Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Apr 14, 2022

  Effort clearly went into this game, but it just wasn't interesting enough for me. To each their own, I suppose.
• gamedeal user

  Mar 21, 2023

  This was a good mystery novel, with great characters and a puzzled story to get lost into until you finish all the paths, even the bad ones. Each path give you a little piece of the story you have to link with everything scrambling around you. As if Back to the Future made a baby with Memento. Gosh it was perfect !
• gamedeal user

  Mar 25, 2017

  Glad I tried this one. I was looking for something casual and easy to play for short periods, and ended up staying up late several nights completely suckered into this game. Each play through reveals a little bit more about what's really going on in that mystery mansion. The story is loaded with dark humor and innuendo, that for the most part is not overly graphic. There were only one or two completely gratuitous "reward scenes" that you would have to hide from parents/kids. The game has an awesome skip button that automatically stops if your conversation choice reveals a new plot event. So you can easily skip the opening scenes on repeat play throughs without worrying about missing any new info as you try out the different responses/story branches.
• gamedeal user

  Apr 4, 2017

  This game is freaking *awesome*. It has all the elements of a great story: mystery, magic, humor and romance. I had bad luck with otome games of late but this one just really reminds me what I love about those types of games... being someone else, making the kind of choices I wouldn't otherwise make, living a different life in a different world and meeting different people. Laughing and swooning and smiling. And all the while, being a hero (: Now tell me, who wouldn't want that? In this game, you play as Mariko. Our resilient and cool-headed protagonist. Mariko wakes up in a mansion among five other strangers, none of them seeming to recall anything about who they are and what they're doing there (aside from their names and a few vague memories). To top it all, they seem to be stuck inside some kind of magical barrier. Now, they must find out what is going on, who they can trust, who is behind it all, and how to get out of this mess alive. During a certain fixed point in the game you get to choose who you want to pair up with; Aloof and grumpy Apris. Kind hearted and helpful Yvonne. Kickass and snarky Shira. Quite Shirr. Mysterious and sarcastic Marco. Each route has at least one bad ending (sometimes more), Normal ending (which is a happy one only without the romance part) and True ending (which is a happy one with romance). That stands for every character in the game. Moreover, during each route and possible endings, you'll find yourself gathering 'clues' (red, green, orange and silver). Some endings you won't be able to unlock without gathering some of the clues. Which is why my advice is: play the game the first time blind (great way to have fun and get to know, overall, what is going on), and then follow this recommended walkthrough (http://konoi-and-noir.tumblr.com/post/157285475522/soulset-ending-hints-and-guide) to get every route and possible ending. That will make sure you clear the game (: Ready to start your journey? Only you can solve this mystery before it's too late.
• gamedeal user

  Apr 17, 2017

  I've seen the future of Visual Novels and it's called SoulSet. NoBread Studio showed me what you can do when you combine talent and passion to create something magic. Everything, from the well crafted plot to a cast full of complex, interesting characters, makes you want to keep playing. Do yourself a favor and play SoulSet without a guide. Don't let anyone spoils you the fun of unearthing the secrets of Mariko and her friends.
• gamedeal user

  Apr 24, 2017

  I love this kind of time loop/multiple route mystery visual novel, and SoulSet is an excellent example of the genre. The characters, their motivations, and their relationships are complex and nuanced, and [spoiler]the possible inconsistencies between alternate universes[/spoiler] just adds another layer to that. The first few playthroughs can be a bit frustrating, as the bad ends cut things off rather abruptly and the early choices don't have obvious effects, but I think the game's pretty fair about telling you what clues you have to find. I eventually looked at a walkthrough, and it took me about 11 hours to fully complete the game, so if you tough it out it might take you a bit longer. Once you actually manage to get on a character's neutral/true route, there are still a number of choices that lead to small dialogue and scene variations without locking you out of a good end [spoiler](for the most part)[/spoiler], which is good for replayability. It's also nice that you can avoid sex scenes [spoiler](again, for the most part)[/spoiler] without getting locked out of the romantic endings. And I really liked how there isn't one true end that neatly wraps everything up; they're all true in their own timeline and their own way. (That said, Shirr's true end is my canon ending.) I only have a few minor complaints. The writing was generally a joy to read, but could have used another edit for "non-native-speaker-isms." The sprite art is dynamic, expressive, and well-directed, so the handful of event CGs could have been left out entirely; they're a huge downgrade in style, and the difference is quite jarring. Some elements are glossed over that I wish had been explored in more depth, mainly [spoiler]Isshin's role, Mutik, the alternate universe Mariko, and what happens during the fade out for the end credits.[/spoiler] I also kind of wish this were an R18 game. The vague/implied sex scenes that do exist are focused on character dynamics rather than just generic fanservice, and I think giving the writer more freedom to go into detail would have only made them more interesting. Highly recommended for visual novel fans, even if you're not particularly into otome, and especially if you like games that require multiple playthroughs to piece together the whole story. Certainly well worth its price. ~ [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/31589634-Kimchi-Tea-Reviews/]Kimchi Tea Reviews[/url] ~
• gamedeal user

  Jun 5, 2017

  "SoulSet" is [i]ungodly[/i] awesome. Quite possibly, now it is one of my most favourite works of fiction ever, of all time. I wasn't being able to shut up about it for two weeks already, and quite possibly made several people roll their eyes at me, but well, um. I just can't help myself. "SoulSet" is just too good to marvel at it quietly, too great to confine the feels and thoughts to the mind of one person. So, people had to deal with me. As well with my lack of sleep, because who needs sleep, when you have something this awesome. You know, it is always remarkable, when a work of fiction, created in some unconventional medium, makes use of the distinguishing features of this medium, incorporating them into the plot itself. I adore the cases, when such work of fiction just wouldn’t exist, if it were created as something else. And it is double, or even triple true for “SoulSet”. Interactive, branching, replayable nature of a visual novel made this story possible. It is an integral part of what this story is. There exists quite a lot of movies, books, TV-series, based on a similar premise, or may be not [i]a lot[/i], but a reasonable number nonetheless. However, that’s just not the same. They are linear, so they cannot possibly impart the right experience to readers or viewers. It is always like an attempt to show something three-dimensional to someone from a two-dimensional world only by means and tools found in that two-dimensional world. You could express a general idea, a concept, but it would only be an approximation, and the losses would be inevitable. “SoulSet”, due to its nature, achieved something that no movie, or TV-series, or book could ever hope to achieve. Visual novel medium is perfect for this particular concept, and the creators of “SoulSet” brought it to its full potential. And even more so, they managed to incorporate into its actual plot something that I hadn’t even thought was possible to incorporate! [spoiler]When I found out about the part Isshin was playing in the story all this time, I just sat there and screamed mentally for two minutes without a pause. If there were any mind readers in my general vicinity, they probably went deaf forever. It was just so, so, SO cool, AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH. One of the best, the most elegant cases of breaking the fourth wall, and extremely original and inventive, to boot. An extremely rare and precious occasion, when it is… I dunno how to express it, really, I’m not even a native English speaker… When it is inverted? So, SO COOL. Just wow. That was absolutely [i]thrilling.[/i][/spoiler] It became a unique experience, one I wouldn’t trade for anything. Seriously, wow. This story is so complex, detailed and well-thought-out, that I don’t even have right words to express it. At first, you are really disoriented. You and Mariko understand nothing, you don’t know what to make out of the situation, there are some people you don’t even know what to think about, you are not sure what is happening, or why, or who is behind it, or what every bit of information really means and how it connects to everything else. You get tiny pieces of the general picture, but you don’t know what to do with them. And you begin to construct theories from what little information you have. And then… you get more. Each new replay you get more to work with, you get to know some of the characters better, you get some insights into what was once hidden from your eyes, what was happening behind the observable. You learn motives, you start to compare in what exact ways the events unfolded differently, and you begin to understand why. You draw connections. You add to the picture, you revise it, and then you revise it again, and again, and again, and you revise your understanding of the characters, and you revise your opinion on them, sometimes turning it upside down, and then, still, again. There were so many big reveals (and I mean BIG, like, really), so many HOLY **** SO THAT IS WHAT IT WAS ABOUT moments, I had even lost count. Some things, I inferred from the information I had. Some things were absolutely unexpected. Mindf***ery ran rampant. My brain was melting. I was on high on the feels. That was some unparalleled experience, and I’m not even sure I had enough processing power to process everything that was going on. In the end, everything was coming together so neatly that I felt the urge to start reading the VN from the beginning, route by route, just to marvel at how everything that didn’t make sense then makes perfect sense now. Every little detail. Every little bit of information. Everything fell into its designated place, except several pieces, and I’m sure that if I give it enough thought and be more attentive, I definitely understand how it fits into the grand picture. At times, it also was an extremely painful read, because, well… I felt very emotionally involved into everything that was going on, into the Mariko’s story and not only hers, and things got pretty dark really fast. There were a lot of wonderfully heartwarming moments, and quite a few hilarious ones (oh goodness, “101 Ways On How To Appear CREEPY”!), however, it was more heart-rending than anything else. Especially since even the happiest of romantic endings with most of the characters kinda… ceased to feel that good in retrospect, after some major reveals in the true route. Everything else would be a nasty spoiler. Actually, I was going to write it down, just to hide it under the spoiler tag, and my review was much longer. However, when I tried to post it, it was cut off by a word limit, so… Well, a major part of my personal impressions is going to be lost for general public, I guess. <…> <=== here were one and a half pages that didn’t make it. So, back to general talk.“SoulSet” is a story that made me think, that made me feel and sympathize. It is honest with its reader, it doesn’t sugarcoat things, it is cruel sometimes and uncomfortable in a way that only true art exploring some dark corners of human psyche could be. This discomfort I speak about should by no means be considered as something bad. If anything, I think that the values dissonance I felt at times is one of the many strong points of this visual novel. Mariko is not some placeholder for inserting a reader into the story [spoiler]Isshin is[/spoiler], she is her own person with her distinct personality that is being revealed to us and to herself step by step. The situation she found herself in gives her a chance to change, to heal, to make something constructive of her life and of herself. [spoiler]In some outcomes, she uses this chance, in some others… well, not. And when she doesn’t, oh boy, her way of thinking is almost physically painful and feels extremely dissonant with what you think or feel about the situation, about the characters, about Marco specifically. It is truly unpleasant, and, at the same time, powerful and really welcome experience.[/spoiler] It is brilliant. By the way, when I say “uncomfortable”, I don’t mean intimate scenes. I am actually a very squeamish and picky person, when it comes to physical aspect of expressing affection, and it is extremely easy to turn me off. However, I was surprisingly fine and on board of everything that was going on, and it was conveyed in exactly right (I mean, right for me) amount of details. [spoiler]Well, some sex scenes were meant to be rough and a bit traumatizing (I am speaking about Verin, of course), so I regarded them as such, and it was a perfect blend of erotic and disturbing.[/spoiler] So, additional love for how it was held! I guess, I could go on and on about everything I loved about “SoulSet”, however, I feel like my English gets even more horrible with every phrase, and I’m reaching a word limit again. So I just want to stress one more time: this visual novel is a work of brilliance. And I mourn the amount of praise it doesn’t get, because it deserves all the praise.
• gamedeal user

  Jun 30, 2017

  A great visual novel. There have been visual novels that had me more emotionally invested, and there have been ones with greater romance and character growth. But there has never been a visual novel with quite this level of intrigue and mystery. The premise of the game is rather simple, and so is the solution for your predicament. You wake up in a mansion with almost all your memories missing, along with five other unfortunate souls. You are trapped by a barrier, and must find your way out while attempting to recover your memories, pairing up with one of the other five characers for each run. The problems start arising when you realise how little you know, and how little time you have to figure things out. You'll die over and over, but each run reveals another set of clues, and you must piece together the events and use this information to inch closer to the truth. Once you find it, naturally you're on your way to finding each character's true ending, unraveling one mystery after another. Oh, and once you get their true ending, you get to bang 'em, if you like. You deserve it. You'll probably die at least a dozen times for a single character. Although it's not as focused as a one-on-one romance game, SoulSet does a great job of making every character interesting and worth pursuing. Some times it's because you like the character themselves. Other times, you might just want to find out what role they play in the story so you can better pursue another. If you're looking for an excellent mystery-adventure with a spark of romance, do yourself a favor and purchase SoulSet. You won't come to regret it.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 6, 2017

  Where do I even begin? SoulSet is absolutely fantastic. I bought this game with very high expectations and it still managed to go above and beyond my wildest dreams. I could sing praise for SoulSet all day. First and foremost, SoulSet tells an amazing story and does a great job telling it. I didn't really buy this game to solve the mystery, I was more interested in playing a good dating sim. But the story was told so well that I got sucked into it pretty quickly. The game is set up so that there's a bit of an order in which routes you have to play first, and this makes it so that each route gets deeper and deeper into the mystery. The routes kind of build off of each other, and the things you learn in each of them fit together into the bigger puzzle really nicely. Its set up like a proper story with tensions rising as you go on. The characters are truly something else. Of course, I have my favorites, but I genuinely love all the characters. Each one is incredibly interesting, unique, and complex. I fell in love with every character as I played their route. In each of their routes, you really get to know each character. Their background, their strengths, their fears, their hopes, it all blends together perfectly. The romance is really well done as well! Nothing feels forced or rushed or out of place. The characters stick to their personalities and never act out of character. In each route, you can have a slower, cuddly relationship, a much more steamy one, or you can not have any romance with that character and just be super close friends! Also, as a girl who likes girls, I feel obligated to point out that for once in a video game you can actually be a girl who likes girls! Expanding on my first point, this game is extremely well written. The pacing is great, the character development is well done, the twists are super twisty, and the game keeps your attention and doesn't get boring. One thing I especially love is the interactions between characters, which range from serious and touching to absurd and hilarious. SoulSet tells a serious story but keeps the atmosphere comfortably light with colorful commentary from the cast of characters. The tone is serious when necessary, but SoulSet is anything but a gloomy game. Lastly, everything that makes SoulSet great is tied together with beautiful art and music. The backgrounds are gorgeous and the characters are beautifully designed, not to mention the perfect soundrtack for a fantasy mystery. Seriously, get this game. There is nothing else like it.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 11, 2017

  Alright, so I bought this game...two days ago maybe? On a whim, i was looking for a simple dating sim and ooooooh oooooooooooooh boy did i get way, way more than what I expected. I love everything from the characters, to the whole story. This has got to be my favourite game right now, and i've already reccomended it to so many people. God I can't even begin to say how amazing this game is, and if anyone is on the fence, over whether this game is worth it or not? Wowie I can say now you will NOT be dissapointed my friend. Not in the slightest.