Gnosia
Game icon featuring the character SQ
Developer(s)Petit Depotto
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)
ReleasePlayStation Vita
  • JP: June 6, 2019
Nintendo Switch
  • JP: December 17, 2020
  • WW: March 4, 2021
Windows
  • WW: January 23, 2022
PS4, PS5, XBO, XSX/S
  • WW: December 14, 2023
Genre(s)Visual novel, role-playing, social deduction
Mode(s)Single-player

Gnosia[lower-alpha 1] is a 2019 visual novel social deduction role-playing game developed by Petit Depotto. It was originally released in June 2019 for the PlayStation Vita, and was ported to the Nintendo Switch in December 2020, with a Windows version released in January 2022. It also released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in December 2023.

Gameplay

This game uses a visual novel role-playing game format mixed with an RNG social deduction game. It is single player and utilizes a timeloop structure to create new situations. Aboard a spaceship, the player and several NPCs must deduce who on board is a Gnosia, an alien-like creature that will kill the regular humans on board. The player works with the NPCs to suss out and nominate the potential Gnosia suspects and put them into cryo-sleep. The player can also be Gnosia, in which case they know the other Gnosia on board and will work together to try to eliminate the humans. The number of Gnosia as well as the number of NPCs on board as well as the player's role, is determined prior to each loop beginning. In addition to regular humans and Gnosia, there are other roles, including the Doctor (who can investigate the recently frozen NPCs and determine if they were human or not), the Engineer (who can investigate non-frozen characters to determine if they are human), the Guardian Angel (who can protect high-risk targets from elimination by the Gnosia), and the Bug (who is essentially playing for themselves, trying to stay alive to the end of the round and seizing victory for themselves, destroying the universe).

Throughout playing these loops the player will encounter many events with the other characters, which provides additional backstory to them as well as the universe they are in. In order to get to the ending of the game, the player must encounter all of these events first, many of which are locked behind a specific set of parameters for each loop. The game allows for an "event search" function on the ruleset screen, which lets you make it more likely to run into the events triggering.

Plot

In the far future, humanity has become a massive spacefaring civilization. However, one threat it must deal with is the Gnosia Plague, where people who have been infected with the Gnosia Plague feel compelled to murder other humans in the name of their god Gnos.

The player character manages to get a ride on a refugee ship escaping from a planet being ravaged by the Gnosia Plague. However, during the trip to another planet, the ship's computer LeVi detects Gnosia infection on board the ship and following protocol, instructs the passengers and crew to deduce which one of them is the Gnosia before the Gnosia kills all of the humans and the ship is forced to self destruct. However, the player quickly discovers that regardless of the outcome of the investigation, time loops back to the initial discovery of the Gnosia infection. The player also discovers one of the passengers, Setsu, has also been trapped in a series of time loops and they both agree to collaborate to figure out to escape their loops.

However, when time loops, the conditions are not always identical, as the number of humans and Gnosia can change as well as the identity of the Gnosia. Later, the player even gains the ability to manually adjust the settings for each loop as they play through numerous different scenarios. Eventually, the player learns from the shrine maiden Yuriko that Gnos is actually a collective hivemind of "cyberised" humans who uploaded their minds to an electronic database and use the Gnosia as a means to add more minds to their collective. Yuriko also points out that the player themselves are an anomaly, since the ship only finds out the Gnosia infection since the player is supposed to be the Gnosia's first victim, meaning the player has been looping to timelines where they have already died. Scientist Raqio also eventually reveals that the player and Setsu's time loops are caused by an entity called the "Silver Key", which attach themselves to humans and gather data through the time loops they experience. Once the Silver Key collects enough information, it leaves to a different universe to continue its life cycle.

After enough loops and unique scenarios, the player will finally gather enough data to fill up their Silver Key. They then loop to a timeline where nobody on the ship was infected by the Gnosia. The player's Silver Key then opens a portal. In order to prevent a time paradox, Setsu decides to take that loop's still hibernating version of the player through the portal. In addition, Setsu's own Silver Key has not been filled yet, and somebody needs close the portal from the other side. The player is forced to part ways with Setsu and returns to the rest of the passengers and crew, who celebrate having escaped the Gnosia Plague but have completely forgotten Setsu's existence.

In the game's true ending, the player decides to follow Setsu to the other universe by starting a new game file. Setsu is shocked, but welcomes the player's help, as Setsu's Silver Key has now filled up thanks to the player's arrival, meaning Setsu's time loop can be closed now as well. Setsu uses knowledge gained from other time loops to discover the identity of the Gnosia, Manan, before she can claim any victims. Knowing that Manan desires immortality, Setsu tempts her with the Silver Key by pointing out she can use it to loop time endlessly. Manan agrees to take Setsu's Silver Key and is transported to another universe. Now having broken free from their respective time loops, the player and Setsu finally take a moment to relax together without having to worry about the future.

Development

Gnosia's development first began in 2015 by four-person indie studio Petit Depotto. It was originally planned for the PlayStation Mobile,[1][2] but was in announced in 2017 instead announced to be developed for the PlayStation Vita.[3] Mebius released the game in Japan for the PlayStation Vita on June 6, 2019,[4] and Petit Depotto self-published a Japanese Nintendo Switch version the following year on December 17, 2020.[5] The Nintendo Switch version was published internationally in English on March 4, 2021 by Playism.[6] A Windows version was released on January 23, 2022 in English, Japanese, and Chinese,[7] following a delay from 2021.[8] A port to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S was released worldwide by Playism on December 14, 2023.[9]

Reception

Gnosia received generally positive reviews from video game critics. It received a score of 82 on MetaCritic based on 39 reviews, ranging from a perfect 100 from Digitally Downloaded to a 40% from Switch Brasil.[10] Mollie Patterson of Electronic Gaming Monthly praised the game's single-player adaptation of a typically multiplayer affair, stating: "arguing against the computer in an attempt to determine who is the human-killing alien in your group is far more dynamic and exciting than you’d ever expect this type of game to be."[12] Nintendo Life's Trent Cannon found joy in the "clever, varied game design," deeming it perfect for both short or long gaming sessions.[15]

Heidi Kemps of GameSpot offered both compliments and criticisms, lauding Gnosia's "intriguing story that slowly reveals its truths, keeping you interested in coming back for more," while lamenting the lack of character dialogue during discussions.[13] Heather Johnson Yu of HeyPoorPlayer echoed Kemps' sentiments, both negative and positive, with a glowing addition that Gnosia was "my contender for GOTY 2021."[17] The limited dialogue options were a dealbreaker for Igor Rangel of Switch Brasil, who considered the immersion "shallow" and suggested voice acting to offset the response issues.[18]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: グノーシア, Hepburn: Gunо̄shia

References

  1. ↑ Ong, Alexis (May 22, 2020). "Petit Depotto, 'Gnosia' and the new, obsolete game". Engadget. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  2. ↑ Mochizuki, Takashi (April 19, 2020). "Tiny Game Studio Finds Nintendo Stardom Through Sony's Obsolete Device". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  3. ↑ Romano, Sal (May 3, 2019). "Werewolf game Gnosia for PS Vita launches in late May or early June in Japan". Gematsu. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  4. ↑ "グノーシア (PS Vita) - ファミ通.com". Archived from the original on 2021-05-01. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  5. 1 2 "グノーシアのレビュー・評価・感想". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Game Linkage. Archived from the original on 2021-05-01. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  6. ↑ "Acclaimed Visual Novel RPG Gnosia Gets March Release Date - IGN". 24 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-05-01. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  7. ↑ Vitale, Adam (23 January 2022). "Gnosia now available for PC | RPG Site". RPG Site. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  8. ↑ Vitale, Adam (December 21, 2021). "Gnosia for PC now set to release in Early 2022". RPG Site. Mist Network. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Gnosia coming to PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, and Xbox One on December 14". Gematsu. September 10, 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  10. 1 2 "Gnosia for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  11. ↑ Andriessen, CJ (March 14, 2021). "Review: Gnosia". Destructoid. Archived from the original on March 11, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  12. 1 2 Patterson, Mollie (March 9, 2021). "Gnosia review". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  13. 1 2 Kemps, Heidi (March 11, 2021). "Gnosia Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  14. ↑ Watanabe, Takuya (June 24, 2019). "Gnosia Review". IGN Japan. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  15. 1 2 Cannon, Trent (March 9, 2021). "Gnosia Review". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  16. ↑ Theriault, Donald (March 6, 2021). "Gnosia (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  17. ↑
  18. ↑
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