If you have been reading my blog for a while, you probably know that I stick to a routine and a schedule of sorts. An out of the blue game review in the middle of a Sunday like this is not something I usually do. But that’s why it’s a surprise! And we all love surprises don’t we? What about yuri surprises???
Let me give you the full context before we start. I was contacted directly by Danni who is takes care of press relations for YangYang Mobile. You can see the official press kit here and you should. It’s going to give you a much better idea of the game. Cause you know how I am.
In any case, Danni let me know that they had a new Yuri game out and thought I might be interested since I had reviewed Kindred Spirits on the Roof. She was kind enough to give me a steam key so I did not pay for my copy of the game. She also mentioned that there is a 10% launch discount until April 26.
Now all of this was at the beginning of the week. I was super grateful for the key and opportunity but work and life have been especially busy these days. It was also a family birthday on Saturday… So I mentioned that I didn’t think I would be able to both play and review the game before April 26. Danni was understanding.
I installed Perfect Gold on Thursday. Thursday evenings I watch and review both Zombie Land and Demon Lord after work so I didn’t have time to open it. Then Friday evening I was completely wiped so I left it for the weekend. Of course, I had to leave for the bday party Saturday afternoon and I do review a couple of anime on Saturday as well but I figured I would at least play a few minutes to make sure everything worked and get a feel for the storytelling and visuals.
The first chapter introduces us to our main characters Marion and Audrey as Marion clumsily tries to not make her feelings too obvious, and fails, and Audrey shily asks her our for the first time. It’s adorable. Marion is spunky but not in a Manic Pixie Dream Girl sort of way. Down to earth and direct. I really liked her characterization and its a great foil for the more reserved and delicate Audrey.
As I finished that first chapter I thought to myself awwwwww that’s so sweet. I could really tell these two were so happy and excited to start an adventure together. And then I thought fiddlesticks (except the NSFW version of that) I forgot to take screencaps. So back to the beginning I went and started over. Here is a screencap form that first chapter just to make it all worth it:
And then bam, chapter two starts. The point of view character switches to the other girl and it’s a year later. And these two hate each other. They can barely stand to be in the same room. They’re catty and even mean to one another. They just want to get their shared detention over with so they don’t have to be in each other’s sight again. And Audrey seems to be interested in someone else.
What in the heck happened here? How did it get to this point and can I change it. Avoid it? Will I be going after different people. Whaaaaaa. I have played a lot of visual novels, this was something unexpected! I was pretty hooked at that point, not gonna lie. It was with deep regret that I turned it off and got to the birthday party… 10 minutes late. Thankfully I brought a kickass gift so all was forgiven. Why is kickass the only thing I’m not self censoring? I’m an enigma!
As such, it was with considerable enthusiasm that I started the game back up as soon as I got up this morning. What had started out as a game I was playing out of a mild sense of duty turned into the only thing I wanted to do this morning. I finished it in one go and was about to start a first replay to try and get the few CGs I was missing but I decided I should really write this review instead. After all, if I buckled down I could get it out before the 26th and wouldn’t that be great!
Actual Useful Information Here!!!
In case I somehow manage to not make it clear, Perfect Gold is a short Yuri visual novel. It has the classic mechanics of giving you dialogue options and branching choices at certain points in the story which change the course of events. Although short in length (about 2 hours for a full playthrough) it does have some replay value and some very nice production. However it’s a single branch story, the one between Audrey and Marion. You won’t have tons of parallels routes to explore.
First thing I noticed is that the game is fully voiced. And I mean fully! Anyone that has a spoken line also has a voice actor. And the cast is good. I have had voiced visual novels in the past that were sort of ruined for me because of some questionable acting. Not the case here. I really enjoyed everyone. This said, had it not been the case, you can turn off any individual voice actor separately. If for example you want to voice a character yourself… Not that I would do that. Nopes… Playing over Skype with a friends can be amazing and hilarious.
You can see the character models from the images but you my not realize that they are in fact animated, as are all the CGs. It makes the experience feel a bit more interactive. And there ae quite a lot of CGs. More than I expected at least.
The story is told in a non-linear way and alternates between the points of view of the two main characters. In time, you get to discover what happened between them and decide how you want to proceed. It’s quite romantic, there is no question about what Audrey and Marion’s feelings are but it remains pg13. Sorry to those of you who were hoping for a bit more lewdness.
I, myself, do enjoy a saucy story but once in a while it’s good to have some adorableness as well. The earnestness of the relationship between these two made me smile. And I liked seeing the ups and downs. We don’t often get a chance to explore strife in romantic relationships.
Oh by the way, all of this is taking place in a magical school. I can’t believe I almost left that out. There are potions and spells and everything. It’s a fantasy Yuri visual novel. What more can a girl ask for?
Even after the sale is done, Perfect Gold is still under 10$ full price. 7.99$ to be precise. Considering that before the world went insane I use to spend that on a single fancy coffee once a week, I personally think it’s a more than reasonale price. Honestly I wouldn’t have been disappointed had I bought the game for myself. I really had a nice time with it and I do plan on going back for those missing CGs.
In fact, I enjoyed the game enough to make me want to look into what else YangYang mobile has created. Oh and here’s how they describe themselves: We’re a small indie team who makes story-driven games. Our HQ in the Philippines is run by a group of passionate individuals who live off creativity and pizza! ☆彡 I thought it was cute!
Personally, I found Perfect Gold to be a sweet escape and a great way to pass a few hours on the weekend. I’m quite happy to see that it has very positive reviews on Steam as well. Actually you can see for yourself right here – and get the game if you’re interested! If any of you have played Perfect Gold, I would love to know your thoughts as well.
I realized I only used screenshots from the two main characters. There is a slightly larger cast, see:
Your coffee must be in large size if you paid that much.
It also might be full of artificial flavors and whipped cream and the like. Calling it a coffee is generous