Yay or Nay: The Cinderella Phenomenon (PC Game)

Once upon a time, there were two crystals...

I downloaded Steam specifically to play this game and Undertale. 

So, I found out about this game through a YouTube Channel I absolutely adore! Martha Marie reviews lots of Voltage, Shall We Date?, and other independent otome games on cell phones, PC, or otherwise. Lately, she's been doing weekly streams of playing this game, and I watched the first two (I keep missing the others because Thursday's my catch-up day for classes). But I absolutely fell in love with the story and the art. 

This is a relatively new game, by Dicesuki, as it came out in 2016, but lately, it's been getting a lot of popularity on a bunch of places that I frequent online to find good otome games. My understanding is that this game was created by three girls in London, and is now an independent developer. (Please correct me if I am wrong). Sometimes, though, with independent developers, you need to be careful, as quality isn't always assured, but this was one that had a good rating on Steam, from my own favorite YouTube channels and reviewers, and so, I decided to download this and give it a try. 

For the record, I'm writing this a month early, as I've heard this game takes a while to complete. As it stands, I've only just finished the prologue and Chapter 1, which has taken me about two hours so I can believe the length. 

What I'll Be Rating: 

My rating of this game will go chapter by chapter on one route of my choosing and will focus on these elements: 

• Story→ How good is it? Is it consistent, and are the plots (and sub-plots believable?) Is it an enjoyable story? 
• The Characters→ Specifically the MC (Princess Lucette), is she a weak character? Is the rest of the cast interesting, well-rounded, and enjoyable? Does the entire cast (MC especially) develop in a thoughtful way from beginning to end? 
• The Art Style→ Is it good? Consistent? Does it create a theme for the game? 
• The Soundtrack (Background music)→ Is it good? Does it fit with the overall theme and mood of the story? Is it consistent? 
• The Game Itself→ As this is a PC game, I'll be looking for frequency of crashes, user-friendliness, etc. 
• Dialogue→ Is this grammatically correct? Does it sound like a real person talking, and vary from character to character? Is it smooth? 

My Rating Scale: 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- Five Stars→ Fantastic in every aspect listed above. Goes above and beyond expectation required. Is godly, and you should play it! 

⭐⭐⭐⭐→ Four Stars→ Is above average. Meets, if not goes above most of the expectations listed above. Definitely worth a play and a download, as it's a great game you will enjoy. 

⭐⭐⭐→ Three Stars→ Meets the expectations listed above but does not exceed them. Is a perfectly okay game, and you'll likely enjoy it as it does what it's supposed to do. If the thing costs money, you might not want to download, but find other means to enjoy it (unless you really like its genre)

⭐⭐→ Two Stars→ Does not meet the expectations listed above but comes close to it. Needs more work, but has some potential (aka, it's not complete crap). Do not download if it's paid, borrow if you really want to play it, but I wouldn't recommend it as it stands. 

⭐→ One Star → Does not at all meet the expectations listed at all. Is utter crap, and I would not recommend getting, or even borrowing. 

Without Further Ado...Let's begin the Review!

SPOILERS: If you do not want to get spoiled by the game, I would only recommend reading my thoughts on the first THREE chapters, as they do not ruin any route yet. 

(Olga: Heed this warning! I've been spoiled by Meghan before :-p )

The Prologue and Chapter One

You play the game as Lucette Riella Britton (Default name), Crown Princess to the Kingdom of Angielle. Her mother has been dead for four years, and her father, now happily married to a second wife, Ophelia, and her two children (Lucette's stepsiblings), Rod and Emelaigne, does not seem to get on with Lucette. 

Cold-hearted and resentful of her life and family, she does not believe that anyone can be good. As a result, Lucette is distant and uncaring, earning her the name "Ice Princess" to all those who come across her. While forced to go out with Emelaigne into town, she realizes that she is not well-liked among the townsfolk, having only been outside the palace two times in her life. 

However, in the night, one of her dolls, Delora, comes to life, and Lucette discovers that she is a witch, and she is cursed with the "Cinderella Curse". Suddenly, nobody in her family remembers that she is the Princess or part of the family, and she is outcast to the Marchen Tavern, to focus on breaking her curse, namely, by completing the Cinderella slippers, by doing 3 good deeds.  

My Thoughts

Already, I was intrigued. The premise is wonderful, and Lucette breaks my heart. She also breaks conventional MC Syndrome (which if you've read my other otome reviews, you'll know I have an issue with). Rather than being well-liked and innocent to a glaring fault, Lucette is hated. Disliked by everyone, and is cold to those who wish to befriend her. All things considered, it's an interesting twist. 

BUT, there is a reason she is like this. Her mother taught her that she was the only one that she could rely on and trust. She was the one who taught her what she is today, and as a result of Lucette, having lost her believes that nobody in the world could love her like her mother. It does not help that Lucette's father, King Genaro III, was absent and seemed to be uncaring of her when her mother died. This caused a rift between them, Lucette believing he is incapable of treating her with kindness, as he does towards Ophelia's children. 

That and the villagers seem to also hate her, for reasons unknown. This is repeated throughout both the prologue and Chapter One: I see the same things on their faces. Hatred. Disgust. 

So it appears as no surprise to me, at least, why Lucette is like this. It broke my heart actually, to see the "cold-hearted" Lucette, but then the "inside-Lucette" which was a little girl, just begging to be loved and treated with kindness. In conjunction with the little flashbacks sprinkled in between of Lucette's childhood, I was immediately able to connect with her as an MC. This also sets up the story well, and the premise for Lucette to change, which, by the end of this, I hope she does. Lucette is also fairly independent and can hold her own. She does her own thinking and is not a moron. I was also deeply impressed by this, as I've said before, most MCs do not do this.

We are briefly introduced to the other characters and cast: Delora (the Good Witch), Lady Parfait (Marchen Owner, and a Fairy), Karma (the cross-dressing man), Rumpel (the boarder with amnesia and the best lines!), Waltz (the street performer), and Jurian (to name a few). 

Chapter 2, Chapter 3: Secret Practices and 4: Girlfriends

"You must not let kindness deceive you. People will use niceties to trick you into exploiting your weak emotions."- Lucette's mother (flashback)

Now, at the Marchen, as a boarder yourself you must work for your keep. This leads to some hilarious shenanigans having to do with an animated broom that Delora makes for you. You and Karma hang out and you discover, in a rather funny way with Rumpel, that Karma is actually a dude dressing as a woman, for mysterious reasons. 

You decide to go out and help Karma do some shopping. You discover that Karma dresses as a woman due to his curse. He has what's called the "Beauty's Curse", in that, if he dresses like a man, women will immediately fall in love with him. 

It is suggested to you that you might want to find a partner to work with to help to break your curse. For the first strand of choices, I picked Karma, because a), we find out that he's actually a man dressed in women's clothing for a reason pertaining to his curse, and b) he's just got so much sass and I love it.

WARNING: From here on out I was asked to pick my route. For this review, I've chosen KARMA'S ROUTE. So, from this point forward there may be spoilers, so do read at your own risk! 

***

Chapter 3: Secret Practices

Karma: The curse only affects women. It is a condition of the curse that they are a woman and I be a man. It's part of the Fairytale.

Lucette: And what Fairytale is that? 

I know that's a Chapter 2 quote but it's damn good!

 At night, you can't sleep and hear odd noises, curiosity gets the best of you, and we find out that there is a clearing by the Marchen where Karma (dressed now as a man), trains both Jurien and Garlan, and that he's a very talented swordsman. 

Now one of the things that I liked most about this chapter was that we didn't get right into things. Nothing was rushed, and it takes it's time to establish character. Even side-characters that aren't directly a part of the route. For me, one of the most important things to look at in otome is the CGs. Unsure of what to expect, I just kept playing hoping there would be at least one or two per every one/two chapters. Finally, we got one, and the art is amazing. It's certainly a different art style than I'm used to, or I've seen, but the more I think about it, the more it fits the backgrounds and style of the game. The stills focus on portraying more realistic aspects of the character (in this case Karma's masculinity and prowess). 

Actually, if there's any fellow Shall We Date? fans out there, this art style reminds me of a more colourful version of Angel or Devil. It's light, almost an airy water brush, but with darker, and fuller colours and schemes. Whereas Angel or Devil was exactly that, their colours are lighter, brighter, and had a little more simplistic and translucent drawings, especially for the characters. 

For comparison, here's a picture: 

Translucent, airy, simplistic and more brushed. But I found some similarities between this and Cinderella Phenomenon. 

I enjoyed both these takes on this art style. They're aesthetically pleasing to me, and even though you can go more detailed when it comes to style, I felt this was actually really fitting. So, anyway, you find out that Garlan might be in love with Jurien (it's quickly hinted at). One thing I also began to like was the "Right-choice Indicator" which is a red crystal that comes up on the right-hand side of the screen to indicate the choice you made was the right one. That's a nice touch that I've always wanted to see in these types of games. 

And, my most favourite, the flashback scenes! My God do these rip my heart out for Lucette. Her mother...how was Lucette raised? She was separated, isolated, and now she's paying the price for it. We can definitely tell there's some trauma from this, a division if you will between "outside and inside" Lucette. That's some added dimensionality I haven't seen in MCs before (at least not explicitly like that), and it's really refreshing. 

So for Chapter 3, not much "big" in terms of the story happens, but that's okay, because what they do focus on is character development, and focusing the story on getting Lucette to change. 

Chapter 4: Girlfriends

"Just as you think good deeds are difficult, there is also something about Karma's curse that he can't come to terms with..."- Parfait

So in this chapter, it was like the previous. Only this time, because I picked Karma's route, we focus in on developing the relationship between Lucette and Karma. They go out to town and he decides to thank her by treating her to a cupcake. Karma proposes a deal here: a "fact for a fact". He'll tell Lucette about his curse if she shares something about herself in return. I personally, felt this chapter was a little short, and probably could've been included in Chapter 3. Just because it serves to show one scene, and a single flashback, it was a little short. That can make it feel a little dull at times, but it didn't create any major issues.

However, the little hints we get about Karma are good. He must've been noble in his past, but the question is who was he? In exchange, there's some playful banter when Karma's "lady-voice" potion runs out, and he has to talk with a lady that's approached him as "Miss Karma". Lucette teases him about this here, and I thought it was cute, and spunky to her character. It's little things like this that make the characters wonderful. Karma's vain, confident, and sassy, and well, Lucette is cold, sassy, but can be nice and kind. 

Karma makes her smile, and she goes back pondering their outing once more. 

What shone here (at this specific point), was the music! My god, there was this lovely piano sonata in the background when she goes back to her room, thinking about what Karma has said to her. It really stole the show here, I even paused playing just to listen. Personally, if the soundtracks for this become available, I'd be interested in buying this song. It's really good.  

Chapter 5: Favors and Payback & Chapter 6: Matchmaking 

Lucette: It's almost like our curses are opposites of each other. And yet...

Karma: ...Yet?

Lucette: Yet we seem so similar.

This was the chapter that basically said "fuck it! Let's stamp on Meghan's heart". A lot of shit goes down in this one, and it begins with when Lucette goes out with Waltz and a man tries to take her away, saying he knows her as the princess, even though nobody should remember her. Luckily, Karma comes to save her, but afterward, they discover that the witches might be after Lucette. Delora and Parfait know something, but they don't tell her. Before this though, Lucette goes to Karma's room to thank him, and we get this lovely CG.

He says that he doesn't want her going out alone anymore, and Delora and Parfait second this. For the record though, if your MC has to say "I'm not a damsel in distress", they probably are. Lucette, unfortunately, in this chapter succumbs to MC Syndrome in the sense that she faints, a lot, and does not listen to authority when it comes to safety. What I will give her though is that she can and does try to fight back by using her head and not just going "oh Karma save me!"

So yeah, negative points for MC Syndrome, by good points for taking the independent route about it. 

Unfortunately, though, Lucette doesn't listen, wants answers, and goes out into the night where she overhears two knights talking about how Fritz (a friend of Lucette's at the palace) has been going mad, talking about her. It seems he remembers her, and that someone in the palace wants her to get rid of her. They refer to the past queen, Lucette's mother, as a "witch". This makes me suspicious. 

Karma, once more rushes in to save her, but they are then attacked by a mob of women (as Karma is dressed as a male). Lucette runs him through some alleys to lose them, and they have a heartfelt conversation. She thanks him, and he thanks her, and the quote above is mentioned. It genuinely feels like an intimate moment, and not once did I doubt that. That's what I will give this game points for that. The dramatic moments, the intimate moments, the moments that force characters to develop; they all feel real and genuine. I've played games where these haven't, and I really felt this was a strong point for this chapter. It situates potential conflict and begins to start the relationship between Lucette and Karma. 

AND KARMA DOES THIS! I LOVE CHIVALROUS MEN

Chivalry is not dead, people. I love this and need a man to kiss my hand like I'm a lady in real life. 

Also, I think I found the sonata song from this game that I love so much! 

Chapter 6: Matchmaking 

Karma: Once there was a prince...

So I just binge played three chapters. I know, I know! I told myself, you will only play 2 chapters a week, but let's be honest, that isn't happening. So, SHIT GOES DOWN HERE. Majorly. 

I will say it again for those of you in the back. Should you not want major plot points spoiled for you, READ NO FURTHER. 

I warned you. 

Okay, so because Lucette has been sought out by questionable parties so much, Delora and Parfait finally decide to tell her what's up. What everyone else apparently knows, that Lucette doesn't. She's also gotten her first good deed done! What for? For helping Karma get away from the women following him earlier. 

And what is this big secret? Well, when the Great War started, as you know, the Tenebrarum Holder, the "head witch" if you will, went insane, spreading darkness and unhappiness throughout the land. This woman was Hildyr, and she was Lucette's mother. She enslaved most of the palace, and, evidently cursed Waltz. But, because she dispelled some of her magic to keep the crystal going, Lucette will inherit it on her eighteenth birthday. A lot of Lucette's memories were erased by Hildyr, so this is why she has no concrete memories of the Great War. It also turns out that her name is infamous for being associated with Hildyr, as the Ice Princess who was like the tyrant Queen. 

This explains why a lot of people see Lucette, and do not like her at first sight. Understandably, this is a lot to take in, so she goes to the clearing, where Karma and her talk. Karma tells her the tale of the "Lost Prince" of Brugantia ( a neighboring kingdom), who, I won't spoil this, is important to the story.

And so, later on, Karma agrees to teach her swordplay so she can protect those she loves. Also, her and Karma are going to get Jurien and Garlan together. Which is awesome, and I needed that in my life.  

I also really love how plot-driven and how good this game is at showing inner turmoil of Lucette. She really is changing. Albeit, I still think this is going a bit too fast, as you'll see a lot of big things happen, but it's still enjoyable and believable, regardless. Lucette also wants to change from "damsel" status. She says she isn't one, but I feel like she knows she kinda is deep down. The music is once again gorgeous and is always a pleasure to listen to. As well, the sound effects. They don't appear often, but when they do they are welcomed. 

Chapter 7: A Thorny Rose (aka: I think I know Karma's curse!)

Karma: Her smile was as bright as the sun, and you, you cut me down, Lucette!

This chapter, serves to me at least, as one of the most dramatic, in terms of the relationship-building between Lucette and Karma. 

Also shows me just how much of a lovable little-bitch he can be. Karma has been acting strange lately. He won't leave his room, and he's very passive-aggressive. Lucette gets another piece of the necklace for doing a deed she doesn't yet know, and decides, to cheer Karma up, she'll buy him a gift. 

So she buys him a lovely rose locket and writes in it my favourite line ever: A normal rose would've withered, so I got you this one, in heartfelt thanks. 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I love that. Now I want a rose locket for this reason. They have a fight, for reasons unknown to Lucette, and it's probably the one thing that made me get so into this chapter. It's soooo well written, so smooth and elegant. It works. In writing, this works, and further Karma's character in a lovely way. So many MC arguments with the love interest don't always get down to the nitty, uglier parts of the characters. I love when they do, but they don't always do it. 

This one is great for that. 

I won't say much about this chapter, enough's already been said. It's lovely, short and sweet. Beautiful torture. 

Chapter 8: The Lost Prince

You begin to find beauty in the all of the things they do. Their presence makes you feel complete in all the ways you had never thought of before.-- Karma

The King has an announcement. But whatever could it be? It's not good, I'll say that. He's being threatened by Sir Alcaster, the Commander of the Order of Caldira (and Fritz's father?)

Turns out he's handing the crown over to Sir Alcaster, and the people don't want that. Rod and Emelaigne seek refuge at the Marchen, saying that Queen Ophelia has been imprisoned, and they narrowly escaped. Lucette wants to fight with them, during the rescue attempt. 

What I will say is that I liked Emelaigne and Lucette's brief interaction. Even though she doesn't remember Lucette, something might be able to be recovered. I feel like Lucette feels guilty and is maybe rethinking their previous relationship. I hope they do, as it would be nice, and I think Lucette can be open to that, having changed. 

Now, while Lucette is preparing for the raid, Karma comes to visit her, begging her not to go. And, naturally, Lucette doesn't want to stay at home (good for you girl!), but she wants to protect those that matter most to her. 

We get a new CG!

This is the character shift I loved most. Lucette goes from one who is locked inside herself, not wanting to trust anybody, to one who is actually trying to be open and wants to protect her loved ones. From where we started, this is a huge leap (although I still think it's too rushed). But none the less impressive. I can't wait to see what happens next! 

Chapter 9: The Rescue 

"Sometimes running is the right thing to do. Never run into an impossible situation. Instead, fight to live another day."- Karma 

Now here begins the climax! It's time to break into the castle and free the King and Queen. But of course, something goes amiss! Lucette is captured, and there is a Beast running wild. 

Lucette is separated from Karma and all Hell breaks loose, as far as I was concerned. 

Sir Alcaster wants to use Lucette as bait. I'm still kinda confused what he thought about Queen Hildyr, since he mentions that she ruled with "beauty, fear, and grace", yet also wanted to get rid of her because she was a horrible person. I felt this could've been better explained. However, the drama is not toned down, which I did enjoy. We meet the mysterious character Varg, who looks a lot like someone else...I think I'd be interested in playing that route (if you know who I'm referring to). 

Varg, in a surprising twist, helps Lucette escape, and she runs into the Beast. 

Now, this chapter seemed very short, and I've found this is what happens with a lot of the chapters that were there for filler and not much else (there are, of course, exceptions). But to me, I felt most of everything happened in Chapter 10 (the last one), so I think this could've been better sparsed out. 

Chapter 10: The Beauty and The Beast (The Last Chapter!) (Also the Happy Ending)

Lucette: Fine then, I'll miss you.

Klaude raises an eyebrow and smiles. "I'll be back for your birthday."

The ending chapter was everything I could've asked for and more. When we left off, Lucette was running from the Beast. Turns out, the Beast is protecting her! And fighting with her. Then, Lucette saves him from a knight, breaking her curse. In a twist of events, we discover that Karma (or rather Klaude), is the Beast. 

I. Bloody. Called. It. 

He tells her that this is the reason why nobody could love him, among the other hurdles of his curse. Lucette tells him that "she's never much cared for appearances" as people around her have been wearing masks with her for the rest of her life. In this confession, she breaks his curse, and they go to fight Alcaster. 

What happens to Fritz kills me. That's all I will say about that. 

They free the King, and all becomes well. Delora and Lucette come to an understanding, and so do Lucette and the King. This made me happy. For the most part, all's well that ends well. 

Klaude must return to Brugantia for a time, to see his family, promising to return on Lucette's 18th birthday. What follows is lovely fluff, and I absolutely adore it. 

MY RATING

• Story→ How good is it? Overall, the story was unique, fantastic, and very enjoyable. It kept me invested, and for the most part, works well within its own limits and provides very fluent sub-plots that all weave together. Given that this is driven by the plot, I was extremely impressed in this regard. My only critique is that in some places it seems rushed, or unequally sparsed out in places. If anything, this could've been expanded more to focus on plot and character relationship more.

• The Characters→ Does the entire cast (MC especially) develop in a thoughtful way from beginning to end? Lucette is a unique MC, creating an exceptionally unique story. Her development throughout the story is visible and understandable. Overall, she and the rest of the cast are good, solid characters. My only critique is that sometimes we see too little of them, and for Lucette, she gets inklings of "MC Syndrome" in later parts of the story. However, this is not too noticeable. I was very impressed with this game's cast of characters.

• The Art Style→ Is it good? Consistent? Does it create a theme for the game? Very much so yes. It was amazing, and unique, creating its own "look" and "theme" for the game. I was very impressed with this. The CGs especially were amazing.

• The Soundtrack (Background music)→ Is it good? Does it fit with the overall theme and mood of the story? Is it consistent? Again, very much so, yes. Incredible soundtrack, and very much in line with the mood of the story. This is a strong point, along with the art, for this game. 

• The Game Itself→ As this is a PC game, I'll be looking for frequency of crashes, user-friendliness, etc. No crashes, there was a delay in the "fast-forwarding" feature, which had me worried, but no. No big crashes or any major problems loading or playing the game.

• Dialogue→ Is this grammatically correct? Does it sound like a real person talking, and vary from character to character? Is it smooth? Probably this game has some of the most quirky and best dialogue I've been able to read. I laughed, I cried, and I genuinely liked the characters partially because of this dialogue. For some games, I've noticed grammar issues (none here happy to say!), but there's none here. It all sounds personalized to each character and is very much realistic. Along with story, art, and sound, I would say that this is another strong part of the game.

So, given all the answers to this, I'd have to give this game a very strong, and well-deserved: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

It does everything it's supposed to do and exceeds it in most areas. I had a lot of fun playing it, and I'm planning to do all the routes! However, there were some places that needed work, but, these weren't too noticeable. I really liked this game-- loved it, in fact! I would look forward to playing it and writing about it every day! I would MOST DEFINITELY recommend this game to any otome people wanting to play a relatively new game, and I would most definitely say keep playing Dicesuki, they do a great job! 

~Meghan