Pinewood Island
Hello Steam user who is wondering if this little visual novel is worth their time. I’m going to tell you right now that the short answer is yes, especially if you’re a fan of the mystery genre.
Pros
– The story and mystery. Okay so if you taken a look at the plot synopsis you can pretty much see the standard murder mystery scenario. Group of people in an isolated location, somebody gets murdered and things go to hell when people start playing the blame game. Pretty standard set up but thankfully it’s executed well. It actually took me at least three different play throughs to figure out the murderer was which thankfully means the mystery itself is not to easy but it also means that it’s not too hard to figure it out either. The story itself is a little clunky at times by and have a good flow once it gets going and it’s pretty fun to play through even though you have to do about four times to get all the endings (I’ll complain about it later though so…).
– Real player with 10.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best Choices Matter Horror Games.
Picked this game up after it had been on my wishlist for a while and I checked the store page to see it had no reviews yet. Decided I had to give it a go myself and leave a review so there was something here for people to go off of.
If you want a synopsis, you can read the descriptor, it’s not a super complex or original idea. It plays out fine enough though, I found it pretty enjoyable from the run and a half I’ve done so far. It doesn’t seem like choices are super duper important aside from boys and knowing what’s going on, but they impacted a few things aside from stright up bad ending, or continuing on the plot so far.
– Real player with 7.2 hrs in game
As We Know It
I saw this tagged as “sci-fi” but I don’t know if it should be categorized as that. It’s a post-apocalyptic story, but the science/technology in it isn’t fictional at all. Anyway, it’s got Mad Max: Fury Road vibes, but takes place within a setting similar to that District 13 underground city from The Hunger Games. The implication is that climate change eventually impacted the livelihood of humankind, and for some, the answer was to move into underground city shelters.
Good Stuff
- Racial diversity. More than half of all the characters are not white.
– Real player with 20.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best Choices Matter Romance Games.
I played Pinewood Island first and had high expectations for this one! I bought it during a sale since I couldn’t bring myself to buy it at full price!
Long story, short? I really enjoyed this game! Customization of your character was simple but I felt it added to the immersion of the game! The plot is phenomenal and I wanted to know more and more about the world we’re in! As of writing this i’ve gotten 2 out of 30 endings; 30 endings?! That’s insane but it shows how much thought went into this!
– Real player with 10.1 hrs in game
In Blood
After a night of drinking Eleadora takes a shortcut home through the woods. She’s angry, frustrated, and sad. At the crossroads she trips and cuts her hand on some broken glass. While looking over her wounds she mutters a wish out loud that calls upon an ancient and forgotten force that changes her life forever.
She wakes up in an unknown room, in an unknown house, on an unknown plane of existence. Surrounded by horrors and death she must attempt to find an ally among the other occupants of the house. It’s clear they don’t have her best interests in mind, and trusting them could be deadly.
Survive and try to maintain your humanity.
Escape, if you still want to.
Escape, if they’ll let you.
Features:
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4 romance options (3 guys, 1 woman)
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Multiple endings
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4 routes
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5 CGs in demo (More planned in final game)
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English voice acting in the demo (More planned for final game)
Characters:
Romance Options:
Credits
Writer, Developer, Programmer: Jaime Scribbles
Production Manager, Editor, Voice Director: PMscenarios
Character Artist: Illuminate001
GUI Artist: Sitraxis
BG Artist: Saleha Chowdhury
Illustrator: Meagan Trott and Scherville
Additional Artist: Jen Bird
Audio Director and Sound Designer: Tim Reichert
Music: Antriksh Bali and Kyle Mesce
Voice Actors
Brenton: Kevin K. Gomez
Karon: Kieran Flitton
Tristin: C. W. “Seedub” Brown
Seta: Abigail Turner
Nyarbalte: Bradley Gareth
Eris: Wes Haas
Read More: Best Choices Matter Romance Games.
The Spanish Privateer
Story
Set in early 17th century, just before the Pirate Golden Age, The Spanish Privateer places you in the shoes of Isabel Carlota de Castilla (but you can just call her Carlota). Carlota is an 18-year-old runaway escaping a marriage forced upon her by her parents. Not able to afford passage on a ship, Carlota offers to work for her voyage aboard Captain Rico’s ship, La Aguja. Captain Rico is a privateer, a pirate with a letter of marque allowing him to attack and capture the enemies of Spain. Carlota soon falls in love with the sea, and challenges herself to become a valuable member of the ship.
Amidst sword fights, balls, and drunken nights at the tavern, Carlota learns more about her fellow crew members and the world outside Spain. Visits to the archipelago of Azores, cities in the Caribbean and Veracruz, New Spain, teach Carlota about the effects of colonization and make her question her contribution and power aboard the Spanish ship.
No matter which route you travel down, Carlota must overcome her male crew members' prejudices, earning their respect with her hard work, determination, and intelligence.
Love Interests
Lark
Half Scottish, half Spanish, and entirely charming. Lark is a hired bard whose job is to entertain the men—and he takes liberty to entertain the women, as well. His specialty is playing the lute.
Flint
Flint is the ship’s quartermaster and protector. Fiercely loyal to the captain, Flint is equally distrustful of women. His specialty is gunnery.
Rico
Hailing from Puerto Rico, Captain Rico is no stranger to the sea. His kind and forgiving persona hides the past which granted him his scar. His specialty is swordfighting.
Features
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227K+ words
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100+ menu choices
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Three Good Endings
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Seven Bad Endings
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Six ‘Alternate’ Endings
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Love, Friendship, and Personality Meters
Trailer Music by Alexander Nakarada @ SerpentSound Studios
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0
Imperial Grace
Imperial Grace is a visual novel / otome game, focusing on politics and romance in an imaginary medieval world. You play as the new Empress of Calidya, who must rule her country despite the hardships and precariousness of her position. During your reign, you will face many difficult choices, which can dramatically change the future of Calidya as well as your own destiny. You may even find love in difficult times, but be careful: love can equally help you overcome the perils you face and get in the way of your duty..
Imperial Grace has an optional management feature, if you wish to spice up the game and face ever more strategic and thornier choices.
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A customisable strong-willed, competent, and ambitious MC
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3 enticing love interests and a colourful cast of characters
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A lot of meaningful choices shaping the story and epilogues
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Beautiful graphics and music
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Accessibility feature (for dyslexic and colourblind people)
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Optional strategic resource management features
Cinderella Phenomenon - Otome/Visual Novel
If you are a male button-mashing adrenaline junkie, have no patience, or simply no time nor understanding for romantic sentimentality, please leave this page. Now. This offering is not for you. For everybody else, I cannot recommend this highly enough, and that opinion would not alter even if it was for sale at £20. What you get for downloading this game is 5 unique, engaging stories for the price of none.
After completing my first route and perhaps inevitably getting a bad ending, I decided to have a read through the negative reviews and see what it is that people were finding to dislike about it.
– Real player with 51.9 hrs in game
Ladies, meet the best rated otome VN on Steam. It was a pleasure playing it and to write a review for it.
I kept thinking a lot on why this game might be free- because it’s way too good to be FREE!. There could be many explanations but to support the creators for now I recommend buying the Digital Artbook.
Story
You follow the life of the ice princess who has no kindness in her heart and helps her break her fairytale curse. Along the way, you’d have help from one of the “hot” male characters who would help the princess be kind and achieve the happy ever after ending. After being affected by the “Cinderella” curse- Lucette, joins the Marchen with hopes of ending the curse and going back to the palace. Little did she know that she would need to complete 3 good deeds to break her curse. With the help of other members at the Marchen, Lucette goes on a journey of understanding what true love and friendship means. The story has an extremley original concept where the Grimm brothers orginal fairytales are utilized as a curse for each male character you can be with. Even though romance is the main plot- the VN would also give priority for friendship as well. Basically, the story is a fight between good an evil, witches and fairies.
– Real player with 37.8 hrs in game
Espresso For The Demon
[otome, visual novel]
A new coffee shop suddenly opened in the city. On-time, because Visa really needs a moonlighting. She gets a job with her classmates: cheerful Frank and quiet Estr. What could possibly be wrong?
Game features:
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Lots of beautiful artwork
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Multiple endings
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Two completely different characters to build a relationship with
Made Marion
DEMO AVAILABLE! Check the lil' download button on the right!
What do you do when your best isn’t good enough?
Lady Marion of Glastonbury is going to have to figure that out, and fast. Removed from her position of power and thrust into an unwanted arranged marriage, she finds herself careening through Sherwood Forest toward the troubled town of Nottingham.
Released from the confines of her previous life, who will Marion become? A freedom fighter? A knight-at-arms? A reluctant spy? Will she help create peace in Nottingham or hasten the coming confrontation between the strict Sheriff and the rebel Robin Hood?
And will a woman who resisted marriage end up finding love where she least expects it?
Find out when you’re… Made Marion.
A Romantic Action-Adventure Story
Made Marion is an otome visual novel - a romantic story primarily aimed at women, though of course all genders are welcome to play! It’s inspired by the tales of Robin Hood, but with many of its own twists.
Welcome to Avalon, an alternate-world Medieval kingdom in which humanity exists in a sometimes-uneasy balance with the mystical fae folk. Avalon’s hero-king Richard has gone missing, the nation is deep in debt from a recent war, and the commoners are agitating for more representation in government.
Step into the shoes of the proud young noblewoman Marion and guide her adventure in a richly-detailed fantasy world thick with political machinations and mystical intrigue. Decide who to trust and who to love. Can Marion make the right choices to save Nottingham from a dire fate?
Features:
Gorgeous Graphics with a Celtic Flair: Enjoy our beautiful, expressive characters and a unique world inspired by a variety of Northern European cultures. Celtic design elements are threaded through our character and background designs.
Proactive Heroine: Her name is in the game’s title for a reason! Marion isn’t just along for the ride; she drives the plot forward in many ways and has her own goals and desires.
One Big Choice, Two Different Worlds: After the game’s prologue, you’ll make a big choice that either sends you to Sherwood Forest or the city of Nottingham. Each side has a different cast to romance, and the two sides have a different feeling to them. Sherwood is a swashbuckling action-adventure, while Nottingham has more political intrigue and spy hijinks.
Role-Playing Choices: Instead of using a traditional affection meter, you’ll be making major role-playing choices in each route that lead to two possible happy endings. Choose to be clever or straightforward with the flirtatious Robin. Make idealistic or pragmatic choices with Geoffrey and Gui. It’s up to you, and you won’t be punished with a bad end for your personality choices.
Meaningful Bad Ends: Our bad endings are designed to be logical and interesting, giving hints about the wider story and world or showing a different side of the game’s characters. They’re also easily reversed, as they come from one-off choices.]
Made for Adults: We’re a sex-positive, LGBT-friendly otome game aimed at adult readers, with an over-18 cast. We aim to be mature without being “edgy” and to portray sex as a part of the characters' developing relationships.
New Features Incoming
Thanks to our successful Kickstarter (we love our backers!), Made Marion will be receiving a number of enhancements beyond what’s shown in the demo. We’re already implementing them in the full game, and we’re very excited about them!
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5 CG illustrations per love interest (35 total)
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Ambient Sound
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Cut-in illustrations to add interest to longer scenes
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Sprites for animals and fae creatures (hug a greatstag!)
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Animations to spice up (literal) magical moments
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Improved glossary
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More accessibility options (always planned, but now being implemented)
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Alanna’s bard songs now have professionally recorded backing tracks and will be recorded in a sound studio instead of on an at-home mic.
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And more!
Meet the Love Interests
Robin of Locksley: A deposed lord who is leading a rebellion against the autocratic Lord Geoffrey of Nottingham. A strong and capable leader with a tendency to hide his true feelings behind a wall of jocularity.
John: Robin’s second-in-command, a gentle giant of a man battling inner demons from his tragic past.
Will, the Scarlet Blade: John’s half-brother, a daredevil swordsman with several large chips on his shoulder.
Lord Geoffrey: Known locally by the derogatory nickname of “The Sheriff,” this stern lord is determined to rule by law, even if the law entails some very onerous taxes. Can Marion uncover the reasons behind his harsh policies?
Meissa: A mysterious, mischievous sage from an enemy land. Kind and compassionate, they harbor a dangerous secret.
Alanna Dale: A merry bard in Geoffrey’s court. Easy to fall in love with but difficult to truly know, she guards herself with layers of lies.
Gui la Londe: A gorgeous, graceful chevalier who is a confidant of Lord Geoffrey’s despite their very different worldviews. He would like to recruit Marion for an important mission of behalf of the Crown.
Women of Xal
This game has so many layers to it… the plot twists… the stakes riding on your decisions! I am in awe. I went through so many ““bad”” endings to get to the ‘true’ good ending but having to work for that ending made it so much more satisfying. Not to mention that the ““bad”” endings still had brilliant content, and I enjoyed playing each time as there are so many different decisions to make. And so many people to woo…. heart eyes
– Real player with 31.4 hrs in game
Feminist brain: This is an excellent use of the visual novel format with amazingly complex worldbuilding, distinctive characters who are easy to love (or hate, as the case may be), and while the dream-dropping doesn’t seem to be integrated into the game so far it’s an interesting concept I’d like to see. All in all, I’m very much looking forward to the finished product.
Queer brain: hehe purdy ladies
– Real player with 24.6 hrs in game
Cinders
PROS
- Cinders’s personality is up to the player via dialogue choices
– Consistency is rewarded, while random personality choices don’t serve as well
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The art is beautiful, from the backgrounds to the characters
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Morality is ambiguous, unlike what you expect from fairy tales
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4 different endings, all with many variations
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The dialogue flows well and is interesting to follow
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The stepsisters and stepmother are relatable, vulnerable people with real problems
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Branches in the storyline feel like they matter for the events that happen no matter what
– Real player with 18.2 hrs in game
I enjoyed this game and got a number of hours out of it between multiple ending playthroughs (free flow and some with a guide to finish a few missed options). My one caveat is that you should snag this game on sale or as part of a bundle, as I’m not sure most people will find it justifies its full price.
First, you should know that this game is a lot of reading relative to the interaction time. As the game warns you about in the beginning, this is more like a book where you can make some choices to change the ending, rather than a typical point-n-click story where you are making choices constantly. Luckily, it has a very nice “fast forward” option for skipping dialogue you’ve already seen on playthroughs, which is something that is lacking in many similar games and is amazingly wonderful if you’re hunting down other endings.
– Real player with 16.8 hrs in game