Heart of the Woods

About

Heart of the Woods is a single player action game with fantasy, romance and mystery themes. It was developed by Studio Élan and was released on February 15, 2019. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

"Heart of the Woods" is a fantasy yuri visual novel about Maddie, who goes on a paranormal investigation with her friend Tara. In the mysterious village of Eysenfeld, they encounter Morgan who offers them proof of the supernatural, leading them to discover the ghost of a young woman named Abigail, victim of a centuries-old injustice. The game explores themes of love, life, and death.

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Single-Player

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97%

Audience ScoreBased on 519 reviews

story212 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The writing and voice acting are top-notch, creating an immersive experience.
The game features beautiful graphics and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the storytelling.
The representation of LGBTQ+ characters is handled thoughtfully, making the story relatable and heartfelt.

Some players experienced pacing issues, particularly in the early chapters, which felt slow.
There are limited choices that impact the story, leading to a more linear experience than some players might prefer.
A few technical issues, such as bugs and typos, were noted, which detracted from the overall polish.

story
539 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
60%
1%
The story of "Heart of the Woods" is widely praised for its emotional depth, engaging characters, and unexpected plot twists, transitioning from a seemingly light-hearted romance to a more complex narrative filled with supernatural elements and darker themes. While some players found the pacing slow at the beginning, many noted that the story picks up significantly, leading to a captivating and heartwarming experience that resonates with themes of love, friendship, and personal growth. However, a few critiques mention that the limited choices can detract from the sense of player agency, making it feel more like a linear narrative than an interactive experience.
- “This story starts rather familiar but soon there is a huge plot twist and then the story really gets interesting.”
- “The story is an emotional roller coaster in the best way possible.”
- “Heart of the Woods is either a tragic story that ends with death(s), or a wonderful true ending that made me cry so many times, and it's probably my favorite visual novel yet.”
- “It's a slow VN that shows potential from the start, but the story runs too slowly, at least for my taste; at some point, reading started to become a chore, and I decided to stop.”
- “When playing yuri VNs, I tend to have to turn my brain off so I can enjoy the stories - but even when I turned my brain off with this game, the amount of convenient plot points and nonsensical logic took me out of the game every 10 minutes.”
- “The story feels slow at first, and within the first thirty minutes or so I really didn't feel very invested.”
music
209 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
42%
1%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its emotional depth and ability to enhance the storytelling experience. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, describing it as beautiful, atmospheric, and perfectly suited to the game's various scenes, with many expressing a desire to listen to it outside of gameplay. Overall, the music is considered a key element that elevates the visual novel, contributing significantly to its immersive and captivating atmosphere.
- “The music gives the scenes life, and makes the moments when it cuts out a little more tense; other times it's used to add to the tension wonderfully!”
- “The soundtrack is beautiful and was utilized perfectly to emphasize a certain emotion that a scene wishes to convey.”
- “The music is stunning - atmospheric, immersive, a delight to listen to.”
- “The only slightly sub-par thing might be the music.”
- “Some moments had their transitions feel somewhat abrupt, like the character sprites and/or backgrounds appearing very fast in somewhat inappropriate moments, along with sudden music transitions that cut off the previously playing song very quickly.”
- “The music cuts hard when you progress to a spot where it's supposed to stop playing.”
emotional
104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
3%
The emotional aspect of "Heart of the Woods" is widely praised for its heartfelt storytelling and character development, often described as a beautiful and touching experience that evokes strong feelings, including joy and sadness. Many players report being deeply invested in the characters' journeys, with several noting that the game made them cry multiple times due to its engaging narrative and emotional depth. Overall, it is characterized as a wholesome and enchanting yuri visual novel that successfully blends romance, fantasy, and emotional complexity.
- “The story is an emotional roller coaster in the best way possible.”
- “Heart of the Woods is either a tragic story that ends with death(s), or a wonderful true ending that made me cry so many times, and it's probably my favorite visual novel yet.”
- “An absolutely beautiful, emotional story, with incredible visuals and music to match.”
- “The story is very slow and somewhat boring; the only good thing about this game is the art, which is quite nice.”
- “I felt no emotional connection to the characters or the story; it all felt flat and uninspired.”
- “Despite the game's attempts to evoke feelings, I found it lacking in depth and resonance.”
graphics
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
32%
4%
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their stunning artwork and beautiful character designs, often compared to high-quality animation reminiscent of Disney fairytales. The visuals, complemented by an impressive soundtrack, create an immersive atmosphere that enhances the storytelling experience, despite some minor critiques regarding background consistency. Overall, the art style and visual presentation are considered top-notch, contributing significantly to the game's emotional impact and appeal.
- “The artwork in Heart of the Woods is absolutely gorgeous and the CGs are exceptionally detailed; it reminded me of a Disney fairytale at times.”
- “An absolutely beautiful, emotional story, with incredible visuals and music to match.”
- “The visuals in this game are used to good effect - the animated snow during the forest scenes really helps set the mood, and there were a few places towards the end where I was genuinely shocked.”
- “The only gripe I really have that has to do with the graphics is that sometimes the sprites seem unnatural, such as when they’re popping in from the side of the screen.”
- “It's clearly not a high budget title either; could've used more different sprites, backgrounds, and music tracks. The art style isn't 100% consistent across different types of art, but it works well.”
- “The cg artwork has a professional air to it, but the composition is static.”
atmosphere
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
42%
10%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its breathtaking visuals, immersive music, and expertly crafted emotional depth, creating a captivating blend of cozy and eerie elements. Reviewers highlight the seamless integration of art, sound, and storytelling, which enhances the overall experience and draws players into its enchanting yet suspenseful world. The combination of fantasy, horror, and intimate character relationships contributes to a rich and engaging atmosphere that resonates with players.
- “The atmosphere is breathtaking and immediately captured my attention in the first chapter.”
- “The art, music, voice acting, etc. fits perfectly together and creates the atmosphere I love so much about Heart of the Woods.”
- “Atmosphere is eerie and at times threatening, though the romance more than balances it out.”
- “The atmosphere is at times sweet and calming, and at times oppressive and threatening, sometimes even frightening.”
- “Despite the flaws of its climax and antagonist, the art, sound, atmosphere, and characterization really set this one apart from most visual novels.”
character development
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
31%
23%
The character development in this visual novel is highly praised, with players noting the depth and progression of relationships that feel natural and engaging. The main character's initial annoyance is quickly overshadowed by significant growth, and the absence of typical anime archetypes enhances the authenticity of the characters. Overall, the game successfully intertwines character development with a compelling dark fantasy plot, making it a standout experience for fans of the genre.
- “Good character development and relationships with no anime archetypes that I can identify, and a brilliant dark fantasy plot to tie it all together.”
- “Tara took a bit longer to warm up to, but her character development was amazing.”
- “If you love visual novels that focus on character development and natural progression of relationships into romance, then this is the game for you.”
- “The main character might seem annoying at first glance, but the character development throughout the game quickly fixes that.”
- “I’d also like to add that the character development in the story is solid, and I ended up rooting for every girl to have a happy ending.”
- “Finally, the game doesn't really feel like it has a 'bad end.' Even the bad endings have character development and leave hope for the future, and I enjoyed them just as much, if not more than, the true ending.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in "Heart of the Woods" is characterized by its blend of funny, touching moments and character interactions, particularly between the pairs of young women. While the writing effectively incorporates humor, some reviewers noted that the character Tara's role as a stereotypical jokester occasionally undermined the emotional weight of certain scenes. Overall, the game is praised for its cute and magical adventure, making it a delightful experience for fans of yuri visual novels.
- “Heart of the Woods is a funny, touching, and occasionally suspenseful visual novel about two pairs of young women that find love and happiness with each other in the face of difficult odds.”
- “I really like watching the character development and seeing the funny ways they interact.”
- “One of the key strengths of the writing lies in the humor.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
The gameplay has been criticized for its lack of meaningful choices and interactivity, with some reviewers suggesting it would have been better as a traditional visual novel. However, the character perspective-switching mechanic and engaging writing helped maintain interest despite these shortcomings. Technical issues, such as lag and freezing, were also noted, detracting from the overall experience.
- “I love the main story mechanic, where you switch between character perspectives several times.”
- “The choice mechanic was unfulfilling and honestly felt unnecessary -- it would've worked better as a straight visual novel.”
- “I'm more into visual novels that have actual gameplay elements (or at least more choices) - I was disappointed in how few choices there were to make in this one - but the characters and writing kept me engaged long enough to get through the full game, which is more than I can say for most low-interactivity visual novels.”
- “Regarding the gameplay, I was surprised to find the visual novel actually lagging and freezing.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
While the overall performances in the game are praised, some users experienced unexpected performance issues, particularly given the game's visual novel format, suggesting potential compatibility problems on certain systems.
- “I wasn't expecting it at all, but it was a pleasant surprise; I love all of the performances.”
- “Had some performance issues which really surprised me considering this is a visual novel and my computer can run much more demanding games, so I probably just encountered some obscure compatibility problem.”
- “All of the performances are absolutely fantastic.”
- “I experienced significant performance issues, which surprised me given that this is a visual novel. My computer can handle much more demanding games, so I must have encountered some obscure compatibility problem.”
- “The game suffers from optimization problems that lead to frequent frame drops, making it difficult to enjoy the story.”
- “Despite the simple graphics, the game runs poorly on my system, which is frustrating and detracts from the overall experience.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is perceived as tedious and confusing, with players feeling that the choices made have little impact on the overall experience. Many suggest that the gameplay could be more engaging if it were presented as a narrative-driven format rather than requiring repetitive tasks.
- “As the name already implies, the vlog mainly revolves around Tara and supernatural stuff, while Madison mostly does the tedious tasks for her.”
- “Or even tedious.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Replayability is somewhat limited due to a lack of diverse player choices, but the high-quality voice acting enhances the experience enough that some players find themselves willing to replay the game.
- “Only a handful of player choices limits replayability.”
- “I do not usually play games twice, but this game is an exception because the voice acting added a lot to the replayability.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users report occasional freezing issues when hovering the cursor over menu options, indicating that the game's stability could be improved.
- “The game freezes occasionally when hovering the cursor over menu options.”
- “I experienced frequent crashes during gameplay, which severely impacted my experience.”
- “The game often stutters and lags, making it difficult to enjoy the overall experience.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

Heart of the Woods is a action game with fantasy, romance and mystery themes.

Heart of the Woods is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

Heart of the Woods was released on February 15, 2019.

Heart of the Woods was developed by Studio Élan.

Heart of the Woods has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Heart of the Woods is a single player game.

Similar games include Highway Blossoms, Please Be Happy, Love Ribbon, The Letter, Kindred Spirits on the Roof and others.

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