Released in early 2017 (a strange time to release a game set at Christmas),
The Thing with Mistletoes is a drama and romance otome novel, developed by Ran and published by Visual Wordplay. After Visual Wordplay’s
Paranormal Teens, and
Once Upon an All Hallow’s Eve, I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to give this one a shot, but it was rated very positively and I decided to give it a shot.
This is probably the only visual novel published by Visual Wordplay that I have actively enjoyed. You play as Lumina Duval, who has been left home alone with her 10 year old brother Vince for the week of Christmas. Lumi is excited for Christmas, it’s the best time of the year, and even the disappearances happening in her town can’t dampen her spirits. Of course, that is until Vince goes missing.
The first thing I noticed about this game was the artwork. It was very aesthetic and quite pleasant, but I couldn’t help but think the character design was rather… childish. It’s refreshing to see a new take on character designs in visual novels, done in a style that isn’t seen much in them, but it was rather humorous to see.
The second thing I noticed, was the cheerful Christmas music in the background, and honestly it was rather sickening. For a game released in February, that is being played all year round, I don’t think Christmas music itself, with songs such as Jingle Bells, was the best choice. It was rather annoying to be playing this in September and to hear all the constant Christmas music, to the point I had to just mute the game.
The story line is this is pretty well done – although I find it really unbelievable that their parents didn’t come home after Vince goes missing. It’s intriguing, and it has a hint of mystery, and doesn’t focus too much on the romantic side until later in the story, and that’s rather refreshing. It’s nice to see a story line that for once doesn’t seem washed out in a game like this, and it was a rather pleasant story line to read.
This isn’t the best visual novel I’ve read/played, but it’s for sure not the worst either. I’d definitely recommend giving this one a try.
2.5