Roommates
Platform: iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux
Please note that this game received its rating of O for a gory Halloween costume, profanity, (non-explicit) sexual content, and a lot of alcoholic consumption.
Winter Wolves tends to go big with their visual novel games. Saving the world from ancient evil, surviving a shipwreck, even solving a murder... but with Roommates, they get back to basics... college life. Depending on what version of the game you choose to buy, you'll play as either Max or Anne, both freshmen with their own hopes and agendas. Whoever you're playing as, the basic gameplay remains the same. The game will take you through the daily life of campus, allowing you to make decisions that influence how people look at you and the way things play out. You'll be able to create your schedule for each day, choosing what to do and where to do, which influences your money and energy levels in addition to improving your grades and your character traits. Rather than traditional statistics, Roommates uses things like Rationality, Spontaneity, and more, which are important when it comes to getting along with your fellow students. And I do mean getting along, wink wink, say no more, say no more!
It wouldn't be a Winter Wolves game without romance, of course, so naturally there are four romantic options for both Max and Anne, including female/female and male/male. While it's disappointing that there's only one gay option compared to a straight player's three (is one choice really any choice at all?), Winter Wolves has always stood out from the pack by making an effort to begin with, especially with Loren the Amazon Princess, which offered multiple gay and straight options for players to pursue. As for the characters themselves, they're a diverse and extremely likable lot in many ways, and the different personalities liven the game up considerably. They have a lot more depth than it may seem at first impression, from Isabella's unexpectedly earnest and generous charm, to Rakesh's mad fits of occasionally dangerous artistic fancy... well, I mean, of course the best way to decorate is a hacksaw! Everyone is very well-written, and Roommates might be the first Winter Wolves game that really made me want to scour every single path to see all of the content with all of the characters and scenarios. Both Anne and Max's storylines offer a lot of different content and interactions to boot. At the same time, however, it did lead to some inconsistencies... at one point, Anne was asking Max to play guitar for her while saying she'd never heard him before, when just a few days ago I'd played a scenario where she'd helped him busk in the park.
By keeping the overall story comparatively drama-free, Roommates delivers a mostly light-hearted tale with some seriously funny dialogue and endearing moments... mayonnaise bath anyone? The gameplay is going to be extremely familiar to anyone who's played a Winter Wolves sim, right down to the grinding for grades and statistics, but the little colour commentary your character offers for each activity provides a lot of charm that breaks things up. That the game also clearly displays what traits each romance option looks for, and at what values, allows you to focus your efforts without flailing around in the dark. It's the sort of relaxing yet engrossing experience that seems to manage putting you in a good mood with ease. Roommates doesn't drastically shake up the life simulation visual novel formula, but it is proof positive just how much fun a simpler storyline can be when done right. Roommates is warm, funny, and definitely replayable... all the earmarks of a genuinely fun visual novel that will make the time fly. Though its stories aren't as complex or dramatic as others, Roommates is certainly my favourite Winter Wolves visual novel to date, and maybe one of my favourites in the genre, period.
Windows:
Download the demo
Get the full version (Anne's Story)
Get the full version (Max's Story)
Mac OS X:
Download the demo
Get the full version (Anne's Story)
Get the full version (Max's Story)
Linux:
Download the demo
Get the full version (Anne's Story)
Get the full version (Max's Story)
Have to say I'm not super crazy on Max as a player character, he comes off as an abrasive jackass and this doesn't seem like the kind of game where he's going to grow out of it.
And some of the relationship scoring seems kind of arbitary, such as the murder mystery where because I (Anne) guessed correctly, it lowers Max's relationship which imho makes no sense as it's just a game with no penalty for the 'murderer'.
Max has a lot of scenes the farther you go into the game that provide a lot of context and depth for his character, although I did initially have the exact same reaction as you. Thankfully, the incident at the party is pretty much the only weird instance of relationship scoring I can think of, but look at it this way... if you guess correctly, you deliver this massive, hostile takedown of someone, even if they're just playing a role, and all you're doing is highlighting negative traits that have a LOT to do with how that person is OUTSIDE of the role they're playing, so to them it's a case of hearing a lot of bad stuff that rings true to them about their character.
'In-app purchases' - do we need to purchase the full version inside the app? I wish pricing was more transparent on mobile games.
Good try
but i feel bad in the art style
which is Japanese Gal game but with America CGs
I need help...I do everything I'm supposed to, but I can't seem to get Rakesh's ending for Max. I pretty much make him the only character whose stats I level up and I even got the relationship bar to 95! Do I have to play it on hard, do I have to mix it up-WHAT!? Please help...
i really do love this game it has got me addicted to playing it, i'm stuck on max's story though i cant seem to do well on them even on easy mode i finished anne's story on easy could anyone help me with max's story.
Ugh! I need help like I'm so good to Isabelle I get every point for her but I can't get her stat higher than 90% so I don't get her spring break ending like wtf man! Can you post a walkthrough
Sorry jsykitty96, we don't have a walkthrough planned. (They are extremely time consuming and expensive to make, especially for lengthy games!) The best advice I can give for Isabelle is to
make sure you have both of the two stats she values as high as they need to be prior to spring break. Always side with her any chance you get, but also make sure you aren't just sucking up to her... she likes people who are fun and flirty, but she also likes people who are honest with her. The exception to this tends to be in scenes that might not be strictly "for" her... for example, a lot of Dominic's scenes tend to involve choices where he butts heads with Isabelle, and while Isabelle's option is usually always more irresponsible, you have to choose it if you're going for her. There are a LOT of scenes for Isabelle, so always make sure you play every one the game presents you rather than skipping them because you never know if one might wind up involving Isabelle.
If all else fails... cheat! If you're really stuck, save before every choice. If the option you choose makes her bar raise, keep playing. If nothing happens, or if it lowers, just reload your save and try again.
Thanks! I figured out what I was doing wrong with Isabelle I was getting the wrong stats up Lol but with rakesh I'm sure I have the right stats up at 200 and I have him at 95 before spring break Is there a third stat I have to raise or something? But thanks again for the help with Isabelle!
Rakesh ending with Max
I figured it out quite by chance (and I had tried everything else). I decided to start scoring points with Dominic since he doesn't have an ending with Max. When it comes to the staring contest, and you have made 55 to 60 points with Rakesh beforehand (unclear if you have to do the Halloween event with Rakesh being guilty or not), SIDE WITH DOMINIC. Nuts, I know, but you'll actually get 5 points from Rakesh (you have to have played all the events with Rakesh and gotten the points).
I know this has driven other nuts; there is an answer thank goodness! :-)
See the comment I placed on May 5th; only found it by exhausting every single other option!
Thanks so much you don't know how many times I tried getting his ending I got every other persons ending besides his thanks so much! You're awesome
I've just got this game on my tablet but can't work out how to get jobs. There never seems to be an option/choice for this. Can anyone help?
Hi Mary. Jobs are scheduled like any other task from your calendar screen and marked with "work". Some are available right away, others need to be unlocked later on, and still others are only available if your skills are high enough. You don't apply for them, and you can work them as often or as little as you want, and more than one at a time too.
I seem to be having problems unlocking Dominic's Spring Break scene for Anne. I have my stats up to where they need to be, but don't know if I need to do anything else to unlock the scene. Does anyone know how to do this?
Guys can i know which are the two stats isabelle values? thanks!
Can you help me with Rakesh's ending with max, How do you even get the meter full I can only get it to 90 :/ and what's the hidden prerequisites I'm really confused and I can't seem to get the meter to 100 before spring brake can you help ? :)
Scifigirl, please help me with Max's ending, nothing is really working for me xc
Dora or scifigirl, please help xc
Hello! The only advice I can really give is the same I can give for all the characters. Make sure you're focusing on only building the skills that relate to him, and ALWAYS play every event because you never know what he's going to appear in. If you're having difficulty building your relationship, save before each choice. If the option you select doesn't give you a relationship increase before the scene ends, reload and try again. Sometimes the obvious choice isn't always the correct one... you might not get a boost in relationship for siding with him in a particular scenario or just flattering him, but you could if you chose to be more honest with him instead of just kissing his butt. :)
The only thing is, I cant do it, for example, I got Max and Anne to 100% before spring break and there wasn't any scene for the Spring Break romance
Some characters require more than just skills and relationships for the romance scenes to actually trigger. For example, I believe that your grades are important to Anne and Dominic.
Omfg I wish there were guys like Dominic that actually exist in real life. (He is literally PERFECTTTTT. asdfghjkl) I unlocked the spring break and ending with him and spent $3.00 to actually have the requirements for him. I am literally a hopeless romantic- I wish there were more scenes with Dominic though, most of the scenes I think were pretty much with Isabella even though I didn't really have a good relationship with her. :'3
How do I stop Sally from dating Memphis in Max's story?
Update