Nova Hearts

About

Nova Hearts is a single player role playing game with fantasy and romance themes. It was developed by Lightbulb Crew and was released on June 19, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

In Nova Hearts, you play as Luce, a magical girl who returns to her hometown for summer only to discover mysterious cosmic powers and hidden threats. Combining turn-based strategy with dating sim elements, you text, date, and fight alongside friends to uncover secrets and explore various romantic and friendship paths. Dive into this vibrant adventure filled with cosmic battles and heartfelt connections.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 52 reviews

story17 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

The art style and character designs are beautiful and engaging, contributing to a visually appealing experience.
The writing features humorous and relatable dialogue, with a diverse cast that adds depth to the characters and their interactions.
The game explores themes of non-monogamy and LGBTQ+ representation in a thoughtful manner, making it appealing to fans of dating sims.

The combat system is slow, tedious, and often frustrating, with a lack of meaningful upgrades and a reliance on RNG that detracts from the overall experience.
Player choices in romance and character interactions feel limited and often lead to unsatisfying outcomes, undermining the narrative's potential.
The pacing of the story is uneven, with a rushed ending that leaves many plot points unresolved and a lack of player agency in character relationships.

story
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
53%
7%
The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its engaging characters and beautiful art style, while others criticize its pacing, linearity, and lack of meaningful choices. Many found the narrative enjoyable but felt it was undermined by combat mechanics, which some preferred to skip entirely. Overall, while the story has its merits, it may not fully satisfy those seeking a deep or complex narrative experience.
- “The art style is beautiful and the story is very engaging.”
- “Great game with a beautiful story and many enjoyable moments!”
- “I loved the game, the art is fantastic and the story is engaging throughout the whole game.”
- “And all I got was a bunch of horny characters that talk about how hot everyone is and a half-baked story with a rushed ending.”
- “Pacing and story structure are quite bad, with scenes that seem to be missing and the game jumping from one thing to another while having moments that almost feel like filler.”
- “As it stands, Nova Hearts has a very linear story structure, and as such leaves few windows to explore beyond the immediate narrative.”
gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
60%
15%
The gameplay features a mix of engaging combat mechanics and a dating-sim element, with players appreciating the unique combat system despite its occasional difficulty spikes and frustrating RNG elements. While the character interactions and overall vibe are well-received, some players find the save-loading process cumbersome and the relationship mechanics lacking depth. Overall, the gameplay is seen as enjoyable but can be polarizing due to its balance between challenge and ease.
- “Cool characters, chill music, nice gameplay if a little tough at times.”
- “I really liked the combat mechanics and how deceptively simple they are; it was fun to experiment with skills and combos in each fight, trying to understand the best tactic for each.”
- “It's doubly frustrating because the turn-based, timeline mechanic with stacking party member combos is genuinely a pretty cool idea.”
- “The 'final' boss is such a bulls**t of RNG and tedious mechanics that I can't believe it passed any form of play-testing.”
- “But the romance system and gameplay is so frustrating to play, I just can’t recommend it.”
- “Gameplay was fine mostly, but it’s either way too easy or frustratingly hard; there was nothing in between.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
33%
25%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful art style and engaging animations, with many reviewers highlighting the distinct graphical styles used in different game components. The artwork, particularly in transformation scenes, is described as gorgeous, contributing to an overall positive visual experience, despite some criticism regarding other gameplay elements.
- “The art style is beautiful and the story is very engaging.”
- “I really like the animation and the art style.”
- “And, can't say it enough, the artwork in the transformation scenes is gorgeous!”
- “The game uses different graphical styles for the different components of the game (e.g. the way that the characters are drawn/modeled is different in the visual novel section than in the battle sections, as well as in the animated cutscenes).”
- “The visuals and audio are inconsistent, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “While I adore the artwork in this game, the graphical inconsistencies can be jarring.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
42%
29%
The music in the game is praised for its stylized and fitting compositions, with relaxing instrumental tracks for casual moments and upbeat themes during combat. Reviewers appreciate the catchy melodies that enhance the overall gameplay experience, contributing to the game's charming atmosphere.
- “The music, backgrounds, and combat animations are very stylized and fun.”
- “The music is instrumental and depending on the scene it can be very relaxing (like when you're chilling on your phone and messaging) and in battle it is more upbeat (you know, fighting music).”
- “The music is catchy and very fitting of the familiar but fresh vibe of Vermillion.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be slow, tedious, and repetitive, particularly criticizing the combat mechanics and the forced integration of the dating sim elements. Many reviewers express frustration with the lack of engaging gameplay, noting that the final boss battle is especially problematic due to its reliance on RNG and tedious mechanics. Overall, grinding is seen as the weakest part of the game, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The combat is tedious and repetitive; there are issues with both the narrative pacing and the dialogue choices, and the dating sim component is a bit shallow and quite forced on the player.”
- “The basic setup is standard—pick skills, target enemies—but as the game progresses, fights become tedious.”
- “It is easily the worst part of the game, and engaging in it ranges from tedious to outright aggravating.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by a diverse cast of characters that provide entertaining interactions, with players having the option to adopt a mischievous approach for comedic effect. The main trio is particularly noted for their relatable and humorous dynamics, contributing to a fun and engaging experience. Overall, the humor is described as lively and enjoyable, albeit sometimes slow-paced.
- “The diversity in the game is top tier, and these characters are very fun to interact with. You can also be an absolute bastard in this game if you want to be, which can be pretty funny.”
- “The main trio are hilarious dorks—lively, relatable, and real.”
- “Slow but fun and sometimes funny.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report experiencing numerous glitches, leading to concerns about the overall stability of the game and uncertainty about missing content.
- “There are quite a lot of glitches, and I'm unsure if I've missed anything.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it hard to enjoy the experience.”
- “I encountered numerous bugs that disrupted my gameplay.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
33%
Replayability is hindered by the lack of a skip function for battles and tutorials, as well as the absence of a mid-game load option for correcting choices. Additionally, players may find it frustrating that photos do not save after completing the game. However, those who are not concerned with multiple playthroughs may not see these issues as significant drawbacks.
- “The game offers a variety of choices and paths, making each playthrough feel unique and engaging.”
- “With multiple endings and character interactions, I found myself wanting to replay the game to explore different outcomes.”
- “The diverse gameplay mechanics and story branches encourage you to dive back in for a fresh experience each time.”
- “It's a little hard to replay since there is no skip function and you have to refight every battle, including tutorial portions. Photos don't seem to save after you finish the game (I might be missing something), and there is no load function mid-game. If you make the wrong choice and want to go back, you have to exit and load from the menu. These issues only affect replayability, so if you don't care about doing multiple runs, I don't really have any cons there.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its charming and engaging atmosphere, contributing positively to the overall experience.
- “This game has a nice charm and atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into its world.”
- “Every detail contributes to a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that keeps you engaged.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers praise the character development for its impressive art and striking character designs, noting that the visual elements effectively engage players and enhance the overall experience.
- “The art really pulls you in, and the character designs pop with great fashion.”
- “For some positives, the art and character designs are great!”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its emotional depth, featuring heartwarming portrayals of queer characters who experience love and support from their friends and family, alongside moments that blend humor and sensuality.
- “It was heartwarming to see so many queer characters surrounded by love and support from their friends and family.”