[b]Note:[/b] A totally awesome friend gifted me a copy of this game. ^^
[h1]Building a home ^^[/h1]
[h2]Introduction[/h2]
[i]Where the Heart Rests[/i] is a yaoi, kinetic visual novel developed and published by ebi-hime. You take on the role of Yuel, a male adult who's almost in his 30's, and he's just found out that his father, Khalil, has passed away. Yuel and Khalil had an estranged relationship, so he isn't looking forward to attending his funeral. However, upon arriving at one of Khalil's vacation homes and being greeted by Armand, Khalil's lawyer, Yuel discovers that he has a younger half-brother, Reza, whom Khalil had been raising by himself but kept secret from the rest of the family. During the reception after the funeral, Armand brings up with Yuel and the rest of the attending relatives about Reza, specifically about who wants to take responsibility for raising him. After an aunt suggests that Reza be sent to an orphanage (and most of the other relatives are in agreement since they can't be bothered to raise a child), this angers Yuel to the point that he agrees to adopt Reza, despite that his own living circumstances aren't the best. Thankfully, Yuel isn't in this alone, as Tavi, Yuel's older cousin, agrees to help him out for a while. What challenges await Yuel and Tavi as they try to be good parents? :o
As for the gameplay, the story is linear, so no choices are present. It consists of four chapters, and you simply read the story from beginning to end. There are several CGs as well as a varied soundtrack although no voice acting (as is usually the case). A few Steam achievements are obtainable, 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]
It has been quite a while since I last read one of ebi-hime's visual novels (and I must admit that I have some catching up to do :o), but I'll always be a fan, so I tend to be look out for her latest releases. Thanks to a very awesome friend, I received a copy of [i]Where the Heart Rests[/i], and I felt in the mood to read the story sooner and give my thoughts. ^^
The story has a bit of a slow start, as Yuel is on the train, heading towards his late father's home (well, one of many). I don't mind the slow beginning, as it gives us a chance to get to know Yuel and the negative relationship that he had with Khalil. Of course, the story starts to pick up when Yuel learns about Reza. It's quite a shock to Yuel, naturally, and when Yuel learns later that Khalil was actually a very good father to Reza, Yuel can't help but feel conflicted. Clearly, Khalil changed during those years that the two were apart, but Yuel could never witness this change for himself. There are definitely some emotional roller coasters, and well, suffice it to say that Yuel definitely has not had things be easy, whether it comes to living on his own or dealing with his emotions. However, he knows that he has to get his act together for Reza's sake, and it's quite sweet how hard Yuel tries. It goes without saying that Yuel makes some mistakes since he's never been a parent before, but he puts his heart into things and even Reza is perceptive enough to notice this. Also, Tavi helps out, and because of experience dealing with helping out his mother as a young boy, Tavi possesses some skills, such as cooking and researching the best schools nearby for Reza.
Then there comes the relationship between Yuel and Tavi. Now I mentioned that this is a yaoi visual novel. For those who aren't familiar with ebi-hime's other VNs involving Yuel and Tavi (yup, there have been quite a few of them XD), spoiler alert ahead, so read at your own risk. [spoiler]Yuel and Tavi are first cousins, and they end up together as a romantic couple. There is some backstory that narrates how these two end up together, but I think that ebi-hime does a wonderful job of being sensitive when it comes to a romantic relationship between cousins. Also, any romantic acts are limited to kissing and nothing further.[/spoiler] To sum things up, I think the overall story and relationship are both written well. There are a few typos and such, but I'm sure they'll be corrected in future updates. If I had to make any criticisms, it's just that I wish that there had been an epilogue even though I liked how the story ended.
As for the art, it has a lovely anime style, and the sprites and backgrounds are drawn and colored well. (Also, it was interesting to read afterwards in ebi-hime's notes about how much development trouble there was in the art department, but I'm glad that it got sorted out. :o) Especially, the CGs are done well as always, and here are my favorites.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3613792333
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3613792485
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3613792592
With the music, the tracks are lovely to listen to, and there's a good amount of variety. Each track fits well with its appropriate scene, and I really like the one vocalized track. It feels very mellow, and the lyrics are perfect for the theme of this story.
[h2]Conclusion[/h2]
Would I recommend [i]Where the Heart Rests[/i]? If you're looking for a sweet yaoi visual novel, you don't mind the sensitive issue that I placed in spoiler text earlier, you're a fan of ebi-hime's works, and/or you like getting Steam achievements, then it's worth taking a look. For the asking price, it might be a bit steep for the amount of gameplay. It took me around 6 hours to complete the story and such, and I'm a pretty slow reader since I tend to want to enjoy stories. However, you can wait for a sale, and it's in a Steam bundle.
Also, I just want to say that I agree with ebi-hime. Yuel and Tavi definitely deserve more love. XD
[quote]For more detailed, fully complete, high quality reviews like this, please follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44702020/]The Introverted Gamer[/url], prioritizing heart and soul always. ^^[/quote]
