Update Twenty-Four: 20 July 2017

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I like how I posted three posts in one day, then largely disappeared for a week and a half. Both these games I’m playing (Cinderella Phenomenon and Aquaria) are kind of longer games, and real life got in the way, and I started writing and drawing more, so I’ve been playing games less. I’m happy to be back, and to give yous the news!

If you like otome games, you absolutely should play this one.

Cinderella Phenomenon is a free otome game and it absolutely should not be. I’ve played far crappier VNs that I paid for real money for. The production value in this game is really off the charts with really smooth, pretty menus, appealing UI, and nice visual effects. There’s no grammar errors, and the writing is competent and enjoyable - not the best I’ve seen, and never really reaches sophisticated heights, but after going from Never Give Up! and Harmonia to this it felt like a breath of fresh air.

You play as a really mean princess. You are a jerk. Because you’re a jerk, you get cursed with the Cinderella Curse. It’s in reverse of the story - you no longer have your title, no one knows you, and you must do three good deeds to break the spell. This premise opens up into a lot of cool fantasy and some minor political intrigue, but I just found the protagonist so refreshing it overshadows a lot else. Your main character really grows and changes throughout the game, and you really come to understand why the is the way she is, and why she needs to change anyway.

The romance options (five of them, all boys) also fit around fairytale themes and they’re all similarly cursed. It’s light romance, nothing beyond some kissing, and holy fuck none of them molest the main character!!! Shocker!!! This whole VN is written at a young adult level - good young adult, but still young adult. It’s decently long, with ten chapters in total (a prologue, two starting routes, and then seven chapters per route) but not long enough to really get into the real juicy parts of characterization. This was one of the few VNs (and games in general) to make me literally laugh out loud, though, so I’m quite fond of it for that.

Please consider picking this up - you get a LOT of value out of 0 money.

Next up: I bit the bullet and bought the daddies. We’re going in blind as I play the brand-new -

See you soon!