Review: Valentines Otome Demo

Valentines Otome is an upcoming otome game by Synokoria, the creators of Halloween Otome.  You can download the demo here.  The final game will be pay-what-you-want, which includes free.

Premise:  Some time has passed since the end of Halloween Otome, and it’s Valentine’s Day.  Mira convinces her best friend Emma (the MC from Halloween Otome) and her cousin Maia to go out to a club, since they have no other plans.  Secretly she is trying to get Emma to the club for a surprise for a special surprise.  While there, they meet three guys.  One thing leads to another, and Mira wakes up the next morning to a surprise of her own!

Review: Aloners Demo

Aloners is an upcoming otome game/VN by tumblr user sonnet009.  You can find the demo for all versions here.

Story:  I don’t want to give too much away here, because I think it’s best to experience it as you play.  You (the MC) wake up to a world in which there is a population of only one.  The player starts out just as confused as the MC, and you learn about your predicament and the new world around you at the same time.

Characters/Gameplay:  I decided to group these two categories together because they affect each other quite a bit.

The personality of the MC is shaped by the player.  There are a lot of choices to make, and many of them are action/reaction choices.  So you can choose for the MC to react in a variety of ways like reserved, hesitant, kind, sassy, or badass.  You can choose to be all one or mix and match!  Your choices don’t limit what choices you get next, so one moment you can fight and the next moment you can run.  It’s up to you!  Even the demo has a lot of replay value just because there are so many choices.

The really cool thing about the choices is that not only do they change the action of the moment, they seem to have a lasting effect on how the main guy perceives you.  I chose all the sassy options in the first chapter, and he called me a spitfire in the next chapter.  If you choose the more reserved options, he doesn’t do that.  So choices have an affect not only in the moment, but later on as well.

The choices don’t really seem to change the character of the main guy though, only how he perceives you.  He himself is a bit course and sometimes foulmouthed, but he can be gentle if he feels the MC needs it.  He can also push her quite a bit!  He’s the type of guy that may not come off as book-smart, but he’s highly efficient in practical ways.

One thing to mention is that there is a warning at the beginning for violence, language, and sexual themes.  In the full version, you will have the option to choose between a teen or mature version if you wish.

Art:  Both his design and the backgrounds are edge and gritty, and it fits perfectly with the mood and theme of the game.

Music:  I personally love the music!  I’m a big fan of sparse music (not a lot of instruments), so I really like the choices used so far.  Plus it has a sort of minimal, tribal feel to it, and I feel that also fits the mood well.  To me, it’s a subtle relation to the game itself.  The minimal, limited music fits the minimal, limited world.

Final Thoughts:  I’m in love!  I want to play the full game now.  It seems so unique and raw, and I love the fact that choices can have a lasting impact on the game and how Trash interacts with you.

The writing is excellent.  It’s descriptive but succinct.  The point of view draws you in and makes you feel you are in the game.  You control the story.  You experience it.

I’m greatly looking forward to the full release.  Go play this demo, please, and if you like it, let the creator know!

Review: Cinders Demo

I just played the free demo of Cinders, the first game by indie game developer company MoaCube.  It’s a visual novel game for PC.  The picture above is one of their wallpapers for the game. 

It’s based on the story of Cinderella, and you play as the main character Cinders.  Your choices can follow or devolve from the familiar fairytale.  I think it has romantic elements in it(?), but it’s hard to tell just from the demo. 

The best description comes from their website here:

“It’s a story of four women and what made them who they are, inspired by the classic fairytale of Cinderella. A story about balancing freedom and dreams with circumstance and harsh reality; about growing up and finding out the true meaning of independence. Distancing itself from the judgmental simplicity of the original, Cinders tries to explore the more complex nature of oppression, responsibility and innocence.

The game focuses on characters and their motivations, and is heavy on player choices and role-playing. With 120 decision points and over 300 options to choose from, Cinders allows you to shape the main character’s personality and the course of the story.”

the first word that comes to mind is “slick.”  Everything from the text animation, to the transitions, to the choices menu moves smoothly and seamlessly.  The music is appropriately atmospheric and realistic.  Lots of varied choices to make, even just for the demo. 

The graphics are very well done.  Again, everything is slick.  Crisp and clear menu systems.  Gorgeous, moving backgrounds!  I’m not sure what I think about the character art though.  It’s not that I don’t like it, it just reminds me of older games like the Kings Quest series or something.  I can see that working though, because the game does have a nostalgic feel with the subject matter anyway.

After finishing the demo, I am definitely interested in buying the full version.  I want to see what happens with the choices I made so far!  The full version is $22.95.  Not exorbitant at all, but I may have to wait until my next paycheck. 

You can download the demo for free or purchase the full game here.  I would absolutely recommend at least trying the free demo.

And it’s from indie game developers.  As far as I can tell, they offer the most options for otome games in English, so they definitely deserve our support!