Cinderella Phenomenon is a gorgeous otome game by Dicesuki. Oh my god, you guys, this game. I love the world SO MUCH, and the art is incredible, and the writing is superb, and the plot is phenomenal, and Iβm going to run out of positive adjectives to describe it if I try to keep going. Thank you to everyone who recommended this game to me, it is amazing.
The premise of the game is that the protagonist, Lucette (renameable), is a crown princess of her kingdom. Despite her life of luxury, she is a miserable and cold-hearted person, feared by her subjects. She is cursed by a witch, causing everyone to forget who she is and transforming her into a pauper. In order to break her curse, she has to perform three good deeds -- which is harder than it sounds, for someone as awful as her. Taken in at the Marchen, a tavern specifically for those afflicted with fairytale curses, Lucette tries to become a better person, and possibly finds love in the process.
More below the cut!
This game has heavy themes of parental abuse and neglect, as well as a good number of fight scenes with descriptions of bloodshed and death.
Rod: Jerk Type
I love that Rodβs shota type look, complete with fricking rabbit stuffed animal, is completely undercut by his actual personality. Rod is the least cheerful love interest in the entire game; there is not an iota of bouncy childish wonder to this man. He may be younger than Lucette, but that doesnβt stop him from being downright brutal to her initially. Obviously, Rodβs βtragic back storyβ characteristic of the jerk type is, well... Actually Lucetteβs fault, so itβs hard to blame him for his treatment of her. But the development of their relationship over the course of his route is beautiful, and the game is long enough that it isnβt rushed the same way this sort of path normally is. Iβm usually kind of creeped out by step-sibling routes, but I personally found Rodβs to be really enjoyable and possibly my favorite in the game.
Karma: Mysterious Type
Karma is (literally) dazzlingly beautiful. Heβs definitely friendly enough, although heβs occasionally moody. However, his conversation is a little bizarre and somewhat shallow. From the moment Lucette meets him, itβs clear that Karma is hiding a lot about himself, from the details of his curse to his life before he came to the Marchen. Although, with time, some snippets of his past are gradually revealed, he remains stubbornly unwilling to talk about the nature of his curse until the very end of the story. Karma is a fun character, even if heβs frustrating at times with his unwillingness to communicate.Β
Rumple: Player Type
God, I hated Rumple at first. But I absolutely love the way the ice-cold Lucette takes him down. Their constant bickering over whether flattery is good or dishonest is actually pretty interesting, and adds a lot to a dynamic that usually just involves the protagonist being constantly insecure that the player character doesnβt really like her. As more of Rumpleβs history and personality are revealed, he turns from a kind of two-dimensional joke of a love interest to a genuinely intriguing guy, and I ended up loving his route. Donβt judge a book by its cover, I guess, even if the cover is littered with blithe compliments about the beauty of your eyes.
Fritz: Best Friend Type
Well, best friend might be strong, but given Lucetteβs reclusive tendencies heβs definitely the closest thing to it. She grew up with him, and despite her general distrust of people she does trust him. For his part, Fritz is loyal to a fault and puts Lucetteβs safety above his own. And, without spoiling too much, thatβs what makes his curse so tragic. I like Fritz, but I have to admit I think his routes is one of the weaker ones since we donβt get to spend as much time with him.
Waltz: Shota Type
Waltz is a very unique character. Despite being trapped in a childβs body, his dark hair and red eyes still make him look somewhat intimidating. Heβs truly an adult, and is generally fairly even-tempered and well spoken. However, he also hosts some childlike aspects, like his passion for puppets and magic shows. Waltz is definitely my favorite of them all, in terms of both character depth and plot.
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Nachtigal is a fantasy visual novel by Cyanide Tea. The art is absolutely gorgeous, and the story is well-written. I thought the game was a lot of fun, and enjoyed getting all the different endings, including the not-so-good ones. I'm going to be really clear though; although I did enjoy the game, the romances were not your typical cutesy ends, since that would be simply impossible within the premise of the game. You are in a hostage situation with two predators who feel at liberty to do as they please with you; that is not the sort of situation where healthy romance can flourish, and no amount of blushing or (generally pretty rapey) sexualized blood drinking scenes are going to make up for it. Now, obviously, the vampires treat you better when you are pursuing their paths. But I have a bit of trouble enjoying a romance when I know that if I had said the wrong thing I would have been killed or made a pet.
The premise of the game is that the protagonist, Miranda, wanders into a castle owned by vampires while on holiday. Only two are home so they agree to keep her hostage for two weeks until the rest of their family returns. The game takes place over these two weeks, at which point the vampires determine what to do with her. The mechanics of the game are conventional for a visual novel; click through the text and make choices from a list that impact the plot.
Adrian: Unique
Adrian is weird. He's excitable, bossy, kind, moody, dominant, and friendly seemingly all at once. He swings from one extreme to another very easily, and in some ways behaves like a child. He starts out more friendly and jovial, but as you pursue his path he actually becomes more demanding and confrontative, in part because the protagonist begins to question some of his closely held beliefs. Ultimately his personality and story arc are notably dissimilar to other characters.
Luca: Jerk Type
Initially, Luca is in favor of simply killing Miranda and is irritated by her presence in the castle. He rarely misses an opportunity to insult her, especially over her noisiness and tendency to get lost. He is also more irritated by her questions than Adrian, although he still answers some of them. If you pursue his path, of course, he opens up and even begins to respect and admire some of Miranda's attributes.
Rei is a visual novel by Sonnet009. If you have played Aloners, don't expect a game of the same level. It was released earlier in the creator's career, and made in just three days. Keeping in mind the time limit, however, this game is absolutely incredible. It has a unique and interesting plot, and I really enjoyed playing through all four of the endings. Even though the game is on the shorter side, it's definitely long enough to become connected with the characters and feel invested in the outcome of the game. There are no CGs, which is definitely a downer, but the story is so cute on its own I didn't feel that disappointed.
The premise of the game is that the protagonist, Aya, sneaks into her high school at night with her friend in an attempt to take a photo of a ghost. After her friend flees in terror, the ghost reveals itself to her. He is almost as surprised as she is, since she is the only person who has been able to see him. As they explore his past together through projections he causes, they learn that he is actually sending Aya back in time and interfering with his history. As such, they quickly realize that she might be able to save his life. The game involves Aya exploring Rei's past and talking to him in both the past and present as she tries to find a way to save him. The mechanics of the game are conventional for a visual novel; click through text, make choices to impact the plot.
Ghost Rei: Unique
Characterizing Rei as a ghost is tough. It's not because his character is tremendously complex, mind you, but it's simply due to the relationship that he has with the protagonist. He is completely relying her to save him from his death. While he is generally a friendly and kind person, it's hard to characterize someone as a friendly type character when they're constantly insisting (somewhat reasonably) that the protagonist help them. Ghost Rei is a pretty nice guy, but his attitude towards the protagonist is unique since she's not just another girl to him: she could be his only chance at life.
Alive Rei: Jerk Type
On the other end of the spectrum, Rei is very much a member of his archetype when he is alive. He insults the protagonist and makes it clear he doesn't want her around. After a while, of course, he opens up to her more and becomes kinder, and she starts to understand the (obviously tragic) reasoning behind his attitude. Rei grows to care very deeply about the protagonist by the pivotal moment on Thursday, as illustrated by his actions.
Walkthrough (scroll down a lot, it's there I promise)
The Knife of the Traitor is a visual novel by Clua, made for the NaNoRenO challenge in 2012. I thought the premise was really interesting, and if anything I wish that the game was longer so that it could be developed more. If this were turned into a commercial game, exploring the adventures of Lady Os as she tried to repent for her past and turn Ulla into a beautiful kingdom, I would buy the fuck out of it. As it is, the game is pretty short, but still well executed and worth playing. Because of how short the game is, the relationships don't develop much, but that's honestly for the best. Given how much everyone but Corvus hates Lady Os, it would feel forced and unrealistic if they were suddenly completely devoted to her. Coding, spelling, and grammar are all superb in this game, and I didn't notice a single error.
The premise of the game is that Lady Os, ruler of the kingdom of Ulla, has woken up after a long cursed slumber. A knife through her neck seems to have taken both her voice and her memory. In the game, she and her servant Corvus search the tower and talk to the prisoners there. The game is in conventional visual novel format, with text that you click through and occasional choices that you select from a given list.
Vosges: Shota Type
Vosges is a shota type solely because of his appearance. The mushroom hat is a part of his torture devised by Lady Os, forcing him to keep the body of a thirteen year old boy no matter how old he becomes. His attitude, however, betrays his age and situation. He despises Lady Os for her horrible treatment of him, so his attitude is far from the cheery and excitable persona that most shota types possess. Likewise, Vosges is very knowledgeable and has spent much of his time in the tower researching, rather than being naive as is common among shota types. Lady Os repeatedly calls him "kid," but he staunchly asserts that he isn't a child.
Gervase: Jerk Type
Although all the prisoners hate Lady Os, Gervase is the most confrontational. He calls her a "bitch" to her face, and repeatedly tells her to "fuck off." Gervase has a tragic back story like most jerk types, although all the characters in the game have experienced one horror or another and Gervase's (known) story sort of pales in comparison. Gervase is unquestionably the most vulgar character in the game, as well.
Lilja: Eccentric Type
Well I mean, just look at him. Lilja is absurd in practically every way, from his attitude to his appearance to his actions. I thought it was rather interesting that Lilja is supposed to be a god, given the typical image of gods as poised and refined beings. I guess there's no rule that says gods can't be completely ridiculous, especially when they've been effectively held prisoner on earth for years. Although Lilja was really too comedic for me to take seriously as a love interest, I still thought he was an interesting addition to the cast.
Corvus: Best Friend Type; Protective Type
Corvus does have a human form, but for almost the entire game he is physically a crow. He has been Lady Os' servant ever since she was a baby, so to call them "best friends" does seem like a bit of a stretch since their relative positions of power were so unequal. However, he is as close to a friend as Lady Os has, since he's literally the only character who does not hate her and tries to treat her well. Corvus is also very protective of Lady Os. He tries to keep her from hearing the insults of the prisoners, is wary of possible attacks by residents of the tower, and even tries to hide facts from Os that he is afraid will pain her. Seriously, though, Corvus is actually adorable and his ending CG is my favorite. Please overlook the fact that he is literally a bird and play his route.
Where Adabanas Grow is the first sim date game by Amiralo. It has its fair share of spelling errors and slightly awkward coding choices, but overall it's well executed, especially for a first game. I strongly recommend going to the information building and reading everything there, and do follow the directions to save the emperor's path for last.
The game's premise is that the protagonist, Naomi, has been transported 1000 years back into the past to the kingdom of Yu, which is presently at war. She is allowed to stay in the kingdom, and has the opportunity to meet three romanceable characters. The game is based on the HP system, where talking reduces HP and sleeping increases it while also moving the story forward one day. This game takes place over the course of one month.
Jyu Ge: Mysterious Type
Jyu Ge is the physician. He initially seems very friendly, but he is quite secretive about certain matters. In fact, trying to pry too deeply may end very poorly for Naomi. Jyu begins to reveal small things as he grows closer to Naomi, such as minor incidents in his day or his worries about the future (although he remains staunchly vague about why he feels concerned). After Naomi sees Jyu again after he leaves the note in the garden, he is very open with her, though, and willingly tells her everything about his past.
General Wu: Jerk Type; Responsible Type
General Wu is very cold towards Naomi at first, and tells her to go away regularly. He remains cold for the majority of the game, although it is slowly revealed that his reasons are not truly his dislike for her. Rather, General Wu feels an obligation not to get close to anyone, as he will soon be going to war and expects to die, and does not want his death to bring pain to those he cares about. However, after pursuing him for a long while, Naomi manages to convince him that being close to others may not be so irresponsible after all, and he begins to treat her considerably better.
Emperor (Changya): Villain Type
Although I typically reserve the "villain type" label for characters who the protagonist directly opposes, it still seemed too accurate to ignore in Changya's case. I mean, he did murder the other heirs to the throne in order to gain his position, so that already proves his capacity for evil. His initial cruel treatment of Naomi, including his repeated threats to kill her, are what truly qualify him. Like essentially every villain type character ever, Changya has a tragic backstory that you finally learn at the very end of his path. (Changya's path fucked me up, though. Be prepared.)
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