Translated by
Microsoft from Spain
Microsoft from Spain
You Can Read this review on my blog: http://www.agustinfest.com/2016/09/the-flower-shop-summer-un-joven-muy-hermoso-picando-florecillas/I have Always liked visual novels because I have been fortunate to play some buenazas. Whether they treat dark or sci-fi themes, or are the classics of the boy looking for a girl but has his nuances of black humor, nihilism or perversion. I Have played good visual novels on the Nintendo DS and on my PC. What amazes me about the genre, is like through simple mechanics, interactive literature and a lot of creativity, you can pull a user who is accustomed to controlling the world on the other hand: it becomes a reader of a story and although choosing the destination in one of Those games is just an illusion, this can be very nice.
It is Not an accident that many indie developers choose this genre to start in the world of video games: Its simplicity is misleading, it is easy to believe that everyone can do it... But then you try and discover the enormous work behind writing a story with slopes, designs and promises.
That's Why Flower Shop wobbles. It Has a well structured narrative, careful, but therefore cannot escape the conventions of the genus Cursilón. I found No visible flaws in spelling or development, but I Didn't find an interesting premise either. In the same way, the quality in the design of the characters has no stability: The girls, whose destiny is to become the romantic object of the player, are well designed but the characters of falter support, are not very interesting and could be replaced For some photo, some stone, some more pixel.
Which brings me to the main character, Steve, who doesn't seem like a normal guy, but a guy drawn from the feverish imagination of people who have seen too much anime or read too much manga. That's because the developers are too involved in that culture but have not taken a moment to breathe, to appreciate other nuances, and that denotes the lack of maturity in this work. Maturity which, well, can be misinterpreted as a whim of style. Steve looks like an impossible dummy: the hairstyle, the reactions, his explosive personality and little congruent. Personally, I had a hard time identifying with him but also, in the long run, I understood there's a narrative trick out there. If The trick was intentional, I cannot despise it, but the contrary: I admire it.
In Flower Shop, in addition to falling in love with girls, you also play the peasant. The Mini-game is half cheapie, I did not find much sense and only lengthen the time of play. It Seems more of an obligation than a mechanic to propose something interesting, some complexity in a game already breeze. The summer days are divided between being a peasant and free time, which you can win if you fall in love with the guy (?) and do this gives you more time to pursue the Morra of your dreams. Paradoxically, spending time with a girl raises your skills to fall in love with another (a sort of reflex and Contrarreflejo). I found That interesting: visiting the librarian, for example, increases your culture and culture serves to fall in love with the damn hippie. There Is a simple but also beautiful metaphor in that process.
The music is not intrusive, I dare say, even, that is forgettable. However the background sounds to cultivate the garden are relaxing. I discovered listening to them in the video, as if I was planting radishes in my garden Cholula. Oh.
POINT BY POINT do i Recommend Flower Shop (Summer)? I find it hard to say no, especially when I've played better visual novels. But This is the second I have played of some independent developers and although the story lacked interest, I am truly surprised that it is well structured and well made, something that has failed even in visual novels made by studies more Large. Although the peasant's mini-game comes out leftover and seems an obligation, it's not a big hassle. Also the game has its challenge, some girls are more difficult than others and if you do not solve the dialogues to the letter, you will have to play it several times to see the possible endings (short, I think, but also a little bit satisfactory). I Guess I would recommend this game on a cheap one, for the friendly curious or for those who enjoy the cheesy stories, no more.
You Can See my let's play this game here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4UTjtLYAis&list=PLf3hSHJ6VZaMWh42CrvWM-ygb1BGuaCK8