Degraman: Act I. Vincent

Degraman: Act I. Vincent is a dark otome visual novel that mixes romance with mystery, danger and a pretty harsh story. I play as Eve, an ordinary young woman who suddenly gets pulled into a situation involving mysterious kidnappers and people who clearly know much more about the world than she does. What I like about the setup is that I am not given a simple romance story where everything is safe and predictable. Eve is put into a genuinely unpleasant situation, and a lot of the story is about trying to work out who I can trust while figuring out what is actually going on. The choices are easily the most important part for me. The game has a large number of decisions and the story can branch into different outcomes depending on what I choose. In the Vincent route there are nine endings, with several of them being bad endings, so I cannot just make random choices and expect everything to work out. I like having that level of control because it makes the story feel more personal. Some decisions can seem harmless at the time and only become important later, which gives me a reason to pay attention to conversations instead of clicking through everything. Vincent himself is also an interesting love interest because the romance is mixed into the darker parts of the story. I never feel like the relationship is completely separate from the main mystery. There is an uncomfortable atmosphere around the characters and the world, and that makes the romantic moments feel very different from a normal light hearted otome game. I like that contrast because the game is clearly aiming for something more dramatic than a simple dating story. The artwork helps a lot too, with detailed character designs and CG scenes that give the important moments more impact. The biggest problem for me is that the story can sometimes be confusing. The game deliberately does not explain everything straight away, and I can understand why because the mystery depends on keeping some information hidden. At the same time, there are moments where I am not sure whether I am supposed to be intrigued or simply lost. The world has a lot of ideas involving mysterious organisations, strange people and a much bigger conflict behind Eve's situation, but Act I leaves plenty of questions unanswered. The developer even describes the story as intentionally ambiguous, so I know going in that I am not getting every answer here. I also think the structure is worth mentioning because this is specifically Act I rather than a complete standalone story. The Vincent route has more than five hours of content, over 40 CGs and nine endings, but there are other routes and characters planned as part of the wider Degraman series. The paid Act I content adds Cassel as another love interest and gives me a Loner route, while the free version focuses on Vincent. I like that the free version gives me a proper route rather than just a tiny demo, although I do think the incomplete nature of the larger story makes the ending feel more like a stopping point than a full conclusion. The presentation is probably where the game feels strongest to me. The dark atmosphere, anime inspired artwork and serious tone fit the story well, and I like how much attention has gone into the characters. The game is made with Ren'Py, so I am not expecting complicated gameplay systems, but that is fine because the choices and story are clearly the focus. There are also 14 Steam achievements tied to the free game, which gives me another reason to explore different outcomes instead of stopping after seeing one ending. Overall, Degraman: Act I. Vincent is a good visual novel with a strong atmosphere, attractive artwork and a story that gives me plenty of reasons to keep making different choices. I like the darker romance, branching endings and mystery surrounding Eve, even if the story can sometimes be too vague and the larger plot is clearly not finished yet. The fact that the Vincent route is available for free makes it much easier for me to recommend as something I can try without committing to the paid routes. It is not perfect, but there is enough here to make me interested in seeing where the wider story goes. Rating: 7/10