Spirited Heart Deluxe

About

"Spirited Heart Deluxe" is a fantasy life simulation game where you create your own character, choosing from a human, elf, or demoness. Your choices affect the dialogue and interactions in the game's virtual world. You can choose a job, train skills, and encounter six potential partners, with the goal of winning their hearts and possibly getting married. The game features 20 different jobs and numerous dialogue combinations, offering a high level of replayability.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

46%

Audience ScoreBased on 70 reviews

replayability3 positive mentions

story5 negative mentions

The game features charming graphics and a variety of character designs, which some players found appealing.
There are multiple romance options available, including same-sex relationships, which adds to the game's inclusivity.
Some players enjoyed the nostalgic aspect of the game, recalling fond memories from their childhood.

The stat-raising system is heavily reliant on random chance, leading to frustrating gameplay and a lack of agency.
The writing and character development are often criticized as shallow and unengaging, making it hard for players to connect with the characters.
Many reviewers felt the game is overpriced for the content it offers, suggesting it should be sold at a significantly lower price.

story
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
70%
17%
The story aspect of the game has been widely criticized for its lack of depth and coherence, with many reviewers noting that it feels more like a collection of random encounters than a cohesive narrative. While some players appreciated the character personalities and occasional flashes of story, the overall consensus is that the game prioritizes stat-building over meaningful storytelling, resulting in a hollow experience with minimal world-building and unsatisfying romance arcs. Ultimately, the game fails to deliver a compelling plot, leaving players feeling disconnected from the characters and their journeys.
- “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “Spirited Heart gave its characters strong, clear personalities and attitudes, along with flashes of background story that I liked.”
- “The story is enjoyable (for six dollars), and it has replay value.”
- “Such a cheesy plot, and you can say that there is just no plot.”
- “There's no overarching story, or even any continuity between different characters' random encounters.”
- “The game system is tedious, and there is no story worth speaking of.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and time-consuming, with players often feeling forced to engage in repetitive tasks to raise stats and unlock content. While some enjoy the challenge of collecting items and pursuing romantic paths, many find the experience frustrating due to the slow and random nature of stat increases, leading to a sense of boredom and a hollow gameplay experience. Overall, the grinding detracts from the enjoyment of the story and gameplay, making it a significant drawback for many players.
- “The stat-raising is both easy (lots of time, few consequences, ability to save scum) and tedious (you gain stats from jobs slowly and randomly, the max stats are high, and paying to raise stats requires lots of grinding for cash).”
- “The entire game is a grind like this, and if you wanted to pick a specific romantic partner, you better hope and pray that you knew what stats you had to train beforehand, otherwise you'll have extra hours of grinding just to start on their paths.”
- “The story does a poor job of driving along the stat grinding (which is fairly random whether your stats will even increase or not); and ultimately the game feels hollow and pointless.”
graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
45%
27%
The graphics in the game are described as charming and cute, with a notable art style that some players appreciate. However, there are criticisms regarding the inconsistency and overall quality, with some users feeling that the graphics are lacking and do not enhance the gameplay experience. Overall, while the artwork has its appeal, it may not meet the expectations set by the game's price point.
- “The art style is as cute as I remembered it, and I enjoy the random encounters that the characters have with the potential romantic partners!”
- “There's a lot of charm and terrific artwork to Spirited Heart, but the $20 price point feels unfair.”
- “Adorable graphics.”
- “From the flashes of a storyline to the lack of one, from pretty artwork to anatomical fails, nothing in this game really flows.”
- “The graphics kind of suck in my opinion.”
- “The art style is all over the place.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The gameplay is generally easy to master and offers a variety of skills, but some players find it shallow compared to other life simulation games. While the random elements add some unpredictability, the lack of depth in character development and dialogue options detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, the strict decision-making mechanics can lead to frustration, making it less appealing for those unfamiliar with the visual novel genre.
- “I adore the gameplay, and the writing is at times deep and moving.”
- “It's an easy game; the concept and gameplay are easy to master.”
- “Very nice gameplay, lots of options on skills, etc.”
- “Cannot fathom playing normal mode unless there's something I am missing here regarding game mechanics.”
- “tl;dr underdeveloped characters, annoying lack of foresight with dialogue options, shallow gameplay when compared to other current and older life sims, not worth $20 even for diehard fans of the genre.”
- “Thankfully I could save anytime, but this kind of one strike and you're out gameplay decision-making is ridiculous and has no reason to exist aside from, ahem, laziness.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The music in the game is largely criticized for being minimal and mediocre, with many players noting its absence during gameplay. When present, the romantic tracks feel out of place and can create awkward contrasts with the game's more serious moments. Overall, the soundtrack fails to enhance the gaming experience, leaving players wanting more engaging and varied music.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “Simply visiting that location and meeting them by chance will cause cheesy romantic music to start playing, giving you two conversational choices to pick, likely improving your relationship score with them, and if you're lucky it might even increase a stat by a few points (of which you need a huge amount for it to even do anything).”
- “While you can disable same-sex or opposite-sex romances to taste, this isn't an option given to you unless you go looking for it, and can be confusing when you find an abusive employer yelling at you to romantic music on your first few encounters.”
- “Music is practically non-existent; the few tracks that are here are mediocre.”
- “The game had no music and few sound effects.”
- “There’s no music, so you feel like just clicking and reading some here and there.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the variety of endings and enjoyable gameplay, others feel that once achievements are completed, the game lacks significant incentive to replay. The average session length of 2-3 hours and limited variety may also contribute to a perception of lower replay value.
- “Yes, there is tons of replayability, but each game will only last you somewhere between 2-3 hours.”
- “With several marriage and career endings to attain, it's got quite a bit of replayability.”
- “Could use a little more variety for replay value, but it's absolutely charming, witty, and a lot of fun.”
- “It's like a less complex princess maker, with maybe two hours of story and little replay value.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the balance between self-care and humor, as players guide their character to prioritize her well-being while experiencing heartwarming moments throughout the narrative.
- “Every few days, you will tell your character to take time for herself to restore her health and emotional state, so she can continue to work.”
- “However, it was packed with humor and some very heartwarming moments.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
The game's optimization is criticized for its reliance on random dice rolls to determine work performance, leading to inconsistent and often unsatisfactory outcomes, including reduced pay even for adequate performance.
- “The optimization in this game is impressive, allowing for smooth gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
- “I love how the developers have fine-tuned the game to run efficiently, making it accessible to a wider audience.”
- “The performance optimization really enhances the overall experience, ensuring that I can enjoy the game without any lag.”
- “Poor work performance means you won't get paid - and work performance is determined by randomly choosing dice.”
- “Even adequate performance results in half pay!”