Flowers: Le Volume sur Printemps (2014)

I originally began playing this game about eight years ago. I've always been a fan of the concept of visual novels, but I honestly hadn't played through very many at that time. This one seemed sweet, so I decided to give it a try.

This story centers on Suoh, a socially anxious girl with some trauma in her past, starting at a Catholic boarding school. Her level of social anxiety has kept her from ever forming friendships, and this school's system of pairing up girls to support each other is very attractive to her. Suoh gets paired with two other roommates and has to navigate friendships and potential relationships with them and the other girls at the school. It is a beautiful and sweet story. But...

My one major complaint is that it's just too hard to get the good ending(s) without a guide. The puzzles require you to know a lot about the Japanese names for flowers and their association with classic literature. And I feel like this story didn't need a "game over" just because you get to the end without enough points.

Suoh's mistake while playing the piano (after being traumatized) should not make someone decide not to be with her. That feels disingenuous to the rest of the story, and only serves for it to be "replayable", in my opinion.

I eventually restarted the game, following a guide for every answer. It was a bit tedious playing through the whole story again, and I took frequent breaks to play other games, but I really wanted to give Suoh her happy ending. So, here, in spring, eight years later... I finally finished the good ending. Just to discover that...

...there isn't one? I knew that Flowers was a series, but I'd assumed the games were only vaguely related, self-contained stories. Turns out, this first story ends on a cliff-hanger. I am actually a fan of cliff-hangers. (What can I say? I'm also a writer.) But after the agonizing process I went through to complete this game a second time, a sad "true" ending was really not what I was expecting!

Still, I loved this story too much to not recommend it. I deeply resonate with Suoh, having suffered extreme social anxiety most of my life. Rarely have I found characters I could relate to this much. My advice is to buy the whole set of Flowers and just use a guide to get through from the start. I'm hoping to enjoy the rest of these games, but admittedly, I might need some time to recover from this one.

Don't be afraid of my 3 star rating, as I feel that most people who would pick this up will still enjoy it. Excellent character writing pairs well with a lovely art style and appropriately atmospheric music. What makes this series somewhat unique are the ongoing 7 mysteries of the school which play prominent roles in fun sleuthing sections throughout. The drama and stakes are low compared to other games, but this works with the setting keeping everything grounded.

What bogs the game down is the protagonist of this game is on a four game character arc that is well done overall, but she is something of a wet noodle throughout much of this first game. This is especially notable when playing the sequel as that one stars a reclusive jerk who is a delight to watch.

Pro tip: I don't recommend trying to get all the endings unless you're a big Rikka fan. The game has decent quality of life, but it's more succinct only following the main route.

Also, If you're even a little bit interested in Maria-sama ga Miteru vibes, you'll enjoy this even more. But really, play this so you can play the sequels.