Amarantus

It's a good small VN, the art is good, sound effects are good, music is OK, it move well, and it has the necessary QOL that every modern VN has now. The game really shines at what it sells : interesting dynamic and relationships between characters What's a little disappointing is that the characters are too one dimensional, with little depth. The main plot line is too simple, too short. I Think you are supposed to try each characters routes but honestly can't bother. Outside Reckon, which is a complex character, all the others are insuferable in their own ways.

Amarantus is a beautifully complex story on the messiness of revolution and even messier relationships. Every decision you make matters but it doesn't stray you away from making questionable decisions. All the characters are so layered and so dynamic, added by the animations. Amarantus pushes the medium of visual novel to the fullest extent and it makes it's world so much richer for it.

They weren't lying. Relationships are a truly messy affair. Oneliners aside, this is a great visual novel, crafted in an inspired artful spirit and a project that is definitely worth exploring.

Amarantus is a tricky game to write about. It does so much well, and I believe it is worth playing. The art has been rightfully praised; Amartantus is the most lovingly-detailed visual novel I've played when it comes to character expressions. The story is an interesting tale to unravel with some solid themes. I appreciate how the author trusts the player to figure things out. There's no exposition, which can be both freeing yet sometimes frustrating as characters allude to personal or political knowledge that they have but the player does not. Amarantus is tricky to write about because like the lack of exposition, many elements of this game both work for me and don't. This isn't due to a lack of vision. Amarantus is a passion project that's been in the works for years and years. If anything, I would say that Amarantus suffers from having been worked on for too long. This is a feeling that's difficult to describe. Let me try with a couple metaphors. It's as if Amarantus is a rock face that's been exposed to the water so long that grooves have been carved into it. Everything is well-polished, but in being polished so thoroughly it's as if some texture and vitality has been rubbed away. A common piece of advice for writers is not to show your work to too many people before the work is done, for risk of their feedback overwriting the writer's own voice. I think the same piece of advice applies to an author working with their future and past selves. Amarantus is the product of a decade's work, and I imagine that over a decade the author's idea of what the game is shifted, even as traces of old and new visions for the game had to coexist. Despite this subtle-yet-pervasive feeling that casts a malaise over the game, Amarantus is certainly worth playing for those interested in stories. Amarantus tells a well-crafted tale that does a great deal right. If I seem critical, that's because Amarantus is so close to being one of the truly masterful pieces of video game art, but it doesn't quite get there in my books. Games can be good - even great - without being masterpieces, though. Amarantus is not a masterpiece, but it's pretty great.

There are many typos and honestly boring. The story premise is also unrealistic.

I don't play a ton of visual novels all the way through once - let alone twice - but this one got its hooks in me. Terrific characterization (Reanne in particular), consequential choices, and a well-realized world with its own history and nuances of language (be sure to read the glossary). Subsequent playthroughs reveal more about the characters and the truth of the story told. Definitely worth your time.

Here's to mum

Really sucks you in with its story and mystery and does an excellent job at giving you just enough detail to keep you interested but not too much that it spoils itself and becomes boring. Excellent soundtrack!!!