It is wonderful how each character’s fully fleshed out personality completely shifts the story players will experience. It is an interesting give-and-take, where Robin’s story takes players to locations where events will transpire based on the route they chose, but with the comfort of knowing big lore bombs will not be left out or missed. In this sense, players do not need to feel obliged to play through the game four separate times in order to get their money’s worth out of the in-game universe (although it most certainly helps). Every character brings different aspects of the city and its history (and myths) to light, with information springing up in pertinent situations. These characters are all written to be distinct from one-another and still have their own lives to lead outside of Robin or Ciel’s influence. While following any chosen character route, other characters still feature prominently. This choice is essentially what will govern the rest of the story, with each route featuring its own unique story beats with one of the four friends Robin has, as a focal point.Īquadine is quite unique in how the characters also contribute heavily to world-building and fleshing out of the city. Players will need to opt into following one of the four available “character routes” very early on in the game. Along the way, he meets Elizabeth, a transfer student (and famous singer) from another city. Other friends he hangs out with are Diana, a flirty socialite and token visual novel airhead, and Anya, the cutesy and bubbly class absentee. Robin, being an “average school boy and bookworm”, has a close friend, Cameron, who also runs the local martial arts club. There are four characters Robin will become involved with in some way or another throughout the story. Like any good visual novel, Aquadine features a tight group of characters. Uncovering the true mystery should be the player’s ultimate goal as they play through each of the game’s branching narratives. In so doing, one might assume his development halts, just as another story beat propels the dual-identity forward and ultimately brings them together. It hits deep and hard as Robin needs to come to terms with his emotions. As the story unfolds, players will uncover the true meaning behind his past actions.Ĭiel’s story is truthfully one of the best cases of character development in recent video gaming history. The reason for Ciel’s secret lifestyle is not a simple matter either.
Like Clark Kent to Superman, Robin has an alternate persona named Ciel, who just so happens to be Aquadine’s grand gondolier and its most prominent celebrity. The game clearly showcases how he is a timid and bookworm-type who prefers the quiet and safe life above adventuring and socialising. The game follows the everyday life of four different individuals, but with the story shown from Robin’s (the main character) point of view. It features branching storylines, multiple mysteries, and a unique world based on underwater myths and legends.Īs with all visual novels, Aquadine is, first and foremost, a story-driven narrative. Even more seldom are visual novels with an entirely different appr o ach to storytelling and yet, Aquadine is one such title in the genre. Whether it is the addition of a cool new mechanic, or a brand-new way of telling the story, experimentation has become a necessity for visual novels to leave a mark. Sometimes, however, a visual novel comes along and totally redefines what it even means to be a game set in the genre. Most visual novels are worth talking about and many more are worth experiencing at least once, but the very nature of how they play is not conducive to mainstream gaming audiences.
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