Written By: JP Developer: SKY Art and Designs Platforms: PC, Mac and Linux Genre: Otome, Fantasy Release Date: April 3, 2013 Official Website | I've never graced you all with my opinion of Stephanie Meyer have I? To be fair, I have nothing personally against the woman and, even more surprisingly, I have nothing personally against her work. People have been writing silly love fantasies and getting paid for it since the Caesars so if you can do it and find an audience that will pay you for it; more power to you. I mean, it's not like anyone's putting a gun to my head and making me watch the Twilight movies...again. So when I compare something negatively to Twilight my problem isn't her per se. My problem is the ripple effect her work has had on fiction and entertainment as a whole that seems to be driving whole mediums into cynical, mindless romanticism as long as it involves beings with two X chromosomes. So, for the record, now MEN aren't the only ones screwing up female characters: women have joined in the fun! Wait, does that mean with bad fiction we have reached true gender equality? The world may never know. But, what happens when someone takes what Stephanie Meyer tries to do and does it 'right'? Well, then we have the subject of today's review. Let's jam. |
Story
As a NaNoRenO entry you usually expect a handful of decent offerings, a slog of middle-of-the-road titles and absolute horse crap (looking at you Beyond the Stars). I was actually pleasantly surprised when I found myself entertained with this story and I think a lot of it had to do with how much I identified with the family. I'm not going to sit here and assume what young Morishita's upbringing was like, but as the product of a home where Dad was a deadbeat and not around, leaving Mom to do everything on her own a lot of the conversations in game had a natural feel to them. One that especially stood out to me was when Acacia's Mom told her flat out to forget her fantasy and just marry for the security of marriage.
It's cold, but its also a conversation that happens in reality that you rarely see in these types of games. It helps build a dynamic where the troll family can play off each other and have strong moments that, for my money, are the best in the entire game. This dynamic makes all three characters' progression feel organic and gives Acacia a strong arc to follow throughout. This in and of itself is incredible because as far as character's go Acacia's a pretty standard tough chick. But she was entertaining to follow and in the end you do want her to succeed. I think that's pretty important with otome heroines, but then again that could just be me.
Does that make this story original and interesting? HEEEEEELLLLLLLLLL NO! This is EVERYTHING I hated about fairy tales when I was a kid right down to the mushy, 'true love is the single most important thing of all time' formula that I think is secretly imprinted into every romantic's DNA. It isn't without a few twists that are fun to laugh at but you know how the paths are going to go the minute the boys are introduced...speaking of which this being an otome game and since I, at this point in my life, pretty much have a freezer for a heart and ice for blood can only say...really?! Really? I am pleased to see that pulling pigtails and alpha male bullshit never stops being attractive because otherwise the two male idiots would only be able to make a living on a pole. But, as I've said a million times, the guys have their hormone bait; why shouldn't the ladies?
It is standard fantasy but at the same time it has enough endearing moments to keep even someone like me interested. This is the difference with this type of stuff and while I cannot say it's the greatest thing ever, the game is sincere in its themes and characters whereas Bella Swan and everything associated with her are shallow twats. It may seem small in the onslaught that is the otome visual novel market, but it isn't.
....Insert Your Own Fairy Joke Here....
Presentation & Gameplay
Gameplay is...ugh. This is one of the darker spots as while everything works on its face, A Troll's Fairy Tale isn't the most user friendly game in the universe. Their are options for quick save and load, however in the normal Save and Load screens there is no indication on which is which until you click on a file. Similarly there is no way to go back to the Main Menu screen from in game so the only way to get back to that point is to quit the game entirely and relaunch. It's not noticeable until you actually try and do something other than just move forward, then the technical decisions become a pain in the ass.
Also, while I know I can be grammatically challenged and traditionally I don't like to 'throw bricks from a glass house'...an editor was sorely needed here. English teachers across the fruited plane are ripping their clothes and sprinkling ashes on their head after seeing this one. Capitalization, punctuation, everything is everywhere...and I'm still not sure if it's 'Damien' or 'Damine'...if that last one is even possible. This is simple first draft stuff that should be cleaned up well before launch, even with a NaNoRenO time limit.
Yup, Had this Talk With Mom Too...
Replay Value
Overall
Final Score
5/10 | + Well-Written, Entertaining Story - Romances Are Standard For The Medium - Some Grammar Issues Near The End |