Heartspell: Horizon Academy

An excellent game. Basically, a VN, but with Match 3 game elements included, The Match 3 gameplay is optional though, and you can proceed through without it. The story is about a magical academy built by a mighty wizard, who has now gone missing, and it's up to the students to keep the place running. As you can imagine from a school being run by a group of beautiful young horny people, it can get a bit steamy, but in a PG-13 way with fade to black scenes and general descriptions of the events. You are free to romance any of the main NPCs though and at the same time, so you can bounce from character to character with no repercussions. The characters are fun though, and their stories engaging enough to keep you wanting to interact with them more. Once you finish each characters story, you will unlock a pin-up scene of the character, but while sexy, they don't show any naughty bits if you were worried. The Match 3 gameplay, while it can be skipped, is solid with interesting challenges as each character puts their own spin on the gameplay, such as not being able to move certain gems, or making your cantrips more expensive to cast, or only allowing points from 4 of a kind matches, etc. After you finish a characters story, it unlocks an option to learn lessons from the students in non-story related matches, just for continuing to play if you want. I forgot to mention that the characters are fully voiced as well, with some excellent voice acting, which makes the characters feel even more real. So, all told, I would recommend this game wholeheartedly. A great VN, with great Match 3 gameplay, and great voice acting. I look forward to seeing what the Dev decides to do next.

[h1]Description[/h1] [b]Heartspell - Horizon Academy[/b] is two games in one: a match-3 game (a Bejeweled-like) and a fully voice-acted dating simulation visual novel. You join a magical academy and have to befriend (and possibly romance) a very diverse cast of fellow students (including a siren, a werewolf, and a fairy). While the game will not technically let you make enemies [spoiler]because you have to befriend everyone to save the magical realm[/spoiler], romance is totally free-form (you can romance any and all characters, all at the same time, no matter your choice of pronouns) and clearly signposted (romantic and sexy routes have separate symbols to avoid stumbling into content you'd be uncomfortable with). Each character has a complete route with many things to discover about them and a bunch of optional dates for you to hang out with them some more after you've completed their story. Many of them will have you influence their path forward in profound ways. And many side couples are waiting for you to (optionally) wingman them into existence. [h1]Pros[/h1] [list] [*] Gorgeous visuals [*] Varied match-3 gameplay (each character comes with their own twist) [*] Great voice acting [*] Tasteful descriptions of (totally optional) sexual activities (NSFW but not explicit) [*] Multiple options to tailor gameplay (the match-3 game can even be skipped) [*] Freedom to befriend and/or romance the characters in practically any order [*] Satisfying plot twists that are foreshadowed properly [/list] [h1]Cons[/h1] [list] [*] A few romantic interactions will happen regardless of player choice (but they can be nipped in the bud real quick) [*] Tedious achievement hunting (three whole playthroughs are necessary to hunt them all and two of them are quite tricky to get) [/list] [h1]Verdict[/h1] Heartspell is a "feel good" game, despite the drama involved. Turns out mages are really kind and open-minded, at least those who choose to attend Horizon Academy. If you are itching for some sweet friendship, cute romance, or headache-free sexual partnerships, you really need to give this game a try. If you're looking for explicit content or are only interested in finding a new Bejeweled, this isn't it. I strongly recommend giving the demo a spin. Magic is waiting for you! [i]NO, YOU'RE GORGEOUS![/i]

I'm a long time otome/visual novel fan and I had no idea how badly I needed something that had all of that plus the added twist of match 3 gameplay. I am absolutely in love. Seriously. This game has me in a chokehold like you would not believe. I loved the art, the story, the fresh worldbuilding around the familiar "wizard school" concept, the fact that I didn't catch the final twist [spoiler]revolving around our resident, good boy[/spoiler]. I absolutely loved the characters. Their personalities were all extremely distinct. The voice acting was top notch. I went into the game figuring I'd be a fan of our sweet, reliable Riley. Then Morgan and their unrepentantly self-important, dickwaffle behavior grabbed me and didn't let go. Really, the only things that bothered me were related to gameplay. I understand [spoiler]the "chosen one saves the school" scenario[/spoiler] plays a part, but [spoiler]the player character felt like they were too BAMF everywhere, all the time, especially considering they're introduced with very little magic skill, fresh from the human world. Even if you choose the "I use magic" choice in the intro, the player is still treated/presented as a newbie.[/spoiler] And while I liked the ability to have multiple relationships gameplay wise, story wise it felt awkward to go woohooing characters back to back with it having only minimal effect on how those two characters interacted with each other. If it effected them at all. (I felt especially conflicted with Heron and Typhon.) Playability wise, it would also be nice to be able to restart a match, but that might also just be me who closes the game entirely rather than risk failing a match and hearing the characters be disappointed with me. All in all, I loved it! And would absolutely be interested in seeing what a second year at Horizon would look like.

This game is a little gem. Don't miss out on it! The production values are astonishingly high for a game made in Unity, the characters are all incredibly well-written and voiced, there's representation for everybody (be aware of this. If you're against "woke" games - this one is not for you.) Everybody has different pronouns, you get to choose your own pronouns at the start of the game, and you can romance anyone regardless of gender. In short, this game takes a lot of effort to give you as much freedom as possible. You can also make the romances - which are all lovely and sweet and well-written - as spicy as you want, as all the "riqué" dialogue options are specifically marked. A special shoutout has to be made to the voice acting, which is just delicious, especially for the character of Morgan, who *cracks me up*. The match 3 element of the game can be a bit hit and miss, as it often seems to rely more on luck than on true strategy to get through a puzzle - but if it becomes too much of a hassle, you can always turn the match 3 off and just enjoy the story. In short, this is a game that goes out of its way to make sure you have a good time. I absolutely adored it throughout my entire playtime.

Entré por los puzles y me quedé porque tiene una historia muy interesante que te va transmitiendo poquito a poco. Me encantan todos los personajes y que no tengas que elegir solo ligar con uno se agradece, también está la opción de no hacerlo, por lo que es apto para todo el mundo. No soy muy fan de las novelas visuales, pero esta me ha enamorado. Reseña completa: https://cozykis.kisworld.es/analisis-de-analisis-heartspell-horizon-academy/ [b] Más jueguitos indies [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44960983-Jueguitos-Indie-Cozy/] mi mentoría [/url][/b]

Great game. A must play for anyone who appreciates puzzle games, visual novels or dating sims. The game has more or less three parts puzzle, visual novel story and dating sim. The puzzle I would give 4 out 5. The game includes a wide variety of spells you learn from different characters and unique challenges with every character so it never feels old. Story I give it another 4 out 5 starts off with a strong hook and there are few pleasant twists and turns. The world is flushed out and feels very lived in. There is stuff happening beyond the main story that really makes the world feel alive. The dating aspect is where the story really shines 5 out 5. None of the characters feel hollow, shallow or 2-dimensional. They are all well developed, with beautiful art. Every character has their own artfully crafted story that forms a piece of the overall plot. Best part is every character interacts with the other characters and has their own relationships with them, A must play for anyone who enjoys puzzle games, visual novels or dating sims.

I loveeeed this game! I'm a big fan of other match three dating sim games like huniepop 1 and 2 and this was very similar, you can romance all the characters which is great cuz it means you don't need to do multiple playthroughs if you don't wanna, you also don't need to pick any nsfw options if you don't want to which I think is great if you're not interested in that kind of thing, this also doesn't affect the story or anything but you get to choose your pronouns at the start of the game! I defo recommend this, if you like match three games or if you just like dating sims this game is great, even better if you like both match three games AAAAND dating sims :3 (also incase anyone is wondering roughly how long it takes to complete this game, as I'm writing this review I've literally just finished it, I romanced everyone + had all the bonus dating scenes and that's taken me around 19 hours :3)

A fun, lovely game with various, lovely characters to talk to and romance (if so desired). They have their own storis and personalities and it was a lot of fun to get to know them and what they brought to the table. The world building is very fun and the story and romance and friendship was well written and well thought out. I will play though again soon. I loved this game and wish there was more to play because it was so fun, but the ending was great! Would absolutely love more for this story one day and otherwise I look forward to what the developers make next!

Best $20 i have spent in a while 10/10 would buy and play again

I ran into this game by pure luck, when I was looking for something easy to play to rest my tired brain with. I’m only on 11% story completion, but I love all the characters so much!! They are all unique and quirky! And they are fully voiced, and the voice acting is brilliant!! The story is interesting, and the game leaves me with a such a wholesome feeling 🥰