Ceress and Orea
- April 20, 2018
- Plueschkatze
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Get on itch.io Store"Ceress and Orea" is a single-player Fantasy Role Playing game with an intriguing story, compelling visuals, and outstanding music. Ceress, a young woman in love with another woman, is sentenced to death and calls out to an old deity for a chance to change her unrighteous fate. Embark on this soothing yet challenging 60-minute adventure, solving puzzles and discovering Ceress' memories in a linear journey with one ending: reaching Orea and overcoming death to be reunited with the woman she loves.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features beautiful artwork and a lovely soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere.
- The story is heartwarming and engaging, focusing on a sweet lesbian romance that resonates emotionally.
- The puzzles, while easy, are enjoyable and serve as a nice way to explore the game's world and narrative.
- The game is very short, with many players feeling it lacks depth and could benefit from more content.
- Puzzles are overly simplistic, leading to a lack of challenge and engagement for players seeking more complexity.
- The narrative leaves some important plot points unexplained, making it difficult for players to fully connect with the characters and their motivations.
- story232 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of "Ceress and Orea" centers on a heartwarming yet brief narrative about two women separated by death due to their forbidden love, as one character journeys through the underworld to reunite with her partner. While the storytelling is simple and primarily conveyed through flashbacks, many players found it emotionally engaging despite its short length and lack of depth in character development. Overall, the game is praised for its beautiful art and music, making it a charming experience for those who appreciate narrative-driven gameplay, though some felt it left significant plot points unexplained.
“It's a lovely story to come back and revisit - a quick journey to reunite with a lost love.”
“Ceress and Orea is the story of a woman condemned to death for forbidden love with Orea and journeys through the underworld to prove to the gods her death was unjust and love is true.”
“The short tale of two souls embarked in a precarious fable of forbidden love, combined with a beautifully composed soundtrack, overshadow the missing pieces needed to fully imagine this story: a story of how a broken puzzle can be fully complete in the right eyes, the right hearts, and the right souls.”
“The story has a lot of potential, but the game is incredibly short, so it never has a chance to develop properly.”
“Both the plot and the love story are very plain and boring.”
“Without a proper unfolding of backstory, it's really hard to empathize with Ceress.”
- music68 mentions
- 76 % positive mentions
- 19 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its beauty and atmospheric quality, enhancing the overall experience with a soothing and engaging soundtrack. Many players noted that the original compositions are not only fitting but also memorable, with some expressing a desire to support the developer by purchasing the soundtrack. Overall, the music is described as a standout feature that complements the game's art and storytelling, creating a captivating ambiance throughout.
“The original soundtrack isn't just suiting, it's downright golden, and I regularly listen to it on Spotify.”
“The short tale of two souls embarked in a precarious fable of forbidden love, combined with a beautifully composed soundtrack, overshadow the missing pieces needed to fully imagine this story: a story of how a broken puzzle can be fully complete in the right eyes, the right hearts, and the right souls.”
“The original soundtrack isn't just suitable, it's downright golden, and I regularly listen to it on Spotify.”
“It creates a perfect atmosphere for the game and honestly, I'll probably just pull up the game just to listen to the music haha.”
“The attention to detail shows how much effort is put into this, from the character comments, environment, lighting to music.”
- graphics62 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Ceress and Orea" are widely praised for their stunning pixel art and vibrant aesthetics, which effectively convey the game's emotional depth and atmosphere. Reviewers highlight the beautiful artwork and cutscenes, noting that the visuals stand out even among RPG Maker titles, making the game feel more valuable than its low price suggests. Overall, the combination of appealing graphics and a soulful soundtrack enhances the player's experience, despite some wishing for more content related to the story.
“This hour-long puzzle game has surprisingly gorgeous pixel graphics and an equally surprising level of storytelling depth for the allotted time.”
“Ceress and Orea's most striking feature is perhaps the visuals of the game.”
“The graphics are very similar to Rakuen; they're very bright and vibrant when the game needs them, and morose and dull when the game needs to project an atmosphere of dread.”
“I was hoping for something that would have really reflected the fact the lovers were reunited, a longer cutscene showing the girls ecstatic for being together again or some more CG artworks, considering that was the whole point of the game.”
“All I've gotten for beating the game was a CG without them talking and a single artwork (which was actually pretty, by the way).”
“This does not look like a game that only costs $2, even if only because of the art style.”
- gameplay42 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Ceress and Orea" is characterized by its simplicity and short length, allowing for a focused narrative experience without filler. While some players appreciate the story-driven approach and find the puzzles enjoyable, others criticize the gameplay as dull and lacking challenge, with many stages feeling like repetitive fetch quests. Overall, it offers a smooth experience suitable for those seeking a casual, story-centric game, but may not satisfy players looking for innovative mechanics or engaging puzzles.
“The game's short length allows it to hit its story and gameplay beats without any filler, and even though the game is mechanically simple, it's got just enough going on to fit with the story.”
“I really appreciate that it was a game more focused on empathizing with a character who's trying to get back to the woman she loves and what she'll do to return to her rather than including combat or any other mechanics that might have been unnecessary or distracted from that empathy.”
“The game mechanics are simple but fulfill their purpose and the puzzles are fun.”
“The gameplay is incredibly dull.”
“"Ceress and Orea" is a cute little story, but don't expect any challenge or innovative gameplay: every stage of the game is a fetch-quest inside of a small labyrinth with a trivial puzzle in the end.”
“The puzzle gameplay was not very good, so I would not recommend it in that context.”
- emotional32 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its heartwarming and wholesome narrative, particularly highlighting the touching love story between a lesbian couple, Orea and Ceress. While many find the emotional impact strong and the ambiance engaging, some critique the dialogue as generic and note that the story leaves significant events unexplained, which may detract from the overall emotional depth. Overall, it is recommended for those seeking a brief yet emotionally resonant RPG experience.
“Definitely recommend this game for anyone looking for a bite-sized RPG experience that nonetheless packs a sweet, emotional punch!”
“A beautiful and heart-wrenching story about a girl who must get back to her lover by going through multiple puzzles in the underworld.”
“What you will find is a heartwarming story about two lovers who get separated by Ceress being sentenced to death for loving Orea.”
- atmosphere26 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 19 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful visuals and captivating music, creating an endearing and immersive experience. Reviewers highlight the effective use of vibrant and somber graphics to evoke a range of emotions, enhancing the narrative's impact. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a key element of the game's success, making it a delightful choice for players seeking a simple yet atmospheric experience.
“It was very atmospheric - the tilesets are very pretty and the maps are put together in really appealing ways, and the music is gorgeous.”
“The story and atmosphere were definitely the highlight of this experience.”
“There was some actual effort that was put into the visuals, atmosphere, and narrative.”
“And I think that atmosphere is something that the game hinges on for its success; it plays on the emotions of the player - hope, sadness, fear, relief - and I think that is the reason why I found the visuals so appealing.”
- character development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is noted for its cute but limited designs, which some players found appealing. Despite inconsistencies in the story, the overall experience, including the character designs and music, contributed to a satisfying ending for many reviewers.
“I liked the character designs and the music was pretty good too, and even though the story was not consistent, I still liked the ending.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers a short, engaging adventure focused on storytelling and light puzzles, but it lacks significant replay value. While it provides a decent experience for its low price, players may not find reasons to revisit it after completion.
“Decent & short RPG Maker game that doesn't have any combat but instead it has storytelling combined with light puzzles (easy puzzles, thank you lord). It has no replay value, but for 1 buck, I think it's a fairly good adventure to embark on.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the simplicity of some puzzles, which can detract from the overall experience. However, the game's impressive rendering and attention to detail are acknowledged as positive elements that somewhat mitigate the frustration.
