The Game of Fourtune
- April 4, 2023
- BlackLock Games
Get on Steam"The Game of Fourtune" is a survival game where 16 players, including Clyde Raveron and Devon Rhodes, must compete in life-threatening challenges presented by sadistic goddesses. The game features a character-driven story with 14 other characters, each with their own secrets and goals. With 16 unique routes, the outcome of the game depends on the player's choices and alliances made in this deadly competition.
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Reviews
- The character writing is strong, with a diverse cast that feels multifaceted and unique, allowing players to connect with them on various levels.
- The game features a wide variety of engaging death games, each with unique mechanics and scenarios that keep the gameplay fresh and entertaining.
- The flowchart system is well-designed, making it easy to navigate through the game's many routes and track progress towards achievements and CGs.
- The game is excessively long, with some players feeling that it meanders and lacks significant plot development despite the lengthy playtime.
- Certain routes can spoil key plot points for others, diminishing the suspense and impact of the story's twists and turns.
- The visual presentation is inconsistent, with varying art styles for characters and backgrounds that can detract from the overall experience.
- story121 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story is characterized by a mix of compelling character backstories and a unique premise involving a death game, though it suffers from pacing issues and a lack of depth in certain plot elements. While the game features a large cast with individual routes that contribute to the overall narrative, some players feel that the non-linear structure can spoil key moments and that the story doesn't fully explore its themes. Despite these flaws, many reviewers appreciate the engaging twists and cohesive worldbuilding, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of interconnected narratives and death game scenarios.
“The variety of the individual game scenes is fantastic, the plot and characters and twists are done extremely well; despite minor flaws, this is one of the best in the genre at telling a compelling story with good consistent pacing.”
“A full-length visual novel with over 16 major characters and quite a few supporting characters is an ambitious project, but all the routes were good and it managed to stick the landing on the true ending, weaving all the plot threads together in a satisfying conclusion!”
“The individual games are creative and have some interesting twists, making for a well-paced story where you're given some more immediate, exciting plot twists as twists in the greater overarching plot are slowly unveiled over the course of many routes.”
“I'm not sure how to phrase it, it's like the plot is rushing from game to game, and yet it's still meandering at the same time.”
“I'm not going to spoil anything in this review, but it feels as if the game doesn't have a very mature take on the story it's trying to tell.”
“The game tries to create an illusion of non-linearity, but it is actually linear, which hurts the story somewhat since you often read the same conversation in nearly every path.”
- gameplay16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily choice-based, typical of a Ren'Py visual novel, which some players find lacking in depth and engagement. While it showcases the potential of the genre, many reviewers express a desire for more innovative gameplay elements and a stronger overall execution, noting inconsistencies in presentation and missed opportunities in storytelling. Despite these shortcomings, it is recognized as one of the better Western titles of the year in its category.
“This is still an independent visual novel; gameplay is achieved by making choices rather than full-fledged minigames, but it's a spectacular example of what visual novels can do.”
“Hard to hold 'the type of game we made' against the studio, especially since unique gameplay for each game within the plot would be ridiculous to implement.”
“The gameplay also leaves a lot to be desired.”
“It's a Ren'Py game, after all, and there's not really much in the way of strong gameplay.”
“This game really needed something fresh gameplay-wise like that, so I could better engage my brain.”
- music16 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 19 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the soundtrack for fitting the tone and enhancing the story, others criticize instances of incorrect tracks playing during key moments, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these issues, many agree that the music is generally good, though not particularly memorable or deserving of high praise. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a solid aspect of the game, albeit with notable inconsistencies.
“The game also has a great soundtrack.”
“The art, UI, and music are all great and help elevate the story even more.”
“Misc notes: the music is pretty good, it fits the tone and never hurts a scene, but I wouldn't give it heaps of praise like I do the writing.”
“There are more nitpicky things, such as the wrong music tracks playing at certain times (certain 'game explanation' segments just flat out had the wrong music playing for no discernible reason), as well as numerous art flaws that make the game visually unappealing at times.”
“There are more nitpicky things, such as the wrong music tracks playing at certain times (certain 'game explanation' segments just flat out had the wrong music playing for no discernible reason), as well as numerous art flaws that make the game visually unappealing at times.”
“There are more nitpicky things, such as the wrong music tracks playing at certain times (certain 'game explanation' segments just flat out had the wrong music playing for no discernible reason), as well as numerous art flaws that make the game visually unappealing at times.”
- character development6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game features a diverse cast of 16 characters, each receiving substantial character development that highlights their unique motives and desires, which is commendable for a large ensemble. However, some reviews suggest that despite this depth, the overall character development may still feel lacking in certain aspects. Players are encouraged to pay close attention to the characters' behaviors to fully appreciate their individual journeys.
“You got 16 people—each with their own route—to keep track of, who all managed to reach acceptable levels of character development and understanding as to their motives, wants, desires, etc. This grab bag of different ideologies requires you to pay attention as you navigate your way through each game and monitor the behavior of those with you in order to perform properly.”
“Character development is weak.”
“You got 16 people—each with their own route—to keep track of, who all managed to reach acceptable levels of character development, and understanding as to their motives, wants, desires, etc. This grab bag of different ideologies requires you to pay attention as you navigate your way through each game and monitor the behavior of those with you in order to perform properly.”
“The main 16 characters all get a thorough amount of character development while also maintaining their own individuality, which is something many games fail at with such a large cast.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by clever and snappy dialogue among characters, as well as unexpected and darkly comedic descriptions of events, including deaths. While the integration of humorous elements into the game's rules is well-executed, some players feel that the lack of accompanying graphics diminishes the overall impact of the humor.
“The characters are fun and have funny, snappy dialogue.”
“There are descriptions of people dying in unexpected, creepy, even funny ways.”
“Some games even have their rules presented in a funny and well-designed way.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are noted for their unique character designs, which stand out in terms of personality and visual appeal. However, the lack of impactful artwork detracts from the overall experience, particularly in conveying the sense of conflict during critical moments, leaving some players feeling disappointed.
“The characters are all quite unique, standing out in terms of their design and characteristics, especially when shown graphically.”
“The graphics enhance the sense of conflict, making the unexpected and creepy moments more impactful, similar to the execution scenes in other games.”
“The visual representation of the characters adds depth to their personalities, making each one memorable and distinct.”
“I loved the character writing and multiple route mystery, but was let down by the ending, repetitive route structure, and lackluster artwork.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The games offer significant replayability due to their branching narratives and engaging character writing, which provide varied experiences and compelling plots that encourage multiple playthroughs.
“They also often just give some nice variance as to what happens in the games and add a lot of replayability to the games.”
“The character writing is great, the overall plot is compelling, and the games themselves have plenty of replayability given the amount of branching in them.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game effectively balances dark comedy with intense emotional moments, creating a unique atmosphere where constant death scenes are juxtaposed with engaging character interactions and romance. The diverse cast enhances the emotional impact through their dynamic relationships, making the horror and action sequences resonate deeply with players.
“The death scenes are constant, the tone is kept light enough with lots of dark comedy, the emotional moments hit the right chords, the horror is scary, the action is intense, and there's even romance mixed in.”
“The cast has a well-tuned mix of different personalities that all play off of each other nicely and create engaging scenes via their banter, arguments, and emotional moments.”
