A young high school student goes on an adventure to save her favorite virtual idol, Aiko, from malfunctioning, and gets help from the most unexpected of places.
The art style is colorful and charming, with well-designed characters and backgrounds that enhance the overall aesthetic of the game.
The story features relatable characters and explores themes of friendship and social anxiety, making it a heartwarming experience.
The game includes multiple endings and choices that matter, providing good replayability and engagement for players.
The writing can feel juvenile and awkward, with some dialogue that detracts from the overall experience and pacing of the story.
The plot can be overly simplistic and lacks depth, with some characters and side stories feeling underdeveloped or unnecessary.
Technical issues such as missing character portraits and abrupt transitions can disrupt immersion and enjoyment of the game.
story
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
82%
5%
The story of *Aidol* centers on Hana, a shut-in girl who embarks on a journey to save her favorite virtual idol, Aiko, blending themes of friendship and idol culture. While the narrative is described as charming and family-friendly, it suffers from abrupt transitions, a lack of depth, and side character arcs that detract from the main plot, leading to mixed reviews on its overall engagement and complexity. Despite its shortcomings, the game offers multiple routes and a visually appealing presentation, making it a light-hearted experience for fans of the genre.
“Aidol is a sweet and short story about a girl who wanted to be left alone, but thanks to some bizarre people, she finds out that life is not only about the internet and dolls of her favorite idol.”
“The primary storyline revolves around the main character, Hana, in her efforts to help her favorite android idol, Aiko, who is trying to get in contact with her original programmer whom she believes to be the only person capable of repairing her and preventing her from malfunctioning.”
“The story can be a bit cliché, but still, it's light and heartwarming.”
“It's not a bad story, but a few things in particular pulled me out of it: transitions are often abrupt - particularly with a needless and tacky jump to a couple of characters shirtless, in a needless love triangle, choices that seem 50/50 but are all the difference between a 'good' ending or everything goes to hell - instant game over, and a focus on multiple characters - many are introduced and (depending on player choice) not brought up again, despite them being shoehorned into the story.”
“The biggest con I can think of is that the story itself is rather plain and uninteresting.”
“The story and dialogues just sadly aren't entertaining.”
music
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
48%
11%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its upbeat and catchy tracks that complement the game's themes of friendship and idol culture. While some find the soundtrack charming and well-integrated into the story, others describe it as average or forgettable, particularly for an idol-themed game. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a highlight for those who enjoy lively pop music, with a few standout tracks that resonate well with the game's narrative.
“It features several decisions, 8 endings, a diverse (if tropey) cast, & a fun soundtrack.”
“On top of this, the soundtrack and CGs are amazing and really tie this visual novel together.”
“Likewise, the game features a lovely soundtrack, full of sweet and bubbly tracks with a couple mysterious, somber, and more contemplative compositions for those more serious and heartfelt moments in the game.”
“The soundtrack is pretty forgettable for an idol-themed game (it's not bad though).”
“Cute visuals and a different but slightly grating soundtrack round out this offering.”
“The game features fairly typical anime-inspired visual novel electronic background music through most of the game, with a title theme that's reused a few times and is quite loud compared to the rest of the game; it's also rather catchy in the j-pop style.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
27%
17%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their cute and charming aesthetic, with beautiful artwork that enhances the storytelling experience. While some players preferred the unique art style of earlier versions, the current visuals are still considered appealing and family-friendly. Overall, the graphics effectively complement the game's themes and character development, making it a visually enjoyable experience.
“The artwork is frankly really good for what would be expected of a visual novel, and checks all the boxes being cute and family friendly.”
“It's a short game that takes about 5 hours to complete fully (all endings and achievements) but it gives you a beautifully adorable and unique art style, catchy original songs, a unique story, lots of characters, and lots of endings.”
“Not only is the aesthetic cute, but it has amazing characters and an interesting development of the plot.”
“I will admit though that some of the early versions of the game looked more unique and charming with its art style and UI elements compared to what we have now, but that's just a personal preference.”
“If this isn't your aesthetic, you may want to look elsewhere.”
“The game's aesthetics match its intentions well.”
emotional
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
93%
7%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its heartwarming and wholesome moments, often centered around themes of idol culture and friendship. While some players found the narrative lacking in complexity and depth, many appreciated the light-hearted tone and the ability of certain choices to evoke genuine feelings. The soundtrack complements the emotional experience, featuring both uplifting and contemplative tracks that enhance the game's overall sentiment.
“While the game's tone is predominantly light-hearted and sweet, its deeper, more heartfelt moments tugged at my heartstrings.”
“There's no real 'villain' or clichés to be found here; it's just a heartwarming visual novel about music, idol culture, and friendship.”
“It's a heartwarming sort of story in which even most of the characters who do bad things do so for good reasons.”
“A boring story with mostly unlikeable characters and mediocre art.”
gameplay
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The gameplay in this visual/interactive novel is criticized for being minimal, primarily consisting of clicking through poorly written dialogue, which detracts from the overall experience and raises questions about its quality and suitability for publication. Many users feel that the game lacks engaging gameplay elements that could enhance its appeal.
“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. This poses the question, 'How did something this badly written end up on Steam?'”
“Maybe they should've put more gameplay elements in it.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Reviews indicate that while the character designs are generally praised for their effectiveness and endearing qualities, particularly the well-coordinated Wakahisa sisters, there is a consensus that the game could benefit from deeper character development. Some users also noted that certain character graphics appeared awkward, suggesting inconsistencies in visual presentation.
“Character designs were effective and endearing, particularly the lolita-wearing Wakahisa sisters, who I was extremely happy to see had proper coordinates.”
“The game could've used more character development.”
“Character designs were effective and endearing, but the character development felt lacking.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The optimization of Aiko has received mixed feedback, with users noting some performance issues and bugs, which is unexpected given Ren'Py's typical stability; however, these problems are not considered game-breaking. Overall, while the experience is generally smooth, there are areas that could benefit from further refinement.
“Some performance and engine issues.”
“I'm surprised at the performance issues and bugs I encountered, since Ren'Py is usually pretty stable, but these weren't game-breaking by any means.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, featuring some intriguing moments but often falling flat due to lengthy writing, unfunny jokes, and reliance on repetitive tropes. While there are glimpses of potential, the execution leaves much to be desired.
“It really has some intrigue and great humor, but it could be done even better.”
“The writing stretches on longer than it needs to, with some unfunny humor, questionable morals for individual characters, relationships, and the climax itself, along with repetitive, tropey antics.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the grinding aspect of visual novels and e-books tedious, likening it to a frustrating experience where the narrative unfolds slowly, requiring constant clicking to progress. This mechanic detracts from the enjoyment of the story, making it feel more like a chore than an engaging read, particularly when playtime is dominated by card farming.
“Visual novels/e-books are tedious at best... imagine the best novel you ever read, be that 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' or '2001: A Space Odyssey' or 'Twilight' (if you have terrible taste in literature), but then translate that to a format where the words dribble out and you have to click your mouse every time you want to read the next sentence, instead of just turning the pages.”
“Play time is primarily spent on card farming.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is characterized by a vibrant and whimsical tone that aligns well with themes of idol culture and the concept of friendship, though it may not resonate with all players.
“Not the one I like, honestly, but it went perfectly with the whole atmosphere of idols and 'friendship is magic'.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game offers strong replayability due to its multiple endings, encouraging players to explore different choices and outcomes.
“The multiple endings provide excellent replayability.”
“Each playthrough offers new choices and experiences, enhancing the game's replayability.”
“The variety of character paths and outcomes encourages you to replay the game multiple times.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits stability issues, including intermittent crashes when accessing the gallery from the main menu and a malfunctioning auto text feature that fails to respond to any text speed settings.
“It's also a bit buggy, with intermittent crashes occurring within the game engine when opening the gallery from the main menu. Additionally, the auto text setting doesn't work at all for me, regardless of the text speed I set in the options.”