Reviews - joiedecombat

I have very mixed feelings about this game. I'd probably have rated it lower than I did were the artwork and general production level not significantly above the level of most freeware amateur VNs.

The trouble is that the game is not exactly what it's promoted as being. That's clearly intentional, but unfortunately I don't find that the twist which occurs after the prologue really adds anything to the game. It comes across as a shot at myself, the player, criticizing my expectations and the conventions of the genre, while still acting out those same conventions with no sense of self-awareness. If you were to strip away the framing device, the post-prologue twist, and all of its trappings, the game could stand on its own merits as one of the better freeware OELVNs, but it's hard to feel good about a game that not only intentionally pulls the rug out from under the player's expectations but proceeds to spend so much of its time calling those expectations shallow and fake.

The game could possibly get away with that if it did something truly unconventional with its story and gameplay, but the real story of Ristorante Amore isn't one bit more unpredictable than the story it purports to be and then mocks the player for wanting.

It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.