Written by: Cassie Developers: Macuyo Platforms: PC, Mac and Linux Genre: Comedy, Otome Release Date: March 15, 2013 Official Website | Editor's Note: Ladies and Gentlemen I want to introduce you to Cassie! She'll be the Oracle to my Batman when it comes to otome and anything else that gains her interest! Show her some love in her first review! Have you ever tried to play a game in a language you’re really not that fluid in? If you’re an otome fangirl, chances are that you have. Unfortunately, many of those so tempting looking Japanese otome games, with their really shiny art, aren’t translated yet and probably never will be. So we, faithful fans, have to brace ourselves and dive in with our eyes wide open. Sometimes you get to combine these language issues with a game play that asks more patience than you would expect from your average saint. Guess what, I’m not known to be a very patient person. So you can probably imagine that that can get a bit frustrating. And with frustrating I mean a I-want-to-throw-my-PSP-at-the-wall-and-bash-my-head-against-the-desk kind of feeling. I’m not going to mention any names, but I’m looking at you Crimson Empire. Don’t get me wrong, I love QuinRose and there lovely characters and great plots, but sometimes I need a break. Sometimes I just want to play a cute and short little game…a game like Get Dumped, actually. |
Story
At first glance the concept seems to be a bit different from that of your regular otome game. There’s only one guy to interact with and instead of trying to capture him, you have to keep him from dumping you. There are, however, a lot of clichés in the game, like the Japanese high school setting, the ‘fan club’ of jealous b…witches and the ‘all just a dream’ sequence that you get when you had a bad ending. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to say that this game is bad. It actually manages to be very entertaining. And that’s mostly because of the main heroine. She’s funny, determined, flawed and just a bit strange. You can’t help but root for her. Unfortunately, the main guy isn't as likable as our heroine. I spend the whole game hoping that she would realise that she’s too awesome for that guy and dump his ass instead. Luckily one of the side characters is more interesting than our loverboy. Kisa is the kind of friend everyone should have. She always has Michi’s back and I really like her ‘acid tongue’. And hey, she’s not a part of the witch squad, so that helps.
The creator mentioned that this game was originally meant as a parody of a typical shojo manga, but that he/she isn't sure if that is what it turned out to be. I have to agree, I’m not sure either. The concept is good, but, like I already mentioned, the author fell just a little bit too much into clichés herself.
So, the game is supposed to be funny and it does work…most of the time. Sometimes the game managed to make me smile, sometimes the humor fell flat. The different endings you had to go trough before you could play the true ending were a good example of this. The ‘Stalker’ ending and the ‘OMG, What the Hell are you wearing’ ending made me laugh, but the ‘He just leaves’ ending just felt superfluous, the ‘Witch Squad’ ending only made me want to slap someone and the ‘Food poisoning’ ending was, well, cliched. I did like the true ending a lot. I’m happy that the game didn't have a typical ‘shojo ending’, where the boy and the girl always end up together. I do still want to smack Arashi. Seriously, if you only like her as a friend then tell her instead of dating and dumping her! If you have a valid reason for breaking up with her, then tell her that immediately instead of just ending it randomly! Communication is important, mate!
Presentation & Gameplay
The music is also royalty free, which isn't surprising for a free game made by one person. I’m not one of those people who really care if a game has an original soundtrack or not. It’s of course a nice extra, but not primordial. As long as the music fits the game atmosphere and doesn't get irritating, I’m not going to complain about it. The music of this game was decent enough for me. It had an upbeat tune and never irritated me.
The interface is easy to use. It isn't anything fancy, but it’s functional. Unfortunately, there is no quick save or quick load button, which is a negative point. The skip button is a plus, it makes things easier.
I’m not a spelling freak, but I did notice a few mistakes and a few weird phrase structures. An extra read-rough would probably have been useful.
Replay Value
The game amused me enough that I played it six more times to get all the endings. I will probably not do a full replay of this game any time soon, but I might try for my favourite endings again if I have a free moment.
Overall
There’s of course room for improvement, but it’s quite a successful first attempt at a visual novel from a team of one. I wish the creator good luck and I’m looking forward to his/her new project.
Final Score
7/10 | + The main heroine is very likeable + The game is entertaining - The humour doesn’t always work. - There are quite a few clichés in the story |