It’s tough surviving college when there’s a kidnapper on the loose!
What They Say:
Nicole is a dating simulator that revolves around your day-to-day life as a college student.
Classes, homework, and mysterious abductions!
You can take up part-time jobs to earn money, explore various locations, do recreational and extra-curricular activities, and meet intriguing characters like Darren, Kurt, Jeff, and Ted.
You might even get to date the culprit!
Content:
You should already know by now that I love playing visual novels. And if you didn’t, well, now you do. All you have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. I am also quite fond of the mysteries. Nicole is a combination of the two. I can already tell that I’m going to be a fan. Hey, wasn’t the last Ratalaika Games visual novel I reviewed also a mystery? It sure was! But Nicole is a bit different. Not only is it a visual novel, but it’s also a dating sim. Gotta romance all those husbandos! Will this game win your heart? Let’s find out!
The first thing I want to mention is that you can experience the game in two different ways. You can play the game with stat-raising gameplay or play the game in visual novel mode. Visual novel mode is pretty self-explanatory. You play through the game as you would any other visual novel. But if you’re looking for something different, then you can choose stat-raising gameplay. In this mode, you’re basically experiencing the life of a college freshman. You play through each day while trying to raise your stats. Raising your stats is supposed to help you find clues that will lead you closer to solving the mystery. They also help you get closer to the guy you want to romance. Do you want to study and raise that wit? Go ahead! Perhaps you want to sleep all day and recover some energy? Be my guest! Heck, do you just want to have a bit of fun and go to the movie theater? Go nuts!
Do whatever you want, go wherever you want. On paper, that sounds pretty cool. Sadly, it’s not as fun as it sounds. While I do appreciate having different ways to enjoy the game, I felt like I could do without stat-raising mode. I played through both of the modes and they’re basically the same storywise. They both have the same dialogue. They both have the same endings. There’s nothing really separating the two except the simulation element. And that’s my gripe with the stat-raising mode. Why should I spend all this extra time going through each day for months when I could just enjoy the story without the hassle in visual novel mode? If the gameplay was interesting, then I wouldn’t have minded. But most of the time, you find yourself repeating the same things over and over again. It got tiring after a while. Heck, it also felt like our stats didn’t matter in the end. On the bright side, it did nail campus life at college. Regardless, I’d recommend playing the game in visual novel mode for the best experience. If you want all the trophies though, you’ll have to play a bit of stat-raising mode.
The story follows a spunky girl named Nicole who is starting her freshman year at college. She’s ready for the college experience! But her college experience is going to be anything but normal. She quickly learns that there have been serial kidnappings at the campus. That doesn’t sound good at all! She should probably be careful. Easier said than done. It’s not long before she contacted by the kidnapper and told that she’s the next target. Well, that sucks. Thus, she is forced to investigate the kidnapper and discover his identity. Who knows? He could be closer than she thinks. He could even be one of the four hot guys you can romance in the game! Speaking of which, the romance aspect is the strongest part of the game. Sure, the story is a bit predictable. The guys are definitely stereotypical. On the bright side, they are written rather well. The progression of Nicole’s relationship with the guys felt natural. They meet, slowly befriend each other, and eventually become lovers. I especially liked watching Nicole gradually realize her own feelings. It was nice.
As I mentioned before, there are four guys you can romance in the game. That means there are multiple routes that you can take and various endings that you can achieve. Score a touchdown with the jock, solve the Rubik’s cube that is love with the nerd, clock in with the workaholic, or live on the edge with the bad boy. Just remember, one of them is the kidnapper. I wonder which one it could be…
As for the visuals, they were quite lovely. I really liked the pastel color palette. It does a great job setting a romantic mood, that’s for sure. All the fluff! The character designs weren’t particularly memorable but they weren’t bad. The backgrounds were nice. The CG scenes were cool but I wish there were more of them. The music was mostly forgettable. Just like elevator music, it was just there. Nothing wrong with background noise.
This game is published by Ratalaika Games. All you trophy hunters out there already know what I’m getting at. If you’re looking for an easy platinum trophy, then you’re in the right place. Nicole is a very easy game to platinum. If you actually want to enjoy the story and get all the endings, the game will take you about five to ten hours depending on how fast you read. It’ll also depend on which mode you want to play on. But if you don’t care about any of that and just want the trophies, it’ll take you less than thirty minutes with a guide. Again, I’d recommend actually reading through the text and immersing yourself in the story. This game is one of Ratalaika’s more pricey games. Might as well get bang for your buck, right?
In Summary:
The characters may have been a bit cliche and the story somewhat cheesy. But you know what? It was fun. And that’s all I can really ask from a game. While I wasn’t a fan of the stat-raising gameplay, I did appreciate the fact that you had the option to play the game in a different way. Visual novel mode all the way though. The romance was easily the best part of the game. The way the relationships progressed felt natural. A lot of visual novels have trouble making the romance believable. I’m glad that wasn’t the case with this game. I’d say that Nicole is a charming game with a few flaws. There is enjoyment to be found here if you can look past them. If you’re a fan of otome games, then you may also like this game.
Grade: C+
Publisher: Ratalaika Games
Developer: WinterWolves Games
Genre: Dating Sim, Visual Novel
Age Rating: T for Teen
Number of Players: 1
Release Date: July 31st, 2020
MSRP: $18.99
Platform: PlayStation 4 (Reviewed), Nintendo Switch, Xbox One
This review was done with a review copy provided by the publisher. We are grateful for their continued support.
