Ceiba

Я отказываюсь верить, что эту поделку делали те же люди, что и забористого мясного Афанасия. Для кого эта новелла? Для малолетних и великовозрастных аниме дpoчepoв? Все эти выпирающие лобки в обтягивающих костюмчиках, "соблазнительные" позы с укладыванием ладони поверх груди, какой-то невнятный соплежуй ОЯШ в главной роли, хочет держаться за ручку и дружить с девочками и стесняется. Серьёзно? Я что, в детский сад попала? Верните меня лучше плёнку киркой долбить, пока мозг не атрофируется. Продолжительность. Одно прочтение у меня заняло полчаса, пока не наступила какая-то резкая невнятная концовка. На Атаназию у меня ушло 10 часов. И мне реально ХОТЕЛОСЬ сложить весь пазл, посмотреть все имеющиеся руты, каждое малейшее ответвление. К концу данной новеллы хочется только блевануть и удалить.

This VN managed to leave a memorable impression, as I highly enjoy esoteric sci-fi, and paired with the biopunk aesthetic it notably stands out within the genre! While the story itself is rather short and doesn't allow much room for in-depth world-building, it still establishes an immersive atmosphere within a fascinating setting, supported by stunning art and an excellent soundtrack. The plot involves plenty of intriguing ideas and kept me invested during all routes. In my opinion, the main shortcomings are due to the story's brevity and pacing, as the writing often couldn't express elaborate characterizations nor provide detailed insights on the lore & events, which would've enhanced the experience by a lot, as certain elements felt superficially dealt with - while on the other hand, some less relevant scenes felt rather slow-paced. However altogether it's a pleasant and interesting experience nonetheless.

Какая-то посредственность, а не новелла. Ничем не запомнилась особо. Перешли от мясного Афанаси к травянистой Сейбер. Ну оно в общем-то так и есть. Прошлая игра реально была мясной, хоть и ее монстры у меня вызывали смех, они не были страшными. Но на более-менее среднюю фантастику новелла тянула. Сейбер же про какого-то инцела, боящегося держаться за ручку с девушками. Вообще описание того, как герой боится женщин занимает достаточно много объема новеллы, и так не слишком большого. Только вроде все начинает разворачиваться, а уже и заканчивается. Да, может быть арт и дизайн у новеллы неплохой, но все остальное, в том числе персонажи - плоховато. Поэтому я бы не рекомендовал читать. :)

Люблю игры этих разрабов. Подсела. ПОЧЕМУ ЭТО ДО СИХ ПОР НЕ ПОПУЛЯРНО Да, конечно после того, как играешь в Athanasy, есть с чем сравнить. Особенно в плане глубины сюжета, продолжительности и выбора решений. Но как же я кайфанула, что теперь появилось больше анимаций, добавили моргание глаз и движение губ. Ну и озвучка!! Более живее всё стало. Ну и сама вселенная, обожаю такой вайб природный. Растения и животные. Кайф. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3550987549 Спасибо за игры, жду выхода следующей :3 (а еще я удивилась, что есть книга по Athanasy)

Ceiba is a visual novel created by Wirion and 7DOTS, and published by Moonworks, that blends science fiction, biopunk aesthetics, and themes of longing and self-discovery into a compact but memorable narrative. The story follows Ein, an artificial lifeform known as an Artifite, who finds himself stationed in a strange planetary garden beneath the vast canopy of Ailanthus. Though his expedition has stalled and progress seems uncertain, Ein becomes increasingly intrigued by a colleague, a quiet and distant girl obsessed with the mysteries of ancient ruins buried beneath the planet’s clouds. As these ruins begin to stir in unexpected ways, the line between curiosity, desire, and the essence of life itself becomes blurred. One of the defining aspects of Ceiba is its ability to immerse players in a world that feels simultaneously alien and organic. Instead of high-tech chrome and steel often associated with science fiction, the game’s environments lean toward the biopunk aesthetic, where technology and plant life are fused together in unsettling yet beautiful ways. The animated backgrounds and parallax effects add depth to each scene, while character portraits are expressive enough to convey subtle emotion. The soundtrack, crafted by Synthelligence, underscores the dreamlike setting with atmospheric electronic tones that complement the narrative’s meditative pace. The inclusion of full voice acting further heightens immersion, giving conversations weight and helping players connect to the characters on an emotional level. The gameplay adheres closely to the visual novel formula, but there are branching choices and multiple endings that provide some variety. Dialogue options allow players to influence the flow of conversations, though only a handful of these decisions meaningfully alter the direction of the story. This means much of the narrative remains linear, with limited opportunities for players to diverge from its intended course. Still, the branching that does exist provides enough replay value for those who want to see alternate outcomes. The pacing is deliberately slow, encouraging players to soak in the atmosphere, observe the details of the world, and reflect on the philosophical undercurrents rather than rush toward resolution. At its core, the writing of Ceiba is where it shines. It delves into questions about what it means to be alive, how longing shapes identity, and whether artificial beings can find meaning in their existence. Ein’s perspective as an Artifite is central to this, as he navigates his own doubts while becoming entangled with his coworker’s obsession with the ruins. The ruins themselves are more than set pieces—they symbolize the echoes of a forgotten intelligence, and their enigmatic behavior deepens the mystery that drives the story forward. These themes give the narrative a reflective quality, rewarding players who enjoy stories that leave space for interpretation and contemplation. That said, Ceiba is not without its shortcomings. Its relatively short length, with most players completing it in just a few hours, means that some characters and plot threads feel underdeveloped. While the central relationship between Ein and the mysterious girl carries emotional weight, the supporting cast lacks depth and exists mostly to serve the main storyline. Some of the choices that initially appear impactful end up changing little more than surface dialogue, which may disappoint players hoping for more intricate branching paths. The game’s reliance on a small set of backgrounds and visual assets also limits its variety, occasionally making environments feel repetitive despite their conceptual uniqueness. Despite these limitations, Ceiba succeeds in delivering a concentrated and thematically rich experience. It is not a sprawling epic or a highly interactive game, but rather a carefully crafted narrative that prioritizes mood and ideas over action. At its modest price point, it offers strong value, particularly for fans of biopunk storytelling and visual novels that emphasize atmosphere and introspection. It resonates most with players who appreciate narratives that pose more questions than they answer, leaving a lingering sense of curiosity and reflection even after the credits roll. For those seeking a contemplative science fiction tale with haunting imagery and a touch of romance, Ceiba is a journey worth taking. Rating: 9/10

Хотелось бы видеть больше раскрытия мира игры и взаимоотношений между персонажами: уж больно короткой и не столь разветвленной, как в Athanasy, получилась история. Сеттинг интересный, настроение совершенно отличное от первой игры серии и это ощущается прекрасно, когда проходишь обе новеллы подряд. Порадовала качественная озвучка. P. S. на моменте с коротким камео под трек Amrita я чуть не завопил от ужаса, отличная работа ;)

a good Visual Novel game. can recommend it. sweet girls with some supercool clothes. the price of this game is alright.

Сейба покоряет с первых же минут своим потрясающим визуальным стилем и атмосферной сай-фай музыкой. Я, мягко говоря, офигел, когда увидел, что меня ожидает. Это реально одна из самых красивых новелл, которые мне доводилось читать (а прочитал я их не мало). Фоны и ЦГ просто балдёжные, спрайты персонажей тоже понравились, хоть я и не люблю фурришность. Сюжет точно так же на высоком уровне. Он представляет собой некую научную фантастику в оригинальном сеттинге, но без излишних деталей и духоты. Читается всё просто и интересно, находится место как для юмора, так и для более серьёзных тем. А вот персонажи, по правде говоря, ничего такого из себя не представляют. Несколько клишированные и без большой глубины, но по-своему уникальные и притягательные. Даже немного жаль, что с ними происходит маловато взаимодействия — новелла коротковата, что является для меня минусом, но не критичным.

Хорошая визуальная новелла от авторов Athanasy. Интересный сеттинг, необычный и красивый визуальный стиль, уникальная атмосфера "растительного биопанка", неплохая история. Хотелось конечно большее наполнение новеллы (больше событий, развилок, концовок, секретов), все-таки она очень короткая. Тем не менее читать было интересно буду ждать новых работ от данной студии.

Ceiba is not a game, it's an e-book that's been dumped on Steam masquerading as a game. As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay, it's just a lot of clicking through badly written dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print, which poses the question, "How did something this badly written end up on Steam?". When someone hoping to become an author is unable to get published in print, they spend $100 and dump their high school fan-fiction onto Steam, under the guise of a game. This e-book was slapped together with the godawfully bad RenPy Visual Novel/E-Book construction kit, so just like no professional writing took place here, no professional game development took place either, it's just a product of filling out templates in the construction kit. This e-book has a familiar subject... yes, it's a high school anime club dropout fan-fiction from Russia, with garbled translation, and the topic is the authors imaginary girlfriend, who is an astronaut. Cosmonaut, I guess. The author relates his fantasy of his imaginary girlfriend being stuck in a spaceship with him so she has no choice but to talk to him (These e-books always deal with the improbable scenario of the author talking to a girl or having a girlfriend), and eventually the developer hands her off to an alien robot or something. E-book fan-fiction writers have weird fantasies... and that's cringey of course, but then they inflict them on PC gamers when they aren't even games. And try to keep a straight face here... the author is trying to charge people for his fan-fiction about his imaginary girlfriend. Visual novels/e-books are tedious at best... imagine the best novel you ever read, be that Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy or 2001: A Space Odyssey or Twilight (if you have terrible taste in literature), but then translate that to a format where the words dribble out and you have to click your mouse every time you wanted to read the next sentence, instead of just turning the pages. You'd think it was garbage. Now imagine that experience, but with much worse writing (because if these guys could write professionally, they'd be published authors and this would be on shelves in bookstores, and they wouldn't have to pay Valve $100 to self-publish this on Steam), and you have your average Steam e-book. One of the chief problems with failed authors polluting Steam with non-game E-books is that E-books can easily just be presented in a web browser... there's no justification for charging money on Steam for what might as well be a webpage. We don't spend thousands on buying a gaming rig to spend money on Steam for something Chrome or Firefox could do. You can get better quality books and comics for free online or from public libraries, or from bookstores for a fraction of the price of this "game". Steam isn't a comic book store, neither is it Netflix, it's for games. Your gaming rig is not a Kindle. It's impossible for me to recommend things to PC gamers that aren't really games. These flaws make this E-Book fall far short of the professional standards we expect from a modern PC game. So, should you buy this E-Book? Is this one of the best of the 140,000+ games on Steam? Ceiba has the almost scam-like price of around $7 USD, it's not worth it given the defects and shortcomings with the product, especially considering the sheer number of completely free, much higher quality games on Steam. For comparison, the $7 asking price for this E-Book could get you games like "Rise of the Tomb Raider", "Hearts of Iron IV" or "Grand Theft Auto V". Quality, professionally made games like those are frequently on sale cheaper than this.