Once on a windswept night

About

In "Once on a Windswept Night," a traveling merchant finds themselves in a mysterious church on a stormy night, after being betrayed by a goblin. With a 40k word script, this yuri visual novel features multiple branches and choices, as well as challenging achievements to unlock. Custom sprites and a melancholic atmosphere add to the intrigue of this GxG mystery.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 123 reviews

story39 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

Once on a Windswept Night features a creative and engaging metafictional narrative that intertwines multiple stories, providing a unique reading experience.
The game is free to play and offers high-quality writing, charming characters, and a touching emotional journey that resonates with players.
The art and music complement the storytelling well, enhancing the overall atmosphere and making it a delightful experience for visual novel fans.

The game suffers from bugs and crashes, particularly when trying to achieve 100% completion, which can lead to frustration for players.
The gameplay can feel repetitive due to the need to restart the story multiple times to unlock different endings and achievements, which may detract from the overall enjoyment.
Some players found the visuals to be simplistic and lacking in variety, which may not meet the expectations for a visual novel.

story
144 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
70%
3%
The story of "Once on a Windswept Night" is a metafictional narrative that intricately weaves multiple layers of storytelling, inviting players to explore a tale that evolves with each reading. While some find the structure engaging and emotionally resonant, others criticize its repetitiveness and occasional lack of depth. Overall, the game is praised for its touching themes, character development, and unique storytelling approach, making it a compelling experience for fans of visual novels.
- “Once on a windswept night is a metafictional story about reading a story that keeps changing the more you read it.”
- “The story is touching and almost made me cry... again... what is up with Ebi Hime and her stories making me cry?”
- “What’s stunning about this novel is that it is an interwoven story of stories, and each attempt to find new paths reveals more and more of that story.”
- “Having to restart the story over and over again is tedious and repetitive.”
- “The story itself was pretty lame considering.”
- “There was nothing to this story.”
emotional
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised, with many players expressing that the touching story made them cry, often multiple times. Reviewers highlight the depth of the characters and the heartfelt writing, which culminates in a sweet and satisfying ending that resonates deeply. Overall, the game is recognized for its ability to evoke strong emotions through its well-crafted narrative and engaging storytelling.
- “The longer the story was, the more heartbreaking it was, though the true ending was really, really sweet to read.”
- “The writing is really lovely, funny and sharp at some points and highly emotional at others, and gives the characters depth with few words.”
- “A touching tale is woven creatively throughout this game.”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
26%
16%
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and emotional impact, with standout tracks like "my beloved" and two voiced songs at the end receiving particular acclaim. Reviewers note that the soundtrack enhances the overall experience, complementing the story and visuals beautifully, making it a significant aspect of the game. Despite some simplicity in the music and art, the overall presentation is described as lovely and effective in conveying the game's themes.
- “The music elevates the moments, sincere or tongue-in-cheek, and helps to bring the whole experience together.”
- “The quality of the visuals and the music is extremely high, not to mention the amount of content included, in this completely free game.”
- “This game was wonderful, great music, art and of course, story.”
- “The art and music are rather simple, but apart from one sprite, I quite enjoyed them.”
- “Music and CGs are not many, but we have everything we would need to get a decent feel from the story; characters could've been a little more unusual, more like 'Lycoris'.”
- “Even with the lack of CGs, the art and music in this VN were beautifully done, as in all other Ebi-hime VNs I've ever read.”
graphics
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
41%
18%
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with many users praising the cute art style and character designs that enhance the overall charm of the visual novel. While some noted that the visuals are simplistic and may not appeal to everyone, the quality is considered impressive for a free game, with beautiful backgrounds and captivating characters. However, a few users expressed disappointment over the limited number of CG artworks available.
- “The quality of the visuals and the music is extremely high, not to mention the amount of content included, in this completely free game.”
- “The art style was really cute considering the story it was paired with, and I think it added to the charm of the visual novel.”
- “Once on a windswept night has beautiful artwork, captivating characters, and nice music.”
- “I could see it as a regular visual novel that would be sold for 5 euros or so if the visuals and audio were upgraded.”
- “Visuals are very simplistic; however, they are well done, and for a free game, it’s more than enough.”
- “The only dissatisfaction for me is the lack of CG artworks; they are quality but few. However, it's a free game, so I think it's okay.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The gameplay is characterized as a standard visual novel with multiple choices and different endings, featuring only female characters. While some players noted minor issues and a lack of explanation for game mechanics, the overall experience is enhanced by beautiful artwork and a unique, engaging style that keeps players invested for about two hours.
- “For what concerns gameplay, it's a standard visual novel with only female characters; it features multiple choices, different endings, and very beautiful artwork on the backgrounds and the characters.”
- “This game, in its mechanics, will mess with you and you will like it.”
- “There are some minor issues, the artwork might not be to everyone's taste, and the repetitive style of gameplay throughout the experience can be off-putting.”
- “There is no explanation of game mechanics.”
- “As for gameplay, it's a standard visual novel with only female characters; it features multiple choices, different endings, but ultimately lacks depth.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players find the game highly replayable, citing its engaging narrative, numerous achievements, and multiple endings as key factors that encourage repeated playthroughs. The emotional depth and charm of the game further enhance its replay value, making it a delightful experience worth revisiting.
- “Really cute game with lots of fun replayability.”
- “This was an experience to read, and it had a good amount of replay value due to all the achievements.”
- “Short narrative with plenty of replayability to aim for the hard-to-reach ending.”
- “Well written, emotional, and has a ton of replay value.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in "Once on a Windswept Night" is characterized by sharp, witty dialogue and clever meta humor, including notable fourth wall breaks that elicit genuine laughter. The writing balances comedic moments with emotional depth, enhancing the overall experience of the visual novel.
- “If you want a quick, couple-hour visual novel with yuri, romance, some meta humor, and slightly off-putting fourth wall breaking, give 'Once on a Windswept Night' a read.”
- “The writing is really lovely, funny, and sharp at some points, and highly emotional at others, giving the characters depth with few words.”
- “There are some serious fourth wall moments here that made me laugh out loud a few times, especially as my computer puts itself in a deep sleep in protest.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and repetitive, particularly due to the need to repeatedly restart the story to progress and achieve certain milestones. This leads to frustration as they wait for new content while replaying familiar sections.
- “Having to restart the story over and over again is tedious and repetitive.”
- “I really dislike having to rewind a story multiple times just to progress; it makes the experience tedious and repetitive, waiting for the game to get to new parts, but without knowing when that'll happen.”
- “There are lots of replays needed to get achievements; it's a grindy visual novel.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is enhanced by appealing artwork and thoughtful character designs that add personality to the limited cast, complemented by strong writing and sound elements that enrich the overall storytelling experience.
- “The artwork does a good job conveying the character designs and adding extra flair to give the limited cast some added personality.”
- “Lovely character designs, writing, sound, and storylines.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a cozy and thoughtful ambiance, enhanced by its metafictional elements and unique world settings, which contribute to an engaging and immersive experience.
- “I love metafictional yuri visual novels with striking atmospheres and unique world settings.”
- “The premise is cute yet thoughtful, and the atmosphere is cozy.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users report significant stability issues with the game, citing frequent crashes and bugs that hinder gameplay, making it difficult to achieve objectives within the expected timeframe.
- “In theory, this should take less than 1 hour to complete, but the game is very buggy, keeps crashing, and has frustrating RNG issues.”
- “The game frequently crashes, making it nearly impossible to enjoy the experience.”
- “I encountered numerous bugs that disrupted gameplay, leading to constant restarts and a lack of stability.”