Recent reviews by seven

This is yet another review bemoaning the fact that Steam doesn't have a 'neutral' rating. Personally, I'd probably put this at a 6 or 6.5/10. I don't want to drag the game down by giving it a negative review, but I absolutely would have waited for a bigger discount if I knew the mixed feelings I'd have to the game.

Pros:

• Sweet, cute graphic style that adds a cozy atmosphere.
  
• Emotional story that made me cry at one point. (Although I do cry fairly easily.)
  
• Good music that fits the scenes well.
  
• The basic concept of working as a waiter at a restaurant that magically gives its customers their ideal last meals while giving you the chance to learn more about their former lives is fun and compelling.
  
• Epillogues and "post-game" content added some satisfying closure.

Neutral:

• Obviously a mobile port, but the controls are simple enough that it doesn't feel too clunky.

Cons:

• IMO, the story straddles the line of being trite at times, although I'd say overall it doesn't quite get there. It's also very predictable, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but...
  
• Most of the side characters are VERY two-dimensional and are based firmly in uninspired stereotypes. While I understand the game didn't have much time to let its characters make an impact through deep storytelling, the characterization was so shallow that it really dragged my opinion of the game down. For example, you meet an obese gamer addicted to junk food who verbally harrasses his meek mother before dying young from a heart attack, the only dark-skinned character is rude and aggressive when introduced and died from gang-related violence (although this character does admittedly end up being one of the more fleshed-out souls, but that is a very short hurdle), the pregnant mother is the most archetypical portrayal of the 'mother' in the 'maiden/mother/crone' triad imaginable, and it doesn't get much better from there.
  
  Also, the shallow characterization had a side effect of making the whole heaven/hell angle and the question of who "deserves" to go to heaven, get reincarnated, or get erased from existence entirely aspect feel genuinely uncomfortable at times. Like, we're all okay with letting the nine year old urchin walk off to experience hellfire for a bit? Really?

I am a massive fan of short, emotional indie games so I was thrilled at the chance to play Bear's Restaurant after seeing its rave reviews. Actually playing it took the wind out of my sails a bit. I don't regret my time spent with it, precisely, but I personally probably would have waited for a heftier discount, and that's coming from someone who has no trouble paying for a short game as long as I find it emotionally fulfilling. Of course, it seems to have resonated with others more than it did with me (and as I said, it even had me in tears at one point), so I wouldn't say "no" to anyone interested in buying it, either, although I would recommend at least waiting for a sale.

I've never left a review for a Steam game before, but I *just* finished this game and felt that I had to.

It's not always you feel grateful just for having the chance to play a game, but I did here. I didn't know what to expect coming in to this-- I never played the decade-old game that was expanded to create this one, and even though I donated a little to Bobby's Patreon every month, I didn't actually regularly keep up with the updates.

You'll probably know if you're in the target audience just by hearing the title of the game, and the trailer will likely cement things for you. I knew I'd probably enjoy myself, but I honestly didn't expect this to be one of the most delightful games I've ever played. The pixel art is beautiful and vibrant. The humor is cheery and self-aware, but not gratingly so. The music is lovely and always wonderfully suited to its location or scene. The character designs, both for friendlies and enemies, are unrelentingly charming and fun. The bosses are decently challenging but never rage-inducing. The writing is genuine and heartfelt without becoming saccharine. The Star Power feature spruces up fights beyond your garden-variety JRPG battle system and there's a variety of abilities and equipment you can earn to shift your playstyle around in interesting new ways. There is so much attention paid to little details to the point that I found myself constantly backtracking when getting new party members just to hear what they'd say at old locations. And I may have shed a few tears during the epilogue.

My cons with this game are very minor. I crashed to desktop in two separate areas when attacked by a random monster, but there are ample spots to save so I lost very little progress both times, and the problem did not repeat when hitting the same encounter again. I also would've personally preferred a bit slower EXP gain-- I maxed out a decent bit before the end, and while not needing to grind to get there was great, I did miss getting to see the numbers go up. :p (However, I did a fair amount of random battles because I wanted to complete the Bestiary, and I'm pretty sure I hit all the side quests & optional bosses, so that was certainly a factor.) Writing-wise, despite Melody's anxiety being an important part of the story, Harmony as an actual character felt kind of underdeveloped and extraneous, despite her cute design.

The ending keeps the possibility of seeing more stories in Reverie in the future open and sprinkles a few little mysteries along the way to keep up the intrigue. I'd be thrilled to step into this world again, either with Melody and her friends returning or someone new. I can't wait to see what further stories-- here or elsewhere-- this small but mighty team will tell, and based on SLARPG, I imagine anything else they put out would be an immediate buy on my end.