Gray's Cozy Nook

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Can you collect all of the fragments, solve the mysteries, and find your way to a happy ending? 

In this mysterious otome game, play as a protagonist (name customizable but “Xani” by default) struggling to cope with the hand life as dealt you. Your mother’s death was a tragedy, and left you cynical and numb to the world. Now, though, greater challenges are piling up fast – and it all begins when you find out you are not entirely human.

The disappearance of a friend. A sudden attack that leaves you wounded. Mysterious characters entering and leaving your life. Growing bonds. Coming to terms with what exactly “humanity” is…

Please. Find a happy ending. Don’t let tragedy be the only option. 

✧༺♥༻∞　MAIN CHARACTER　∞༺♥༻✧

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ GRAY’S IMPRESSION ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

XANI ISN’T YOUR TYPICAL BUBBLY AND JOVIAL PROTAGONIST THAT WE COMMONLY SEE IN MOST OTOME GAMES, BY FAR SHE IS A NEW TYPE OF HEROINE RUSHING INTO THE FRAY. WITH A PERSONALITY THAT’S BRASH AND HONEST (WHEN YOU CHOOSE IT TO BE), SHE’S AN UNCOMMON HEROINE THAT MATCHES THE SAME PERSONALITY AS LUCETTE FROM CINDERELLA PHENOMENON.

✧༺♥༻∞　LOVE INTERESTS?　∞༺♥༻✧

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ GRAY’S IMPRESSION ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

AT THIS TIME, I’M QUITE UNCERTAIN AS TO WHO YOU CAN AND CANNOT ROMANCE, OR IF YOU’LL BE ABLE TO ROMANCE EVERYONE (AND IF THERE MIGHT BE A SECRET ROMANCE ROUTE WITHIN AFTER YOU PLAY EVERYONE’S ROUTES, BECAUSE OF INIGO). I’M SPECULATING, SO TAKE WHAT I SAY WITH A GRAIN OF SALT UNTIL THE OFFICIAL GAME RELEASE.

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ GRAY’S IMPRESSION ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

This is Kay, he’s a cinnamon roll of adorable goodness that you want to hug but you can’t just yet. He’s friendly, empathetic, a good listener, and friend for Xani (or maybe more than a friend perhaps?). I choose to pursue getting my affection up with him on my first round of the demo, but something happens before anything can be pursued… 

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ GRAY’S IMPRESSION ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

Shannon is the best friend of the protagonist and for some people she may come off as a very strong personality. She happens to be very jovial and full of energy and can be a formidable personality in the game (in a good way). She actually reminds me of my best friend, minus being boy crazy, as she calls Xani her number one person, and friend. 

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ GRAY’S IMPRESSION ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

Lana is the former babysitter of Xani, turned guardian as you proceed through the demo. She has a quiet and comforting energy that reminds me of a big sister and family member. While we only get to meet her twice in the game, she gives a very pleasant vibe, but she possibly has secrets of her own that haven’t been put to light just yet. 

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ GRAY’S IMPRESSION ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

Okay, not much is known about Jasper except that he’s after Xani and wants to kill her. He is mysterious and dangerous from my POV right now, and I’m not sure if I can forgive him after the incident he cause for Xani. 

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ GRAY’S IMPRESSION ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

I briefly met Natalia at a park while hanging out with Kay, and she was very odd but more than likely she’s a Tsundere LMAO. We end up exchanging numbers with her during the encounter and we texted one another after a certain incident occurs in the game. Overall, she has someone who watches out for her named Teryl, but I’m gonna say I like Natalia for now (not a big Tsun Tsun fan, but I’m okay with most, I pray she’s the good type).

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ GRAY’S IMPRESSION ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

Clive, OMG HE’S ANOTHER CINNAMON ROLL! You meet him towards the end but he’s so freaking adorable, I can’t stand it LMAO. He seems to not do well with energetic personalities, but I feel it’s because he grew up in such a quiet neighborhood that he’s not used to people engaging in conversation with him. Clive reminds me of a fox, with his hair color and eyes, and his jacket also makes his appearance seem mild… yet… He resembles someone else as well; so while I do find him cute, I’m also being cautious (STILL A CINNAMON ROLL!).

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ GRAY’S IMPRESSION ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

This is Inigo, a terrifyingly scary entity that appears in Xani’s dreams a lot, and also he seems to share a similar appearance to Clive and … Kay. While I don’t know if there’s a connection or not, this character is someone you shouldn’t take lightly as it seems he has powers just like Xani. 

✧༺♥༻∞　GAME PLAY　∞༺♥༻✧

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ GRAY’S IMPRESSION ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

The stat system in the game is very similar to a RPG/JRPG game stat leveler, however, versus drinking potions and such, it depends on how your actions and answers for Xani. StarxSocial is also a key component in the game where it is similar to LINE, Instagram, and Twitter put together. You can message and post about your day or talk to friends through it, it’s an impressive concept and overall I love how you can change the phone wallpaper in on the phone as well!

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ GRAY’S IMPRESSION ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

This is a key setting as there are jump scares and sound effects that can trigger someone, and I’m glad to see these controls appear in the beginning of the game. Not only is this helpful, but you can pick and choose how you’d like to pursue the game.

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ GRAY’S IMPRESSION ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

The point system is pretty cute, as it shows up as a heart and then bursts LMAO. I didn’t manage to screen shot the stat points that appear in the top left corner to show how your personality adapts. So keep in mind, CHOICES MATTER in this game!

✧༺♥༻∞　GAME PLAY　∞༺♥༻✧

When we first start the game we actually are trapped in a dream, or nightmare, and the vision feels more like a premonition of events to come as Xani wakes up from her nightmare filled with dread and anxiety. The game’s initial hook in the beginning of the story really grabs you that when you fall into the dreams that which lie inside the main protagonist’s mind, it serves the right amount of tension and unease that the character is going through when she has these nightmares about the past.

The question system is off to the side and away from the faces of the characters, which I appreciate. As sometimes when games have the choices appear, it overlaps on the character’s face, and I actually prefer that it doesn’t do that. In this case, choices matter, and the choices you make also pushes your overall personality stats like in a JRPG. In this case, I chose to be honest and only withhold certain information when I felt necessary, since I don’t know who to trust except family and a few close friends.

In certain instances in the prologue you will encounter Inigo, he often appears in your nightmares and he will casually insert himself into your mind like a virus. I’m not sure what purpose he will serve in the future, but it is best to be wary of who you become friends with at this time. In a sense, Inigo reminds me of the subconscious part of our brains, the part of us that tells us we aren’t good enough which can trigger certain emotions. Don’t let Inigo get to you, fight back!

Can I also gush about the artwork of this game? This a beautiful amount of detail and coloring, and there’s quite a few poetic syntax within the narrative that I appreciate. An otome/visual novel cannot hold up on its own with just beautiful drawings, and this game manages to insert both a diligent and good balance to the plot. Including the musical score that makes the game even more vibrant and engaging, as you can head to the EXTRAs tab and listen to the soundtrack if you wish.

However, there were a few areas of the game that I do feel can be adjusted to keep engagement for gamers to stay focused and be more immersed in the storytelling. The prologue is extensive, as it goes over major details that are necessary to understand Xani and her position in this universe. There is a lot of information to take in, and felt that a lot of the content in the beginning is necessary, it can be evenly divided into certain routes to lessen the weight of the prologue. Similar to certain otome games where sometimes you get a base prologue, when you enter a certain character’s route you start to find more missing pieces and information to complete the puzzle of the characters and the story, rather than having all your cards out for everyone to see.

The game is semi-voiced (should of mentioned that above, sorry!) which also further engages the reader and doesn’t hinder the narrative. I cannot wait to see this game when it is polished and fully released to the public, this otome is incredible and enchanting. I have my eye on this game, as I can see it being claimed as my otome game of the year, with a mixture of romance, suspense, and a little bit of horror–Heart Fragment is genuine diamond.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　GRAY’S CORNER　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

I cannot stop gushing about how amazing this game is and that it can be a major game changer for otome games. I’m not saying this lightly, as there’s a lot of otome games from the mainstream that hold itself as thriller, suspense, and horror filled, when it doesn’t quite hit those elements for me. However, this game, has managed to hit all those points and I’m predicting it’ll outdo the other games I have my eye on. I’m swooning still from how amazing this game demo was, and it’s just the demo, I’m bouncing up in down thinking what the full game will be like when it debuts.

Until then, I’m going to happily replay the game demo until the time for the game’s official launch happens. If you are interested in playing the game and supporting the developer please check out the links above and say hello to the creator on the Twitter page!

As always, thank you for stopping by in my corner of the blogosphere, and see you on the gaming side~!