Nicole

I am always very hesitant to voice my opinions online like this, but I wanted to find someway to express how I was feeling about this game. I will admit, I did not make it very far into Nicole but I don't intend on playing more of it. The daily tasks options isn't what bothered me, although I would have preferred a more involved game play in that sense. The issue I have with Nicole lies with the fact that I had a really hard time taking the characters seriously- specifically Nicole and Ted. This mainly stems from the really stilted dialogue. Most of the interactions I read through were awkward and painful, and even just Nicole's internal dialogue was a bit too much for me. I understand wanting to have a relatable protagonist but in a visual novel where so much of the story is told via these interactions it was difficult to read and enjoy. Also, I would like to add that the first interaction with Ted was so cringey to read through I actually had to stop playing before coming back. Him being from Alabama and having a Southern Accent was the most ridiculous thing I have ever read because Nicole made such a big deal about it to that point that she came across as weird. Alabama and Florida touch, it made more sense for him to be there- in a neighboring state- for college than Nicole who traveled all the way across the country. I don't know why this was a big of an issue to me as it was.

Bien, no creo haber visto ninguna reseña en español, así que voy a estrenarla, for the sake of spanish speakers... aunque comprendo que no muchos lo hayan intentado ya que está enteramente en inglés y, claro, es una VISUAL NOVEL. Es decir, hay que leer, y mucho! Aunque ya te digo yo que si una estudiante promedio de inglés como yo puede entenderlo perfectamente y no morir en el intento, qué no podrán muchos otros hispanohablantes americanos, por ejemplo. Pero bueno, me estoy yendo del tema: NICOLE, como es bien evidente, se trata de un Otome, que es el vocablo japonés utilizado generalmente para Visual Novels de citas donde la protagonista suele ser una mujer y sus intereses románticos chicos, también le dicen tipo harem, pero no nos vamos a meter ahí... Como ya se ha mencionado en alguna que otra crítica, la historia y las relaciones con los chicos están llenas de clichés, pero al mismo tiempo resultan entrañables y divertidas. Cómo se resuelve este conflicto interno parece verdaderamente el gran ingrediente secreto de las compañías que hacen videojuegos de este tipo, porque a pesar de lo malos que sean, siempre consiguen engancharme. En fin, voy a agotar tiempo en hablaros de lo que podría ser lo peor del juego, que es, valga la redundancia, su jugabilidad. Independientemente de mi opinión, considero que puedo resolverle la vida a alguien explicándolo: Hay 4 chicos. Lo cual quiere decir que hay 4 finales buenos (en los que acabas románticamente relacionada con cada uno de ellos) y 4 malos (en los que no acabas). SIN EMBARGO, existe una historia principal, la historia de los misterios, que no tiene que ver con los chicos estrictamente hablando, pero que sí afecta a sus rutas. En teoría, esta historia también tiene su propio final malo y bueno, dependiendo de si consigues resolver el misterio o no. PERO eso no es exactamente así... En realidad, tienes 10 finales: -4 finales buenos cuando logras acabar con cada uno de los chicos en su ruta, pero no consigues resolver el final de la ruta de las desapariciones. -4 finales ESPECIALES en los que además de acabar con los chicos también acabas la ruta de las desapariciones, pero esto no quiere decir que la ruta de las desapariciones termine "bien". -Final malo: como digo, la trama de las desapariciones solo se puede decir que acabe "resuelta" en una de las rutas, por lo que si no acabas con ningún chico, aunque investigues la ruta de las desapariciones, ésta terminará mal automáticamente (por razones que son spoiler). -Final indiferente: en el que no logras acabar la ruta de las desapariciones, pero también te quedas compuesta y sin novio. Pero este no es el mayor de los problemas. El mayor de los problemas es CÓMO llegar a estos finales: La mayoría de las Visual Novels pueden tener una jugabilidad "complicada" y eso casi siempre es algo de agradecer, pero en este caso es demasiado complicado, y no en modo "desafío", sino en modo "desesperación". Aquí lo explico: -Hay una cuenta atrás. Se trata de un calendario y un sistema de turnos en el que puedes llevar a cabo ciertas actividades que te consumen esos turnos. Así van pasando los días y cuando llega el final del curso escolar, el juego termina sin darte tiempo a acabar las rutas. Pero es que claro, cuando dedicas un día entero a tener una cita con uno de tus intereses... pues los turnos también pasan! -Conseguir llenar las barras que miden tu avance en las diferentes rutas es muy complicado pero es que NECESITAN ESTAR AL 100% para conseguir los finales especiales! Hay una serie de escenas y diálogos que siempre vas a tener que pasar independientemente de que ya desde el principio tengas claro a qué chico quieres dedicar tu tiempo. A partir de ahí tendrás que comprarle regalos, para lo cual necesitas dinero, y para conseguir dinero necesitas trabajar, y más horas que pierdes... Tampoco puedes fallar en ninguna de las opciones de conversación y tienes que compatibilizar tu tiempo para realizar aquellas actividades que te permitan mejorar en la aptitud que tu chico elegido más admire. Pero esto no es todo... -Como dije, puedes decidir conseguir el final bueno con alguno de los chicos, pero para conseguir el final ESPECIAL (un final adicional) tienes también que resolver la ruta de las desapariciones, y eso implica más actividades que realizar (investigar sobre los crímenes), más tiempo invertido y más cinemáticas y escenas que te quitarán tiempo de tu esquema. Pero es que además realizar la ruta de los crímenes afectará a tu ánimo, y al igual que el resto de las actividades, que pueden cansarte o deprimirte, te verás obligada a dedicar muchos turnos para dormir o descansar. Vamos, para resumir, no esperes sacar un solo final decente la primera vez que lo juegues, sobre todo si no estás acostumbrada a jugar este tipo de juegos de rutas. Pero ni siquiera esperes conseguir algún final especial la segunda vez! Hazte con papel y bolígrafo, con un mapa, establece un plan, porque cada paso que des será determinante! Si esto no es desafiante, no sé qué lo es... P.D. Por cierto, se supone que hay un momento en el juego (sobre la mitad) en el que te advierten que debes decidirte y dedicarte solo a un chico, porque ya no queda mucho tiempo, pero no le hagan caso, ustedes vayan advertidos desde el principio.

Nicole was the second visual novel I've ever played in my life when I was 12 years old. It definitely took part into turning me into the visual novel-holic I am now, 8 years later. But replaying it now, it is very boring and out dated. I'm sure back when this game came out, or if you happened to be a VN baby, this game was good enough. What it gets right is good writing, good sound design, good art, and it's somewhat interesting mystery. What it gets wrong is the deal-breaker for me, even though I'm going to finish this game anyways for nostalgia. The love interests just suck lol. They all have big egos, anger issues, and are stereotype galore. They all kinda treat Nicole like crap in the beginning, I know they can get nicer as you romance them but it makes me not want to go into any route at all. The "life sim" part is not fun and can ruin your entire run. It's not easy to be immersed in the story because it consists of small scenes between large chunks of life sim choices. And it's just plain boring! I have more fun laughing at how unlikable the characters are and how much progression it is lacking. There are much, much better visual novels to be playing, save yourself a good 12 hours. Also keep in mind if anyone is actually thinking about buying this game, it didn't run for me the first couple times. But after uninstalling and reinstalling, it worked.

You're a cheerleader! Now you're not. Your friend's injured! Now he's not. Now he is again! The scenes are so disjointed. This is a romance game that can't keep track of your relationship with the guys. Writing and mechanics are disconnected. The romances and the mystery are disconnected. Even if you're a dork who wants to date these four dorks (hi), this game is an immersion-breaker, which is unforgiveable in a game like this. It's sad because the art's cute as heck. Not even worth $5.

It's an enjoyable enough experience but as many others have said here, get it on sale. I'd recommend it as more of a mystery game than an otome game because, seeing as the game is largely just you controlling Nicole's actions and occasionally and sporadically encountering the guys from time to time, the romance element is weak and the relationship building feels somewhat detached. Even then, it's difficult for me to even recommend this as a mystery game because it's really damn predictable. It wouldn't be so bad if [spoiler] Jeff just stuck to his approachable facade throughout the whole thing. I get that seeing him acting all weird happened by accident but there was no reason for that scene to be in the game and if they'd just taken it out and stuck with the fake personality, it would have been so, so much better. [/spoiler] Art was okay, the eyes looked a little... wonky, I guess? Plus, Nicole's description didn't always match what was on-screen (e.g. I believe she said Ted's eyes were very light and hazel but they looked more dark brown to me). Music was nice but again, didn't always match up with what was going on (the OST only has ten tracks and the mood of the tracks wasn't all that varied). So yeah, if you want a cute little time-waster for about ten or twenty hours (ignore my play time, I sometimes leave VNs idling in the background so I've nearly always got extra hours logged on them), pick this up on sale.

It's a good concept with good men, but that's about it. You play as Nicole in her first year of college, she learns that girls had previously gone missing and begins to investigate. Along the way you meet the 4 capture targets that cover an array of personalities but they're all thin men with medium to long hair. The gameplay is too direct and the only "mystery" to solve is which stat is associated with which guy and getting it to 999 the most efficient way you can. The endings and events are predictable and sweet, but that's all they have going for them. Even the "Very Bad" ending stops shy of anything noteworthy. The OST and art is good, especially the title song.

It's a solid dating sim/otome game. The story is not a masterpiece, but it's still a fun way to pass the time. Also, Ted is best husbando.

It's hard to know where to start with this game. Most of what follows is negatives. 'So why are you recommending it?' Because I like stories and characters and 'getting to know' the characters. I have seen all endings, it took me 5 play throughs. I have spent more than 30 hrs in this game according to Steam. I am surprised how much I like this game given how many things I didn't like. Play Order: Kurt Darren BAD END Ted Jeff Favorites Ted Jeff Kurt Darren If all you want to know is 'Should I buy this game?' [olist] [*]This is a classic STAT Building Otome. If STAT Building drives you nuts, this probably won't be your thing. [*]This game is also 98% RNG. Yes, really. Every task and the point you receive is randomly chosen from a possible range. If you hate save-scumming or don't have the will to get through poor points, this probably won't be your thing. [*]If you're looking for a compelling mystery with romance on top, look elsewhere. This game is first and foremost a romance story. The mystery is more a BTW aspect. [*]This game is tedious and repetitive. No one will blame you if this isn't your thing. You have to have a lot of patience to get through this game once, let alone 5 times to see ALL of the endings. Yes, the game has '10' endings but if you get the special ending the for each guy, the normal ending automatically unlocks. [/olist] However, for those willing to power through those mechanics... [olist] [*]Each romance path allows you to understand the guy and his motivations. I actually really loved ALL of the guys, which some may find weird after playing through all of the routes. [*]If you're looking for a compelling-ish romance story with a touch of mystery, you'll like the story. [*]The jokes are lame, but still funny in a cute/sarcastic way. [/olist] If your question is 'Is this game worth full price?' No. I'm not gonna lie, it really isn't worth almost $20. If you are interested in this game [b]WAIT TILL IT GOES ON SALE![/b] I would hate to spend that much money and be let down by the experience. My main complaint is the story and it's structure. The mystery has a lot of potential but the game doesn't really delve into the investigation aspect, just click the button that says 'Investigate' and hope the RNG treats you well. Suddenly the mystery is solved! Kay? It could have been written into the story so much better and made the game much more compelling. Also, the continuity sucks. Characters are available to talk to when they shouldn't be, the actual mystery can start at a weird time. I really don't know how to explain it other than somebody missed something during play-testing. Good luck!

Years pass and yet, I'm still very fond of this game. The story is rather simple and not surprising, but it's written so well and lightly that I found myself really captivated. The final answer to the mystery was satisfying and I was actually glad to complete everything. The characters are very likeable and every route made me like it's guy, even if he irritated me at first. Artworks are really pretty and catch the eye. All assets work together well and give you nice visual experience. If you don't like stat raisers you might be not that happy with this game, but in my opinion the stat raising part is easy and not that annoying like in some other games. So, I definitely recommend giving Nicole a try!

This is the most realistic visual novel I have seen so far. Most of the time otome visual novels paints an exaggerated imagery of boys to be always sweet, romantic and less complicated. It's a total potrayal of a fairytale prince. But, that ain't the real truth. The truth is boys can be stubborn, emotional and complicated which was seen in this visual novel. I liked the stats building, and the mystery aspect of the game. it was different than just reading and making choices you have to have some work done girls. I also really loved the music and even tho the story is really predictable I put some hours to get through each route and enjoy the story. In terms of art it was medicore but it didn't bother me that much. I also had to painstaikingly go through each route to get every achievement. Overall, a great natural realistic visual novel with romantic elements.