Your cart is currently empty!
Tag: Cinders
“Cinders” Game Review: Classic Fairy Tale with a New Twist
A different kind of fairy tale.
Over the holidays, “Cinders” went on sale, so I finally picked it up after being in awe of it from the shadows since it was still in the early stages of development.
As a VN maker, the beautiful execution of “Cinders” makes me so jealous. The art, the beautifully animated backgrounds, the motifs, all the different choices and the subtle ways they affect the story… ugh, I can only dream of making such a gorgeous and well-crafted game (and I would kill to be able to hire an artist like that for “Memoirs”).
As a VN player, I felt the story was a bit short, but then again, it only spanned the course of a week, so that’s not surprising. It was the length it needed to be to tell the story it aimed to, I suppose, but I was just expecting a little more. Also, if you only play VNs for the romance, you might be disappointed with this one because, while there are romance options, they’re more of an afterthought. At least the way I played it, I ended up getting way closer to (and learning more about) the step-sisters than I ever did with the supposed love interests. As the official game description advertises, it really is all about the women of the story – Cinders, Sophia, Gloria, and Lady Carmosa – and what made them who they are.
But that doesn’t mean I didn’t like the story! On the contrary, I thought it was a great take on the classic tale. I never really liked “Cinderella” that much because it felt like the moral of the story was just “as long as you’re a good person, someone will come along and save you from your misery,” but “Cinders” provided a much-needed modern perspective with a smart, cunning protagonist who changes depending on your choices. And there are a lot of choices. Most seem fairly insignificant when you make them, but you realize later how much they must have impacted the story. Cinders’ fate really is in your hands.
WARNING: Major spoilers ahead!
I didn’t use a walkthrough because I couldn’t find one that was really clear about which choices to make… probably because there are so many different combinations. So I played blind (which is really rare for me), but I still managed okay.
Anyway, I romanced Perrault during my playthrough because… well… Cinders sums it up pretty well:
I also made friends with Sophia, accidentally pissed off Gloria (I’m so sorry, Gloria, I didn’t mean to… I wanted to be friends, honest!), showed Carmosa sympathy (especially once I found out about the money problems), and I guess I was cold and ruthless? I honestly thought I was playing a good character until it told me I was a Machiavellic Queen. Perhaps I’m not as innocent and kind as I thought, haha.
I went for the Traveler ending first because I thought it made the most sense with Perrault as my lover, especially since I encouraged him to retire. I felt it was wrong for him to compromise his morals just for the sake of keeping his job, so it made sense for him to retire and for us to run away together. Apparently, the game agreed because it’s the only ending where you get a romantic cutscene with him.
After that, I went ahead and got the other two endings I could without changing my attitude or how I dealt with Carmosa and the sisters (the Fairytale Ending and Independent Woman ending).
Of the three endings, the Traveler ending was, as mentioned, the best romantically (at least for Perrault), but in general, I liked the Independent Woman ending the best. It made the most sense overall and allowed everyone to get their happy ending, not just Cinders. Well… almost everyone (poor Perrault and his arm…).
Despite its name, the Fairytale Ending didn’t involve “living happily ever after” at all. Maybe it’s because I accidentally played a “cold and ruthless” Cinders, but that was the most depressing ending ever. I apparently crushed all the prince’s ideals and became a tyrant, Perrault was reduced to my man on the side (and had to compromise his morals and become a spy to do so), and my step-family – who I had spent an entire game coming to get to know and sympathize with – fell into even greater despair and poverty. Yeah, way to go, Cinders; you finally got the power and prestige you wanted at the expense of everyone else’s happiness. Some hero you are.
So yeah…there’s my playthrough in a nutshell. I might play again to see how differently things turn out (and hopefully be kind and good this time around, maybe romance Tobias), but I’m not sure I could ever bring myself to get the ending that involves poisoning Carmosa. She may be a b*tch, but she’s not evil, nor has she done anything deserving death. Public humiliation, maybe, or exile at the worst, but death? That seems a bit extreme.
Feel free to comment or discuss the game with me. I would love to hear your opinions!
Originally posted January 4, 2014 on Tumblr.