Find love amidst the flowers in this free dating sim
War of Roses is a free simulation video game that lets you save a flower shop with the power of love. Developed by owl., this indie dating sim offers some dress-up game mechanics and a light-hearted plot with some love triangle drama.
This visual novel has the usual serving of several romance routes and endings. However, take note that some of them force you into a strange relationship with a character even though your choices are supposed to reject them. This can make some of the love interests unappealing to some players.
The meaning of roses
The story of War of Roses revolves around a family-owned flower shop in a city. You play as Rose, a daughter of that family and currently helping out in the business. However, you soon learn that your grandfather plans to sell the shop to your bigger rival due to the dwindling sales. You decide to step up and save the shop—though the road ahead has some surprises in store.
You can rename Rose and customize her appearance—although this part is limited in choices. There are numerous outfits to unlock, though, and you do so by choosing between “Sweet” and “Spicy” dialogue options. This dress-up aspect is interesting as the game doesn’t force you to get and wear certain clothes just to appeal to a love interest, unlike in most dating sim games.
For the love interests, there are three of them available and each has an ending—with a total of four endings in the game. Some forcibly become entangled with you, however, despite choosing not to when you’re prompted. This can make the plot frustrating but the characters themselves are well-written and your protagonist doesn’t feel like a generic heroine despite the dialogue options.
Has room for improvement
Overall, if you’re looking for a dating sim that has dress-up gameplay and love triangles, then War of Roses is a great choice to try out. The romance plot isn’t for all fans of this genre but everything else is polished well enough to make this a solid VN that’s entertaining and inspiring. This is also highly recommended to those who want POC characters.
