Pyrite Heart
Gameplay 4
Graphics 7
Sound 6

Pyrite Heart is an Otome visual novel that looks great, but the story is very short and lacking in depth. The heroine is also a spoiled rich princess, which might not be that appealing for players who are not fans of tsundere characters. It’s not a bad game, but there are far better titles in the genre.

Gameplay: Short and the story is not that interesting.

Graphics: The artwork is very good.

Sound: No voice acting, but the music is decent

Summary 5.7 Above Average
Gameplay 0
Graphics 0
Sound 0
Summary rating from user's marks. You can set own marks for this article - just click on stars above and press "Accept".
Accept
Summary 0.0 Terrible

Pyrite Heart

Developer: Winged Cloud | Publisher: Winged Cloud | Release Date: 2014 | Genre: Visual Novel / Otome / Indie | Website: N/A | Purchase: Steam

As the daughter of Emperor Remono, Princess Ahri has lived a very sheltered and spoiled life. However, a bet with her brother makes her determined to prove that she can last a week in the world outside the imperial palace. Her father is not very impressed with this idea, but eventually relents and allows her to attend a normal high school. Ahri immediately deems everyone at the school to be beneath her except for the Student Council President, Ryuu. Ahri decides that Ryuu will be her rival and that she will stop at nothing to beat him academically. This is the premise for Pyrite Heart, an Otome visual novel from Winged Cloud.

Ahri is a tsundere, so initially, she is not very likable. Not only does she immediately pick on Ryuu because he’s the smartest person in school, but she also treats all the other students as plebes. After a lifetime of servants catering to her whims, Ahri has a very over-inflated ego, which prompts her to challenge Ryuu to a cook-off, even though she has never even set foot in a kitchen. Of course, Ahri eventually begins to develop feelings for Ryuu, but doesn’t quite know how to act on these. Then there is the small matter of Kenta, who is also attending the same school. He is actually a servant of Ahri who was instructed by her brother to keep an eye on her. Initially, Ahri is upset about this turn of events, but as she spends more time with Kenta she begins to see him as more than just a servant. Ryuu and Kenta are the only two potential love interests in the game and Ahri with six different endings Ahri can end up with one of them or even alone depending on the choices made by players.

Pyrite Heart is not a very long game and most of the story takes place at the school. Players can choose to spend time with either Ryuu or Kenta, who are both very different. Ryuu excels academically and is very popular while Kenta is more sporty and spends his time playing basketball. The game is also filled with the usual amount of cliches and anyone familiar with the genre will know exactly how things will turn out in the end.

The most impressive thing about Pyrite Heart is the visuals as it features beautiful character sprites and detailed backgrounds. The game also has a surprising amount of CGs considering how short it is. Unfortunately, it lacks a CG viewer, which would have been helpful for keeping track of how many events or endings were still left to be discovered in the game. Steam Achievements, which would have been useful for the same reason, are also absent from this game. The audio isn’t bad and there’s plenty of upbeat tracks as well as a couple of melancholy ones. Pyrite Heart does not have a music player either, so the only way to listen to these tracks is to play the game. Also noticeable absent from the game is any type of voice acting. The interface is pretty standard Ren’Py fare, so there’s nothing spectacular about it, but it gets the job done.

Overall, apart from the beautiful visuals, there’s not a lot about Pyrite Heart that really impresses. The story is very average and nothing particularly interesting or noteworthy ever happens. Ahri is also not the most likable heroine, but she does mellow out a bit over the course of the story. The two love interests are also pretty cliched, but at least the game has multiple endings to make up for how short it is. There are better Otome games available, but players looking for something light and predictable might enjoy Pyrite Heart.

System Requirements

  • OS: XP or higher
  • Processor: 1.2 GHz Pentium 4
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 1920 x 1080
  • DirectX: Version 10
  • Storage: 200 MB available space
  • OS: OS X 10.6
  • Processor: Any 64 bit processor
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 1920 x 1080
  • Storage: 200 MB available space
  • Processor: 1.2 GHz Pentium 4
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 1920 x 1080
  • Storage: 200 MB available space

Related posts

Stick It To The Man!

Stick It To The Man!

Stick It To The Man is a title that is so much fun to play that you don't want it to end. Everything from the visuals to the audio is in a class all by itself, and the superb humor is just the icing on the cake. While not very taxing, the puzzle-solving is still a blast, and the quirky combination of platforming and point-and-click adventuring makes this a stand-out title. Gameplay: Inside the platformer framework of Stick It To The Man beats the heart of a point-and-click adventure. Graphics: The game features fantastic visuals with plenty of memorable scenes. Sound: The audio impresses with great music and even better voiceovers.

4 Elements

4 Elements

4 Elements is a polished and entertaining match three game that is well worth checking out if you are a fan of the casual genre. The story is aimed squarely at children, but the gameplay offers fun for all ages. It is one of those games that are perfect for playing when you have a few spare minutes to kill and don't feel like firing up something more involving. Gameplay: Addictive, but rather easy and somewhat repetitive. Graphics: Colorful but nothing really special Sound: The music remains unobtrusive for the most part.

Runespell: Overture

Runespell: Overture

Runespell: Overture shares many similarities with the Puzzle Quest series, but never quite manages to be as great. It is undeniably addictive and has some great ideas, but can become repetitive and the whole thing ends rather abruptly. Considering the low price tag it is well worth checking out however. Gameplay: Addictive but can become repetitive. Graphics: Nice considering the limitations. Sound: Orchestral soundtrack and great sound effects.

Flame Over

Flame Over

Running around as a firefighter extinguishing flames and rescuing civilians is a lot more fun than it sounds and Flame Over packs quite a challenge to boot. It is definitely a little frustrating at times, but the randomized levels and addictive gameplay will keep you coming back for more after every rage quit. The game made the transition from PS Vita to PC very well and comes highly recommended. Gameplay: Fun, sometimes frustrating, very challenging and definitely addictive. Graphics: Four different environments and some very nice fire effects. Sound: Very catchy and fits the theme of the game perfectly.

The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker

The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker

The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker is an FMV game where you get to play as a psychiatrist, questioning a host of patients about their problems and the murder of your predecessor. This is all done via keyword-based text input, but the high-definition, full-screen video responses will quickly draw you into the mystery. Add in some superb acting along with a genuinely fascinating story and you are looking at a surprisingly good title. It's not perfect, and the genre obviously has a lot of limitations, but overall, this is one not to be missed. Gameplay: The keyword-based questioning obviously has some limitations but makes for an engaging experience. Graphics: The quality of the full-motion video responses is very good. Sound: The game features an atmospheric soundtrack, and the quality of the acting is also of a very high standard.

Lust for Darkness

Lust for Darkness

Lust for Darkness attempts something a little different with the horror genre by combining it with erotic and occult themes. Unfortunately, it struggles with pacing and the overall experience is very short. There are still some good elements, such as the great environmental detail and design of the alien dimension you get to visit, but the gameplay is very shallow. Hopefully, all the issues will be addressed in a sequel as there is a lot of potential with the story and setting. Gameplay: A walking simulator with some mild puzzles and a few enemies to evade. Graphics: The environments are almost photo-realistic, but character models and animations are very rough around the edges. Sound: The voice acting is not very good, but the soundtrack is decent.

Leave a comment

3 − three =