As far as visual novel titles go, I would have to say that Vera Blanc: Full Moon is a notably different one which piqued my interest as a somewhat recent addition to the already constantly growing library of this particular game type. Developed by WinterWolves Games and published by Ratalaika Games S.L., the game itself is definitely one of the more unique and interactable titles I’ve played which made it a breath of fresh air. The narrative does grab your attention when you first start off. You play the role of a sixteen-year-old female Vera who has the ability to mind-read but only in the current moment. This came about from an operation that involved a brain tumour. With Vera desperate to put her ability to good use, her father agrees to team his daughter up with a private detective called Brandon in the search of possible suspicious werewolf activity.
VicciVulpix played Vera Blanc for six hours on Xbox One S.
What we liked!
- Delightful comic book appearance – Now admittedly, I’m not usually one to enjoy comic books – perhaps more so as a child however this title without a doubt grabbed my attention more than I would have expected. The vibrant colours combined with the storytelling aspect make for a classic and powerful combination that not only pleasantly appealed to me but that also allowed the narrative to be brought to life and feel more immersive. I also feel that because of the inspired comic book art style, it increased the general appeal to multiple target audiences which appropriately matches the given age rating of 12+.
Somewhere between
- Frequent manual saving advised – One feature I should probably talk about is how the game saves your progress. It doesn’t. It all up to you manual saving when you can and I would definitely advise doing it rather frequently. If you do any significant amount of progress and fail in-between, the game will only go off the last save you made. There can be some unexpected paths that lead you to your death so be wary at all times and remember to anticipate possible ends to your journey.
- The actual narrative was ok – I would probably describe the story itself as second-rate. Parts didn’t make sense, there was a fair share of typing mistakes, and there were unfortunately times where the game felt a little uncomfortable. With Vera being sixteen, the writing really should have been portrayed a little more sensitively in my opinion but maybe that’s just me. The plot was alright but was often easy to guess what had been written next – a little too predictable for my liking anyway.
- A select handful of mini-games – An unexpected addition to Vera Blanc: Full Moon was the select few mini-games that have been included throughout the plot. The first would be the old-school ‘hangman’ when you have the option to read someone’s mind but to do this successfully, you must select the correct letters to complete the thought. Next, there is the memory game when you have to make a quick getaway. It requires you to watch a sequence of buttons which you then must repeat in the exact same order. I found these added to the overall game and I enjoyed the small breaks in the story to play these from time to time.
What we disliked
- Certain mini-game too difficult – Now, continuing from my mini-game point in the above section. There is another old-school mini-game in ‘spot the difference’ which gives you two pictures where you have to find the differences between them to navigate your way through. Now, what possible reason would I have to put this game in a point on its own? It’s far too difficult and honestly, I could not believe how anyone would have thought this level of sneakiness would be remotely enjoyable.
- Very little replayability – With the game only having two separate endings and the ability to skip through the story once you’ve completed a playthrough, there isn’t any reason to come back to Vera Blanc: Full Moon as you will have experienced all the game really has to offer. In addition, all of the achievements are acquired naturally through playing each level of the game meaning there is no mopping up to do afterward.
CONCLUSION
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Hello, I’m Victoria. I’m from the UK and have been playing video games for as long as I can remember; back on DreamCast. I’ve pretty much fallen for Xbox since I was around eight years old and remember BioShock being my first game on the Xbox360. Although I find it thoroughly enjoyable to not only experience gameplay, I also find comfort in getting lost and engrossed in the online worlds that sometimes differ greatly from what we know. Another side of my Xbox passion would be achievement hunting and gamerscore. I thrive when I hear the little sound of one popping up on the screen and I’m always finding ways to work on my backlog when possible. Horror is my favourite genre so if you have any recommendations, don’t be afraid to send them my way!
