A short slice-of-life visual story
Charm is a free adventure game that was made by an indie game developer who goes by the name sammy. It is a visual novel that incorporates slice-of-life themes in its narrative. It tells the story of an ordinary girl working as a bartender and her particular charm necklace.
Similar to Cinderella Phenomenon or Christmas Otome, Charm is a game that also employs hand-drawn art and graphics to help convey its story. Where the former goes for a more anime-style look, this one features a more cartoonish vibe akin to classic TV shows of years past.
What is the story about?
Charm is a visual novel that primarily revolves around and tells the story of an ordinary LGBTQ girl and another typical night of her working as a bartender at some random watering hole in the city. A man all clad in black walks in and orders a drink. Noticing the rather distinct ouroboros necklace she's wearing, he decides to ask her about it.
Hoping to get a rouse out of the guy and possibly get a tip, she politely answers with an intriguing tale about the mysterious charm around her neck. Only, her plan backfires and you later find out that the truth and that the story she told was nothing more than a lie, a concoction of her creative imagination and mind. On to the next mark, she tells herself.
A few things to note before playing this game. The first is that it has a very short runtime. You could finish the entire story in a few minutes. The second is that it features a native aspect ratio of 4:3 and will look stretched out on modern monitors today if not adjusted. Lastly, the dialogue features some profanity and adult language that are not suitable for younger audiences.
Truth, lies, and a charm
Overall, if you have a few minutes to spare and you're looking for something to check out to help pass the time, you can give Charm a glance. It features a cartoonish art style and presentation that surprisingly fits well with its story. It has a short playthrough. Nonetheless, its dialogue has this adult charm to it that some players will appreciate.
