The city of Aquadine was born from the myths of mermaids and an undersea kingdom. Nowadays, it’s a little more than a picturesque town and a popular tourist destination. Just another sea town full of ordinary people doing normal things. Right? Except for the floating jellyfish ghosts, or the haunting dreams, or that there was an actual mermaid swimming around, but other than that, nothing too crazy. Developed by SoftColors and published by Ratalaika Games and SoftColors, Aquadine is a Bishoujou visual novel detailing the story of a young, struggling teen and his pursuit to care for his sickly mother. All the while forming strong bonds and discovering the secrets of his hometown.
At first glance, Robin is an introverted and quiet student. Affectionately called four-eyes for his glasses, he prefers to stick to his close friends and stay away from the limelight. Little does the town know, he moonlights as the charismatic gondolier, Ciel, to try and pay the mounting hospitals bills accumulated by his mother’s illness. Keeping a hidden, second identity is hard enough as it is without having nosy friends, but he’s not the only student at school with a secret. Trauma, hidden genders, and even transforming into a creature of myth are just the tip of the iceberg for Robin to uncover.
As stated, Aquadine is very much a visual novel. There is actually no gaming involved as players are unable to make choices to affect and alter the storyline. It’s a shame that Aquadine is so linear as it would be nice to be able to explore the lovely town instead of reading large amounts of text to move to the next scene. Especially when the different sceneries and locations are so stunningly rendered. There’s nothing terrible about the story, but it’s not great either. Conflict feels minimalistic and easily resolved so when there is a happy ending, it doesn’t feel impactful.
Aquadine starts off slow and later players have a choice to select one of four story paths to follow at a time. Once one is completed, players can select another until all four paths have been read through. These four-character paths are essentially to see who Robin will romantically end up with. Will it be Elizabeth the famous singer, Diana the outgoing redhead, Anya the quiet artist, or even Cameron the president of the martial arts club? The budding romances are sweet, but only one seems to be the best path to follow while others feel out of place from the main story arc. Some side plotlines could’ve been further expanded such as the illness plaguing Robin’s mother and its connection with the mermaids, or even about the mysterious character, Mute. This visual novel is an acquired taste and although this wasn’t exciting or particularly mind-blowing, there were cute moments.
PROS: Lovely background artwork and music. Great for anime lovers who like peaceful visual novels with sweet endings.
CONS: Art styles are not consistent throughout, slow pacing, and can get boring.
AQUADINE is available for Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch.
Related: Reviews by Vivian Chen
Video games have always been a huge influence in my life and have definitely shaped me to who I am today . Some of my best memories growing up were the many adventures and stories I was able to experience and become immersed in. If my hands aren't either covered in clay, typing, editing, creating, or helping shoving food in my mouth, they would either be gripped to a controller, tapping away at the screen of my phone, or clicking away on my PC. I am always up for trying something new because why live just one life when you can live many.
More Stories
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Lets You Play as Both SHINOBI and SAMURAI this November 15th
Stumble Guys Launches on PlayStation Today
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Will Be Fully Revealed on May 15 at 6 PM CET / 9 AM PT