is willing to become a better person, all determined by decisions you make in-game.
The game has a lot of bad endings in which Liang gets himself killed, as well as a whole tapestry of neutral endings, and, it has two true endings, originally, the player was meant to decide for themselves which one is canon, but, at the time of writing there is a sequel in the works, The Weeping Swan: Ten Days To The City’s Fall, which pretty much confirms which of the endings is the actual true ending (very obvious once you see the promotional material, so avoid at all cost if you don’t want spoilers).
Sadly, the ending I preferred, became the non-canon one.
Of course, you the player get the perspective both characters lack, which makes some moments even more interesting in retrospect, making many of Sui’s actions slowly unravel, and once everything is pieced together, its when you realize how brilliantly written she is.
For most of the game, we see things from Liang’s perspective, and all of his backstory is told by himself to Sui, as for Sui, her backstory gets a different treatment, hers is played as a flashback, which will quickly contradict many things she says, and you won’t get to see the full picture until much later, as the pivotal moments will unlock once you have seen at least two endings, not counting the ones in which Liang gets himself killed.
Those endings, are determined by multiple factors, but there are two which have the most influence, the affection Sui has towards Liang, and, how much Liang is willing to become a better person, all determined by decisions you make in-game.
The game has a lot of bad endings in which Liang gets himself killed, as well as a whole tapestry of neutral endings, and, it has two true endings, originally, the player was meant to decide for themselves which one is canon, but, at the time of writing there is a sequel in the works, The Weeping Swan: Ten Days To The City’s Fall, which pretty much confirms which of the endings is the actual true ending (very obvious once you see the promotional material, so avoid at all cost if you don’t want spoilers).
Sadly, the ending I preferred, became the non-canon one.
Of course, you the player get the perspective both characters lack, which makes some moments even more interesting in retrospect, making many of Sui’s actions slowly unravel, and once everything is pieced together, its when you realize how brilliantly written she is.
The Taste Of Vinegar
The late Ming Dynasty is a very simple time, there is suffering, and there is corruption, there is those who enable them, and those who think they are fighting against them. Such is life in the twilight years of an empire, a cycle which will never be broken. History is very simple, its cowardly historians the ones that make it complicated.
This game understands suffering, and above all, it understands hunger.
The flashbacks to Sui’s past are very raw, you will get to truly see what it was like for the average person to live in such times, from the good days, to the bitter end, towards a new beginning, her own journey.
This game understands suffering, and above all, it understands hunger.
The flashbacks to Sui’s past are very raw, you will get to truly see what it was like for the average person to live in such times, from the good days, to the bitter end, towards a new beginning, her own journey.
But, the game isn’t just doom and gloom, there are moments of levity as little palate cleansers, this is when the shadow play and the other girls come into play.
The shadow play is the most interesting little tip bit of Chinese culture you get to enjoy, and, at the same time, its the way in which Sui and Liang bond, as the game progresses, you get to see how Liang slowly loses his edge thanks to their little practice sessions, as well as Sui pretending to be his daughter when they have to go incognito into towns, remember that Liang is still technically a human trafficker.
As for the other girls, they don’t have the depth Sui has, and they serve more as another way to make Liang a little less brutish, they behave as you will expect from children their age, although, they still have some sadness withing them due to circumstances, the two sisters whom were sold by their family, and the little noble girl seeing her family fall from grace and now she herself kidnapped. Both Liang and Tongue eventually take it easy on them, mostly out of pity.
Still, Liang slowly grows attached to them, eventually seeing them as his own daughters, and he will make sure there is a tomorrow for them.
What is a hero, if not a beacon of light in the darkness?
This game makes a very poignant presentation of life, but at the same time, it gives hope for a better future.
What is the taste of vinegar?
The shadow play is the most interesting little tip bit of Chinese culture you get to enjoy, and, at the same time, its the way in which Sui and Liang bond, as the game progresses, you get to see how Liang slowly loses his edge thanks to their little practice sessions, as well as Sui pretending to be his daughter when they have to go incognito into towns, remember that Liang is still technically a human trafficker.
As for the other girls, they don’t have the depth Sui has, and they serve more as another way to make Liang a little less brutish, they behave as you will expect from children their age, although, they still have some sadness withing them due to circumstances, the two sisters whom were sold by their family, and the little noble girl seeing her family fall from grace and now she herself kidnapped. Both Liang and Tongue eventually take it easy on them, mostly out of pity.
Still, Liang slowly grows attached to them, eventually seeing them as his own daughters, and he will make sure there is a tomorrow for them.
What is a hero, if not a beacon of light in the darkness?
This game makes a very poignant presentation of life, but at the same time, it gives hope for a better future.
What is the taste of vinegar?
A Good Traveler Has No Fixed Plans And Is Not Intent On Arriving
And, this is as much as will say about this game, I also hid a lot of primers into Chinese philosophy cause it felt appropriate, some are easier to approach than others, mostly Daoism, of course, personal bias.
These game shows promise on Chinese Visual Novels, at first I was worried that it would have the same problems that most modern Chinese literature suffers, pacing which is far too fast and leaves very little time to digest what’s happening, although still a short game, it uses that time masterfully, I really like the way Sui and Liang are developed.
I do like me some historical fiction, I do prefer political drama, but enjoying something more focused on the mundane is good once in a while.
This is a very mature Visual Novel, it really annoys me that mature has become a code word for porn, rather than it being used as it should, for something which touches upon adult themes. Thus spoke the former smut writer.
I am sure it will turn away many, specially the age gap thing, maybe all the cannibalism, and for more sensitive people, all the implied things which aren’t wholesome in the slightest, yet, isn’t the point of art to evoke emotion?
The game isn’t grimdark, it knows that constant doom and gloom can get exhausting, the little breaks in-between the suffering, with Liang and Sui practicing the shadow play, or Liang spoiling the girls with what little he manages to scrounge, even Sui actually acting her age instead of the shouldering the many burdens placed upon her solely do to circumstance.
It actually took me a while to finally decide to cover this one, as the first time I finished it, it gave me mixed feelings, it was upon a re-read that I analyzed it more and eventually came to appreciate the parts I didn’t like about it, which were some of the endings, specially one of the true endings (the one which ended up being canon), at the end, I decided that the fact it made me think so much about it, was enough for it to be worth recommending to other people.
I haven’t even mentioned the magnificent soundtrack this game has, nor the great Chinese voice acting, and, from the screenshots, you can see how good the art is.
These game shows promise on Chinese Visual Novels, at first I was worried that it would have the same problems that most modern Chinese literature suffers, pacing which is far too fast and leaves very little time to digest what’s happening, although still a short game, it uses that time masterfully, I really like the way Sui and Liang are developed.
I do like me some historical fiction, I do prefer political drama, but enjoying something more focused on the mundane is good once in a while.
This is a very mature Visual Novel, it really annoys me that mature has become a code word for porn, rather than it being used as it should, for something which touches upon adult themes. Thus spoke the former smut writer.
I am sure it will turn away many, specially the age gap thing, maybe all the cannibalism, and for more sensitive people, all the implied things which aren’t wholesome in the slightest, yet, isn’t the point of art to evoke emotion?
The game isn’t grimdark, it knows that constant doom and gloom can get exhausting, the little breaks in-between the suffering, with Liang and Sui practicing the shadow play, or Liang spoiling the girls with what little he manages to scrounge, even Sui actually acting her age instead of the shouldering the many burdens placed upon her solely do to circumstance.
It actually took me a while to finally decide to cover this one, as the first time I finished it, it gave me mixed feelings, it was upon a re-read that I analyzed it more and eventually came to appreciate the parts I didn’t like about it, which were some of the endings, specially one of the true endings (the one which ended up being canon), at the end, I decided that the fact it made me think so much about it, was enough for it to be worth recommending to other people.
I haven’t even mentioned the magnificent soundtrack this game has, nor the great Chinese voice acting, and, from the screenshots, you can see how good the art is.
And, its not everyday that you get to delve into the fascinating world of Chinese history, outside Three Kingdoms era.
If you feel like you can stomach the more hard hitting themes I mentioned, this game is very well worth reading, and, I look forward to the sequel, although once more, I have already been spoiled, as, I know Chinese history, and can make educated guesses as to what could happen.
If you feel like you can stomach the more hard hitting themes I mentioned, this game is very well worth reading, and, I look forward to the sequel, although once more, I have already been spoiled, as, I know Chinese history, and can make educated guesses as to what could happen.
