In this Virche Evermore Epic Lycoris review, I go over what I thought of it, and whether I recommend it to already-existing fans of the franchise.
Okay, Virche Evermore has the perfect aesthetic for me. It’s almost like it was made for me. The main aspect that drew me to the game was the gothic style of the clothing and character designs. Playing the game, I wasn’t disappointed when I realised that this theme is apparent throughout the entirety of it, especially with some of the storylines.
If you loved Error Salvation, then make sure to check out Virche Evermore Epic Lycoris – it’s an interesting sequel.
Virche Evermore Epic Lycoris Review
The only downside was the fact that I hadn’t played the previous title, Virche Evermore Error Salvation. With my review copy, I was thrust into the deep end, with no prior context of the overarching story and the cast of characters. This, of course, is to no fault of the developers of the game, and I don’t want to let it skew my opinion of Epic Lycoris.
Lots of Options
Overall, I think this is a wonderful game for fans of Error Salvation. You get to play through a variety of alternate endings, both good and bad. Bad in the sense that they’re depressing and dark. From the selection screen, you have multiple options to choose from.
Side Stories (Interlude)
The first is the Side Story Interlude page. This contains an extensive list of side stories featuring the main characters. I was impressed by the box to the right that includes icons of which characters are involved, whether or not you get a new image for the collection by completing it, and if it has a choice option within it.
There’s also the ‘Unread’ section, which helps to keep track of the stories you’ve read through already. You can set specific ones as your favourites, to remind yourself to go back to them whenever you want.
They’re relatively short in length, and there are only slight references to the previous game in some of them. As someone who hasn’t played Error Salvation, I still managed to enjoy the side stories.
Side End (Encores)
This is where I started to get lost. This option is mainly for those who have experienced the full story of Error Salvation. You can select which character’s journey you want to embark on, and is much more story-based than the Interlude Side Stories. Whilst you can still immerse yourself in these stories, it certainly helps to have prior knowledge of what’s going on.
Virche De la Coda (Emotion)
Wow. These endings are… depressing. For each character, you can pick between the Salut and Despair endings. I won’t go into detail, as I don’t want to spoil them, but even with me not having a connection to the story or characters, I could feel the emotion in them all. You can only play through the Despair ending for Ankou, as the Salut ending is locked behind some other content.
Tradition (Drifter’s Story)
This option allows you to experience the Drifter’s story, which adds some extra context to the plot. Upon completing this story, you can unlock the Virche du Salut option for Ankou.
Quality of Life
My favourite quality of life aspect in Virche Evermore Epic Lycoris is that even when you return to one of the choice-making parts, the ones you’ve already selected in the past are outlined in blue! It’s a great way to remind you of what you’ve already played through. There are also other quality-of-life additions that make the game much better.
Glossary
Including a glossary in any game is a plus. Sometimes, it’s necessary to go back and brush up on your knowledge about a certain topic, especially when the game has extensive lore. This in-game glossary contains all you need to know about people, locations, and more.
Gallery
All good Otome games have an in-game gallery! All of the special pieces of art you collect throughout the various stories are stored here. It helps that the art style for Virche Evermore Epic Lycoris is astounding. You also get to select the specific character you want to view the art of, which is a nice way of filtering them all.
Flowchart
I love the idea of the Flowchart. It’s where you can revisit old chapters of the longer stories within Epic Lycoris. As with the Side Stories Interlude page, the Flowchart includes the icons of the characters that appear in the chapter, whether there’s a choice to make, and if there are any unlockable images. The flowchart branches out depending on the choices you make, so you can easily go back to select the other options.
The good
- Excellent for those who loved the previous title, Virche Evermore Error Salvation
- Stunning gothic art
- The UI sticks with the gothic theme and looks amazing
- Lots of quality-of-life features
The bad
- To get the most out of the game, you need to play Error Salvation first