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Winter Polaris

93%Game Brain Score
story, music
graphics, gameplay
93% User Score Based on 60 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows

About

"Winter Polaris" is a visual novel consisting of two stories. In "Winter Polaris," a disease causes people to disappear, leading the protagonist to flee to the mountains and later meet a mysterious, supposedly immortal girl in a ruined city. "Sweeper Swimmer" follows Elena, a resident of a small island who works as a sweeper to clean up marine litter, while uncovering secrets about the sea and her past. Gameplay focuses on narrative-driven choices and exploration.

Winter Polaris screenshot
Winter Polaris screenshot
Winter Polaris screenshot
Winter Polaris screenshot
Winter Polaris screenshot
Winter Polaris screenshot
Winter Polaris screenshot
Winter Polaris screenshot
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93%
Audience ScoreBased on 60 reviews
story30 positive mentions
gameplay1 negative mentions

  • Winter Polaris features a compelling and emotional narrative that explores deep themes of life, love, and existence in a post-apocalyptic setting.
  • The art and music, while limited, effectively establish the mood and enhance the storytelling experience, contributing to the overall atmosphere of the game.
  • The unique storytelling approach of intertwining two separate narratives allows for a fresh perspective and keeps players engaged as they uncover connections between the stories.
  • The writing can feel disjointed and confusing, with abrupt time skips and a lack of character development that detracts from the emotional impact of the story.
  • Technical issues, such as small text size in windowed mode and limited art assets, can hinder the overall experience and make it less visually appealing.
  • Some players may find the pacing slow and the lack of player choices in this kinetic novel format limiting, which could affect their enjoyment of the game.
  • story
    174 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Winter Polaris" is a poignant exploration of life, love, and immortality set against a post-apocalyptic backdrop marked by a pandemic. It intertwines two narratives—one melancholic and the other more adventurous—while employing a non-linear storytelling approach that some find disjointed, yet others appreciate for its thematic depth. Overall, the visual novel is praised for its emotional resonance and beautiful art, despite some critiques regarding pacing and character development.

    • “A heavy story about life, love, and future in a post-apocalyptic world.”
    • “Winter Polaris tells a touching story that has some fantastic themes of loneliness and existence.”
    • “The events and how the characters deal with the situations they find themselves in play on themes of what it means to be alive, which had me eagerly progressing through the episodes to learn where their story ends.”
    • “The story feels too... fast, not much is explained, and for the most part it feels kind of lifeless up until the very end.”
    • “Not only are you constantly flipping back and forth between these two stories and having to juggle all of the characters and events in both, but you're constantly jumping all over the place in each individual story.”
    • “It made the overall writing feel incredibly disjointed and did not give the characters the growth that they needed in order to have the impact that the story was looking for by the end of it.”
  • music
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally praised for its beauty and fitting atmosphere, with many players finding it soothing and nostalgic, particularly in relation to the visual novel "Narcissu." However, some users noted the limited variety, mentioning that hearing the same few tracks repeatedly over a six-hour experience can become monotonous. Overall, while the music enhances the setting, its repetitiveness detracts from the overall enjoyment for some players.

    • “In regards to the soundtrack, the music is beautiful.”
    • “I'd say that the music was one of my favorite aspects of this visual novel.”
    • “By the way, I love the art and music; it is always fitting to the setting I'm presented with.”
    • “The same can be said for the game's music, of which it felt like I was only hearing the same three or four tracks on repeat for the entire six hour experience.”
    • “- limited art and music assets”
    • “These freezes barely lasted a few seconds, but are noticeable in that any animations stop playing during the time and the music track playing in the background suddenly restarts itself.”
  • emotional
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its emotional depth, offering a heartwarming love story that explores profound themes of life, death, loneliness, and existence, despite its initially zany presentation. While some players feel disconnected from the emotional impact, many appreciate the well-crafted narrative and the poignant content provided for a free game.

    • “I was amazed at how much content and heart-wrenching the story was for it being free.”
    • “Bringing a well-constructed and heartwarming love story that fills your mind with questions about life and death.”
    • “Winter Polaris tells a touching story that has some fantastic themes of loneliness and existence.”
  • graphics
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics are characterized by a consistent artistic style that effectively sets the mood without excessive detail, reminiscent of the developer's previous titles like Narcissu and Rain Marginal. The visuals primarily feature letterboxed backgrounds with minimal character sprites, appearing only in occasional cutscenes. Overall, the artwork successfully complements the narrative while maintaining a minimalist aesthetic.

    • “The artwork does a good job of establishing the mood without being overly descriptive.”
    • “As in the developer's previous work, Narcissu, the visuals mostly consist of letterboxed backgrounds with no sprites, with the characters only appearing in the occasional (also letterboxed) CG.”
    • “As in the dev’s previous work Narcissu, the visuals mostly consist of letterboxed backgrounds with no sprites, with the characters only showing up in the occasional (also letterboxed) CG.”
    • “First, WP shares a similar style to the previous works, Narcissu and Rain Marginal, from writing style to art style.”
  • gameplay
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of *Winter Polaris* is characterized as a kinetic novel, meaning it lacks interactive choices that influence the story's progression. This design choice results in a linear narrative experience for players.

    • “As for the gameplay, [i]Winter Polaris[/i] is a kinetic novel, so there are no choices that impact the story's direction.”
  • atmosphere
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the visual novel is characterized by a quiet and introspective tone, as players primarily follow pairs of characters on solitary journeys, creating a sense of loneliness and reflection throughout the experience.

    • “The vast majority of the visual novel is spent following pairs of characters on a journey with no one else around, which creates a quiet, introspective, and perhaps lonely atmosphere.”
  • stability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users report occasional brief freezes that disrupt animations and cause background music to restart, though these interruptions typically last only a few seconds.

    • “These freezes barely lasted a few seconds, but are noticeable in that any animations stop playing during the time and the music track playing in the background suddenly restarts itself.”
  • character development
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users consistently highlight that "Something Winter Polaris" excels in character development, effectively showcasing the growth and evolution of its characters throughout the narrative.

    • “Something Winter Polaris conveys well is character development.”
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