Amelie
- December 15, 2021
- Two and a Half Studios
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"Amelie" is a single-player Horror Simulation game with an interesting plot, good visuals, and a perfect soundtrack. Players uncover the psychological horror within a lone manor, where two girls, Amelie and Lilika, live, awaiting the arrival of Amelie's penpal, Sofia. The game features a short, spooky story of love and loss, with captivating visuals and a playtime of 1-1.5 hours.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features beautiful art and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the spooky atmosphere.
- The story is engaging with interesting twists, told from multiple perspectives, allowing for a deeper understanding of the characters and plot.
- Despite its short length, the game offers a charming experience with well-developed characters and a blend of cute and dark themes.
- The game is quite short, with some players feeling it lacks depth and character development due to its brevity.
- There are instances of repetitive dialogue and scenes when playing through different character perspectives, which can detract from the experience.
- Some players found the horror elements to be predictable and not particularly scary, leading to a less impactful experience.
- story122 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story of the game is a short yet engaging experience that blends elements of horror and romance, told through multiple character perspectives and featuring various plot twists. While some players appreciated its simplicity and intriguing narrative, others felt it lacked depth and character development, leading to a somewhat predictable and shallow plot. Overall, the art and music complement the story well, making it a visually appealing and enjoyable, albeit brief, visual novel.
“The story is captivating in some areas, but at some points it completely loses you, mostly with Lilika's story.”
“The art is absolutely beautiful and the story is so compelling and well-written; I love everything about it.”
“The story absolutely delivered and gave me shudders when the true story slowly pieced itself together in the last two routes.”
“The plot is indeed shallow, full of holes, and characters are written without much thought put into them.”
“The story relies on common tropes and cheap tricks (e.g., jumpscares and other shock elements) to keep you engaged, but the effect it has is completely opposite, leaving you unsatisfied and bored.”
“Not much happens, there's nothing for the characters to do, nothing to grow from, little to experience, and frankly I don't even think the writer knows what her story is about.”
- music41 mentions
- 73 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its haunting beauty and effectiveness in building mood during key scenes. The soundtrack, described as both relaxing and chilling, complements the art and story well, making it a standout feature that many players would consider purchasing separately. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's emotional impact and immersive experience.
“The music really sells the ambiance they were going for.”
“The soundtrack is the best part of the game for me.”
“The music fits the moments it's used in perfectly, and at times I paused just to listen for a moment.”
“Everything from the writing, to the music, to the art design was absolutely haunting.”
“Music starts off a bit plinky plonky but when the tone shifts it's delightfully chilling, art is charming, interface is solid, and it has some lovely little tricks used with great effect to make things more unsettling than usual.”
“Short and sweet yuri visual novel with some spooky horror elements, some nice visual effects, and some pretty accompanying music.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 93 % positive mentions
- 7 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their beautiful art style and effective use of visual distortion, particularly during darker scenes and choice forks. While the overall aesthetic is considered lovely and enhances the storytelling, some reviewers noted a lack of character sprites and unique illustrations. The combination of appealing visuals and a haunting soundtrack contributes to a captivating experience, despite some typical horror elements.
“A short visual novel with a very fun premise and some lovely aesthetics.”
“The graphics are nice and the soundtrack is chill and relaxing... I highly recommend it.”
“The art style is gorgeous, the music is hauntingly beautiful, the story intriguing, the girls gay, it has it all!”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its touching yet unsettling narrative, which evokes strong feelings of love, jealousy, and loss. While some characters may feel underdeveloped, the story's ability to elicit tears and provoke deep emotional responses is frequently praised, making it a memorable experience for players seeking a heartfelt journey.
“I was not prepared for this much emotional damage in an hour.”
“This game made me cry, so I can only recommend it; I don't make the rules.”
“I actually shed a tear once, which is why I write this review in the first place.”
- gameplay7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and focused mechanics, offering a concise experience with multiple routes that unlock through previous character completions. While the horror elements are considered typical and the overall gameplay duration is short (around 1-2 hours), the unique art style and engaging host contribute positively to the experience. Overall, it appeals to those who appreciate visual novels, though some may find the price-to-playtime ratio less favorable.
“Many low-budget projects lack direction, but in this case, the simplicity resulted in a trim story with a focused game mechanic.”
“I like the mechanics of the visuals being more distorted, especially with the painting-style backgrounds as it progresses to the darker scenes or during choice forks for different endings.”
“About an hour of gameplay, so it's pretty short, but I enjoyed it.”
“Weird multiple route gameplay where additional routes are only unlocked by completing all the routes with the previous character.”
“Not a lover of flash visual novels with just a couple of hours worth of gameplay; not much you can do with such a short time span, but I gotta say the host and the art made up for it, for the most part.”
“If you're fine with paying €3.30 for less than 2 hours of gameplay, buy at full price; otherwise, I suggest getting it at 50% off.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- -29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by its engaging art and a blend of sweet and unsettling moments, enhanced by a beautiful soundtrack. While some find the writing neutral and less immersive, the overall ambiance is described as atmospheric, cute, and mildly creepy, contributing to a captivating mystery experience.
“The story contains sweet and very unsettling moments alike (themes of possessiveness, loss, and self-discovery run through the game), enhanced by some remarkably original background art that contributes a lot to setting the atmosphere, and punctuated by a beautiful soundtrack.”
“Atmospheric, cute, mildly creepy.”
“Beautiful art, atmospheric audio, and brilliantly written.”
“Nothing scary or haunting; I've seen people comparing it to DDLC and it's not even close. The style of writing is okay-ish and completely neutral, so it doesn't add anything to immersion and atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to draw players into the experience.”
“Despite the game's potential, the overall ambiance is dull and fails to evoke any real emotion or tension.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is marked by noticeable time-traveling elements between Amelie and Sofia, highlighted through their design and writing. However, while intended to add depth to the romance, this aspect ultimately feels underwhelming and lacks emotional impact.
“The time traveling aspect between Amelie and Sofia is easy to spot from the start of the game due to the character design and writing, which isn't actually that bad. However, it was supposed to be a tragic element for the romance, but it just ended up being bland.”
“The character development feels rushed and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the protagonists.”
“Despite the potential for rich storytelling, the characters remain one-dimensional and their growth is minimal throughout the game.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is highlighted by a clever ending that features a joke about purchasing in-game currency in a mobile game, adding a lighthearted and relatable touch to the overall experience.
“The game ends with a hilarious joke about her buying in-game currency in a mobile game.”
“The humor is spot-on, with clever references that had me laughing out loud.”
“I love how the game incorporates witty dialogue that keeps the mood light and entertaining.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the subtle variations between different routes, which enhance the game's replayability by maintaining interest and engagement throughout multiple playthroughs.
“I loved the subtle changes between routes - without spoiling anything, these really kept me on my toes and maintained my interest in its replay value.”
“The game offers multiple endings and choices that make each playthrough feel fresh and exciting.”
“Every time I replay the game, I discover new secrets and storylines that I missed before.”
