Is Ghosts over the Water down?

Studio Unagi's Ghosts over the Water: Changing the Tides of Japan's Future is a historical, immersive strategy game made by four undergraduate students from Yale University and University of Texas, Austin in association with UT Austin's JapanLab. Built upon a familiar and accessible visual novel framework, Ghosts over the Water takes you into a fast-paced world filled with difficult decisions. Featuring: - Three different, character-specific routes - Seven total different endings, based on choice - A rich cast of over 15 historically based characters - Engaging and expansive story with powerful dialogue (130,000 words!) - Hand-drawn art and assets - Collectible, full-screen CGs - Soundtrack of over 35 songs ~ It is the summer of 1853. Earlier in the year, the most unexpected visitors arrived on Japanese shores: Americans. A small fleet of ships commanded by Commodore Matthew C. Perry stormed into Edo Bay, engaging in no violence but causing immense panic. Over two hundred years had passed with Japanese borders closed to outsiders—and suddenly, these foreigners were at the country’s shores demanding open trade. You play as Tsumaki Naoharu: an ambitious, curious young samurai working under Abe Masahiro, the chief senior councillor of Tokugawa Japan. In his lofty position, Masahiro has the imperative duty of formally deciding how Japan will respond to this newfound threat. However, the answer to this deceptively simple question of, “How do we answer to the demands of the foreigners?” is far from clear. You will discover that the citizens are on edge, the opinions of the local lords are at odds with each other, and the current systems are at risk of being upended. But above all else, you will learn that nobody can decide whether to open up to Western trade or keep Japan closed entirely—and Masahiro is no exception. Out of desperation for information and assistance, Abe tasks Naoharu with collecting the opinions of people around Edo in order to...