Spirited Heart Deluxe
- May 29, 2014
- Winter Wolves
Get on Steam"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.
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Reviews
- The game offers a variety of relationships and character options, including same-sex romances.
- Some players appreciate the nostalgic value and find the gameplay enjoyable for casual play.
- The art style and character designs have their charm, with distinct personalities for each character.
- Gameplay is heavily reliant on RNG, leading to frustrating experiences with stat raising and job performance.
- Character interactions and story development are shallow, making it hard to connect with the romance options.
- The game is considered overpriced for the content it offers, with many reviewers suggesting a lower price point.
- story16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it lacking in depth and engagement. While some appreciated the narrative enough to overlook tedious gameplay elements, others criticized it for being boring, with minimal character development and world-building. Overall, the story is seen as secondary to the game's focus on stat building and skill grinding, leaving many feeling that it lacks substance and replay value.
“It was kind of worth it because I liked the story and I could ignore the tedious parts of the game for the story.”
“The story is enjoyable (for six dollars), and it has replay value.”
“The story is okay; however, the focus is on the characters, and as such, there is little world-building.”
“The game system is tedious and there is no story worth speaking of.”
“I've played quite a few interactive story games and I'm sorry to say that I just couldn't get into this one.”
“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.”
- gameplay9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its accessibility and variety of skill options, making it easy to master, but some players find it shallow compared to other life simulation games. Critiques highlight underdeveloped characters and frustrating dialogue mechanics, leading to a perception of monotonous gameplay, despite some engaging random elements. Overall, while it offers enjoyable moments, it may not satisfy all players, particularly those seeking depth in the 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.”
“[b]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.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often detracting from the overall experience, with many feeling that it overshadows the enjoyment of the story. The necessity to grind for jobs and stats can lead to a sense of hollowness, as the rewards feel insufficient compared to the effort required. While some appreciate the challenge of collecting items and improving skills, the grinding often feels excessive and poorly integrated into the game's narrative.
“I thought I was going to like this game... and I guess I kind of do, but still... the grinding.”
“When you combine that with the taxes you have to pay, you will not have a lot of money and find yourself grinding out jobs, not having fun.”
“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.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics received mixed reviews, with some users finding the art style cute and enjoyable, particularly in relation to character interactions. However, others criticized the overall quality, describing it as lacking and inconsistent, suggesting that improvements are needed in both graphical fidelity and diversity.
“The art style is as cute as I remembered it, and I enjoy the random encounters that the characters have with potential romantic partners!”
“The graphics kind of suck in my opinion.”
“The art style is all over the place.”
“Graphics were meh.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers a decent level of replayability, with multiple marriage and career endings to explore, though individual playthroughs are relatively short, lasting around 2-3 hours. While some players find the story enjoyable and worth revisiting, others feel that the replay value is limited, comparing it to simpler titles in the genre.
“Yes, there is tons of replayability, but each game will only last you somewhere between 2-3 hours.”
“The story is enjoyable (for six dollars), and it has replay value.”
“It's like a less complex princess maker, with maybe two hours of story and little replay value.”
“With several marriage and career endings to attain, it's got quite a bit of replayability.”
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's music is notably lacking, with no soundtrack and minimal sound effects, leading to a consensus that the audio experience could have been significantly improved.
“The game had no music and few sound effects.”
“The music could have been better.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
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.
“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!”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game effectively balances humor with heartwarming moments, creating an emotionally engaging experience for players.
“However, it was packed with humor and some very heartwarming moments.”
