Platform: PC

Developer: Michaela Laws

Publisher: Seraphim Entertainment

Release Date: February 12th, 2015

Genre: Simulation

Nerd Rating: 7 out of 10

She looks so much like Fluttershy, am I right? … Watch My Little Pony, then get back to me…

Life was as normal as any high school student, [Enter your name here, but you gotta be a girl, so just type something already!]. It’s senior year, you have no special somepony to call your own, but you have your two best friends in the whole wide world. They are Naomi (she kinda looks like a human version of Fluttershy) and Suzu.

During lunchtime, one day, you receive news that your grandfather had passed away. His funeral was held that very day, and his grave was marked by a stone slab on the ground. You come to realize that your dad’s a total dick, as he throws a hissy fit over the fact that you inherit grandfather’s mansion. The very next day, you are moving in to the mansion. you get to live alone, as an independent 18 year old woman. You unlock the front door, and what do you find? Five young men, wounded and unconscious, on the lobby floor.

Who are these guys? Why are they hurt? How did they get in there? What do they want? So many questions. You decide the outcome of the story!

This sounds a bit weird already, right? Well, to be very honest, I wasn’t sure why I clicked download, from the Steam store page. Was it because the game is free-to-play? Was it because I was honestly curious? Or was it because Steam asked me to confirm my age before I could view the store page?

Upon starting the game, I heard a voice asking me my name. You can type your name, or just any other name will do. This mystery voice sounds like it’s charming and inviting. I’m sure that’s the goal (rolls eyes). Though, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t blush.

Then a very questionably interesting text appeared before the visual novel began…it was a warning. It warned of implications… This raised a very alarmed eyebrow. It warned of implications of abuse, suicide, and (and here’s the kicker) rape. Immediate reaction? I almost didn’t want to continue…but why? Why was I still curious? Did I want to see or read something like that? Was I gross for wanting to read this story at all? I decided I was just going to read it and not tell anyone. (Oopsy!)

Look at that face and tell me you aren’t blushing!

So, I played through this game over and over again. According to Steam, I played for about the extent of half a day. I found every possible outcome and unlocked every picture available in the game’s gallery. I even went through the source files of the game itself. If there was anything questionable, even one thing, I told myself, I’d never speak of it to anyone. If you’re reading this, then you know what I found. The only thing I found were some PG-13 type pictures and PG-13 type deaths…that’s it. No rape or suicide. So it’s clean.

So, I know what you’re thinking. Who are the five guys in your character’s house, right? They are five brothers, travelling together. They are (from eldest to youngest) James, Erik, Sam, Matthew, and Damien. They were injured and sought refuge in the mansion. But that’s not all…they’re…different from other people. Each guy has a different problem that you can solve, capturing their heart.

Will you capture the heart of one of these guys? Will the rest of your life come together like you hope? Or will you suffer an untimely death (I found that out the hard way…)?

So charming. Much nice. Such embarrass…

When characters that aren’t you speak it sounds a little off, but it’s understandable, considering your character doesn’t have a voice over. I’m assuming they did that to try and immerse you further into the story. The descriptions were well done and the settings were sound. I loved the art used as visual aids to character descriptions and the settings. The music was also amazing in this story. It shames me to admit it, but I was ten shades of red whenever Erik spoke. His voice over was phenomenal at capturing Erik’s flirtatious and charming, yet gentle, demeanor.

One thing that really bothered me was the frequent spelling mistakes. Nothing ruins a story quite like a spelling error, let alone several. Words repeated in the same sentence where they shouldn’t, and words mixed in the sentence. All these tend to make a person stop and mentally fix the error and then keep going. The word of the day, is “stop.” When the reader has to stop, the trance is broken, the reader is no longer hooked. It might take a little while to get them back in it, but the worst part of it is that it could have been prevented. It pays to proofread.

But heck! What do you want for free? Besides, the story is good, I don’t want to take away from that. I recommend this visual novel/game, because it has the power to stir emotions. That alone deserves praise. It has some cute (and a few steamy) unlockable pictures to enhance the story, and there are outcomes in which you die. It really helps to remind you that it’s still a game.