Taking on the role of Princess [insert name here] as she sets out to do three good deeds to regain her place in her royal family after being cursed, CP is a game full of twists and turns that will make you not want to stop playing. The following is my spoiler-free review, delving into different aspects of the game: a tl;dr is available at its end.
❤Characters:
Because the store page on Steam doesn't give a full description of everyone's personalities, I'll break it down here. All except yourself are datable, of course;
- You: You're the cold-hearted princess of the kingdom known as Angielle, cursed by a witch into losing your status as princess.
- Rod: Your younger step-brother who treats you coldly as you treat him, since he's not your blood relative.
- Karma: A man too charming for his own good that likes to flaunt his good looks to everyone.
- Rumpel: The ladies' man character of the game who was cursed by a witch and cannot remember who he is.
- Fritz: The childhood friend character who also serves as your personal knight- but don't be mistaken by his position; he's very naïve.
- Waltz: A man shrouded in mystery that acts helpful toward you and others, and loves children.
Aside from the romanceable candidates, there are many other characters that assist or oppose you along the way. What makes the entire cast so enjoyable is that everyone is truly their own being, rather than being reduced to tropes as dating games tend to do- the backstories of each are all very human.
❤Plot:
The player character of CP, Princess [insert name here], is a cold teenage girl who hates nearly everyone around her, as she'd been instructed by her late mother to never trust others. Because of her coldness, she ends up being cursed by a witch; as a result, no one remembers that she existed, and she's forced into a life of poverty. By fulfilling her Fairytale curse of Cinderella via doing three truly good deeds, she will be remembered by others again and be recognized as princess.
The plot of CP is probably my favorite thing about it. It's rather intricate, well-thought out, and touching. There are the occasional plot twists thrown about in certain places, and each route offers a new perspective on characters, even the ones you aren't romancing, and even the player character herself. Possibly the only issue I had with it that's more of a nitpick than anything else is that some of the names of characters can be rather long or, at the least, arduous to remember (the fantasy theme is nice, but it can hurt your head after a while remembering some of these people).
❤Gameplay:
CP is a ren'py visual novel, so heavy amounts of reading are expected, as well as the varying amount of choices to be made during gameplay. There are nine chapters per route, with the ending varying on your choices; the player has ability to get the bad end or the good end. The good end is achieved by making the more favorable choices during each character's route.
For those who have trouble determining which choice should be made, CP offers a right choice indicator- a couple of lines after making a choice, if it is the correct one, a diamond will show up in the corner of the screen in the character's color (if it isn't, no diamond shows). This can be toggled on and off in the options menu for those who don't want it.
The music and artstyle of the game are extremely wonderful, and there are a wide number of tracks and CGs throughout the game. I was genuinely surprised by the quality of the music and variation of character's styles, which suits the game's fantasy theme very well. The menus also compliment this theme.
I recommend playing in the order I listed the characters prior, just so the drama builds up nicely. There wasn't a single route I felt dissatisfied in/I couldn't recommend.
❤My Review:
All in all, Cinderella Phenomenon is a majestic game. It's been a while since I've been blown away by the intricacies of a ren'py game, and a free one, nonetheless. I was hooked on it from the moment I started playing and couldn't put it down. I even put off this review just to replay it again to ensure my thoughts on it, and found that I fell back in love with it all over again.
It's rare to find an otome game that is as truly likable as this one, and I'd more than willingly follow this team and play any other otome game they happen to put out. Usually, the "My Review" section of my reviews are longer, but there's nothing more to be said. I simply cannot reiterate how wonderful this game was.
❤tl;dr:
Would I recommend you play this game? YES!
Would I recommend you play all of this game? YES!
Does this game offer a lot of content? Definitely. It took me about 8ish hours to finish the game and get all of the endings/achievements, and that was playing at a quickened pace.
Is this game hard? Some choices can be tricky, though the right choice indicator is a helpful tool that can be toggled on and off.
I rate this game an absolute 10/10.
If you play it and find you like it as well, please support the team that made it by sending them your money!
Hope I helped! ❤ lone
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