Our Red String [Ch. 11 Alpha] [Eva Kiss]

 Lena and Ian are two very different people who find themselves in a very similar moment in their lives. Both struggling to achieve their dreams, both hurting because of love. Their lives will become intertwined, with each other and with several characters that will impact who they are and who they will become. They will be able to experience the heights of love or the depths of lust, friendship or betrayal, moral or immoral, success or failure... And you will be the one to choose. But one's choices can often tangle together and lead to an unexpected mess, so be mindful, for you thread the thread of their Red String.

What I liked about the game:

+ Story: I've been following Our Red String (ORS) for at least two years now. I love how Eva has crafted a wonderful grounded tale about people living an average life while chasing their dreams and ambitions. Sure, there is some manufactured drama every now and then, but ORS manages to make the players feel invested in the lives of the dual protagonists (Ian and Lena) and the people surrounding them. This is an excellent slice of life story.

+ Art: The art has improved massively in comparison to Eva's last game. I know that most of it is done by tracing the models from porn pictures, but it manages to retain it's uniqueness. I do wish that there more diverse range of body types on show, but it's an excellent art work nonetheless.

+ Writing: The game's writing is top notch. Yes, there are occasional spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. But, it doesn't bother me too much. The writing in the erotic scenes are extremely well-written and I can't help but be hooked by the descriptive manner Ian describes his scenes. Lena's narration is more simplistic and I feel it suits her character more as Ian probably can articulate his thoughts a lot better.

+ Re-playability: This is where ORS can be considered as the best in the AVN industry. It's amazing how many branching paths Eva managed to write in GGGB. It seems that ORS is going to go beyond that from what I've seen so far. So many paths and variations. So many saves required to play all the content.

+ Stat System: The stat system can be annoying to some players and I'm glad that the game offers a way out by giving them an easy mode or a cheat mode. Personally, I enjoy the Story Mode as I love how the game restricts our MCs based on their past actions. It punishes them for stacking up way to high in one stat as well as not improving their stats quickly enough. A great way to improve the re-playability as well.

What I'm indifferent about:

= Music: The music suits the game. But, I think more vocal tracks could be included.

= Characters: This is a category where I'm torn on whether I should put it in Good or Neutral. I think the cast on Ian's side is pretty good. We have Perry who is a NEET, but improving a little during each chapter. Allison who is a yandere, but a loveable one. Emma who is like one of the boys. Holly shares an equal importance in both paths. Lena's path is filled with people who either are poor friends to her or wish to use her. I think the characters on her POV suit the corruption route a lot better. I wish we had more characters who support her more (like Ian and Holly). Perhaps, the parents? Idk it's close to a girl vs the world scenario.

= Romance: I think the romance between Ian and Lena is great. But, I dislike how our MC's always finds a fault or three when they are not in their canon path. I understand that the MCs suit each other better, but it shouldn't come at the cost of putting down the other relationships.

What I think should be improved:

- Animations: Animations are pretty basic all things considered. I think it could be improved and there are examples of some 2D games recently managing to match the levels of 3D games in animation quality. ORS' animations feels a bit dated.

Overall: I think a rating of 7.5/10 is fair. Perhaps, it's due to the fact that the game encourages us to choose the canon path (Ian - Lena) so much that I do not rate it a star higher.

Our Red String [Ch. 11 Alpha] [Eva Kiss] Download