Title: 悠刻のファムファタル
Developer: Escu:de
Release Date: 22nd December 2017
Age Rating: 18+
Length: 20+ Hours
Links: Official Website, VNDB
Kusakabe Akira was once the hottest new author around after his debut work got a lot of attention. Sadly, he’s been stuck in writer’s block ever since, still looking for inspiration for his next big break.
Our story begins when Akira is sorting through the belongings of his recently departed grandmother and ends up on a call with an employee at the myserious mansion his grandmother spent some time at. It ends up with him being offered a job, and figuring he has nothing much to lose, he accepts.
Set deep in the rural mountains is the Maple Manor – a western-style mansion that looks like something from a different century. Inside Akira meets the engimatic maids who make up its staff. He then learns the terms of his contract – to live in the Manor as a guest whilst he writes a story inspired by it. With such a historic building, beautiful yet strange maids, and an air of mystery, surely Akira will manage to reignite his spark for writing.
Thoughts
I don’t know about anyone else, but I personally associate Escu;de with more gameplay-focused VNs, generally with a high H content. However, when they announced Yuukoku no Femme Fatale last year and brought in scenario writer Kizuki (known for their work on Applique’s titles) while promising a mystery story they had my interests piqued.
I will say that, given the way the prologue turned out, I was expecting something with a bit of a darker/horror vibe but this failed to materialise. The game is definitely more of your classic multi-route mystery and the unsettling atmosphere is maintained really well. Unfortunately, the pacing of the prologue + common route combined is a bit slow/tedious at points.
The heroine routes were generally good but sadly have the same plot structure which makes them a bit predictable.
One of the best aspects of this game, in my opinion, is the heroines themselves. The four main heroines – Lily, Lavendar, Marigold & Rosemary – are all pretty fleshed-out characters with details about them slowly revealed as you play more of the game. There is one kinda side heroine (Amaryllis) whom I really liked but I wished had more of a part to play in the game, although I guess that would be kinda weird once you know more about her, lol. There are also bonus H scenes for side characters Miyako & Yuka but these are purely fanservice.
While all the heroines were at the very least interesting, Lily was easily my favourite. Her imouto act early in the game is utterly adorable, and her route is the best in the game (despite still being a little too short for my liking). She is really the reason to play this game.
The artwork from Mutou Kurihito (best known for their work with ensemble) was overall pretty nice. Some of the fingers looked a little off sometimes though.
The BGM was surprisingly good – there’s not like one standout track but the set as a whole fit the game’s setting and atmsophere really well. To the extent that I might actually buy the OST at some point.
As expected for a company that usually makes titles with gameplay, the programming was more competent than the average eroge. The flowchart was a wonderful addition – every time I see one in a VN i’m always saddened that it’s not a default feature in more story-heavy titles. There’s also an extensive staff comment area featuring everything from story details from the writer, fun bonus art, and even some little mini-games programmed in. It was such a fun little area of the game that I wish other companies did this, at least I haven’t really seen something like this before.
Fortune telling x Fishing mini-game with Lily
Conclusion
My Score: 7/10
In the end Yuukoku no Femme Fatale is a decent enough mystery title with a really good atmosphere and one standout heroine. If Lily interests you then definitely play this, but either way I’d probably wait for a sale.
This was my first experience with Escu;de and I’d say it was a pretty positive one. Sadly this type of title isn’t their usual style so maybe I’ll have to play one of their other games. I’ll also be taking a look at Kizuki’s work in the future. Luckily I have been planning on playing Tasogare no Sinsemilla for a while so perhaps soon(tm).
It’s nice to be back writing reviews, sorry if this one is on the shorter side.
Thanks for reading!
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