Nova Hearts: First Spark doesn’t quite catch fire

destructoid.com:

Dating sims are harder to create than people give them credit for. Hundreds of thousands of words, dialogue trees that stretch to the horizon and take into account successes and failures, trying to fit in as many characters as possible to suit different preferences; the complexity piles up and threatens to collapse. It gets more difficult when you try to merge it with another genre.

I’ve seen failure happen many times throughout my years as Destructoid’s resident self-proclaimed dating sim expert. There’s a reason why games like Mass Effect usually have relationships no more complex than “listen to life story, complete side quest, bang.” Anything more ambitious leads to juggling problems, and it takes a lot of talent and planning to handle all those balls.

Nova Hearts is a game that, so far, drops those balls. However, mercifully, Lightbulb Crew is starting with just a prologue, so there’s still time to grab those balls and get them airborne.

Nova Hearts: First Spark is the free introduction to the full Nova Hearts experience expected this summer. It has you play as Luce, who has moved back to her hometown after spending some time trying to make it in the city. She’s staying the summer on a sabbatical. From what? Frustratingly, you aren’t told, but you’re expected to go along with it.

“So what happened?” you’re asked on multiple occasions. But you can only make hints because you, the player, don’t know. Why give the choice in how you respond? I’m not sure.

Much of the story takes place on Luce’s cellphone screen. Scenes are set up through text chat. Where the players are going and what they’re planning to do; that all happens on a phone screen. This isn’t a bad way to do it, but it’s handled very intrusively.

At one point, I was invited out to eat right before a party by Luce’s old friends. I’m guessing “eat” is just code for pre-drink. I go to that scene, the bartender asks me what I’m having, I tell him that I’m waiting for friends. Suddenly, Luce is lounging at