A Heart of Butterblue

About

A Heart of Butterblue is a single player casual management game with a horror theme. It was developed by HeidenGames and was released on September 29, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

A murdered father and a missing grandfather... It is under these circumstances that Phebe finds herself moving to the isolated frontier town of Edgefield. Rumors have it that monsters roam the lands after dark and anyone caught outside is never heard from again. With eerie murderous howling heard every night, Phebe has no choice to become accustomed to this new life if she wants to find her missi…

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81%Audience ScoreBased on 21 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

grinding9 negative mentions

Beautiful, painterly art style with well-designed characters that reflect their stories.
Engaging and well-developed story combining elements of horror, mystery, farming, romance, and social simulation.
Enjoyable soundtrack and atmospheric music that enhances the game's setting and emotional impact.

The game's writing quality is inconsistent, with some reviews citing bad or cringeworthy dialogue.
Presence of various bugs and glitches, including soft locks and unresponsive moments that sometimes require reloading saves.
Gameplay elements such as farming, foraging, and fishing can become monotonous and simple, with some performance issues in fullscreen modes.

grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
90%
Grinding in the game involves light farming, foraging, and fishing mechanics that are simple and can become monotonous but are kept intentionally brief to avoid tedium. While some find the farming and money-earning aspects underwhelming or tedious, they generally support the narrative without overstaying their welcome. Overall, the grinding elements are balanced and integrated well within the horror and dating sim themes.
- “The foraging, farming and fishing aspect of the gameplay is kept very simple and quickly becomes monotonous, which does serve the narrative.”
- “☐ you'll need a second life for grinding”
- “The farming and earning money to progress wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either.”
gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
23%
33%
Gameplay in this game is primarily simple and revolves around farming, foraging, and fishing, which some find monotonous but fitting for the narrative. As a visual novel with minimal interactive elements, it offers limited engagement beyond clicking through dialogue, with mixed opinions on writing quality. However, the farming mechanics and character interactions are appreciated by some players for adding charm and variety.
- “Delightful artwork, storyline, lore, and fun characters/gameplay.”
- “I think the story was well-developed and interesting, I liked the farming mechanics and the characters.”
- “The foraging, farming, and fishing aspect of the gameplay is kept very simple and quickly becomes monotonous, which does serve the narrative.”
- “As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay; it's just a lot of clicking through badly written dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print, which poses the question, 'how did something this badly written end up on Steam?'”
- “Being primarily a visual novel with some additional gameplay elements to spice things up, this game can easily fill a few hours of an afternoon or evening.”
story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
33%
11%
The story is well-developed, engaging, and complemented by delightful artwork and memorable characters. It combines mystery and horror with a wholesome, interactive gameplay experience that resonates deeply with players. Overall, the narrative is praised for its atmosphere, depth, and unique farming mechanics.
- “Delightful artwork, storyline, lore, and fun characters/gameplay.”
- “It might require some patience with its less than perfect performance, but it is well worth it for the story and art.”
- “As someone who always wanted to make their own visual novel, this little piece of art spoke to me on so many levels: the art style, the atmosphere, the story, and the overall message.”
- “No story.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The graphics are praised for their delightful artwork and unique art style, which effectively enhance the game's atmosphere and storytelling. Users appreciate the visual design as a key element that complements the engaging characters and gameplay.
- “Delightful artwork, storyline, lore, and fun characters/gameplay.”
- “I really liked the music and art style.”
- “As someone who always wanted to make their own VN, this little piece of art spoke to me on so many levels: the art style, the atmosphere, the story, and the overall message.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music is highly praised for its atmospheric quality and seamless fit with the game's setting, enhancing the overall experience and standing out as a highlight alongside the art style.
- “Could play this for the soundtrack alone.”
- “The music sets the atmosphere quite well and fits the setting especially.”
- “I really liked the music and art style.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is praised for its fitting music, evocative art style, and immersive storytelling, creating a compelling and heartfelt experience. It effectively blends spooky horror elements with charming characters and unique gameplay mechanics, enhancing the overall mood.
- “The music sets the atmosphere quite well and fits the setting especially.”
- “As someone who always wanted to make their own VN, this little piece of art spoke to me on so many levels: the art style, the atmosphere, the story, and the overall message.”
- “Just in time for spooky month, here's an atmospheric horror visual novel with a good heart, fantastic characters, and farming mechanics!”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is subtle and situational, with moments like a character awkwardly standing after the ending providing light, amusing touches that don't detract from the overall experience.
- “The funny thing is, if you wanted to print this book, you'd only need to print 2 copies to satisfy the entire world's demand for it.”
- “The bug is that after the ending on the hill, Hugh is just kinda standing there LOL. I know he's not supposed to be there because of how that ending plays out, so it was a little funny seeing him, but it didn't ruin anything for me at least!”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization is somewhat lacking, leading to occasional performance issues, but the overall experience remains rewarding due to the strong story and art.
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game effectively balances its mystery and horror elements with a wholesome, interactive experience, engaging players emotionally through immersive day-to-day farm activities.
- “Despite being a mystery/horror story, it has a nice wholesome side and is quite interactive; you have to spend day by day on the farm.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

A Heart of Butterblue is a casual management game with horror theme.

A Heart of Butterblue is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

A Heart of Butterblue was released on September 29, 2023.

A Heart of Butterblue was developed by HeidenGames.

A Heart of Butterblue has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked A Heart of Butterblue for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

A Heart of Butterblue is a single player game.

Similar games include Zarie: The Story of Sin, Lucid9: Inciting Incident, Gamebook Edgar A. Poe: The Oval Portrait, The Painting, TOY BOX and others.

A Heart of Butterblue

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gameplay

story

graphics

music

atmosphere

humor

optimization

emotional

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