Review: Velvet Bite: Softly, with Teeth Lacks Romantic Flair

Whether you were watching the gritty storytelling of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or finding solace in the romantic escapism of Twilight, it was hard to avoid the blood-sucking fiends on your TV screens in the 2000s. This trend made total sense, as vampires represent an intriguing duality. Folklore depicts them as natural predators, but they can also be interpreted as a possible evolutionary line for humans, as they embody the tantalizing concept of life beyond the grave. These underlining themes speak to our deepest fears and desires, making vampirism not just entertainment but a powerful exploration of our ongoing relationship with mortality. This is why Velvet Bite: Softly, with Teeth, initially piqued my interest. A vampire otome visual novel had the opportunity to explore these unique interpretations and delve into interesting stories. Instead, it offers an experience that mimics the everyday adventures of a typical college student rather than a captivating vampire love tale.

Velvet Bite: Softly, with Teeth, allows you to date both male and female vampires, which opens the dating pool considerably and gives lots of options to LGBTQIA+ players. So, whether you are Team Edward, Jacob or Alice, you're covered here. However, it is worth highlighting that the character you control is static to a female, which could be a deal breaker for some. The plot starts with you arriving at your childhood friend's Halloween party, which is being held in a large, luxurious mansion. Shortly after the festivities begin, you need to use the bathroom and inadvertently get lost wandering through the expansive estate. Eventually, you stumble upon a room where you discover a mysterious vampire coven has taken over the party to celebrate one of their members. After this surprising revelation, the vampires regroup to discuss what has just happened. They agree that if you promise to keep quiet about what you've seen, there should be no issues for anyone involved.

One of the biggest problems with Velvet Bite: Softly, with Teeth is the story unfolds very slowly. After the Halloween party, you are introduced to the main character's daily routine, and you eventually get the opportunity to head to specific locations and go on dates to get to know certain characters better. But a lot of the dialogue exchanges are not particularly romantic, and on the few occasions they are, it feels rushed. Given that other storyline elements build up gradually, one would expect the romance to follow a similar pace, and this discrepancy creates a notable mismatch, which is sorely felt in the story.

You can tell there is some thought given behind the six characters you can romance, as they don't just come from your ordinary, everyday backgrounds. One character, Yvonne, is an ambitious, well-known businesswoman, whereas Everard is a cunning magician. Among all the characters you can romance, Madison is by far the best. Not only is she the vampire who most closely aligns with your age, but the interactions between you and her are filled with genuine emotion. Your character will often tease Madison, knowing exactly how to provoke her, which adds an amusing dynamic to their relationship, and it's easy to see how these playful exchanges could lead to a close bond.

Throughout the plot, there is a heavy emphasis on one romantic prospect, Sebastian. He is frequently portrayed as a deep thinker who prefers solitude. However, rather than exuding an edgy, powerful energy, his character comes across more like a fan fiction archetype. This is a bit disappointing because as long as the plot revolves around aspects of his character, he remains a significant part of the story, regardless of whether you choose to romance him or not. I would have liked to have seen all the characters be equally important to one another.

As the main character is a college student, we see a lot of her daily routine, like attending online classes or heading to the library, and if I were judging it as a slice of life otome game, then I would say that these parts are done very well. But other times, the youth references went a bit too far. For instance, when the main character is at the Halloween party, she starts vlogging her experience. I can't say I've ever done that generally, let alone at a party, which made it hard to connect to the story and the interactions that transpired.

During my ten hours or so with the game, there were no obvious spelling mistakes, and the story was generally easy to understand. A few times, the dialogue had a few unusual terms and phrases, like "tossing my cookies." It's used in a context where most people should be able to pick up what they are referring to without having to do a mass search on Urban Dictionary, but it still felt unnecessarily slangy at times.

Overall, the story is fine, but considering this is a vampire game, there are very few supernatural elements. This is a let down when you think about the topics they could have explored. Even though the stories are rather different, it reminded me a lot of the anime series Vampire Knight at times, as there is a good premise underneath it all. But there is so much angst and needless school activities that it takes you away from the vampirism, which is supposedly the main hook.

One of the redeemable aspects of the experience is the beautiful artwork, as they harbour such bright and warm colors that really make the scenes pop. The characters are also well-drawn, as they are all distinctive from one another, and the locations are nicely detailed. Some of the scenes at night are also effectively portrayed using darker colors and shades to contrast with the lighter hues. The Japanese voice acting is also excellent, as the tone and expressions matched the scenes' emotions, making the character's interactions enjoyable to listen to. However, I did adjust the audio mixer a few times, as there were moments when the voices and sound effects didn't align properly.  

Velvet Bite: Softly, with Teeth was not the vampire romance novel I hoped it would be. While it was great to see a diverse dating roster, along with good artwork and voice acting, the story ultimately fell short. The plot was weak, character development was lacking, and the pacing was questionable. All these elements made engaging with the story and the romance difficult. It didn't lean into its biggest strength, making it hard to recommend over other visual novel games.

Velvet Bite: Softly, with Teeth is now available on PC.

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