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AWOOOOOOOOOOO!

  • Kylaila
  • 05/05/2015 06:51 PM
  • 1175 views
Following the footsteps of Hatoful Boyfriend and Jurassic heart comes Canis Carus, capturing the hearts of your wolve teachers!

You come out in the sticks to cram for your exams under the guidance of a special teaching institution - only to realize that you will live with and be taught by wolves
I have a hate-love relationship with otome games of all kind. While I enjoy the concept, I usually do not enjoy the execution. I love silly things like Jurassic heart but I can also appreciate less romanced once such as the knife of the traitor.
Otome games in general suffer from heavy stereotypes and thus not only predictable action as well as character developments, but also from problem-riddled completely unattractive characters you are supposed to come to like. And a complete lack of logic.

Canis Carus is no exception from these rules - although it uses stereotypes that are seen in the internet additionally.
Girl meets (wolve) guys, guys fall in love fast and hard, show their soft sides, done.

The routes
There are four wolves, but only two elaborate routes as the description warned you already.

There is an easy going, ever-joking wolf.
+ the internet supa gangstahhh and an annoyingly abnoxious furball who are just there to accompany you. There is no path available for them and choosing them as your tutor - and thus roommate - will result in an early end of the game.

So to choose for your liking is the supernerd forever-alone otaku wolf
and the super-tough but actually super-soft wolf living close to nature.


..yeah. Where's the door?

The first one is an extreme stereotype, and not an attractive one. I am not talking about figurines or game-collections (that is awesome in my book), but the complete lack of confidence, of backbone or .. doing/saying something. Plus, I really, really, really, really cannot agree with the happy promotion of a NEET or hikkikomori-life as the goal and happiness of your life.
Building someone up as the only real interaction does not attract me, so to speak.
The second one is more interesting, at the very least.

What makes this genre so enjoyable is the interaction between you and the characters - and making choices so you find out the most about them and something actually happening between the two of you.


This is the most romantic feeling to wake up to.

In this game, however, there is only very little additional information you can gather and frankly - you cannot do much to your beloved, nor do they to you. There is no direct love expressions, no direct desire or expressed attraction (although it is obvious to notice from the wolves) - and that makes it hard to relate.
Most of the dialogue is about you being tutored - sometimes doing a little multiple choice quiz or reading texts.

For all that is happening, you could still think of yourself as a "friend" to your pick, as you barely move past friendly activities. I did not feel any relationship forming, nor did I feel involved.

As the activities and conversation partner are all determined by the choice at the very beginning (a conscious pick obetween people, pardon me, wolves!), there is little way for error. Your actions only change the actual ending, not the path leading up to it.

Logic?
I mentioned the logic holes before, and there are quite a few tying into the art style alone. The game's background are neat photographs with the wolves drawn into it. Their expressions are a little bit too strong (tears being waterfalls and blushes in a bright pink), but oh well.

While the photographs are nice to look at - especially the snowy environments, it makes you wonder what kind of building you are exactly in.

You are in a wooden cottage out in the sticks. In the middle of a forest.
And it contains a run-down floor/space, a clean neutral floor/space with completely different material of different age and lastly a noble suite with marmor, carpets and other decorations.
And the kitchen is a completely different style yet.
Nevermind that the cottage we first saw could never be spacious enough to harbour all of this.

And then there are the endings .. that change your life completely, of course, but .. they are fairly senseless and do not involve your beloved directly, either. Your beloved influences what you do with your life, but your beloved does not play a romantic role at all. It just says you will move to their cottage.

All in all
The sound selection is fairly decent, even if it mixes different styles at times.
So are the graphics, even if they make little sense for the building.

But Canis Carus does not feel like a dating game, but it does not hold enough story or meat to engage you in what is happening around you, either.
I feel it should have had more interactions between all of the wolves, less focus on the tutoring and just real interactions. You do something, too.
Don't just stand around, make choices to visit a certain place or to suggest doing something with someone - it makes the game much more engaging and allows for truly different paths.


Check out my sitting skills!

As it is now you are watching .. stuff happening with little changes. You feel like a mere bystander. Some stereotypes are a little bit ridiculous, but not made out to be funny, either. I feel the main catch is the wolf-dating, but there is little to support it, unfortunately.
It is still amusing at times, but I'd love to have seen more meat references!

If someone is less picky with otome games, go ahead by all means.
But I feel there are more enjoyable titles out there even if it is just Jurassic Heart for the heck of it.

Posts

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Hey, thanks for the review!
This is my friend's first game using Ren'Py :)
Some of the music in the game was made by our friend 'shuaa'
I used his music for We Are Not Angels radio
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