Love Bites
- June 1, 2018
- Winter Wolves
Get on Steam"Love Bites" is a visual novel game where players experience the life of a young vampire named Selene. She's just been kicked out of her nest and must navigate her new undead life while also dealing with romance and relationships. The game features multiple choices and endings based on the player's decisions.
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Reviews
- Charming graphics and character designs, with nice CGs that enhance the visual experience.
- The game successfully creates tension and creepy moments, making it an engaging horror experience.
- Diverse main characters with unique dynamics in their romances, adding variety to the gameplay.
- The plot resolution is the same across different main characters, leading to inconsistencies and a lack of depth in character interactions.
- Romantic choices can feel forced and uncomfortable, with questionable relationships that may not appeal to all players.
- The game suffers from repetitive gameplay and technical issues, including grammar mistakes and a lack of meaningful choices that affect the story.
- story22 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story is engaging and features a unique premise where the main character grapples with a curse, but it suffers from a linear plot and limited branching paths, making replayability less rewarding. While the narrative is immersive and the romance elements are well-integrated, many players felt that the resolution and character interactions could have been more developed, particularly with side characters. Overall, the story is enjoyable and atmospheric, though it leaves room for deeper exploration and complexity.
“I loved the story and fantasy going on within the game: you play a main character who has been cursed, slowly becoming aware of it and realizing there's a more supernatural side to their world, and working on fixing/getting rid of their curse.”
“It's a fun quick story to play through, and replaying as the other sibling and a new love interest was just as entertaining as the first playthrough.”
“While some horror games attempt to focus on providing visuals of blood and gore, 'Love Bites' opts instead to focus on the atmosphere and the mystery of what exactly is going on in the story.”
“Unfortunately, the plot resolution remains the same between main characters, and some things can be a bit weird.”
“There's not really a need to go back and replay after having already romanced your favorite romantic options, because the story is pretty much the same on each route with just varying differences.”
“Your choices make little to no difference to the direction of the story.”
- gameplay13 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing the mechanics as overly simplistic and lacking depth, particularly regarding the romance and job-raising systems. Others appreciate the straightforward nature of the gameplay, finding it accessible and immersive, as it ties into the storyline effectively. Overall, while the game offers an engaging narrative, its mechanics may feel underdeveloped to some players.
“The characters are interesting and the gameplay is rather simple, so anyone can get into it quickly.”
“Honestly, it felt a lot more like reading a visual novel, and it was relaxing not to have to keep track of a bunch of different game mechanics.”
“Not to say there were no game mechanics, as you still have to mind your stress level and energy, but for me at least those things tied directly into the storyline and added to the immersion.”
“The game mechanics I personally dislike include the need to romance all the romantic options until you have to break things off with them, the job-raising stats, and the date/buy gift mechanics.”
“Honestly, this feels like a wasted opportunity or missed potential due to bad mechanics, and the story is cobbled together poorly and does not actually answer questions.”
“Not as complex as I hoped for in terms of game mechanics.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics in "Love Bites" are praised for their strong art direction, featuring unique character designs and a cartoony style that enhances the Halloween atmosphere with autumn colors. While the game prioritizes atmospheric visuals over graphic violence, it still includes moments of body horror, contributing to its overall aesthetic reminiscent of classic horror films.
“This is a winter wolves game, so the one thing that they've managed to be consistent in is good art direction. For this project, they really nailed it with the unique character designs, and the art style has a more cartoony feel that adds to the Halloween charm, complemented by the nice autumn colors.”
“While some horror games attempt to focus on providing visuals of blood and gore, 'Love Bites' opts instead to focus on the atmosphere. It offers some very descriptive moments of body horror while maintaining a sense of mystery about what exactly is going on in the story.”
“I really love the artwork; it captures the essence of old horror movies beautifully.”
“That said, I have no idea what the costs of commissioning artwork are, so perhaps budget limited this.”
“While some horror games attempt to focus on providing visuals of blood and gore, 'Love Bites' opts instead to focus on the atmosphere (though to be fair, it will offer some very descriptive moments of body horror) and the mystery of what exactly is going on in the story.”
“This is a winter wolves game, so the one thing that they've managed to be consistent in is good art direction. However, for this project, they really nailed it with the unique character designs, but the art style feels a little too cartoony for the intended Halloween charm.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is considered low, with many players expressing uncertainty about revisiting it, even for different character perspectives or romance routes. The lack of additional content, such as unique CGs for each epilogue route, further diminishes the incentive to replay the game.
“It would have been nice to have a CG for each route to increase replay value for each character, especially since there are two epilogue routes for each love interest.”
“Not sure if I like it enough for replay value, or to play from the female perspective and re-romance everyone again.”
“Low replay value.”
“The problem is that this absolutely kills the replay value.”
“It would have been nice to have a CG for each route to increase replay value for each character, especially since there are two epilogue routes for each love interest.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is a mixed bag; while it effectively builds tension through mystery and subtle body horror, some players feel it lacks the creepiness expected from a horror title. The dream sequences contribute to the ambiance but may not fully satisfy those seeking a more intense horror experience. Overall, the balance between atmospheric storytelling and visual horror elements is noted as a key focus.
“While some horror games attempt to focus on providing visuals of blood and gore, 'Love Bites' opts instead to focus on the atmosphere, though to be fair it will offer some very descriptive moments of body horror and the mystery of what exactly is going on in the story.”
“The gore scenes are not exaggerated and are great for creating the game's atmosphere.”
“Maybe they should have added some scary elements to create a creepier atmosphere since it's supposed to be a horror game after all.”
“The dream scenes, while providing a bit of atmosphere, only add even more to this issue.”
“Maybe they should have added some scary elements to create a 'creepier' atmosphere since it's supposed to be a horror game after all.”
“While some horror games attempt to focus on providing visuals of blood and gore, 'Love Bites' opts instead to focus on the atmosphere (though to be fair, it will offer some very descriptive moments of body horror) and the mystery of what exactly is going on in the story.”
- character development3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is highlighted by the appealing character designs and art direction, with a gradual change in the main character's sprite adding depth. The unique, cartoony style and autumn color palette enhance the overall charm, contributing positively to the game's visual storytelling.
“Character design is not bad at all; the slow change of the main character's sprite is a welcome detail, and the CGs are especially nice to look at!”
“This is a Winter Wolves game, so one thing they have consistently excelled at is good art direction. For this project, they really nailed it with the unique character designs, as well as the art style being a little more cartoony for that Halloween charm, complemented by the nice autumn colors.”
“The art and character designs are really nice.”
- music3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with users highlighting a good soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
“The music is fantastic.”
“The soundtrack is really good.”
“The music enhances the overall experience.”
“The music is repetitive and lacks variety.”
“The soundtrack feels uninspired and doesn't enhance the gameplay.”
“The music doesn't fit the game's atmosphere and is often distracting.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the repetitive nature of job flavor text and a limited RNG pool. Additionally, the absence of grinding for experience or money has left some users feeling that the game lacks depth in progression.
“The flavor text on the jobs was random and lacked variety, making the grinding feel tedious. They probably should have just cut that part out, to be honest.”
“Grinding became a chore because the rewards felt repetitive and uninspired.”
“The lack of meaningful progression during grinding sessions made the experience feel like a waste of time.”
