Thank you Ratalaika Games for sending us this game to review!

A Little Lily Princess is a dating simulator-style visual novel based off of the famous classic A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (however, the original book does not have any form of lesbian relationships, because it was released in 1905). It is set in Victorian England; more specifically, an all-girls seminary school in London. The protagonist, Sara Crewe, was sent there by her loving father because he thought she wouldn’t be able to handle the climate in India, where she was raised. The headmaster, Miss Minchin, is a cruel and abusive woman who doesn’t care whatsoever for her students and only treats them with respect if they have a lot of money to their name. There are six love interests in the game, all with very different personalities.

The gameplay is very similar to most visual novels: you just click (or on a console, press a button) and the text goes forward. However, this game is technically a dating simulator, so there is a system that runs on weeks. Every week, the player has to pick an activity to take up each day for the five weekdays. Because of the stats system in place, each activity can generate three possible outcomes for stats gained. At the beginning of the game, there are seven possible stats to collect for: knowledge, artistry, patience, sympathy, grace, belief, and vigour. (The belief stat does indicate belief in Christianity, which I personally find extremely ironic considering the game’s focus on immoral relationships.)

The stats are collected so that the user can play events for various characters. There is only one possible ending per character, as there are no true choices other than the player’s decision to visit a particular character. Collecting these stats can get tedious at times, as the requirements can get pretty drastic for certain events. Having to constantly balance the character’s activities in the right order is somewhat draining when you’re just trying to enjoy the game.

As this game is based off of the classic book A Little Princess, there is a point in the game when the protagonist loses everything, and thus, the stats change: the seven stats at the beginning of the game are morphed into six: hunger, fatigue, pride, pain, sorrow, and chill. They serve the same purpose as the original seven, the only difference being that they utilize negative traits instead of positive ones.

The music is alright, and the player can listen to it in the main menu. There are some sound effects, but they aren’t super prevalent because they simply don’t need to be. The soundtrack is orchestral, which fits the mood and setting of the story.

The art style is adorable. I really do enjoy it. The backgrounds are also very well drawn. However, the CGs, while also being very well drawn, are clearly designed to evoke sexual tension of some kind. There are a few that showcase the protagonist kissing someone, and there’s a couple that display her being pinned against a wall. There is even an image of her on her knees, doing the equivalent of proposing to another character.

A Little Lily Princess is very well polished. There was only one typo that I noticed, and I have an eagle eye for these types of things. It wasn’t a misspelled word, it was merely a capitalization typo, where a word was supposed to be capitalized but wasn’t. The story is well written, and the routes are as well. Even if I do not agree with the values it is promoting, I cannot deny that this is a well-produced game.

Morally, there is a lot to avoid in this game. If you are a Christian parent, this game would not be wise to introduce to your child, because the entire premise revolves around homosexual relationships. A Little Lily Princess was rated by the ESRB as Teen for language, but there are no explicit words present, so my guess is that it is rated due to the nature of the characters’ relationships. Any romance present in this game never goes past kissing, but there are a few routes where the protagonist proposes to another girl. They don’t explicitly ask to marry them, as the setting is in Victorian England, but the intent is very clear.

Some of the options for the protagonist to court are questionable at best. The protagonist herself is twelve, and one of the possible characters is eight. Another is her maid at the beginning of the game, who is a fully grown woman. Granted, these routes don’t have nearly as much romance as some of the other ones, but their presence is somewhat concerning. The headmaster of the seminary in the game, while not a dateable character, is also not a good role model at all.

Overall, it’s a well made game, but you should be aware that A Little Lily Princess promotes sinful lifestyles.

- Kittycathead