Skip to main content

On Sale: GamesAssetsToolsTabletopComics
Indie game storeFree gamesFun gamesHorror games
Game developmentAssetsComics
SalesBundles
Jobs
TagsGame Engines
(+3)

(Copied from my Spooktober rating page review to help this game within itch.io's algorithm!)

Shared Beauty is exactly what it advertises itself to be: a dark fairytale with no happy conclusion (I think? - I got 3 out of the 4 endings, and they were all very sad). This isn't a bad thing at all - it means it got across its tone as intended.

The character art is lovely - especially the CGs. I love the way the key visuals in the game were rendered: they felt very professional. And speaking of visuals - the cinematography in this work was lovely too. I could tell you really used the Ren'Py Action Editor well here - especially in scenes with little gestures like Isgard, Faralda and the other village girls walking to Odan's tent. 

I genuinely wonder how you did it - because I've begun using the Action Editor itself and while its a very useful tool, it can get very... fiddly at times, haha.

I also think the presentation of the in-game UI adds to the "fairytale" feeling - with all of the dialogue and descriptions taking place in one NVL window. There aren't many NVL-only titles for jams like these, so I'm glad to see this form of visual novel get a bit more love.

On the writing front; I do really like the central themes of beauty and envy, especially when it comes to Faralda. Faralda's beauty makes the other village women jealous, but she's a genuinely sweet and thoughtful girl... which makes seeing her fate in some endings all the harder. 

All in all, well done! Thanks for bringing this title into the world.

(+2)

Thank you so much for your in-depth review! It's so rewarding to see so many things we paid attention to being mentioned. Our team really worked hard! Our wizard ingthing really did her magic with Action Editor. She brings that same expressive use of Action Editor in her own visual novel Of Sense and Soul as well!

One thing I can mention is that I prepared the BGs in layers, so she was able to manipulate the depth of each one.