Cinderella Phenomenon -- No Spoiler Review

Cinderella Phenomenon

System: PC

Price: Free

Voice Acting: No

ESRB Rating: None. Suggested by reviewer: T (13+)

Overall Rating: Stole 8.5/10 ♥s

Pre-Game Perception: Fairy-tale princess meets handsome princes and knights that help her save her kingdom - probably with marriage.

Morning-After Reflection: Tsundere princess learns to navigate her moral compass, and happens to find some hot guys to kiss on the way.

Story: “Four years after the end of the Great War and the loss of her mother, Crown Princess Lucette of Angielle is still struggling to come to terms with her new life and step-family. Cold-hearted and bitter, Lucette’s life is once again turned upside-down by the Fairytale Curse, she is thrown into a battle to regain her crown in a fractured kingdom where nothing is as it seems…”

Interest Rating: 8/10 Short but appealing intro on a free game piqued my curiosity.

MC: The MC’s default name is Lucette Riella Britton. Her first name can be changed, though I couldn’t figure out how my first time through so I left it as default. The rest of the name isn’t used that often, maybe five times throughout all routes, and mainly by the main character. She has a sprite by the text box, is drawn in most CGs, but is not voiced (seeing as there’s no voice acting in this game, this isn’t a surprise). Lucette begins the game at 17, roughly six months before her 18th birthday. She is the crowned princess of the kingdom of Angielle and acts as I would expect a person of her standing and birth to, at least somewhat. As the story unfolds, we’re given glimpses of her childhood and relationships, which have also shaped her into the young lady she is.

Lucette is a step away from the typical otome heroine in that she resembles the Western idea of strength and not the Eastern idea, meaning she is certainly more aggressive, assertive, and actually a few other “negative” traits that are the basis for the game plot itself. The most common complaint I hear from people about Lucette is that she is not an easy person to like at the beginning of the game. And since this is our first encounter with her, and first impressions are quite powerful, it can be a little off putting. I, however, found her to be acceptable for the princess of a country, especially with the little information we’re given at the start of the game; and even more convinced of the depth of her character as I continued to play and her background was revealed. You are not meant to like her on the first meeting. This is okay! But please continue to explore the story of the game, it is so worth it.

Likability Rating: Yu. She’s a tsundere. Who doesn’t want to play a tsundere?

Plot: What to even go with here? Every route touches on the same story, but they’re all different in that each LI you choose provides a different series of events and story that doesn’t feel repetitive. Besides time passing, which of course passes at different rates per story, there are no key events that are predetermined as things you will hit in every route, and I appreciate that. The prologue establishes the main character, the supporting cast (most at least), and the LIs, before dropping the entirety of the plot onto you and giving you a LI choice screen. From there, there are no repeated events, though some shared ideas.

All LIs exist in each route, though some are reasonably absent depending on where Lucette is spending the bulk of her time, which makes me feel like any route could be the “chosen one” even though the game does have a true route character. On top of that, there are background events that relate to the theme of each LI which reveal Lucette’s history and help build depth to not only the story, but the characters. It would behoove you to play every route to fully appreciate the way the tale is woven, but it isn’t necessary if you really can’t get past the personalities of some of the LIs.

There are descriptions of violence, blood, and death, with a few CGs depicting injuries, and/or blood. Though the game doesn’t have an ESRB rating, I have decided I’d rate this game as T or above. I’m sure there are other themes in the game that could be considered in order to establish what is acceptable for minors, but sexual content isn’t one of them, and I’m pretty sure there are no references to drugs or alcohol. It isn’t a violent game, but there is violence in every story for conflict and resolution reasons. 

Replayability Rating: ★★★★☆ Once you’ve done a few routes, the big bads are determined and the game does lose a little of the surprise and twists.

Love Interests: In this game there are five romanceable LIs, though you are only able to select three at the start after you've done the prologue. In order to play Fritz or Waltz you must complete two of the three available LI routes, after which they will unlock on your third run-through. I understand why they would have put this feature in the game, since Waltz is considered the true route, but I don’t think Fritz should be locked behind the others as it would make just as much sense for him to be done whenever chosen. Keeping him behind a checkpoint brings very little mystery to his story. Each LI has two endings, a Happy and Tragic end, though I think they are referred to as Blessed and Cursed in this game. Your choices on each route will determine which ending you get with the last chapter named differently depending on which ending you ultimately chose. There is a suggested route order, and though some characters could be shuffled around, I would suggest following it for the best telling of the world and characters. Without further ado, let’s meet the men that melt Lucette’s cold, tsundere heart.

Rod Benedikt Widdensov is our first victim-erm! Bachelor! Yes, I know, if you’ve read about the game you know who Rod is, and to suggest you start the game off with not only the youngest character, but one that is related by marriage seems like I’m throwing you in the deep end, but I promise it is not as grotty as it sounds. I was a little apprehensive, since he is referred to as being two years younger than Lucette, and that makes him literally a boy. But they meant “about” two years, putting him at the acceptable age of 16 to Lucette’s 17. I mean, depending on where you’re from, they’re still minors, and it can be a little uncomfortable, but the game handles it well, I think, and doesn’t attempt to sexualize the relationship. As for the other issue, they are step-siblings who have really only known each other for about two years as well. Lucette’s father married a baker from the city and brought along Rod, and his older sister, Emelaigne.

Now that that derailed exposition is over, let’s get back to Rod and why this is the perfect starter path. First, he is the most reasonable choice story-wise. Once you’re thrust into Lucette’s predicament, although he clearly doesn’t want to help you, Rod understands what is going on, along with being a good candidate to help with world-building and character history. On top of that, it’s a tsundere-off. Who can glare at the other the hardest? What do they win if they glare harder than the other? Could it be a happy ending? It’s cute. The romance develops a bit quickly, but something I’d expect for late-stage teenagers that are just a few steps from adults. It’s a nice dip in the pool, slowly one foot at a time in the shallows, getting you used to everyone with humor, drama, and plenty of teenage awkwardness.

Time to take off those floaties and give swimming a go with Karma. Rod’s path is not without drama, but Karma’s is drama. Scratch that, Karma is drama. He’s introduced as a beautiful woman in the prologue, and keeps up the appearance of being a woman, though only seems to jokingly refer to himself as a woman when the circumstances suit him. Waltz appears to be his buddy or sidekick, and calls Karma by male pronouns, even informing another man that Karma is a man. Whatever the case is, Karma is certainly pretty. Man. Woman. Whatever. I’d do him. There is a reason for his decision of deception that you will learn early on in the route, and as long as you’re not hyper-fixated on gender conforming clothes, it’s a good story. But we’re not just here for the story, how is the romance?! It’s pretty tense. There’s a lot of anticipation and “Will they? Won’t they?” moments. Both characters wrestle with their emotions, and I think it’s a solid depiction of how tumultuous their situations are.

It’s okay, you can take a breath now and enjoy all there is for Rumpel to offer. He’s… uh… He’s not for everyone. This is the flirt. This is the comic relief. And… this is the one that does things to me so outside my typical LI type that I’m not even sure how he surgically removed my heart. Rumpel comes at you with cheesy lines and sincerity. He has a selfless care for those around him, and even when he appears pouty it doesn’t appear to be for his own sake, but for someone else's. I find it easy to love him. And though no one else is really designed to deliver humorous lines, my favorite ones come from Rumpel’s route. Don’t skip this godsend of a man. The nice thing is it isn’t all laughter. This route touches on some relatable themes to a large portion of people, and it can get uncomfortable. I know my chest felt tight on a few occasions, and I was left with some deep questions I kept pondering over long after the story. It all was very touching. We need more Rumpels in the world.

Fritzgerald Aiden Leverton, or better known as Fritz, is the fourth recommended path you take. Who is this man? All in all, you really don’t know because he doesn’t exist outside of the castle grounds besides passing mentions of him. It’s a little strange going through the prologue and getting to choose Fritz in the LI route screen because it doesn’t seem like it would make much sense as an option. But they make it work. In every route he seems to be looking for you, and there might be a little bit of a flame there on his end before you get the chance to figure out your feelings for him - which were practically non-existent up to this point. Your personal guard, he’s only a few years older than you, and kind of like a puppy; loyal, a bit dumb, and eager to do anything for you. Personally, I didn’t like this romance, but I enjoyed the story. If Rumpel’s story made my chest hurt, this one I got misty-eyed on. That’s not the only thing I felt, excitement, fear, and sympathy were my friends on this route.

Finally, we have reached the golden boy, Waltz Cresswell. Waltz is more than he appears. Game and cover art show him as his true form, but when he’s introduced in the prologue he has the form of a child that I’d place about half his actual age. He’s sweet, cheery, brave, and helpful. He’s not perfect, even on paper, but he is a good fit for any heroine. Boyfriend material right there. I have a problem with true routes, mainly because I don’t like to be told this is who I’m supposed to end up with, and that might be the only reason I don’t list Waltz at the top of my husbandos from this game, because I’m supposed to be with him. No fault of his own. I do have to say, though, that his romance is not one I prefer, but it is super sweet. And though I think his story is a great nightcap to the game, I think there are some unanswered questions that don’t get wrapped up, or even addressed in the short amount of time they had to bring everything together.

Boy Crazy Rating: 93% I’d husbando them all.

Romance: Cinderella Phenomenon has a super good mix of romance to plot. It develops right along with the story, so it doesn’t feel forced or fake, or added just to make it a romance game. The game is also not focused on the romance, but both Lucette’s feelings for the LIs, and the LIs feelings for Lucette determine their character actions in the game. There’s no way to play this game and pretend the romance doesn’t exist, just as there would be no way to tell this story with the romance removed. Hearts drive people, people!

Heart Palpitation Rating: B+. I can feel the love, and it’s lovely.

Spice: I mean, it’s not non-existent, but it really isn’t super spicy either. Very teen level. You get some shirtless scenes, some kissing scenes, and some totally non-sexual bed scenes. There is some hinting at sexual tension, but it is very cleanly kept to your imagination.

Cold Shower Rating: Fail. The water is the same temperature as me.

Angst: Oh, who doesn’t love some good angst? I know I do. However, if you’ve played some of the big names out there, you’ll know there’s a difference between angst and angst. Cinderella Phenomenon has a good amount of angst, but not anywhere near angst levels of it. The story is dark with an underlying tragedy aspect to it. The theme of mortality does come up in every route. There is violence, and nearly every character has some unfortunate backstory or current event plaguing them. It’s deep without getting too heavy.

Drama Llama Rating: 7/10. We feed the drama llama in this game, but we do not ride it.

Voice Acting: Non-existent. That was easy… too easy...

Expression Rating: N/A. Can’t rate what isn’t there.

Art: The art is not traditional Japanese anime-style, but this also isn’t a traditional Japanese anime-style game. I’m a fan of a lot of different art styles as long as proportions are not significantly off. I forgive a lot. Cinderella Phenomenon doesn’t require me to forgive. I think the art is just swell. There actually are many different facial changes per sprite, and a few different poses. Lucette gets at least 11 different face/pose combinations, plus four outfits. Which is generous if you ask me for a character who only exists by the text box. The character designs are all unique, besides no-name extras, everyone is easily distinguishable from everyone else.

Still Picture Rating: ★★★★☆ Many design. Such pretty. Very art.

CGs: There are a healthy dose of CGs that come along with the gameplay, about the same number I would expect from a VN that ran $20 or more. Every LI has their own tab in the gallery, plus two other tabs. I’m not an artist, but from what I can tell the quality looks pretty good. They certainly made the right choices on what to pick for CGs. High impact moments is how I like to refer to them. All LI CGs are in the artbook (not included with the free game) with a line from the scene for added effect.

Look at this Photograph Rating: 90%. Quality and quantity.

UI/Mechanics: The UI is easy to navigate and use. I enjoyed the one button press to bring up the save menu, so I could get ready to save scum like the worst of them. The only thing I had an issue with and I feel incredibly dumb for after I figured it out was how to change the MC’s name at the start of the game. I was clicking here. Clicking there. Double-clicking. Dragging. The mouse did nothing. When on the name change screen, you simply hit backspace on the keyboard to delete the name, and type in what you want. That’s it. I didn’t even think to use the keyboard when everything else is clickable or able to be controlled by the mouse in the game. But, otherwise, it all went smoothly. You can even rearrange and delete save files.

What’s this button do? Rating: B+. You can click everything. Except that.

Errors: Either there were no errors, or so few I didn’t even notice them. Seeing as how Cinderella Phenomenon is an OELVN, it’s no surprise there won’t be translation issues. That leaves coding and writing errors, and I can’t recall anything that stuck out.

Here there be Bugs Rating: Pass. Nothing to see here, folks.

Background Music: Let me give you a hint, turn it down. Not all the way, as I think the BGM was quite good, but it starts out entirely too loud for my sensitive little ears. It was almost deafening on startup, compared to everything else on my computer that was at a reasonable volume. I’m not sure I’d attempt to buy the OST if it were released (surprise, it’s not going to be according to the producers website) but it was good enough that I never tired of it.

BY OUR RATINGS COMBINED!: Oh ho! You thought you were done, didn’t you? Don’t worry, this will be short. Sometimes my individual ratings do not always add up to my overall rating; this is because I find a reason to rate the game based on things that are not listed in my (very) long review. I couldn’t section everything. Sometimes price factors in. Sometimes personal tastes. Basically, what it comes down to is would I buy this game knowing everything I know? Would I recommend it to a friend? Abso-f*cking-lutely. I'm aware this is not the highest rated game on my blog, but that doesn't mean it isn't a GOOD game. It is free, first off. That raises the value dramatically. But it is not what I would consider the perfect otoge for me. Hence my 8.5 rating. I have recommended this game to all my friends. I've recommended this game to strangers. I'd recommend this game to my mother, who would probably look at me funny for saying I play otome games. Point is, it is well worth the time and effort if it is something you think you might enjoy. There is no reason to not download it and give it at least 10 minutes of your time.