Sword Daughter
- February 13, 2015
- Hanabira
Get on Steam"Sword Daughter" is a gamebook adaptation from the 1980s, featuring a new soundtrack and artwork. Your choices will determine one of the 22 possible endings, as you navigate through a dangerous journey of vengeance, glory, treasure, or love, after your caravan is attacked, leaving you the only survivor. Will you become a hero, a queen, or meet your end in a dragon's lair?
Reviews
- The artwork is stunning and beautifully illustrated, enhancing the overall experience.
- The game features a unique path menu that allows players to jump to different branching moments, making it easy to explore various endings.
- Despite its short length, the game offers a fun and nostalgic throwback to classic choose-your-own-adventure books.
- The story is very short, with most playthroughs taking less than an hour, leading to a lack of depth and character development.
- The romance feels forced and rushed, with characters falling in love too quickly without sufficient buildup.
- Many choices lead to similar endings, making the replay value less engaging and the overall experience feel repetitive.
- story143 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story of "Sword Daughter" is characterized by its short length and a lack of depth, with many players finding it inconsistent and cliché. While the branching narrative offers multiple endings and some engaging moments, the overall writing is often described as simplistic and rushed, leading to underdeveloped characters and predictable plot points. Despite its beautiful art and music, many reviewers feel that the story fails to deliver a compelling experience, making it more suitable for newcomers to the visual novel genre rather than seasoned players seeking a rich narrative.
“Overall, Sword Daughter is a solid story from Hanako Games, and recommended to anyone who loves choice-driven narratives with female protagonists.”
“I loved the overall premise, the story twists, and the artwork.”
“The paths leading to the multiple endings are varied enough to keep the story interesting (and personally I couldn't stop till I at least figured out how to get the dragon rider one!).”
“The story is pretty simple and not very well written.”
“While it has nicer art than most visual novels I've played, a visual novel is primarily about the story and this one has a lot less story than most of the games in the genre.”
“I wanted to like this game but... for a game supposedly centered around the writing, the plot points are laughably bad.”
- music29 mentions
- 66 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for being fitting and enhancing the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its pleasantness and quality. While some found it repetitive or not particularly memorable, others appreciated its ability to complement the beautiful artwork and narrative moments effectively. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong aspect of the game, contributing to the immersive experience despite some critiques regarding originality and memorability.
“Overall it was fun for me and the soundtrack was fitting, like in the moments where the backgrounds are so beautiful to look at, with a somber background music.”
“The game is characterized by wonderful artwork, pleasant music and very well elaborated backgrounds.”
“The soundtrack is high quality as well, with some lovely ethnic-inspired selections that help transport the reader to a far away world filled with magic and dragons.”
“The music and sound effects were similarly adequate, setting the tone but rarely sticking out or being memorable mere hours after finishing the game.”
“I don't think the music is original, but it's fitting.”
“The writing, art, and music are all up to standard, so I was a bit baffled at the uneven recommendations.”
- graphics28 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning artwork and high-quality illustrations, which enhance the overall experience and immersion. While many reviewers appreciate the beautiful visuals and art style, some note that the graphics alone cannot compensate for a lackluster story, with mixed opinions on the effectiveness of character animations and expressions. Overall, the artwork is a standout feature, appealing to those who value aesthetic quality in visual novels.
“The artwork is stunning.”
“The outstanding artwork is of the utmost quality with superb illustrations laden with beautiful colors and shading.”
“Beautiful artwork.”
“The artwork was meh.”
“There are a few effects scattered throughout for animation (ranging from parallax levels of sandstorm particles to the much more common but basic screen shake) but the character visuals mostly rely on swapping a handful of expressions per pose over the course of conversation; it certainly gets the job done, and is about what you should expect from a visual novel.”
“The graphics are pretty, but that is the only upside.”
- character development8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a significant dissatisfaction with character development, highlighting a lack of depth and complexity in the characters. Many users feel that the storyline is generic and fails to provide meaningful growth or evolution for the characters, with some even dismissing attempts at development as superficial or unconvincing. Overall, the consensus is that character development is a weak point in the game.
“Had it started this way, I doubt there would have been so many comments or complaints about character development and short storylines.”
“Some character development is always nice.”
“Sword Daughter's plot is weak, so it is natural to think its strong point would be in character development.”
“It becomes obvious almost immediately that Sword Daughter has a generic plot with little to no character development.”
“Sword Daughter's plot is weak, so it's natural to think its strong point would be in character development.”
“Guess again, there is no character development at all.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as accessible and casual, making it suitable for beginners, though some players find it too short and reliant on reading dialogue rather than traditional mechanics. While the aesthetic elements enhance the experience, the brevity and simplicity may leave some players wanting more substantial gameplay. Overall, opinions vary on the game's depth and longevity.
“Sometimes games don't need hours and hours of gameplay to be good.”
“It has an easy gameplay for beginners and is long enough to get a feel for the genre.”
“This casual game is easy in difficulty and provides a quick gameplay experience.”
“This casual game is easy in difficulty and extremely short in gameplay.”
“While the illustrations are beautiful and the sound effects/music enrich the story/atmosphere, be aware that this game is all reading dialogue/descriptions that result from the 'choose your own ending' mechanic.”
“Has an easy gameplay for beginners and is long enough to get a feel for the genre.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability due to its choose-your-own-adventure format, encouraging players to explore various paths and outcomes. However, some users note that the low-quality visual novel presentation may detract from the overall engagement during multiple playthroughs. While a single playthrough is short, the diversity of choices enhances the incentive to replay.
“Before buying, keep in mind that a single playthrough is very short; however, it has great replay value.”
“With that said, replayability is quite high as the very nature of choose-your-own-adventure books warrants such a thing.”
“Replayability allows you to explore the paths you didn't take before, of which there are many, and they are quite different.”
“Replayability is not engaging due to the low-quality visual novel style of presentation.”
“Before buying, keep in mind that a single playthrough is very short; however, it does have some replay value.”
“Replayability is quite high as the very nature of choose-your-own-adventure books warrants such a thing.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is criticized for its lack of humor, with reviewers noting that it feels devoid of personality and emotional depth, making it difficult to engage with despite its visual appeal. Overall, the absence of comedic elements significantly detracts from the experience.
“I can forgive bad and implausible writing if I still get something out of it though—like humor.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to repetitive scenes, poorly developed characters, and limited variation in endings. While the ability to auto-skip previously seen text helps alleviate some monotony, many choices lead to circular paths that detract from the overall experience, resulting in abrupt and unsatisfying conclusions.
“The characters are poorly developed, and the connection between the player and the characters isn't established. Scenes and dialogue are heavily repetitive, with little variation between endings. Some choices lead you in a circle, which is tedious, and every ending feels abrupt and unsatisfying.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is significantly enhanced by an impressive soundtrack that seamlessly integrates with the narrative, elevating moments of exploration, combat, and poignant storytelling.
“The soundtrack itself is very impressive and blends in nicely with the narrative, whether you are traversing through a barren desert, engaging combatants, or witnessing a particularly emotional moment in the story.”
“The game masterfully evokes a range of emotions, making you feel deeply connected to the characters and their journeys.”
“Every choice you make has an emotional weight, leading to moments that truly resonate and linger long after the game is over.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by beautiful illustrations and immersive sound effects/music, though it primarily relies on extensive reading of dialogue and descriptions due to its "choose your own ending" mechanic.
“The illustrations are beautiful, and the sound effects and music enrich the story and atmosphere.”
“The immersive atmosphere draws you in, making every choice feel impactful.”
“The combination of stunning visuals and haunting audio creates a captivating atmosphere that keeps you engaged.”
