Reviews

• baranouta

  May 15, 2023

  This was such a delightful VN; I was moved to tears a number of times. A Little Lily Princess tells a beautiful story of hope, kindness, and resilience -- while also managing to largely avoid the problematic implications Cinderella-like stories can sometimes have. Emotional suppression is not glamorized, and I can see that care was taken to make it clear that one's lot in life is not determined by what one "deserves" (i.e., bad circumstances don't mean you're a bad person, and good circumstances don't mean you're above those less fortunate). Each of the routes was very good. It was a relief to see the creators be sensitive to the cast's ages -- not all routes are romantic, and even the routes that are never go beyond a chaste kiss as far as getting physical. As such, it manages to thoroughly avoid becoming creepy. I think the only negative thing I'd say about the entire game is that I felt like some of the routes ended very abruptly; it would have been nice to have an epilogue or something. But at the same time, that's also somewhat fitting for the story, for us to simply imagine (or "suppose," as Sara would say) what might happen after the ending of the game, so I don't mind it too much. I particularly enjoyed the music. I felt it set the tone well, without being distracting during intense scenes. The art is also beautiful, especially in the CGs. The controls are easy to grasp, and the RNG for determining your daily character stat increases is entirely reasonable. I focused on only one route at a time and found that I didn't actually need to "save scum" at all. I didn't encounter any type of glitches or anything while playing. The in-game checklist is nice, too. It has all the features you'd expect from a VN, such as music replay and a gallery. As a visual novel, the time to complete the game is going to vary a lot based on your reading speed, and whether you re-read or skip previously read sections. I played through the whole thing quickly enough I didn't need to review things I'd already read and am a fast reader, but How Long to Beat indicates I finished quite a bit faster than most. Even with having finished it so fast, though, A Little Lily Princess was completely worth it to me.
• gamedeal user

  May 20, 2016

  Closer to the source material than most adaptions. Fans of yuri and classical literature alike can't go wrong with this purchase.
• gamedeal user

  May 22, 2016

  If you know the story of Sara Crewe, you know most of what's going to happen. The visual novel aspect is about developing relationships with the secondary characters. You develop stats based on what you choose to do with your free time and trigger scenes with the other girls if your stats meet certain requirements. There isn't enough time to get through everyone's scenes but I've gotten through three girls' scenes in a single playthrough. In Act II you have to pick one girl to have scenes with but if you save at the beginning of Act II you can avoid repeating Act I for everyone. As any shoujo-ai fan will tell you, "Lily" being in the title means there's gonna be some girl-love. It's very mild. Some cuddling and only one girl actually pushes past "romantic friendship" into "schoolgirl lesbian" territory. I think this game is suitable for any little girls who can read well enough. But be prepared to discuss death, poverty, classism, and romance between girls as necessary. Because everyone seems to ask: No, there is no death ending.
• gamedeal user

  May 26, 2016

  Finished the last route in "A Little Lily Princess," which is another amazing game from Hanako Games (under the name Hanabira). As per usual with games from Hanako, you play a young girl, in this case Sara Crewe, who performs activities every week to increase a number of skills (such as Sympathy or Grace). With these skill increases, you unlock different routes and scenes for each of the six potential girls that you can romance (which is where "A Little Lily Princess" differs from Hanako's acclaimed "Long Live the Queen"). You will, through these interactions (as well as the weekly slice, as I call it), learn about these characters. You have the fire-haired Jessie, a ballerina with an eye for curiosity; Lavinia, the haughty model student at Miss Minchin's Seminary; Lottie, the little girl who knows how to throw a tantrum; Ermengarde, the soft country girl who makes up her lack of wit with her heart of gold; Marriette, Sara's personal maid from France; and Becky, the poor, downtrodden scullery maid. If you recognise a few of these names, then perhaps you have read the book that this VN is based from: "A Little Princess," written by Frances Hodgson Burnett in 1905. If you have read it, then this will be a lovely treat, but if you haven't, do not seek this book out if you do not wish to be spoiled. You have been warned. Going back to the game, I cannot recommend it enough. You may ask me a favourite route, and I will simply chuckle and say "All of them!" Each one of these girls has their own story, their own motivations, their own wants and desires and fears, and truly I felt ever the better to experience their lives, if only for a moment.
• gamedeal user

  Jun 25, 2016

  Classic story told in a different way. I absolutely adore this game. There are no choices within the plot (which bothered me slightly at first). Gameplay is based on raising statistics, that you're trading to unlock events with the character you wish to know better. At the same time, I wouldn't call it a stat raising game - it's not challenging, it just feels a bit like there were need for some sort of game mechanic to be there, so they went with that. Which means - it won't make you rage quit, for sure ;). Story is beautiful, heart-warming and well written. All characters are different and likeable. Music and art are just gorgeous. Absolutely worth the price and a must have for every visual novel fan out there.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 14, 2016

  I absolutely loved this romance sim. It was very delightful and interesting. There are 4 romance routes, and 2 friendship routes. It involves stat raising, but it is not tedious or annoying. It takes place during the Victorian era in London, England. That is a vague time frame considering Queen Victoria ruled for 63 years. However, since the book this visual novel is based on was published in 1905, I would assume the story took place late in her reign before she died in 1901. The young protagonist arrives at a boarding school for girls after living in India her whole life; do remember that The British Empire ruled over India for a long time. She is a tad out of place in her school for having grown up in India, and for also being half-French; The English and French are long-time rivals, after all. Although, elitist English aristocrats would have prejudice against anyone who wasn't completely English anyway. The protagonist leads a comfortable, pampered life since her father is quite wealthy ... until things take a very tragic turn for her. However, through her formed bond with one of the 6 characters with a story route, she can survive. Among the characters the protagonist can form romantic bonds with include: Lavinia (a snobby aristocrat student), Jessie (a student who desires to be beautiful), Ermegarde (a plump student with low self-esteem), and Becky (an ill-treated scullery servant). Among the characters the protagonist can form friendship bonds with include: Mariette (the protagonist's personal French maid) and Lottie (an 8-year-old student). What I really enjoyed about this visual novel, besides the various cultural aspects one can learn about, was the important messages it projects. It tells the audience that women/girls can make a life for themselves, with or without men. It tells the audience that a person shouldn't stay with an abusive person whether they're capable of doing good things or not. It informs the audience about how women were treated like property in that time and the very few opportunities they had to escape that fate. Above all, it teaches the audience that classism and elitism are horrendous and cruel. [spoiler]I think Becky is canon, and I liked her route best.[/spoiler] I recommend this VN to anyone who enjoys stories with culture, history, strong friendships, and lovely romances.
• gamedeal user

  Aug 21, 2016

  I usually don't sob like a little girl while playing video games, but I'm totally okay with this game making me do that.
• gamedeal user

  Sep 24, 2016

  You play the game. Piece of cake. Everyone is happy, everything is fine. You're a Princess in all of her glory. Life slaps you back. Now you don't have anything. You rage, you cry, you curse. The little princess in the game never loses hope. You wish for Death to come and take the lives of the ones who mistreat your princess. You wish for revenge and pain inflicted upon them, The little princess just wishes to live on, always hoping. You see the light, the final turn of events. Life is bright again. People reunites once again, all is well. You cry. Not a single drop of blood was spilled. 11/10 I couldn't sleep
• gamedeal user

  Dec 5, 2016

  This game is great, in my opinion the best of the Hanako games. Long live the queen was just crazy hard (which was kind of the point) and this is easy in comparison. The story is based on the book the little princess set in Victorian era in London, England. If you enjoyed the book, the 1995 movie "A Little Princess" or the BBC production they did back in the 80s (yes, I am old) you will enjoy this. Black closet is fun... but a bit tedious to get all the routes, I think this game gets everything right... the artwork and story are amazing and you won't bore yourself tyring to see all the routes you are interested in. Seriously, unless you don't like reading, history, or culture you should try this one.
• gamedeal user

  Mar 20, 2017

  A very adorable little story! The art is very polished and cute, and the main character is simply lovable! The girls are all very colourful (in more ways than one), and are depicted with a convincing depth and realism that you might not expect from something that looks so fluffy. Definitely get this game if you like well-written stories about relationships between well-realized female characters.