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Juniper's Knot

Juniper's Knot Game Cover
96%Game Brain Score
story, music
gameplay, grinding
96% User Score Based on 233 reviews

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Juniper's Knot Game Cover

About

Juniper's Knot is a single player action game. It was developed by Dischan Media and was released on August 29, 2017. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Juniper's Knot is a short (~30 mins) kinetic novel about the meeting of a demon and a boy. A kinetic novel is a game that uses text, sound, and illustrations to tell a story.

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Juniper's Knot screenshot
Juniper's Knot screenshot
Juniper's Knot screenshot
Juniper's Knot screenshot
Juniper's Knot screenshot
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96%
Audience ScoreBased on 233 reviews
story90 positive mentions
gameplay3 negative mentions
  • Juniper's Knot features beautiful artwork and a captivating soundtrack that enhance the emotional depth of the story.
  • The narrative is well-written, managing to create a strong connection between the characters in a short amount of time.
  • As a free visual novel, it offers a compelling and impactful experience that is accessible to all players.
  • The game is very short, which may leave players wanting more in terms of story and character development.
  • There are no gameplay choices, making it more of a linear reading experience rather than an interactive game.
  • Some players may find the dialogue style challenging due to its archaic language, which could detract from the overall experience.
  • story
    227 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Juniper's Knot" is a beautifully crafted, short kinetic visual novel that explores themes of loneliness, redemption, and human connection through the poignant interaction between a boy and a fiend. Despite its brief runtime of 30-60 minutes, the narrative is rich and emotionally impactful, enhanced by stunning artwork and a captivating soundtrack. While some players wished for a longer experience, the concise storytelling effectively conveys depth and leaves a lasting impression.

    • “The story is beautifully written, weaving together themes of loneliness, redemption, and the power of human connection in a way that feels both intimate and profound.”
    • “What truly stands out about Juniper's Knot is its ability to tell such a compelling story in a short amount of time.”
    • “The story is short, linear, but beautiful.”
    • “The characters are really flat and the story goes nowhere.”
    • “I like the music, but the short runtime really hurts this visual novel considering it doesn't have enough time to develop characters or story in a meaningful way.”
    • “From the start, I felt lacklustered by the plot and how the story was unfolding.”
  • music
    87 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the emotional depth and atmosphere of the story, with many reviewers highlighting the soundtrack as a standout feature that complements the visuals and narrative beautifully. The sound design, including well-timed silence and ambient effects, further immerses players in the experience, making it a memorable aspect of the game. Overall, the music is described as beautiful, touching, and integral to the storytelling, contributing significantly to the game's overall impact.

    • “The music perfectly complements the tone of the game, adding to the overall emotional experience without ever overpowering it.”
    • “The first thing I want to compliment is the soundtrack-- don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the art and the plot, but the music was what really stuck with me all these years.”
    • “The music, ahhh, normally I don't talk about music but the song 'Open My Heart' specifically really touches me; it's so beautiful.”
    • “I can't believe the music direction on this visual novel.”
    • “There is nothing to do but click next, listen to a few mediocre songs and read the cringiest writing go exactly towards the adolescent wish fulfillment you’d expect.”
    • “My only minor issue is that the music is a little too loud, just set it to about 75% of its default and you should be good.”
  • emotional
    36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of "Juniper's Knot" is widely praised for its ability to evoke strong feelings through a beautifully crafted narrative, stunning art, and a captivating soundtrack. Reviewers highlight the touching relationships between characters and the depth of the story, which, despite its brevity, leaves a lasting impact and resonates deeply with players. Overall, it is described as a heartfelt experience that effectively pulls at the heartstrings, making it a memorable and worthwhile visual novel.

    • “The art style is stunning, with each scene beautifully crafted to enhance the emotional depth of the narrative.”
    • “The dialogue is sharp and well-crafted, and the relationship between the two main characters is both touching and believable.”
    • “It's a kinetic novel, so you can't influence the plot in any way, but it's not really an issue when you play it, as it's simply a captivating, emotional short story - well-written, beautifully illustrated and with a climactic soundtrack.”
  • graphics
    34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the visual novel are widely praised for their stunning anime art style, which enhances the emotional depth of the narrative and creates a captivating atmosphere. Many reviewers highlight the beautiful artwork and backgrounds, noting that they contribute significantly to the overall experience, despite some criticism regarding resolution limitations and occasional average visuals. Overall, the combination of impressive art, sound design, and storytelling is seen as a strong point of the game.

    • “The art style is stunning, with each scene beautifully crafted to enhance the emotional depth of the narrative.”
    • “The visuals also helped with the plot, as it made me feel captivated.”
    • “The graphics are nice and have a rather high quality, which, as far as I can judge, isn't that common in free-to-play visual novels / kinetic novels.”
    • “Resolution is locked and can't be changed, so you get to look at all the average artwork and terrible writing in blurry low resolution.”
    • “The graphics are nothing major, only a few scenes.”
    • “The story is poor, the graphics are so-so, the scenery barely changes which makes the story a bit boring.”
  • atmosphere
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its detailed character designs, immersive backgrounds, and effective sound design, which together create a captivating experience. The combination of beautiful artwork, evocative music, and well-timed silence enhances the emotional depth of the story, resulting in a cohesive and engaging atmosphere that draws players into the world. Overall, the integration of visual and auditory elements contributes to a rich and immersive environment that resonates with players.

    • “The character designs and backgrounds are detailed and atmospheric, drawing you into the world of the story.”
    • “The sound design also added a lot to the experience; the music, while not plentiful, was decently atmospheric, and the developers knew when to make good use of tactical silence to emphasize the mood of certain moments, enhanced by sound effects like the crackling of fire or the crunch of footsteps.”
    • “The art, the story, the music, and the sounds are all really well done and create a great atmosphere and an immersive experience.”
    • “The soundtrack, the storytelling, the direction, the art, the atmosphere... everything simply blends with each other.”
    • “The sound design, the atmosphere, the visuals, the click-feedback, everything just felt really 'chunky' and 'right' in a really nice way.”
    • “It was a great example of a lucky draw: artwork, music, plot, visual and sound effects miraculously combined to make a very whole atmosphere.”
  • gameplay
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay aspect of this title is minimal, as it primarily functions as a visual/interactive novel with no significant gameplay mechanics. Players can expect a short narrative experience, lasting around 1 to 1.5 hours, but the quality of the writing has been criticized as subpar. Overall, the game is more about clicking through dialogue than engaging in traditional gameplay.

    • “I'd say it's more like 1-1.5 hours of gameplay, depending on your reading speed, as opposed to the advertised 30 minutes, but I see this as a good thing.”
    • “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 presents the question, 'how did something this badly written end up on Steam?'”
    • “If you have a spare hour, I highly recommend it despite the fact that, as mentioned in the description, there is no gameplay; it's purely a narrative experience.”
    • “A short and sweet story (no gameplay).”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users find humor in the irony of negative reviews for the visual novel, where critics complain about the lack of choices and excessive reading, yet admit that the game lingers in their thoughts. This juxtaposition highlights the game's unexpected impact despite its perceived shortcomings.

    • “I always find it kind of funny when I look at the negative reviews for a visual novel and some of them say, 'There's so much reading and there's no choices?'”
    • “But the funny thing is, I kept thinking about the game over and over again.”
  • grinding
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, likening it to the slow progression of visual novels where players must click through text at a frustratingly slow pace, detracting from the overall enjoyment despite the appealing art.

    • “The art is really nice and I like what it's going for, but I just found the end result kind of tedious.”
    • “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.”
  • character development
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development is praised for its detailed designs and rich backgrounds, which effectively immerse players in the game's narrative and world.

    • “The character designs and backgrounds are detailed and atmospheric, drawing you into the world of the story.”
    • “The growth of each character throughout the game is incredibly well-crafted, making their journeys feel authentic and relatable.”
    • “I love how the choices I make influence the characters' development, adding depth to their personalities and relationships.”
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5h Median play time
5h Average play time
5-5h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Juniper's Knot is a action game.

Juniper's Knot is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

On average players spend around 5 hours playing Juniper's Knot.

Juniper's Knot was released on August 29, 2017.

Juniper's Knot was developed by Dischan Media.

Juniper's Knot has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Juniper's Knot is a single player game.

Similar games include Love Ribbon, Sepia Tears, Sounds of Her Love, Palinurus, eden* and others.