White Wings
- July 17, 2020
- Pureworks Japan 株式会社
Get on Steam"White Wings" is a visual novel set in a Japanese middle school during winter, following students' experiences with love, friendship, and hardship as they prepare for exams. With a full Japanese voice cast, the game features over 40 animated CGs, a Japanese promotional video produced by KIZAWA Studio, and a soundtrack by a well-known Japanese production team. The game explores themes of bullying, broken families, and the bittersweet taste of first love.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Steam Deck
Windows
PlayStation
Reviews
- The artwork and character designs are visually appealing, with well-done animations and a good soundtrack that enhances the mood.
- The game features multiple endings and choices, allowing for a degree of replayability and engagement with the story.
- The emote system is effectively utilized, adding depth to character interactions and enhancing the overall experience.
- The story is criticized for being poorly written, with an unlikable protagonist and a plot that can feel forced or nonsensical.
- The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs, lag, and inconsistent voice acting quality, which detracts from immersion.
- Many players found the themes of the game to be heavy and depressing, with some feeling that the choices lead to unsatisfactory or confusing outcomes.
- music30 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in *White Wings* is highly praised, featuring an uplifting opening theme song "Pure White" by Chata, which enhances the game's romantic and coming-of-age themes. The background music, including tracks like "With Shinshin, Just Be Honest" and "Cold Air," complements the emotional scenes effectively, making the soundtrack a standout aspect of the game. Overall, the music and artwork are considered the game's saving grace, elevating it despite mixed reviews on other elements.
“The opening theme song 'Pure White' easily swings this game from a rough one to a memorable one with its uplifting piano music, bass accompaniment, and vocals by Chata to suit a romance and coming-of-age story.”
“Among the soundtracks for the game, the BGM 'With Shinshin, Just Be Honest' and 'Cold Air' has pleasant piano music to suit the romance themes in the game.”
“The animated artwork sprites, character portraits, large amount of CGs, attractive Steam achievements, and wonderful theme song by Chata make this game very attractive in its own right.”
“Before coming to the actual review itself, 'White Wings' is not your typical cute romance visual novel with good endings, despite the lively, upbeat opening theme song and chibi artwork of the heroines.”
“The artwork and background music is this game's saving grace which prompted me to write this review in case the game is removed from Steam under the weight of the negative reviews it has been receiving.”
“If you are looking for a plot-driven visual novel and don't care about the soundtrack and artwork, I can only recommend the base game when it is discounted to less than $5.”
- story26 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The story of *White Wings* is criticized for its clichéd love triangle and melodramatic themes, often described as a sad love story that lacks depth and coherence. Many players found the narrative unsatisfactory, with rushed and forced romantic encounters, leading to a disappointing experience overall. Additionally, technical issues, particularly in the Steam version, hindered progression and further detracted from the storytelling experience.
“It takes the basic love triangle situation and turns it into a sad love story.”
“The story has a lot of melodrama, adult themes, and an optional adult patch.”
“The opening theme song 'Pure White' easily swings this game from a rough one to a memorable one with its uplifting piano music, bass accompaniment, and vocals by Chata to suit a romance and coming-of-age story.”
“Steam version turns out to be very buggy and cannot progress through the story.”
“For those looking for a more interactive plot-focused visual novel or expecting a cute and sweet romance story, 'White Wings' will be a disappointment because the game has some sexual encounters but they are rushed and/or forced, the protagonist getting pulled into the love triangle, and a less than perfect ending which are unavoidable.”
“I think the protagonist should have been indifferent to all the heroines instead of being in love with one of them, which made the story biased.”
- graphics18 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics in *white wings* are praised for their attractive artwork, animated sprites, and character portraits, which contribute significantly to the game's appeal. The lively opening theme and chibi-style heroines enhance the visual experience, making it a standout feature despite the game's mixed reviews. Overall, the visuals, along with the original music, are considered the game's saving grace, appealing particularly to those who appreciate aesthetic elements in visual novels.
“The animated artwork sprites, character portraits, large amount of CGs, attractive Steam achievements, wonderful theme song by Chata, and opening movie by Kizawa Studio make this game very attractive in its own right.”
“This game is a romance visual novel with plenty of attractive artwork and a great opening theme song and video which piqued my interest in trying out the game despite the numerous negative reviews.”
“The artwork and background music are this game's saving grace, which prompted me to write this review in case the game is removed from Steam under the weight of the negative reviews it has been receiving.”
“Overall, I feel [i]White Wings[/i] could have been an excellent adult winter-themed visual novel with its artwork, animation, original music compositions, and full voice acting.”
“If you are looking for a plot-driven visual novel and don't care about the soundtrack and artwork, I can only recommend the base game when it is discounted to less than $5.”
“For those who like the artwork and music in the game, I can recommend the game with all the DLCs when they are heavily discounted within the price range of $10 to $20.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for being incomplete without paid DLC and packs, and it suffers from various issues such as poor plot, scriptwriting, and translation, particularly in the Steam version. Additionally, players have expressed frustration over the lack of responsiveness from the developers regarding these concerns.
“Paid DLC and packs are required, without which part of the gameplay is missing.”
“Sadly, it was let down by less than desirable plot, scriptwriting, translation, gameplay problems for the Steam version, and an unresponsive developer who ignored player concerns.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The Steam version of the game is reported to be highly unstable, with numerous bugs preventing players from progressing through the story, leading to frequent crashes. This significant instability has been a major point of frustration for users.
“The Steam version turns out to be very buggy and cannot progress through the story.”
“I don't know much about the story; I saw many people saying it is bad, but the biggest turn off was the patch being super buggy when it comes to the 'scene'; it crashes instantly, sadly.”
“The Steam version turns out to be very buggy and cannot progress through the story.”
- humor2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users find the humor in the game largely stems from its poor plot, with many noting that the lack of quality in the storyline inadvertently makes it amusing.
“The plot is so ridiculous that I can't help but find it hilarious.”
“The humor is so over-the-top that it makes the whole experience enjoyable.”
“I love how the game doesn't take itself seriously, which adds to the fun.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is notably poor, as performance significantly drops when three or four characters are on screen due to the "e-mote" animation system. This issue affects the overall gameplay experience, particularly in scenarios with multiple characters.
“When there are 3 or 4 characters on the screen, the performance drops significantly due to the 'e-mote' animation.”
“When there are 3 or 4 characters on the screen, the performance drops significantly due to the 'e-mote' animation.”
