A Rose in the Twilight Review

Player(s): 1
Platforms: PS Vita, PC (via Steam)
 
Since our first impressions of A Rose in the Twilight earlier in the month, we have delved deeper into the puzzle-platformer by NIS America - now available to purchase as of today. For those who have not heard of this game, the official site describes it as follows:

“An ancient castle void of time. A girl cursed with a thorn upon her back. A round giant with a big swirl. The two awaken in a ruined dungeon where they will help each other progress through the castle. But the girl is unaware of the cruel fate that awaits her.

Fascinated by the Thorns, the Girl Offers Blood. A Rose in the Twilight is a puzzle platformer game. The main character, Rose, awakens in an ancient castle void of color and time. The player must utilize both Rose's ability to control blood and time, Thorn Power, and the super strength of the giant she meets along her journey.”

Rose: A girl who wakes up in a ruined dungeon. The first thing she notices is a cursed thorn growing on her back. Before this, she lived in a convent. All she wants is to escape from the dangerous castle and return home. However, there is a connection between Rose and the castle, and their past will lead her to a cruel fate.

Giant: A large creature confined in the depths of the castle. After Rose finds it in a pile of rubble, she revives it. Because a grooved swirl lies where its face should be, it's difficult to understand what it's thinking. It acts as the girl's ally. It must be very kind at heart. Seems like it was created a long time ago. It's quite the gentle giant. What a mysterious creature.”

In terms of art and style, this game is very consistent in its aesthetic presentation. The gothic lolita-esque theme lends a dark, but cute atmosphere to it. There are plenty of bloody deaths, but with the way that everything is drawn and animated, they seem less disgusting. Don’t get me wrong, some of Rose’s deaths can be pretty gruesome, but it’s executed in a way that hits with a much softer blow than other games have done.

The sound is also consistently in line with the mysterious tones of the game: soft, dreary, and a little creepy at times. Everything in the soundtrack is instrumental, and the lack of lyrics or singing don’t feel out of place since the absence of color and “time” also give a muted effect. Both the art and music are pretty, and the ambiance that they provide to the dark aesthetic are the best parts of this game.

The gameplay can definitely use some work in my mind. Part of it is due to the painfully slow animations, both in during play and during cut scenes, and part of it is due to the slightly underdeveloped game design. It’s a given that you’ll have to backtrack occasionally in this genre. Puzzle-platforms are not all linear and solving one room or visiting one area doesn’t guarantee that you won’t see it again in the future. However, there are more than enough inane repetitions that really dampened my general enjoyment of the game. I think most of my frustrations with it could possibly be alleviated by making the animations a tad faster.

Another problem I had with this game were the general physics and its sensitivities or lack thereof. Rose is very weak and dies a lot in this game. Some of the deaths are forced deaths that happen to further the story or add another puzzle to solve, but most of the time it just feels pointless. I really don’t mind dying and learning from mistakes, but sometimes it just felt unnecessary. The story also takes forever to unfold. Most of it at first comes from Blood Memories, which are exactly what they sound like - memories taken from the absorbed blood of corpses within the castle. None of it really added much to the game’s story, and it was mostly Rose’s journal entries that brought anything to light if at all. Even those were sparse in detail in an attempt to feel cryptic and deep.

A Rose in the Twilight isn’t a bad game; it was just okay, and I would maybe go as far to say pretty mediocre, at least story-wise. The writing is a bit underwhelming and overall a little disappointing, as is the gameplay. But if you can appreciate aesthetic through the art style and music, or if you’re a puzzle-platform lover, it may be worth at least checking out.

-Danny

Note: This review is based on the PlayStation Vita version of the game.

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GRAPHICS: GREAT
SOUND: GOOD
GAMEPLAY: QUESTIONABLE
VALUE: GOOD

OVERALL: GOOD

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FULL DISCLOSURE: This game was provided to A-to-J Connections free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of review