A Rose in the Twilight Reviews
A Rose in the Twilight is a worthy spiritual successor to The Firefly Diary and one very intriguing puzzle platformer on its own with a unique and eerie atmosphere.
Still, there’s no denying that A Rose in the Twilight’s story and style earn it much more praise. Rose’s past drives a tale of imprisonment that is as dark as what she must do to escape. Every memory she relives becomes a ghost that haunts her and the player alike — ultimately a much deeper, cerebral experience than other PlayStation Vita titles.
A Rose in the Twilight is a challenging puzzle game with the appearance of a tale which will be very rewarding to the players. It lacks some features, but it is worth a try.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Despite some notable missteps, this peculiar mix of macabre storytelling and 2D puzzle-solving still has an interesting story to tell.
As a spiritual successor to Firefly Diary, A Rose in the Twilight excels in nearly every way. The simple art style of the game makes the gruesome events of the game even more striking, and you feel for this mysterious, troubled girl and her equally mysterious golem companion, as they traverse death traps and monster mazes in search of answers. It’s a carefully constructed narrative that never once feels hindered or neutered by the lack of direct dialogue. Despite a few encounters that were too vague for my tastes, the puzzles and challenges you face in the game are satisfying and difficult in just the right way. It all comes together in a wonderful package with a few stray flaws, but they hardly end up detracting from an otherwise beautiful experience.
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 has some interesting ideas, but poor execution turns it into a massive disappointment. Players won’t find brilliant puzzles to solve like in Inside or Hue, and instead are stuck playing a game that only has a strong atmosphere to offer up. That might be enough for some players, and the game is certainly gorgeous, but when the genre is filled with brilliant games, there’s little value in such a flawed one.
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 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 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.
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.
Review in Polish | Read full review
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.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A Rose in the Twilight is best described on the surface as being an undeniably bleak, somewhat charming, but consistently creative 2D puzzle platforming experience.
Sometimes captivatng, other times frustrating, the puzzles in A Rose in the Twilight uses an interesting but flawed mechanic and delivers a touching story that you have to piece together.
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.
There are plenty of puzzles to solve and many areas to visit, and the game does a great job at keeping you interested until the end. We both had a lot of fun playing A rose in the Twilight and really liked the blood/timestop gameplay mechanics, as well as the story for this release.
A Rose in the Twilight is a very interesting game with a great look and fun gameplay mechanics, but it is not a game for young kids. It’s theme, setting, and gameplay, not to mention the difficulty of puzzles, make this a release for older gamers. The story is very good, and the music is beautiful, and it genuinely transports you into the game’s universe. I highly recommend this game to all PS Vita owners – it’s a gem of a release that you have to play!
Considering its themes and atmosphere as well as frustrating gameplay, A Rose in the Twilight might not be for everyone, but there is some enjoyment to be found for the puzzle enthusiasts that enjoy more punishing gameplay and the game's rather slow mechanics. Everyone else might find more enjoyment in titles like Yomawari or The Firefly Diary we covered previously.
A Rose in the Twilight is, in its entirety, a metaphor for the rose itself; it's a truly beautiful masterpiece, but it's also a gothic kind of beauty, in that it's more than happy to stab you sharply, even as you appreciate everything about it. It's a ravishing, masterful work, that will be played by just a handful, but hopefully remembered for a long time to come.
A Rose in the Twilight's dark and atmospheric tone contrasts well with the budding story of friendship between two unlikely individuals but it's the well-crafted and clever puzzles built on just a few simple mechanics that make it a must-play for any puzzle game fan.