Within a Rose Reviews

Its a fun read. I have 100 percent content completed in the game and i have 4.8 hours into it. Characters are relateable and the dialouge is interesting. Maybe a rerelease with updated visuals would be great. Its got that "devientart" vibe to it if you have ever looked at sonic fan art or generic anime character on devientart. There is some Eye Candy, but its very low for this kind of thing. Plot is worth a read and figuring out the different scenarios is enjoyable too.

I've been working on a review for a while, and I made the mistake of focusing on the criticisms so much there's little room for the positives. Whether I finish the other review or not, let me summarize here: Coming from a person that doesn't like anime/manga or Visual Novels, this one is a positive experience. The dialogue can be a mixed bag; however, the characters- Desdemona herself in particular- manage to be oddly endearing and likable, and while it does likely harken to anime tropes (I don't know the genre well enough to say), I can say the characters manage to be interesting, likeable, and unique in a way that anime generally fails to make happen. [spoiler]Except for Marcus. We need an update with a plot line where he dies. Make it happen, Brandon; it should qualify as an additional happy ending.[/spoiler] The game takes a nigh-pure slice-of-life approach, which definitely differs from my own preference of an overarcing "mission"-oriented plot. This gives an interesting take on subplots and mini-arcs that compose the experience. I admit I'm still trying to find words to describe this, but I can say it's not without its appeal in some cases. Better yet it's worth it for pushing forward. Eventually I probably will finalize the review I've written, and while it will have plenty of criticism, it will remain positive. This game may not quite be my favorite RhinoGearz title, but it's still an experience I'm eager to enjoy, and remains an exception to my usual anti-VN opinions. That being said, in many ways this isn't one of RhinoGearz's best works. As a guy on a budget he seems to use pre-drawn BG assets in all his stuff, yet here in particular they're the most painfully obvious and depressingly bland [spoiler]except for an actual underwater restaurant, that's awesome![/spoiler]. It's not like the naturescapes in Dimension of Monster Girls or the different city locations in that match-the-stones game I forget the name of with the genie. Here, the blatantly Japanesey interiors and neighborhood designs clash wrongfully with the otherwise Western-named and portrayed characters. For me personally, telling East from West is a big deal and it being blown here is a major disruptor. It feels like worldbuilding was not a big deal in Within a Rose. I also think that Desdemona changes her attitude *way too quickly*. I liked her when she was an angry bikini'd-up Disney villain. Her suddenly turning bubbly, friendly, and just worried about living in this new world she's found herself in is too sudden, too quick, and it feels like RhinoGearz just took the wonderfully mean villain protagonist away from me before I was ready to say goodbye to her. I also think that it makes no sense she got sexily flirty so soon after meeting Wally. Her whole thing is contempt and distrust for humans; she should have been written as not in a rush to start getting cozy with her male host until well after he introduced her to much more stuff. Her flirting style also clashes with how we meet her, being giddy and friendly in a way that seems, again, to clash with her initially calculating and ruthless nature.

Dark fairy named Desdemona who was sealed away for her violence. Ends up in your house. Pretty short little over an hour.

PERSPECTIVE REVIEW [code][h1]SUMMARY:[/h1][/code] This is one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes reading. After having an extra year to reflect upon it, I believe that this game really is a must-play for anyone who can appreciate a deep & meaningful story about actions & consequences. [b](This game is NOT nearly as sexual as the store tags currently suggest. The most suggestive items include bikinis & what you see in the screenshots on the front page. In terms of anything slightly "sexual" what you see in the store is EXACTLY what you get.)[/b] Not all of the routes go as deep, so I would definitely recommend trying some different routes - not necessarily with different girls. You can choose to be faithful between playthroughs, but it's really important that you see what the backstory & pain of these characters has to offer; that is where the story becomes most impactful, and even mind-blowing. If you get a happy ending and are satisfied, though, then that's a fine & fair place to stop too. This game is really short, relative to others, but if you can afford it, it's worth full price (currently $5). [code][h1]PERSONAL APPEAL:[/h1][/code] There were some additional things that spoke to me personally & originally, when I wrote this (1 year ago), I mentioned that it might be best suited for someone like myself, for those reasons. However, after having time to see past my own bias, I believe that this game is even better than that, for reasons other than the ones that initially attracted me to it, & were of personal appeal to me. These are those personal factors that appealed to me : I may not be short but I consider myself to be a somewhat shy & effiminate boy, like Wally, who prefers tall, capable, women, like Desdemona. (There's a lot of similarities between our personalities too.) ...so, I find Wally really relatable on a personal-level that other people might not. However, I also find Desdemona very relatable. She carries hurtful memories that cause her a lot of pain and frustration - I really wasn't expecting to find her so relatable to my own life feelings as well. For me, personally, it felt almost as though this game was made just for me... Now, that aside, this visual novel has a lot more as well, to offer than that... [code][h1]CONTENT:[/h1][/code] ...Such as: [table] [tr][th]🌹 - ice cream[/th][/tr] [tr][th]🌹 - a beautiful soundtrack[/th][/tr] [tr][th]🌹 - endearing, & believable, writing[/th][/tr] [tr][th]🌹 - cutscenes where the music & writing compliment the scene art, in order to portray a powerful mood[/th][/tr] [tr][th]🌹 - an alternate romance option[/th][/tr] [tr][th]🌹 - cultural references[/th][/tr] [tr][th]🌹 - lots of humor[/th][/tr] [tr][th]❤️ - love[/th][/tr] [tr][th]💔 - heart-break[/th][/tr] [tr][th]🥀 - varying degrees of personal loss & grieving[/th][/tr] [tr][th]🥀 - tragedy[/th][/tr] [tr][th]🌹 - [spoiler]time travel[/spoiler] (not quite a spoiler but you might want to be surprised)[/th][/tr] [tr][th]🌹 - ...& more.[/th][/tr] [tr][th]🥀 - (There are no drugs, Marcus.)[/th][/tr] [/table] [code][h1]OVERVIEW:[/h1][/code] This visual novel can be very romantic & uplifting but it also has several tragic turns, one of which is unavoidable and a few others that are optional but not necessarily easy to control whether you get them or not (in my opinion). The greater the route is that you're on, the greater the tragedy can become if you make a wrong turn (unless that's what you wanted to experience, in which case... I suppose it's a ..."right" turn? (Are you hoping to cry by encountering tragedy? Because otherwise, that's just sadistic of you...)) This story made me feel kinder & more hopeful. ...then I played it again & got a tragic route & it made me cry a lot as soon as I realized the severity of what was happening. I feel like my soul was, previously / before-hand, broken - & this game mended it (just a little), then hurt it some more but without breaking it. Depending on the route (& how fast you read, I guess), it can take anywhere from 20 minutes to, oh - I don't know... 5 hours? To complete a route. So, if you're going to do just 1 route then call it done, this game might be too short but if you're going to explore a little (or just get the longest route first) then it should be worth the full-price if you're sure that this sort of game is definitely for you. (This is a visual novel. It doesn't really have any gameplay aspects beyond the standard stuff you'd expect from a VN.) Even, perhaps especially, if you like it, the game is a bit too short because it will [potentially] leave you desiring more from the sweethearts it focuses on. One way around this is to play through multiple routes as there's 2 notable routes (with a variety of sub-chapter variations) for a relationship with Desdemona, a slow-paced one & a fast-paced one, - one of those routes (the slow-paced one) can kind of act like a continuation of the other one, even though it's not. You'll... know immediately if you're on the fast-paced route (you might want to come back & do this later but don't forget how you got to it because, if I'm not mistaken, it requires a much more specific set of decisions at the beginning). In case you don't find it, though, Desdemona's dialogue, near the end of her slower-paced relationship route, suggests how you can get what is probably a better ending. Oh, and here's a tip for the people who may want to avoid unhappy endings: Don't encourage Desdemona's anger [spoiler]stop her from making a big mistake![/spoiler] There are (currently, as of writing this) a number of typos in the game but not a lot; it shouldn't matter much if you're enjoying yourself. This game has become my second-favorite game. [code][h1]CONCLUSION:[/h1][/code] You'll probably know if this is a visual novel that you'd enjoy just by looking at it on the store but it does have a number of deeper aspects that aren't obvious on the store-front. If you're unsure about it but considering it, then you should probably consider how generous you're willing to be with your money right now, in order to take a chance on it. It has a lot of depth to it, though, & for that reason, I'd recommend considering to take a chance on it if you're unsure.

10/10 visual novel!! Very well written, some good emotional moments as well as some juicy romance!! Des is amazing and I love her, and Wally is very much like me so I enjoy him! Need more cute boy and flirty girl relationships!! Definitely worth the price, I highly recommend!!

So... the basis of this game is the the story of "Sleeping Beauty" was a little embellished. Rose was only unconscious for a few hours. However, this leads to the dark fairy who cursed her to be captured in a rose. Hundreds of years later, Rose's descendant accidentally releases said dark fairy, named Desdemona, and she... takes a liking to him. The stories (at least the good endings) are sweet actually, and there is a bit of backstory that can help to explain the emnity between the royal family and Desdemona. Good read, and I would recommend.

Within a Rose has one lovely "Black Fairy" in it which made me enjoy this VN. They also incorporated a well known Fairy Tale into the Story which I kinda always like and the Writing overall is at least decent. The Art itself is also pretty good and although there is no H-Content, it doesnt really feel like anything is missing like with some other VNs. The Story is pretty short, so it will only take around 3 hours to complete pretty much the entire Game and I would always love if those short VNs would have made their Stories a bit longer. Nevertheless even though the Story is so short and I normally dont like short Stories as much, this one still was able to show a nice Development of the Relationship between the Protagonist and "Des". I personally feel like the second Heroine wasnt really the main focus as her Route isnt as good, but it still gives you a different approach. There are just a small amount of Spelling or Gammer Mistakes but nothing really too bad. Overall a pleasant read and probably worth the money asked. I would still recommend getting it in a Sale. Score: 7.4/10 Check out my Currator Page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34401214/ for more Reviews :)

This is a good romance story talking about something that is rarely ever conceived possible. Or taboo if you live in the sexually oppressed U.S. A romance story about a tall girl and a short guy. I commend the devs for taking on this perspective because people need to know about this and keep an open mind about it. Don't worry, the couple is of legal age which is 18(for the boy) and an older woman(fairy). The writing could have been a little better but it's detailed enough to keep you interested in the story without leaving you confused. Although it does "time jump" (going from one event to the other without a transition.) between events sometimes leaving you a bit disoriented. But the story keeps it together somehow. Besides the transition slip ups, the story is pretty solid, The plot is followable and the chracters are likable. The characters seem to have open minds in the story and that's what I like. No discrimination. I think the point of this story is when it comes to love, size dosen't matter. That it what I applaud this VN for being, Open minded and non-biased. Overall, I think this is a great VN even though the writing can be improved a bit. it's good enough to keep me reading until the end(s).

Sweet story, no sex scene and no need for this in this sweet, simple VN. Just a mature story of forgiveness, and true love. And for one time the boy is smallest, younger and more fragile than the girl. Adds the simplicity of the background and character design and you have an unique VN stand out from the crowd. Very great, very good!

Fantastic visual novel, with a lot of choices that even matter. Nice artwork and storyline (and characters, by the way). Well, the sexual content tag can be misleading, because its not really explicit sex scenes, but more of a romance/dating story. Not too complicated and fun to read through.