Re: Dark Nights[Otome,Fantasy,Romance,Mystery][Free]
Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2019 9:27 am
Seeing as there are a lot of reviews where people have not finished the game, here is a review by someone who has actually finished the game!
Story: 7.8/10
I really enjoyed the story, though it wasn’t anything ground-breaking in my opinion - BUT! I assure you that people old or new to the genre of visual novel otome games will enjoy this very much. I liked the slight “horror” aspect of this game, Sachiro’s route depicted this very well, and set the stage for me since I started with him first. Though because of that, other routes were more disappointing in that aspect.
The main plot line is different for each route, and other love interests will only make a very minor appearance at the start, when you are on a love interest’s route, it will focus on them entirely, which I really like because it gives each character a more in depth development than just having the plot change slightly. So if you didn’t like one route, chances are you will like another better. Depending on your play order, some details will be revealed on another route, which I like.
Romance was set at a perfect pace in my opinion, it wasn’t too fast nor too slow and you definitely will not feel like a creepy pedo in Sachiro’s route *wink*.
Characters: 8/10
Most of the characters are very likeable in my opinion, all of the love interests are understandable and they don’t fall into -dere stereotypes very much, which I love since by the end of each route you are wondering how to describe their personalities, but can’t come up with something stereotypical. Though, I wish some characters had some more development, such as Chain and Rasumi, as it is not clear what their motives are. As of this review Rasumi is like a character that is bad for the sake of being bad.
The main character is NOT a lamp! Yay! The main character actually takes the initiative in events and is rarely in a damsel in distress situation. I also personally find the main character to be relatable, I can definitely understand her actions and behaviour even if it isn’t a decision I would normally take.
Art: 9.6/10
The art is a pleasure to look at with beautiful colours and abstract inspired backgrounds, characters are drawn beautifully and there is plenty of CG to look and admire at, 12 per love interest! The 0.4 off is because sometimes there are places where characters look inconsistent, but maybe it is because of Pin’s change in art style over the years. Pin has depicted unsettling imagery very well, very fitting for a Halloween release.
GUI is easy to understand and is done in a standard Ren’Py layout, and suits the game, I love the minimalist style. In my opinion, it is easy to navigate.
Music: 10/10
What can I say? It’s just my taste in music, I love pianos and many of the music resemble lullabies which made me stop and appreciate them, I also love the action music and would definitely listen to on a daily basis. If a DLC comes out for music, I will buy in a heartbeat!
Though in-game wise, it is set very loud so I had to go to settings to lower the volume a little.
Gameplay: N/A
It’s a visual novel, so there is not really much gameplay to talk about other than reading, though Dark Nights has done some interesting things with their choices, and some over arch to show an extra scene. There are some quick time events, which adds to the tension of the moment.
Conclusion 8.85/10
Overall, Dark Nights is now one of my favourite Otome games, you can’t go wrong with beautiful art, music and writing (with some fun easter eggs *looks at dev team* and moments scattered around) The scrapbook was also very enjoyable to look at after finishing the game, with the achievement screen being satisfying to look at as well, depicting each achievement as a book which is very creative. The extra scenes were also a joy to experience. I think that whether you are old or new to the genre of otome games, this game is a must play!
I have been following the development of Dark Nights since Pinlin has announced the development of the game on their social media, it was a joy to see Pin work on the game and get more things done, I am proud of what they have achieved. I am also looking forward to the future Steam release!
Story: 7.8/10
I really enjoyed the story, though it wasn’t anything ground-breaking in my opinion - BUT! I assure you that people old or new to the genre of visual novel otome games will enjoy this very much. I liked the slight “horror” aspect of this game, Sachiro’s route depicted this very well, and set the stage for me since I started with him first. Though because of that, other routes were more disappointing in that aspect.
The main plot line is different for each route, and other love interests will only make a very minor appearance at the start, when you are on a love interest’s route, it will focus on them entirely, which I really like because it gives each character a more in depth development than just having the plot change slightly. So if you didn’t like one route, chances are you will like another better. Depending on your play order, some details will be revealed on another route, which I like.
Romance was set at a perfect pace in my opinion, it wasn’t too fast nor too slow and you definitely will not feel like a creepy pedo in Sachiro’s route *wink*.
Characters: 8/10
Most of the characters are very likeable in my opinion, all of the love interests are understandable and they don’t fall into -dere stereotypes very much, which I love since by the end of each route you are wondering how to describe their personalities, but can’t come up with something stereotypical. Though, I wish some characters had some more development, such as Chain and Rasumi, as it is not clear what their motives are. As of this review Rasumi is like a character that is bad for the sake of being bad.
The main character is NOT a lamp! Yay! The main character actually takes the initiative in events and is rarely in a damsel in distress situation. I also personally find the main character to be relatable, I can definitely understand her actions and behaviour even if it isn’t a decision I would normally take.
Art: 9.6/10
The art is a pleasure to look at with beautiful colours and abstract inspired backgrounds, characters are drawn beautifully and there is plenty of CG to look and admire at, 12 per love interest! The 0.4 off is because sometimes there are places where characters look inconsistent, but maybe it is because of Pin’s change in art style over the years. Pin has depicted unsettling imagery very well, very fitting for a Halloween release.
GUI is easy to understand and is done in a standard Ren’Py layout, and suits the game, I love the minimalist style. In my opinion, it is easy to navigate.
Music: 10/10
What can I say? It’s just my taste in music, I love pianos and many of the music resemble lullabies which made me stop and appreciate them, I also love the action music and would definitely listen to on a daily basis. If a DLC comes out for music, I will buy in a heartbeat!
Though in-game wise, it is set very loud so I had to go to settings to lower the volume a little.
Gameplay: N/A
It’s a visual novel, so there is not really much gameplay to talk about other than reading, though Dark Nights has done some interesting things with their choices, and some over arch to show an extra scene. There are some quick time events, which adds to the tension of the moment.
Conclusion 8.85/10
Overall, Dark Nights is now one of my favourite Otome games, you can’t go wrong with beautiful art, music and writing (with some fun easter eggs *looks at dev team* and moments scattered around) The scrapbook was also very enjoyable to look at after finishing the game, with the achievement screen being satisfying to look at as well, depicting each achievement as a book which is very creative. The extra scenes were also a joy to experience. I think that whether you are old or new to the genre of otome games, this game is a must play!
I have been following the development of Dark Nights since Pinlin has announced the development of the game on their social media, it was a joy to see Pin work on the game and get more things done, I am proud of what they have achieved. I am also looking forward to the future Steam release!