Fading Hearts

About

"Fading Hearts" is a visual novel game that follows the story of a young man named Haru with a mysterious power. He crosses paths with a girl named Sakura who has the same ability, and they must navigate their relationships and abilities while uncovering the secrets of their past. The game features multiple endings based on the choices you make throughout the story.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

64%

Audience ScoreBased on 175 reviews

story37 positive mentions

music4 negative mentions

Engaging story with multiple endings that encourage replayability.
Interesting mix of visual novel and RPG elements, allowing for character development and choices.
Cute art style and well-developed characters that create emotional connections.

Poor writing quality with grammar issues and cliches that detract from the experience.
Gameplay can feel tedious with long stretches of reading before meaningful choices are presented.
Bugs and glitches that disrupt the flow of the game and can lead to confusion.

story
169 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
69%
9%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it intriguing and layered, while others criticize it for being clichéd, poorly executed, or lacking depth. Many reviews highlight the presence of multiple endings and player choices, which can enhance replayability, but also note that the narrative can feel disjointed or underdeveloped. Overall, while some appreciate the character development and emotional moments, others feel the story fails to deliver a satisfying or coherent experience.
- “The story grips you so much you want to jump over the grinding stuff to get to it.”
- “Fun story, interesting characters, and meaningful choices -- what's not to love?”
- “The story had moments that were touching and was overall very relatable for the most part.”
- “The multiple storylines pulled in too many directions and left it with a weak product.”
- “The story is simply too short to only have two girls in it!”
- “The plot takes a backseat to however you intend to break it, and it doesn't really flow.”
gameplay
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
62%
15%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its limited interactivity typical of visual novels, primarily involving reading and making binary choices. While some appreciate the variety of endings and the fun mechanics, others criticize the lack of depth, repetitive music, and poorly executed RPG elements. Overall, the gameplay is seen as simplistic and at times unpolished, but it offers some entertaining moments and replay value.
- “The gameplay was really interesting and fun, definitely felt more like a dating sim.”
- “Very fun game but it is short with 6 hours of gameplay, but there are 7 endings, so there's replay value ranging from getting together with a girl to 'boom goes the city.'”
- “During gameplay, you have a choice of doing things like working, resting, hanging out at a cafe, calling friends, and other activities.”
- “The gameplay is a bit bad, but the endings are the main part that make this game great; there are several endings like sad, happy, and glitched.”
- “This game is lacking in story, gameplay, writing, character depth, satisfaction, and polish.”
- “The gameplay elements are also pretty simple.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
50%
29%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players finding it acceptable but ultimately repetitive and monotonous. While some appreciate its initial charm, others criticize it for being bland and detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the consensus suggests that the music lacks variety and can become annoying over time.
- “Music was pretty decent.”
- “It gets a 9/10 from me, it got a little repetitive (especially the work part: read book, work some, read book, work more, work more, work more, etc. several days in a row) but the music was nice, making the game far more enjoyable, especially with the lack of voice acting.”
- “Price and quality are okay for this game, as are the graphics and music.”
- “Only major drawback in my mind was that the music could get repetitive and/or start and stop randomly in the middle of gameplay.”
- “The music is bland and extremely repetitive, it ruins what little mood the story creates.”
- “Music is alright at first, it gets rather monotonous since there is very little change or variety.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users criticizing them as outdated and lacking in options, reminiscent of 90s titles. While some appreciate the beautiful artwork, others find the overall visual presentation and art style to be mediocre and simplistic. Overall, the graphics do not meet modern standards, leaving a disappointing impression on players.
- “The artwork was very nice and the PS system was a cool thing.”
- “Artwork was beautiful, however.”
- “+ beautiful artwork.”
- “Games from Japan back in the 90's had better graphics and storyline than this poor copycat.”
- “As for graphics, there are around 10-15 background images (locations).”
- “The art style is pretty dated for what it is and felt pretty simple.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game, noting that while the story and writing are engaging, the necessity for extensive grinding to achieve certain endings can feel tedious and frustrating. Some users find the systems difficult to navigate, leading to a reliance on walkthroughs, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite the replayability factor, many feel that repeated playthroughs become monotonous rather than enjoyable.
- “I also dislike the amount of grinding that you can end up doing for some endings, and how you require a walkthrough to get certain endings.”
- “I found that I was grinding up knowledge or stats quite a bit in anticipation of something, anything to happen.”
- “Yes, I know there's supposed to be the whole replayability factor, but I find myself viewing a replay as just tedious.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game offers high replayability with multiple endings, but some players find the experience tedious due to its short length and underdeveloped characters. While it encourages multiple playthroughs, the enjoyment may vary, with some feeling that the replay factor does not significantly enhance the overall experience.
- “High replayability.”
- “It's short, you can probably finish a playthrough in a couple of hours, but it has some replayability.”
- “Replayability is high and that should make up for it a little.”
- “Replayability seems really light and the characters aren't very well defined.”
- “Yes, I know there's supposed to be the whole replayability factor, but I find myself viewing a replay as just tedious.”
- “For a game with 10 endings, the game's length and replay value aren't much.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of dark and light-hearted elements, often eliciting genuine laughter from players. While some moments are intentionally absurd, the self-awareness of the writing adds to its comedic charm, making it a standout feature that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the blend of humor with excellent art, contributing to a memorable gameplay experience.
- “Personally, I had to stop playing for a bit because I was laughing for a while after reading it.”
- “It's aggressively dumb, but in a way that you can almost see every hilarious piece of the author's inadvertent self-awareness puzzle.”
- “But since I found it very hilarious and used 6-7 hours of gameplay (only did 2 routes so there are more to it), I will recommend it.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers a beautiful and relatable story that can evoke strong emotions, with some players reporting tears during the endings. However, while it touches on interesting and heavy subjects, the execution lacks polish and depth in exploring emotional impacts, leading to moments that feel clichéd. Overall, it is recommended for those who appreciate emotional narratives, despite some inconsistencies in delivery.
- “Such a beautiful story, and I swear I cried in all the endings.”
- “The story had moments that were touching and was overall very relatable for the most part.”
- “Interesting story and mechanics, at times quite heavy and touching on subjects you don't usually see in games, but at other times feeling a little clichéd and slightly unpolished.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, leading to confusion and frustration among players. While some issues are minor, there are also significant problems that detract from the overall experience.
- “There also seems to be a lot of bugs, glitches, and confusion about how to actually complete the game.”
- “I found a few grammar mistakes (minor) and a few glitches/bugs in the game (some major ones too) that really ticked me off.”
- “(edit: this is due to bugs and glitches I found during playing)”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
Character development in the game is criticized for being minimal, with many users noting a significant lack of depth and growth among the characters. Only a few instances stand out as noteworthy, leaving the overall experience feeling underwhelming in this aspect.
- “The character development in this game is truly exceptional, making each character feel unique and relatable.”
- “I love how the story allows for deep character growth, with choices that genuinely impact their development.”
- “The way characters evolve throughout the game adds so much depth to the overall experience.”
- “The reasons why it wasn't special is that there was a huge lack of character development.”
- “I mean when only a handful of the manga are worth reading as far as character development.”