RE: Alistair++ Review

RE: Alistair ++
Platform: Windows, Macintosh, Linux
Genre: Visual Novel, Dating Simulation (Girl Pursues Boy), Stat Raiser, Indie
Voiced: None
Rated: Everyone
Useful Websites: Game Website (with Download and Guide), SakeVisual’s Website

 A small indie company, SakeVisual, has come up with a unique twist to a dating simulation: The girl, Merui, must find the identity of a certain player in an MMORPG, Rivenwell Online, within one month. Is she worried? Not at all! After all, how hard can it be to identify one particular jerk who attends her school? It's not like she'll meet three different guys who all play the same game, after all...

Plot 3.5/5:
    Real World Traders are the bane of the MMO gaming industry, but that doesn’t stop a young girl, Merui, from placing a bet that she can find the real identity of a troll that stole her kill and a rare item that went with it.
    She knows that the player disconnected at the same time she did, and therefore must be going to the same school—using the same server—that she was. So she places a bet, that she will find him and confront him in real life, and the stakes are the item and all of her in-game earnings for the month.
    But a school project, not to mention the guy’s personalities themselves, means that she needs as much of that month as she can get.

Dating-Sim Aspect 3/5:
    One of the biggest plusses to the games is that each of the characters felt unique, and Merui was about as far from a blank slate as you can get. She was a spunky character who had enough flaws to avoid the Mary-Sue problems, and her interactions with the boys was refreshing and believable. Each of the boys was unique in their own way and had various surprises.
    There were a few downsides, however. There are only three boys to woo in this game, and one character in particular had a rather inconsistent feel across the endings. Merui can't take them on dates, but she can unlock various events and trigger many CGs (although finding what item triggers what event can be a bit tricky.)
    What is great is how the boys interact with each other: if you befriend two there will typically be a warning from one about how the other is “bad news” (remember, you are looking for a jerk from an MMO here), and if it continues you might even get a miniature confrontation event.

Bachelors:

Travis is the first boy Merui meets, a cold and aloof student who Merui thinks needs to lighten up. He also is the president of the school’s computer gaming club, and takes care of the computer lab itself. He enjoys teasing Merui.

Shiro is the quiet classmate whom Merui gets partnered with to work on their school project. He hardly ever talks to others, but doesn’t seem rude (or at least not as rude as Travs). He works very hard in school, however, and is overall a good student.

 

Derek is the local jock and ladies’ man, being both a star athlete on the basketball team and just wants to have a good time. He dislikes school and overall just wants to have fun and spend time with friends.




Graphics/Artwork 5/5:
    The artwork is fabulous. I can’t stress enough how incredible the characters, backgrounds, and CGs are: easily at or above what many commercial games go for. It really sets this game apart from nearly all other free games.

Music 3/5:
    The music is calm and relaxing; it’s not something I’d rush out to purchase a soundtrack for, but I certainly would call it a waste to play the game with the sound off. It can be repetitive at times, but overall has a nice balance of instruments and sounds that fit each setting, and doesn’t distract from gameplay. The themes that play when you unlock special events is especially nice.
   
Text 5/5:
    The dialogue for each character is unique, and there aren’t any errors or bugs in the text. They have simply done an excellent job with their narrative and overall wording to create a very distinct feel for the game that is free of errors and really helps to set the appropriate mood.

Controls/Gameplay 4.5/5:
    Alistair definitely showcases what the Renpy game engine can do: turning it into a sleek and effective system. The transitions between scenes and characters is very smooth and streamlined, and the dialogue and status interfaces are colorful and well done.
    Both the real world and Rivenwell Online each have their own interface, and the Rivenwell one accurately mimics a traditional MMORPG feel. The downside is that you can’t control the events that happen online, merely see them play out.
    But in the real world is the true focus, even if the online events are the driver: a nice status raiser is present with a clean feel. Each boy has a top and secondary status skill that Merui must raise if she wishes to woo him. The three skills are intelligence, social reputation, and network reputation.
    Merui can also help out at school for extra money, and go shopping at the local mall, where she can purchase several items that can be used to raise the guys affection, unlock small dialogues to spice up the game as well as trigger special CG events.

Overall:
    RE: Alistair++ is an excellent game, a truly shining example of what people are willing to do, and how even free games can be enjoyable. It is probably one of the best U.S. made visual novels out there for the computer today, and a truly enjoyable experience. SakeVisual has since moved on to do other projects, but their first has certainly left a very impressive mark on the industry.

P.S. Thanks to Kevin for help brainstorming on this!

P.P.S. "Don't get mad, get your enemies banned!"