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kingdom days sim date (F/M, free, /browser/)

• overall: B. enjoyment: C.
• kingdom days sim date may be the forgotten child of the pacthesis games, but it certainly marked a turning point for the series. you play a princess seeking shelter from an invading army who finds herself forced into an arranged marriage in another kingdom. the art is among the best this dev has to offer, though not impressive when compared to other games, the gameplay has really hit its stride, and the characters and story are very well written (albeit, with a very abrupt ending). if you're looking for a short, sweet, and fun game to play this is a great contender.
• plot: A. you're a young princess (default name rose) who spent the beginning of her life in an orphanage, finally being discovered by the boy who would become your devoted servant. fast-forward ten years or so, and you and that boy escape from an attack on your kingdom. penniless and stranded, you request aid from the young king of a neighboring country -- but he'll only agree to help if you marry him! now, a couple silly things about the execution aside, this is actually a really interesting story. the aesthetic is very "royal trap", and there's quite a lot of complicated character motivations and set-up from the get-go. stellar marks.
• characters: A. while none of them are as flashy or memorable as characters in some of the other games, they're all fantastically done. they have lovely diverse designs, rich lives and backstories and three dimensional personalities that reveal themselves to you naturally over the course of the game. the protagonist as well has a personality that shines through the dialogue, though she's not as interesting as the dates. i only wish the characters were more interconnected. while they mention each other occasionally, i think having connections with each other would enrich them even more.
• writing: B. it's very well done. it's difficult for a game that's entirely dialogue to reach quite the same levels of storytelling as a VN, but it manages to do quite nicely for itself. the pacing is great, and the relationships seem to develop naturally. the tone is well-maintained and appropriate for the story being told, the dialogue is well written, and the romances themselves are fairly sweet. each character clearly has believable chemistry with the protagonist. the endings are extremely lackluster, though, and the royal switcharoo is honestly very silly and implausible.
• routes: ferris > joseph > ian > daniel > lewis
• gameplay: B. wow, okay. replaying this is the only time i've ever actually found myself pressed for time in a pacthesis game. the gameplay is the typical format; explore the town to find your boy, talk/gift/date him until youve finished his dialogue and won his heart, then pick him on the last day to end the game. the stat raising element, which here is done by earning money to buy potions, actually matters for once - as not only do you need wisdom to unlock the better paying job, but you need high enough charm to go on dates. this element of the game really makes money-management important. the balance is surprisingly well-done, and i enjoy not just clicking mindlessly through the last few days for once and having to plan things. the method to unlock the secret character is well done as well, a simple riddle with just enough information to solve it.
• art: C. now this is where things start to turn around for this series. this game and chrono days have some of the best art out of any of the pacthesis games. while the overuse of the flash gradient tool still keeps it from being truly good art, the anatomy, facial proportions, clothing, and even the background design is all fairly decent. clothes are shaded better without random fold lines, though they're often wrinklier than they ought to be, hair has actual form rather than being vague spikes, and there's even a couple characters the gradient hair honestly works for. the UI design is still rather poor though, and i'm waiting patiently for her to give up the default flash text fields.

http://pacthesisgames.com/games/sim-dates/kingdom-days-sim-date.html

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