Everlove: Rose Review

I'll admit to being somewhat suspicious of Everlove, initially. A game all about a woman's exploration into her past, Everlove is heavy on the romance and, at first, it feels a little unbalanced. Early choices give the impression that to get a 'good' ending, one must back down to whatever the man wishes. Fortunately, such attitudes don't prevail for long. In the end, Everlove proves to be a quite positive storyline, wrapped up amongst plenty of romance.

The game itself is typically casual in nature with a mixture of decision making, jigsaw puzzles, and hidden object scenes providing the basis for progression. Each scene is done pretty well though, keeping things simple yet glossy. The focus is squarely on the storytelling with players having to make decisions as to how to deal with other characters within the tale. The main character, besides finding love, must also solve the mystery as to who killed her father and why - adding some further complexities to matters.

Frequently, the player must piece together torn up notes making the jigsaw sequences relevant, as well as collect up herbs to create medicines through the Hidden Object scenes. It's simple stuff but makes things more interesting than solely following the interactive story.

Some pivotal decisions must be made throughout the game, leading to different paths to be followed, as well as the acquisition of points demonstrating where the player's strengths may lie. It's refreshing to see a strong female character shine through by the end of the title, assuming the player wants to play the game in such a way.

Everlove isn't going to be for everyone given that it's squarely focused on the casual gaming market as well as romance fans, but it is a well made title and offers plenty of reason to replay in order to see how things can change. There's an important and positive message within, too.