Alright, so I’m going to be upfront right from the beginning: I have a twin sister. So when I happened across Reveries: Sisterly Love and saw it was about twins, I was immediately intrigued.
And just a little bit leery. People can go weird places with the twin thing (often it’s between grossly codependent and violently hateful), and I wasn’t looking to lose my temper today. But I gave it a try, because why not?
Yeah, not the best decision I’ve ever made.
I have to admit that this entire review is based off of the one hour trial, because by the end of that hour I just couldn’t stomach Reveries: Sisterly Love anymore.
The whole game is one giant cliché cheese ball. The story starts out alright, if rather overdone: your twin sister is wishing she could do something to save you from your leukemia when a witch arrives via The Secret World of Alex Mack (Remember her? She had the power to turn into a moving puddle) and offers to save you in exchange for your sister’s youth and health. Naturally she accepts, and after being turned into an old lady the witch whisks her away by again becoming a spooky and super impressive puddle.
So, now you’re completely cancer free, but you can’t enjoy it while your twin is an elderly kidnapped lady, which means it’s off to the mirror world for you.
But who should you happen upon shortly after arriving in mirror world? Why, the handsome prince! And, of course he is immediately taken with your bravery and beauty, I mean, just check out his opening monologue. Man, that is some top notch subtly right there.
And, I'm willing to bet Mr. Handsome on a Horse is going to be a problem for the twins later on down the line. If I were the twin who sold her soul to save my sister, and I found out that she got to go on an epic adventure and found herself an amazing prince whilst coming to my rescue as I sat as a decrepit old lady after having saved HER I'd be a little pissed. Who made the giant sacrifice here? That's right, the old twin. Why doesn't she get to go on an adventure and find a prince?
The main character also kind of drove me up a wall. Here she is, cured by the sacrifice of her twin sister, and she won’t do certain things because she doesn’t want to get paint on herself or "ruin her nails." I know the developers are just trying to make you use an item, but for crying out loud. Your sister has been captured by an evil witch! Time is running out!
RUIN THE NAILS.
I’m a fan of having cute animals in my inventory; it makes me giggle when I glance down and see them.
Still, having a scarlet macaw, a mole, and an injured wolf cub in my inventory all at the same time seemed a little excessive (which isn’t even considering the other animals that fall into my inventory later on).
And I guess that’s how I felt about Reveries: Sisterly Love in general. They took a well-known plot and just threw everything they had at it: weird witches, sentient trees, a rhyming troll, even a handsome prince. Everything was so cliché I just didn’t know what to do with myself.
And the puzzles and hidden object areas didn’t make it any better. Most of the puzzles were so simple a toddler could have done them. I’m no genius, but even I can navigate a tiny scorpion through the shortest puzzle ever made, even if some of the walls do move.
I was partially pleased with the hidden object areas, which weren’t of the usual collect-a-list variety. Instead you put together pairs of items or collected a certain number of a type of item. I found it a bit refreshing, but again I only played for an hour, so who knows what kind of monotony awaits you.
Speaking of monotony, you know what I detest? Hidden object areas that repeat. It feels like a waste of time, and I resent having to shift through the same junk twice. So when I had to repeat the very first hidden object area almost immediately after completing it (not kidding, I left the area, went one screen away, and when I came back it was glittering again) I knew I was in for some trouble.
That’s not to say there’s nothing likeable in Reveries: Sisterly Love. There were some really cute characters (like the smiling magic apple tree) and the world was nice to behold.
My main problem is the whole thing felt like a kid’s story, and I didn’t appreciate having to wade through so many clichés.
And, I think that’s the main problem; Reveries: Sisterly Love feels like a game that’s aiming for a much younger audience. I’m sure my young nieces would love to puzzle through this fairytale of a hidden object game, but for me, the enchantment fell short. I didn’t like having to wander around so much, I hated the cut scenes (the animation was not my cup of tea), and the puzzles and hidden object areas left something to be desired.
All in all, Reveries: Sisterly Love just didn't do it for me. However if you’re a fan of wide open maps and don’t have a problem with overly-done cuteness/sweetness (or if you’re babysitting and need a game the kids can play), then this may be a great choice for you.
As for me, I’m going to go find an adventure or scary game. I need some thrills after all that sap.