Blooming Nightshade

About

Blooming Nightshade is a single player casual simulation game with a romance theme. It was developed by Nightshade and was released on September 6, 2019. It received positive reviews from players.

After hearing about a number of student couples forming at her school, Himeka Uchida decides to look for a girlfriend of her own. As she gets wrapped up in the daily lives of her friends and classmates at Solana Academy, will she find the romance she seeks?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 157 reviews

story18 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

The game features a cute and lighthearted story with engaging characters, making it enjoyable for fans of yuri visual novels.
It's free to play, offering multiple routes and endings, which adds to its replayability and makes it accessible to a wider audience.
The art style is charming and well-executed, contributing to the overall pleasant experience of the game.

The writing lacks depth and can feel rushed, with character development and story arcs not fully explored, leading to a less immersive experience.
There are minimal gameplay choices, making the game feel more like a linear visual novel rather than an interactive experience.
Some players found the dialogue and pacing to be boring or too straightforward, which may detract from the enjoyment for those seeking a more complex narrative.

story
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
64%
5%
The story is generally described as basic and straightforward, lacking depth and significant character development, with many reviewers noting that it feels rushed and simplistic. While the game features multiple characters with individual storylines, the narratives often lack meaningful choices and immersion, leading to a perception of limited engagement. However, some players appreciate the cute and light-hearted nature of the romance, as well as the option for platonic relationships, making it enjoyable for those seeking a quick and charming visual novel experience.
- “The game centers around the main character, Himeka, but gives you the option to have a relationship with each character completely independently, allowing you to see what each story is like without worrying about love triangles through choices or accidental inputs.”
- “Each of the six girls has their own playthrough/story that focuses on them, so you could say that this is six small visual novels bundled together, each taking about half an hour to finish.”
- “Lovely characters and a good story.”
- “The story was really basic, nothing stood out; all characters were laid out in the prologue without having any true story development.”
- “Sometimes the story does not make any sense; the art and background music are a really good combo, but rather than that... nothing.”
- “You aren’t given a ton of choice and there isn’t much story there to decide over.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its fitting atmosphere and pleasant quality, while others note a lack of variety and occasional repetitiveness. The soundtrack, though limited, complements the art well and enhances the overall experience, but some users feel that more diverse tracks would have improved the game. Overall, the music contributes positively to the ambiance, despite some criticisms regarding its simplicity and repetitiveness.
- “The music fits scenes very well, though if you dwell for too long it can get a little repetitive but never was annoying.”
- “Nice music gives a good atmosphere, and the interaction with all the characters seemed quite believable, for the most part.”
- “But the moving point of this game is its artwork and music track because it really puts you at the edge of your seat once you have dated someone for the maximum amount of time.”
- “Bad music choice and bad font choice.”
- “In terms of audio: you got the soundtrack which is like three (if I remember correctly) different songs.”
- “There could have been a little more diversity with the track, especially when going the route of the music student.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The graphics of the visual novel are characterized by a charming anime art style, with well-designed character sprites that capture individual uniqueness. While the backgrounds and overall artwork are praised, the visuals are generally simple and tailored for mobile devices, leading to an unusual layout and a lack of CG artwork that could enhance the experience further. Overall, the graphics are appealing but could benefit from more variety and detail.
- “The art style is very well done, and the chance to skip the opening meeting with the girls is welcome as you might not want to see this again every time.”
- “Short yuri visual novel with a few different endings and a super cute art style.”
- “Its graphics are phenomenal, very closely resembling the anime style it aims for.”
- “In terms of visuals, I've seen the backgrounds used in other visual novels, and the characters only had one body sprite with a handful of faces.”
- “This visual novel was designed with mobile phones in mind, which results in an unusual graphic layout and generally very simple visuals.”
- “The sprite art looks lovely and crisp, capturing uniqueness to each character with variants in clothing; however, there is a lack of CG artwork that could help further enhance the visual novel.”
emotional
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its wholesome and heartwarming narratives, allowing players to easily engage in romantic relationships with relatable characters. While many players appreciate the charming and endearing storytelling, some feel a lack of deeper emotional connection with certain characters, suggesting that while the game is cute and satisfying, it may not fully resonate with everyone on an emotional level. Overall, it offers a delightful experience for fans of yuri romance, though emotional depth may vary among characters.
- “It’s very heartwarming to watch characters fumble around and try their best and just be...human.”
- “If you want a wonderful series of sapphic kinetic stories in a visual novel format that make you appreciate the intricate ups and downs of life in a well-written, endearing, emotional, and charming way, by all means please download both games and play them in order (blooming nightshade and then flowering nightshade), it is well worth your time.”
- “Somehow this game made me feel a bigger connection with characters in a shorter amount of time than other visual novels that I paid money for...”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The gameplay in this visual/interactive novel is minimal, primarily consisting of clicking through dialogue, which many users find poorly written. While the game offers a few hours of playtime with likable characters and a straightforward dating mechanic based on weekend interactions, it lacks significant gameplay depth, effectively reducing it to a pure visual novel experience.
- “Good 3 hours of gameplay, likable characters.”
- “Moral of the story, great characters, interesting mechanic and a great platonic route too.”
- “[spoiler] Dating works solely based on who you spend time with on the weekend, which as gameplay goes is straightforward enough.”
- “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, which poses the question, 'how did something this badly written end up on Steam?'”
- “All the (albeit limited) gameplay has been removed; this is now a pure visual novel.”
- “The gameplay is the same.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
Character development is praised for its depth and quality in the main story, with well-designed characters and engaging writing. However, some players feel that the limited number of short scenes restricts further development, and while epilogues offer additional insights into characters, their hidden nature and lack of clear indication for unlocking can be frustrating.
- “An absolutely adoring story with wonderful character development throughout.”
- “I like the character designs and the writing.”
- “Epilogues, which are slightly better written and contain character development for even the most abrasive girls (Izumi), are hidden in the menu and there is no indication in the game when they have been unlocked.”
- “There's some attempt at character development, but you can't get much in that many short scenes.”
- “Epilogues, which are slightly better written and contain character development for even the most abrasive characters, are hidden in the menu and there is no indication in the game when they have been unlocked.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
The game offers high replayability due to its diverse character interactions and multiple story routes, encouraging players to explore different romance and friendship dynamics. Each character has unique narratives, enhancing the incentive to replay for a fuller experience beyond just achievements.
- “There's great replayability in seeing how different characters can act depending on romance and friendship.”
- “It's short, but it has a lot of routes, so there's definitely some replay value there.”
- “The replay value is high, not just for the achievements alone, but all of the girls in the game have their own interesting stories to tell.”
- “Short, but it has a lot of routes, so there's definitely some replay value there.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the grinding aspect of visual novels and e-books tedious, likening the experience to a frustratingly slow reading process where players must click to progress through text, which becomes particularly monotonous after multiple playthroughs aimed at 100% completion.
- “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, 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.”
- “Of course, by the fourth playthrough of 100% completing it, it gets pretty tedious.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as both funny and corny, providing a satisfying and wholesome experience. While it doesn't rely heavily on comedic elements, it avoids overly dramatic or convoluted scenarios that detract from the enjoyment.
- “It's funny and corny, yet satisfying and wholesome.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The optimization of the game has been criticized, with users likening it to a lackluster performance, suggesting that it may not run smoothly or efficiently.
- “The optimization is as dry as my performance in CSGO matches.”
- “The game runs poorly on even high-end systems, making it frustrating to play.”
- “I constantly experience lag and frame drops, which ruins the overall experience.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by pleasant music and generally believable character interactions, contributing to an immersive experience.
- “The nice music creates a captivating atmosphere, and the interactions with all the characters feel quite believable for the most part.”
- “The game's atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into its world with stunning visuals and sound design.”
- “Every element of the environment contributes to a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that keeps you engaged throughout the experience.”