I have no idea if using the term "short" is even the right word to use for this game. It says dating simulator when there is no proper dating involved except for some awkward lines written when you choose with whom to go on a date.It jumps from the presentation phase straight to the date.
Even the 'Edit 1,2,3,4' who are available for the dating, only have a tiny description. Some of the "character presentation/meeting you for the first time" sentences are even more awkward.
There is a serious need for some massive rewriting on this game if the author wants to get a higher rating.
A nice combination of interactive fiction and old rpg games,reminding me of Magium and the Great Tournament, The Princess of Vestria recounts the valiant story of the future queen-to-be Imelda the I. it starts off with Imelda's brother who has fallen unconscious from an unknown disease. She hears of the theories surrounding the illness and goes to find more clues about it after having a talk with the king and the people who thought of the theories. The dream was the final push for her to go on a secret and dangerous trip to find the cure for her brother's sickness.
Choices to choose from,routes to walk on and death endings galore. Luck and Life are the elements what determine the ending you get after each choice you make. This is one of those games where you have to think twice before making a choice recklessly or you'll be punished with a death sentence though luck could be on your side sometimes.
I'd like to know more about the kingdom or royal court's lore if possible because it didn't make sense to me the whole thing of "forgetting to inform one of the two heirs to the throne" about what happened to another member of the royal family. And the king was very... bland? He seems like a flat character when compared with the princess or all the other courtiers/characters.
It's a good game but it needs a little more work in expanding the worldbuilding and on some of the interactions between Imelda and the other characters just like with her father.
I'm giving it a five-star rating for the intense,angsty and extremely deep elements in all the routes. The topic is handled very well considering how delicate and how much of a touchy subject cheating is for everyone. The responses given by both the characters are what one can expect from those in their emotional state. The story essentially puts into question,using the main character's and their girlfriend's dialogue, which hurts more: the physical cheating or the emotional one.
Another question is whether a relationship can be mended after the trust between loving partners is broken because of betrayal/cheating. You can clearly see how madly in love both the characters are with each other,or at least they were, but what is that love's worth when it is only hurting both of them?
While I liked the story (it made me cry even),I have the same complaint as the other reviewers about how much time it took the text to show up. It's a nice effect to keep the "suspense" if done right but it turns annoying if it is so slow that it disrupts my reading pace. If I was to rate the game only based on the UI without considering how good the writing was,I would give it 2 to 3 stars tops.
Nonetheless I recommend the story to anyone who likes a tear jerking and angsty story.