I found this one around the FF party. Like many here, I have a large backlog of games but I decided to give this a go. The cute girls in the images and the good tags seemed like it might be worth trying. I can't remember, but there were probably some glowing comments about it, too.
Well, I played it. Renders at the beginning were okay, a little barebones. The music was not overdone, but as you went further it was obvious there were common themes for the different areas. The lack of choices didn't bother me. In fact, it made it so that I was not worried about missing anything. The girls were very nice to look at.
But the story... The story is why I stayed up late into the night, then fell asleep, and in the morning decided I needed to play it all again. The plot and the intricacies of the characters- how they get along (or don't) with the MC, how they slowly evolve, how they have small expressions on their faces you can gauge their feelings from... It was all suprisingly transcendant.
I did not go in expecting a masterpiece, but on coming out the other side I think it just might be. Are the renders perfect? No. But the presentation more than makes up for it! And in 0.8 there was an update to the music, giving more girls their own themes and tightening up what was already there. So much love and care has gone in to this it is amazing.
I'll mention it again because my first few times it was only something I noticed subconsciously, but the facial expressions, body posture, and tilting of the heads all add so much to these characters. Some say they aren't animated enough. I think they are animated realistically, minus lip flaps. By focusing on small changes in mouth and eyes the characters feel so real.
The lighting in later days is very well done, too- from dark shadows and point lights falling across the characters to early morning sunshine through the blinds, it looks so much better than just the global/fluorescent illumination.
Over the months, this game has become a standout to me. Thanks to anyone who read this far. I would say that if you like the render style and you are looking for a wholesome/gentle maledom harem game with a huge focus on story and likeable characters, you cannot go wrong with Cosy Cafe.
5/7. Would recommend.
Well, I played it. Renders at the beginning were okay, a little barebones. The music was not overdone, but as you went further it was obvious there were common themes for the different areas. The lack of choices didn't bother me. In fact, it made it so that I was not worried about missing anything. The girls were very nice to look at.
But the story... The story is why I stayed up late into the night, then fell asleep, and in the morning decided I needed to play it all again. The plot and the intricacies of the characters- how they get along (or don't) with the MC, how they slowly evolve, how they have small expressions on their faces you can gauge their feelings from... It was all suprisingly transcendant.
I did not go in expecting a masterpiece, but on coming out the other side I think it just might be. Are the renders perfect? No. But the presentation more than makes up for it! And in 0.8 there was an update to the music, giving more girls their own themes and tightening up what was already there. So much love and care has gone in to this it is amazing.
I'll mention it again because my first few times it was only something I noticed subconsciously, but the facial expressions, body posture, and tilting of the heads all add so much to these characters. Some say they aren't animated enough. I think they are animated realistically, minus lip flaps. By focusing on small changes in mouth and eyes the characters feel so real.
The lighting in later days is very well done, too- from dark shadows and point lights falling across the characters to early morning sunshine through the blinds, it looks so much better than just the global/fluorescent illumination.
Over the months, this game has become a standout to me. Thanks to anyone who read this far. I would say that if you like the render style and you are looking for a wholesome/gentle maledom harem game with a huge focus on story and likeable characters, you cannot go wrong with Cosy Cafe.
5/7. Would recommend.