Floral Aroma in the Shrine
- September 30, 2018
- 凝冰剑斩
Get on Steam"Floral Aroma in the Shrine" is a visual novel game, with a focus on story and player choices. The game follows Marisa's journey of dealing with the loss of her friend Reimu, with the story unfolding over five chapters. The game is set in the Touhou Project universe, but with some changes to the original setting and characters. It contains mature themes and yuri undertones. Players can expect to spend over an hour exploring Marisa's emotional journey.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a beautifully written and emotional story that resonates deeply with players, often leading to tears.
- The art and music are praised for their beauty, enhancing the overall experience of the game.
- Despite its short length, the game is considered a worthwhile experience, especially for fans of Touhou and yuri themes.
- The translation is rough and can detract from the emotional impact of the story, making it difficult to fully appreciate.
- The gameplay is minimal, consisting mainly of fetch quests, which some players feel would have been better suited as a visual novel.
- The game deals with heavy themes such as death and grief, which may not be suitable for all players and can lead to feelings of sadness or depression.
- story113 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story is a poignant and beautifully crafted narrative centered around the characters Reimu and Marisa from the Touhou series, exploring themes of friendship and emotional depth. While the game is praised for its touching and heartbreaking storytelling, many reviewers note its brevity and linearity, with some expressing disappointment over the lack of choices and a sour ending. Overall, it is recommended for those who appreciate sad stories, though the translation quality may vary.
“The story is really beautiful and heartbreaking (tears are to be expected if you're a bit sensitive).”
“Overall, the story is pure beautiful, and it literally broke me inside. Ignore all of those hate reviewers, just buy the game and play it... you won't regret it.”
“Reimu and Marisa live together in a shrine, and this story follows them as their relationship grows and becomes something more than friendship.”
“There are no choices, you simply guide the character through the story in a pixel art world.”
“The story is sad, so if you don't like sad endings, I would not recommend playing.”
“Also, this story has a very sour ending, an ending so negative it ruined the whole thing in my opinion.”
- emotional32 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its deeply emotional storytelling, with many players reporting intense feelings of sadness and heartbreak that led to tears. The character dynamics and dialogues are highlighted as beautifully crafted, making the experience memorable and impactful. While some noted tonal inconsistencies, the overall consensus is that the game successfully delivers a powerful emotional roller-coaster, resonating strongly with those who appreciate poignant narratives.
“People who know me will probably laugh about this, but I'm writing this review after I cried for at least 15 minutes straight with no break in between because this game is so terribly sad and depressing. It's basically a visual novel, so don't expect a lot of gameplay-wise, but the character dynamics and dialogues are so incredibly beautiful and also faithful to the original characters. It's really, really beautiful.”
“The story is really beautiful and heartbreaking; tears are to be expected if you're a bit sensitive.”
“Not every game can render me speechless and give me such an emotional roller-coaster.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily focused on simple interactions such as reading dialogues and exploring, resembling a visual novel rather than a traditional RPG. While some players appreciate the emotional depth and character dynamics, many criticize the limited gameplay mechanics, which often consist of fetch quests and lack substantial engagement. Overall, the game is noted for its short length and low-quality visuals, detracting from the overall experience.
“While it was very short, I really enjoyed the gameplay and the story.”
“The story is excellently written; my only issue with this game is how short it is.”
“The gameplay is pretty simple: chilling, reading dialogues, and looking around.”
“This 'RPG' (in reality, it's just a visual novel made in RPG Maker) has far too rough of a translation to really be enjoyed for its writing, and since it isn't really an RPG, there's basically no gameplay.”
“Like most RPG Maker shovelware and asset flips, the game features extremely low quality copy-pasted 2D retro pixel art, looks awful, and has even worse gameplay.”
- music8 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and emotional impact, with many players noting that it enhances the overall experience. While the original soundtrack is celebrated, some background music is recognized as royalty-free or stock music, which slightly detracts from the overall uniqueness. Overall, the music effectively sets the mood and resonates deeply with players.
“The music and art are beautiful, and I found myself on the verge of tears throughout the entire game.”
“The OST is beautiful, but I don't expect less from Touhou games.”
“Music was amazing, kept the mood right where it needed to be at the right time.”
“Some background music is recognizable as royalty-free RPG Maker stock music.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally considered simple, with some users noting that the visual effects do not align well with the overall theme. While the cute artwork may appeal to fans of the genre, the limitations of the RPG Maker engine, such as poor fullscreen display and lack of HD support, detract from the experience for modern gamers. Overall, the graphics may be charming for casual play but fall short for those seeking high-quality visuals.
“Cute artwork too, if you like Touhou and have a couple of hours to spare, definitely give this a go!”
“Except for the CGs, the graphics are quite simple.”
“Some visual effects and graphics do not fit the visual theme.”
“As with all RPG Maker games, the poor quality engine displays badly in fullscreen and doesn't have full HD support or any graphics tweaking options, making this unacceptable for any dedicated modern PC gamer.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game has been criticized for lacking realism, with users describing it as feeling rigid and artificial, akin to being "hard as stone."
“The atmosphere doesn't look real; it feels as hard as stone.”
“The atmosphere lacks realism and feels very rigid.”
