[b]Note:[/b] A wonderful friend gifted me a copy of this game. ^^
[i]Clear Skye Thinking[/i] is a a yuri, kinetic visual novel developed and published by ebi-hime. You take on the role of Alice, a teenage girl who loves wearing lolita dresses and is traveling to the Scottish island of Skye with her dad. Even though Alice really doesn't want to spend a week in Skye, especially not around her dad's friend, Ian, who can be loud and boisterous, she reluctantly tags along. It's obvious that Alice isn't looking forward to this vacation. After she and her dad arrive in Skye and enter their home for the week, it looks like Alice might be right. However, she then meets Ian's daughter, Piper, who turns out to be quite friendly and relaxed and wants to be friends with Alice right away. Seeing that Alice is only going to stay for a week, she agrees, and then, a friendship blossoms between them. I'll stop my story synopsis here to avoid spoilers and all that.
As for the gameplay, the story is linear, so there are no choices present whatsoever. You play through the story from beginning to end, which takes place over the course of seven days in game. Although there is no voice acting, there are several CGs and Steam achievements. However, the latter won't count towards a user's global total until the game is out of "Steam is learning about this game". After you complete the story, the Extras section, where you can view the gallery, author's notes, etc., is unlocked.
Now that I've gone over the story and gameplay, I'll move onto my thoughts. It's probably no secret that I enjoy visual novels by ebi-hime, especially the yuri ones, so when [i]Clear Skye Thinking[/i] became available, I couldn't help getting excited. A friend was very kind to gift me a copy of the game although it's only now that I've gotten around to it. First, I'll talk about the story and characters. I like Alice as the main heroine. She's your typical haughty teenager (I think we all remember what it was like at that age XD) from London who really doesn't want to go with her dad to Skye. It's understandable since having to spend holiday in a quiet, isolated area when you're used to hustle and bustle of the city is a bit jarring (but then again, I guess it depends on the person). I can relate to Alice in a way although I definitely don't share her preference for lolita fashion. lol Even though Alice really dislikes Skye at first, she slowly warms up to the place, especially after meeting Piper, who is Ian's (Alice's dad's friend) daughter. Piper is nothing like Alice expected although the former isn't like Ian, either, or Hilda, her mother. Piper is friendly and relaxed and likes wearing more casual clothes. She and Alice make quite a pair, but despite their superficial differences, they end up becoming friends. Also, since I stated at the beginning of this review that this is a yuri story, you can guess what ends up happening between the two. The romance that develops between them builds up gradually over the course of the week, and I like how it culminates in them confessing their feelings and sharing a kiss. Even though I've gone on for quite a while, I'll just say that the part of the story that most caught my attention was [spoiler]the revelation that Piper likes girls and how her first crush rejected her cruelly. What's worse is that Piper got bullied over it by students at her school and even by her mother, which I'll say, for the record, that it's NEVER ok to bully or harass someone, no matter what differences they have, whether they be values, beliefs, etc[/spoiler].
As for the writing, I found it paced well. I noticed a couple of minor typos, but they don't distract the reader from enjoying the story, which is cute and has its feel good moments as well as its humorous ones. In regards to the art, it is gorgeous as usual. The sprites are in the typical anime style, and they and the backgrounds are drawn well. Colors feel bright but never feel like they're too much. Of course, the CGs are especially lovely to look at.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3255566364
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3255567183
Regarding the music, the soundtrack is lovely to listen to. The tracks feel relaxing and soothing, and they fit perfectly with the scenes they're placed in. You really feel like you're on a small, quiet island for a short vacation. ^^
Overall, would I recommend [i]Clear Skye Thinking[/i]? If you enjoy reading visual novels, love sweet yuri romance, and don't mind that the story is short, then I think it's worth taking a look. I tend to enjoy ebi-hime's visual novels, and her yuri ones are wonderful. This might go into slightly spoiler territory, so I'll just say that [spoiler]I hope there will be a sequel someday where Alice and Piper meet again as university students in England, so I can see how their romance blossoms[/spoiler]. For the asking price, I'd say it's worth it, especially if you're a fan of ebi-hime's visual novels, but you can always wait for a sale, and it's in a couple of Steam bundles. ^^
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