Azure is your typical teenage girl, who enjoys taking naps between classes and occasionally snooping around. Although lazy, she is in fact, too smart for her own good. But who can blame her? Her father being a professional detective, taught Azure all the basic tricks since she was just a child, and despite the fact her mini-detective-kit days are long gone, Azure is still incredibly curious about her surroundings.
Such eagerness got her into troubles again, when promptly leaving the classroom in a dash as soon as the bell rang! Of course the teacher didn’t appreciate her rush, so her father was once again contacted by the school. It wasn’t the first time, and usually meant a punishment for when she got home. Not a physical one, of course, but being sent to her room without nothing do to wasn’t her idea of fun. She made up her mind that night, and went off to a little adventure escaping through the wind.
The night was quiet, and the city lights were as bright as her senses while exploring every bit of the neighborhood, which changed completely at night, and at some moment, Azure lost herself. She couldn’t really tell where she was, but she went on anyways. The path lingered until the young girl reached a strange warehouse, and almost like attracted to such place, she went further, changing her life forever!
So it’s starts, the incredible adventure of Azure, a teenage girl who is caught in a very serious and complicated problem... Interstellar wars are happening between Mars and Mercury, and somehow a strange ring seems to be connected to all of this. Azure didn’t resist on feeling the ring on her finger, and immediately she knew something was up…
With a loneliness, past, and emotionally detached from everything, could Azure find someone to love and turn her uninteresting life around?
Written in the Sky is a one-hour Yuri Kinect Visual Novel developed by Unwonted Studios, who other popular releases consist of No One But You, Catch Canvas, Wander No More and others. Published under the popular Sekai Project group, this short but also quite interesting title is 100% Free to Play since its release, late 2015.
Although Steam has certainly its share amount of free games, it’s our duty to spread the message about good Visual Novels, especially if they are free!
The story is most certainly a positive surprise for those who decided to burn an hour of their time, and immediately realizes it were going to be a fantastic hour, because not only is the plot solid, well written and worthy of any Premium Visual Novel, as the whole direction is well portrayed it leaves the player with a terrific feeling of amusement. We need to mention that the main character is cute and quite charming, plus her connection with the events is just adorable.
Storytelling is captivating and joins several humoristic moments with slightly serious ones, mixed with a tremendous fantasy setting. It’s hard not to enjoy it since it’s a short adventure, therefore even if one takes it lightly, there are a bunch of giggles waiting!
I won’t go deep into the main story since it’s the main reason why this small title is good for, and would just ruin the entire experience!
Being a Kinect Visual Novel, means there are no choices, or at least no choices that become relative to the end of this adventure. Perfect to relax and let yourself go as the story unfold in front of your eyes, with an interesting color-palette choice, where pink seems to be predominant. Azure’s hair colour, and overall in-game menus are both pink, probably to match her clothes? Who knows, but If you’re like me and you think a little bit of pink suits well in everywhere, you shouldn’t really be bothered at all.
Characters are good looking and were created having traditional anime designs in mind, offering simple but professional renders with light and shadow effects. Although there aren’t many physical poses, facial expressions do change based on the plot quite frequently. Cutscenes are available displaying specific hand-drawn background events, with glorious high quality surroundings! Overall backgrounds are super simple, but are carefully designed to perpetuate amazing light effects through windows or any given ambience.
Objects on the backgrounds are generic and uninteresting to look at, and mostly serve as a filler option over anything else. It’s not terrible, or deal-breaker as can easily be smoothly overlooked.
Adult content is available from the startup, when a warning asks players if adult mode should be enabled. This extra mode unlocks a couple of extra scenes where Azure and her newly found love share intimacy. As their first kiss bloom, cloths drop and their bodies touch each other guided by the stars gleaming through the window.
It’s nudity towards the romantic side of erotism, rather than properly pornographic content.
Written in the Sky is not your typical Yuri Visual Novel, instead it’s a much more personal experience connected to the plot, and barely exploited.
The soundtrack is simplistic, but still present, to create a much funnier adventure. Piano tracks and simple Japanese smooth pop elements set the line for the predominant sounds, very appropriate for this genre. Thrilling moments have dedicated atmospheric sounds to go with, as well any other major appropriated situation, and that’s always a plus.
Despite a less than one hour adventure, it’s up spirit and cute story line brings enjoyment, particularly when a Free to Play game manages to deliver such well constructed adventure.
A recommended Visual Novel for anyone who is looking to get into this genre, or just appreciates a good fantasy story with good humour in it.