Review: Alexandra (Ptolemy Games)
Ed's H Game Review!
Alexandra
Game Type: Ren'py Choice-Based Visual Novel
Creator: Ptolemy Games
Version Played: Final
So... that crossover. That I mentioned in my Haley's Story review. Well I brought that review - and honestly this entire project - back from the dead because I actually just finished Alexandra, and wanted to talk about it.
This is a game about a guy with temper issues - and maybe a demon possessing him - who ends up falling in with a Russian Mob family. And specifically Boris' daughter, the eponymous Alexandra. This is a love story that ramps up fast. Alexandra is the primary love interest, and stays that way throughout the entire game. And then there's Alexandra's girlfriend Isabella. Who is a secondary love interest, and stays that way throughout the entire game. This is... actually kind of a poly game. Not just a harem game, though there's no shortage of scenes with other girls if you seek them out. But the core relationship is actually a throuple, with quite a bit of maneuvering that. That's actually fucking awesome. I love that. It's not perfect, I feel like sometimes the writer has to be reminded that Isabella is also a love interest.
This is for the most part a very tight game, to its credit. It has two major routes. Tell Alexandra about a cop trying to extort the MC, or don't. Those routes go in different ways, with slightly different helpers. But that's the thing. Where most games have the big route choice be about pursuing a girl, this one goes with something more to the actual core of the plot, the crime story. The story clicks in a lot of ways. It mostly works at the things it tries. But there are hiccups. There is a quasi-supernatural component to the game, that may or may not actually be real. It definitely falls under Magic Realism. But it's almost too subtle. I get the impression an earlier outline focused on it more, and they pulled back during production. I would have liked to have seen it be a bit more prominent. Not much more, the Magic Realism side of things is quite intriguing, and going Full Supernatural would have been a mistake. But a bit more.
The ending just only mostly works. There's no variation in the ending between the two routes, which intersect near the end. It doesn't entirely feel earned. Certainly it wraps most of everything up satisfactorily enough, but I feel like there's more that could have been said here. A few characters disappear before the ending, with one fairly prominent arc left on the table. I will say it feels like these characters could have a second life. The game doesn't need a sequel, but if one were to be made, I feel like I'd appreciate it.
The graphics are largely quite nice. Some of the assets are DAZ standard, especially the environments, but the characters are well made and Alexandra herself pops on the screen, as the title character should. Most of the characters are distinctive, even one off NPCs. Care was put into these characters, and it shows. Individual frames are well composed, and action sequences largely feel right. The few animations in the game are all sex animations, pretty much the standard animations you see on any DAZ project. They're used well, but not special. I don't really have that much to say, the graphics are probably the biggest weakness of the game, and they're not all that weak, honestly.
This is a good story. It's a pulpy, melodramatic crime novel. It does it's Mafia Intrigue and its Interpersonal Relationships largely well. It stumbles at points, especially with the bloated cast, but is otherwise very worthwhile. If you're going to make a linear game, make it interesting, and that's exactly what Ptolemy did.
Pros: Cool characters, mostly solid story, well executed concept.
Cons: Some characters kinda get forgotten about. No sound/music of any kind. Story wraps up in a not-entirely-satisfying way.
Overall: A fun, pulpy read with some great characters to spend an evening or two with.
Total: 9/10
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