How to Take Off Your Mask
- July 10, 2015
- ROSEVERTE
Get on Steam"How to Take Off Your Mask" is a single-player Anime Simulation game with an intriguing story and good soundtrack. Experience a cute fantasy romance visual novel as you uncover the truth behind your partner's mask and discover a side of them you never knew. Explore the mysteries and develop your relationship in this captivating game.
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Reviews
- The game features beautiful art and well-produced music, enhancing the overall experience.
- The characters are likable and the story, while simple, is cute and engaging, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.
- The game offers a fully voiced experience with Japanese voice acting, which adds to the charm and immersion.
- The story is relatively short and leaves many questions unanswered, which can be frustrating for players seeking a more complete narrative.
- There is only one romanceable character, which limits the choices and variety in the gameplay.
- Some players found the dialogue and character reactions to be overly exaggerated and childish, detracting from the overall experience.
- story154 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of "How to Take Off Your Mask" is a charming yet somewhat predictable coming-of-age tale centered around Lilia, a girl who unexpectedly transforms into a catgirl, exploring themes of honesty and vulnerability in relationships. While the narrative is light-hearted and features engaging characters, many reviewers noted that it lacks depth and originality, with some plot elements feeling rushed or underdeveloped. Overall, it serves as a cute introduction to the otome genre, though it may leave players wanting more substantial storytelling and character development.
“A cute coming-of-age story about learning to be honest about your feelings to the people you care about via the narrative device of waking up one day as a catgirl.”
“Really loved this story, interesting world and beautiful art.”
“The story was well-written in terms of making the reader/player want to understand the characters even more, and to keep playing.”
“Unfortunately, this ends up being a downside of the game because once you finish one route, the second one becomes a bit boring since essentially the story is the same aside from a few slight differences and Lilia’s appearance.”
“The plot twists did not result in anything twisted but simply unfitting, as in the midst of slightly chaotic scenarios, random new information would be brought up suddenly all at once.”
“The fact this title recounts all of the hidden secrets at once towards the end also causes a noticeable lack of savoring the story development.”
- music31 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its quality and the catchy theme song that lingers in players' minds. However, some reviewers noted the limited number of tracks, leading to a repetitive experience over time. Overall, the soundtrack complements the game's visuals and voice acting, contributing positively to the overall atmosphere.
“The theme song is actually stuck in my head right now.”
“The music is great, and they know how to make me laugh every time I go through it.”
“Although this game was released back in 2015, its cute and funny comedic moments, charming style of artwork, and pleasant background music make this title one of Roseverte's most unforgettable classics.”
“- not a lot of different music tracks which made the music go repetitive very fast”
“I personally got a little irritated by the 'scary' background music (when something bad was about to happen) because it was the same as in 'Mad Father' (a horror RPG Maker game), if I'm correct.”
“I can't figure out if there's stock music or new music; some of it seems familiar to past games, it's nondescript so I can't tell.”
- graphics28 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally considered outdated, reflecting the visual preferences of its release period, yet they maintain a cute and charming art style that resonates with players. While some users find the character art and backgrounds inconsistent and occasionally blurry, the overall color palette and design elements, including the dialogue window, are praised for their pleasantness. Despite the lack of customization options for resolution and graphics settings, the artwork is described as satisfactory, with many appreciating the cute sprites and engaging voice acting.
“The dialogue window’s design is very refreshing and the graphics overall do present a pleasant color palette.”
“The cute and simple art style harmonizes well with the rest of the game, even if the artwork is partially undetailed and blurry, which is especially obvious when it's zooming closer to the characters.”
“Although this game was released back in 2015, its cute and funny comedic moments, charming style of artwork, and pleasant background music make this title one of Roseverte's most unforgettable classics.”
“The graphics are a bit outdated but fit the visual preferences from back then.”
“There's no way for gamers to try to improve the low-quality visuals.”
“The cute and simple art style harmonizes well with the rest of the game even if the artwork is partially undetailed and blurry, which is especially obvious when it's zooming closer to the characters.”
- humor6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The humor in the visual novel is described as a mix of cute and silly moments, with some users finding it charming despite its clichés and predictability. While some elements, like overused sound effects, detracted from the comedic experience, the overall execution is considered well done and enjoyable, making it a suitable entry point for newcomers to the genre.
“All critique aside, it is nonetheless a cute as well as funny visual novel that is nicely written and it's additionally a great entry-level title if you haven't played visual novels or otome before since you do not risk being overwhelmed with countless routes or a complex story, which gives you a good chance to consider whether you are going to like this genre or not.”
“There are a lot of cliché moments but as a whole it is well executed and, at times, very funny.”
“Although this game was released back in 2015, its cute and funny comedic moments, charming style of artwork, and pleasant background music make this title one of roseverte's most unforgettable classics.”
“This whole visual novel was silly in an unfunny way; the 'shocked' sound effect was overused and went off every 30 seconds or so. The main character got jealous of herself, and the plot twists were predictable from chapter one.”
“The humor fell flat and felt forced, making it hard to take the story seriously.”
“I expected some clever jokes, but instead, it was just a series of cringe-worthy moments that missed the mark.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this visual/interactive novel is criticized for its lack of depth, primarily consisting of poorly written dialogue and minimal interactivity, with only two unique routes available. While it offers multiple save slots for different choices, the overall experience is short and may not justify its price, leading some to recommend waiting for a sale. Despite these shortcomings, players report no significant bugs affecting gameplay.
“The game has plenty of save slots to allow different gameplay and dialogue choices to be made during the game.”
“Gameplay does not appear to have any bugs at all.”
“This game is rather short (I am a huge speed reader, so actual gameplay was less than an hour for me).”
“As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay; it's just a lot of clicking through badly written dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print, which poses the question, 'how did something this badly written end up on Steam?'”
“With that said, in terms of gameplay, there is a bit lacking.”
“I'd wait for a sale for the game because there are only 2 unique routes and $15 for only a few hours of gameplay is a lot.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a heartwarming narrative that explores the evolving relationship between childhood friends as they transition into lovers, filled with endearing misunderstandings. Players find the story touching and cute, contributing to an overall sense of warmth and connection.
“It's really cute and heartwarming to watch their relationship slowly change from childhood friends to lovers, and how they misunderstand each other even in situations that are almost impossible to misunderstand.”
“The story is cute and quite heartwarming.”
“It's a very touching story.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of visual novels and e-books tedious, likening it to a frustrating experience where progress is hindered by the need to click through text at a slow pace, rather than enjoying a seamless reading experience. This repetitive clicking can detract from the overall enjoyment, making the gameplay feel more like a chore than an engaging narrative.
“Visual novels/e-books are tedious at best... imagine the best novel you ever read, be that Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or 2001: A Space Odyssey or Twilight (if you have terrible taste in literature), but then translate that to a format where the words dribble out and you have to click your mouse every time you want to read the next sentence, instead of just turning the pages.”
“Play time is primarily spent on card farming.”
- character development2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is generally well-paced, with players finding the characters likable; however, some feel that while the character designs and music are appealing, the overall story lacks depth.
“The story and character development are paced well, and the characters are very likable.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players note that the game offers a degree of replayability, suggesting that there are elements that encourage returning to play again.
“This game definitely has a lot of replay value.”
“The variety of choices and outcomes makes each playthrough feel fresh.”
“I love how different strategies can lead to completely different experiences.”
“This game does appear to have some replay value.”
“The lack of diverse gameplay options makes it hard to want to replay.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to go back.”
