The Golden Rose: Book One

About

In "The Golden Rose: Book One," players navigate a mystical world as a young hero on a quest to recover the legendary Golden Rose. The game features captivating point-and-click puzzle-solving, rich narratives, and a beautifully hand-drawn art style. With a strong emphasis on character development and intrigue, players will be drawn into a compelling tale of mystery and adventure.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 126 reviews

story37 positive mentions

character development3 negative mentions

The writing is beautifully descriptive, creating a rich and immersive world that draws players in.
The characters are well-developed and engaging, with unique personalities that make interactions feel meaningful.
There are numerous choices that allow for deep role-playing and character development, enhancing replayability.

The pacing can be slow, with lengthy descriptions and filler content that may detract from the overall experience.
The plot feels incomplete, as it ends abruptly without resolving many storylines, leaving players wanting more.
Some players may find the extensive focus on character interactions and choices leads to a lack of significant impact on the main storyline.

story
129 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
69%
2%
The story is praised for its rich world-building, engaging characters, and immersive narrative, with many players feeling their choices significantly impact the unfolding plot. However, some critiques highlight issues with pacing, excessive filler content, and a sense of incompleteness, as the first installment often feels like a prologue rather than a standalone story. Overall, while the narrative is compelling and well-crafted, it may require patience due to its slow burn and extensive detail.
- “The world is rich and alive and feels like it keeps spinning even when the game is closed, which is a feat for any kind of written story, let alone one with branching paths.”
- “The characters are tangible and interesting, the story is intriguing, action is exciting, and the world is vibrant and very real.”
- “Incredible storytelling, breadth of choice, world building, and rich characters.”
- “My strongest criticism would be the story's pacing; it can be confusing and incoherent at times, especially with longer scenes.”
- “The overall story feels as if it ended prematurely; it may have been a hook to get you to buy the second one, but it makes the game feel unfinished and the player unsatisfied.”
- “Yes, there's 1.2 million words, but a fair amount of that is just flavor text or conversations that had me basically clicking through to roleplay my character's personality while going 'alright, but can we do something to advance the story?'.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as genuinely funny, charming, and emotionally resonant, providing moments of levity that balance its serious themes. Reviewers appreciate the depth of the humor, noting that it feels inviting and enhances the overall experience, with well-crafted comedic moments that feel natural and engaging. Overall, the humor contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it both enjoyable and memorable.
- “It's funny, emotional, charming, and has a lot of depth.”
- “Everyone manages to sneak in some moments of levity, but I found myself chuckling out loud much more often than I was expecting.”
- “There's a lot of humor in this one, and it was highly enjoyable.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Character development is highly praised, with reviewers noting the depth and complexity of the main character, particularly in relation to a "fallen hero" arc. While the main plot may be brief, the extensive world-building and character growth compensate for it, leaving players eager for future developments in the series.
- “Great characters and character development!”
- “The main plot is a little short, but I didn't mind because there is so much world-building and character development that I loved.”
- “I personally can't attest that the degree of atmospheric, environmental, and character development is wasted, and can only anxiously await what the future of this series entails and for so much of what is hinted to come to fruition.”
- “Really interested to see more character development for the main character and the supporting characters, as well as just the main character.”
- “Main character development is akin to a fallen hero, and it's absolutely fantastic.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its nuanced and tender writing, which evokes a range of feelings from humor to heartbreak. Players express a deep sense of fulfillment and satisfaction, appreciating the game's charming depth and romantic elements. Overall, it leaves a lasting impact, making players eager for more.
- “It's funny, emotional, charming, and has a lot of depth.”
- “I can feel only grateful to stumble upon this as it made me feel fulfilled and satisfied, and I can't wait for more!”
- “The writing is nuanced, tender, romantic, heartbreaking, and everything in between.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game can feel excessively tedious, akin to anime filler, as it often halts the story progression with overly detailed descriptions. While some players appreciate the worldbuilding, many find it ultimately detracts from the overall enjoyment, leaving them craving more action.
- “Quite seriously, it approaches anime filler levels of grinding the story to a halt.”
- “Sure, you get painfully detailed descriptions of everything ranging from the quality of the walkway to the texture on the walls, but after a while of worldbuilding, it gets tedious, and you start craving action of some sort.”
- “The pretty writing is not enough to lessen how tedious it was to read everything.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game offers high replayability due to interconnected storylines and impactful choices, encouraging players to explore multiple playthroughs to uncover new details and variations. Users appreciate the depth of the narrative and character development, which enhances the overall experience and invites further exploration.
- “Most storylines tie in together in small or large ways, which might take several playthroughs to notice, increasing its replayability.”
- “The story is amazing, the characters are lovely, choices are plentiful, and so is the replayability.”
- “I'm constantly noticing new things on different playthroughs; there's an incredible amount of replay value, and I can't wait for book two.”
- “Most storylines tie in together in small or large ways, which might take several playthroughs to notice, which also increases its replayability.”
- “The story is amazing, the characters are lovely, choices are plentiful and so is the replayability.”
- “Choices feel impactful and there's a staggering amount of variation and replayability to be had.”
gameplay
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The gameplay of "Golden Rose" features an expansive world with a unique mechanic that allows players to choose their location and time of day for exploration, enhancing the narrative experience. However, it has been criticized for placing too much emphasis on superficial choices and lacking depth in utilizing the character's abilities, leading to a heavier focus on narrative over engaging mechanics.
- “An interesting mechanic for me personally was also to see faith being a significant aspect of the game.”
- “[b]Expansive world-building and city to explore[/b]: The fourth chapter of the game was my favorite because it used a really original mechanic that I enjoyed: picking where in the city to go, and at what time of day.”
- “[b]Heavy focus on narrative over mechanics[/b]: A common criticism of Golden Rose is that there's an unnecessary amount of choices where you can pick between smirking, grunting, smiling, or just staring, while it doesn't make enough use of your character's social, mental, and combat abilities.”
- “Heavy focus on narrative over mechanics: A common criticism of Golden Rose is that there's an unnecessary amount of choices where you can pick between smirking, grunting, smiling, or just staring, while it doesn't make enough use of your character's social, mental, and combat abilities.”
- “The gameplay feels repetitive and lacks depth, making it hard to stay engaged for long periods.”
- “Combat mechanics are clunky and unresponsive, leading to frustrating encounters that detract from the overall experience.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its well-written characters and engaging plot, creating an immersive experience that leaves players eagerly anticipating future developments. Reviewers appreciate the depth of environmental and character development, suggesting a rich and captivating world.
- “The characters are so well written, and I'm in love with the plot and atmosphere of it.”
- “I personally can't attest that the degree of atmospheric, environmental, and character development is wasted, and can only anxiously await what the future of this series entails and for so much of what is hinted to come to fruition.”