Recent reviews by Mullet Death

Every once in a while, I get recommended a game that's exactly the sort of experience I was looking for, and In Sound Mind was one such game. It got mentioned in the context of games "similar to Alan Wake." I don't know if Alan Wake was one source of inspiration, but it does have similarities, and this game is great in its own right. I also think it's best to go in knowing as little as possible, as I did.

Writing this just to remind my friends that this doujin game here is a personal favorite and something of a hidden gem. The premise, story, combat, and music all intrigued me and in terms of achievements was a joy to 100%. It would have been worth the price of admission for the soundtrack alone. I think it should definitely be given a chance.

Like every other visual novel I play or read, I really tried to give this game a fair chance. But, after my 3.5 hours, I've experienced everything this game has to offer, and all I can say is, "That's it? Seriously?"

The backgrounds, CGs, and sprites are really well done for what they are, and the music, while nothing unforgettable, was good and served its purpose well. So it's a shame that that talent was wasted on this game.

Nudity can be tasteful and serve an artistic purpose; there are countless examples of this in every medium, including VNs. None of this partial nudity, some of which crosses a line, serves any such meaningful artisitc purpose. It's meant solely to titillate, and the game doesn't hide the fact that it's a "10/10 would fap again" game, as other Steam reviewers might no doubt say. It's softcore porn with no nipples so it could be released on Steam without the need for a decensor patch. It doesn't really pretend to be anything else.

However, when other VNs have such content, they usually have OTHER content which redeems the experience. That content normally comes in the form of a well-written narrative and compelling, endearing characters. A good visual novel will have you lost in its world. A good VN of this particular genre should have you rooting for each charming character, male or female, and their passionate romances in each route, while simultaneously keeping you in wonder about what else you could discover about the magical setting on your next playthrough. Sakura Spirit doesn't do any of that. Or rather, it feels like it's going to do at least some of that. And then it ends, after you have only made one decision. That one decision doesn't affect the plot and only offers a few different scenes at a festival. The game doesn't really succeed at anything it sets out to do, especially since none of the characters are truly romanceable.

This game feels sloppy and unfinished, like a preview of a game released on itch.io for free while the developer works on shaping it into their vision. It could have been something, but there's really not much here. Even the event the main character was waiting the whole game for was mostly glossed over and there wasn't any character development anywhere. Maybe the other games in the franchise redeem it slightly overall, but this game does not stand on its own merits.

I buy and play pretty much every visual novel on Steam, especially if it's available natively for Linux. It's just how I am. But if anyone stumbling upon this review wants to subject themselves to the same disappointment then I would suggest not doing so at full price.

You can press Z in-game to poop!

10/10

Also there's like dinosaurs and stuff