Author:
NamiOki
Availability:
Free, Online/Browser-Based
Format:Visual Novel (Well, more like Visual Short Story...)
Genre: FanWork
Rating: Everyone
Found
at deviantart.com OR datinggamesforgirls.simdategames.net
My Scores (Out of 5):
Writing:
2.5
Art:
3
Gameplay:
2.5
Romance:
2
Summary
In
A Date In Italy, you are “a young SINGLE FEMALE student
studying abroad in Italy”. You're sitting in a park when a young
man suddenly shows up and insists on showing you around. What do
you say, Bella Mia?
Review
The Writing
The
writing in this is kept very simple. There isn't much in the way of
tension or plot or what-have-you; in fact, since the game is so
short, we don't actually get to learn much about Italy or, for that
matter Feliciano. However, Feliciano's sunny personality definitely
shines through in every line he utters, and the choices in the dialog
are distinct enough to create a strong sense of personality for your
own character, as well. Whether you like Feliciano's personality is,
of course, a matter of taste.
Like
Hetalia Dating Sim: Canada, this game is based on the
manga/anime Axis Powers Hetalia. While I'm only casually
acquainted with the series, this version of Feliciano felt right,
based on what I know. He's out-going, friendly, and energetic, and
if you think it's cheating to have a main character who's already
been created for you, then let me tell you first-hand that staying
true to someone else's creation has its own set of challenges.
I
also think NamiOki was smart in downplaying the game's connection to
Hetalia. To someone unfamiliar with the original, this is just a
normal story about a normal girl who meets an enthusiastic young man
that really loves his country: nothing odd or remarkable to see here.
For a Hetalia fan, though, Feliciano's comments and “patriotism”
suddenly take on a new meaning. I like that balance.
The Art
The
three backdrops are all photographs. I briefly wondered if this was
the better choice for a story about being shown around another
country, but if so, I think the blur filters ruin it. On the plus
side, Feliciano himself is quite well drawn, with a good range of
very expressive sprites. Together with the writing, they help give
the sense of someone who's bold and hot-blooded. I also think it was
an interesting choice to have location-appropriate background noise
instead of any music: it helped put more emphasis on the setting
itself.
The Gameplay
The
game is as simple as the writing. It's fairly easy to tell which
answers lead to the bad end, and I'm pretty sure there are only two
endings: win or lose. The shortness of it means there's no real
sense of exploration or discovery; but then, it also means there's
less to object to. So, in the end, it gets a middle-of-the road
score.
TL;DR:
A
Date in Italy is short, cute
fluff that manages to throw a bone to fans of Axis Powers
Hetalia without requiring you to
be one. The writing has almost no plot, but still does a great job
of bringing character across, which I think is more important in
these kinds of games. The artwork more or less matches the writing
by having expressively-drawn character sprites against a bland
background. I'd say it's worth playing if you have nothing else to
do.
Well,
that's just my opinion. What do you think? Is this game molto
bene, or just a terrible
tragedia?