Vanilla: Garden of Judgement
- October 19, 2018
- Kaoru Nekofuji
Get on Steam"Vanilla: Garden of Judgement" is a visually striking visual novel that explores themes of life, death, and sin. The game features a full voice cast, over 50 CGs, and a gripping, mature story. With grotesque, violent, and sexual content, it is intended for mature audiences in mind and is not suitable for those under 15 years old. The player will uncover the destinies of the characters as they confront their past sins and face judgment.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features strong endings, particularly the true ending and bad ending 2, which are well-received by players.
- Charon's writing is praised for its depth and relatability, with unique themes and compelling character backstories that resonate with players.
- The art and music are generally appreciated, contributing to a beautiful and immersive experience despite the game's dark themes.
- The game suffers from technical issues, including a lack of voice acting in the English version and typographical errors in the text.
- The midsection of the game has significant pacing issues, with some players feeling that the story could have been more fleshed out.
- Many players found the repetitive music and the handling of interactive choices frustrating, as they felt railroaded into making harsh decisions.
- story56 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story is praised for its emotional depth and compelling character backstories, particularly Sima's, which resonates with many players. While the narrative is engaging and features a unique dark theme, some reviewers felt that certain plot points could have been better developed, given the game's length. Overall, the writing is described as both simplistic and profound, successfully blending meaningful storytelling with the signature traits of Charon's previous works.
“Charon's writing is as great as always in this relatively unique story.”
“A lot more meaningful and psychological in the main plot line than a lot of other Charon games, but still having four incredible dark and humanizingly painful backstories that perfectly capture what I think is a great Charon plot.”
“Not only does it retain all the unique traits of Charon's previous novels, the story is also deep and meaningful.”
“I felt like these plot points could have been justified more if the story was more fleshed out, but given the length of the game, there couldn't have been enough time.”
“It was the red choices part of the story that I really had trouble agreeing with.”
“Perhaps with a more fleshed-out story, this game would be easier to recommend.”
- music18 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, described as gentle, peaceful, and appropriate for the visual novel's atmosphere, contributing to a contemplative experience. However, some players noted a lack of variety, as a single track dominates the gameplay despite a larger selection of songs. Overall, the composition by Ryo Lion is appreciated for bringing a refreshing change to the series.
“Looking at the lovely character artwork and gentle music, I often felt extremely at peace and contemplative reading this.”
“It was a beautiful game in art, music, and story.”
“Music: [+] easy on the ears and appropriate with the visual novel.”
“Why does this game have like 10 songs but for 90% of the game only a single one plays.”
“The music, if you're familiar with the presence of music, who composed most of Charon's songs in previous works, and like me... fed up with replaying the same rhythm over in your head for the past years, will surely enjoy the new breeze that Ryo Lion brought about.”
“The music, if you're familiar with the presence of music, who composed most of Charon's songs in previous works, and like me... fed up with replaying the same rhythm over in your head for the past years, will surely enjoy the new breeze that Ryo Lion brought about.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics are praised for their gorgeous art style, reminiscent of Tsukimi Planet, which contributes to a peaceful and contemplative atmosphere. However, some users noted issues with the display format, as maximizing the visuals results in an awkward layout with a large black bar on one side. Overall, while the visuals and audio are well-received, there are minor concerns regarding typographical errors in the English translation.
“I'm a fan of this type of art style, which was primarily what got me to buy the game.”
“Looking at the lovely character artwork and gentle music, I often felt extremely at peace and contemplative reading this.”
“The art is gorgeous, similar to Tsukimi Planet art style.”
“The visuals are either viewed in a small window, or if maximized, you get a larger picture but it’s set all the way to the left of your screen with a large black bar on the right side.”
“There's also the matter of typographical mistakes in the English translation.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its meaningful and psychological main plot, featuring four deeply impactful and dark backstories that resonate with players. Many reviewers noted that these narratives evoke strong feelings, with one player mentioning they cried multiple times, particularly during the true ending sequence. Overall, the game successfully captures the essence of emotional storytelling within the Charon genre.
“A lot more meaningful and psychological in the main plot line than a lot of other charon games, but still having 4 incredible dark and humanizingly painful backstories that perfectly capture what I think is a great charon plot. The 4th one made me cry about 3 different times, not counting the one during the true ending sequence.”
“I'm not going to lie and say that I cried reading this, but then again, I'm quite a good liar.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight a strong appreciation for the character designs, particularly noting the appeal of the female characters. However, there is no mention of deeper character development or growth within the narrative.
