Cinders (visual novel)
| Cinders | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | MoaCube |
| Publisher(s) | MoaCube |
| Designer(s) | Tom Grochowiak |
| Artist(s) | Gracjana Zielinska |
| Writer(s) |
Agnieszka Mulak Hubert Sobecki Ayu Sakata |
| Composer(s) | Rob Westwood |
| Engine | Game Maker |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Mac OS X |
| Release date(s) | June 20, 2012 |
| Genre(s) | Visual novel |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Cinders is a visual novel video game based on the Cinderella story that was developed and published by MoaCube for Windows and Mac OS in 2012. The game was developed and published by MoaCube.
Gameplay
As it is a visual novel, the player reads through the story and makes choices at crucial points to change the outcome, leading to one out of four different endings. The player has the ability to watch the endings including the variations again. Furthermore, there are eight trophies the player can collect during the game.
Characters
- Cinders: The protagonist of the story. Based on the player's choices her personality differs.
- Sophia: Cinders' younger stepsister. She is very cynical.
- Gloria: Cinders' older stepsister. She is stubborn and wants to be like Carmosa.
- Lady Carmosa: Cinders' stepmother.
- Madame Ghede: The local medicine woman and a friend of Cinders' late mother. The townsfolk think of her as a witch.
- The Fairy: An ethereal being with suspicious motives who inhabits the Lake.
- Prince Basile: The prince and future king of the country.
- Tobias: A childhood friend of Cinders' and a merchant.
- Perrault: The captain of the royal guard and defender of the village.
Development and release
The game was created with the GameMaker engine. The development time took about one year. Cinders was originally released on June 20, 2012. On May 1, 2014, the game was released on Steam.[1]
Soundtrack
The official soundtrack by Rob Westwood was released on December 24, 2012. It includes 18 tracks at a total length of 59:17. Cinders OST includes extended versions of all the game’s tracks.[2] It won the yearly award for the "Best Original Score" in 2012 by VNs Now![3]
- Fairy Tales [02:15]
- The Curious One (Theme of Cinders) [03:02]
- What Lies Behind the Page [02:20]
- Buttered Water [03:04]
- Born from Decision [04:47]
- Pompous Wisdom [03:38]
- Living Upward [02:18]
- Tragic Double Standards [02:31]
- Swept Away [02:24]
- Voodoo Matriarch [02:34]
- A Friendly Face [04:08]
- Seedy, Greedy and Downright Sleazy [04:02]
- Weary of War [03:00]
- Certainly No Knight [04:11]
- A Fork in the Road [01:09]
- Dance With Me Noble Stranger [04:42]
- Romantic Interlude (Unused Title Theme) [02:12]
- Melodies and Blurbs (Medley of Themes) [06:51]
Reception
Cinders received 5/5 stars on GameZebo with reviewer Neilie Johnson writing: "If you've never experienced an interactive novel, Cinders is an exceptional example of the genre, and the perfect title with which to start."[4] IndieGame" wrote about the game: "Asides from being delightfully well-written, highly replayable and filled with complex, convoluted characters, Cinders is also beautiful."[5]
The game was also featured on Rock, Paper, Shotgun[6] and Kotaku.[7] Cinders won the 2012 VNs Now! award for the Best Artist (Gracjana Zielinska).[8]
References
- ↑ "Cinders". Retrieved 2014-05-01.
- ↑ "Cinders: Original Soundtrack". Bandcamp. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
- ↑ "Best Original Score". Twitter. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
- ↑ Neilie Johnson (2012-06-25). "Review of Cinders". GameZebo. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
- ↑ Cassandra Khaw (2012-06-26). "Review: Cinders (MoaCube)". IndieGames. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
- ↑ Jim Rossignol (2012-06-21). "Novel Visuals: Cinders Is A "Complex" Fairy Tale". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
- ↑ Patricia Hernandez (2012-06-21). "Move Over, Cinderella". Kotaku. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
- ↑ "Best Artist". Twitter. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
External links
- Official Website of MoaCube
- "Cinders". The Visual Novel Database.