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
Reviews
- The game features a beautifully crafted and emotional story that resonates deeply with players, often leading to tears.
- The art and music are praised for their quality, enhancing the overall experience of the game.
- Despite its short length, the game effectively develops the relationship between the main characters, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.
- The game suffers from poor translation and awkward dialogue, which detracts from the emotional impact of the story.
- Tonal shifts between fanservice and serious moments disrupt the narrative flow, making it difficult for players to fully engage with the emotional themes.
- The gameplay is minimal, with many players feeling that it would have been better suited as a visual novel rather than an RPG Maker project.
- story58 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of this Touhou fan game is described as emotional and beautifully crafted, often leaving players in tears due to its touching themes and sad endings. While the narrative is linear and the gameplay consists mainly of fetch quests, many reviewers appreciate the depth and relatability of the characters, particularly Reimu and Marisa, despite some translation issues. Overall, it is considered a worthwhile experience for fans of the series, though its brevity and lack of choices may deter some players.
“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.”
“A really good drama story for Reimu and Marisa.”
“Very sad game and story, gave me depression.”
“There are no choices, you simply guide the character through the story in a pixel art world.”
“Also, this story has a very sour ending, an ending so negative it ruined the whole thing in my opinion.”
- emotional17 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is a mixed experience for players, with some finding it deeply moving and capable of eliciting tears, while others feel that tonal shifts detract from the impact of its more poignant moments. Many reviewers highlight the game's beautiful and heartbreaking story, praising its character dynamics and dialogues, which resonate strongly with those who appreciate emotional narratives. Overall, it is recommended for players seeking a touching experience, despite some inconsistencies in tone.
“The story was getting emotional, enough to make a full man cry.”
“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. The character dynamics and dialogues are incredibly beautiful and faithful to the original characters.”
“The story is really beautiful and heartbreaking; tears are to be expected if you're a bit sensitive.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay is largely criticized for being simplistic and lacking depth, often reduced to fetch quests or visual novel-style interactions with minimal player engagement. While some players appreciate the emotional storytelling and character dynamics, many note that the overall experience feels more like a poorly executed visual novel than a traditional RPG, with low-quality graphics and rough translations detracting from enjoyment.
“While it was very short, I really enjoyed the gameplay and the story.”
“The gameplay is pretty simple: chilling, reading dialogues, and looking around.”
“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 gameplay-wise, but the character dynamics and dialogues are so incredibly beautiful and also faithful to the original characters.”
“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.”
“The story is excellently written, my only issue with this game is how short it is and how the only gameplay is fetch quests.”
“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.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The graphics in this RPG Maker game are generally considered subpar, lacking full HD support and customization options, which may disappoint dedicated PC gamers. While the artwork is described as cute and appealing, particularly for fans of Touhou, the overall visual quality is simplistic and inconsistent with the game's theme.
“Cute artwork too! If you like Touhou and have a couple of hours to spare, definitely give this a go!”
“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.”
“Except for the CGs, the graphics are quite simple.”
“Some visual effects and graphics do not fit the visual theme.”
- music4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and emotional impact, with many players noting it enhances the overall experience. While some background music is recognized as royalty-free or stock, the original soundtrack is celebrated for its ability to maintain the right mood throughout the gameplay. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's artistic appeal.
“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.”
“The music was amazing; it kept the mood right where it needed to be at the right time.”
“Some background music is recognizable as royalty-free or RPG Maker stock music.”
“The soundtrack lacks originality and feels repetitive throughout the game.”
“The music doesn't match the game's atmosphere, making it feel disjointed.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is criticized for its lack of realism, with users noting that it appears overly rigid and artificial, resembling stone rather than a natural environment.
“The atmosphere doesn't feel real; it feels as hard as stone.”
“The environment lacks depth and immersion, making it hard to get lost in the game.”
“The overall ambiance is flat and uninspired, failing to draw players into the experience.”
