Princess of Ruin Preview (Unbrokenhours.com)

This trailer is for the very first commercial game by Unbroken Hours that I was lucky enough to beta test!  When a stranger, Xallaun, saves a young girl, Raissa, from a prison, she has no idea who she is.  With her is Kione, a mysterious fire wizard, and Cyraen, an enigmatic boy with a doll he always carries around.

All they know is that they’re trapped in the ruins of a castle that two of them, Raissa and Kione, feel the urge to protect with their life while Cyraen feels the same urge for his doll.  Can Raissa, Kione and Cyraen get their memories back?  What’s the story behind the mysterious castle?  How does Xallaun fit into all this?  Find out when Unbroken Hours releases Princess of Ruin.

Frozen Essence (Unbrokenhours.com)

Mina has been sleeping for years in a crystal prison.  Now that she’s awake, it’s time for Mina to unlock her true potential as the Death Orb.  Whether she finds romance or corruption is all up to you.

What personality Mina takes is based entirely on what path you pursue.  You can go on Rune, Cauis, Aurelius, Varian, a secret character or the alone path.

Each character has a minimum of two endings and only one of them is the true ending of the game.  Some paths Mina tended to be annoying while on others she was a very strong character.

The game is pure visual novel form.  In the first part, you make choices to determine what character you’ll pursue.  In the next part, you make choices to determine what ending you get.  As you complete each ending, you unlock new pictures for your gallery.

This game is interesting and fun.  I give it 6 out of 10; not a bad way to spend your time.

Heartstring Bugs (Unbrokenhours.com)

Elly has just finished her first year of high school and hasn’t really accomplished anything.  Fortunately, a baby virus from another planet wanting to study humans gives her the ability to see other people’s emotions.  Will this help Elly blossom into more than what she is?

Other than the cute baby virus, this is your typical slice of life dating sim.  Elly has five potential love interests in Huang, Chase, Lucas, Dimitri and Blaze.  Huang is a socially awkward geek who gets English slang confused.  Chase is the smart arrogant jerk trying to get rid of his legions of fangirls.  Lucas is the happy go lucky prankster.  Blaze is the egocentric rock star.  Dimitri is the easygoing boy next door.  Elly can also form a friendship with Tamera, Naomi, or Alice.  Tamera is the outgoing cheerleader.  Naomi is the insecure bookworm.  Alice is the shy withdrawn girl.  She also has another love interest she can pursue that you need to discover on your own.

One factor I absolutely love about this game is that it doesn’t take itself seriously.  It’s ridiculous and the writer knows it.  The game is so funny that there were times I had to stop playing so I could control myself after laughing so hard.  I was just lucky I wasn’t drinking anything at the time.  There’s one plot that draws inspiration from Twilight and as much as I hate that series, I actually enjoyed the storyline.

The game play is very similar to Lucky Rabbit Reflex.  You can date a character to help them raise their impression of you.  Some of the ways you can do so is by entering the same club they’re in, raising your scores in charm, fashion, academics and athletics enough to get good marks and experiment with different clothes to get the style the guy you’re pursuing absolutely loves.  One aspect of this game that separates it from others is that you also have to raise your impression of the people in your life.  All you have to do is click the emoticon that best accomplishes your goal.

This game is addictive and hilarious.  I give it 10 out of 10; I consider uncontrollable laughter a strong emotional response.