Ratalaika Games has been improving their game for years, bringing interesting little titles to big consoles. Some of the best things they’ve put out are indie visual novels and they’re back with another one to suck you in! Aquadine is a heartwarming slice-of-life VN from new developer SoftColors. It is a teenage love story in which you play Robin, a boy whose mother is in hospital with an unknown illness. His family runs a gondola company in the town of Aquadine and Robin Moonlights as a gondolier. However, there’s also a bit more drama going on with Robin, some of which require a slight suspension of disbelief. No, you won’t find out here, because it’s a fun plot point.
Robin has several friends with whom he slowly develops a close bond over the course of the game, and as you might expect, those friends can become romantic interests. While this is a kinetic visual novel (ie you just read, no branching choices), you can go back to a screen and pick any person you want to romance to play through all the possibilities. There is literally just a screen at some point and you return to it after completing each path.
Now, a bunch of talking teens might not seem that interesting for a game, but honestly, Aquadine is one of the best-written VNs to come out recently. The dialogue seems human and realistic, the characters are surprisingly deep when you learn about them, and the situations are both fun and somewhat realistic. In fact, it’s quite reminiscent of the same lifestyle that The Language of Love (review here) put off when we reviewed it a few years ago. There’s something about the script that pulls your socks off as you play and it doesn’t hold up for the entire game.
With four paths to choose for love, Robin has many options and they are all interesting. For this review, we started with Diana, the boisterous, somewhat blunt redhead, and then moved on to other choices. Oh, and there are mermaids. Yes mermaids. Aquadine is not only a fun, light-hearted romance, but also gives you the chance to court a mermaid and throw in little bits and pieces of mythology for the city and its ancient history. As you make your way through the story, Robin becomes more and more interesting and so does your chosen love interest. None are exactly what they seem in Aquadine, but that’s more because they are incredibly authentic characters rather than a big twist. The emotional ups and downs are what you are here for and they are just well done across the board.
There’s also quite a bit of craziness and more than a little cheesecake here. Aquadine certainly doesn’t leave much to the imagination when it comes to candid portrayals of the characters and while not erotic, some of the photos are certainly provocative to say the least. This is pure anime fan service at its cleanest and that’s not a bad thing. Between the writing and the slight sexual tension between characters, there’s more than a hint of romance floating through the game, but nothing that feels gross or out of place. Every part of Aquadine feels like a fairytale romance, befitting a game with mermaids in it.
There is also a remarkable amount of scenery in the game. Most visual novels, especially indie novels, tend to have a limited background selection, a handful of character portraits, limited animation, and more. Gloom and Doom, which we covered recently (review here), was extremely well written, but the backgrounds for the game were subpar at best. Going against that trend, Aquadine delivers a whole host of beautiful, high-resolution backgrounds, excellent static character images, and full-body character portraits that respond to emotional situations. It’s easy to tell each character’s emotional state, they’re always dressed appropriately to the story, and you can even press a button to clear the text and see the art itself in its entirety with no on-screen text or menus . Not only is this extremely unusual for a small visual novel, but it’s a welcome shift from the standard approach. Aquadine definitely looks like an AAA visual novel at every point.
But that’s not all the game does well. The soundtrack is also well above the standard fare here. Aquadine has a subtle, inviting and relaxing soundtrack that fits perfectly with the events in the game, rising and falling at crescendo moments, complementing the light, fun feel of the game with every step. While it may not be your thing if you put the Doom soundtrack in the background, if you like lighter instrumental music, this is an excellent composition. Load times are also quite fast, the user interface design is excellent and there is almost no lag in the game.
However, this is not a long game and that may surprise some players. You can complete Aquadine in just 3 or 4 hours if you do it non-stop and frankly, each path can be easily completed in one sitting. There’s definitely some replay value with the trails, but you’re not going to clock in at 20 hours in this pleasant romantic romp. The beauty of it is that the developers at SoftColors were writing to tell a story, not to meet a time expectation and that’s what the game feels like. The story is always welcome, it’s fun to play and at just the right moment there is a satisfying conclusion. There’s something to be said for telling and finishing a story and that’s exactly what you get here. Honestly, there could have been a little more information and a backstory here and there and it still would have been great, but what you end up with when things are done is a grin on your face. That alone is worth the $20 for the game.
Aquadine is a simple game that tells a nice story that is part of life and growing up a bit, adding some fun mythological elements for good measure. The teens in the game aren’t particularly anxious or angry like other games and stories and this is certainly meant to be more for light romantic fun than deeper philosophical introspection, but sometimes a good palate cleanser is just what the doctor ordered and Aquadine definitely shines in it that respect. It’s a great game that’s fun to play, isn’t too long, isn’t too short, and is cleverly written so that almost anyone can relate to it. Don’t hesitate to check it out! If you’re a fan of visual novels, you certainly won’t regret it!
This review was based on a digital copy of Aquadine provided by the publisher. It was played on a Nintendo Switch in both docked and undocked modes and was excellent in both. Aquadine is also available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on Steam.
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