Elton Manor: Requiem of the Cursed Roses

An entertaining visual novel like game. The length of the game suits the storyline. But I wish the epilogue had been a bit more fleshed out. At first, I had to get used to the writing style and some of the character. It didn’t feel as though it fitted together. The dialogue felt a little stiff too. However, it turned out that the game was playing with my expectations, and as I got further into it, the dialogue between the characters really started to pick up. There were some genuinely funny scenes and dialogues, and I found myself laughing quite a few times. The game feels fairly linear, which isn't necessarily a problem. There are some things, like Maid's Honor, where I'm not entirely sure whether they actually have an impact on the story. I'll have to test that out later. The art style looks really good. I just wish all the CGs were available in a gallery instead of only being accessible as replayable scenes. As I said, it’s a good game with an interesting twist.

This is a rec with caveats. The English translation is clunky, the characters don't always feel fully developed, and this really does feel like reading with a few random minigames tacked on. There are definitely themes I wish they had explored more. But the game really had me hooked the entire time! The mystery at the core is interesting, and the game aspects may not be original, but the characters finesse them in fun ways. The art is very good, too. I think you'll probably already know if this game is your vibe or not, but if you think it is, it's worth checking out.

hmm... i have mixed feelings about it. the mystery plot and horror aspect of the game were interesting, but the character development, backstories, and pretty much everything else about the story were quite shallow and one-dimensional. the english localization was also tough to swallow; mainly, the weird decision of a past-tense writing style was uncomfortable to read and difficult to get used to in this game format, as it felt more like the story was being recounted rather than watching it unfold in real-time. the conclusion was also deeply unsatisfying in my opinion.