Crimson Waves on the Emerald Sea: Amaranthine Moon

I finished Elm's route with vampire Lucie the whole way and really loved it! The art, writing, music, and scene direction work together to create a world that feels really lived in. Every character feels like they're living their own lives outside of what Lucie is up to, which enhances both the mystery and romance plots. On that note, I'm not usually a mystery or an otome game player but I had a lot of fun trying to solve the mystery and getting to know Elm. The two plots are woven together in ways that enhance each other. Getting to know Elm means gaining pieces to solve the mystery and solving the mystery brings you closer to Elm, and both feel very rewarding. I'm very excited to play more and get to know Rowan and Cecil better. I have been very charmed by my beloved Elm and the glimpses I got of Rowan and Cecil from his route make me want to experience their sides of the story. Overall, this was a really fun game. I really liked it. Everyone should play it and fall in love with Elm

the writing is beautiful, the art is gorgeous, and the game never feels stagnant

A cute and charming Otome game. Cecil was my personal favorite character and route, helped by getting to know him as a viewpoint character in the prequel (which I would encourage reading even if it's not required). As a side note, the developer was very helpful when I contacted them to report an issue I had (which was quickly resolved). If this looks interesting to you, I encourage reading it. The prequel title is freeware if you want to dip your toes into the setting. There's also a demo for this so that's an option too, though I'm not sure how much it covers. Oh also the protagonist is a chaotic gremlin, very entertaining.

I love how packed this otome game is with mystery. There's murders to solve, but also there is so much to uncover about these boys and the nuances of their lives. There's a great mix of real world mystery and fantasy intrigue here. The challenge of being an otome fan is how underwritten the female lead can be and what makes Lucie refreshing as a protagonist is how present she is, determined and self-possessed, so much so that the romantic leads often lean on her for support. The male leads are each distinct with an interiority that makes you curious to learn more about them. While this game is a sequel, you don't need to have played the first game to enjoy this one (though I do think it's very fun that one of the romances is a character from the previous game). I'm really looking forward to playing the different romance routes and seeing how the different romantic leads engage with the events of the plot!

It's always a pleasure to have otome games mixed with a variety of genres. I would love more murder mystery otome games! I liked the story and characters and it worked well on the Steam Deck (fullscreen recommended). If I had one constructive criticism, I think it would be more engaging to have each route be fully different from each other. While each love interest has his own story, the overall narrative is the same and it felt repetitive multiple times over. However, I understand that creating this would be a huge undertaking to write and implement and may not be the creative intention in the first place. The two Crimson Waves games were my first exposure to this studio and I look forward to more of their projects.

В целом, игра неплохая и довольно интересная сама по себе. Однако начинает наскучивать при перепрохождении на другие руты. Особенно бесят пустые выборы. Какая разница, в каком порядке есть блюда, если в итоге всё будет повторяться? Зачем в мужских линиях эти выборы по одному делу? Растянуть хронометраж? А еще по иллюстрациям явный фаворитизм в сторону братьев. Сесил получил лишь 3 иллюстрации, и это особенно грустно, учитывая, что он герой еще с прошлой части игры. А еще здесь вам не расскажут, что же случилось с родителями гг, а это мелькнет в тексте только в контексте "да... с моими родителями произошло такое...". Игру в целом можно пройти где-то за 20 часов, если не перечитывать руты на концовку вампира/человека, а скипать до изменений (мое время в игре отображается некорректно из-за игры в автономном режиме). Я бы оценила на 3/5 upd.: после написания этого обзора вышла версия 1.1 с добавлением нового контента, в том числе и новая иллюстрация для Сесила. 1.1 я уже не трогала и не хочу трогать, так что учитывайте это изменение после прочтения отзыва

刚玩开头，初印象：立绘很好看但是CG图的脸非常局促，仿佛被门夹了一般。