Stephanie Burdo of The Koalition writes:
htol#NiQ: The Firefly Diary… Well if that isn’t a mouthful than who knows what is. Rather than continue to roll off that lengthy label, let’s call it The Firefly Diary for short.
Developed by Nippon Ichi Software and published by NIS America, The Firefly Diary is available to players on the PlayStation Vita. Notoriously claimed a “dead” handheld to players everywhere around the world, you can’t help but scratch your head at the confusing line of games that Sony continues to push through the PlayStation Vita. When it comes to The Firefly Diary —Sony only further hammers a nail in the handheld’s coffin.
There is a whole line of NIS games people might not know about. They don't have any specific designation and header. However, each one is a 2D game focused on stories and puzzles, and people who enjoy one will likely love the others.
Gary Hartley Writes: But even with such a mammoth complaint filed away, htoL#NiQ is still a shuffling collection of rage quits and tantrums. Some of this is down to Mion’s atrocious speed and the way she shuffles after her firefly helper on her little, unsteadily legs. On one hand, it does promote a huge aura of vulnerability and inspires a certain measure of protectiveness from the gamer. On the other, waiting for her to get from point to point can be excruciating. For the most part, the game itself keeps in sync with the laborious pace; little shadow monsters try to chase down the little heroine at set intervals but never dial their pace up from an uncomfortable creep as Mion casually strolls away. Other pitfalls are less forgiving and demand a series of prompt and precise commands the interface is often not up to. To this end, you will often easily figure out what you need to do to bypass a puzzle or a deathtrap; you’ll just find yourself eating countless deaths while you try to unsuccessfully pull it all together.
Amazon has opened preorders for the Yomawari: Night Alone and htol#NiQ: The Firefly Diary bundles, revealing some additional details and images.
That's a shame. I really like NIS but it looks like this one just doesn't hold up.
As a Vita owner, I must say that your description of how that handheld has been treated since launch is spot on. While some may like certain types of games on there, I absolutely haven't found anything worth playing besides Persona 4 Golden. Sony needs to focus on making more games for the device and not just making cross compatible games that also can be played on PS3 and PS4.
Damn the vita did not need a game like this. :(