[h1]A sci-fi otome visual novel in which secrets are waiting to be discovered... :o[/h1]
[h2]Introduction[/h2]
[i]SIGILLVM: RESONANCE[/i] is an otome, sci-fi visual novel developed by Levistok and published by BRXKENVN. You're Asra Dival, a human serving under Hemin, the Inspector of the Choir. The city in which Asra resides is inhabited by humans, devas (human-like beings who live for lifespans longer than humans), and harmonauts (like devas but on a higher plane). They're ruled by the Choir, who oversees the city, in the Sigillvm Tower, and the Choirmaster is a leader who watches over everyone. (I know that's quite a bit of terminology, but the game explains it in more detail. XD) All Asra wants is a quiet life, following Hemin's orders, having lost most of her memories due to a traumatic incident. However, after she's targeted in an attempted murder, Asra ends up being pulled into an investigation in which she must find out what's going on, and perhaps along the way, she may get caught up in some heated romance. ^^
With the gameplay, several choices are presented. The early choices determine whether Asra can choose to go on one of three romance routes: Hemin, Voyd (a harmonaut who also serves under Hemin), and Ista (a deva who serves under Hemin, too). However, Asra has the freedom to go on an alone route. After getting on a romance route, fewer choices are shown, and either Asra will get a good or bad ending. A few choices can lead to deaths for her. Lots of beautiful CGs are shown as well as a varied soundtrack although no voice acting is present. Plenty of Steam achievements are available, but they won't count towards a user's global total until the game is out of "Steam is learning about this game".
[h2]Review[/h2]
I admit that after a string of short games a bit recently, I was in the mood to play a longer one and especially since it has been a while that I last played an otome game, I went ahead and gave [i]SIGILLVM: RESONANCE[/i] a try. Also, it's a plus that I like stories with sci-fi settings. XD
[h3]Story and Gameplay[/h3]
The story starts off slowly as we're introduced to Asra and the city that she lives in. There's talk about festivities and celebrations although the mood is far from it. Despite that Asra has amnesia, her personality shines at times if she chooses to get close to any of the romance options. I like how she and Hemin share witty banter, while with Ista, Asra's flirting gets him all shy. As for Voyd, he takes it all in good stride and perhaps returns Asra's affections. All of the romance routes are wonderful, full of fun moments mixed with sweet, heated ones. With the romance scenes, it's mostly kissing, so nothing beyond that. Also, I like how with each romance route, Asra can investigate what's going on with Sigillvm Tower and its inhabitants, so there's plenty of story. I'd say that with Ista's route, the most information gets revealed, assuming that you're going for his good ending.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3763966911
Although I enjoyed all the romance routes (Ista's my favorite - can't help loving those shy, sweet guys XD), I felt like the good endings were a bit on the short side. As for the bad endings, they're pretty heart-breaking, but I feel like they're more resolved. Now, as for the alone ending, I was hoping that all of Asra's backstory would get unraveled, but it only happens halfway. I still had more questions than answers, and as a reader who enjoys learning as much about the lore of the world and its characters, I would have liked a bit more resolution.
As for the choices, I like how you can see the effects that your choices have. For example, if you choose to have Asra ask Voyd questions about his work, an up arrow is indicated to let you know that Voyd likes that Asra is taking an interest. Choices can decrease favorability, too. Although I encountered a few technical issues as I played through the routes, the developer was quick to fix them, so I'm very appreciative of that. ^^ I had no problems unlocking all the achievements, and I should have a guide for this game shortly before or after posting this review, so hopefully, that'll help.
[h3]Art and Music[/h3]
The art style gives off that sci-fi theme very well. Especially, the sprites and backgrounds reflect that futuristic world, and I like the use of dark, muted colors, with the occasional splash of bright colors to give off some contrast. Of course, the CGs are done really well to the point that it was difficult for me to decide which ones to show off. XD
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3763966560
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3763966719
In regards to the music, there's a good variety of tracks that depict the sci-fi, futuristic vibe. They're all instrumental in nature, and my favorite tracks would be the darker, more haunting ones, as if Asra is in danger.
[h2]Conclusion[/h2]
Would I recommend [i]SIGILLVM: RESONANCE[/i]? If you're looking for an otome game that has a sci-fi setting and you want some hot, sweet romance (but prepare your heart for some possible heartbreak if you make that wrong choice) and/or you like getting those Steam achievements, then it's totally worth checking out. Even though I wish that there was more resolution in the alone route, the romance routes make up for it.
Finally, I'd like to take the time to thank BRXKENVN for the review copy to [b]Otome Rakuen[/b] and a shoutout to Levistok for helping me with those technical issues. I'm very grateful for the help, and the story was so enjoyable. It was worth it to go through every route and ending, even the heart-breaking ones. ^^
[quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/7593237/]Otome Rakuen[/url] and [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44702020/]The Introverted Gamer[/url] team up to give readers highly detailed, thorough reviews of hot otome games.[/quote]
A story where your choices matter
