A lot of otome games end up dealing with weird situations, but then try to deal with it as usual and approach things seriously. With Love spell: Written in the stars, Great Gretuski Studios knows how silly the premise is. It wraps it up by having a straightforward heroine who is a character all her own, imperfect love preferences, and a script that ends with quick quips. Now, the Starlight update that brings all of that to a new game engine is here to stay, making for a definitive version of a story that’s usually entertaining. However, since it can be over-the-top, that probably means it’s not for everyone.
Luna was alone during the most romantic time of the year and she had one of the worst days of her life. Her childhood best friend and first love, with whom she didn’t end, has returned home to his stable life and stable girlfriend. Her college professor continued to criticize her and criticize her, especially in front of the whole class. The new bartender at her favorite coffee shop is so gorgeous and charming, she just can’t get any work done there. Also, some rich guy stumbles upon her, blames her for ruining his expensive suit, and seems to want her to pay for it. The highlight was helping an old lady, who gave her an unusual notebook and pen as a gift to thank her.
Screenshot of Siliconera
However, it turns out that the notebook is the romantic equivalent of the Death Note. The person whose name is written on it will fall in love with the owner until the next full moon. Luna’s way of recovering from that messy day is to get drunk, and she writes the name of one of the four men she meets that day. Thus, the player spends the rest of the otome game dealing with the consequences of that decision.
basis Love spell: Written in the stars The game includes four love interests. All of them take on different types of familiar characters in otome games. So Enix is a childhood friend, except that he ends up with Luna’s arch-nemesis instead of hers. Florian is a wonderful teacher, but he is demanding and brutal. Jamie is a familiar-looking and flattered guy, just with many secrets. Marcello is a mysterious and suspicious bad boy, except that he is an idiot.
Screenshot of Siliconera
What’s new about Love spell: Written in the stars are many imperfect characters. Characters like Florian and Marcello are prime examples, and even the protagonist herself falls into this category. That means we see their flaws throughout the routes, which is great for humorous and exaggerated situations. It can also make it easier to appreciate the finer points of love preferences, because we are against them being arrogant or insensitive as well. It makes them all not what you expect and I find that amusing.
It’s reassuring to see the additional work that has been put into the game. I became aware of the title of Great Gretuski Studios after its Starlight update. This means I can see the full view of the game. The character designs are all fantastic and distinct, and the new expressive work serves them well. The user interface is clear and easy to read, and it’s also easy to save ahead of important moments. I especially like the additional Stories in the library, as it feels a bit like the kind of content you’ll get on a fan-following disc of an Otomate release.
Screenshot of Siliconera
I was also surprised to see the entire accessibility menu. In addition to text-to-speech for self-dubbing and the ability to adjust how text and fonts are displayed. Being able to turn off animations is also a nice plus. The only problem here is personal. The Opendyslexic font option is difficult to read due to its design as well as the color of the text boxes and the UI for me.
My only criticism is sometimes Love spell: Written in the stars seems to include references and additions that may make it feel a bit outdated or exclude some readers. It’s purely a fun game with funny scenarios and sometimes silly situations, but it can go a little too far in the pursuit of that. Luna very clearly shows off her straightforward and independent personality, rather than leaving some of the more ambiguous nuances to allow self-introduction. She’s a fun, straightforward character, but some of her interjections and responses make me cringe a bit despite being the target audience. The use of certain references and mnemonic phrases in the dialogue can appear so much that it can be offensive to some people. The fact that there are some wild and annoying sound effects also depends on that. When unusual text effects and sound effects occur frequently in routes, it can detract from the experience and make it less novel and interesting for some readers.
Pictures past
Great Gretuski Film Studio
Love spell: Written in the stars is a funny otome game. It’s usually a very fun story, although some routes can get more serious. In a way, I feel it can get carried away when trying to be contemporary or comedic, with Luna being a bit exaggerated. But overall it’s been a lot of fun, and this Starlight update really makes it a story worth reading if you want a title with tropical characters.
Love spell: Written in the stars To be available for computerS.
