Fading Hearts Review (PC)

good
key review info
  • Game: Fading Hearts
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: No
  • Reviewed on:
Fading Hearts review on PC

Visual novel games have a mixed reputation in the gaming industry, as they're mostly considered Japanese games for Japanese gamers, although quite a few have managed to find success in Western markets, depending on their themes or content.

However, those that did haven't exactly left a lasting impression, with many gamers still thinking that you just go through a series of PowerPoint-like slides, choosing which girl or boy to romance, and then getting their custom ending.

Fading Hearts, however, isn't your traditional visual novel game, as it places a much bigger emphasis on player choice, according to developer Sakura River Interactive, while featuring characters that are more than what they seem and ones that don't shy away from outright lying to the player to achieve their own goals.

With the promise of better choices and a story that requires careful consideration, Fading Hearts certainly seems like it bucks the trends of its genre. Does the game manage to make a lasting impression or should it just fade away? Let's find out.

Story

Visual Novel games rely a lot on the story rather than gameplay, although Fading Hearts does feature quite a lot of actual interactive elements that can be classified as gameplay.

The actual plot revolves around three high school friends – Ryou, Claire, and Rina. They became friends when they were younger as they were all orphans due to the Y2k bug that had devastating effects on their very Japan-like country.

While their existence is a mundane one, things take a turn for the worse as shadow monsters start roaming in the neighboring forest, while Claire starts dating an aggressive boyfriend. After the relatively lengthy introduction, players can make some key choices that affect the story in quite a few ways.

Even if you manage to reach the best ending, it’s crucial to go back again and try a few different choices, as the actual outcomes can be quite varied and oftentimes surprising.

What's more, the game's story has quite a lot of "meta" moments, in which Ryou and other characters talk about dating simulator mechanics and how they can be pursued in a situation such as their own. At the end of each path, you also get to meet two of the game's representatives, who go over the choices made by the player and offer hints about possible key choices that can be altered for drastically different results.

Besides the main story, the game also features several parallel ones told either through the dreams of the player or through the manga series that can be read inside the game. These are also pretty good but require a fair amount of attention so that you can keep track of everything that's going on.

The writing's quality is relatively good, but sometimes the game can delay its events and cause boredom. Still, some actual moments leave a lasting impact and it's crucial to come back and make different choices, so that you don't miss out on them.

Decide your favorites
Decide your favorites

Gameplay

In terms of actual gameplay, players can make all sorts of decisions concerning Ryou's life, from what he does in the morning, afternoon, or evening to where he goes, what characters he talks to, or whether or not he works.

The life simulation aspect of Fading Hearts is pretty well done, as players can develop Ryou's abilities in many ways, either by reading manga novels in order to unlock new magical attacks or by training in terms of resistance or strength, in order to develop his physical attacks. Reading books can also boost his work skills, which he can employ by helping out companies in order to earn more money.

Depending on the player's choice, you can also head out into the forest to battle the shadow creatures, but the actual combat system isn't that well done. It doesn't display the enemy's health, and you're practically left to guess which attack does the most damage against the opponent.

The actual choices aren't that many, as dialog flows with very little player interaction, unlike other games like The Walking Dead or The Wolf Among Us.

The developer made quite a big deal about the characters lying to Ryou and that is certainly true, as quite a lot of people surrounding the player's character will try to deceive him in bigger or smaller ways, oftentimes with the misguided attempt at helping or protecting him from other things.

Uncovering these lies is easier said than done, as you can't just call out people you suspect of deceiving you. Taking roundabout ways and making wild choices is sometimes the only solution and some lies will certainly take you by surprise, due to their creator or their motivation.

While Fading Hearts certainly has a few intense moments and solid choices, oftentimes the game stuffs inactive days where nothing can happen and you're left just to choose between reading books or mangas, working on the computer, or traveling around the city's few locations.

Spend great moments
Spend great moments

Visuals and Audio

Fading Hearts is your classic visual novel type game, so expect lots of static backgrounds and a rotation of characters with slightly different facial expressions. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as most of them are designed quite well and some of the special moments have unique illustrations to drive the point home. However, some of the monsters don't look all that great.

In terms of soundtrack, the game has one licensed song as its theme and it fills the rest of the experience with pretty repetitive and generic music. Fortunately, you can turn things off and enjoy your own songs, even if they might detract from some of the more intense moments.


The Good

  • Fleshed characters
  • Meaningful but few choices
  • Wildly different endings
  • Plenty of secondary stories

The Bad

  • A few tedious moments
  • Slightly repetitive soundtrack
  • Lackluster combat

Conclusion

Fading Hearts is certainly a good visual novel game, managing to innovate in the genre by adding some big choices and by allowing characters to be more than just 2D people. The fact that they lie and most of them have fleshed out backgrounds makes you care about them even more. Sure, the writing may not always be stellar and some slow moments are present, but there are quite a few reasons to keep playing and even replaying the game.

story 8
gameplay 7
concept 8
graphics 8
audio 7
multiplayer 0
final rating 7.5
Editor's review
good
 
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