Oblivious Garden ~Carmina Burana
- December 12, 2014
- DigitalEZ
Get on Steam"Oblivious Garden: Carmina Burana" is a romance fantasy visual novel where players assume the role of Irell Reis, a former general forced to live as a peasant after a devastating defeat. Summoned by the Emperor of Celantu, Irell seeks to restore his honor and reputation, navigating political intrigue and potentially romancing princesses along the way. The game is set in the mythical land of Latoy, where people live in peace and worship various gods.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a captivating story that blends love, politics, drama, and magic, with unique character arcs that keep players engaged.
- The art style and soundtrack are praised for their beauty and quality, enhancing the overall experience of the visual novel.
- The mini-game involving tea brewing adds a fun and interactive element to the gameplay, providing a unique twist to the visual novel format.
- The translation quality is inconsistent, leading to awkward phrasing and confusion in the narrative, which detracts from the overall immersion.
- Some characters, particularly side characters, are more interesting than the main cast, leaving players wanting more depth in the primary storylines.
- The voice acting quality varies, with some recordings sounding muffled or distant, which can disrupt the flow of the game.
- story141 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story is a complex blend of love, politics, and magic, featuring multiple routes that offer unique narratives centered around a former general and various princesses, each with their own distinct arcs. While some players find the storytelling engaging and deep, others criticize it for being confusing and poorly translated, leading to a lack of connection with the characters. Overall, the narrative is seen as intriguing but can be marred by pacing issues and inconsistencies in translation.
“The story is a combination of love, politics, drama, and magic, and it gets pretty wild occasionally.”
“The story is intriguing, with a fun bond-building loop before you get into any specific route.”
“The story touches on the horrors of war, redemption, gods and magic, and the lives of these princesses trapped in their beautiful cage.”
“Regarding the story itself, don't do like me, don't start with Dyanna's route; it is the most fleshed out and it's not representative of the other story's content.”
“Some of the plot lines are confusing as you progress, and you might wonder how everything fits into the miracle play.”
“So in the end, this is a visual novel that succeeds in just about every sector apart from its storyline, which is simply confusing and results in it being very hard to connect with the characters.”
- music60 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received a mixed reception, with many praising its beauty and ability to enhance the storytelling, while others note a lack of variety in the soundtrack that can lead to repetitiveness during long playthroughs. Some standout tracks, particularly the opening theme, have been highlighted as exceptional, and the overall composition is often described as fitting well with the game's atmosphere. However, a few users expressed dissatisfaction with specific tracks, particularly the intro music, which they found jarring.
“The musical score in this game complements the game’s story progression very nicely and helped to keep the player immersed in the story.”
“The artworks and the music are marvelous, really.”
“The soundtrack is phenomenal and I'm going to give them props for voicing most if not all of the female lines.”
“There are not enough soundtracks to illustrate accurately the various moments and emotions throughout the game.”
“I turned off all the music and still have to sit through the blaring and hideous music they play for the intro.”
“On the other hand, the translation is absolutely awful, and English-speaking players will need to read a lot of the lines over and over again to understand what's going on, and there are not that many different music tracks in the game, making long playthroughs a little tiring.”
- graphics33 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their unique retro anime art style and high resolution, with many reviewers highlighting the lovely character designs and beautiful backgrounds. While some noted that the background images could use more detail and that the overall graphics might not be as polished as other visual novels, the artwork and music are often described as fabulous and memorable, contributing significantly to the game's appeal. However, a few users felt that graphics were not a priority, emphasizing that the story and gameplay experience were more important.
“The art style is quite gorgeous if you're into retro anime type art.”
“The artwork is lovely and the character design is well done.”
“Thanks to the real replayability of this sort of 'four-stories-in-one' novel combined with the well-drawn graphics, I can't recommend it enough.”
“The graphics suck as well.”
“To the graphics, I found this game a bit inferior to the other visual novels, but it doesn't matter a lot to me; the most important point is the story.”
“- graphics not very well made in general”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay in this visual novel is characterized by meaningful choices that enhance player engagement, despite the genre's typical limitations. While there are some minor flaws, the overall experience is solid, with a notable baseball mini-game adding variety. Players may encounter slow loading times when accessing save files, but the absence of a "skip" option keeps the gameplay experience intact.
“I started this game with the (possibly stupid) idea of trying to get through a decent chunk of gameplay without resorting to a detailed walkthrough.”
“There were not that many flaws, and the ones that were present didn't significantly impact the gameplay.”
“I'll note that you don't get an option to really 'skip' the gameplay, but in some cases, you might experience a slow time with loading your save files.”
“VNs don't generally have much gameplay; however, this is not a kinetic visual novel: there are choices.”
“This is a visual novel, so there are no mechanics per se; however, there are the usual VN controls such as game saves, HUD remover (for screenshots), and basic audio adjusters.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a smooth transition between character models and a formal, mature ambiance, enhanced by rich and beautiful music that complements the narrative. While the overall atmosphere is stable and engaging, some players noted a lack of horror-themed soundtracks that could have intensified moments of fear. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout feature, making the experience worthwhile even beyond the story itself.
“The transitions from one character model to another were smooth in most instances and worked very well with the atmosphere of the game.”
“It is a mature and stable atmosphere that does not easily fade away during the game.”
“The music is... I don't know how to describe it - it suits the atmosphere of the story; maybe that's what makes the atmosphere of the story rich and beautiful.”
“The lack of horror background soundtracks can create an atmosphere of fear in some moments.”
“Even if not for the story, just its atmosphere is worth it.”
“The music is... I don't know how to describe it - it suits the atmosphere of the story, maybe it's what makes the atmosphere of the story rich and beautiful.”
- emotional5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game effectively conveys a wide range of emotions through its character models and storytelling, allowing players to deeply connect with the protagonist, Irell. Unlike lighter visual novels, it offers a serious and touching narrative that resonates on both emotional and mental levels, making it one of the most impactful experiences for players.
“This visual novel does just that: it made me feel emotions, as if I was Irell (the main protagonist).”
“This was one of the most emotional games I have played and really touched me in ways that were both emotional and mental; this game is impressive.”
“From the perspective of comedies such as Nekopara or Sakura series, this visual novel contains less whimsical or funny content. The story of Oblivious Garden is rather serious but more touching and beautiful.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers strong replayability due to its multiple distinct routes and well-developed characters, allowing players to experience a rich narrative from different perspectives. Despite being shorter than some visual novels, the engaging story and appealing graphics enhance the desire to replay it.
“Although it is a bit short compared to some other visual novels of the same type, the multiple routes that are completely different from each other provide great replayability for those who want more.”
“The story is well done and has significant replay value because each princess has a complex personality, and the main protagonist has a solid backbone.”
“Thanks to the true replayability of this 'four-stories-in-one' novel combined with the well-drawn graphics, I can't recommend it enough.”
“The story is well done and has big replay value because each princess has a complex personality and the main protagonist has a solid backbone.”
“Thanks to the real replayability of this sort of 'four-stories-in-one' novel combined with the well-drawn graphics, I can't recommend it enough.”
- character development4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development is praised for its excellent design and distinct personalities, with users highlighting the appealing artwork. However, there are suggestions that the backgrounds could be improved to enhance the overall experience.
“But overall, excellent character design and personalities.”
“The artwork is lovely and the character design is well done.”
“Excellent character design and personalities.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in this visual novel is generally more subdued compared to lighter comedies like Nekopara or the Sakura series, focusing instead on a serious and touching narrative. However, players can find comedic moments, particularly in Leira's route, where the banter between characters adds a humorous touch, and the player vs. AI battle system in Little Busters introduces random, funny elements that influence the game's endings.
“If you are to find the funniest route which possesses the most jokes, I would suggest you try Leira's route. The dialogue between Irell and Leira is not too friendly (no bad words) but sometimes funny (since Leira is a tsundere).”
“In Little Busters, there is a player vs. AI battle system that takes place (random and funny) and that will affect some endings you can earn in the game.”
