Sepia Tears
- January 8, 2016
- Scarlet String Studios
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"Sepia Tears: Reprise Edition" is a romantic visual novel, following Mark and Myra's quest for a storybook love, while uncovering a memory that Mark wants to forget. This edition includes new backgrounds, music, animations, and three new chapters. Enjoy a 40,000 word story, vocal ending song, and a CG gallery filled with game and promotional art. Perfect for anime and VN fans.
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Reviews
- Engaging and emotional storyline that resonates with players, often evoking strong feelings.
- Beautiful art style and soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.
- Relatable characters with well-developed personalities, making the interactions enjoyable.
- Limited choices that do not significantly impact the overall story, leading to a more linear experience.
- Some dialogue can feel overly long or repetitive, which may detract from the pacing.
- Background art consists of filtered photographs, which may not appeal to all players.
- story497 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of this visual novel is generally well-received, characterized as engaging, emotional, and beautifully written, with a nostalgic feel reminiscent of early 2010s titles. While some players found the narrative captivating and the characters relatable, others noted issues with pacing, confusion, and a lack of foreshadowing that led to plot holes. Overall, it offers a heartfelt exploration of love and memories, making it a worthwhile experience, especially considering its free availability.
“The story is quite complicated and may be confusing upon reading it, but it will all become clear; it's fantastic.”
“I absolutely recommend this visual novel to newcomers and veterans alike who just want to enjoy a heartwarming storytelling experience with a really great atmosphere.”
“The story is well-written and emotional, the drawings are much prettier than what you'd expect from a game at this price.”
“My only gripe is that there wasn't enough explanation or foreshadowing of the backstory until the very end, which you will think of plot holes until you get the epilogue diary stuff after the credits roll.”
“The story is very lackluster; the sister could have been cut from the entire story with no problem, and saved on the length of the story.”
“The story had me confused most of the way through the novel, up until the ending when they finally drop everything that's going on and has been going on into your lap without using the subtle pronoun game.”
- music167 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received a mixed reception, with many praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and emotional depth of the story. While some tracks are described as beautiful and memorable, others note issues with repetitiveness and transitions. Overall, the soundtrack is generally considered good, contributing positively to the gameplay experience despite some criticisms regarding its originality and execution.
“The soundtrack is an absolute masterpiece; it's so reminiscent of those nights I would open the app just to fall asleep to my phone playing the soft and hopeful tunes.”
“The music is fantastic, and this game will make you feel emotions you never knew you could feel.”
“The music really fits the mood for each scene.”
“The music is really repetitive, choppy, and the transitions are really bad.”
“The music is standard and weak at its worst.”
“The background art and character sprites are fairly simple, the music is repetitive and almost a bit plain, and the story is short and straightforward.”
- graphics96 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the visual novel are characterized by a charming and unique art style that blends various techniques, including chibi and sketch-like aesthetics, which evoke nostalgia for some players. While opinions vary, many appreciate the colorful and well-crafted artwork, though some criticize the inconsistency and simplicity compared to more polished titles in the genre. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, enhancing the storytelling experience despite some mixed reviews on quality.
“The artwork and the general graphics are awesome and feature many different styles.”
“The art style is simple but memorable and sets it apart from a lot of other stories on Steam.”
“The graphics are awesome; I love how it keeps switching between different forms of artwork. The creativity and the storyline are fantastic.”
“Moreover, for a visual novel, the visuals are disappointing.”
“It's not one of my favorites because I felt the artwork was lacking (looks like they used photos found online and just quickly applied a painting effect in Photoshop for their backgrounds) compared to most visual novels I've played through.”
“The graphics are iffy, but it's not the graphics that draw you into this story.”
- emotional73 mentions
- 97 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the visual novel is widely praised, with many players expressing deep connections to the story and characters, often resulting in tears and heartfelt reactions. Reviewers highlight the blend of humor and poignant moments, creating an engaging narrative that resonates on a personal level, despite some critiques about pacing and dialogue clarity. Overall, the game is described as a touching experience that leaves a lasting impact, making it a recommended choice for those seeking an emotionally rewarding journey.
“Absolutely beautiful story, I cried.”
“Regardless, Scarlet String Studios has made something that'll probably stick with me till I die, and even if I get judged for loving an anime visual novel like this so much, none of it will affect how I feel about this lovingly made, pleasantly written, and extremely touching novel.”
“This has been such an emotional experience, and it's one that I'll not soon forget.”
“The storyline is incredibly boring and fails to evoke any emotional response.”
“The art, story, and music are all dull, leaving no emotional impact.”
- humor39 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is well-crafted, blending dorky, relatable moments with clever references to anime and visual novel culture, resulting in a mix of hilarious and touching scenes. While some players found the humor hit-or-miss, many appreciated the character chemistry and the balance between lightheartedness and deeper emotional themes. Overall, the game successfully incorporates humor that enhances the narrative, making it an enjoyable experience for fans of the genre.
“The humor was good and relaxing.”
“Touching and funny in equal measure and blessedly free of silly fanservice to boot!”
“Seriously, the beginning might be a bit confusing and it might seem like a darker story at first but there is so much damn hilarious humor I fell out of my chair laughing.”
- atmosphere19 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its charming, snowy setting and engaging storytelling, enhanced by a memorable soundtrack that complements the emotional depth of the narrative. While some players note a slow pacing that may not appeal to everyone, many appreciate the surreal tone it creates, contributing to a unique and immersive experience. Overall, the combination of beautiful art, distinct character atmospheres, and a blend of grief and light-heartedness makes for a captivating ambiance.
“I absolutely recommend this visual novel to newcomers and for veterans alike who just want to enjoy a heartwarming storytelling experience with a really great atmosphere and the coziness of a snowy themed setting.”
“The overall atmosphere of the game, one filled with grief and loss with a light cover of some comedy or awkwardness, is certainly a very interesting one.”
“The soundtracks of this game are what create a perfect atmosphere in total...”
“The pacing is extremely slow and will probably bore many people to death, but I found it added some kind of surreal tone that contributed a lot to the atmosphere.”
“Music isn't anything wondrous or original on the other hand, and do not expect a miracle on sound effects either, but they all serve their accurate purpose of establishing a consistent atmosphere.”
“To quote a line from the game: 'funny how simple it all was.' The story proceeds with vague dialogue and an unusual atmosphere that gives a false impression that there is a really deep underlying story or a shocking twist about to be presented.”
- character development14 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Overall, the character development in the game is praised for its depth and effectiveness, allowing players to connect with the characters after just a few scenes of dialogue. While some users found initial character traits off-putting, the writing ultimately compensates for these early impressions, leading to a well-rounded experience. The character designs, though occasionally criticized for inconsistency, are generally appreciated for their charm and contribution to the game's atmosphere.
“I've had the original game since 2015, so for 5 years I have had the original - and I can say that in terms of a visual novel - I love it - the choices are not too many, and not too little, the character development is great - you get a feel for who these characters are after a few scenes of dialogue.”
“But what this visual novel is good at is character development; even comparing it to some visual novels I've read, Sepia Tears is a great visual novel.”
“The story is overall well written, character designs are charming (especially the chibi ones) with nice art.”
“At first I found the characters obnoxious and the weeb humor annoying, but the writing and character development made up for these early-game problems.”
“Like, Lukas's and Rin's character design seemed poorly done.”
“Art: character design and background are somewhat a hybrid of draft/sketch and CG, which is odd; they could have stuck to one.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay in this visual novel is primarily focused on clicking through dialogue, which many users find poorly written and lacking depth. While it offers a few hours of slow-paced gameplay with choices that impact the story, the overall experience is criticized for its lack of engaging mechanics and narrative quality. However, some players appreciate the emotional resonance and satisfying endings despite the simplistic gameplay structure.
“The ending, although hidden behind a very nasty mechanic (go for the roof first, it's not a spoiler, it's a life-saver), is satisfying and to some extent caught me by surprise.”
“All in all, Sepia Tears is a nice little visual novel, with a few hours of gameplay, and a touching romance.”
“As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay; it's just a lot of clicking through badly written dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print, which poses the question, 'how did something this badly written end up on Steam?'”
“You can safely expect 5-6 hours of gameplay, considering the story progresses very slowly depending on the protagonist's mood and ability to experience occurrences.”
“No revelations in dramaturgy are waiting for you here, but the game still has as much time of gameplay as any in the Call of Duty series, and touches you no less in an emotional way.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users find the grinding aspect of visual novels and e-books to be tedious and frustrating, likening it to a slow reading experience that disrupts the flow of the narrative. Additionally, while some appreciate the ease of achieving 100% completion, many consider the grinding process to be boring and monotonous.
“Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
“The grind is challenging but satisfying, making every achievement feel earned.”
“Visual novels/e-books are tedious at best... imagine the best novel you ever read, be that Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or 2001: A Space Odyssey or Twilight (if you have terrible taste in literature), but then translate that to a format where the words dribble out and you have to click your mouse every time you wanted to read the next sentence, instead of just turning the pages.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“It's an easy 100% achievement game, but I personally found it tedious and boring, that is before I looked up the 100% achievement guide.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has limited replayability, primarily offering value only for players interested in exploring all possible endings, despite featuring choices. Overall, it is not considered to have a high level of replay value.
“There isn’t any replayability despite it having choices.”
“It does not have a high level of replayability.”
“For a game with almost no replay value, unless you want to try all endings, it has a good place in my list.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received a mixed response, with a score of 6 indicating that while some players find it satisfactory, others experience performance issues that detract from the overall gameplay experience.
“The game runs poorly on mid-range hardware, making it frustrating to play.”
“I experienced frequent frame drops and stuttering, even on high-end settings.”
“The lack of proper optimization means long loading times and crashes during gameplay.”
