Shivering Hearts
- July 21, 2020
- Mischa
Get on SteamShivering Hearts is a light-hearted role-playing game illustrated through detailed, hand-drawn watercolour paintings. Explore a world that reacts to your choices. The player can achieve over 120 possible ending combinations.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features beautiful visuals and a charming art style that enhances the overall experience.
- It offers a well-crafted story with complex characters, multiple endings, and a mix of humor and emotional depth.
- The dialogue system allows for meaningful choices that can alter the story, encouraging replayability.
- The game is quite short, leaving players wanting more time to explore the world and its characters.
- There is a lack of variety in gameplay and limited locations to explore, which may feel restrictive.
- Some players may find the writing uneven, with moments that can come off as preachy.
- graphics10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful art style and character design, which many players found to be the main appeal. The visuals effectively complement the game's narrative, enhancing the overall experience and drawing players in from the trailers and screenshots.
“The visuals are beautiful and it upholds a solid story about an abusive family.”
“The graphics are the game's main appeal for sure, but I thought the story was nice too.”
“The artwork is what grabbed me from the trailers and screenshots - and it's great the whole way through.”
- story10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game features a compelling narrative centered around an abusive family, complemented by beautiful visuals. While some players may find the story's themes a bit preachy, the dialogue system offers meaningful choices that can influence the outcome, encouraging multiple playthroughs. However, some reviewers felt that player agency in shaping the story was somewhat limited.
“The visuals are beautiful and it upholds a solid story about an abusive family.”
“Speaking of dialogue, there are enough dialogue options with actual consequences to justify a second playthrough if you want to see how much of the story can be altered by your choices.”
“Some people might find it a bit preachy, but the dialogue system allows you to bypass some of the story lessons if that's not your thing.”
“The dialogue trees are well done, but ultimately I didn't feel like the player had enough agency to alter how the story plays out.”
“The dialogue trees are well done, but ultimately I didn't feel like the player had enough agency to alter how the story plays out.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is praised for its clever blend of funny and dark moments, with well-crafted dialogues that keep players engaged and entertained throughout. Many reviewers noted that the humor is consistently strong, making the experience enjoyable and memorable, though some felt it might be a bit excessive at times. Overall, the dialogue is described as funny, touching, and smart, contributing to a compact yet fulfilling gameplay experience.
“I found myself laughing all the way through as the game constantly dishes out humorous dialogues and dialogue choices (perhaps a bit too much).”
“It's compact (just under 2 hours for me) without feeling rushed, really straightforward to play, and every line of dialogue is either funny, touching, or even smart.”
“Another thing to say is the humor this game upholds is very well done.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, complementing the sound effects and art style effectively. Players appreciate how the music contributes to their immersive experience.
“I love how this game looks, its music, and the whole atmosphere.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players are pleasantly surprised by the game's emotional depth, transitioning from a lighthearted and quirky tone to intense and touching moments within a brief playtime of under two hours. The dialogue is praised for being a blend of humor, poignancy, and intelligence, contributing to a compact yet impactful experience.
“I really didn't expect how the game would go from kind of goofy and weird to extremely touching and intense - and that in such a short play time!”
“It's compact (just under 2 hours for me) without feeling rushed, really straightforward to play, and every line of dialogue is either funny, touching, or even smart.”
- gameplay2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been criticized for its lack of variety, with multiple users noting that the experience can become repetitive and monotonous over time.
“There is a lack of variety in gameplay.”
“The gameplay suffers from a lack of variety.”
“Gameplay feels repetitive due to the lack of variety.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its stunning visuals and captivating music, creating an immersive experience that players thoroughly enjoy.
“I love how this game looks, its music, and the whole atmosphere.”
