This review contains spoilers
Not what I expected from the creators of Highway Blossoms, and unfortunately, I don't say that in a positive way.
The game advertises itself as "a modern fairy tale", so I was expecting a wholesome love story with supernatural elements. What I got was a story about an evil, ancient, abusive stepmother and four friends' quest to fucking kill her, frequently interrupted by two romance subplots. The tone varies from from saccharine romance to the unsettlingly supernatural to whimsical fantasy to eldritch horror. I didn't like how intense the story gets by the end - it felt so far removed from the game I was advertised.
Maddy and Abigail's romance is kinda lame. They spend a spectral honeymoon together in a magical forest. They visit beautiful locations and blush furiously at every insinuation that they might become an item. For the most part it's devoid of much conflict and it's a little dull. The 18+ scenes don't add anything to their relationship either, although it's a little endearing to know Abigail's a top.
I enjoyed Tara and Morgan's relationship a lot more. They start off as friends with benefits, neither of them wanting to be emotionally vulnerable. But then they slowly begin to trust one one another and realise how much they unwittingly care for each other. They eventually let their masks slip, and find comfort in sharing their feelings. It's a much more compelling dynamic, in my opinion, than Maddy and Abigail's perfect fairytale romance. And it's appropriately balanced with the tension they feel while investigating Maddy's disappearance, keeping their subplot interesting.
Tara herself is a great character, and probably the one aspect of this game I'll remember long after my playthrough. And not just because she's a trans main character. Her over-the-top charisma makes her a delight to watch, even when her jokes don't land. Hell, ESPECIALLY when her jokes don't land. I always love characters like this, so it's no surprise I love Tara.
I wasn't really sold on the fantasy elements we see throughout the story. It feels like the writers threw together 4 or 5 ideas they had without a lot of consideration for how well they mesh together. Like, is Evelyn even connected to the forest, at all? It seems like the simultaneous existence of an unearthly monster and a magical forest is completely coincidental.
The fairies are introduced extremely late for how important they are to the last act of the game, and Geladura doesn't have much of a presence, either. I wish a little more thought was put into what the major payoffs are, and how to effectively set them up and integrate them into the main narrative.
Looking back and writing about it, Heart of the Woods doesn't feel like a single game. The supernatural/fantasy elements and the two love stories feel at odds with each other, and throwing in the idea that "love makes magic stronger" at the end doesn't fix this. Neither story feels developed enough to support the other, and I think THAT'S what's been bugging me ever since I finished Heart of the Woods. Play Highway Blossoms instead.
The game advertises itself as "a modern fairy tale", so I was expecting a wholesome love story with supernatural elements. What I got was a story about an evil, ancient, abusive stepmother and four friends' quest to fucking kill her, frequently interrupted by two romance subplots. The tone varies from from saccharine romance to the unsettlingly supernatural to whimsical fantasy to eldritch horror. I didn't like how intense the story gets by the end - it felt so far removed from the game I was advertised.
Maddy and Abigail's romance is kinda lame. They spend a spectral honeymoon together in a magical forest. They visit beautiful locations and blush furiously at every insinuation that they might become an item. For the most part it's devoid of much conflict and it's a little dull. The 18+ scenes don't add anything to their relationship either, although it's a little endearing to know Abigail's a top.
I enjoyed Tara and Morgan's relationship a lot more. They start off as friends with benefits, neither of them wanting to be emotionally vulnerable. But then they slowly begin to trust one one another and realise how much they unwittingly care for each other. They eventually let their masks slip, and find comfort in sharing their feelings. It's a much more compelling dynamic, in my opinion, than Maddy and Abigail's perfect fairytale romance. And it's appropriately balanced with the tension they feel while investigating Maddy's disappearance, keeping their subplot interesting.
Tara herself is a great character, and probably the one aspect of this game I'll remember long after my playthrough. And not just because she's a trans main character. Her over-the-top charisma makes her a delight to watch, even when her jokes don't land. Hell, ESPECIALLY when her jokes don't land. I always love characters like this, so it's no surprise I love Tara.
I wasn't really sold on the fantasy elements we see throughout the story. It feels like the writers threw together 4 or 5 ideas they had without a lot of consideration for how well they mesh together. Like, is Evelyn even connected to the forest, at all? It seems like the simultaneous existence of an unearthly monster and a magical forest is completely coincidental.
The fairies are introduced extremely late for how important they are to the last act of the game, and Geladura doesn't have much of a presence, either. I wish a little more thought was put into what the major payoffs are, and how to effectively set them up and integrate them into the main narrative.
Looking back and writing about it, Heart of the Woods doesn't feel like a single game. The supernatural/fantasy elements and the two love stories feel at odds with each other, and throwing in the idea that "love makes magic stronger" at the end doesn't fix this. Neither story feels developed enough to support the other, and I think THAT'S what's been bugging me ever since I finished Heart of the Woods. Play Highway Blossoms instead.