Update Two Hundred and Seventy-Two: 9 January 2019

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

A short dating sim with a cute art style and a soundtrack made by toby fox, no less, Rose of Winter is a sugar-sweet but ultimately not very filling affair. I like the premise - you play a farmgirl-turned-mercenary who has to escort one of four princes across a dangerous mountain. Rosemary is big n tough n cute as a button, and she’s very charming as a protagonist. Her suitors are more hit and miss - the highlight is Crow, a caretaker for a child prince, and the lowlight is Falkner, a palm-sized fae who’s pretty dismissive and rude.

Unfortunately, as cute as some of the routes are, it’s just not long or deep enough to have any lasting impact - it’s also a little pricey for what it gives. I love love love playing a big girl in a dating sim - all of the princes mention her body as something they find attractive and appealing, which is fucking fantastic. There’s nothing explicit in this VN - whenever steamy shit happens there’s a cutaway - but what romance that’s there is pretty cute.

I had a little bit of reservation… buuuuut…. fuck it. The writing is nice and snappy, it doesn’t overstay its welcome, and everything is paced tightly. I would love to have more - but what we have is enough. The List needs new blood, and Rose of Winter is it. I’m adding it to the Visual Novel Masterlist.

… I have noticed these reviews in 2019 have been on the brief side, more often than usual. Unfortunately I just haven’t had a ton to say about these games, good bad or indifferent. I don’t want to belabor points or get to unnecessarily into details that ultimately don’t matter very much. It might just be a low point in the creative cycle - you get those every now and again. I’ve lost touch of my review principles - is it smart? is it stylish? is it a joy to play? - and after I get a good night’s sleep I’m going to bring them back into the forefront of my reviews.

Next up: Oh boy here we go

See you soon!