Recent reviews by Egomaniacal

Demonheart is a well produced, engaging visual novel. However, it was not quite what I was expecting it to be. In that vein, I would recommend Demonheart to fans of choice/dialogue heavy visual novels, but not quite so much for fans of dating sims. The story is interesting and the length is good, but the romances are lacking.

From the reviews I saw, I anticipated the characters to grow on me more than they did. The most popular love interest in the discussion boards (Sir Brash) felt like an irredeemable prick to me. The only character that truly acted romantically towards the MC (Ari) was just horrendously boring, on top of that. I ended up romancing "Raze," against my better moral judgement, just because he was the only character that didn't leave me feeling particularly unfulfilled.

That said, the actual, non-romance aspects of the story were genuinely quite good. I adored the morality system, and the massive amount of choices that I was given as the story progressed. There was a lot of room for replayability, because of just how many choices there were that affected Bright's personality.

+PROs+
Excellent writing, interesting story.
Solid length of story.
Partial voice acting.
Beautiful UI.
Good soundtrack.
Good art for most characters and all backgrounds.
A very cute cat.

-CONs-
Unappealing love interests (in my opinion.)
Some character art is off-putting.
Some of the voice acting is a bit mediocre.

All in all, if you buy the game on sale like I did, it's a fun way to spend a solid few hours. I would recommend it, just not if you're only interested in the romance.

Loren The Amazon Princess is an incredibly fun, engaging, and well written Dating Sim/RPG hyprid. This game is the reason that I have faith in Winter Wolves as a developer, despite numerous other poor releases. The combat is fun, the writing is excellent, the art is beautiful, the story is interesting--I could go on and on.

+PROs+
Lovable, diverse, and relatable characters.
Beautiful western-style art.
Excellent and engaging writing.
Fun combat.
Interesting and emotionally stimulating story.

-CONs-
The DLC writing is less strong.
The combat is not as challenging on higher difficulties as I would like.

This is an excellent game, and I would strongly recommend purchasing it, full price or otherwise.

I love Winter Wolves, I really do. I will always have a soft spot for their games and a clear bias in their favor. However, recent years have led to this bizarre tendency on their part to over-write their games to an unbearable extent. An incredibly long game does NOT equal an incredibly good one.

Tales of Aravorn: Seasons of the Wolf is so completely overloaded with garbage dialogue and nonsensical side quests that the main story and everything attractive about the genre gets lost in the mess. It feels like the actual plot should take six or seven hours, but all the extra ambient dialogue drags it out to fifteen or twenty.

+PROs+
Good, consistent art.
Attractive, interesting love interests.
Challenging combat (in higher difficulties.)

-CONs-
Story overloaded with ambient dialogue. The actual plot gets lost.
Somewhat unfulfilling romance plotlines.
Boring and unengaging, most of the time.

I cannot reccommend this game at full price. I wish that Winter Wolves could go back to whatever writer they hired for Loren, because almost every game that they release these days feels like it has the same problems. :/

***Play Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds prior to playing this game!***

Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms is part one of a two part remake of the classic Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom dating sim. With six new bachelors to obtain, there is no shortage of engaging, well written content. While I do have qualms regarding this being released in two parts (Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds and Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms,) it is still well worth the time and money spent to relive the Hakuoki experience.

PROS
-12 Unique, likable bachelors with engaging, individual plotlines
-Gorgeous and consistent art
-Stunning soundtrack
-Excellent writing
-Tons of replay value

CONS
-Only half the story, preceded by Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds.
-An utterly massive amount of information overload regarding 1860s Japanese government systems. Truly, far too much information. If you're a real big historical fiction fan or history buff in general, you are in for a treat. Otherwise, buckle up, kiddo.

If you're a fan of the original game, Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds is worth picking up for the new content. If you're a new player, and a fan of dating sims, it's a must play.

Yes, this is essentually the same exact review that I posted for Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'm not gonna act like anybody actually cares about the reviews for this game. You know exactly what you're looking for if you're considering buying it.

All I have to add is that it is a genuinely challenging and addicting matching puzzle game, with the added benefit of a bunch of cute anime girls. Knock yourself out.

Animal Lover is a refreshing, hilarious dating sim with a diverse and interesting cast of bachelors to romance. With a charming art style and it's cutting wit, Animal Lover brings flavor to the otome/dating sim genre that has been lost between many other bland titles. Especially considering the price reduction since it's release, this game is well worth the $10 you would spend on it.

+PROs+
Good art with a lot of personality.
Good soundtrack.
Engaging, humorous writing.
Attractive, diverse, and relatable cast of characters.
Interesting, emotionally involving narrative.

-CONs-
Not a TON of replayability. Majority of the story is the common route.
Somewhat short.

If you catch this game on sale, and are a fan of dating sims, this one should be a no brainer. If it's not on sale, it's still well worth picking up.

You might cry, by the way. It's funny and then it hurts. It hurts good. ;-;

Nightshade, though not quite as engaging as other titles from the same publisher, is an enjoyable and well produced dating sim that I would recommend to any otome fan looking to expand their collection. Though it has it's flaws, as any game does, it still delivers a satisfying experience.

PROS
-5 Obtainable characters that fit their indiviual tropes and stereotypes well
-Beautiful art with bright color palettes.
-Enjoyable, albeit not particularly memorable soundtrack

CONS
-The plot did feel dry from time to time, and replay value dulled with subsequent playthroughs.
-The plot also became incredibly volatile and inconsistent at times. Goemon's route was a mess.
-Expensive for the amount of content you actually recieve. There is a decent amount, but not enough for the full price of this game.

If you have the opportunity to pick up Nightshade on sale, you definitely should. I bought the game at full price, and don't regret it, though, so take that as you will.

Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds is part one of a two part remake of the classic Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom dating sim. With six new bachelors to obtain, there is no shortage of engaging, well written content. While I do have qualms regarding this being released in two parts (Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds and Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms,) it is still well worth the time and money spent to relive the Hakuoki experience.

PROS
-12 Unique, likable bachelors with engaging, individual plotlines
-Gorgeous and consistent art
-Stunning soundtrack
-Excellent writing
-Tons of replay value

CONS
-Only half the story, to be continued in Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms
-An utterly massive amount of information overload regarding 1860s Japanese government systems. Truly, far too much information. If you're a real big historical fiction fan or history buff in general, you are in for a treat. Otherwise, buckle up, kiddo.
-Awkward user interface. Sometimes feels like a lazy PS Vita port.

If you're a fan of the original game, Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds is worth picking up for the new content. If you're a new player, and a fan of dating sims, it's a must play.

Relaxing, cute, and fun. And you're a cat. What else could you ask for?

Free to play on browser, but worth picking up on Steam just for ease of access and a few exclusives. It's good fun, especially considering the low price tag. Leave your faith in your peers at the door, though. This isn't the game for that.