not made for me, i thought it was boring <3
Genuinely one of the best VNs I've ever played, it never fails to make me feel cosy and relaxed.
i love cove so goddamn much. i already adore the idea of a dating sim where you grow up with your love interest, but my god are the characters and the writing just fantastic here. i have yet to get every achievement in this game because the last few i need to get require you to be indifferent about cove, and i'll just have to speed through the game in order to not feel bad about it. customization is also a plus, as the game tailors itself around the kind of person you are.
a genuinely cozy experience that's perfect for the summer vibe!
a genuinely cozy experience that's perfect for the summer vibe!
Definitely need to replay this eventually, but wow! Really surprised me. I have always loved dating sims (and visual novels in general) but my biggest gripe with the genre is just... how much you are railroaded into being the character the game wants or NEEDS you to be. to give your main character such a variable personality and a story that actually respects and acknowledges that is insanely taxing. despite this, OL:BA does just that, with a level of customization that i knew existed, but didn't expect to like so much.
OL:BA allows you a level of customization i've never seen in a any dating sim or VN before. you can customize your characters appearance, pronouns, personality & feelings towards the love interest, Cove, as well as help guide the relationship you and the main LI through menu options, selecting the amount of agency you'd like your character to have, or naturally as a result of the choices you make. after steps 1 and 2, or childhood and middle school years respectively, i was unsure just how much my choices would affect the story. it felt like they had, but without wanting to redo anything until i played it once through, i had no frame of measure. it was a pleasant surprise when i decided to switch my characters interest in the LI from "disinterested" to "crushing" between steps 2 and 3 that not only did the game respond according, allowing very different toned options to me, but also acknowledging multiple times how the relationship because my character and Cove went from that of not-really-friends to very close, all because of the attitude and choices i started to make. honestly, sometimes the amount of choice was a little overwhelming! i challenged myself not to really reload or select other dialogue options, just to really immerse myself, and i was pleasantly surprised to see just how much this customizability helped with that. i was generally not very interested in cove during steps 1 and 2, but the natural progression of the relationship was genuinely so fun to watch unravel i found myself really loving certain memories, dialogues, etc. and even teared up during step 4 lol... the game really builds itself around who you are as a player, while still not sacrificing the story and person it allows Cove to grow into as well. i don't tend to replay games much, but i am REALLY looking forward to replaying this one.
also, i must mention: this was free!?! im so used to vns/dating sims gating the higher quality cgs and content behind pay walls, but everything available to you in the base game is insanely high quality. im not surprised their recent entries will be more paid, because they definitely deserve to be paid for how much effort and love shines through all this.
of course, there are still limitations to this system. you have to read a LOT of menu-ing and really spend time in menus to curate your experience (it lessens after step 1, but really it was a lot to take in at first) but that was fine once i adjusted. similarly, for a game that takes so much of your input into question, it's a bit... mixed? for me on how much of your family you do/don't have control over. i can't think of a family dynamic i related to so little, which was nice but felt a bit at odds with the way the game wanted me to play. i felt so immersed, like i was really thinking as myself as a child/teen/adult/etc, only to get dropped into family dynamics i was Not accustomed to and didnt really care for. the moms and sister are fine! the cousin is cool! i just... did not relate at all, which isnt the games fault necessarily, but did make certain parts of part 3-4 have much less impact since it felt very jarring to go between. hope that makes sense...
still, a really good play. would definitely recommend if you have time to kill and want a new VN/dating sim to try. even if you don't vibe with cove or the other LI's (theyre trapped behind dlc), you always have the option to remain platonicly bonded with them which is very, very cool. what a fun game. i genuinely cant believe i got so invested. i really feel like my attitudes i chose in game reflected my progression with cove as well, which was so satisfying to play lol.
OL:BA allows you a level of customization i've never seen in a any dating sim or VN before. you can customize your characters appearance, pronouns, personality & feelings towards the love interest, Cove, as well as help guide the relationship you and the main LI through menu options, selecting the amount of agency you'd like your character to have, or naturally as a result of the choices you make. after steps 1 and 2, or childhood and middle school years respectively, i was unsure just how much my choices would affect the story. it felt like they had, but without wanting to redo anything until i played it once through, i had no frame of measure. it was a pleasant surprise when i decided to switch my characters interest in the LI from "disinterested" to "crushing" between steps 2 and 3 that not only did the game respond according, allowing very different toned options to me, but also acknowledging multiple times how the relationship because my character and Cove went from that of not-really-friends to very close, all because of the attitude and choices i started to make. honestly, sometimes the amount of choice was a little overwhelming! i challenged myself not to really reload or select other dialogue options, just to really immerse myself, and i was pleasantly surprised to see just how much this customizability helped with that. i was generally not very interested in cove during steps 1 and 2, but the natural progression of the relationship was genuinely so fun to watch unravel i found myself really loving certain memories, dialogues, etc. and even teared up during step 4 lol... the game really builds itself around who you are as a player, while still not sacrificing the story and person it allows Cove to grow into as well. i don't tend to replay games much, but i am REALLY looking forward to replaying this one.
also, i must mention: this was free!?! im so used to vns/dating sims gating the higher quality cgs and content behind pay walls, but everything available to you in the base game is insanely high quality. im not surprised their recent entries will be more paid, because they definitely deserve to be paid for how much effort and love shines through all this.
of course, there are still limitations to this system. you have to read a LOT of menu-ing and really spend time in menus to curate your experience (it lessens after step 1, but really it was a lot to take in at first) but that was fine once i adjusted. similarly, for a game that takes so much of your input into question, it's a bit... mixed? for me on how much of your family you do/don't have control over. i can't think of a family dynamic i related to so little, which was nice but felt a bit at odds with the way the game wanted me to play. i felt so immersed, like i was really thinking as myself as a child/teen/adult/etc, only to get dropped into family dynamics i was Not accustomed to and didnt really care for. the moms and sister are fine! the cousin is cool! i just... did not relate at all, which isnt the games fault necessarily, but did make certain parts of part 3-4 have much less impact since it felt very jarring to go between. hope that makes sense...
still, a really good play. would definitely recommend if you have time to kill and want a new VN/dating sim to try. even if you don't vibe with cove or the other LI's (theyre trapped behind dlc), you always have the option to remain platonicly bonded with them which is very, very cool. what a fun game. i genuinely cant believe i got so invested. i really feel like my attitudes i chose in game reflected my progression with cove as well, which was so satisfying to play lol.
i love cove holden. Ask me about Cove Holden. did you know tjhat i lobve-
If you've ever looked for a cozy experience, this is it. I've played over 29 hours of this game and still not seen all that it has to offer and I keep getting surprised by just how well this vn remembers the choices that you've made.
Not only does it remember what you look like, if you chose to wear a ring or what item you picked a long long time ago, it also remembers how you reacted to your partner. Cove changing because of the way you speak to him and even how you feel about him has to be one of the most dynamic ways a vn has ever engaged with me.
There's a reason the kickstarter for the next game got funded in like. 2 hours.
Not only does it remember what you look like, if you chose to wear a ring or what item you picked a long long time ago, it also remembers how you reacted to your partner. Cove changing because of the way you speak to him and even how you feel about him has to be one of the most dynamic ways a vn has ever engaged with me.
There's a reason the kickstarter for the next game got funded in like. 2 hours.
i love this game so much man its so heart warming 10/10 would cry over my gay moms again