Pyrite Heart Review

Sometimes in life, you've just gotta get out that desire to be a Tsundere Princess I guess.

Funny story here. This is long and only subtly about the game, not even related to Steam release so skip this paragraph if you only wanna know about how sizzling hot these pixel men really are. I actually had played the free voiced version. To the point I had been around when the original free version-- which i assume to be the same as the Steam version I just played-- came out and I waited for the voiced version to come out. I love English dubs of otome games and want more of that stuff. And Amanda Lee was Ahri. I played the voiced version completely through Ryuu's route (Including the maid ending which gets you a  uh. normal ending i guess), and halfway through Kenta's route. Halfway through Kenta's route MY LAPTOP DIED. And by the point I had gotten a new one, the Steam release came and the free version was deleted. You can't find the voiced version anymore, and it's really honestly rude if you get it now and i would consider that pirating. Though I wish the voiced version was still available, faults and all, I understand the legal bindings behind that shit. Winged Cloud wanted to make money off their game and those people were doing it for free. Completely understandable and now Winged Cloud stands atop their mountain of Sakura Spirit money. (You'd think since I'm a guy I'd have played that and not Pyrite Heart. I... don't like fanservice games much) I actually had commented on their Facebook a long LONG time ago commenting about the voiced version and the otome game they were developing at the time (Are they even still doing that? Blog had an update but uh..) the voiced version only had main characters voiced so that'd be a whopping 3 VOICES and sometimes they said something different from text or didn't even record a line of dialog. I still hold that version to my heart and cry internally over my laptops death. Hey, I got it when it was released so I'm no pirate i'm not gonna look for a download and even bought the game TWICE on Steam (One for me, one for a friend since I saw it was on her wishlist) So I think I've done my deed to Winged Cloud. And subsequently didn't spend a single dime on Sakura Spirit TAKE THAT fanservice otaku pandering games.

Anyway on to the inferior version of the games review. If you came here from the Steam Review link I am so sorry for talking about the far superior free version that no longer exists. At least we have trading cards and stuff. I'll never get any boosters tho sob.

I'm going to become overlord of the masses! Kill any that oppose!

Ahri Remono is the prior alluded to Tsundere Princess of a kingdom that looks like modern Japan but the monastery all look European? She thinks she's the best piece of slice ever, everyone's inferior, plebes. etc. A rich girl raised with a golden, diamond-crusted spoon pretty much. She makes a bet with her brother at the start of the game that she can survive a week of normal peasant school. While there, she becomes rivals with the School's Student Council President, Ryuu, and challenges him to a cook off at the end of the week because she..pffft. She thought he sucked at cooking. Later on you'll find out who the terrible cook is (Hint: It's not Ryuu) Oh also her man servant goes to school there too apparently. What's so interesting about this game, despite it's length, is that Ahri isn't a cardboard cutout character. She's just as important as everyone else, not a self insert. Her high headed holier than thou attitude might annoy some, but I find her Tsundere-ness adorable.

Ryuu's route:

It's like Black Butler all over again.

Ryuu is the jerkhead Student Council President, at least according to Ahri's monologue; He's actually a really nice guy. Other than Kenta, he's pretty much the only guy at school that stays friendly with you. Understandably why she's so disliked though, for calling everyone idiotic plebs and the like. He's her rival in being the smartest and most skilled in school. One interesting choice branch has to do with either if you pass a test or not. You can either get a Maid Ahri CG or a Butler Ryuu CG depending on if you win the test or not. Both were pretty entertaining and reccomend doing both winning and losing to see it's differences.

I like Ryuu a lot. His route is very nice, and the relationship they have in the game is really cute. Ahri's tsundereness and Ryuu's blunt honesty can get some entertaining dialog between them. He also decides to help Ahri with baking a cake for their showoff, instead of leaving her alone to utterly fail. And possibly die from an explosion. She really does not know how to cook AT ALL.

They're the canon pairing in this game and you can really really tell. It just feels right for them to get together. Even Kenta says they have lots of similarity between each other. He helps her evolve and she helps him smile. What more could you want in a relationship really?

Their ending concludes nicely if you get the best ending and it was an enjoyable fun read through for a first playthrough of the game.

Kenta's route:

"Uuuuu am I kawaii, senpai?"

Playing through I kinda figured Kenta was gonna be the guy I liked. Though Ryuu's route turned out to be so good and Kenta's left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe it's because it took me a long long time to get my hands on the steam release and complete his route or not but I have a more fonder opinion of Ryuu's route.

Kenta is Ahri's servant. He goes to school at a regular school and just so coincidentally had to be the one Ahri went to during her bet. Not so coincidentally seeing as he got ordered to watch Ahri. He's really good at Basketball and uh... He's loved Ahri prior to this game. He has a huge issue because he loves Ahri, but she's a princess, and being around her anymore will hurt him, and later when it's shown they feel the same way--THEM, because she'll be married off to some prince someday soon. So it's an angst fest in some ways.

That said though, Kenta is a huge dumbo sweetheart. Falling asleep while studying cakes to use in the bakeoff, getting in a food fight, they can be pretty adorable together.

I found the way he handled his issue for most of the route to be frustrating though. You don't just run away from your feelings. Probably no surprise here, but Ahri's the one that takes their relationship to the next level. Step it up senpai.

Pyrite Heart is a nice starter otome. I'd rank it up along games like RE:Alistair or Pacthesis games. It looks nice and professional at first glance. I mean just LOOK at that art. The artist put a lot of work into them. Sprites and all. CG's aren't just the same pose or emotion for the whole scene, it changes during the dialog. But I don't think it's worth it to buy it on Steam. I may have talked about it positively for a good part of this review. And I honestly LIKE the game. 

But as someone that's been around since the start I can see how much care they put into the product. The game has been released 3 times to my knowing.First as a free version without any voices, then a free voiced version, then a commercial version without the voices, virtually the same as the free version.

Could you honestly be interested in purchasing a game knowing that? And it's not just that. It's been released 3 times and there's STILL spelling errors and that in the Steam release. They haven't changed a damn thing with it. If you release a game three times, listen to the people that play your game. When you release something commercially don't just do the required Trading Card shit and a virtual picture of a Dakimakura. ADD something to the actual game. A bonus route maybe? Hatoful Boyfriend did that. And PROOFREAD YOUR STUFF BEFORE SUBMITTING IT FULLY.

I won't really recommend this game to anyone being commercial and in a state like this. All this and how short the game is, even a freeware game similar to it being longer. If the developers actually go through, proofreading the whole script, I may just change my mind. Adding a bonus route or something would also heighten it's playability. But as it is, the only version available is inferior and not worth the money.