[b]Note:[/b] There is a free DLC patch that unlocks the uncensored version of this visual novel. However, I chose not to install this DLC even though it is available. Also, an awesome friend gifted me a copy of this game. ^^
[i]Save the World[/i] is a sci-fi, yuri visual novel developed and published by Winter Wolves. You take on the role of Ekiya, a young woman of Indian descent living in London with her roommate and best friend, Sarah. Like many people in the world, Ekiya is struggling to make ends meet, working a job that she dislikes but has to in order to pay the bills. As she's out on an errand one evening, she sees a homeless woman and seeing her state, Ekiya offers her a bit of money so that the woman can buy herself something to eat. Of course, Ekiya would like to help out more, but she's barely scraping by. Soon afterwards, Ekiya is teleported to an alien spaceship (yup, you read that correctly lol) and is confronted by Xen, the leader of the aliens, who explains that they're here to help the people on Earth to solve their problems. In order to do so, Xen asks Ekiya what those problems are. Thinking about her situation, Ekiya explains that money is the source of the problems since only very few people have so much of it but are unwilling to use their money to help those who are less fortunate. Basically, wealth isn't evenly distributed, so that's why so many people on Earth are poor and struggling while the few who are insanely wealthy hoard their money and possessions. After Xen returns Ekiya to Earth, she considers Ekiya's words and makes her own conclusions. The next day, Xen proclaims that the wealthiest people will be killed unless they're willing to give away their wealth and help those who are less fortunate. These aren't just empty words, as Xen immediately acts on them. At first, the people try to fight back, but then they begin to realize just how powerful Xen and the aliens are, so they try their best to comply with their wishes. Of course, Ekiya is concerned that Xen misconstrued her words to take on these drastic actions, and she's even confronted by Castillo, an agent from MI6, who tells her that only Ekiya can stop Xen. Can Ekiya change Xen's way of thinking and save Earth? I'll stop here to avoid spoilers and all that. XD
As for the gameplay, it consists solely of choices that are presented throughout the story. There are two main love interests for Ekiya: Sarah and Xen. [b]Spoiler:[/b] Castillo [spoiler]isn't an option although if Ekiya makes the right choices, she can have a one night stand with her[/spoiler]. Sarah and Xen have both good and bad endings. While some of the choices affect Ekiya's relationships with others, others affect whether she sides more with the aliens or with the humans. The issue with the aliens affects the endings with Ekiya's love interests as well. There is an alone ending as well, a.k.a. the bad ending. Assuming that you're not on the alone ending, there are a total of 10 chapters along with a bonus Castillo chapter in the middle of the story. In addition, there are plenty of CGs as well as a varied soundtrack and several Steam/in-game achievements, all of which count towards a user's global total.
Now that I've gone over the story and gameplay, I'll move onto my thoughts. It has been quite a while since I last played a visual novel by Winter Wolves and feeling in the mood to do so, I decided to give [i]Save the World[/i] a try. First, I liked the story premise although I admit that it's more on the controversial side, for obvious reasons. I thought it was an interesting take to observe how someone who isn't from Earth would view Earth's problems and think of the best way to solve them. The issue of money and the uneven distribution of wealth isn't a simple one to solve even though the aliens think, otherwise. Although I believe that Xen and the aliens have people's best interests at heart, their actions aren't the way to solve them since other problems may crop up. As for the romance options, I liked both Sarah and Xen, as they're quite different from each other. Sarah is the childhood friend who's struggling like Ekiya and has a bubbly, teasing personality. Initially, she doesn't like the aliens taking control, but then [spoiler]on her route, Sarah changes her mind when she sees that the changes seem to be making her life better. However, in Sarah's good ending, it takes Ekiya to get her to understand the consequences[/spoiler]. As for Xen, she's the logical alien who doesn't factor human emotion into the equation. [spoiler]In Xen's good ending, Ekiya understands where Xen is coming from although things don't necessarily end up in a happily ever after for everyone.[/spoiler] As for Ekiya, I liked her as the main character. She knows how the world is, and when she tries to explain it to Xen, Ekiya realizes afterwards how her words have been misconstrued and she wants to try to fix things. Also, before I forget, I enjoyed reading the romance scenes for both Xen's and Sarah's route. They're quite hot, and although I played the censored version, I can imagine that uncensored, these same scenes would also be very spicy and steamy. XD
In regards to the writing, the pacing is good. There weren't any moments where the story felt slow or boring. I noticed occasional typos and such, and it couldn't hurt to have them fixed in a future update. As for the art, I liked the design of the original backgrounds. For the sprites, this comes down to personal preference. The sprites are drawn and colored well. However, [spoiler]I'm not a fan of big chested females, whether they be in games, anime, etc., simply because I feel like it's more for fan service and it's just not realistic[/spoiler]. I will say, though, that the artist does a great job of capturing the sexiness of Ekiya and the other female characters. Of course, the CGs are especially drawn and colored well.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3203626364
Regarding the music, I enjoyed listening to the variety of tracks. They're placed in the perfect story moments, and there are dramatic tracks as well as slightly more sci-fi ones. Also, there's a vocal track that plays at the end of Xen's and Sarah's endings, which is fun to listen to.
Overall, would I recommend [i]Save the World[/i]? If you enjoy reading visual novels that are on the slightly sci-fi side, like the idea of romancing an alien, and are into yuri romance, then this is certainly worth taking a look. Despite that the topic of money can be controversial, I like how all of the endings resolve it and in a realistic way as well. For the asking price, it might be a bit on the steep side, as it took me a little over 4 hours to get all of the endings and obtain all of the achievements. To be fair, I did use skip already read text, so my gameplay time would have been longer if I hadn't done so. Still, it is worth getting, especially if you enjoy Winter Wolves' visual novels, as they're very well known for having hot, spicy romance. ^^
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