[h1]A battle of words, the fight for love. :o[/h1]
[h2]Introduction[/h2]
[i]Cyrano[/i] is a story-driven, adventure game with mini RPG battles and letter composition developed and published by Popcannibal. Yes, it's by the same people behind [i]Kind Words[/i] and [i]Kind Words 2[/i], both of which I've played and reviewed. [i]Cyrano[/i] is based on the classic play, [i]Cyrano de Bergerac[/i]. The story is told from the third person perspective, and you step into the shoes of Cyrano during the 1600's when France and Spain are at war. Cyrano is a young man who's going to fight in the war on behalf of France but is also a talented poet who is in love with Roxane. However, it turns out that Roxane has recently gotten married to Christian, a handsome man who's going to fight on France's behalf, too, but is clumsy with words. It probably doesn't help that Cyrano has an unusually big nose, which doesn't go unnoticed. Anyway, the story follows Cyrano, Christian, and Le Bret (their commander), as they travel to the front lines and the adventures they encounter along the way.
With the gameplay, you'll encounter battles, and for the most part, you can choose how you want to approach enemies. For example, you may want to choose a head-on fight approach while at other times, you'll choose to heal or even retreat if the battle proves to be too difficult. With some battles, you can choose to attack enemies with how you word insults, which can range from friendly to downright aggressive. It goes without saying that after all of the enemies are defeated, you win the battle and you get rewards, both in the form of experience for your party and cards that contain phrases. You can then use these phrases for Cyrano to compose love letters to Roxane (even though Christian is supposed to be writing them lol). The story itself is linear, so it'll be obvious when it ends, especially if you're familiar with the play. Also, it'll take roughly an hour to complete one playthrough, and at the time of this review, no Steam achievements or trading cards are present.
[h2]Review[/h2]
Being a fan of both [i]Kind Words[/i] and [i]Kind Words 2[/i], my interest got piqued when I learned that Popcannibal released [i]Cyrano[/i]. Thus, I'm very grateful to the developer for sending over a review copy so I could try out this game and give my thoughts. ^^
With the story, it stays very faithful to the play. Although I haven't had a chance to read the play yet (but I totally will when I get the chance ^^), I did look up info about the play, and the game doesn't diverge from the actual story. You have the hopeless romantic poet and soldier, Cyrano, who's in love with Roxane, but it turns out that Christian is in love with her, too, and they're even married. I enjoyed reading both the story and getting to know the characters. Cyrano is a funny, witty main character who fights his enemies with the power of words, while Christian is more of the handsome but boring young man who fumbles with words. There's such a fun character dynamic between the two. As I followed the story, there are lots of funny, witty moments, but they blend well with the more serious, emotional ones. The original play was meant to have a combination of these various tones, and the game stays faithful to it.
As for the gameplay, I found the battles to be fun although somewhat frustrating when I encountered later battles. I found myself having to use the retreat or heal functions more often than I would have liked, but I'm not sure if this is intentional, considering the story's progression. At some point, I would like to do another playthrough and see if I can figure out how to do better in battles. With the letter composition, I found myself enjoying it lots. In a way, it reminds me of [i]Kind Words[/i] and [i]Kind Words 2[/i] but without the multiplayer functionality. You can choose which phrases from battles you win to bring with you, and you can be as creative and imaginative as you wish. You can be anywhere from serious to silly. There are no right or wrong ways to compose letters to Roxane. Of course, there are no Steam achievements, but I feel like they aren't necessary for this game. As long as you have fun and let your imagination soar, to me, that's more than enough.
With the art, it has this gorgeous, cartoony style that feels whimsical and fun. The colors used are vibrant, with just the right amount of brightness. With the art style used, it makes you really feel like you're watching the play.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3449655689
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3449656233
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3449656679
In regards to the music, the tracks are all instrumental, and they vary in moods and emotions. They give off that feeling that the story is taking place in the 1600's, with that fictional historical vibe. The music is very appropriate and perfect for this game.
[h2]Conclusion[/h2]
Would I recommend [i]Cyrano[/i]? If you're looking for a short game in which you can get creative with words, engage in battles, and experience the silly and serious moments of a fated character with unrequited love, then it's worth checking out. Granted, it has no Steam achievements or trading cards, and it's on the short side, especially if you only plan on playing it once. Thus, you can wait for a sale, but I think it's worth taking a look. I had so much fun getting creative with words, and I'm happy that the devs behind the [i]Kind Words[/i] series have released a game that is different but still lots of fun.
Finally, I want to give a major thank you to Popcannibal for the review copy. It was such a delight to play this game and feel what it's like to be in Cyrano's shoes. It's a story that's quite relatable in certain ways. ^^
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