A Rose in the Twilight

A Rose in the Twilight does a lot of things well. It crafts a story and a world that makes me care deeply about its central character, it’s visually spectacular when it’s not killing you with its hard-to-distinguish artwork, and it touches on moods and feelings that most other games don’t even attempt to venture into. For as much creativity as there is to be found throughout those aspects, there isn’t nearly enough in the actual gameplay. If the first half played more like the second half, it would have been an outstanding experience in spite of its short length.

A Rose in the Twilight is a gorgeous yet gruesome game filled with lots of clever puzzles. And although it won't take you too long to explore the setting, there are collectibles as well as a fun speed run mode to keep you busy. The pure innocence and bravery of Rose in the face of the castle's cruelty makes for a haunting journey - one that'll stick in your mind for some time.

A Rose in the Twilight has plenty of charm with its fantastic macabre design and style, but it's lacking the substance beneath. While the puzzles are enjoyable enough, they rarely offer enough of a challenge to require much thought and end up feeling like something seen a million times before.

A great 2D puzzle platformer that is a asset to the genre. The creepy, cute atmosphere, and innovative game mechanics make it a game which everyone should dip their toes in to.

A Rose in the Twilight is a title with a dreadfully oppressive atmosphere that stars a tragic heroine whose trials and tribulations are heartbreaking to experience. It features solid, albeit sometimes frustrating puzzles and an abundance of backtracking. It's a title with a niche appeal, but to those that can appreciate a dark fairy tale and have the stomach to suffer through some disturbing imagery as well as some obtuse puzzle designs, this might be a flower worth cultivating.

A Rose in the Twilight continues Nippon Ichi’s excellent run of games that seem to exist specifically to torture young girls.

This game tries to say a lot by only telling you bits and pieces which is perfectly fine. Everything about it feels very well constructed as I’ve never had any issues of any kind. In the end though, while I wouldn’t call this game boring, after I finish a session of playing it, it feels pretty forgotten which is kind of sad because I was ready to love this game like I did Yomawari.

Despite some notable missteps, this peculiar mix of macabre storytelling and 2D puzzle-solving still has an interesting story to tell.

Amazing mix of platformer and puzzle game with blood-oriented graphics. Solve the mystery of a girl with a thorn and her Golem, but be careful – this title will grab you by the heart.

A rose in the twilight is a delicious niche puzzle platformer, with a just right difficulty curve, a heartbreaking story and a bleak and fascinating visual style. This alone should be enough for Vita owners, hungry for new games, but beware: it's not a game for everyone, slow and difficult as it is. We loved our time with it nonetheless.