Don't read this unless you have played the game. A link for it is provided.
I saw that that there were no articles, so I thought I could try one. This is a review of Pacthesis' Number Days Sim Date, coming from someone who has played every other one. I know that your all enthused (read:don't give a crap).
First off, my favorite of her games would be Memory Days, so I will be heavily comparing them at some point. You were warned.
When I first played it when it came out, I was very unhappy. I didn't like the mechanics and the sprites, but liked the mechanics of the others more. But as I played, the more I fell in love with the graphics. The sprite mechanic was actually a very welcome change, and it was refreshing to see movement. Some of the cutscenes were made hilarious by the new style as well.
My only qualm about the mehcanics was that it was a bit confusing to find places, and that the map was not alot of help.
The second thing I noticed was the characters. Oh my god, these characters are amazing. For a game that takes maybe twenty minutes to beat, even during the first play through, the characters were incredibly three-dimensional and sympathetic. This is where I'll start comparing to Memory Days. The reason Memory Days had only three guys was so that they could all be better developed. And they were. By the end, you really feel as if you know them.
Number Days, however, pulled that off with six characters. Yes, even the player character is fleshed out during certain routes (mainly Bryce's, him being psychology). Just from their dialouge, and interactions with other characters made them seem so real. More on that in a sec. For example, if you go down Bryce's route (my personal fav), you discover that your character is very insecure, scared to show everything ahout herself because she thinks that it will scare people away. If you go down Spencer's route, you discover that you care more about being accepted as yourself and helping others being accepted that changing herself. Another well developed character is obviously Arlo. He is a hamadryd (did I get it right?) who just wanted some friends. So he forced you to go through the whole ordeal. But by the end, he realizes his mistake and allows you all to leave when your happy points run out.
My next observation is that the characters (I mean like romantic options or side characters) interact with one another. The closest thing we got to that in any of her other games was in Chrono days when Teddy is with you and Landon, when he meets Nathan, or when Cole saves you. Thats it.
But not in Number Days. Quite alot of the story and routes revloves character's actions around other characters. For example, you get expirence with Lena AND Bryce if you talk to Lena and get her to apologize to Bryce about being afraid of him. Or if you romance both Thane and Spencer, at the end they have a fight over you. Whom ever you don't pick goes back to being an aquintance, or if you pick niether, they both do.
A small, but important, thing to mention is the music. It is adorable when it needs to be, sad when it needs to be, funny, creepy and etc. Just perfect, and thats all I have to say.
My final point is the romances. By god, they are all perfect. You get told why they work, and you see what your character and your choice give and gain from the relationship. Again, I'll mention Bryce. You inspire him to be himself, to show all of his goofy quirkness because you like it. And he hopes to bring that same affect out in you. Another obvious example is Lena. She is quiet and shy around everyone but you. You discover that this is due to the fact that she has a fear of tall people, so she is abslutely terrified of people like Bryce, who is at leat 6'3. You help her realize that they are just people, and there is no reason to be scared, and you discover that everyone just needs a little love and help.
Overall, I give Number Days a 10 out of 10. That one thing about finding my way around made playing it the first couple time a bit annoying. But otherwise, it was totally and completely perfect, and a perfect example of how Pacthesis has come, and how much farther she is going to go. Her games will be forever my favorite internet games.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
If anyone actually likes and reads this, I may review the rest of her Days Sim Dates.
The bottom is a picture of Bryce's ending, Jourrneyman, which so happens to be my favorite.
