Vera Blanc: Full Moon review for PS4, Xbox One, Switch

Given that the last two games I played that were developed by WinterWolves were abysmally awful, I didn?t have particularly high expectations for Vera Blanc: Full Moon. Add in the fact that this is a port of a mobile game from 10 years ago, and I don?t think my expectations for the game could have possibly been any lower.

You can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to discover the game is…not terrible. I mean, it?s still not good, so ?pleasant surprise” is definitely overstating the emotions I felt, but still: Vera Blanc: Full Moon doesn?t put me to sleep or feel intense rage like either of the last two games from this developer, so that has to count as a win, right?

Basically, Vera Blanc: Full Moon has two things going for it. The first is the story. It?s a Choose Your Own Adventure-style supernatural mystery about werewolves, starring an abnormally busty 18-year-old telepath. The writing is painfully overwrought, and the dialogue reads like it was written or translated by someone who?s never spoken English before, but it moves along at a decent pace and has a solid mystery at its core. Given that the previous two games from this developer were, again, crimes against video games featuring some of the most appallingly dull writing imaginable, this counts as major progress.

Secondly, the art is…alright. Like the writing, it?s not great, but there?s a discernible Pop Art influence here, whether intentional or not. It?s not a style you frequently see in games, and because the writing is so over-the-top, the combination works well together.

To be clear, none of this means that Vera Blanc: Full Moon is a good game by any stretch of the imagination, nor would I recommend it compared to most other visual novels. By any objective measure, it?s mediocre at best. But given how little I was expecting of the game going into it, mediocrity counts as a pretty major achievement.

Ratalaika Games provided us with a Vera Blanc: Full Moon PS4 code for review purposes.