Melty Amethyst

This game is so perfect and adorable! It has a music video and an ending video plus great art, short and to the point story that is super realistic, a relatable heroine, a good setting for the story, and a truly romantic/super handsome hero. Nobody is too young so it's not unrelatable and it's interesting that the heroine has unique aspirations and is such a hardworker/kind/not a pushover. Great game! 10/10. It's a little short but that's the charm - the high production values, good writing, good art, good music, good voice acting, and is a solid game at the price. Loved it! Will remember it fondly. I feel filled with happy butterflies. That was was so sweeet!

Melty Amethyst is a compact otome visual novel that thrives on subtle emotions and the comfort of everyday interactions. Developed by Miniature fleur and published by VNka, the game follows Hotaru Watarai, a young woman who leaves her hometown to pursue a new chapter of her life in Tokyo. Inspired by the success of her older sister in the modeling industry, Hotaru hopes that a change of scenery will help her discover what she truly wants. Instead, she finds herself caught in a quiet routine of part-time work and uncertainty, making her eventual encounter with a new coworker all the more meaningful. The narrative centers on Hotaru's relationship with Nao, a shy and somewhat distant employee who joins the convenience store where she works alongside her energetic friend Hana. Rather than pushing players through dramatic plot developments, Melty Amethyst takes its time establishing its cast and exploring the small moments that define human connection. Conversations during shifts, shared experiences after work, and the gradual peeling back of Nao's reserved personality create a story that feels intimate and sincere. The writing successfully captures the awkwardness and excitement that come with meeting someone who unexpectedly changes your perspective on life. One of the game's strongest qualities is its presentation. Melty Amethyst features full Japanese voice acting that gives each character a distinct identity and enhances the emotional weight of the dialogue. Combined with its original theme song, "Amethyst Drop," the audiovisual package elevates what is otherwise a relatively short experience. The anime-inspired artwork is appealing and expressive, with a handful of CG illustrations that serve as highlights throughout the story. While the number of visual assets is limited, they are used effectively to reinforce key scenes and maintain the game's soft, romantic atmosphere. Gameplay remains straightforward, as expected from a visual novel. Players primarily progress through the story by reading dialogue and making occasional choices that determine which of the two available endings they receive. The branching paths are modest but provide enough incentive for a second playthrough, especially considering the game's brief runtime. Most players can comfortably finish a route in a single sitting, making Melty Amethyst an accessible choice for those who enjoy shorter narrative experiences that respect their time. Despite its many charms, the game is not entirely without flaws. Its concise length means that supporting characters and certain plot elements do not receive as much development as they potentially deserve. Additionally, the English localization occasionally suffers from awkward wording and minor grammatical issues that can interrupt immersion. Players looking for extensive route variations, complex mechanics, or high-stakes storytelling may also find the experience too restrained. Melty Amethyst is unapologetically focused on simplicity, and whether that works in its favor will largely depend on the player's expectations. Ultimately, Melty Amethyst succeeds by embracing the quiet side of romance. It delivers a heartfelt story about self-discovery, companionship, and the significance of seemingly ordinary moments. Its polished voice acting, pleasant soundtrack, and endearing cast help create an experience that lingers beyond its short runtime. While it may not redefine the otome genre, it offers a memorable and relaxing journey for fans of character-driven visual novels. Rating: 7/10

Melty Amethyst By Miniature Fluer Translated & Published by VNka I did buy my Steam copy (It was $3, I bought it the day it released), but the dev did offer me a free copy to give to a friend and another copy to do a twitter giveaway. Melty Amethyst is an otome with 4 CGs and 2 endings. It is set in Japan and it is about Hotaru and Nao’s romance after they meet while working at a convenience store. Overall I did enjoy the game, but it is pretty short like 1 hour to get through both endings short. Usually I like to get an hour per $1 outta my games to feel like I’ve gotten my money’s worth, but ultimately even thought I didn’t get that amount of gameplay, I do feel like I got my money’s worth. The game is short, but it’s really solid. It’s a cute fluffy romance with good art (sprites & CGs & BGs), and it is fully voiced. You are mainly paying for the translation costs, which I’m okay with because it does not look like they used machine translation which has been used by other companies for more expensive game. Good: It’s $3, that’s cheaper than Starbucks. Art is good (Sprites, CGs, & BGs) Fully voiced in Japanese, like even the random side characters like Fangirl #3. MC is not voiced though. I assuming this is done to help with immersion for the player. Does have a back log to review if you missed some text while reading or misclicked. Has an opening video with a catchy song called Amethyst Drop. Has decent background music playing throughout the entire game. Your coworker is the best wingman I have ever seen Credits are cute with showing the CGs. Game screen changes after you finish the game depending on the ending you got, which is super cute. Nao is super cute and shy and he is very diligent. I absolutely love that he is a gamer Neutral: Did not work properly on my Steam Deck, the colors were off, but this is technically not deck verified. I wouldn’t count this against the game, but I would suggest getting it Deck Verified since VNs are fun to play on the deck. When I started the game and looked at the saves, there were some save already. Doesn’t really affect anything, but they may want to watch out for that in the future. No steam achievements or cards. There are a few typos/mistranslations (Ex “he told me about me” should be “He talked about me”) but not enough to be distracting. Bad: No CG Gallery No way to remove text box while looking at the CGs, so hard to see the variations. No option to rename the Heroine. I really like to name my MCs Adrie :D No way to skip the opening video on second playthrough and you also can’t skip the credits. Super short, I got like an hour out of it. I am a pretty fast reader and didn’t listen to the voiced lines fully complete, so it may take you longer to complete.

Была очень приятно удивлена во время прохождения игры. Приятная рисовка, озвучка персонажей (не только основных), последовательное развитие отношений. Несмотря на то, то игра довольно короткая, можно насладиться приятным времяпрепровождением и скрасить вечер, подняв настроение. Также хочется отметить, что присутствует даже заглавная песня (если честно, не уверена, как она правильно называется), а ещё меня очень порадовали некоторые детали, которые я люблю в разнообразных историях.

Впечатление о Melty Amethyst Сегодня мы поговорим о необычном звере. Небольшая новелла от японских инди-разработчиков, которую недавно официально перевела на английский русская команда Vnka. Произведение проходится примерно за час, поэтому комментарий к истории будет лишь один. Melty Amethyst можно считать кинетической новеллой, поскольку на протяжении всей игры существует ровно один выбор, приводящий к плохой концовке. ЧТО ПОНРАВИЛОСЬ: • У игры фантастическая озвучка. В наши дни, когда у множества более известных и дорогих проектов можно встретить актеров, звучащих так, будто их пригласили попить чаю, а не работать над ролью, настолько качественное исполнение в таком малом проекте кажется фантасмагоричным. Хоть в игре и небольшое количество персонажей, я не могу отдельно выделить одного из них или сказать, что какая-либо реплика оставила худшее впечатление, чем другая. • Приятная рисовка. Персонажи милые, детально прорисованы, и немногочисленные CG, присутствующие в игре, весьма привлекательны. Особенно понравилась работа со светом: большая часть новеллы выполнена в пастельных тонах, даже в мрачных и холодных локациях, вроде ночной улицы, что создает мягкую и уютную атмосферу. • Добрая сказка. В наше относительно жестокое время повествование, где все нехорошие люди обязательно будут побеждены, главные герои добьются своего, если приложат к этому усилия, а любовь является пиком человеческой жизни, становится небольшим островком отдыха от суровой действительности. ЧТО НЕ ПОНРАВИЛОСЬ: • Общие шероховатости. Хоть в новелле и нет русского языка, я все же умудрилась его встретить. Знаете где? В загрузочном меню. Помимо этого необычного момента, было два эпизода в произведении, где вместо переключения на следующую фразу возникало пустое окно. Неизвестно, является ли это ошибкой вследствие действий игрока или "This place was intentionally left blank", но в столь коротком проекте это привлекло мое внимание. • Краткое изложение на фоне больших промежутков времени. При том, что новеллу вполне реально прочитать за час, за этот период в игре пролетает несколько лет. Вот так, буквально: ты читаешь о небольшом взаимодействии главных героев, после чего тебе сообщают: "прошло три месяца", и сюжет продолжается с этого момента. И мне кажется, что если подобное вполне нормально и может хорошо развить мысль, будучи использованным единожды, в новелле это происходит несколько раз, иногда с совсем краткими паузами. Это создает ощущение, будто замыслы на историю когда-то были гораздо масштабнее (учитывая упоминание сестры главной героини в начале произведения, которая впоследствии не имеет никакого влияния на сюжет), но в какой-то момент авторы решили отказаться от своих более амбициозных идей. ИТОГ: Это маленькая, милая, независимая история про любовь, способная ненадолго вырвать вас из ужасов повседневности в уютный островок безопасности. И, будучи наивной и по-детски непосредственной, она все еще может оставить небольшой след в вашей жизни, если, конечно, вам нравятся стеснительные мальчики, готовые брать ответственность на себя.

50 на 50, но мне скорее не зашло. Проходится быстро

The english is rough, and in some places the dialog doesn't make sense - I think all of it was just thrown into google translate. The controls are unlike most VNs I've played, and thus uncomfortable. There was only one choice (1 interact-able part of the game). When I saved, there were already other files, one of which was in a whole other language I neither speak nor read??