Refugees from other social media platforms, talking about games and geekery.
Animal Lover - Goofy, Fun Otome
Animal Lover is the tale of a veterinary intern who stumbles upon a curse. Long ago, five guys were cursed to become animals. As it turns out, they can be returned to human form temporaily by the MC's kiss. But, how is she going to help them break the curse so that they can remain human forever?
This is such a fun otome! It is full of goofy, awesome moments that had me laughing aloud. Because, at its heart, it's a comedy. However, the writers did a really good job of handling some pretty deep and touching moments between the characters, most revolving around time lost to the curse. After all, the curse makes these guys practically immortal. Oh, they die! Over and over and over...but as long as the curse remains, they are reincarnated as another fuzzy critter.
I think what I enjoyed the most about Animal Lover is that the relationships develop slowly and naturally. Some otome just jump right into the relationship part. You've known the guys for all of 5 minutes and suddenly you can't live without them. This game doesn't do that. You take a long time to get to know everyone and all of the interactions feel natural. Heck, I had no idea that romance was even happening until I was having dinner with one of the guys and he was all, "So...uhh...after this is over, would you be free? Because I would like that." The story focused on the curse and let the relationship develop in what I felt was the most relaxed and natural way that I have ever seen in an otome. At the end, though, you get a sweet epilogue showcasing you and your manimal after things have returned to normal.
The text is written in a natural voice, the same as you would use when talking to a friend. At first, that voice feels a little weird but, after awhile, it feels like it wouldn't work any other way.
I highly recommend this one! It was hilarious and touching and sweet and somewhat sad, in some places.






Oh! Oh! And, I almost forgot! One thing that made me chortle happily was the fact that they referenced Fruits Basket, in-game. When I first started playing, I thought, "This is a lot like Fruits Basket." And, later on, all the guys are sitting around chatting.
"I think you're definitely a Yuki."
"What?! I thought I was more like Shigure."
"No. You're not nearly leery enough."
"Who would want to be Kyo? He's stupid!"
So, I've played through a couple of times, now. While I still think the game is adorable and well worth the money, I don't see much reason to replay it. The story remains the same, regardless of what you do. You get a few different lines of dialogue here and there, but the storyline doesn't diverge, at any point. You still go from Point A to Point B to Point C.
You do get a different dinner scene and epilogue with each guy, but those are such a tiny parts of the game that it's not really worth the time. If I were a cheevo completionist, I'd keep going. But, I think I can safely uninstall and put this under "completed," for me.