Syrup and the Ultimate Sweet review for PS4, Xbox One, Switch

Syrup and the Ultimate Sweet is a visual novel about a confectioner who discovers a naked candy girl golem in the basement of her candy shop one day, and…I mean, do you really need to read any more than that to know whether or not you?re going to like it? I feel like that sentence alone tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the game. Just about the only surprising thing about the game is when you find out that the developer behind it isn?t from Japan, but rather from Portland.

Anyway, just in case you?re not sold on/disgusted by the game, the very first choice you have to make is whether to have Syrup, the titular owner of the candy shop, give in to the candy girl?s pleading to ?eat her.? Remarkably, it doesn?t come off as dirty as it reads (though it?s not not dirty), largely because it — like everything else in the game — is insanely cutesy and twee. That?s not a complaint, nor is it praise, simply an observation.

This is praise, though: Syrup and the Ultimate is pretty enjoyable, for what it is. The game?s various plots are engaging — and short — enough that they do a good job of keeping your attention, and despite the fact the game seems to be part of some fictional universe created by the developer, you don?t need any knowledge of the characters in order to follow along.

It?s also evident that a lot of love and care went into the creation of the game. On top of the decently-realized characters, the game looks almost hand drawn, and you can tell that the developer has affection for everything you see on the screen.

None of that, of course, will be enough to interest anyone who?s put off by visual novels or extreme quirk. But if you can put up with both of those things, Syrup and the Ultimate Sweet is a pleasant way to pass an hour or so.

Ratalaika Games provided us with a Syrup and the Ultimate Sweet PS4/Vita code for review purposes.