Ceress and Orea

While the game was wholesome and had a nice environment, the story had left some major events unexplained and had the player assume what happened. For example - [spoiler] the parts with the Brat, where Ceress expresses anger towards him, didn't explain why that was. [/spoiler] During my playthrough I actually got curious as to what happened, whether that kid snitched on Orea for being lovey-dovey with Ceress, or if he was just a litte ♥♥♥♥♥ and annoyed them constantly. The part with [spoiler] Orea's father putting pressure on her to be who he wants her to be [/spoiler] was a little bit confusing and I wish that was elaborated on too. The ending was a little disappointing as well. I was hoping for something that would've really reflected the fact the lovers were reunited, a longer cutscene showing the girls ecstatic for being together again or some more CG artworks, considering that was the whole point of the game. All I've gotten for beating the game was a cg without them talking and a single artwork (which was actually pretty btw). The puzzles were meh, it was going back and forth to find what you need and iirc there was one puzzle that was actually fun to solve, and it was the one where you had to step on all tiles without stepping on the same ones again. I'd give it a 5.5/10 for the game as a whole, 3/10 for the story, 8/10 for the artworks, because the artstyle was actually really pretty, and a 3/10 for the puzzles.

This was an interesting little casual experience. Pros: -there is a sapphic ( possibly qpp ) relationship. -the art is cute. the character designs ( though limited ) are cute. -the puzzles are doable without a guide. -even if you get lost ( as I often do in games ) it's pretty easy to figure out what you missed if you just wander a bit. -there's no real danger involved ( danger is easy to avoid ) -it's a fairly casual linear game. Cons: -it plays like most free rpgmaker games I've played and I'm kind of sorry I paid money for it. -I'm not entirely sure why the creator decided to take the concept of escaping death and the Underworld for the person they love and turn it into a casual walking sim with a few puzzles like dying and coming back to life is something people do on a regular basis. -the dialogue feels generic rather than emotional. -the relationship between Ceress and Orea, despite the name of the game, was so contextless [spoiler]even with the flashbacks[/spoiler] that I struggled to connect with it. the first scene of the game has no real context for what is happening and why, you're just thrust into everyone on a cliff having a commotion already?? -the big red flag for other queer players like myself: despite the implication of a sapphic relationship, it is never shown or described in-game like one. [spoiler]there are no real words of affection displayed by either girl towards the other. very generic 'I'm glad I met you'. every flashback scene of the two is a fade to black after vague best friend sounding dialogue. ( if anything the whole thing reads more like a queerplatonic relationship than two sapphic lovers - which if that's your thing, this may be perfect! but even as an aspec person, [i]I[/i] personally wanted to see [i]more[/i] depth to their relationship, even if just in words, to solidify why Ceress was so determined to get back to her ). they do not hug or kiss or hold hands. the most intimate flashback is Orea brushing Ceress' hair. the only real implication we get that it may not have been just friendship is a voice-over flashback of Orea's father claiming she must be brainwashed by Ceress because she cares about Ceress more than her Oracle duties and he's going to make her better.[/spoiler] Would I recommend this to people? Especially other queer people? Nah. I've played better freebie rpgmaker games. Don't waste your money on this.

Depois de dar final, hora da análise. Não esperem nenhuma super produção só por conta dos muitos positivos, embora o jogo realmente seja OK. Em breve resumo, o jogo conta a história de um romance entre duas garotas, sendo que uma delas é jogada de um precipício e, para retornar para sua amada, deverá provar seu valor aos espíritos. Parece épico, mas na verdade não passa de um jogo com gráficos de RPG Maker contando uma história acompanhada por alguns quebra cabeças para crianças de 4 anos. Seguem os pontos positivos e negativos: + História comovente; + Boa CG (imagens para a história); + Boa música; + Bom uso de efeitos sonoros para ambientação; + Exploração recompensada; + Bom custo benefício na promoção; - Bem curto (dará final em 1h); - Puzzles simples demais; - O que é aquela gosma verde afinal??? - [strike]Estimula a violência injustificada contra espíritos do fogo totalmente pacíficos[/strike] Seja pelo custo benefício, pelas CGs bonitas e pela história fofa, eu diria que RECOMENDO o jogo.

Ceress and Orea is the story of a woman condemned to death for forbidden love with Orea and journeys through the underworld to prove to the gods her death was unjust and love is true. The backstory is pieced together as Caress makes her way through. The game has some issues beyond the narrative itself; such as no mouse support, no steam feature support (though achievements do pop, you won't be notified), no settings; there is a clear lack of effort on the usability side of things. It's only $2 and why I'm recommending the game; anything more and there just isn't enough value here as the narrative is quite short. Most of the story is told in flashbacks that consist of about a minute worth of dialog. But what's there is enjoyable enough, just don't expect anything more than an hour worth of content, with some of that time spent struggling how to go to full screen mode or take a screenshot.

This game was absolutely lovely! It was very atmospheric - the tilesets are very pretty and the maps are put together in really appealing ways, and the music is gorgeous. Sound effects heighten the experience by adding detail to the world - water drips only play as you approach the droplets, for examples, or unearthly groaning plays in maps as spirits appear. The story is simple and straightforward, but very compelling, especially as you unlock memories. They add a depth to Orea and Ceress's relationship, fleshing it out as you go through the game, even though only you only control Ceress as you do. For those concerned, [spoiler]there is a happy ending, and although Ceress's death sentence reads as an obvious metaphor for homophobia, it isn't explicitly in-game. Try to get all the achievements for a brief but really exciting post-credits scene, which to me was exactly the note I wanted this game to end on.[/spoiler] I personally really enjoyed the gameplay. The puzzles were easy enough, with most of them feeling more like an excuse to just explore the world of the game, but frankly it was such a stunning one I was very satisfied to do so. Heads up for a chase scene, but [spoiler]if you just keep sprinting forward, you should be good[/spoiler]. Definitely recommend this game for anyone looking for a bite-sized RPG experience that nonetheless packs a sweet, emotional punch!

A cute little story told through RPG Maker(?). Took me about an hour to finish (not counting the time that went into fiddling with Steam's controller settings), as advertised, and apparently I got 100% achievements. On the technical side, the Steam overlay didn't work with the game (which is why I didn't know I got achievements), there is no full-screen mode, and the narrative has some quirks when it comes to spelling, word choice and sentence structure... but nothing that stopped me from enjoying the journey.

Atmospheric, beautiful to see and hear, and undeniably endearing. The game's short length allows it to hit its story and gameplay beats without any filler, and even though the game is mechanically simple, it's got just enough going on to fit with the story. Aesthetically, Ceress and Orea is fantastic. The original soundtrack isn't just suiting, it's downright golden, and I regularly listen to it on Spotify. The sprites and tiles are all very well drawn and animated, and the sound design is haunting and perfectly atmostpheric. Top it all off with story that's to the point but definitely sweet, a tale of two young women falling in love and defying death to be together. I highly recommend Ceress and Orea!