National Park Girls - Episode 4: Eternal Evergreen Part 1

I just realized I’ve skipped the third episode… whoops

I just want to learn more… I want to read everything there is!

National Park Girls – Episode 4: Eternal Evergreen Part 1 is the penultimate Episode of NPG. The previous episodes dealt with Zion and Yellowstone, and now we are heading into a two-part finish with Yosemite. We finally get to know more about the struggle with herself.
I’m sure I don’t need to say this but, you need to have played all the episodes that came before.

It’s another sunny day, and your pup is being a rebellious boy again. You decide to head back home into your little hut, which you share with three national parks. But before you can even open the door, you hear some glass shattering on the ground. You sprint through the front door, but the scene that unfolds before your eyes is unreal…

National Park Girls just throws you into the story this time. There is no windup or long intro, just Eve being Eve.

It’s hard to describe the relationship Eve and Yosemite share. Both are absolute blockheads that can’t leave any opportunity alone to one-up each other. Egocentric, self-serving, and maybe a bit narcissistic. But the interactions of those two make it a joy to read. Those verbal sparring matches in combination with this mutual respect those two have for each other… I can’t compare this kind of relationship to another Visual Novel. It’s just that unique. While Eve and Yosemite are out and researching in the Research Library, Zion and Yellowstone are stuck at home contemplating their existence.

We get to see regular jumps between those two places, and even switching points-of-views between Eve and Yosemite. I really liked how Yosemite’s point-of-view added to the narrative of the story. It gave us an expanded look into how she feels and sees the relationship with Eve. The windup to the climax of this episode was gripping and dramatic, as the episode’s thumbnail might suggest. The use of background SFX was brilliant. It pulled you into the story and immersed you in it.

The use of the OST was amazing as last time. The points I’ve talked about here still stand.

It’s as if the feelings of the characters just got sewn into the music with no chance of ever removing themselves from it.

I’m not someone that puts a heavy emphasis on voice acting. It is an important part of the experience as a whole, but it was never something that I actively paid attention to. But this time it was different. Especially Jessie in her ending scenes just sounded so powerful.

Sadly, this episode is short. Like ultra short. I knew that the episodes of NPG weren’t particularly long, but this was kinda disappointing. The story achieves what it’s trying to do, but I still feel like as if it could have been more elaborate. I would have been happy with some fluff between Eve and Yellowstone or Zion. But this episode doesn’t waste any time on that.
Even if it’s so short, do I still recommend it? Yes wholeheartedly. It sets the story up for a humongous finish. I just hope Studio Coattails won’t leave us hanging for too long!