once again, the "role-playing" description on gog is bewildering. there is no role-playing here. there is one way to solve problems, through recipes that are handed to you (though sometimes how to get them is a bit opaque), and while you get multiple tasks and can do them in the order you want in a fairly open world, that's as much lee-way as you get. nothing inherently wrong with that, and it's a fine, relaxing, simple game, as others have already described, but i continue to be befuddled by what counts here as role-playing. surely role-playing involves 1. choosing characteristics 2. multiple ways to solve problems 3. making choices that have an impact on the story, or 4. all of the above? none of these are present for this game, which again, wouldn't be a problem if it weren't described as an rpg.
it's a visual novel, and it's pretty enough, but if it's a novel, then the writing, in this case the characterization has to make sense, and it doesn't. a big component of the story is the characters of the family members. at one point one of the sisters, who has been grumpy and blamey, suddenly starts exhibiting graciousness and compassion. i get that the game is about no black/white, simple heroes/villains (obviously a worthwhile message), but there has to be transition and/or explanation, or even just some acknowledgement of acting out of character ("someone's in a good mood today") for this to work at all. i'm in the middle of my first play through, and i expect i will finish it, but i doubt i'll play again. :(
i remember this game with much fondness - it's a fantastic (if frequently cheesy) role-playing game (that is, the characters have personalities, things change based on who you're with, etc). i say that not because i think it'll be helpful to readers, but to contextualize my sadness that i can't play it now. the game is just too dark to see where you're going. changing the gamma levels in game doesn't do anything, and i'm not finding enough information online to guide me to a solution here. and there aren't maps to hack a solution. :( be warned, folks. i'm giving this game four stars because it is great, but...
Not what I would call an rpg; although I've only played it once, it doesn't seem like the choices one can make in dialog (the only choices available in a very linear story) make any difference in the story, nor are there any skill trees or anything. This is a nice, mellow little game that has a sweet and rich story, pretty graphics, and some pleasant (and whimsical) characters. I appreciated the role of gardens, but it was disappointing that there wasn't more choice involved or any mystery about anything in the game. It's possible I missed some subtleties (what is the food from mori good for? are there things you can do with the gardens that i missed?)
