Mysteries, monster girls, and cliffhangers
Garden of Roses: Summerset's short review
Developer: Outis Media
Genre: Visual Novel
Reviewed version: Final
Censored: No
Patch Needed: No
OS: Windows, Linux, macOS
Language: English
I've been hyped about Garden of Roses since I reviewed Dark Waters: Gino and the Witch of the Black Swamp back in the day, and the prequel made me want to play the full game even more. It's a 2-hours-long VN in which we play as Will Getz, a hot-headed young man who comes back home to settle some unfinished business. However, he can't help but get involved with the mysteries surrounding the town.
There are a lot of things I liked about this VN, starting with how gripping the plot is. It's hard not to get interested in what's going on in the town, including the mysterious entity living in the abandoned Oaks Mansion that no one wants to talk about. Moreover, extra bits of information about the town's landmarks you visit or the relevant residents you meet throughout the game become available as you progress. However, you better save before and after making a choice since some info is locked behind specific options, and there's no rollback function here.
Visually speaking, it's as pretty as their previous work and the many monster girl doujin they released on Itch, featuring beautiful hand-drawn 2D art. It's much tamer than their previous works since it doesn't go further than showing fanservice shots, but things will likely get spicier once the rest of the story is out.
Verdict: Promising
What Garden of Roses: Summerset showed me in about 2 hours is more than enough to get me hyped for what's to come. Its likable cast, engaging plot, and eye-pleasing visuals are more than enough reasons to give it a shot; just be aware it ends with a massive cliffhanger.