Nova Hearts: The Spark

"Nova Hearts: The Spark" is not a game. It's an advertisement for a product called "Nova Hearts". Nova Hearts is a garbage e-book that isn't even a complete or published product. You can't buy it. What is the point of an advertisement for a product you can't even buy? And worse, one that isn't a game. Nova Hearts is a "Choose Your Own Adventure" e-book about the author's imaginary girlfriends. But this isn't completely relevant because this is not Nova Hearts, it's just an advertisment for it, so it's not correct to try to review that completely distinct product. We must instead review this for what it is... an advertisement. If you enjoy advertisements, you can consume them for free on the web or on Youtube without needing to add them to your game library, download them, and then launch the advertising. It's impossible in a general sense to recommend people should do that over playing real, full games on Steam, and that applies here with "Nova Hearts: The Spark" too. This is only free in the same way that adverts on Youtube and banner ads in your browser are. This is a game demo that's been dumped on Steam to advertise another Steam store page in the hopes of raking …

A very interesting concept with gorgeous art, great music and so far nice characters. There are definitely spots that need big improvements for the full game release but I love that the studio went in a different and just as creative direction as they did with Othercide.

Nova Hearts: The Spark is a free prologue chapter to the larger narrative RPG Nova Hearts, developed by Lightbulb Crew and published by Shoreline Games. Acting as both an introduction to the characters and a showcase of the game’s core mechanics, the prologue blends elements of visual novels, relationship simulation, and tactical turn-based combat within a colorful superhero-themed world. The game explores the lives of a group of young adults whose ordinary routines are suddenly disrupted when a mysterious cosmic phenomenon grants them extraordinary powers. While the prologue is relatively short, it effectively establishes the tone, characters, and gameplay systems that define the larger project. The story centers on Luce, a young woman returning to her hometown of Vermillion after a period of personal uncertainty and burnout. What begins as a quiet visit quickly becomes something far more unusual when strange events begin to occur across the town. Luce and several of her acquaintances unexpectedly develop superhuman abilities connected to a mysterious cosmic energy. These powers force the group into the role of reluctant heroes as they face creatures and threats that seem to orig…

The UI makes no sense. Sometimes it's space to advance, or T, or a click. Then the game encourages you to use other apps on the phone, but you can only advance to the next scene by going back to whatever text you finished and advancing that. The intro startup is also unskippable, and so are the transformation sequences. The combat UI is probably the worst. I have no clue whose turn it is, who is next, and then when one turn ends, the whole thing shifts around.

I didn't think I would have liked this so much given that turn-based combat isn't exactly my thing and "press A to keep text flowing" games generally repulse me but hey it got me good, it's pleasant and I really love the artstyle but most importantly I'm hard crushing on Will enough that I will buy the game, keep it coming <3

such a pretty game omg. im enjoying the love options so far!! very diverse!! combat was a bit difficult to figure out for me, but i got it!! thats the only complaint i have! very very cute and the animation is insane (in the best way:3)