Ephemeral -Fantasy on Dark-

Genre: Visual Novel

Players: 1

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Review:

Ephemeral is a Visual Novel released on PC in 2018 and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2021. This game takes place in a world where different fantasy races like mermaids, demons, and vampires all coexist, albeit with a fantastical racism due to a ranked class system. However, this racism is at least nominally forbidden in the game’s setting, a school where the races come together to live and study. Players take the role of a sheltered young girl from the lowest class, the zombie class, who becomes a point of fixation for her classmates both due to her beauty and extremely low social standing.

The artwork for this game is absolutely gorgeous, with some really nice hand-drawn characters and some really beautiful hand-painted backgrounds. This is paired with a light fairy tale-themed orchestral soundtrack that fits the game well, and full Japanese voice acting for its characters.

As for the story itself, this game has stuff going for and against it. On the one hand, its world is fascinating, and its characters are all well-written and instantly likeable. On the other hand, the overarching story is a bit predictable, and the localization is a bit lacking, with somewhat stilted and awkward English. It’s not horrible, but it could have used a bit more work.

Also a bit on the simple side is the way the game incorporates its “dating system” elements. Early on, players choose which of the game’s four male leads to focus on, and the rest of the story mostly focuses on your relationship with that guy. Depending on the choices you make, you can raise how much they like you, ultimately unlocking one of a few different endings. Players can go back and re-play any chapter to try different choices, or can completely switch to a different one of the four “campaigns”, but there’s not really any nuance or crossover here.

The Nintendo Switch version of the game supports the use of a touchscreen, and it works fine. However, there’s not really much need for it, as the standard gamepad controls work perfectly fine. Still, it’s nice that it’s here.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this game’s price. At nearly $40, Ephemeral is a bit pricey for a Visual Novel, especially one without animated sequences or anything truly extraordinary going on with the gameplay or visuals. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s a rip-off, but I’d definitely advise players to consider holding off on this game until it gets a decent sale.

Still, if you can get a good deal on it, Ephemeral is a decent Visual Novel with some likeable characters in an interesting world. The story isn’t anything special, and neither is the gameplay, but overall this is a decent entry in the genre, and one well worth looking into, provided you can get it at a good price.

tl;dr – Ephemeral is a Visual Novel that has you taking the role of a young zombie girl going to a school with werewolves, vampires, and the like, with multiple potential love interests. The artwork in the game is lovely, and the world and its characters are compelling, but the story is a tad predictable, and the localization could have used more work. Also, the game is a bit pricey for a Visual Novel. Still, if you can get it on sale, Ephemeral is a decent choice for fans of the genre looking for fantasy romance.

Grade: C+

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