Heroine for Hire

This game didn't really appeal to me much at all when I first happened upon it. But although I had reservations, having played 'Belle Automata: Chronicle I' by this same developer and still waiting on further chapters, I knew they were capable of excellence. So I picked this title up for a few dollars on sale and gave it an honest try despite my initial perceptions of it. And as it turns out... I'm very glad that I did. The characters are multi-faceted, complex, intelligent and likeable. The story is engaging and makes you care. The female protagonist has bunny ears because she's of a fictional race called bunnels, which I mention because from the trailer I thought maybe she just wore fake bunny ears everywhere. The knight is a charming swashbuckler with more to him than meets the eye. And the blacksmith has a wonderful personality as well. These days when a female protagonist is described as 'strong' it often really means she is without flaw, insecurities, or in need of learning anything that would make her develop as a person - for Lyre this is not the case. She is written to be a strong character, but she is not without her weaknesses. She works hard and perseveres through her struggles on her journey to earn her happy ending. She has her own aspirations, but is motivated by more than some self-aggrandizing goal. She wants to help out her family, and she's willing to get her hands dirty and put in the blood, sweat, and tears to make something of herself. In the end I didn't regret playing this game. In fact, I'd be open to seeing more from these characters, even the minor ones if there were a sequel game or more additions via DLC. It kept my attention well and I enjoyed reading it. As far as what I disliked about this game personally after finishing every route, I would say I would've made a few different choices when it came to a few of the outfits - a little more practicality as well as a second outfit for Fai for the scenes when he isn't working at the forge. Just 'cause he's a blacksmith doesn't mean he wouldn't wear a shirt outside of his workshop! I also wasn't personally the biggest fan of some parts of the story and dialogue focusing a little too gratuitously on physical attraction that I found uncomfortable. But overall, reading this visual novel was a good experience for me. I was invested in the story and in the characters. There were times the humor made me smile, and progression throughout felt largely natural and like it logically tied to your choices. There was a good balance between the romance and the other aspects of the plot. And I appreciated the utilization of unique and spirited minor characters whose presence and personalities served to expand the world and make things seem more real and developed. Characters with very different perceptions and priorities to act as a foil to the main players made it feel like there was more to this story than just the protagonist and the love interests, and I really appreciated that.

There is nothing wrong with this game. But I dislike Lyre, the main character. She's impulsive enough to try to punch people just for being rude. She doesn't know what love is or feels like, possibly never even had a crush before? even though she and the people she's pursuing have to be in their 20s. Everyone is blushing and no one is being straightforward about their emotions. It just feels very cliche to a person who has read the romance genre for 25 years. If they were like, young teens in school high school, I could see why they'd act like this. Also, maybe I'm just lame, but it should be a bit odd to date your boss/mentor/trainer? More glaring on the squire route than the cashier for the blacksmith route.

Heroine for Hire is a sweet and short visual novel. The character designs are unique, and it was fun to see characters interact. However, some of the achievements don't work. I did find a guide on itch io, but it was only for Veris with no guide for Fai. You can tell in some part of Fai route that the writers cared a little more for Veris, in terms of exploring his character. I had high hopes, unfortunately this did not meet them. Edit: No email response from the dev about bugged achievements. I cant recommend this game until it is fixed

This was short but really sweet.