A Sketchbook About Her Sun Reviews

[h1] ☀️ [/h1] “Even the Sun directs our gaze away from itself and to the life illumined by it.” — [b]Eberhard Arnold[/b]

It's like a nice little music video where I can occasionally choose words that create a poem at the chapter ends. It made me want to scribble and sketch some stuff, so I liked it.

A Sketchbook About Her Sun is more an animated album with minimal interactivity than a proper game. The art does a fantastic job of presenting the story juxtaposed with a banger soundtrack that roots the player in each moment. It's one hell of a ride. Words cut deeper than any knife, and A Sketchbook About Her Sun hits as hard as it's experience is original. Highly recommend!

A very artistic representation of what it feels like to go through a heartbreak. Recommended for those who want a good excuse for a healthy session of ugly crying or those who just love getting punched in the feels.

A Sketchbook About Her Sun is not much in way of a game and is better described as a visual novel. Each 'chapter' of the narration takes place against the backdrop of a song off an album. Throughout each chapter, various pictures are shown and you are given the option to make certain choices for words. When picking, it's unclear what the impact of the words you choose will be, but at the end of each chapter, the words you chose are the options slotted in for a poem that changes based on what you picked (think like an ad lib, but slightly more complicated). The narration seems to largely be about a woman experiencing heartbreak. The game is somewhat abstract and will appeal to a very particular type of audience as a result. Additionally, your enjoyment of it is highly contingent on enjoying the music. It was a fun experience to be sure, but it's not for everyone.

Story/Plot: A Sketchbook About Her Sun is a story about a nameless, female protagonist who suffered a recent break-up, and goes through a roller coaster of emotions in the aftermath. While not the first game to explore these issues, I can definitely say that I enjoyed how they are presented here, and found myself engaged in her story. Visuals: The art in this game is hand-drawn (no clip maker, etc.) which I can really appreciate. I also liked the fact that it didn't go the anime/hentai route, though I know some people prefer it. What was especially interesting is the character is also an artist herself, and she 'presents' her inner turmoil and thoguhts in black and white drawings within the game. I like this effect, creating an inner monologue and could see other games using it. Gameplay: The game is essentially a Visual Novel with interactive choices. This has the effect of creating one of two endings, whether she continues to wallow in her misery or takes a few tentative steps above it. There are some timers on each choice, but I didn't see whether it reverted to a default choice, or gave a third 'unknown' reaction to the inaction. Sound/Music: To me, this is where the game shines. Each scene is set to a song from Red Ribbon's "Planet X" album and found the music very appropriate. Considering the game was made with this intent, I think they succeeded. Difficulty: As a relatively short game, it isn't very difficult to finish. After all, you just have to sit there and click a choice while listening to music. Extras/Achievements: Owning this game gives you access to the soundtrack, and i consider that a definite plus. It also boasts Steam achievements, and most of them aren't that hard to get as they appear after finishing a certain chapter. However, to get all of them does require two playthroughs...and many people won't do it as the game is essentially the same until the final scene. Recommendation: So would I recommend the game? I would say yes, but with a couple of caveats. First, it is a short game, and I can understand some people hesitant to buy a game like this. However, if I consider I bought the game for the soundtrack, then it was an easy 'yes' and my purchase supported the devs and artists. As music tastes vary, another person might try to find a sample track or two to see if this game is something they wish to own.

[i] Essentially it's an animated music album with some simple sketches for every song. I assume the visuals were created for the music and not the other way around, but the game still has a narrative as we follow the same individual that goes through melancholy, heartbreak, and possibly depression. You can also just pick the songs from the main menu, but I am not sure if I unlocked the feature at the end. I believe the 11 songs make the full album, so it's kind of like buying a soundtrack. I am not sure if there is any purpose to the choices that you can make during the songs, I assume those are for the 2 optional achievements. I guess it depends on how much you like the music, for myself, I liked more than half of the songs, and even for the songs that I didn't love, I still enjoyed the lyrics. Don't take this as a criticism because I honestly don't care if the singer has a perfect voice, but I enjoyed her voice more within a lower range. Also, I noticed some guitar clipping which I feel should be cleaned up in the processing. Aside from those small nitpicks, I enjoyed the album overall and I will be playing it when I draw for months ;). I know not many people like paying for music on Steam, but I am all for it personally, especially this cheap. I always like to list my favorites, and that would be the 'Planet X', 'Document' and 'Human Copy' (I only wish you reused the part in the end of HC once in the middle, too).[/i]