Genre: Detective thriller visual novel
Developer: Faithy Games
Publisher: Faithy Games
Release Date: Oct 2nd, 2023
Edited by AlexKnight2005
Sunlight Scream is a visual novel that was published and developed by a single person, Faithy Games. It is described by Faithy on Steam as a mix of dating sim and detective thriller. It came across as a murder mystery with some romance options, which is an excellent way to describe it. So the story picks in the fall, and our hero comes to the fictional city of Sunlight City. He is moving there to be with his father and brother after his mother passed away.
Upon arriving, we are picked up by our brother and find out our father passed away recently, too, and it is just us and him. It sets the tone of loss and gives a sense that even side characters won’t be safe in this. It is essential in the script of a story like this. From there, he takes you to your new home, and between that and the next few days, you have your first few days of class and meet a host of interesting characters.
From the timid and lovely Samantha, whom you want to protect, all the way to the queen b of the school, Erica, whom you want to strangle at first but who turns out to be a tsundere of sorts. So, like most nonlinear visual novels, Sunlight Scream is driven by choices, and in this game, it literally can mean the life and death of a character. To this effect, it has an indicator to show you how important the choices are in the form of a battery.
It has three levels: near dead, half charge, and full charge. Near-dead choices have little to no plot impact but can change how scenes flow. A half-charge choice has a more date plot impact and can change the fate of a character immediately or in the near future. A fully charged choice literally means the life or death of a character immediately or in the near future.
Now, unfortunately, the game is not fully voiced at all. While it has decent sound effects, music, and ambient noise, having voiced characters could have taken this game to another level. I understand that, with it being developed by a single person, hard choices must be made, and they can only do so much. Now, the visuals are another story altogether. They are the most critical thing in a visual novel next to the story. It is literally in the name of the type of game.
The backgrounds are well done, for the most part. There were one or two that I would touch up, but that is just me. The character designs were well done. They fit the characters’ personalities to a T. It is part of the reason Samantha is my favorite character. The writing and artwork with her are fantastic. Sunlight Scream hits most of the notes for a good visual note for me and is definitely worth the $6.99 price tag on Steam.
Pros:
- Characters are well-drawn
- Indicator to show how important a choice is
- Multiple endings
Cons:
- Not fully voiced
- Some words didn’t translate right
BoxCatHero gives Sunlight Scream a Drastik Measure of 7.6 out of 10.0 (76)