Adabana Odd Tales
- June 18, 2020
- Liar-soft
Get on Steam"Adabana Odd Tales" is a narrative-driven, side-scrolling adventure game set in a mystical world. Players uncover a dark mystery as they navigate through beautiful, hand-drawn environments and interact with intriguing characters. The game features puzzle-solving and multiple endings, encouraging players to explore different paths and make decisions that impact the story.
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Reviews
- The artwork is stunning and unique, featuring a colorful brush-like style that enhances the fairy tale atmosphere.
- The storytelling is emotional and well-crafted, with multiple endings that resonate deeply with players, particularly the true ending.
- The game effectively combines Japanese folklore with a compelling narrative, making it an engaging experience for fans of visual novels.
- The pacing can be slow, especially in the beginning, which may deter some players from fully engaging with the story.
- Some dialogue feels repetitive, and characters occasionally ask questions that have already been answered, which can disrupt the flow.
- The soundtrack, while pleasant, lacks variety and can become repetitive over time, detracting from the overall immersion.
- story109 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of "Adabana Odd Tales" revolves around the characters Shirohime and Kurofude as they navigate various Japanese folktales, aiming to restore missing elements in these narratives while uncovering their own intertwined journey. While the narrative offers a unique blend of folklore and personal growth, some reviewers noted that the pacing can be uneven, with a somewhat predictable conclusion that, despite its emotional impact, feels derivative. Overall, the game is praised for its beautiful art and engaging storytelling, making it a touching experience that resonates with players.
“The story follows the duo of Shirohime and Kurofude as they travel between the worlds of different Japanese folktales, fill in the missing words in their well-worn pages, and interact with the 'guide' of each story, the one character who can see and interact with them.”
“I found the story mesmerizing; it's very strange and confusing in the beginning, but information slowly gets revealed until the pieces come together and the truth gets fully revealed.”
“Adabana Odd Tales is a unique story about stories, in which its meta-premise can be used to explore and provide commentary on the interpretations of stories and the effects they can have on individuals.”
“Since I targeted the normal ending during my first readthrough, the story offered few hints towards its truth as Shirohime and Kurofude jumped from story to story, so as the ending was revealed, it felt a bit sudden.”
“Still, with a first half that is a tad dull, an—while impactful—ultimately derivative ending, and beautiful artwork that is in some ways better than the story itself, I can't say that Adabana Odd Tales is anything more than merely good.”
“The beginning is slow and a bit boring, but the story shines during the third tale to the ending.”
- graphics39 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Adabana Odd Tales" are widely praised for their unique and beautiful hand-drawn art style, which draws heavily from Japanese folklore and watercolor aesthetics. Reviewers highlight the artwork as a standout feature, often describing it as stunning and immersive, effectively complementing the narrative. While some may find the art style unconventional, it is generally regarded as a significant strength of the visual novel, enhancing the overall experience.
“I'm absolutely in love with the art style and the CGs; it's so pretty, and I haven't played any game with a similar art style before.”
“Deeply rooted in Japanese folklore, the Japanese ink painting aesthetic allows readers to immerse themselves in the fairy tale worlds that Adabana Odd Tales creates, showing the adventures of these storybook characters, along with their struggles, their motivations, and their wishes.”
“The graphics are the most unique of this visual novel, having been drawn in a way that brings out the traditional folklore vibes from it.”
“At first glance, I could tell that this visual novel was unique from its stark differences in the graphics of the art in comparison to other visual novels.”
“The graphic in this game is absolutely unique and beautiful, amazing music that is very soothing and the story is very engaging.”
- music39 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the atmosphere, featuring a varied soundtrack that includes soothing tracks and traditional Japanese influences. However, some reviewers noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive due to short track lengths and limited variations, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the music is often highlighted as one of the game's standout features, complementing the unique art style and engaging story.
“The music is lovely too and provides great atmosphere!”
“Touching up on the music, there's a varied soundtrack, and I enjoyed listening to all the tracks.”
“The music was lovely and appropriate for the scenes, the writing poetic, and the illustrations were colorful, reasonably varied and evocative of the fairy-tale theme.”
“The soundtracks were pleasing to hear for most parts, except that there was not enough variation in the soundtracks, in my personal opinion.”
“With a total of 15 soundtracks and 3 ending soundtracks, the majority of them last only one minute or so, making the loop of the soundtrack throughout the game rather repetitive.”
“I believe this could have been done better if they had just made the soundtracks a bit longer so that there is more variation in the sounds; otherwise, you'd be hearing one-minute soundtracks looping for what seems to be thirty minutes before moving to a different soundtrack.”
- emotional12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised, with players noting its ability to evoke strong feelings ranging from heartwarming to heart-wrenching. Key scenes, particularly those involving character connections and the impactful true ending, leave players in tears while also providing moments of joy. Overall, the narrative's unpredictability and touching storylines create a deep emotional investment in the characters and their journeys.
“I found the scene in which the four characters from each folktale they visited (who are actually Shirohime's grandfather, tutor, sister, and deceased fiancé, respectively) guided Shirohime out of her dream and into reality to be surprisingly emotionally impactful.”
“I cried at all of the endings, each one evoking more emotion than the next.”
“My words alone cannot encompass how this game has made me feel and how beautiful I think it is.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay of *Adabana Odd Tales* is centered around making choices that influence the endings of various fairy tales, though it features fewer choices compared to other visual novels. While the gameplay is generally easy and relaxing, newcomers may benefit from walkthroughs to navigate the decision-making process effectively. Overall, the experience is more about reading and story engagement than traditional gameplay mechanics.
“As for the gameplay, 'Adabana Odd Tales' has various choices presented within the different fairy tales that Shirohime and Kurofude enter, determining which of the two endings to those particular stories they'll get.”
“It is highly advisable to look up walkthroughs if you have never played a visual novel before, as the ending mechanics depend on you picking the correct or wrong choices, or a mix of both.”
“The gameplay of the visual novel is fairly easy considering its average length of 12 hours; there are not as many choices in the game as most visual novels boast to have.”
“It is highly advisable to look up walkthroughs if you have never played a visual novel before, as the ending mechanics depend on you picking the correct or wrong choices or a mix of both.”
“The gameplay of the visual novel is fairly easy considering it's an average length of 12 hours; there are not as many choices in the game as most visual novels boast to have.”
“A bit slow gameplay.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by lovely music and soft colors that evoke a fairy tale ambiance, complemented by a beautiful Japanese ink painting style. While the script may lack depth and predictability, the overall aesthetic successfully immerses players in a rich cultural experience.
“The music is lovely too and provides great atmosphere!”
“The colors are softer, and they really help to give off that fairy tale atmosphere well.”
“The best part of this game is the beautiful music in Japanese style, the excellent ink painting style, and the atmosphere of traditional Japanese culture.”
“The script of the game may not be too brilliant, and it even makes people feel mediocre in many cases, and it is very easy to predict the direction of the story, but the best part of this game is the beautiful music of Japanese style, the excellent ink painting style, and the atmosphere of Japanese traditional culture.”
- character development2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highly praised, with players noting its engaging and well-crafted characters that enhance the overall experience. The combination of vibrant art, compelling design, and a touching plot contributes significantly to the depth of the characters, making them memorable and relatable. Overall, the character development is a standout feature that adds to the game's appeal.
“I would 100% recommend it to anyone because of the art style, soundtrack, world-building, and character development.”
