Summary: A beautiful retelling of the classic "Sleeping Beauty" story, with some twists. This was a fantastic game, short and sweet, but worth more than its price tag. If you are tired, like me, of every "anime-style" game being driven by male-dominated paradigms, and would like to see sweeter, kinder men and more aggressive, dominant women, this is for you.
Full Review: This beautifully drawn story is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, from the "Maleficent" character's viewpoint (in this story, the "Dark Fairy"). However, unlike that movie, this game does not back its characters into a good/evil corner, but shows how cruelty, injustice, and prejudice breeds the same in others, and how love, kindness, and friendship can breed reconciliation and ultimately, happiness. The story takes place, however, largely in the modern world, to which the Dark Fairy is transported. She almost immediately interacts with a young man (our other protagonist), and based on her interactions with him, may end up happily married, engaged, or bitterly alone due to the negative consequences of her actions. Additionally, the male protagonist has a female best friend who serves as a rival to the dark fairy and acts as an alternative romantic choice. The story has multiple endings, including two "happy endings" for the Dark Fairy, two unhappy endings for her where she ends up alone, and one ending where the male protagonist ends up with his childhood friend, but since the Dark Fairy is still reasonably happy in this storyline, I will call it a third "good ending." I greatly enjoyed the story, which focused on reconciliation and letting go of troubled past to embrace happiness in the present. It was simple but well-told, and as pleasant as the romances were, I think my favorite parts involved the Dark Fairy's open reconciliation with others, which was well told. Well, that and her propositioning of the protagonist!
Mechanically, the game has simple mouse or keyboard commands, and pleasant visuals, including backgrounds and character sprites with changing expressions. It is not the most expensive graphics, but I found it did an excellent job of conveying the story---and the gallery pictures are worth the price of admission. Drawn in a different style, these full-size pictures are beautiful to look at, and illustrate key romantic or story-based moments in the storyline. The music is sufficient, and fits the mood of each scene. It isn't super-long either---I spent ~6 hours to get all storylines, and some people would go through faster. This means, however, that unlike some other VNs, it is conceivable to finish it in a day, rather than spend a whole weekend. Its low price is justified in this regard.
Perhaps the thing I enjoyed most about the story was its refreshing take on a genre that is, quite frankly, oversaturated with one singular paradigm of sexual relations: a male-dominated one. In practically every graphic novel I have experienced, regardless of origin, the men are always in command, have unlimited sexual appetite, and no matter what the experience or personality of the female protagonists, the minute the man pulls out his thing they become submissive (I'm looking at *you*, Sagara Family). It is so rare, in this era, to find well-portrayed male characters who are kind and sensitive without having them seen as pathetic and effeminate. Similarly, it is excessively rare to find a female character who is strong willed, beautiful, and takes what she wants from life without having her portrayed as unfeminine or a battle-axe. This game completely ignores our jaded modern views, and offer a refreshing portrait of two female protagonists who are aggressive, sexually interested, and quite dominant with their male companions. It also offers a male protagonist who is sweet, kind, generous, openly expressive of his emotions, and who embodies the sort of quiet strength that is not seen in muscles or "dominant" behavior, but instead in his loyalty and wisdom. This VN is therefore "female dominant," and has that rare positive portrayal of such relationships without turning the characters into cautionary caricatures. This was the most impressive thing about this romance story: the very different sorts of masculinity and femininity on display, and how it is perfectly acceptable to have different puzzle pieces (strong female, gentle male), which fit together perfectly.
Sexual content is light in this VN, limited to some kissing, revealing outfits, and implied sex in one ending. This novel has the moral character to portray people willing to hold off on open sexuality, due to belief that it is best saved for marriage, and this is explicitly stated by the male protagonist during the story. This is a very rare attitude in the modern world, and very refreshing in the VN field, where far too often characters hop into bed without considering the implications of their casual sexuality. Though I wish we could have seen sex scenes between these characters (the Dark Fairy is HAWT), the producer chose not to show them, leaving it up to the imagination. This is in some ways better than some other VNs, where all imagination and character-based story-telling is thrown out because the author wants them doing a particular sex position (again, Sagara Family, but others too---such as Princess Waltz---oh my waifu, how could they have ruined you thus?!? A Shameful Display).
Final Summary: If you want a run-of-the-mill VN which follows the typical gender roles and has tons of sex, look elsewhere. If you want a very long visual novel, this isn't it: it took me ~4-6 hours to complete all storylines, but I enjoyed myself thoroughly during it, and couldn't put it down. If you like strong female protagonists and gentle male protagonists ("femdom") treated like actual people with multifarious backgrounds instead of caricatures, this is the VN for you, and if you like new takes on fairy tales, this is a good retelling. I highly recommend it, and kudos to the developer for crafting such a pleasant game. Overall, I would give Within a Rose 10/10.
