Strawberry Vinegar
- January 5, 2016
- ebi-hime
- 5h median play time
Strawberry Vinegar tells a weird story centred around a graphic passion for food that is genuinely funny and unexpectedly wholesome despite some subtly suggestive undertones.
Get on Steam"Strawberry Vinegar" is a visual novel centered around the life of a shy girl named Licia. She finds herself living with two other girls, Haretica and Tsubaki, and must navigate through her everyday school life while dealing with her social anxiety. The game features a unique cast of characters, each with their own distinct personalities, and offers multiple endings based on the player's choices. The game's themes revolve around self-discovery, friendship, and personal growth.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
Linux
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features adorable artwork and charming character designs, making it visually appealing.
- The story is lighthearted and sweet, focusing on the friendship and budding romance between the two main characters, which is heartwarming.
- The food descriptions and visuals are delightful, often making players feel hungry and adding to the overall charm of the game.
- The writing is often criticized as amateurish and can feel tedious, leading to moments of boredom during gameplay.
- The portrayal of the young characters and the romantic elements involving 9-year-olds raises concerns about appropriateness and can make some players uncomfortable.
- The pacing of the story is slow, with limited choices that can make the gameplay feel repetitive and less engaging.
- story117 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of "Strawberry Vinegar" is characterized as a lighthearted and cute narrative centered around food and the budding friendship between two young girls, one of whom is a demon. While some reviewers appreciated its wholesome and humorous elements, others criticized the inappropriate themes and lack of depth, particularly regarding the characters' ages and certain suggestive content. Overall, it appeals to those seeking a sweet, simple story with charming visuals, though it may not satisfy players looking for a more complex plot.
“Strawberry vinegar is a very good visual novel game with a beautiful story.”
“The premise of this game is cute, the story is sweet, and there's definitely some moments that did get a chuckle out of me.”
“Overall, I recommend this game for anyone who likes cute things, likes desserts, and would enjoy a lighthearted and innocent romantic storyline.”
“The story is crowded off by (spoiler) when Rie and her demon friend Lucia are aged up to 18 and within the first 4-5 dialogues coming up, they're dirty talking and talking about their breasts, revealing outfits, kissing passionately and all that?”
“For something about a little girl making friends with a demon through the joys of food, the story dips into weirdly dark territory.”
“The main characters feel shallow, it's full of otaku references (a turn off for me) and the story is just... totally not interesting.”
- graphics47 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics in this visual novel are widely praised for their beautiful and charming artwork, featuring vibrant colors and detailed character designs that enhance the overall aesthetic. Many reviewers highlight the cute and romantic art style, which effectively complements the lighthearted story and food visuals that are described in an appetizing manner. While some find the art style inconsistent, the majority agree that it is a standout feature of the game, making it visually appealing and enjoyable.
“The artwork and general character designs make great use of pastels and the motif of strawberries in particular.”
“The soundtracks are adorably addictive, and all of the game's artwork and sprites are absolutely stunning.”
“Ebi-hime is an excellent writer, so reading this visual novel was a pleasure and the artwork is gorgeous, perfectly bringing out the personalities of the characters.”
“Art style is not that good (imo) and inconsistent between CG.”
“If you have read the visual novels 'Asphyxia' and/or 'The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns', you might be familiar with the graphics, as they are made by the same people.”
“The visual elements are probably the most distinctive feature in this particular visual novel; I absolutely love the artwork and art style by Silly Selly, the artist of Strawberry Vinegar. The art is beautifully detailed, and it is very expressive, which is very different from most visual novels out there.”
- humor26 mentions
- 96 % positive mentions
- -8 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with many players finding it funny and charming, particularly in the character interactions and food-related jokes. However, some critiques mention that the humor can feel forced or inconsistent, and a few players desired deeper character development alongside the comedic elements. Overall, the game is described as a light-hearted experience with a mix of cute and humorous moments, though opinions on the effectiveness of the humor vary.
“The writing was really good, no grammatical mistakes (a lot of visual novels have bad writing/translation so this game was a huge improvement), and I found the humor funny, which I also find to be lacking in many games.”
“All of the main characters are hilarious in their own ways.”
“A wonderful game, very light-hearted story, very funny at points.”
“The humor feels stiff and unfunny, lacking any real wit or charm.”
“The jokes fall flat, making the game feel more tedious than entertaining.”
“Attempts at humor are awkward and miss the mark completely.”
- music22 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as fitting the mood and enhancing the story, though it tends to be forgettable and repetitive over time. While some players appreciate the chill and relaxing soundtrack, others find it lacks standout tracks and can become annoying. Overall, the music complements the visuals and narrative but does not leave a lasting impression.
“The graphics are nice and the soundtrack is chill and relaxing... I don't usually play this kind of game, but the ebi-hime games are really great.”
“The music gives the story just a little bit more life.”
“The music was really great and each character going through different emotions was wonderful.”
“The soundtrack gets annoying after a while.”
“Overall, the soundtrack is quite a let-down.”
“Nothing of the amazing to hear in this novel; there are only so many soundtracks until you start hearing the same ones that you heard 2-3 scenes ago.”
- emotional13 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "Strawberry Vinegar" is characterized by its heartwarming and wholesome narrative, featuring a lighthearted romance and charming characters. Reviewers highlight the game's adorable art style and delightful food descriptions, which contribute to a feel-good atmosphere, despite some characters displaying emotional immaturity. Overall, it is celebrated for its cute and uplifting storytelling that leaves players feeling warm and fuzzy.
“It's heartwarming and incredibly cute, and the art style is adorable!”
“Overall, a very sweet and heartwarming visual novel that everyone can enjoy.”
“So, it is a testimony to the cuteness of Strawberry Vinegar that it made me feel warm and fuzzy and hungry inside.”
- character development7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Character development in this visual novel is described as cute and simple, with a focus on the relationship between two girls that evolves throughout the story. While the character designs and artwork are praised for their charm, many reviewers express a desire for more depth and slower pacing in the narrative, as the quick character development may not satisfy those seeking a more intricate storyline. Overall, the character arcs reflect everyday life and affection, but lack the complexity some players might prefer.
“Overall, the novel shows us a story of two girls who show love and affection to each other as the visual novel progresses, portraying their everyday life and personal character development.”
“The character design is cute, and the desserts look so sweet I wish I could eat them!”
“Decently written, cute, simple story with cute, simple character development.”
“Good humor, although I would have preferred more depth to the story and/or character development.”
“But in terms of 'in-depth story,' it doesn’t go far and long. In fact, this visual novel has really fast pacing and quick character development, so if you wanted a long, in-depth story visual novel, sadly this is not for you.”
“Overall, the novel shows us a story of two girls who show love and affection to each other as the visual novel progresses, portraying their everyday life and their own personal character development.”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this visual novel is largely characterized by basic interaction, primarily involving clicking through dialogue with limited depth and poorly written content. While it includes multiple choices and branching paths leading to six different endings, the overall experience is considered simplistic and lacking in engaging gameplay mechanics.
“As for gameplay, it's a visual novel that has many choices and branches, along with six endings.”
“[b]gameplay: 9/10[/b]”
“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?'”
“Overall, it only offers basic options and gameplay aspects.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively slow and tedious, with limited choices available, leading to a lack of engagement. The pacing is compared to a frustratingly drawn-out reading experience, where progress feels laborious and repetitive, detracting from overall enjoyment.
“It just moves along slower than half-frozen molasses, and there aren't very many choices to be made. Maybe a new choice you as the player can make every 30-40 minutes on average without mass skipping or speeding things up. If you're like me, that means it doesn't really do all that great at keeping your attention and can feel a bit tedious to play through due to the pacing.”
“Visual novels/e-books are tedious at best. Imagine the best novel you ever read, whether it's 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', '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 want to read the next sentence, instead of just turning the pages.”
“Playtime is primarily spent on card farming.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its stability, with users reporting no technical issues, glitches, or unnecessary effects, resulting in a smooth gameplay experience.
Critic Reviews
Strawberry Vinegar Review
Telling a tale as sweet as its graphics, the aptly named Strawberry Vinegar is a positivity-boosting read, with food and friendship at its core. Living with a demon is far from easy, but Rie learns to live with, and even like her, and ends up playing a special role in her life that changes it for the better.
80%Strawberry Vinegar Review
Strawberry Vinegar might not be as emotive as the previous creations of Ebi-Hime, but it's entertaining nonetheless. The things that it does well? It's cheerful, well-written, oh so sweet and cute, has some heart-warming scenes, and is full of pictures of food that look so tasty that's it's hard not to experience a bit of stomach rumbling after a couple of minutes. The things that it lacks? Being the harmless easy-going tale that it is, it won't exactly shake the foundations of the genre. It's good… and that's just about it.
60%Strawberry Vinegar (Nintendo Switch)
Strawberry Vinegar tells a weird story centred around a graphic passion for food that is genuinely funny and unexpectedly wholesome despite some subtly suggestive undertones.
80%
