AL･FINE
- November 11, 2016
- CrimsonRabbit
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"Al Fine" is a simulation game set in a cooperative town where humans, sprites, and kindred coexist. Players assume the role of Louis, running and managing an item shop. The key to success is buying low and selling high, growing the store to overpower competitors while paying attention to the weather and time to attract more customers.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The story is enjoyable and features cute characters, making it a light and amusing experience.
- The shop management mechanics are simple yet fun, allowing for some strategic planning to maximize profits.
- The game has a charming visual style that appeals to fans of the genre.
- The game lacks fullscreen support and has limited graphical options, which detracts from the overall experience.
- Many players find it to be a budget clone of Recettear, lacking depth and unique features.
- There are numerous bugs and glitches, including crashes and texture issues, which can significantly hinder gameplay.
- story28 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The story is generally well-received for its charm and humor, featuring a boy who reopens his parents' shop to repay a debt after breaking a pixie's jewel. However, it is criticized for its lack of depth, with characters described as caricatures and minimal development, as well as a major conflict that feels underwhelming and only spans a small portion of the game's duration. Additionally, the absence of postgame content leaves players wanting more after the main story concludes.
“But what this game does do right is story; my word, this story made me smile and laugh on several occasions throughout the several-hour journey.”
“The story isn't bad; the characters are super cute, and the management part is very simple but quite fun (you need to buy things to resell at the right price, or equip/pay adventurers to bring back some things to sell from their quests).”
“The VN story is about a boy who destroys a pixie's jewel, and to pay it back, he reopens his parents' shop.”
“The biggest drawback to this is that there's no postgame; the story ends on day 100 with very little variation in it.”
“The story itself is too bland and light for its own good.”
“All of the characters are caricatures that barely get any development, and the only major conflict is a plot to monopolize the town's economy that only takes up 10 days of the 100-day duration.”
- gameplay24 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it less engaging and deep compared to "Recettear." While some appreciate the cute art and certain mechanics like food spoiling, others criticize the simplicity, lack of features, and texture bugs, leading to a repetitive experience. Overall, it may appeal to those seeking a light-hearted selling mechanic but falls short for players looking for more substantial gameplay.
“It's cute, funny, and has some mechanics (food spoiling, for example) that give it an interesting take that makes it different enough from Recettear.”
“An improvement of the business mechanics seen from Recettear.”
“If you're hungry for more selling mechanics, aka Recettear, this might scratch that itch.”
“I almost refunded in the first 20 minutes, but decided to keep playing to see if the gameplay had more depth than the braindead main character.”
“Not a lot of features and gameplay.”
“No real dungeon exploration mechanics.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics are described as cute but generally inferior to similar games, with many users expressing disappointment over the lack of graphical and sound options, particularly noting that the sound is excessively loud and unpleasant. Overall, the visual presentation fails to impress, contributing to a less enjoyable experience.
“Cute store graphics.”
“The lack of graphical and sound options is a big issue, particularly the sound as it is incredibly loud.”
“Like Recettear except uniformly worse in every respect, whether by gameplay, graphics, or repetitive, unpleasant music.”
- music6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players find it pleasant and fitting, others criticize it as repetitive and unpleasant, with a notable lack of options for muting or adjusting the audio. Overall, the music is seen as a drawback compared to similar titles.
“The music so far is pleasant and it works within the game.”
“No configuration screen: no muting the repetitive music.”
“No configuration screen: no muting the repetitive music.”
- character development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with some users criticizing the character design for lacking anatomical accuracy despite being detailed. Additionally, there is a noticeable disparity in quality between the main character designs and the portraits of merchants, which are considered superior, suggesting inconsistency in artistic direction.
“Another con would be the character design; the illustrator seems to lack basic anatomy lessons, but in return makes it very detailed.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from numerous glitches, including a significant issue where the language unexpectedly switched to Japanese, leaving players who cannot read kanji confused and frustrated. Overall, stability appears to be a major concern for users.
“So many glitches; at one point, all the English text disappeared and it switched to Japanese. Since I cannot read kanji, I was at a bit of a loss.”
“So many glitches; at one point, all the English text disappeared and it switched to Japanese. Since I cannot read kanji, I was at a bit of a loss.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized as light and cute, lacking any dramatic or deeply emotional moments. Overall, it does not evoke strong feelings or intense emotional engagement.
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized as cute and funny, enhanced by unique mechanics like food spoiling, which provide a fresh twist compared to similar titles like Recettear. Overall, players appreciate the lighthearted and engaging comedic elements.
“It's cute, funny, and has some mechanics (food spoiling, for example) that give it an interesting take that makes it different enough from Recettear.”
