[h1]Finding romance while fighting off monsters... :o[/h1]
[h2]Introduction[/h2]
[i]Eldritch Academy[/i] is a yuri romance, paranormal thriller (with bits of horror) visual novel developed and published by Nightshade. You're Yue Ishikami, a student at Solana Academy, an all-girls boarding school in Japan. However, Solana Academy holds a dark, deep secret. One night, Yue is woken up to an emergency and learns that Kasumi, one of her classmates, has been attacked. Letting curiosity get the better of her, Yue heads to the scene of the crime along with her friends, Akomi, Cho, and Kagami. They discover stone petals, which attach to them and become their weapons as they discover that Solana's old dormitory had its seals removed and monsters are free. As Yue and her friends are the only ones who can fight the monsters, they're tasked with the job of protecting the academy. Are they up to the task?
With the gameplay, choices are presented throughout the story. Early choices determine whether Yue can pursue romance with Akomi, Cho, or Kagami or is on the alone route. If Yue is on a romance route, then the choices made determine whether she gets the good ending or the nightmare one. After finishing all these routes, upon starting a new game, an option will appear in which Yue can pursue a harem route. Several CGs are shown as well as a varied soundtrack although no voice acting. Also, Steam achievements are available, but they won't count towards a user's global total until the game is out of "profile features limited".
[h2]Review[/h2]
As one of the participants in the [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/46245070/sale/FallinLoveFestival2026]Fall in Love Visual Novel Festival[/url], I was approached about covering [i]Eldritch Academy[/i], which I was happy to say yes. It has been a while, too, since I last covered a yuri game, so let's find out how this stacks up. ^^
[h3]Story and Gameplay[/h3]
The beginning is a bit slow, feeling more like your everyday, slice-of-life setting. Yue is going about her day, just wanting to focus on her studies and having as little interaction with a certain extroverted classmate as much as possible. (This is something I can understand. XD) Despite the slowness, it helps to set the scene for when the attack on Kasumi happens. Then that's when things get exciting. I found it funny when the teachers end up making Yue and her friends become paranormal hunters, simply because they're the only ones who can wield those petals that turn into weapons. You'd think that the teachers should be protecting the students, not the other way around. lol Anyway, I like the parts in the story where Yue and the others are hunting for the monsters and later, investigating the source. It has a bit of a mystery element there. Then there are the slower, daytime scenes in which Yue can interact with Akomi, Cho, and/or Kagami. If you end up on one of their romance routes, you may find it quite sweet. Especially, I like the confession scenes and the kissing. Each romance option has her own personality and interests, and for me, personally, I like Kagami because she's quiet and a little awkward but she enjoys games. Of course, I shouldn't forget the harem route. Although there were initially difficulties getting on it, the developer has since fixed this issue, and I had no problems with it, as it simply required a certain choice to be made.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3794826285
In regards to the writing, it's paced well. The daytime, school scenes can feel a bit slow compared to the nighttime scenes where Yue and the others are fighting monsters, but that's to be expected. There are a few typos, here and there. Even though I wish that they'd been polished, considering that this game is on the older side, they don't disturb the reader from being immersed in the story. All achievements unlocked for me without any problems, and yes, this is with the current version. I mention it since you can technically play the older version(s).
[h3]Art and Music[/h3]
The art style is nice to gaze at. The sprites are done in the usual anime style while the backgrounds feel on the simpler side. Still, there are enough details to distinguish different locations and whatnot. There's a good use and combination of colors, and of course, the CGs are done very well.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3794826119
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3794826404
As for the music, there's a good variety of tracks, ranging from the everyday, daytime setting to the darker, slightly horror-themed ones. I admit that I like the latter more since they'd get me immersed into the nighttime, fighting scenes that Yue and the others would have with the monsters. All tracks are instrumental, and as I mentioned, no voice acting is present. However, it's not necessary in order to enjoy and be engrossed in the story.
[h2]Conclusion[/h2]
Would I recommend [i]Eldritch Academy[/i]? If you're looking for a visual novel that'll have you right into the action of fighting monsters while possibly pursuing romance, you want a story that's more on the short side, and/or you like getting obtainable Steam achievements, then it's worth a look. At the asking price, it might be a bit pricey, even if you go for 100% completion. However, on a sale, it's definitely worth it, and I see that there is sort of a sequel to this, which I'd like to try out at some point. XD
To wrap things up, I'd like to thank Nightshade for the review key. [i]Eldritch Academy[/i] was quite the adventure that made me want to defeat monsters and stop their source, once and for all. In addition, the yuri romances were very sweet, including the harem one. ^^
[quote]For more detailed, fully complete, high quality reviews like this, please follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44702020/]The Introverted Gamer[/url], prioritizing heart and soul always. ^^[/quote]
