A Little Lily Princess
- May 19, 2016
- Hanabira
- 7h median play time
"A Little Lily Princess" is a visual novel game based on the classic novel "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The game follows the story of Sara Crewe, a kind and wealthy girl who experiences hardship and growth after losing her fortune. With beautiful artwork and multiple endings, this game offers a charming adaptation of the beloved novel.
Reviews
- The game features a charming and well-written story that captures the essence of the original novel, providing a delightful experience for fans.
- The character design and artwork are beautiful, enhancing the emotional impact of the narrative and making the characters feel relatable and engaging.
- The game successfully combines light stat-raising mechanics with a focus on character relationships, allowing players to explore different routes and endings.
- The RNG-based stat-raising can be frustrating, as it may lead to players being locked out of certain routes due to bad luck.
- Some routes feel rushed or underdeveloped, leaving players wanting more depth and resolution in character arcs.
- The lack of meaningful choices throughout the game can make it feel more like a kinetic novel rather than an interactive experience.
- story254 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story of "A Little Lily Princess" is a heartfelt adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's "A Little Princess," set in Victorian England, focusing on themes of empathy, resilience, and the complexities of young relationships. While it closely follows the original narrative, it enriches the experience with additional character backstories and yuri elements, though some players noted a lack of meaningful choices affecting the plot. Overall, the writing is praised for its emotional depth and charm, making it a touching and memorable visual novel experience.
“A very nice story about empathy and how little control we have over the circumstances we are born in.”
“A little Lily Princess tells a beautiful story of hope, kindness, and resilience -- while also managing to largely avoid the problematic implications Cinderella-like stories can sometimes have.”
“The story is charming, endearing, and uplifting.”
“The biggest letdown, however, is the story.”
“As some people have mentioned before, you don't make any real choices throughout the story.”
“The main storyline is written in such a way as to make Sara highly sympathetic but not sickeningly angelic.”
- emotional48 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its beautiful storytelling and character development, evoking a range of feelings from joy to heartbreak. Players appreciate the heartwarming relationships and poignant moments that resonate deeply, often leading to tears. The writing, music, and overall presentation contribute to a touching experience that leaves a lasting impact on players.
“Having never read the original play/novel, a lot of the game's scenes and twists caught me by surprise and struck more than a few emotional chords.”
“Delicate and poignant, just as the lovely music that carries it, it is bound to make you shed a tear.”
“The overarching storyline beyond Sara's relationships was touching and believable enough to truly make you feel strong positive and negative emotions.”
- gameplay46 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily focused on simple stat-raising mechanics that allow players to unlock character events, but it often feels tedious and reliant on RNG, especially after multiple playthroughs. While some players appreciate the light resource management and the thematic integration of gameplay with the narrative, others criticize it for lacking depth and meaningful choices. Overall, the gameplay is considered easy and straightforward, serving more as a vehicle for storytelling rather than a challenging game experience.
“The gameplay is simple stat-raising: you choose activities to raise different stats, and use the stats gained to unlock the girls' events.”
“I like the game mechanic of building up attribute points and spending them on scenes, rather than the typical 'grinding to a particular level to unlock' you usually see in similar relationship building games.”
“The beautiful artwork, simple gameplay mechanics (that don't distract from the story), and the beautifully written story are something to be experienced.”
“The gameplay is literally just resetting at save points over and over again to get good RNG.”
“Some mechanics get tedious by your third playthrough, such as a random chance of learning nothing for a day.”
“There aren't really any meaningful choices to make; nothing that in any way constitutes gameplay.”
- music45 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its emotional depth and ability to enhance the storytelling, with many reviewers noting its atmospheric quality and fittingness for various scenes. While some describe it as standard, others highlight standout tracks that evoke strong feelings, contributing significantly to the overall experience. The combination of beautiful art and well-composed music creates a captivating and immersive environment that resonates with players.
“Delicate and poignant, just as the lovely music that carries it, it is bound to make you shed a tear.”
“The music gave me goosebumps because it was so beautiful and very well placed regarding the story.”
“The music too was very fitting for the setting and various moods of the story, light and princess-like for the earlier game, with somber, heart-wrenching pieces for the latter half, and all of it very dreamy in the way a fairy tale might sound.”
“The music of this novel is honestly nothing too special or fancy, but it really does its job at supporting the different scenes and scenarios of the novel.”
“And I think the soundtrack of this novel does maybe not excel at this job, but definitely covers the necessities.”
“Overall in terms of pure quality of the soundtrack and the artworks, characters, and backgrounds, this novel might be just a decent experience at best and pretty standard.”
- graphics32 mentions
- 78 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are consistently praised for their beauty and charm, featuring an adorable art style that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the well-done character designs and backgrounds, which effectively convey the game's themes and emotions. The combination of lovely artwork and atmospheric music creates an engaging visual novel that many recommend for its aesthetic appeal.
“The characters are nice and stand out, and the artwork is absolutely lovely.”
“The artwork is beautiful, the writing is smooth, the music is atmospheric, and each interaction presented to the player easily flowed into the subsequent consequences from making said choice.”
“The art style is gorgeous, if pretty anime-esque, but it matched the feel-good tone of the game.”
“Overall in terms of pure quality of the soundtrack and the artworks, characters and backgrounds, this novel might be just a decent experience at best and pretty standard, but given the story to back it up and tie everything together, it makes for a really great experience that I can wholeheartedly recommend.”
“Story/graphics 8 of 10;”
“The character design and CG artwork was above par and the unlockable scene art is wonderful.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 71 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be manageable and not overly tedious, with a unique stat-raising mechanic that enhances the experience. While some note that pursuing all routes can be somewhat repetitive, the engaging storyline and effective skip function help maintain interest and prevent boredom. The game successfully balances progression with enjoyment, making the grinding feel less like a chore.
“The stat raising is easy and not too tedious.”
“It involves stat raising, but it is not tedious or annoying.”
“The gameplay can get tedious, but I wasn't too bothered by it.”
“Black Closet is fun... but a bit tedious to get all the routes. I think this game gets everything right... the artwork and story are amazing, and you won't bore yourself trying to see all the routes you are interested in.”
“At no point did going over the same content feel tedious due to the useful skip function.”
- character development7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
Character development in the game significantly surpasses that of the original novel, featuring a well-executed progression system that enhances engagement through unlockable story segments and events. The character design is praised for its beauty and charm, contributing to a favorable portrayal of the main character, despite some criticisms of her being overly idealized. Overall, the adaptation is considered a worthwhile investment, offering a delightful blend of art and storytelling.
“It's fairly simple in how the character development is managed and story segments are unlocked by gradually upgrading qualities, but it's nicely executed and engaging.”
“This is a very good adaptation of the story, and the character designs are absolutely gorgeous.”
“Character development skyrocketed in comparison to the original novel, and despite our little Sara being a virtual Mary Sue, it falls on the favorable side of main characters.”
“It's fairly simple in how the character development is managed and story segments are unlocked by gradually upgrading qualities, but nicely executed and engaging.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a blend of funny, heart-breaking, and fantastical elements, effectively evoking the original novel's spirit. Players appreciate the comedic moments, particularly in character design, such as Sara's overly frilly "princess" dress, which adds a lighthearted touch to the narrative. Overall, the humor resonates well with the game's emotional depth.
“Each of the routes were at times funny, heart-breaking, touching, and fantastical -- evocative of the original novel it was based on.”
“It is funny, heartbreaking, happy, and sad.”
“Random aside: I felt like laughing whenever I saw Sara's 'princess' dress, mostly because it was the most frilly and cutesy thing I have ever seen and didn't quite mesh with her character, but whatever, I loved it anyways.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive English setting, beautiful artwork, and smooth writing. Players appreciate the soothing soundtracks and the seamless flow of interactions, which enhance the overall experience and linger in memory long after playing.
“This game is so good with its English atmosphere and setting, and I absolutely loved all the details in it.”
“The artwork is beautiful, the writing is smooth, the music is atmospheric, and each interaction presented to the player easily flowed into the subsequent consequences from making said choice.”
“The atmosphere is very soothing, with the soundtracks lingering in your head for weeks on end.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability with six distinct routes, including non-romantic options, allowing players to explore different character interactions. Completing the game in about 7-8 hours encourages multiple playthroughs to experience all available storylines.
“I played the entire game in one sitting, which took 7-8 hours to read through, and there is lots of replay value with 5 other characters.”
“There are six routes, not all of which are romantic, so there’s plenty of replay value here.”
“Played the entire game in one sitting, took 7-8 hours to read through, and lots of replay value with 5 other characters.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players report a high level of stability, with no glitches or technical issues experienced during gameplay.