The Crossroads

Author: Seraphinite
Availability: Free, Download
Format: Visual Novel
Genre: Supernatural
Rating: Teen

Found at seraphinite.itch.io

My Scores (Out of 5):

Writing: 3
Art: 4
Gameplay: 3
Romance:  2.5  (“Simple fare, but not bad.”)

Summary

In The Crossroads, you are Tiana/Insert-Name-Here.  When your life starts crumbling around you, you suddenly get an opportunity to make a little money by house-sitting a mansion in the middle of nowhere.  Apparently, the mansion's ownership is in dispute, and this fact seems to have the mansion's only two staff members – the gardener and the steward – on edge.  But, what does any of it have to do with you or your presence here?”

Review

The Writing

One thing that sticks out about the writing is its use of sensory details.  While the prose in What's Your Name? tries to do the art's job for it by describing visuals, the writing in The Crossroads complements its art by describing things like taste, smell, or feel: things that the art can't really convey.  The result is a fuller, more rounded experience.

The story itself is simple and straight-forward: while the nature of the house and servants is concealed from the main character until the end, I wouldn't call its revelation a twist.  There are also no clear stakes until that revelation, and even then, whether those stakes seem high or low just depends on how you feel about the men's situation.  It's about as low-tension as Nacira, and whether this makes it calm and relaxing or dull and boring depends entirely on the player and their mood.

My only real complaint about the writing is that even though the guys have clearly defined and differing personalities, some sections of dialog are obviously copied and pasted from one character to the other.  This is most glaring at the end, when the PC's chosen suitor gives her the exposition.  Even their actions, before and after, are mirrored with no variation.  While I wouldn't describe either of them as being out of character in those moments, it still feels unfair to have them suddenly become interchangeable; a little flourish or two to remind us of their personalities would have made it better, and having the events unfold completely differently for each would have been best, I think.

The Art

It's wonderful to see hand-drawn backgrounds again, and both the backgrounds and the characters are beautifully done.  The art style here is more naturalistic, which is also pleasantly surprising.  I don't dislike the more anime/manga style that most of these games have, mind you; but after so many of them, it's good to be reminded that other art styles exist.

The music and sound effects were nice, but there were many points where all the sounds just ended, leaving dead air. It was a bit off-putting.  Also, the game uses an instrumental version of the song “Donna Nobis Pacem” (literally “Give Us Peace”) quite a bit.  The first time I heard it, it seemed thematically appropriate for the conversation being had; by the fifth time I heard it, I realized it was just “pretty harp music” for the game's score.  Ah, well.

The Gameplay

The Crossroads lets you customize your character's appearance a bit, with choices of skin tone, eye color, hair color, and freckles.  These choices show up in the CGs as well as your sprite, although the art gallery only displays the default version.

There is some shaping of the PC's personality, too, throughout the game.  Most of the choices seem to be about establishing your character's inner thoughts, which in turn affect how certain conversations unfold and how the suitors describe you.  While there are some obvious decisions on who to spend time with and whether to leave, I suspect the subtler ones are only for flavor and have little or no impact on the ending: you can be praised just as much for being optimistic as for being blunt and straight-forward.  Overall, this game seems to be more about the journey than the destination.

TL;DR:

The Crossroads is a nice little story with a very relaxed feel to it.  The art is lovely, though it doesn't indulge in any grand vistas, and the gameplay is satisfying with a lot of room for customizing the experience.  The experience is sweet, cozy, and doesn't overstay its welcome.

As usual, this is only my opinion: you may think this game is worth being cooped up in a house all day, or you might want to leave it and never look back.  Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

What's Your Name?

Author: Sunlit Dreamer & Amiralo
Availability: Free, Download
Format: Visual Novel
Genre: Supernatural, Horror
Rating: Teen

Found at sunlit-dreamer.itch.io

My Scores (Out of 5):

Writing: 2
Art: 3
Gameplay: 2
Romance: 2 (“Still a better love story than the internet meme.”)

Summary

In What's Your Name?, you are Insert-Name-Here.  You've agreed to participate in a government program that pairs up humans with mythological creatures.  If, by the end of the first date, the M.C. gives you his name, that means the match-up was successful, and you can arrange to get married!  Until then, be careful, because lampirs, pukis, and mer-men are very, very dangerous.

Review

The Writing

The writing in What's Your Name? makes a couple of interesting and unusual choices.  First of all, this is the first visual novel I've ever played that uses third person narration.  While that style of writing can work just fine for books, I think games require a closer link between the player and the main character.  Whereas “You see a ghost” or “What should I say to him...?” put the player in the main character's head, “She got up to leave” keeps us at a distance, watching from the outside.  It makes it a little harder to get invested.

Another gamble that I don't think paid off very well is having three separate player characters.  When you get a route (more on this later), the game doesn't just present you with a different guy: it puts you in the shoes of a different, corresponding girl, with a different look, personality, backstory, and motivation.  To me, this also makes it harder to get invested: instead of exploring one character through different paths through one story, we're essentially given three very short stories with little time to understand who we're playing as and little reason to get attached.

As for the skill of the writing itself, I have mixed opinions.  Some parts of it were nice, though there were a few grammar flubs here and there.  Some of the descriptions, though, seemed like they were trying to do the job of the art.  A picture is worth a thousand words, so why go to the effort of narrating someone's clothing, pose, or features when you could just show us?  And speaking of art...

The Art

The characters themselves are done nicely enough: they have a kind of sketched look to them, with soft colors that are easy on the eyes.  The backgrounds, though, are very simple.  What's infuriating, though, is that there are times when the screen goes completely black except for the text describing what we see.  There's no call for it; they could at least keep the background up!

On the plus side, the music is very beautiful.  However, I must complain about one of the sound effects: At one point in the lampir's route, our character's ears ring.  We do not need to actually hear this high-pitched ringing.  Seriously, it's a shrill, high note just on the edge of hearing that stretches on and on until the scene is mercifully over or you've taken a mallet to the computer and started smashing it.

Also, I'm on the fence about the chibi-scenes in this one.  They're cute, I suppose.  I do appreciate that our protagonists are different races, but it would have been nice if we could see them sooner, instead of being surprised at the very end with an image of them that may look nothing like what you've been picturing this entire time.

The Gameplay

Like Other Age, this game starts with a personality quiz to determine who you'll be pursuing.  After much thought, I've decided I don't like this technique.  It creates an unnecessary obstacle.  To get any specific character (a must for completionists), the player has to answer questions in a way that matches up with the traits of someone she hasn't even met yet, which calls for either mind-reading, a walk-through, or lots of trial and error.  It lacks the fairness of interacting with someone based on what we know, see, or guess about them.

I was also disappointed that we get very little input into what kind of person our main character is and how she interacts with the world.  Basically, the personality quiz only chooses which story (and thus which main character) to drop you into.  While there are choices, they are only a few with very little difference between options: you can, for example, choose whether or not to look your partner in the eyes while lying, but you cannot choose to evade the question or tell the truth.  Combined with the writing decisions mentioned above, this makes it very hard to connect with the main character in the way a player should be able to.  After all, if the narrator doesn't believe she's me, and she's already more or less made up her own mind what to do in the story, then why am I even here?

I think the worst part of the gameplay, though, is that certain scenes require you to do absolutely nothing.  The choice menu is in front of you, and you have to just wait for several seconds instead of clicking an option.  This is interpreted as your character doing nothing.  No.  Do you know what's a better way to have a character do nothing?  Give the player a choice labeled “Do Nothing”.  I didn't even know “nothing” was an option until I read the walk-through, since usually these things aren't timed and I saw no indication that this was any different.  Oh, and one of those “do nothing” moments comes while an annoying, high-pitched sound is playing.  You didn't actually need your ears, did you?

TL;DR:

What's Your Name? took some risks that didn't completely pan out. Still, it has its moments.  It's not the best game out there, but I wouldn't call it the worst, either.  Basically, I'm not mad; just disappointed.


Remember, though, that this is only the opinion of one person.  You might think this game is the perfect match for you, or you might want all traces of it eradicated.  Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Romance Is Dead

Author: Tall Tales Productions

Availability: Free, Download

Format: Visual Novel

Genre: Supernatural

Rating: Teen

My Scores (Out of 5):

Writing: 4

Art: 3.5

Gameplay: 4

Romance: 2.5 (“With endings this sad, it's not just dead: it's buried!”)

Found at lemmasoft forums

Summary

In Romance Is Dead, you are Madeline “Maddie” Washington, a biology student at the University of New Orleans. You've come to the conclusion that romance is dead. Perhaps it's a good thing, then, that you've now found yourself in the company of three guys who are also dead! ….Wait, what?

Review

The Writing

Major props to this game for being the first one I've ever played (much less reviewed) that has a black protagonist. I point this out because most of these games tend to feature characters who are either white or “Asian but with white skin and fair hair”, and I'm not the only one who's noticed this trend, either. Perhaps the tide is finally turning! What's more, this isn't just a palette decision: the issue of race, and the language and ideas associated with it, actually gets brought up a bit, just as it was in A Due.

I also enjoy how this game has such a strong sense of place. This isn't just “Anytown, USA”: this is New Orleans. It isn't just a school, either: it's the sciences section of UNO. The amount of detail given in the story makes me inclined to believe that the creator(s) either came from this area or did lots and lots of research, because it all feels very rich and real. Even the state's history is taken to account for the characters' back-stories, as voo-doo and segregation and the Louisiana Purchase all play a part in making these characters who they are.

The story is also strongly dated, which is a bold and often-risky choice: pop-culture items like Buffy the Vampire-Slayer or The Walking Dead are often discussed, and we are reminded, quite firmly, that this is the 21^st century. A lot of works set in the present try to avoid committing to a specific point in time, since time is always moving. Time will tell if this decision will preserve the work or make it rot.

The Art

I was very surprised at how cartoony the art-style was. It's not like anime, either, but more like something you would see on Western-made television. While it's not bad, it does seem to me like a style more suited to a comedic piece than a romantic one. The backgrounds are just filtered photos, which was a little bit disappointing when it's so clear that somebody involved in this production can actually draw. The music is nice, being a little bit creepy and a little bit jazzy and quite a good fit, though perhaps not quite the auditory match-made-in-heaven that Cafe Rouge struck gold with.

The Gameplay

The balance in this game felt perfect to me, having a good amount of branch-off points and dialog changes without actually carrying the story too far away from the main plot-line. All of the choices make a difference, both in the ending and how you get there, yet the anchor-points in the plot keep it from becoming a sprawled-out mess. The mystery of Adam's death and zombification always remains at the center, but how this gets resolved and who you end up with at the end is deliciously left open.

TL;DR

Romance is Dead is a very well-made game. The art could be a little better in some ways, but the writing more than picks up the slack for it, and the whole thing is assembled beautifully in a way that encourages lots of replay. Overall, I enjoyed this game quite a bit and look forward to seeing what else Tall Tales Productions comes out with.

Of course, this is only my opinion. Does this game capture your heart, or does it just stink like a pickled corpse? Let us pick your braaaaaaaaiiins in the comment section.

Number Days Sim Date

Author: Pacthesis

Availability: Free, Online/Browser-based

Format: Dating Sim/Point-and-Click

Genre: Supernatural

Rating: Teen

Found at: pacthesisgames.com OR simdategames.net

My Scores (out of 5):

Writing: 4.5

Art: 4.5

Gameplay: 4.5

Romance: 4 (“Ooh, now we're talking!”)

Summary

In Number Days Sim Date, you are Evelyn/Insert-Name-Here. You've gone with your friends to the grand opening of a new theme park, only to suddenly find yourself alone in a park that's now surrounded by a glass wall. A few other people are in the same predicament as you, and you've all gotten the same cryptic text message on your phones: “Your time here will end when your number reaches zero.” Your number is Twelve...

Review

The Writing

First of all, the plot is amazing in both concept and execution. The story is like an episode of The Twilight Zone, and I can easily picture it being adapted into a book or movie. In fact, if anyone reading this knows Pacthesis (or, better yet, is Pacthesis), I'd like to point out that the indie game Five Nights at Freddy's has already made such a transition, so it might be time to get an agent and/or publisher and claim some of that sweet, sweet Internet Money.

The characters are very distinct and fleshed out, each possessing flaws, passions, and quirks that come up again and again in both the cut-scenes and the dialog-trees. No two are interchangeable, and even characters with similar traits (weirdness, intelligence, shyness, etc.) express those traits in very different ways. This helps make the endings very satisfying and emotional, both in story-mode and free-mode.

I greatly enjoy how the plot itself isn't just flavor, but is instead used to showcase the characters' personalities by letting us see how they operate under pressure. Who takes charge? Who follows? Who tries to solve things by himself? I also like how every character's path ties into the game's over-arching theme of “Be Yourself, and Accept Others for Who They Are”, which is a good message. I do wish, however, that the dialog-trees were a little more synced up with the main story-line, since characters sometimes reference things that either haven't been introduced yet or were already solved.

The Art

Not only is the art well-drawn, but I'm very impressed by the level of effort that clearly went into it. Dialog is accompanied by a profile-picture with changing expressions, and the main part of the game features animated figures, decent backgrounds, and some very lovely CGs. I also like how the lighting changes from day to night, and the way inventory items appear in the backpack as actual items rather than just abstract icons of equal size. The music is fun, too.

The Gameplay

Number Days offers two modes of play: story-mode and free-mode. This makes it easier to go back and get alternate endings without the main plot getting in the way. Story-mode also offers chapter-select, and each section begins with helpful tips on how to play.

Like Cafe Rouge, much of the game involves wandering through the map, as opposed to just selecting a location and being magically teleported. Unlike Cafe Rouge, though, there is a handy mini-map to consult if you get lost. Also, as in MemoryDays and HeavenlyPlaygirl Dating Sim, characters' locations often change; however, the relocations are much more frequent and random, here, which can be very annoying when you need to find someone.

The classic Dating Sim Interactions of Talk/Gift/Date are all present and all affect the game, but with interesting side-effects that I won't discuss because of spoilers. There is also a point-and-click element of finding small objects scattered across the map, which presents an extra challenge. Strangely, there is also a set of...non-minigames? I'm not sure what to call them, since they're an activity that you can do to get tickets for prizes, but “playing” them really just amounts to rolling a die to see how well your character did. It took me a while to realize what was going on, and then, since I usually hate mini-games anyway, I wasn't sure how I should feel about it. Luckily, nothing about this section is truly necessary anyway, unless you really want to give your new friend an expensive present.

TL;DR

Two words: Magnum Opus. Number Days is one of the best games I've ever reviewed and may well be Pacthesis' crowning achievement. The plot and characters are well-developed, the art is lovely and brings the story to life, and the game-play is both elaborate and well-balanced. Most of Pacthesis' earlier games have struck me as being slightly experimental, and this game is where the previous experiments finally pay off.

What do you think, though? Does this game deserve all the happiness, or is its number up? The comment section is open today, with free admission and no height-restrictions!

Charms of Lavender Blue

Author: Waffrus

Availability: Free/Online

Format: Visual Novel

Genre: Supernatural / School Romance

Rating: PG

Found at: www.simdatinggames.com and www.kongregate.com

My Scores (Out of 5):

Writing: 3

Art: 3

Gameplay: 2

Romance: 1.5 (“Who is this guy, again?”)

Summary

In Charms of Lavender Blue, you are Nabi. Your family is under a curse that causes your first love to either kill you or die trying. Luckily, you have a magic charm to keep the curse at bay! You move back to your old neighborhood after years away, only to find that your childhood friend, Pierce, is now avoiding you. Seriously, what's up with that guy?

Review

The Writing

For starters, I like the premise. Instead of a setup where the protagonist has to find love, we are presented with a situation where love itself is dangerous. It's an interesting obstacle. Unfortunately, I don't think the premise is fully exploited; the only time the curse ever really becomes relevant (aside from encouraging Nabi to join the jewelry club) is in a flashback. We never really feel the pressure to stay away from Pierce, nor is the reason for his behavior apparent until the end. The danger is never made real in the course of the story, which is a shame, since it seems like it would make for a more exciting romance than the usual fare.

The other disappointment is that we don't really get to know Pierce or Nabi all that well. How much of Pierce's disposition was a put-on, and what is his real personality like? What does Nabi actually like to do, given that she mainly joined lapidary out of necessity? Why do they like each other? Is he smart? Is he funny? Do they have anything in common (besides being in this club)? At least in Lady of the Castle, we found out that the Prince likes flowers, misses his mother, and wants Elise to be happy. With Pierce, it's just “He was happy once, now he's grumpy. The End!” Oh, and he doesn't like little kids. That's something, I guess.

The Art

The art is very pretty with less of the facial problems that marred Lady of the Castle. Waffrus's strongest point seems to be hair and clothing, especially the latter: Waffrus has a knack for showing off the softness and folds of cloth, and I'm actually a little impressed by that since it's an area I struggle with. The backgrounds, while simple, have a painted look, and my only nitpick is that Nabi's room seems to have a dirt floor (or possibly straw). The music is nice, too.

The Gameplay

Once again, I had to deal with that funny little “I” cursor that indicates I'm about to type on a button instead of click on it. It's annoying, but not exactly a tragedy. My greater concern is that the choices you make don't really affect the game beyond the next page. After that page is over, the plot snaps back onto its one track with no lasting repercussions from what you had chosen. Nabi even talks to Pierce about “that thing you did”, simultaneously referring to the scene where he kissed her and the alternate scene where he sort-of hugged her; it doesn't matter to the game which option you chose. The only choices that determine which ending you get are the obvious decisions of whether to join the club and whether to enter a relationship with Pierce. Everything else could essentially be replaced with “White or Wheat?”

There is only one flaw that I find to be completely intolerable, however: a Double-Negative Question. I'm not speaking as a grammar nazi, here; this question seriously tripped me up. The question was “Is that a No?” and my options were “Yes” or “No”. I chose "No", to indicate “No, that wasn't a 'No',” i.e. answering the current question. However, the game did not parse it that way, instead translating it as “No is absolutely my previous answer, in case you weren't certain.” This kind of ambiguity is a very serious pitfall to have in your game, as it can unfairly rob the player of their ending because they thought you meant something different. As it happens, this decision didn't impact the ending at all (see above), but it still can cause lots of undue frustration.

Please, authors: check your dialog options for ambiguity. If one option can be read as meaning something very different, or if both options are essentially thesame, or if there is no context for the player to know which optionis true or which is a lie, then it may be time to re-write. Our choices should have meaning, and that can only happen when we are purposely and knowingly making that choice. We don't have to know what that choice will lead to—that is, after all, part of the fun—but we must know if we are choosing to lie, insult, reject, accept. Ambiguity hurts that experience, so please do your best to be clear at all times.

TL;DR

Charms of Lavender Blue is okay, but doesn't really reach its full potential. The premise is interesting, though the characters are a little under-developed for my taste, and there isn't any tension despite a lethal curse supposedly hanging over the protagonist's head. The plot is mostly linear with only the briefest of detours after choices, one choice being infuriatingly ambiguous. Overall, I give it a “meh”.

Of course, this is just my (admittedly fussy) opinion, and yours may differ. You might think this game is just charming, or it may leave you cursing. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

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. ^_^

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. ^_^

Cafe Rouge: Chapter One

Author: Farway Studios
Availability: Free, Online/Browser
Format: Visual Novel, Cooking Game
Genre: Supernatural
Rating: Teen
My Scores: (Writing: 3, Art: 4, Gameplay: 1)

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

Summary:

In Cafe Rouge, you are Isis Black, an ordinary teenager with a rare condition that makes you pass out at the merest scent of blood.  You've been granted a job interview at a restaurant called the Rouge Cafe, but there's something not normal about this place.

Review:

The Writing:

This opening chapter was short, but set the stage well enough.  The writing overall was okay, though I felt it wasn't as strong as the art.  Also, I was a little confused by a segment in which Isis aims a kick below her (male) friend's belt, "accidentally" hits the only possible target that would be below the belt, and apologizes despite being really "only half sorry".  It's apparently not a case of playing a sociopathic character, since the boy himself also laughs it off.  Now, I don't know how much something like that would actually hurt, so it's possible that this is the more realistic reaction.  Still..."accidentally"?

The Art:

The art is beautiful, especially considering the limitations of most flash games.  The music is well chosen: during the introductory movie, it perfectly captures the sense of a French cafe full of spooky secrets and possible romance, and the background music during the game proper is soothing to listen to.  There are a couple of annoying sound-effects; mainly the sound when you run the cursor over the menu buttons, and that sharp, high-pitched screeching sound that plays when the game starts.  There's also an irritating alarm-clock, but, well, alarm-clocks are *supposed* to be irritating.  Aside from this, the game has lovely backgrounds, well-done characters, and generally creates a good audio-visual experience.

The Gameplay:

I waffled over whether it was right to give such a low score here, but ultimately, I gave it a 1 for committing the same sin as Fatal Hearts: If you fail the mini-games, you can't proceed.  What makes it a little worse is the fact that although the tea-making game is broken down into several levels, failing at the end takes you all the way back to square one.  I realize that the mini-games are meant to be part of the game-play, much like how they were in Outsmart, but I point out that in Outsmart, is was still possible to finish the game even if you couldn't do the mini-games; you might not have gotten the best ending, but you could still crawl to the finish line.  Then there's Festival Days, which also uses a cooking mini-game to put you in the shoes of a girl who, like Isis, is supposed to have some kitchen skills; but again, although there are benefits to succeeding, the games are not mandatory (and also, not *timed*).

My open plea to authors of these games is: Please give us the option to skip the puzzle.  Maybe there can be a standard ending that we'll get if we do everything right *but* the puzzles, so that we have incentive to try for the gold.  Or maybe, after the second or third try (and I really wouldn't go farther than three, personally), just give us the option to skip it and pretend our character won anyway.  This might seem like cheating, but for some of us, seeing the rest of the story is more important than how well we can drag a mouse along an invisible line in under ten seconds.  Some players are easily frustrated, and will completely lose interest in the story if they have to try the same challenge over and over and over again with no sign of being rescued from their doomed predicament.  I know.  I'm one of them.

Lastly, I find it interesting how the game tries to let you "walk" to the character's destinations, but I don't think it's pulled off very well, here.  It's not always terribly clear what the arrows are supposed to lead you toward, and there's a snag in one of the exits where going forward takes you to the school, and backing up from the school takes you home instead of back to where you were.  Of course, there's no penalty for getting completely lost, and it's a short enough map that you probably won't stay lost for long, anyway.  It's a neat little bit of immersion, but I felt that there should be more things to explore if we're going to be allowed to wander.


TLDR:

To sum it up, Cafe Rouge is a nice enough game if you have the patience and/or skill for timed mini-games.  The art and music are lovely, with only a couple of brief sound effects that are annoying to the ear and soon passed.  The writing is okay, and the story is pretty interesting.  Overall, it's worth checking out.

As usual, this is all just my opinion; feel free to serve up your own in the comments. :)

Kaleidoscope Dating Sim 2

Author: Bomee, Mayuiki and Kyo
Availability: Free, Online/Browser
Format: Dating Sim
Genre: Supernatural / Dream World
Rating: PG
My Scores: (Writing: 2.5, Art: 5, Gameplay: 2.5) out of 5

Found at http://nummyz.com/ OR http://www.newgrounds.com

Summary:

In Kaleidoscope Dating Sim 2, a gender-flipped sequel to Kaleidoscope Dating Sim, you are Soffie.  Once fond of singing, you became mute at the age of five and thus started retreating into a dream-world in your head.  One day, a fortune-teller gave you a magic potion.  You drank it, and now you've found yourself in the dream world!  You have 30 days to find a soul-mate here. If you succeed, you'll return to reality with your voice back.  If you fail, you'll become a dream soul and be trapped here forever.

Review:

Writing:

I wasn't too sure what score to give this at first.  On the one hand, I certainly can't accuse the writing of being too sparse on details.  Also, the characters are sufficiently different from each other in terms of personalities and "voice", which is important in a dating sim.  You'd be able to tell Gabe from Cero even if you couldn't see who was talking.  (Fun fact: Cero, winnable here, is also the protagonist of the prequel to this game).

The plot itself is a bit baroque, but whether this is a good thing or a bad thing may simply be a matter of taste.  There are a lot of different elements cobbled together, both in the intro and, to a lesser extent, in the love-interests' story-lines.  To someone like me, it can seem a bit overly much.  Unlike Winter Dance Sim Date, though, these odd bits aren't merely blurted and forgotten; they get brought up again in dialogue, and overall, it's hard to point out anything as completely irrelevant.  If anything, I'd say this game tries to cram a novel's worth of plot and characterization into something the size of a short story, and the result is that bits are sticking out every which way.  Of course, this style may have as many fans as it does detractors, and I've graded according to my own personal taste.

Art:

The art in this game is amazing!  There's something very life-like about the characters.  The expressions are subtle and nuanced, and there's a bit of animation that breathes further life into them with blinking and facial twitches.  Also, the backgrounds are nice, and the music is gentle and ambient.

Gameplay:

Mini-games again.  Urgh.  At first, I though "Oh, good!  All the mini-games have been neatly swept into a corner so I don't have to bother with them."  Well, that is not true.  Unlike many dating sims with currency involved, there is no job mechanism in Kaleidoscope 2.  The closest you can get is picking mushrooms in the forest to sell, but you are only allowed to do so once per day.  This means that you will have to play the mini-games.

And you will have to play the mini-games, because this game puts a really high emphasis on buying presents. In order to get the best ending for a character, you have to buy ALL of the types of presents that they like.  Each character has, I think, five gifts that you'll need to purchase for them, and the shop has about eighteen items to choose from.  While a couple of items can be intuited (I was able to figure out who would have a need for spray-paint, and it's a fair assumption that the articles of women's clothing are for one character in particular), the rest are found by trial and error (or by looking up a useful walkthrough on DeviantArt).  As with Re: Allistair, it's a bit frustrating in that you need to buy certain items but are not given enough clues on what to buy.  It'd be nice if there were hints dropped in dialogue or something.

Also, I am not a fan of the soul doors.  In most dating sims that I've seen, you're given a choice of locations to visit, and generally, there's one person who is always at that location.  Usually, these locations are "dressed up" somehow: it's the person's home, or their workplace, or a place they visit often.  It's woven into the story.  In Kaleidoscope 2, however, the notion of "Go Here to Visit X" is completely reduced to just that.  "Okay," the game says, "Do you want the person behind Door #1, Door #2, or Door #3?"  For all the details that went into the intro, this whole bit with the doors just seems too bald.

So why did I not give the gameplay a 1?  Because for all its mini-gaming faults, this is actually a very well-balanced dating sim.  The 30 day time-limit is neither overly long nor overly short for all the things you have to do. This also seems to be the first dating sim I've played where the dialog, gifts and dating all matter.  You do need the gifts in order to get the best ending, but in order to reach any kind of ending with the characters at all, you have to build up the relationship enough to be able to choose them.  You can't just spam one interaction until the game ends.  Also, if you're fond of the mini-games, it's fairly easy to win enough money to try the spaghetti-at-the-wall method of gift-buying; so that balances out, too.  It's just a shame, then, that I really do not like having to play stupid mini-games.

TLDR:

This game is interesting.  It's very well-balanced, but could probably benefit from a job activity that isn't limited to one turn per day.  The story, in my opinion, tries to do too much at once, but some may actually find this a plus.  The art is definitely the best component of the whole game, and I give it a standing ovation.

So what do you think?  Is this game a sweet dream or a nightmare?  Feel free to voice your opinion in the comments.

Moonlight Dating Sim

Author: Bomee
Availability: Free, Online/browser
Format: Dating Sim

Genre: Supernatural
Rating: Teen
My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Found at www.Newgrounds.com OR DeviantArt.com

Summary:
In Moonlight Dating Sim, you play Jenna Moonlight, a half-vampire witch. Vampires have taken over the world, led by their Blood Prince, and it's up to you to kill him. Or join him. Or help him. There's quite a few directions you can go with it, really.

Review:
I think I need an additional genre to apply to this game, since "Dating Sim" doesn't seem to cover all the aspects of it. There's a bit of action, as you have the option to try to kill people in addition to trying to date them. Overall, it's a neat change of pace from the usual dating sim fare, and one that I can appreciate.

The tone is kind of dark and haunting, and I like the backgrounds. As with bomee's other games, there is a sense of unpolishedness about it; however, it's not as bad as some games I could mention (*cough* DatingSimAcademy *cough*). It definitely gets high marks for being interesting and unusual, as it's more than just choosing a suitor (although there is that).

So what do you pick? Hang out with the vampire hunters, or become a vampire queen? >:)