True Lover's Knot

About

True Lover's Knot is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by Sapphire Dragon Productions and was released on November 19, 2015. It received negative reviews from players.

In "True Lover's Knot" , join Emma, a tech genius, and her best friend Lucas on a luxurious cruise filled with romance, comedy, and match-3 gameplay. Enjoy a visual novel complete with beautiful anime-style characters, light-hearted dialogue, and a captivating storyline reminiscent of classic romantic comedies and beloved animes. Engage in a fun and addictive match-3 mini-game as you sail through a delightful adventure.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

40%

Audience ScoreBased on 68 reviews

story14 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The character art is appealing and the soundtrack is enjoyable, adding a nice atmosphere to the game.
The premise of a romantic story set on a cruise is interesting, and the writing has improved compared to previous titles from the developer.
The game offers easy achievements and trading cards, making it appealing for achievement hunters and casual players.

The story is very short and lacks depth, with abrupt endings that leave players unsatisfied.
The non-skippable match-3 mini-game interrupts the narrative flow and feels tedious, detracting from the overall experience.
There are limited choices that do not significantly impact the story, leading to a feeling of linearity and lack of meaningful player agency.

story
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
74%
8%
The story in "True Lover's Knot" is generally viewed as short and somewhat clichéd, with many reviewers noting that it lacks depth and meaningful choices, often feeling rushed and interrupted by repetitive match-3 mini-games that detract from the narrative experience. While some players appreciated the romantic premise and character art, the overall execution left many feeling unsatisfied, with calls for a more immersive and engaging storyline. The game is recommended primarily for casual visual novel fans and achievement hunters rather than those seeking a rich narrative experience.
- “The premise and delivery of the love story on vacation was good.”
- “A nice concept that lets one 'rest' in between story bits to play the puzzles, which are relevant to the story.”
- “With 'True Lover's Knot', I particularly enjoyed the storyline, the music, the trivia I learned about Spain, and most of all the mini games which initially were elementary and later required more strategy to avoid having to retry so I could follow the storyline quicker.”
- “The story is really short, and the attempts to hide this with one sentence per page just means sore wrists from the repeated clicking.”
- “The game is very short, which in and of itself is not a problem, but the storyline is bland and very rushed.”
- “Okay, nobody plays dating sims for a realistic deep connection or anything like that, but True Lover's Knot had the most basic, shallow excuse for a story I've yet to encounter.”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
31%
16%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its quality and fitting ambiance, featuring a diverse mix of genres such as jazz, lounge, reggae, and R&B. Many players found the soundtrack to be catchy and relaxing, enhancing the overall experience of the game, while some highlighted specific tracks as particularly enjoyable. Overall, the music is considered a standout aspect, contributing significantly to the game's charm and immersion.
- “The soundtrack music is good, and fits the scenes well.”
- “Cons: the movies were pointless and boring, all music other than the theme song, your date options, the depiction of the cruise, the mini game popped up too often, your choices don't matter.”
- “The music has a very relaxing feel to it and made playing the game a little bit easier.”
- “Becoming a real true fan of Saphire Dragon Production's works... the music is just divine.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the character artwork as beautiful and enjoyable, while the photographic backgrounds are often criticized as lackluster and jarring when combined with the drawn characters. Overall, the art style is appreciated, but the inconsistency between the character designs and the backgrounds detracts from the visual experience for some players.
- “The artwork--the character artwork is beautiful.”
- “Character artwork is amazing.”
- “Really love the art style and the characters.”
- “Aside from that, there's a weird mix of drawn characters with real-life action videos, photographic backgrounds (including ones with people the drawn ones are placed amidst, extremely jarring) and does this visual novel use the 'few hours later', 'a wild night later', 'some drinks later' rather than, you know... describe it like a visual novel should.”
- “Only positive is that the artwork is decent; otherwise, run away from this title.”
- “So, maybe not for its full price, but all in all this one's a very nice romantic visual novel that focuses more on graphics, music, and story rather than on endings, choices, or suspense.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The gameplay has been criticized for its lackluster feature set, mechanical stiffness in minigames, and a shallow experience overall. Players noted that the repetitive nature of the match-3 puzzles detracts from the narrative, while the mismatched art styles and limited gameplay options further diminish the overall enjoyment.
- “The match-3 mini-game, while the idea and the gameplay are good, becomes repetitive near the end of the game.”
- “This visual novel is mostly kinetic (as it says in the description) but places the gameplay in a series of 'Candy Crush' style puzzles in between plot points to be solved.”
- “Lackluster feature set, mismatched assets, and mechanically dubious minigames.”
- “The gameplay itself was broken in parts.”
- “While I could forgive the fact that the background art and the character art don't always mesh well, the shallowness of the characters and the lack of gameplay options do the game in.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by funny and light-hearted dialogue, with some moments of hilarity stemming from awkward exchanges and the contrast between anime-style characters and photographic backgrounds. However, the integration of repetitive stock footage and a tedious match-three game detracts from the overall comedic experience, leading to frustration rather than laughter. Additionally, the unexpected voice acting for voicemail messages adds a humorous twist to the otherwise text-based dialogue.
- “Funny and light-hearted dialogue.”
- “Some of the writing is pretty hilarious.”
- “It is a hilarious departure to suddenly have voices for voicemail messages, when all along the in-person dialogue has been text only.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
Character development in the game is limited due to the short timeframe of the story, which unfolds over just a week, resulting in a quick read of about three hours. While some players appreciated the character arcs despite the few endings, others found the development awkward and lacking in romantic depth. Overall, opinions are mixed, with some enjoying the simplicity and others desiring more depth.
- “I really enjoyed the character development, although the game won't take you more than 3 hours to read through it all due to the few endings. But that's okay in my opinion; not every visual novel needs to have 20 different endings to be beautiful.”
- “In terms of graphics, music, plot, and character development, I really think you won't be disappointed. Even if the preferences section isn't extremely polished, you won't find yourself stuck or in an annoying situation where you're bound to read for 30 minutes of uninteresting content.”
- “The character development is engaging and adds depth to the story, making the experience more immersive and enjoyable.”
- “There isn't much character development as the cruise takes place over a week.”
- “Fourth, the character development is awkward, and therefore the sense of romance is completely absent.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report ongoing stability issues, with frequent freezes occurring even when attempting to revert to older versions of the game. Despite community discussions offering potential solutions, the stability problems persist.
- “Even if you find a workaround in the discussions, the game still freezes frequently.”
- “The stability issues are frustrating; I often experience crashes during gameplay.”
- “No matter how many updates they release, the game continues to have major stability problems.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game has been criticized for its lack of replayability, with users noting that the limited number of endings and the presence of non-skippable mini-games detract from the overall experience. Many feel that the content does not justify the price, as there is little incentive to replay the game after completing it.
- “I appreciated the fact that I could choose not to end up with either of the love interests, but it wasn't enough to save the game for me. With only three ending options, the replay value of the game is extremely limited.”
- “I'm a slow reader, but $7 USD for about 2 hours of reading and repeated interruptions to play non-skippable match-3/4/5 mini games, with no replay value, is pretty overpriced to me.”
- “This game has absolutely no replay value.”
- “I did appreciate the fact that I could choose not to end up with either of the love interests, but it wasn't enough to save the game for me. Because there are only three ending options, the replay value of the game is extremely limited.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, comparing it unfavorably to Candy Crush and criticizing the slow pacing and mechanical stiffness of the minigames. This repetitive nature detracts from the overall enjoyment and flow of the gameplay.
- “The match-3 game is tedious, and why am I playing Candy Crush with file extensions to fix a ship's engine?”
- “It's tedious and ruins the already poor pacing.”
- “The minigames are insanely stiff mechanically and take too long to solve, making them tedious and annoying chores.”