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, effectively blending horror elements with the story.
- Multiple romance options with different dynamics add variety, and the story is engaging with a supernatural twist.
- The plot resolution is the same across different main characters, leading to inconsistencies and a lack of meaningful choices.
- Forced romantic situations, including relationships with a stepsister and other questionable dynamics, can be off-putting.
- The game suffers from technical issues, repetitive gameplay, and a lack of substantial replay value, making it feel tedious over time.
- story44 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story revolves around a main character cursed and gradually discovering the supernatural elements of their world while trying to lift the curse. While the narrative is engaging and atmospheric, it suffers from a linear plot structure where choices have minimal impact, and romance routes lead to the exclusion of other characters. Despite these limitations, many players find the story enjoyable and recommend it for its intriguing premise and integration of romance.
“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.”
“The romance fits neatly into the story without making it feel strangely out of place.”
“There's not really a need to go back and replay after having already romanced your favorite romance 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.”
“The plot only branches when you pick a love interest, and by that point you suddenly aren't allowed to interact with all the other romanceable characters, which is kind of a letdown.”
- gameplay26 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing the mechanics as overly simplistic and lacking depth, particularly the need to romance multiple characters and the job-related stat-raising. Others appreciate the straightforward nature of the gameplay, finding it accessible and immersive, as it ties into the storyline without overwhelming players with complex mechanics. Overall, while the writing and character development are praised, the gameplay is seen as a missed opportunity for greater complexity.
“The characters are interesting and the gameplay is rather simple, so anyone can get into it rather 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.”
“Honestly, this thing feels like a wasted opportunity or missed potential due to bad mechanics and the fact that not only is the story cobbled together poorly but does not actually like answering questions.”
“Seriously, the mechanics in this game are not great.”
“Also, the money mechanic and presents were pointless unless you're aiming for a Steam achievement.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 25 % 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 depictions of horror, it still includes moments of body horror, contributing to its overall aesthetic appeal reminiscent of classic horror films.
“I've loved the old horror movie style; the artwork is really good.”
“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.”
“That said, I have no idea what the costs of commissioning artwork are, so perhaps budget limited this.”
“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, as well as the art style being a little bit more cartoony for that Halloween charm, along with the nice autumn colors.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has been criticized for its low replay value, with many players feeling that the lack of additional content, such as unique CGs for each epilogue route, diminishes the incentive to replay. While some express interest in exploring different perspectives or romance options, the general consensus is that the game does not offer enough variety to warrant multiple playthroughs.
“It's always nice to have more CG, particularly as there are two epilogue routes for each love interest. It would have been great to have a CG for each route to increase replay value for each character.”
“Not sure if I like it enough for replay value, though, or to play as the female perspective and re-romance everyone again.”
“The problem is that this absolutely kills the replay value.”
“Always nice to have more CG; particularly as there are two epilogue routes for each love interest, it would have been nice to have a CG for each route to increase replay value for each character.”
“Low replay value.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "Love Bites" is primarily driven by its focus on mystery and subtle body horror rather than overt gore, which some players feel could benefit from a creepier tone. While dream sequences contribute to the overall ambiance, they may not fully capture the horror essence expected in the genre. Overall, the game's atmosphere is a blend of intrigue and understated horror, though some reviewers suggest it could be enhanced with more chilling elements.
“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 to create the game's atmosphere.”
“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 development6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is highlighted by the unique and appealing character designs, with a gradual change in the main character's sprite adding depth to their evolution. The art direction is praised for its cartoony style and autumn colors, enhancing the overall charm of the game. Overall, the visual presentation significantly contributes to the characters' development and engagement.
“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 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, as well as the art style being a little bit more cartoony for that Halloween charm, along with the nice autumn colors.”
“Nice art and character designs.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received positive feedback, 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.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the repetitive and limited flavor text associated with jobs, which detracts from the experience. Additionally, the absence of grinding for experience or money is noted, suggesting a desire for more engaging progression mechanics.
“The flavor text on the jobs was random and lacked depth, making the grinding feel tedious. They probably should have just cut that bit out, to be honest.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding became exhausting, especially when the rewards felt minimal and uninspired.”
“I found the grinding to be a chore, as it often felt like I was just going through the motions without any real sense of progress or achievement.”
