Rei

Author: sonnet009
Availability: Free, Download
Format: Visual Novel
Genre: Supernatural
Rating: PG

Found at http://www.sonnet009.com/ OR http://lemmasoft.renai.us

My Scores (out of 5):

Writing: 4
Art: 3.5
Gameplay: 3
Romance: 4 ("Aaaaawww!")

Summary

In Rei, you are Aya, a fifteen-year-old girl entering her first year of high-school.  Your new school is haunted by the ghost of a student who died in a mysterious accident.  When he offers to show you pieces of his past, you discover that you can do a bit more than just observe.  Can an apparition fight fate?

Review

The Writing:

The phrase "short but sweet" applies to this one.  Rei packs a nice story into a neat little package.  The premise is interesting, and the story unfolds at a steady pace.  The characters feel fairly believable, supernatural elements aside.  Most importantly, the writing made me care about what happened, to the point where I almost couldn't bear to get a bad ending.

The Art:

The art here is decent, with nice and varied expressions for the characters.  It was a little odd, after reviewing so many games with background music, to play a game that had sound effects but no music whatsoever.  I didn't dock any points for this, of course, but it did feel strange.

One thing I do think the game could have benefitted from, though, is having a couple of special images for important scenes.  As it is, we only get the occaisonal close-up of a sprite and some narration about what the person is supposedly doing.  We pretty much have to use our imaginations, as the sprites' poses never change.  I'm guessing this is because the sprites and backgrounds were downloaded, but while they were used to good effect, I think it could have been better if there had been some way to work one or two CGs in.

The Gameplay:

The story plays out very linearly, although your choices do affect the ending, and not just the obvious choice at the end.  All of your decisions throughout the game contribute to your relationship with Rei, and thus to the ultimate outcome of the whole adventure.  Plus, the game is short enough that seeing the different endings is easy.

The Romance:

Okay, bear in mind that we all have different tastes, and I have no idea what most people find romantic (apparently sparkly vampires are involved somehow); but for me, personally, I liked this one.  In particular, I like how Rei's personality is handled: not only does he have the whole rude-on-the-outside but sweet-on-the-inside duality thing going on (and layers in a personality are very nice), but this is perhaps the first case I've seen where we meet such a guy's nicer side before seeing his brusque exterior.  We're not trying to win over a total jerk in the blind hope that he's going to reveal he has a soft side; he does, and we've already seen it.  We already know, going in, that Rei can be fun and downright pleasant, and this is the Rei that we're trying to help.  Everything else just serves to give him depth and vulnerabilities that make an already-likeable guy more interesting.  (Mind you, this is not the same thing as discovering that a supposedly nice guy is secretly a jerk.  That kind of thing is neither romantic nor fun.)  Hopefully, once you've played this game yourself, you'll see what I mean.

As I said before, the writing made me care about Rei and Aya and their relationship.  The banter between them was funny and really helped to make them a cute couple.  Plus, the art for Rei is pretty easy on the eyes, though I admit that I find Ghost Rei to be somewhat cuter than Living Rei (Maybe it's the white hair?) .

Over-all, I found this story to be sweet.  Not sappy, mind you; just sweet.  It gave my heartstrings a good pluck.  How many ghost stories are there that can do that?

TLDR:

Rei is a short and nicely-written story with decent replay value, even though it only branches at the end.  The art is good, although it could do with a couple extra frills here and there.  I thought the love story was sweet, romantic, and emotionally engaging, although I'll understand if the rest of you think I'm nuts for thinking so.

As always, this is all just one girl's opinion.  You may think this game is hauntingly beautiful, or you may think it should die horribly.  Feel free to haunt the comments with your own opinions. ^_^

Lunar Days Sim Date

Author: Pacthesis
Availability: Free, Online
Format: Dating Sim
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: PG
My Scores: (Writing: 3, Art: 3, Gameplay: 3.5) out of 5

Found at  http://www.deviantart.com OR http://www.bestonlinerpggames.com

Summary

Lunar Days Sim Date has nothing to do with werewolves, despite what the name and the sillouhette on the title card might lead you to believe.  In Lunar Days Sim Date, you are Karina/Insert-Name-Here.  After a recurring dream leads you to a magical book, you find yourself transported to a strange world populated by humans and cat-people, where a green moon shines during the season-long night.  Since the book's magic only works during the full moon, it will be a while before you can return home.  But once the time comes, will you even want to?

Review

The Writing:

I really like the setting Pacthesis has created here.  While the story itself is relatively simple, and the premise is similar to Dating Sim Academy in that you are magically whisked to a strange land of animal-people for no adequately explained reason, the world and the characters in it give this game its life.  We are given glimpses of racial tension and its effects on the people of this world, and glimpses of what it means to have night and day pass like seasons instead of hours.  It makes me want to see more of this setting.  This could easily be re-used as the backdrop of a movie, or a novel, or even another several dating sims, and it wouldn't feel old. There is much to explore here, and if Pacthesis doesn't choose to do so, then I hope that she gives the fans her blessing and that someone takes up this torch.

Story-wise, however, this isn't really Pacthesis' strongest work, although it's still quite good.  The introduction sequence starts out a little cliched, but then, after the book is opened, does a very good job at drawing the player in.  The characters have distinguishable personalities, and some have interesting secrets.  Sadly, the dialogue has a smattering of typos and mistakes here and there, but at least it's nothing that will ruin the gameplay.

Also, this is the second time I've given a more conservative age-ranking than the official one; the author bills this as an "all ages" game, but I felt that some of the flirting in the dialogue was a wee bit too saucy to be truly "all ages".  Yes, I am hyper-conservative and picky about everything, which I hope you'll always keep in mind when reading these reviews.

The Art:

All of the backgrounds are filtered stock-photos.  This is an accepted convention among makers of free dating games, but I did miss having a drawn background.  To me, the scenes set in our world looked a bit tacky, although for the emerald world, it worked much better.  

What is drawn is mostly okay.  It does get off-model quite a bit, though there are some very good bits also.  There's some nice animation peppered in the game, and the music is appropriately eerie.  I also like the changing profile picture in the HP meter.  Lastly, gifts given to the characters appear in their rooms, which was a nice touch.

The Gameplay:

This game does things a little differently than Pacthesis' previous works.  For one thing, it doesn't show you any numbers.  Your character has no stats to build up, so which job you work depends on how much HP you want to spend.  As for HP, while certain interactions are said to cost a certain amount, your only clue about how much HP you have is the round meter in the corner which shows you how tired you are.  This means it will take a while to figure out how much you can get done in a day.  On the other hand, often-meaningless numbers for relationship points have been replaced with words like "Acquaintance", "Friend", or "Soulmate", making it much easier to understand where you are with a person.

Rather than a mini-map, the game puts you in the world and lets you wander, like in Cafe Rouge.  This heightens the sense of immersion, but can also cause a little frustration as you try to remember where you are and how to get to where you want to go.  On the plus side, there are multiple places where you can rest, meaning that you might not have to trot quite so far; and usually, once you've reached the Friend level with a person, you can rest at their house, saving yourself a trip altogether.

It's very difficult to actually lose this game, since generally, even if you fail to win the person of your dreams, you'll still get a nice surprise once you get home.  This makes failure almost as much fun as success.  The good news is that clicking on the moon when you're resting skips you forward to the last day, making it easier to see every possible ending.

TLDR:

Lunar Dating Sim isn't really Pacthesis' strongest work, although it's still good.  The world she builds here is exquisite, and I wish I could someday see more of it.  The art leaves a bit to be desired and the gameplay tries new things.  Overall, this is a fun game, and very much worth playing.  Also, there are no werewolves.

This is, naturally, all the opinion of one person.  You yourself may think this game is the cat's meow, or you may think it needs to be banished from this world.  Feel free to discuss your own opinion on the comments. :)

Heavenly Playgirl Dating Sim

Author: TopazShrine
Availability: Free, Online
Format: Dating Sim
Genre: Supernatural
Rating: Teen
My Scores: (Writing: 3, Art: 3, Gameplay: 3) out of 5

Found at http://www.deviantart.com/ OR http://www.datingsims.net/

Summary

In Heavenly Playgirl Dating Sim, you are Faith/Insert-Name-Here Allgood.  Yes, you can change your first name, but not your last.  Anyway, you've grown so disgusted with your father's womanizing ways, that' you've left home and moved to Heavenly Hills...only to learn that you've grown up to be just like him.  Now, after a car accident that should have been lethal, God has seen fit to give you a second chance: You have five weeks to atone for all the hearts you've broken and find true love.  So, get cracking!

Review

The Writing:

This was an interesting story, and I like how the threads of all the different characters tie in to the main plot.  Major brownie points are given for the sense of cohesion, there.  Also, I appreciate the message that shallow and unfaithful people exist in both genders, and that both men and women have real feelings: the protagonist's original notion of "Guys only date for fun" doesn't fly, and her behavior is considered no less awful than how her father treated her mother.  There's some good substance, here.

Unfortunately, the English is rather painful in spots.  The author does apologize for this beforehand, and for the most part, it's manageable; but there were a couple lines that made me ask "What did I just read?".  Also, this game commits the sin of having similar dialogue options.  Authors, if you're going to have one dialogue choice be right and one be wrong, then please don't make one a rearranged version of the other.  When both options seem like they should work, it kills the suspension of disbelief when only one does.  Granted, there can be times when "How should I say this?" is a valid question, but such a choice can easily be frustrating unless the author really knows what they're doing.  If you're writing in a language that you don't have absolute mastery over, then don't even touch that question with a ten-foot pole.

The Art:

The art isn't perfect, but it's still quite nice, and some bits are downright lovely.  I liked the angles and use of closeups in the intro, and the autumn leaves were a nice tone-setting detail. The music is a little 'plinky' to me, but that could just be my taste.  I will say, though, that I absolutely hate the protagonist's outfit, and I'm not too fond of Sergio's either; it's as if they decided to wear all of their clothes at once.  Still, at least the other guys are easy to look at.

The Gameplay:

I must applaud TopazShrine's efforts at mixing things up.  The boys don't stay in one spot everyday; rather, much like people living in a town, they visit different locations at different parts of the week.  Church on Sunday, School on Monday, Movies on the weekend... It not only makes the game more alive and believable, but it also adds an element of challenge; especially since some of these locations can only be reached by taking the bus for 2 coins.  (Also, I very much appreciate the fact that talking to an unattainable shop-keeper NPC doesn't waste valuable HP).

Breaking the Food->HP->Job->Money->Food system also takes a lot more effort than in some of the other games reviewed on this blog.  Suffice it to say, you won't be getting all of the guys maxed out on day 1.  Much of this is because of a stat called Work Fatigue, which keeps you from spamming the work button forever even when you have leftover HP.

Even if you do get to a point where you have enough HP to do a month's work in a day's time, it won't do you much good.  Success with the boys depends on witnessing their events, and you only get one event each week.  This kind of forces the player to play at the game's intended pace, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

TLDR:

TopazShrine calls this her first serious project.  For a first, it's very good, and it's clear that a lot of effort was put into making this.  While Heavenly Playgirl Dating Sim isn't perfect, it does a lot well and is a surprisingly strong piece.  

Of course, this is all my opinion.  You may think this game is just heavenly, or you might think it deserves an eternity in limbo.  Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. ^_^

Heartstring Bugs

Author: VenusEclipse

Availability: Free, Download

Format: Dating Sim / Raising Sim

Genre: School Romance / Sci-Fi

Rating: Teen

My Scores: (Writing: 4.5, Art: 4, Gameplay: 4) out of 5

Found at http://www.unbrokenhours.com/ 

Summary:

In Heartstring Bugs, you are Elly/Insert-Name-Here. It's your second year of high-school, and you suddenly find yourself the protector of a baby computer virus who has come to Earth to do a report. This virus, named Vi, has hacked your DNA so that you can now see colors representing people's emotions and attractiveness. Needless to say, high-school just got a lot more interesting.

Review:

The Writing:

There's an old saying which goes “God is in the detail.” While many other games have a high-school as the setting, this one stands out for making that setting come to life. This isn't just another dating sim with uniforms and classroom backdrops; in Heartstring Bugs, you'll find yourself dealing with everything from grades, to parents, to parties, to bullies, to people obsessed with sparkly vampires. The various random events further heighten the experience, making it feel like days in the life of a high-schooler. It all feels so real, aliens and rock-stars notwithstanding.

What's more, the characters themselves are rich and full of dimension. They're more than just your standard high-school types, such as jock, nerd, or cheerleader: each character, whether a datable boy or just one of Elly's friends, has one or two quirks that go against all expectation, and a personality that really brings that character to life. I found myself becoming emotionally invested in every path I followed, including the girls' friendship storylines, and feeling for every character. What's more, these characters don't just fade into the background until you pick one to focus on: their personalities shine through every time they appear on the set, and if you know what to look for, you can spot cryptic allusions to the secrets and drama of their storylines.

I must also salute the makers for choosing to set this piece in Canada. As I've mentioned before, certain cultures seem to dominate the playing-field when it comes to settings for visual novels and dating sims. Maybe this is finally changing. Anyway, this game does as good a job of immersing us in Canada as it does of immersing us in high-school, with Thanksgiving in October, provincial exams, and a newcomer being unused to the cold. As far as I can tell, they forgot to mention poutine and hilariously high taxes; but then, you can't have everything.

The Art:

The art in this game is quite good, and some of the CGs are absolutely scrumptious. The music is also nice, and I like the fact that every character has their own leitmotif. Even more, I like the fact that this game takes a common artistic convention and turns it into the story's premise: not only do you see pink bubbles around someone pretty and black lines behind someone nervous, but the protagonist herself sees them, too.

There is one annoying issue, though: before playing this game, you have to make sure your graphics drivers are completely updated. Otherwise, you may experience some frustrating graphics glitches that can make the game very hard to play. It's a major nuisance, but at least the author addresses this issue on the game's website, and once it's fixed, it shouldn't bother you again.

The Gameplay:

The gameplay method of choosing a week's worth of activities in order to change stats and stress brings to mind Princess Maker (and other games based thereon). Since Heartsting Bugs covers three years, it's certainly a lot shorter than, say, Prince Maker: Braveness. Allowing for failed activities, this three-year span seems to be enough to get your stats where they need to be, with the third year being mostly superfluous (much like in real high-school!).

I like how when shopping, different clothes are available at different seasons. Not only does it kind of mirror the way fashion changes in real life, but it adds an extra element of challenge, since in this game, what you wear matters. I also love the outfit system: certain items, when worn together, give your look a theme which may appeal to your boy or repulse him, depending on his tastes. What's more, tossing a jacket over your outfit can change its look completely, meaning you'll probably end up trying everything with everything else at least once, just to see what happens.

This game hits all three points of the Dating Sim Trinity: Talking, Gifts, and Dating; but it weaves them in very naturally. At any time, you might bump into someone at school or while out and about and be able to talk to them; and of course, there's always the chit-chat that happens on a date. Gifts come up on birthdays and at Christmas. Once you know someone well enough, they give you their number, and then you can call them up ask them out; they might say yes or no, and depending on how close you are, they might even call you. The whole system is very organic, and puts as much emphasis on your impression of a person as on that person's impression of you, making this the most natural and lifelike dating sim I have ever reviewed since starting this blog.

TLDR:

Heartstring Bugs is amazingly true to life, despite its supernatural/sci-fi elements. The characters are believable as people, and their problems are handled plausibly. The art could be just a little bit tighter in places, but it still manages to hit the high-notes, and the game is so rich and nuanced that it really puts the “simulation” in Dating Simulation. With at least 5 guys and a lot of surprises, this is one game that you'll want to play over and over. I actually want to thank the folks at Unbroken Hours for making this, and for making it free. If the art were just a wee bit tighter, I'd say sell it and make a fortune.

As usual, this is all my opinion, and we may have different tastes. You might think this game is Cute and Sexy, or Bizarre and Awful. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. :)