Freshman Magic: Spellbooks and Tangled Sheets

I don't claim to have played every game in the Heart's Choice library, but I've played a fair number of games, and this magical school story is, in my opinion, the weakest of all that I've played. There are plenty of romantic options, bits of romance and spicy scenes here. So what's wrong?

In Freshman Magic, you've earned a spot in the prestigious Briarthorn University on a scholarship. Your objective is to get through school while doing well enough to keep your scholarship. There is also a secondary plotline where you investigate some disappearances. And of course, this is a HC game, so finding romance also places highly on your priority list.

The writing has a tendency to ramble on about all manner of inconsequential things without ever getting close to the point. There are plenty of words and winding passages of text, but the game still succeeds in telling you little about the setting and characters. The main plot is a pretty generic slice of life tale where you make decisions about studying, slacking and hanging out. This part is just functional. However, the second plotline to investigate student disappearances felt really half-assed. There are few scenes covering this plotline, and the game pretty much seems to forget all about the disappearances a moment after it occurs.

I got a pretty good ending in my game, where I kept my scholarship, went for further study, romanced my chosen RO and beat up the villain causing the disappearances. Yet, it was hard to feel satisfied. I was just glad it was over when I finally reached the end, and the second plotline was so underdeveloped with so little buildup that I felt nothing even as I pummeled said villain with successful skill checks.

The romance aspects are better, but just by a little. The characters are mildly interesting, and if you're here for erotica, the game certainly has that in large quantities. However, the spicy scenes could have been more meaningful and enjoyable if backed by stronger characters and writing.

This game checks most of the boxes of a HC game. However, the poor execution all around makes it hard to recommend. Unless you really want the erotica and wouldn't mind wading through the sewage for it, there are better titles in the HC library to get your romance fix.