The Rose of Segunda

Um...hello. I just wanted to ask about something as it seems you guys are more active here. I bought the game on steam recently and I absolutely love it! But for some reason, I can't get the secret route. Yes, I've played through every single route but still can't get it.

Hi, I love your game and recently I did a second playthrough to meet these amazing characters again and I left with a question. Is the MC canonically bisexual in every route, like I thought on my first playthrough, or depending on the route her sexuality changes (like, being a lesbian on the girls routes and straight on the guys routes)? Thanks for your time and really excited for the full release of the sequel!

heyy do you have any plans on making this game mac available on steam?

I just finished playing the demo and I am in love with it! Definitely gonna buy the game 💕 Eeeeek!

Omggg, this game is awesomeee, I absolutely loved all the routes but I have to say my favorite romance is the secret route, I really felt the strong connection between the MC and him, and I just love how much he cares about her always prioritizing her happiness above everything else, Im really looking forward to continuing his route in the sequel!

I love your work and Im really looking forward to your future projects :)

Definitely recommend, must-play if you enjoy historic otomes! The MC has LOTS of personality that you even get to choose (some options are pretty wild and fun! do not be scared to be wild and wreak havoc!), the story is entertaining, and the art is pretty! Oh, and the love interests all have layers/secrets to discover!
Expect to see the skeleton of the story to be the same on all routes, but depending on your route, you will see many alternate scenes, so it doesn't get boring! Or just skip (and it's super fast, not bogged down by transitions and such!). 
Some love interests/routes that stood out to me:
Leopold caught my interest first, he seemed polite and charming (and shallow of me, but his sprite is so pretty haha). His route was also full of unexpected intrigue, good job on the slow build and foreshadowing! I am most excited for his sequel! 
I was pleasantly surprised some of the ladies were love interests too! 
Sofia caught my eye quick, and I really enjoyed her connection with the MC and the dramatic turns~
With Charlotte, I didn't have very high expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised, her route was sooo wholesome!
The prince, getting to know him better, he was a little unexpected, and I came to appreciate him. Also looking forward to his sequel for the plot~
Bastion... don't know why, but I didn't appreciate the slow burn in this as much as I should have. 
And the secret route. Ugh. Right in the feels. (Spoilers ahead, don't read the crossed out text!) I thought there was going to be a kiss in the play... Then again they got in trouble even without... Also, even outside the game I went on a whole emotional rollercoaster because of him haha, first thinking it's a pity the prettiest boy is the brother, then realizing he's still a love interest... I was both happy and worried. But seeing his devotion to MC from the beginning, I was looking forward to him, and he delivered!
Maybe some advice for future games. The font was a little hard to read, especially in italics, which was used in narration, that took some getting used to. 
Personally, I had some technical difficulties though. Once, Steam did not register me closing the game from within, and I had to restart my computer for it to be fixed so I can launch it again. And I had some difficulty unlocking the secret route, but I managed, and was worth the trouble! 

Is the sequel going to have the same characters? because I would love more Leopold x Mc  but then at the same time doing a sequel for all the routes may be very difficult especially with Leopold and his plans.

Excuse me, I would like to buy the game on Steam, however there is only windows version available on Steam. Is it possible to buy the mac version via steam?

Question! Is it possible to get Guillaume's romance ending AND the King's approval? I'm trying to do both, but I only manage to get one or the other...

While i love all the routes, i have to give highlight how much I love the combinations of traits that our pc could have--my favorite is the cunning, commanding hellion one! It's rare to see something like this in a vn/otome, and i must applaud the dev for the excellent execution! 

Ive never read a visual novel that was written similarly with the words from the time period of the plot. It was a unique experience and concept, it took some historical romance troupes and gave them a new perspective, while also creating a sweet and emotional story to go along with it. The art was beautiful, the choices felt like they mattered and that they weren't just put in to give the illusion that they did. I loved all the paths, its hard to pick a favorite one, and I was pleasantly surprised by the secret romance option. I felt a little guilty for pursing the secret option but I loved it nevertheless. I liked how the main character is portrayed as strong willed, independent woman and how the characters in the story react to her headstrong and intelligent traits. I also really admire the way she can approach a situation in a snappy and clever way while also being a little devious. The overall story came together really well and felt really realistic, especially given the vocabulary throughout the novel. I really enjoyed reading this :)

I haven't played this game before so I was wondering if this has a satisfying ending or if it's more cliffhanger? I was just wondering because you guys are making a second game. Thank you!!

Hi! I don't know if this is a spoilery question or if it has been asked before, but how do you get the king to choose you in the end? Or is it impossible no matter the route (I only tried with Guillaume)?

Caution: Spoilers ahead. Read at your own discretion.

Also: sorry for my bad english...(?)

I remember finding this game waay back and coments of people saying they where dissapointer with the whole premise and what not, but i said to myself, i gotta try this, so i waited and just until now i had enought spare money to afford it, and so i came here to praise this game.

It is very light, but i love the setting, is perfect if you want to play some historical, romance court drama but with less intrigues and more comedy trown at you, seriously, i adore so all the jokes i saw in this game, from the horse jokes, to the ones the mc makes when talking to the different characters, the prank in the tea party is pure gold, and i love how everyone reacts when you play the role in the play as a strong willed young lady lmao.

For the characters, i must say my favorite is going to be frederique, i am all for forbidden romances in games and more so of incest, i do not duell to much on it but i feel it has a certain charm that pulls at your heart strings and is so very beautiful, yet all the same sad. However in this game i gotta give kudos for the chemistry between him and the MC, they act like siblings in all the other routhes but even there you can see that there is something they share, like and invisible little world, and this shines through better on those little scenes when pursuing other characters frederique shows just how much he knows his sisters, and loves her just for who she is, a strong, willed, mischievous girl, who is as sharp as her mother but also, has a very kind heart.

His routhe was the more pleasant for me, specially when he would just snap near the end of it, his confession almost had me to tears and i felt so much for them, so i was happy that they got away together, but also very sad there wasn't a kiss cg, even a hug maybe, where the two of them would look into the far away sky for how the future now is of endless posibilities for them.

Stoping my praise with them for now, if not, i may be writting this far longer, and i have to praise so many characters, lets move into my second husband in this game: Leopold. I also love his chemistry with the MC, he likes her better when she is herself, and i am down by that always. I will say that in this estance i love what he says when he catches you after the mischief in the tea party, he shares part of that mischief and my heart aches for his situation, i won't say i agree with the cup, or the uncertainty of it, but i would consider it and so i will wait for the sequel to se how everything develops later. But i love his character.

Then i would say the prince is my third, and only because he is at all too nice, i liked when he left his mask slip and MC got upset because all the things he said to her, showing his more human side, and kudos for MC because the option i picked here felt so good to say, almost like something i would say myself.

Wich is another point i would like to praise, the mc characterization. I give her a name, but unlike any other games where i can do so, and much more, i didn't play this game as a way to self-insert myself in the story, because MC alone was such a strong character that i feel like she was more like a friend to me, in a way in wich you read a book and feel for the protagonist but do not wish to take her place. She was kind, brave, and sharp, she could see through others and in her kindness, help them with their ploblems like a mother would do, all she said was on point, gentle, yet firm and to the point and she spooke with such truth and wisdom that i feel like out of everyone in the game, she shone the most.

Sofia and charlotte, while i may not be very fond of GxG as i am only now easing myself slowly into this world (unless the other female character is a tomboy, wich somehow is my soft spot) i enjoyed their routhes all the same, with sofia, i was charmed by her knowledge, she was also very brave with a degree of cunning, but fragile and kind, i will say that something bitter sweet here, as mentioned before, was the fact in how frederique leaped in and made the offer so the two of them could remain together. This ending for me was very sad, as i was partialy going through this because i wanted to unlock his routhe and also, because it was not a real solution, but a temporary one.  and while i would like to say that i wish it could be similar to charlotte ending, i understad that it couln't be posible because of circumstances so it was the best solution at the moment.

Bastien is my least favorite character, just because i related so much to MC in his routhe and was very pissed with him for not doing anything for his own happiness, and for nothing really, considering how everything turned out in the end that they had to rush to solve their situation. i did rush myself trought this because i get very exasperated with people and characters who find every but for any kind of happiness they can find in his life, and was more disheartened after his little rambling at the end, i understad he does not regret it (Probably) but he did say what he said so there is that.

So for those who said that this was a shallow story at fist, i beg to differ, the romance was not fast, but the endings did seem very rushed, but i suspect it was because there was going to be a sequel, wich i can't wait for to se more of my two hubbies and what the others are up to. Even if you don't like a character romanticaly, you can still see them as friend, as i saw even the suporting characters (aka rivals) in such a light.

I am also looking foward to more comedy in the sequel as it was one of my favorite things in this game (and im a sucker for bad jokes, just ask batensan) and perhaps, CG'S where the character lips are actually touching *wink wink* Anyways, it's a great game and i would recomend it with my eyes closed! you should definetely give it a try!

As for the creator, love your game, probably im gonna love the sequel too, and never stop dreaming and doing what you do, making games is difficult, even as a main job or a diversion, so this game is an acomplishment, one you should be proud of, as a fellow who enjoys romance and has probably played almost all the otome, dating sims, yaoi, and visual novel out there i will say, even if you think it's cliché, go for it, i know there are many stories out there about the same damn thing, but anything yours you put in them will make the difference, and i can see in this game a lot of thing you put there, wich are yours alone, who make this game so good as it its, so thake risk, enjoy what you do, and remember that there is always someone out there willing to read that what you are working on!!

Also, take care of your health!!

thank you for this amazing game and i will see you soon, in rose of segunda torns of war! ;) until then, stay safe and be happy!

Totally random question, but did your sprite artist do the side character silhouettes as well or did you have someone separate do that?  I'm thinking about putting together a short project but a lot of the side characters would be black silhouettes and I really liked how yours looked!  If you don't want me contacting your artist though that's totally fine, but I figured I'd ask!

Hello! I bought this game on Steam 2 days ago. I have finished the four (Edit: five) romance routes and ended all with a happy ending, but I can't seem to get to the secret route (no new option on Day 1).

For you to be sure I got all four (Edit: five) endings, I will list the CGs I haven't got to prevent spoilers to anti-spoiler fellows XD I know how sucked it is to be spoilered -_-

I will use (x, y) coordinate (haha I feel silly). I haven't got the CG (4,2) in page one and (5,3); (1,2); and (2,2) on page two. Hope this can give you certainty that I have cleared the four (Edit: five) endings. But if this isn't enough, I can summarize the endings I got.

Do I have to pursue another endings? I know there are other endings aside from I have pursued. But if that's not the case, is there something I didn't do? I want to read Secret's route! X.X

Thank you for answering. And after I played all routes, I will write a review <3

Hey I bought a version of the game before it was avaible on Steam, can I get a game steam key?

I just started playing the game and it is brilliant so far, but after the second day it takes me straight to the credits and i'm not sure if i'm doing something wrong.  I would love to know if there is any way to fix it, thanks.

I was expecting to enjoy this, but it still managed to pleasantly surprise me! For a game set over the course of a few weeks, the romances are astonishingly convincing. (It helps that Iolanthe's home life is pretty unbearable, so all the eloping feels reasonable.) The dialogue was frequently quite clever, and I especially liked how the romance was understated without becoming lifeless.

I usually avoid otome games that allow too much MC customization, because that generally seems to mean either inconsistent characterization or a binary choice between being a pushover or a jerk. I like leads who have strong personalities, rather than self-inserts, so the more defined the MC is as a person, the better. But Iolanthe was somehow clever and refreshing no matter how I played her, which was lovely. (Even though I never could quite bring myself to make her leave her toothbrush behind, or sit around admiring posteriors when she could be helping the stablehand, so I'm sure I missed out on some options). It helps that no matter what you pick, she's never stupid or shy; it's just a matter of how willing she is to play the Court's games, and why she chooses to or not. 

And for once the flexibility of character actually feels necessary—the love interests are quite different sorts of people, so it seems fitting they'd have different types. Leopold, for instance, almost requires the "strong, cunning hellion" that's happy to speak her mind and wreck tea parties for fun and profit, while the more reserved "commanding, diplomatic scholar" feels like the woman the Prince needs in his life to help him navigate treacherous political waters.

I really liked the subtle changes based on your chosen traits, like how being commanding means you get an additional layer of badassery at the tea party when the servant fetches a chair for you without you needing to ask. I think the only time what I chose and what happened didn't match up was on Guillaume's route. I had Iolanthe say she didn't love Guillaume, but wanted to be queen still. Then in the next scene she promptly agreed to marry him even if he renounced his title, which felt...off. But fair enough, really, since picking that option feels OOC in the first place, given everything that comes before it on the route!

This is already too long, but I'd feel weird reviewing an otome game without mentioning the actual routes, so in brief:

Bastien: Adorable. The scene where he realizes that, even if he stays a steward, Iolanthe will eventually leave him, was wonderfully heartbreaking. I would have maaaybe enjoyed more opportunities for Iolanthe to deliberately fluster him, because his reactions are so cute when she does.

Guillaume: I'm a sucker for shy kids who are forced to act like the opposite. And his argument with Iolanthe is handled just right, by which I mean it's good that she gives him the cold shoulder until he apologizes properly. She deserves as much. Overall, I enjoyed watching the MC slowly draw him out of the mindset of a figurehead.

Charlotte: Darling. I just want to spirit her away from everything and make all her dreams come true, which is exactly how the route ends, so yay!

Sofia: Nicely bittersweet and realistic in how they resolve the main conflict. Sofia's a good counterpoint to Charlotte. I made Iolanthe a scholar for her route and it was wonderful seeing two intelligent, classy ladies bond inside the gilded cage they share.

Leopold: I am here for Mr. Tilney types, who know how dumb the social rules are but play to win anyway. His reactions to Iolanthe's troublemaking are priceless; the two of them are a power couple in the making. I did feel like Iolanthe got talked into participating in his plans too quickly, but eh. He's worth it.

Secret Route: A perfect finale and deliciously angsty. It really felt like they were off in their own world together. In terms of chemistry, it might have been the strongest of the romances.

In conclusion: great job! Now I'm going to hop on over to the sequel page and see what's cooking there.

I also made an account for the (initial) purpose of commenting here.  I see I'm not alone. :D

I started the demo and almost instantly thought "Nope, I need the full one". So I bought the game (on Steam) and boy, was I not disappointed.

It's captivating. A great idea, amazingly executed. I love all of it: the text, the artwork, the music... Oh, the music.

The character arcs feel fleshed out and — most importantly — believable. They're not too epic, sure, but I engaged with them, I empathized, I can't help but think of them as real live people — just not of this reality, but of another. That often happens when I read good books, so that one is a huge praise. 

I'm not usually one to play FxM romances (as a WLW in real life, I find myself way more inclined to pursue FxF romances in games too), but after reading comment after comment about how somebody adored this or that guy, I succumbed to my curiosity and... was also not disappointed, even though my expectations were really high at that point.

I haven't completed all the routes yet — I'm saving Charlotte for last and I'm not going for the secret route (I might actually try to please the King instead for once :D), but I enjoyed each end every one of the others. 

My favorite so far is Sofia, hands down. Bastien comes in very, very close second place, though. I won't go into detail here (might get carried away and go into spoiler territory), but whoa, I do feel for both of those struggles. And it was just the right amount of bittersweetness for my taste (in both cases, though for entirely different reasons, of course).

Also, as I mentioned earlier, I loved the music very much. Especially the bittersweet track that plays in the most "heart to heart" dialogues, I don't know its proper name, unfortunately. 

And I wonder if there's any way to download/buy the music as playable files (such as mp3, etc)? I personally would give the same money I paid for the whole game without hesitation, to be honest. I couldn't find even the pointers: the credit roll comes and goes very quickly (for me, perhaps, since English isn't my mother tongue), and there's no other mention of the composers in the devlog or elsewhere that I've been able to find.

I do hope you (or someone) can point me in the right direction.

I literally made an account so I could comment here.

SPOILERS ALERT

The secret route is the best  honestly. I was more surprised that they r blood related, coz usually if there is brother/sister relationship in otome they r usually not related. I was expecting him to say "oh you know we r not even related", that would ruin the whole impression from the route. It could be more better and emotional, also dramatic, the part that touched me when he was talking about his childhood. But I am already happy with you putting this route there. I want to say thank you so much for that. His connection was actually very noticeable when I was playing other routes. Especially, in Sofia's route when he wanted to marry Sofia so she could stay with MC. 

thank you! wish more games had routes like this 

This game was simply amazing! A fun, dramatic and sensible story. I loved the character Sophia so thanks to whoever designed her and the scene after the play with Charlotte made me laugh.

Hello! I bought this game last year and just realized there's a steam key. How do I get the steam key? Thanks!

(Also, I look forward to playing the sequel!!)

Hi! so I bought the game from itch and it says I get a steam key with my purchase but its telling me "There are no keys available at this time, try again later" Can something be done about this? 

I plan to leave a bigger comment after the last two routes, but I just finished Leopold's and not sure whether to laugh or cry. Laugh, because of the coup he's planning (and what I would love to see play out), or cry because of what happened to him. I didn't think I'd love him this much, but I do! I can't wait for the sequel, and honestly he's at the top of my list of love interests to select to play with first when it comes out. 

Hello, quick question - it’s written that you get a Steam key with purchase, but it looks like Steam only has a Windows version of the game; does that mean Mac and Linux owners won’t be able to use the key?

mc's dress and hair colour makes me think of belle from beauty and the beast

I really enjoyed this game! Thank you for the hard work you put into it!

I could probably wax poetic about this forever, but I'll be short, haha. 

I really loved

• the art & sprites (and I'm definitely going to have fun trying to unlock all the gallery pictures!)
• the customizable-ness of the MC (and how she was snarky to boot!)
• the many different routes (I'll admit I haven't played through them all yet, but Bastien is my favorite so far -- I can't help but love childhood characters, but Prince/Leopold are also good sjDSJISDJS I can't choose! There's something I love about each of them. I'm also excited to hear a sequel is in the works! I definitely want to know what lil Leo is up to...)
• the story itself! Well-done! I originally thought this might a little cliche, and while they characters originally seem to fit some kind of archetype/trope, I was delighted by how they actually unfolded! Guillaume was predictable, but still such an adorable lil bean and his character development was pretty top-notch).

I'm looking forward to the sequel & am definitely going to replay TROS many times!

I just wanted to say that I wished I played it sooner. This game is just so fun, so charming and I love all of the characters. Iolanthe herself is a great  MC, I love her to bits.

I enjoyed all of the routes and If I had to rank them based on how much I enjoyed them it wouls be like this:

Frederick/Leopond/Charlotte>Guillaume>Sofia>Bastion.

Fredericks's route was just so sweet, I really loved Iolanthe and Frederick's close relationship in the game, they had natural chemistry and interactions that I enjoyed regardless of which route you're on. I was initially worried about his route being awkward as a romantic route but I was surprised to find myself loving their route, how natural it felt and understood why both would or has fallen for eachother. I kinda wished it was more explict but I guess it's fine.

Leopond another character who's interactions with Iolanthe were also great to watch. Leopond is such a charming character, I thought that I would find him boring but I was proven wrong.

Charllotte is sweet, I liked that in her route, she grows as a person and becomes more confident and independent despite the small amount of time interacting with Iolanthe. All Charlotte needed was someone to not chelter her, talk her down and beleive in her, Their ending is one of my favourites. To be honest I also didn't think much of Charlotte as a love interest based on my 1st impression of her but she surprised me.

I would go on about what I loved with each route but i'll just stop with my favourite 3.

But yes, I really loved this game and the fact that it's confirmed to be getting a sequel just makes me happy since all endings with each routes would be great with a continuation (especially Leopond, Sofia and Frederick's endings) and since the plot for the sequel seems to be deeper I'm sure it'll be just as good or better than this game. Overall, I hope for continued success for this game and any game you make in the future!

Great game!! I really ejoyed it, stayed up all night to clear all routes c:

Duke Leopold was my favotite, he's such a charm <3, it is really such a shame his route ends on the most interestng part, i hope for some kind of sequel c:

Thank you for creating this visual novel!!

I got this game on Steam & had a blast with it.  I loved all the paths, but I just wish we got more of the endings! I think the Charlotte ending felt complete, but Leopold's ending in particular was just begging for an afterword scene to find out how it all turns out. I would have also liked to have seen more ending-stuff for Sophia, secret character (lots more!), and even the prince. By the way - am I correct that there is no bottom right corner image on page 2? I am 99% sure I got them all, but you never know.

There were a few things I really loved about this VN: the protagonist has a real personality, all the other characters are multi-dimensional, and the romances take time to develop. 

Amazing VN -- *Whenever* I find a visual novel that not only features F/F romance, but does it WELL -- GOSH: I'm so APPRECIATIVE.
More than anything, I *Must* Praise the Depth of Characterization in the PC -- I *Adored* how you could have this scholarly, troublemaker, cunning -- KNOWS when to PLAY THE GAME -- character(who if you chose, could be a Manipulative, Horrible Person). Honestly, favorite character has to be HER.

My one Truly Heartbreaking Disappointment was the way Sofia's route ended. After playing Charlotte's route(and seeing the number of kisses featured --and even a mini-epilogue of sorts) I *really* felt Cheated; that Sofia romance was one of 'almosts'. You don't even get as solid a declaration of love. Truly sad since Sofia was a Tremendously written and fleshed out character I felt was truly on par with my particular PC. But to close of such great pacing and banter and chemistry with such a nebulous ending.... I just felt they deserved better.

Regardless: Thank you so much for all your effort with this game.

Does anyone know how to unzip and play this game in linux? Thanks.

- WARNING, HEAVY SPOILERS AHEAD - 

Dear Blackcross & Taylor, I'm struggling to write a comment, because I really wanted to like your game but it just couldn't convince me. Nevertheless I want to support you and looking forward to your future games, I like your ideas and think you're doing a lot the right way as developers.

But back to TROS. It's absolutely not a bad game! And I liked a lot of it. For example the art and the really many choices were great and extremely enjoyable! :) But the story, characters and relationships kept being plain to me. In the end the characters felt kind of cliché to me and not as if they're real persons with whom MC is in love.

I really liked that so different characters and espacially Bastien were a romance option but in every route I waited for the deep feelings or deepening plot. I liked the events and actions at the court but the end really felt rushed to me. So there was that back and forth with Bastien and then they simply marry each other out of the blue and Bastien even talks about taking it back. I couldn't feel the love in this.

I experienced this with the other routes too and was looking forward to the secret route. It was pretty clear to me who it would be and because of their special bond in every route I was getting my hopes up that this would be much deeper. But then the route was kind of mixture of friendship and love? I kept waiting for "you're adopted" and then getting a lovely route with more feelings. But that way it was really awkward for me, since I'm not into those kinds of love stories and it clearly seemed that way sometimes - so it was neither just being platonic close nor love. So it got a really strange and undefined relationship for me at the end.

I had this in my head for some time now and really hope, you don't feel discouraged, because I want to achieve the complete opposite. I know that's a rather critical comment, but I felt like I really would let to know what I think of the game. So please don't take it to heavy. I hope that what I wrote was understandable and maybe helpful. I'm keeping an eye out for your upcoming games. :) Greetings!

I enjoyed the demo SO much that before I even finished it, I knew that I would be buying the  full version. :D I'm very excited.

This is probably the first VN I've played that wasn't freeware, but as soon as I played the demo, I was hooked and I knew I'd end up buying the full version.  And I'm so glad I did!  This game was wonderful.  The art (and the gorgeous clothes!!!!), the music, atmosphere, themes, and especially the characters--I adore it all.  Tbh, if the price of the game had been my soul, I still wouldn't have regretted buying it.

First of all, I love the personality options!  I love games that do that so much, but they're so hard to find!  (And I understand why--and I definitely appreciate the extra effort it must have taken to do that.)  My personal favorite personality build is strong, cunning hellion.  So much fun.

Usually, in a game with so many romance options, there's usually at least one love interest that I'm not a big fan of. With so many characters, it's almost inevitable.  But no, even in this, TRoS didn't disappoint!  I loved every single route and was always able to find something compelling and relatable in each of the romance options.

Actually, all the characters in general were compelling.  Even the ones who didn't get a lot of screen time were still interesting.  It's pretty hard to pick a favorite character.  ...Okay, that's a lie--Frederique is the light of my life, and I always looked forward to seeing him in a scene, because it was usually an indicator of Fun Shenanigans to come.  His mischievous personality was delightful (the boat scene, omg), but it's twice as great when it's paired with the depth of his loyalty to his Minette, on every single route.  (His part in Sofia's route in particular made me cry.  Especially now that I've played all the routes.  He's so good, and he loves her for who she is, and he just wants her to be happy. Omfg, more tears.)

...I mean, by this point, I suspect you've deduced my favorite route.  Tbh, just when I first played the demo before the full version came out, I shipped it way too hard, and then I felt really bad for shipping it because "there's no way this is going to be a canon route.  I shouldn't get my hopes up." And then the full version came out and I actually didn't know there was a secret route until I saw a couple comments here, and then I took a moment to compose myself after freaking out and then opened up the game again.  Note: there were several more moments during this time when I had to compose myself as well.  Like, all the CG moments, and.... okay, basically every single scene in the whole thing.  It's not my fault you nailed all my personal fav tropes, okay??

(I-I'm a good person.  But also, thank you so much, it was great.  Just.... such a great character and a well-written arc that's totally sympathetic and sweet and also, tbh, feels like such a True Route and, okay, I'm biased as all hell.)

...I told myself I WASN'T going to ramble for paragraphs on end about that.  I'm so sorry.  Anyway, in conclusion (I say as if this is an essay or something), this game was the best and I'm definitely going to end up replaying it many times in the future, because everything about it was my cup of (possibly whiskey-laced) tea.  To everyone who worked on this game, you did great!  And I'll definitely keep an eye out for anything you release in the future. :)

Well, I’ve finished the entire game now (actually, I did the night following my previous comment, but I didn’t have the time to review it before). Or almost finished, I guess – I’m missing the 9th CG on the first page. Must be something bad ending related or whatever – I won’t look for it actively.

As said before, I really liked the game and most of the routes were really cool. The only ones I didn’t particularly like were the girls’ ones, but it’s simply because it’s not my cup of tea – otherwise they were well written and cute and stuff anyway haha! But well, had to do those to access the unlockable one.

The characters are great in this game, and I honestly have a hard time deciding who was my favorite or whose route was the one I liked the most. I guess it’s either Leopold or the secret character, but it’s difficult to tell.

Now, I have one complaint – something that was bothering me a lot during the whole game. Lots of names seem to be French-inspired. It’s fine, but well… two of them were weird. First, Françoise. While the name exists, it’s solely feminine.  The male version is François. Then, the surname du Jardine. This is even weirder – I guess it was meant to be the “from the garden” surname, but that would be du Jardin, then. Jardine sure means “garden”, but as in the verb – it translates as “(I) garden” / “(he/she) gardens” and a couple of other forms, not the garden as in the location with trees and plants XD.

I’ll go more in depth about each route, but because of that, a little warning:

---------SPOILERS AHEAD!!! ---------

- Charlotte – clearly the route I like the least. She’s a sweet girl, but not my kind of characters, and between that and the fact I’m not into GL games made it boring to me. On the bright side, I really like the message the route makes, about believing in yourself and not letting others tell you you’re worthless or stupid.

- Sofia – slightly better than Charlotte. She was an interesting character, so my only problem was that I dislike GL. But it also was the cruelest of all the routes in my opinion, because of how the final issue is solved. What can I say, I love the secret character, and I can’t even imagine that from his point of view.

- Guillaume – the first route I did, actually. Sweet and heartwarming. The prince is a fine character, and it’s always nice to see guys like him daring to challenge their parents and start to be masters of their own lives instead of listening to them. I wanted to do his route first since it was Iolanthe’s “mission” when she went to the palace, and well, it was a nice warm-up route.

- Leopold – one of my two favorite routes. He was an intriguing character, the sort you know is scheming something and because of that are not sure if you should trust him or not. The reveal about his goals is cool too, and I love the fact Iolanthe can just say “I’m impressed” XD – she always manages to surprise him. To be honest, Leopold almost made me cry at some points because of how lonely he was, and how he had to keep his secrets to himself and endure the stares of the court. The only thing that bothered me in this route is the ending – I love open endings – and in this game they fit really well the overall mood and writing style. Leopold’s ending was nice too, of course, but because of his and Iolanthe’s quite “extreme” plans for the future, it would have been nice to know how it went – even a short scene from after the facts would be enough and would wrap it perfectly.

- Bastien – this is a special case. I love Bastien, and I love master-servant relationships, so this is basically the route for me. And I like it very much, sure. But unfortunately, the route doesn’t add any new spin to the formula – it’s basically what I was expecting from that kind of scenario (+ added cruelty for the secret character XD). So yeah, it works, and I like it, but it prevents it from being one of my favorite routes.

- Secret (how I’d like to use his name, but oh well, I guess it’s better to keep it down, even with the spoiler warning haha) – the second route I like the most – it maaay be my number one, but I’m not entirely sure since, as with Leopold, one small detail prevents it from being perfect, so they’re quite tied. So, about the route itself! It was so extremely touching and… I don’t know, it’s hard to express actually, but I really felt it? It was like it tore the feelings straight from my guts and heart or something. I can’t help but think this route was “destiny” – like this would be the canon one. Well it’s a nice feeling when, for once, I think that about the unlockable route, since often I don’t like it very much in games and I’m frustrated it’s “more special” than the other routes I like more than it. The play scene in this route was one of my favorite gaming moments from the recent months. It got me hard! Now, I did mention a detail preventing it from being perfect, right… Well, it would benefit from a kiss / almost kiss scene like ALL the other routes. The lack of it actually bothered and slightly upset me even. It would have been so precious and powerful.

Well, I guess that would be it! It had some small issues, but overall a fantastic game – I’m happy I’ve been able to finally play it! Thank you for making that little gem!

I just finished playing one route, the prince's, and I must admit it was really interesting. I like the huge amount of choices and how they impact Iolanthe's behaviour and reputation. And the ending was truly heartwarming!

The sprites and CGs are nice, and the music choices are fitting too. The characters are overall compelling and some scenes made me laugh so much haha! Overall, a really nice game.

I have a small question though - if I understand correctly, there is one kind of secret route? Not asking for spoilers here, I'll manage to unravel it,  but I'd like to know one thing, if that's ok for you to tell. Is that the kind of secret routes that are merely hard to get on, but that can be done anytime, or is it actually of the unlockable type and I'd have to play all the other routes to get it? I must admit I'm not that interested in some of the routes, so I'd rather know beforehand haha! Not criticizing here though - it's just a matter of personal tastes!

And also, thanks for making this awesome game! I was waiting for it since the first announcements!

This game was really excellent! I enjoyed all the romances but Leopold and the secret romance were my favorite, followed by Charlotte. I really love games that allow you to exert some influence over the MC's personality so that was a huge plus. The writing was excellent and some scenes had me laughing outloud, which rarely happens to me when playing games. Thank you very much for this awesome game! I too would love to see a sequel or epilogue or somesuch at some point, but for now I'll simply keep an eye on your other upcoming games.