Cinderella Phenomenon [GxB/Free]

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Dicesuki
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Cinderella Phenomenon [GxB/Free]

#1 Post by Dicesuki »

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Hi, everyone!
After a year of hard work, we are excited to be able to present to you the full version of "Cinderella Phenomenon"! We really hope you will enjoy playing the game as much as we enjoyed working on it.

ITCH.IO
https://dicesuki.itch.io/cinderella-phenomenon

STEAM
http://store.steampowered.com/app/568770/

Here are some gameplay notes:
> Fritz's and Waltz's routes are locked at the start of the game. You will need to complete two of the three routes provided at the start of the game to unlock them.

> If you would like a recommended playing order in terms of the build-up of plot, here is our recommendation:
1. Rod
2. Karma
3. Rumpel
4. Fritz
5. Waltz

> The right choice indicator may show up belatedly so be sure to watch for it.


QUESTIONS
1. What do you think of the plot?
2. Which route did you liked the most and why?
3. Do you have any questions? Critiques? Feedback?

LINKS
Tumblr: http://dicesuki.tumblr.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/dicesukidev
Facebook page: http://facebook.com/dicesuki
Discord Chat Server: https://discordapp.com/invite/wkbz7Na

THANK YOU FOR PLAYING!
Last edited by Dicesuki on Wed Apr 05, 2017 2:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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kirakana
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Re: Cinderella Phenomenon [GxB/Free]

#2 Post by kirakana »

Okay, I was gonna comment after finishing the game, but just couldn't last that long xD From what I've seen, the game is absolutely the best :D The pace, the plot, the art, the GUI ... Pure perfection :D Props for the heroine - she is such a breath of fresh air with her stubborn nature and attitude. I really am I fan of her.
Before I forget ... Congrats on the release!

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Kirlett
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Re: Cinderella Phenomenon [GxB/Free]

#3 Post by Kirlett »

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT
I have a huge essay to write by tomorrow about Wordsworth's poetry, man. NOT FAIR.
I've played the demo and loved it.
WELL, OKAY. I'll work like the good student I am (pffff-) and THEN I'll play like there's no tomorrow.
I'm surprised that Rod is the first (recommended). But oh well, who cares. That little tsundere won't be seduced on his own 8D
The MC is my favorite. She's my baby now and if anyone harms her... danger danger. I hate the King btw ((((((: He plays the victim and everyone makes the princess look like a villain (she's not the best person ever alright but she's not so bad) and it's driving me insaaaaaaaaane.

Rumpel... I can't hahahaha I can't play his route XD He's an idiot. Funny, nice pal, but that's it. I'll play it, of course, but it'll be weird. He's like that strange creature you're not supposed to date.
Karma, on the other hand... 8)

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Re: Cinderella Phenomenon [GxB/Free]

#4 Post by xxmissarichanxx »

OM!! Congratulations on the full release!

The production value looks amazing : D

I'm super excited to play this game and I can't wait to uncover the story!
The art looks beautiful, the story seems intriguing, and the love interests... I want them all!
I've already started the opening sequence, and man, I am eager to know what happens next!

I'll follow your suggestion for the order in which to play, but when I finish the game, I'll be sure to let you know what I thought!

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Re: Cinderella Phenomenon [GxB/Free]

#5 Post by Bianchii »

I'VE BEEN WAITING SO LONG FOR THIS!! DOWNLOADING NOW!!!

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Re: Cinderella Phenomenon [GxB/Free]

#6 Post by Limabaen »

I just finished playing Rod's route (I'm going by the recommended order), and I have to say I am very impressed! When I played the demos I had some concerns (which I believe I expressed in the wip thread for the project), so I went into the full game quite cautiously. Luckily, all my worries were alleviated. Your writer is fantastic, and I was really pulled into the story and the shoes of the protagonist. When her mood and opinions change I could feel mine changing too haha.

Some miscellaneous thoughts (I hope I'm not repeating too much of anything any kickstarter backers have already expressed):

- Locked Heart was pretty cute, but I definitely feel that you've improved with this game. I think I mentioned it before with the demo, but the writing was so much better, and there were far less grammar and pacing issues as well.
- When I tried to load one of my save states, I got an error? Luckily I could access my save by pressing "rollback" but thought you might want to know.
It was at the choice were you could choose to say not to judge Rod or that you were better than him I think.
- Lucette is officially one of my favourite otome protagonists ever. I think her development was believable, and she didn't lose the icy edge at the end, which I thought was fantastic considering how often writers feel the need to sap the defining traits of cold characters to make them "good". She is such a tsundere
-
I couldn't exactly pinpoint why Rod and Lucette fell for each other. If I'm going to be perfectly honest, their chemistry wasn't the greatest. But I get that if you have a protagonist with such a strong personality she isn't going to 100% fit with all her love interests so I thought it was a good tradeoff. Regardless, it was quite sweet and cute so I'm satisfied.
- I think some of the plot points were pretty obvious, but I don't think my enjoyment was diminished by that. Other people may differ.
- The bad end was a bit rushed compared to the good end, but I like how there were a few separate lines of dialogue/narration leading up to it.

That's it for now. If I think of anything else I'll write it down. When I finish all the routes I might write a full review :mrgreen:

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Re: Cinderella Phenomenon [GxB/Free]

#7 Post by Dicesuki »

@kirakana, thank you very much! We're glad to finally have the game out so that everyone can enjoy it :) And we're so glad that you're enjoying it: both the aesthetic and the writing. We're especially relieved that you like Lucette~ Thank you kindly for the wonderful comment, and we hope you continue to enjoy your playthrough!

@Kirlett, hope the writing for your essay went okay! And yep, the recommended play order is based off of plot build-up and Rod's is probably the most comfortable starting point :) We're very glad you like Lucette! (She is also our precious child) And... yes. Rumpel is special. :') But we do hope you enjoy his route once you get there! Same goes for the other boys, of course. Let us know your opinions after you've done your playthrough!

@xxmissarichanxx, thank you kindly! :D We're glad to finally have the game out to the public. We do hope you enjoy it, and please do let us know what you think once you've gotten through it! And thank you kindly for your compliments, we really do appreciate them :)

@Blanchil, we really hope you enjoy your playthrough and that it lives up to your expectations!! :D Do let us know your opinions on the game once you're done!

@Limabaen, thanks for taking the time to write out your opinions of the first route! We're glad that you're enjoying your playthrough so far :) We'll definitely check out that bug— it's a little obscure but we'll see if we can figure out what's causing it. We're so very glad that you enjoy Lucette as a protagonist; we tried our best to keep her character stable throughout the entire game. (And yes. Yes, she is absolutely a tsundere :') ) We appreciate your feedback on the route's structure overall. Also, we're glad that the pros far outweighed the cons in this case, and that your playthrough was enjoyable in the end. As far as bad ends go, we opted to shorten them because most of them felt unnecessarily long. We tried our best with the lead-up, though! Do be sure to tell us your final opinions once you've done a full playthrough. We'd love to see a full review! :) Thanks again for playing, and enjoy~

— Tajina (DICESUKI)
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Re: Cinderella Phenomenon [GxB/Free]

#8 Post by Saturn »

I got this game yesterday and totally binge played all the routes and got all the endings. It was super amazing.

I'd like to start off by saying that this is by far, one of the most wonderful otome games I've ever played, it's got amazing character development and the plot was so well thought out and well-paced. I honestly can't say enough things about this game. The game uses a lot of interesting plots, when I summarize it for someone else, seemed to abide by the more overused plots/cliches, but despite that, you guys made it seem super special. I really liked the plot, and the way you've coursed through (especially Lucette's) character development. I'm not sure if this would be considered a spoiler or not, but
I didn't like her in my first playthrough, but the change that she made throughout her adventures and experiences with the people around her made her become a more kinder person. The plot itself made me cry like a little baby and I can't say enough about angst/sad plots because they're the most memorable.


In terms of the characters, I sort of went in the recommended playthough, except I switched Waltz and Fritz because I liked Fritz so much that I wanted to leave him last, although I kind of regretted that little bit because I liked Waltz so much afterwards and I was just so torn when playing through Fritz's route. Rod was really cute, Karma was very pleasant, yet surprising, Rumpel was probably a guy I didn't gush too much about but his route was still enjoyable, and Fritz and Waltz are my absolute favourites.

Rod's route really made me think about him on a totally different level, because
he said in the beginning that he never liked her but as the plot progressed, he was more and more willing to protect her because he was falling in love her. I really liked how his curse broke, and I was really happy about the way the whole situation got resolved. I went back to play through the bad end, and it totally broke my heart how he just ended up how the fairy tale said it would, but I understand why (seeing Lucette with tears justifies how much she has changed, and I was right there crying with her tbh sigh). But I totally preferred the good end.
Karma's route was very pleasant to say, and it reminded me much of the
don't get too close to me I'll only break your heart
plots that most shows/games use, except it wasn't used excessively, so that was very refreshing. I also loved how much you can tell
his inner turmoil the more time he spent with her and how much he wants to be with her just AHHH broke me to pieces.


I do have some issues with Rumpel's route but I think it's because I feel like there was an element missing from his route that the others had, I'm not sure what, maybe it's the fact that he
doesn't fight (although him not fighting does make him a little more heroic how he's willing to protect her, but I'm pretty sure it's because he's a darn flirt all the time and even though Karma flirts too, it just feels strange in a way). Also maybe that fiance thing, but I totally understand why it's there, and it helped him regain his memories and I liked how it resolved between her and Lucette. OH I THINK I KNOW WHY THOugh. I think it's the nature of his curse and how things ended between him and his fiance that made me back off because he was so obsessed with being selfless. But he's vowed to change that so I'm okay with him in the end.
Overall, I didn't dislike his route and his ending was actually quite cute. I think maybe the process of it all dampened something but it was still enjoy how his route resolved in the end.

Waltz obviously was
the childhood friend and protector, and it made me so happy that he said that he had been waiting for her for so long and being able to see her after so long...his whole route was a roller coaster of emotions because I honestly love the childhood friend trope, although this isn't exactly that, I really loved his character. Many tears were shed throughout this route.
His route was mostly quite pleasant in the beginning, and throughout the whole route, the pace was wonderfully laid out and I feel like it was damn worth it to play the other two routes before being able to lock him and Fritz. And then there's Fritz.
The knight in shining armour--I was shocked to learn that he was cursed too, and who his nighttime identity, but that's not the reason why I loved his character so much. It's his dedication to her that made him all the worthwhile for me. Constantly throughout the entire routes I've played through, in Rod's route, especially, he was there and I knew i liked him so ;; I got his bad end first because I was so engrossed in the story and I forgot about the whole good/bad choice and felt so sad that i got his bad ending. His bad ending got me the most, with his 'we all know who you'll choose in the end' and his 'I'll never be the one you'll see' kind of thing and I felt so bad. Even in his good end, I think I was so broken up about how much he loved her (he says Fritz rubbed off on him, and his 'I'm supposed to devour the red riding hood not fall in love with her' I just ;; I do have issues with his ending,
maybe because I had such high expectation for him that his ending fell a little short with the resolution. Maybe I'm just the overly romantic type that wants to see him with her on a deeper level, but I'm happy with how it ended because I know they love each other and I need more characters like Fritz because he's a wonderful and dedicated person. I JUST REALLY LOVED FRITZ'S character so much...
OVERALL!!! You guys really put out an extraordinary game with such a great system, and the whole thing just makes the game that much more enjoyable. The art was really lovely as well, and overall a great experience, and THANK YOU VERY MUCH for putting out such a wonderful game and I honestly hope you guy will continue to do so. It was and always will be a great pleasure to play this game. The music is wonderful, and once again, thank you very much for the work that you guys put in this game...

I'D ALSO LIKE TO GIVE YOU A PERSONAL THANK YOU FOR THE EXISTENCE OF A FAST FORWARD BUTTON...I Dicesuki you guys for it...sorry lame pun.

Have a great day! c:

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Re: Cinderella Phenomenon [GxB/Free]

#9 Post by laertid »

I'm so happy to finally see this game released! I supported you on Kickstarter and yay you are great, such an awesome game in so little time (and for free!). Hoping to see more projects from you! (And a fandisk! Yup I'm on the fandisk KS tier so patiently waiting for it!)

I loved Lucette, very strong and clever, very unusual and not your typical otome lead. How her character grows and develops throughout the story, how she learns to interact with people... I was so happy for her little victories when she
achieved her good deeds one by one
. Great character.

About the routes so far (played all the good endings in recommended order, didn't get the bad ones yet):

Rod.
Rod was awesome. I enjoyed how he and Lucette started not even from neutral grounds (and not from classic "i loved you all my life"... yeah guys F. and W. looking riiight at you now!) but from "I really hate you and I always will" on Rod's side. It was a long and hard road for them both, but in the end they became a really sweet pair. Also Em is a cinnamon roll that must be protected!
Karma.
Jeez, he is an wonderful guy, but why can't he carry his bags himself? We both know you just dress as a woman and don't really think you are a "lady", come on! Oh well, joking. Actually he was pretty cool. His full curse was somewhat predictable (no Beauty without a Beast, right?), but otherwise perfectly written. And Lucette with a sword! You go girl. But Fritz, WHY. I don't even think I would able to replay Karma's route because of Fritz' death there. Sorry. I like Fritz too much.
Rumpel.
He was the only one of the guys I... didn't like actually. I'm not into the "flirtatious" types mostly (though it was okay with Norn 9's Itsuki, for example), but in Rumpel's case I don't even know what the problem was. Him being the "non-combat unit" (sorry!)? Him being too selfless (I found myself sympathizing with his "ex" and fully agreeing with her when she was telling her story; I'd run away from such a person too)? Oh well. Maybe he's just not my type. But his art is awesome! And he has some cute anime-style "comic" moments too, I laughed so hard!
Fritz.
Oh Fritz. He was my favourite since demo, and, well, when Varg appeared, I was all "SO THAT'S YOUR CURSE I KNEW RED RIDING HOOD WAS THE IDEA". And through all the routes (good ends at least?) Vard never ever hurt Lucette actually, being maybe a big wolf, but not really bad - just obedient and listening to the commands from his master... The problem is, maybe I play Persona too much? The recurring idea in Persona games (in Persona 4 at least) is: "I am a Shadow, a true self" - when your dark half appears, you shouldn't fight it. You should accept it and live with it, because everyone, really everyone has some darkness in their heart. So I expected that Fritz will somehow fuse with Varg. Embracing his "darker" part, accepting that he is not a perfect knight in shining armor - he is also a wolf and a beast (like Karma is, actually, they are kinda alike). So when Varg... erased himself?... I was kinda disappointed. Maybe he will appear again somehow in fandisk story? All up to you, of course, and it was a perfect story anyway (I loved it), but... but... pretty please with a rolanberry on top?
Waltz.
Well hello main route, you are as awesome as expected! (Also child-version of Waltz is so cute, I just can't.) And Lucette learned real battle magic here! And that CG when she protected the crowd with her barrier... Awwww I cried. Waltz himself is really nice, protective and friendly (in all other routed I feel bad for him now - how he didn't even mention his past, just sometimes looked at Lucette with a sadness in his eyes... Being a real friend for all these years - for the girl who can't even remember you). In this route we had a father\daughter story going on too, which was also perfect (and so heartbreaking!). I'm sure Lucette will make a great queen now.
Overall - I enjoyed the story very much (and I can't stop listening to the opening song it's TOOO GOOOD). Keep on the great work!

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Re: Cinderella Phenomenon [GxB/Free]

#10 Post by Artemesia »

I just finished the game―the good endings, will do the bad endings when I have time! I'll probably share my thoughts and answer your questions about the game more in-depth in a day or two. But, anyways, congratulations on completing your project! I enjoyed playing the routes, and I quite liked the protagonist. I love an anti-hero and character development makes me weak!!! The side-characters were lovely as well, though I did wish I knew more some about them. Really enjoyable game, I had a great time. c:
One particular aspect of the game that I liked is that the Princess took months to remedy her curse. Turning a new leaf is difficult, and I appreciated that there were actual bumps and hardships that she had to overcome within herself (besides the one surrounding her circumstance) before she could truly do good. Just what Delora and Fair wanted, right? Also, it was definitely sad that, no matter what, someone dies in a happy resolution. However, it was understandably realistic with the obstacles involved with the plot, but still saddening to see them go.

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Re: Cinderella Phenomenon [GxB/Free]

#11 Post by Kirlett »

I HAVEN'T FINISHED FRITZ'S ROUTE YET BUT
I'm SO in love with Varg UGH And as he said... the princess won't choose him T_T Fritz is cute and loyal, I guess, but it feels like we know more about the relantionship between MC and Varg than MC and Fritz. I was rooting for him T_T He's my favorite character... u_u

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Re: Cinderella Phenomenon [GxB/Free]

#12 Post by fae_of_the_rose »

Okay first I wanted to say this VN was a delight to play (though granted I only played through the good endings because frankly those were heartwrenching enough at times and I don't think I could handle the actually sad ones)! As for your questions:

1. What do you think of the plot?
I freaking adore faerie tales of all sorts and this hit all things I love about them without being a retread of them. I also really liked how none of the good endings were 100% perfect. It made them all the sweeter I think.

2. Which route did you liked the most and why?
I'm biased because of my personal favorite faerie tale XD From a story perspective though, I think I liked Karma and Rumpel's for the romance, or Waltz's for the story the best.

3. Do you have any questions? Critiques? Feedback?
Sometimes it felt like Lucette was getting backstory information at a strange pace? It's hard to explain, but sometimes she'd get an infodump of whoever's route I was on backstory at a strange time or world backstory at a strange time. Some the choices felt a little counter intuitive at times, but that may just be me. I also really liked the music. It fit with the theme of the game really well in my opinion.

General opinions that aren't really related to the questions: Broom was the best character, all of the pairings were cute as all get out (even NPCs!), and I absolutely adored a snarky, deadpan protagonist who had an actual character arc in each route that, while ultimately going to the same end, felt different and didn't play out the exact same way every time.

As for the routes themselves--

Rod:
I love that his route involved dancing as decent sized part! In the original faerie tale, the mermaid can't dance because it feels like knives (though I think she does anyway?) and even that wasn't an intentional reference I still got so much glee from it! It was also interesting how it felt more focused on Em than Rod himself, but I honestly liked that. He was family-oriented and if Lucette couldn't be nice to his family he was never going to fall for her. And as much as I liked the bittersweet secretive ending of his good route, it didn't feel as complete as the other routes.
Also was Sebby a reference to the Disney movie? Because seriously that me giggle.

Karma:
So my favorite faerie tale is Beauty and the Beast and I was extremely biased towards Karma route once I figured that was his was XD I liked how he was both Beauty and Beast, though I'll admit I though his crossdressing was to keep him from transforming into a beast. That it was to protect other people was a nice touch. I do kinda wish we'd have had more moments of him being a jerk to Rumpel or something? Rumpel calls him a beast several times in his route, but it felt like that would have been a bit more appropriate in Karma's route, at least a little. The twist on "rose as a timer" was really cool and as much as I like the original over Disney, have to admit that Disney's works better than the original tale would have here. Speaking of, though: was Karma's question to Garlan about if he'd confessed to Jurien a reference to the original? In a lot of tellings, Beast asks Beauty to marry him every night and she says 'no'. I'm always looking for stuff like that, though, so maybe it was just me who saw that.
Rumpel:
I actually really liked this route! I didn't think I would, but it was the most...human of the routes, almost? Like there was something about his route that felt the most normal, considering the circumstances. Maybe it's because he was the most normal of the characters before things got crazy. It was nice to actually see his life before the curse, see him and Bria work things out and him actively try to change. Anyway, it was really, really refreshing that someone liked Lucette for being blunt and straightforward, and given his backstory it made a lot of sense that he would. Otherwise he's a dork and in a route where he's not with Lucette I kinda ship him with Annice. I may have laughed too hard at the very blunt "And I punch Rumpel in the face." bit.
Fritz:
This may be my least favorite route? Or maybe it's just so wildly different from the other four that it threw me. It wasn't bad, though so full of tension I actually had to start Waltz's before i could sleep after starting Fritz's, just different. Seriously, by the time we can start his route we know Alcaster's trouble and it is so tense when she's at his house! I knew in Karma's route that Varg was Fritz, but his coloring and the earrings actually would have had me think it was Garlan if I wasn't paying much attention or lost track of who was where. I don't know if that was intentional, but. I actually thought it was really cool how he was Hunter and Wolf--I'd have expected him to be Little Red and Wolf and actually did until I saw the title of his good ending. That being said, I actually felt bad for Varg. He had less say in all of this mess than Lucette and he pretty much never gets a happy ending, just Fritz. (Also thank you for not overusing the puppy comparisons, even if it is totally true.) SO MANY DEAD PEOPLE THOUGH WHY. Parfait I understand but I think I almost cried out when Delora was killed. I did sort of feel Lucette's feelings for Fritz were a bit...rushed? Like there was a lot of intrigue and concern for him but it didn't feel anything like the romance of the other routes.
Waltz:
I started tearing up at the end with the citizens helping her and then the big thank you celebration! That was just perfect, after everything Lucette had gone through. I wasn't too fond of the fact that the only route she gets to really bond or connect with her father is the one route he dies in, but it does work for motivation. Really, I think Waltz's was the cutest route, with him spoiling her and the children and how utterly and hopelessly romantic he is. I think this is also the most horrific route (for lack of better word) considering what Genaro implies about how Lucette was conceived and all the straight up murdering that goes on, even compared to Fritz's route. All the same, I loved it! The build up from the other routes all coming to a head in this one was handled extremely well.
All in all, I absolutely adored this game. I think I'd only replay Karma or Rumpel's routes for fun, simply because they're adorable with Lucette, but overall the game was fantastic!

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Re: Cinderella Phenomenon [GxB/Free]

#13 Post by Amiralo »

Finished all the routes yesterday! Now for a rambling review

Pros:
The heroine. It's been a long time since I played as such a 3 dimensional character. I liked how you genuinely made her a prickly character in the beginning, with all of her standoffish tendencies and flaws. The gradual pace in which she learned how to open herself up was very sweet and heartwarming. She's a great lead character.

The Family relationships
I love love love how you took time to flesh out the family dynamics of the heroine. A lot of visual novels tend to designate the parent as one-dimensional forces of good or evil. While the only good side of Hidlr was shown through Parfait's wistful reminiscing, The King was a truly complex and successful character, and his relationship with the heroine had just the right amount of tension and angst, the feeling of exclusion from a divorced parent's second marriage is portrayed in a very convincing manner . I also liked how large of a role Both Heroine's parents played in shaping the heroine's life. (it's so easy to just kill off one parent these days for no reason lmaoooo)
The extra characters
The amount of attention you put into side-characters is just amazing. Delora, Parfait, the two knights, Mythros, the King, the queen and Emangleine(probably spelled that wrong) were all very memorable. Though I have to say that Sir Alacaster and Queen Hildr got the short end of the stick----their evilness was very absolute and not very interesting ahahhahahha
...........................................................................................................................................

Mixed feelings:
The bachelors:
Now don't get me wrong, as otome characters, they were all fine and induced the appropriate amount of squeels and doki dokis, but compared to the heroine, some of them just lacked complexity. I think Varg (not fritz), Karma, and Rumple were the most interesting characters in that order. Varg hinted at a dark side that fritz is ashamed of admiting, and the emotions that Varg felt for the heroine was very interesting. However, I felt Fritz never truly learned to accept his dark side as part of him in his route, and that Varg just gave himself up for a convenient happy ending. At the same time, the heroine's lack of attatchment and feelings for Varg just made Varg's sacrifice for the heroine and fritz less powerful than it could have been. I'm not saying that the heronie should fall inlove with Varg, but when Varg went away, the heroine was just like "YAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY NOW I CAN SMOOCH FRITZ NOW", which kind of felt hollow considering that Varg had literally committed suicide for them to be together.
I have to say that Karma and Rumple were the best developed characters out of all the bachelors. They had very pressing flaws that truly wrecked their lives (Karma's selfishness and Rumple's excessive selflessness), and even in the good ending, their flaws didn't just magically dissapear. In their routes, Karma's "bitchiness" and Rumple's extreme need to please kept coming in at innoppurtune times and I liked how both the heroine and the bachelors themselves had to learn to deal with it. (Karma's sassy bossiness has my heart forever akldhfklasjdfhkdhfkashdfkjhdfklas)
Rod wasn't a bad character, but his route was forced to have a happy ending, when in reality it is a tragedy regardless of how you look at it. You either fall in love with your stepsister, or you die for your love. I think it would have been a very powerful statement to give Rod no good endings, just like the original little mermaid tale. After all, Rod's flaw is his inability to communicate and his acceptance of his tragic fate. The sudden happy ending was not bad, but it just took away the potential of making rod one of the most memorable character of the whole game. If Rod had lied about his curse being fixed and died in the heroine's arms in one of their secret meetings, his route would have been much more powerful
Waltz is an adorable baby, but unfortunately, unlike the rest of the bachelors, he had no flaws that effected his life. So despite his touching backstory with the heroine, he wounded up last in my preference for the bachelors lmaooooo. He felt more like Mr. Fanservice and a perfect Boyfriend rather than a real character.
The Queen
: Hildr was such an important character that the whole story could be renameD Hildre: the crazy queen's revenge. While I liked storybook pictures slowly showing her as a possesive and manipulative mom, I ultimately felt that she lacked depth to make her a truly compelling villain. While parfait mentioned that Hildr used to be different, the readers never got to see any of her positive points in action. So we are left rooting for Hildr to die while the heroine and parfait lamented endlessly about what could have been. Instead of being a misguided messiah/mother who went too far in making sure the kingdom is safe for her people/daughter, she was just a psycho whose death illicited a "good riddance!" from the audience.
....................................................................................................................................
Cons: The endings:
I genuinely enjoyed the coup d'etat ending when I finished the first bachelor's route. However, by the time I got to Waltz I was just ctr-skipping the whole thing. The lovey-dovey scene at the end with each bachelor was also a bit repetetive in nature (lets walk in the woods/in the bed room and declare our undying love to each other. hurrah) .
ANYWAYS, CONGRATULATIONS ON SUCH A BEAUTIFUL GAME. EXPECT FANART OF KARMA SOMETIME SOON.
My deviant art (where you can look at the embarrassing sim dates I have made). http://amiralo.deviantart.com/

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Isotta
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Re: Cinderella Phenomenon [GxB/Free]

#14 Post by Isotta »

I just finished playing all the routes and all I can say, from the bottom of my heart is that this game is beautiful in so many ways that I fear I can’t express fully how much I love it.
You did an amazing work, from the art, the music, the gui, the characters and the story that I was completely absorbed in each path and you made me cry an awful lot (but I forgive you xD).
I didn’t followed the recommended order, I started pursuing the guys just following my heart and my first victim was Karma: I loved him since the very beginning and at the end of his route I was completely head over heels. It wasn’t just about how handsome he is, though I admit I have a weakness for redheads. What intrigued me most about him was his personality, the way he switched from sassy to caring, from flirty to protective and his sense of humour and way of teasing the princess made my laugh and blush constantly through his route. I also appreciated how he was willing to teach the princess how to use a sword, even though he wished for her to never have the chance to actually need to fight and how in the end they were fighting side by side. His good ending was adorable, but I don’t want to spoiler it so I’ll say no more.
After Karma I picked Rod. I can’t really say he touched me as much as Karma but still, I appreciated Rod’s route: first thing first I was really moved by Emelaigne and the way the relationship between her and the princess evolves, furthermore Rod’s tsundere personality that oh so much matches the princess’s made me laugh in more than an occasion. One last consideration I’d like to share about Rod is that like the original tale of the little mermaid you succeed in give to the player (or at least me) the same bittersweet feeling in this route, especially at the end, even unlocking the good ending.
My third choice was Waltz, and I’d like to tell you I’m very sorry because I underestimate his character at first when after playing in the very first thirty minutes of his route my heart was literally throbbing. Waltz gained a special spot in my heart, and really, I can’t say more than this.
After Waltz I played Rumpel’s route and even though I was at first a bit annoyed by his flirtatious way of talk to.. well, anyone, I slowly came to care for him (as much as the princess I fear xD). The confrontation with that person of his past was in my opinion incredibly well done because it gives a sense of closure and in addiction permits to see both side of the same coin. I had some problems with all the “all lives are invaluable” at some point, near the ending, you know what I’m talking about but again, it suited Rumpel’s personality and story, so again no complains: in the end I really liked his good ending.
Now, last but not least we have old, dear Fritz. I enjoyed his route but during his route I had this feeling it missed something. Thinking about it maybe what I feel was missing was more interaction with the guy directly. It almost seems as if his route lies too much on his relationship with the princess before the curse but there isn’t a real development the player can see and feel part of in the present. I probably couldn’t explain myself here, but anyway, it was intriguing how his curse worked, but maybe I was a bit disappointed in the way it ended even though I liked the character.
Now, maybe you don’t remember my old comment when you first released the demo, but in that comment I told you how much I empathized with the main character, and how I disliked her father, the King.
I didn’t change my mind on the heroine of this story, I truly liked walking in her shoes :D
But I’ve changed my mind about the King. Again, I don’t want to make any kind of spoiler, but that character touched me more than words can say, as Parfait and Delora did.

In the end all I can add is thank you for making this game <3

Sheri3
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Re: Cinderella Phenomenon [GxB/Free]

#15 Post by Sheri3 »

Phew! I blew through the game and got all achievements in one day! Lucette has everything I’ve ever wanted in a heroine. She’s blunt, straightforward, clever, sassy, and strong. I absolutely loved her character development throughout each route. I was cheering her on the entire time! I cried at least once every route, so it was a good thing I stayed indoor the entire day when I decided to binge played the game. XD

I played the routes in the recommended order by total accident, haha. It worked out well, though. XD

Rod:
The happy ending felt like a tragedy to me because of their stepsibling relationship. I felt bad for both Rod and Lucette. Throughout the route, I kept wondering how their story would end. I half expected Lucette to choose to stay cursed so their relationship wouldn’t be forbidden, but the way the story ended makes more sense. What I really liked about Rod’s route is the way Lucette’s growth is related to her learning about her stepfamily. I liked that she realizes that they aren’t shallow like she had thought them to be, and in fact, it was herself that was shallow. I liked that her good deeds were achieved by first helping Emelaigne, then Sophia, and then both Rod and Viorica. Especially the last good deed, the way she stepped in front of the knife was literally selfless, I was so proud of her growth that I cried Q__Q. I liked that Rod’s route gave dimensions not only to Lucette, but also to the rest of her stepfamily. That said, the first route had quite an impact on me so I cancelled my outing plans that day to stay indoors and played the next route.
Karma:
Karma’s route was my favorite. I’m a little confused about why Lucette isn’t affected by Karma’s curse. Does it only work with people who aren’t cursed? I like how Karma was both the beauty and the beast, it was a very clever twist to the fairytale. Having him fall in love with someone only for them to utterly break his heart once his beauty fades and he becomes a beast, letting him feel the bitter sting of rejection. I would love to meet the witch that cursed him lol. For what he did to her (and every other women whose heart he broke), he totally deserved to be cursed XD. At least he learned his lesson lol. Lucette and Karma’s relationship was soo cute. Lucette was adorable when she bought the rose necklace for him. The makeup scene was also very cute >.<. And when Karma’s voice potion ran out and Lucette decided to tease him about it…XD. Because there are so many cute/fluffy scenes of them together, I felt that out of all the routes, Karma and Lucette’s romantic relationship development felt the most natural. I also really liked Jurien and Garlan’s little side romance (they are so cute together!!). After Rod’s less than satisfactory happy ending, I was very happy with Karma’s ending.
Rumple:
My least favorite character, mainly because I usually don’t like overly flirtatious characters in any sort of games. The way he’s so overly selfless that it becomes selfish is very interesting. Though I find myself sympathizing with Bria a lot. I mean, I would be angry with him too if I were her. I didn’t really understand how Rumpelstiltskin worked into his curse until he explains about the whole giving up his wedding ring and stuff to the witch until he has nothing left but his name to give away. After that, everything clicked together. Like Karma, his happy ending left me satisfy XD.
Fritz:
I have so much to say about Fritz…
Sighhhh…..

This route right here was where my heart broke into a gazillion pieces….
After playing all the other routes, I already suspected that Varg is Fritz and was really looking forward to his route. First of all, I love the suspense in this route. The tension felt when Lucette was at Alcaster’s house was intense. Then her mother got revived?? Ohhhh boy, everything just escalates---the plot was fantastic!

Unfortunately, having only 10 chapters per route means that the majority of Fritz’s route would be focused on plot. This is where this route fell short for me. There just wasn’t enough scenes with Fritz and Lucette for me to really warm up to Fritz. To be honest, I ended up liking Varg more than Fritz. Don’t get me wrong, despite his short appearances, I like Fritz too. I could tell that Fritz really likes/loves Lucette. It was sweet the way he knows everything she likes. Lucette was already an “Ice Princess” when they met, yet despite that, he managed to see through that cold exterior and sympathized with her. Lucette even mentioned that Fritz was the only one she’s really willing to talk to after her mother died (and erased her memories). So there was already a good level of trust between them, and thanks to that, their romance doesn’t feel rushed. However, all that relationship development was “told” rather than “shown” (Karma’s route did a very good job at “showing”).

It’s completely understandable though, with an intense plot such as this, there really wasn’t much room to implement more romance scenes. Which is why I was a little sad and disappointed with Fritz’s route. It felt like his route was a plot bridge leading to the main route (AKA Waltz), instead of being his own route. That said, Fritz’s route is obviously the most tragic. MAGIC GONE. EVERYONE DIED. How could you do this to my heart….? I cried so…so…much during this route that by the time I played Waltz’s route, I didn’t have any tears left. Q___Q

To be honest, I don’t really understand Fritz’s curse all that much. Fritz’s flaw wasn’t really explained…What dark part of Fritz did Varg represent? (or maybe I’m just too slow to figure it out…). Whatever it was, I was hoping Fritz would come to accept the dark part of himself and realizes that he doesn’t have to be a perfect knight in shining armor all the time. I was sad when Varg erased himself…It felt…anticlimactic… Not only that, I felt realllyyyy bad for Varg. I mean, even if his feelings stemmed from Fritz’s, he loved the princess too. Enough to practically commit suicide so that the better part of himself can stay with her. And Lucette doesn’t seem to care all that much when he was gone…poor baby…. T__T

I look forward to the fandisk if only for Fritz…I know Varg probably won’t appear because magic no longer exist in his route, but……….sniff…….please....?

Waltz:
Ah…The last route…
I don’t have much to say about Waltz, he’s nice, but that’s really it. A good and sweet childhood friend turned lover. Well, I’m a sucker for childhood friend, so I don’t really mind if he is a bit boring…He has the happiest ending too. I’m glad I played his route after Fritz. It made me feel so much better, haha.

What I really loved about this route was the relationship between Lucette and her father. I empathized with her so much here. I thought I’ve ran out of tears in Fritz’s route, but I was so wrong. I cried a river during Lucette’s interactions with her father. It really struck a chord in my heart. I almost forgot that this was supposed to be Waltz’s route. The way you guys portrayed the parental relationship between Lucette and her father was outstanding. Throughout the other routes, I really empathized with Lucette’s yearning for parental love, so I’m glad that it was resolved in the end. I’m glad that the king really does love her and made it clear. I cried when he mentioned the birthday surprises. The misunderstanding surrounding it made me cried even harder. Then he died and I started bawling and sobbing uncontrollably (yes, there were a lot of tears).

The way the children Lucette helped during her quest for good deeds defended her at the end was also very touching. I was hoping that we would get to see the good side of Hildyr (even if it’s brief) in this route. Throughout all the other routes, I felt bad for her. It was really not her fault that everything turned out the way it did. The way witches were being persecuted and with her feeling every one of their deaths, I don’t blame her for breaking down and becoming corrupted…but I guess there really was no way to save her in the end.
Oh my god….this turned into an essay…
Sorry, I liked the game a lot so I ended up having a lot to say about it. Words just kinda came out XD
The last game to have made me cried this much is House in Fata Morgana (an absolute masterpiece that everyone should play!)
My English isn’t all that great, so I hope I didn’t say anything offensive.
Overall, my favorite characters go in this order:
Karma > Fritz > Waltz > Rod > Rumple

I feel so empty now that I've finished the game....

Honestly, this game is too good to be free. I feel honored that you guys would just give this beautiful game out like this. I can’t wait to buy the fandisk when it comes out! Do you have an estimate for when that would be?

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