Cage of Roses

This brought me joy and made me feel seen in ways I did not realize I was lacking. Vampirism is a fabulous allegory for queer and transgender representation; being at odds with one's body and desires. Though there is explicit queer representation, the vampirism adds more nuance and intrigue in the exploration of queer themes. There are also strong themes of abuse, abuse recovery, and redemption, and the narrative device of vampirism adds depth to these as well. I really enjoyed the visceral nature of the writing, describing the characters' thoughts and sensations. I adore the artwork and the music is wonderful.

Magdelena's exposition dumps (edit: plural) at the beginning of the game are one of the worst writing crimes I've read this year

truly expositionslop. I don't know how you fumble the concept of vampire yuri this badly

<Cage of Roses> is the first visual novel I've read from ebi-hime's repertoire, and it certainly won't be the last. Melancholic and ever so beautiful, it paints a vivid picture of the lives led by two very lonely women, both before and after they become each other's salvation. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, which brought the atmosphere of the setting to life. I also fell in love with all of the characters, save for the arrogant fiancé, but I suppose even his character was quite interesting and as insufferable as everyone else considered him to be. I quite liked how ebi-hime sprinkled clues throughout the story, and I was scrambling to piece them together, so I'd recommend every future player to pay close attention to what Meike and Magdalena say and do. It makes the eventual reveal(s) so very rewarding. But apart from the tender and beautiful romance that blossoms between our leads, another aspect that truly captivated me was how this was simultaneously a story about women empowering and supporting other women. All of the women are so remarkable, and I enjoyed reading a tale where people had one another's best interests at heart (particularly Henny). I have only one teeny qu…

Liked the story.

I enjoyed the gothic horror/ Victorian setting, the story was quite intriguing, and the artwork was great with great character designs. However there was a little too much repetitive dialog and inner monologuing about the events that happened prior, with little new information being sprinkled throughout. Also a lot of the same panels being reused over and over which isn't uncommon for vns but the art is so fantastic in this one I would've liked more scenes. Lastly, I wished there was more development between the 2 love interests to really sell it, and less time at the maid quarters section.