This is the first review I've written in years. It'l be difficult to write, but I feel obligated to. Rakuen doesn't have gameplay that'll blow you away, or visuals that redefine an industry, but you know what it does have? The single most powerful story I've ever experienced. Shigihara tells a story of loss, love, innocense, imagination, wonder, humour, and tearful joy mixed with soul shattering grief. You learn of the patients on your floor of the hostpital. You learn of their struggles, their regrets, and their reasons for having the personalities they do through their alter egos in the world of Rakuen. I won't spoil anything, because this story is something you need to play. But, the ability of this game to get you invested in its world(s) is unmatched by most other titles on this platform, with exceptions like To the Moon. While this game has general value to mean something to everyone, it held a resonance to me that I might hold on to for the rest of my life. I lost my mother to MDS, a bone marrow cancer that disables the immune system, last July before I finished High School. I was overcome with grief naturally, but I began to doubt if I was handling it right. I felt like I wasn't shook enough. I've had these feelings of of doubt and stress for the past year, but after hearing that one of my favorite musicians/ sound desgners made a moving tale about cancer and loss, I immediately picked this title up. I finished it in a day, and I think I cried more after finishing this game than in the past year as a whole. It taught me that I wasn't dealing with loss wrong, because everyone's story with loss is unique. This game gave me peace that no therapist could. Please buy this game. Do not hold back tears. Get invested in the characters and the world of Rakuen, for the payoff is far and beyond worth the sadness this game brings. While you might not experience the same gravity that I did, you will feel. I promise you.

End note: Thank you, Laura Shigihara. You've done something for me that might have changed my life.

This is the first review I've written in years. It'l be difficult to write, but I feel obligated to. Rakuen doesn't have gameplay that'll blow you away, or visuals that redefine an industry, but you know what it does have? The single most powerful story I've ever experienced. Shigihara tells a story of loss, love, innocense, imagination, wonder, humour, and tearful joy mixed with soul shattering grief. You learn of the patients on your floor of the hostpital. You learn of their struggles, their regrets, and their reasons for having the personalities they do through their alter egos in the world of Rakuen. I won't spoil anything, because this story is something you need to play. But, the ability of this game to get you invested in its world(s) is unmatched by most other titles on this platform, with exceptions like To the Moon. While this game has general value to mean something to everyone, it held a resonance to me that I might hold on to for the rest of my life. I lost my mother to MDS, a bone marrow cancer that disables the immune system, last July before I finished High School. I was overcome with grief naturally, but I began to doubt if I was handling it right. I felt like I wasn't shook enough. I've had these feelings of of doubt and stress for the past year, but after hearing that one of my favorite musicians/ sound desgners made a moving tale about cancer and loss, I immediately picked this title up. I finished it in a day, and I think I cried more after finishing this game than in the past year as a whole. It taught me that I wasn't dealing with loss wrong, because everyone's story with loss is unique. This game gave me peace that no therapist could. Please buy this game. Do not hold back tears. Get invested in the characters and the world of Rakuen, for the payoff is far and beyond worth the sadness this game brings. While you might not experience the same gravity that I did, you will feel. I promise you. End note: Thank you, Laura Shigihara. You've done something for me that might have changed my life.