The Crown of Leaves
The Crown of Leaves is a hybrid of non-kinetic visual novel and point-n-click adventure, that will tell you a story about mysticism, riddles, constellations, anthro, beasts and ghosts! Three chapters are planned for release; The first chapter has already been released – and it's here. Roui, a resilient city dandy, a half-educated jeweler and the author of scientific magic articles, dealt with a colossal failure and had to return to his homeland: Latori. Science isn't a thing here, and local shoddy mystical beliefs are really irritating and dejecting to Roui. He dreams to return to his old life… But how can it be possible if you have no money? One day, a prosperous local baron commissioned him for a bracelet, a gift for his lovely bride. Roui, in need of the extra coin, graciously accepted the order… But not long afterward he faced a new problem – the Mad Rook, a legendary and mysterious spirit, began to meddle in the lives of the locals, including Roui's. This spirit, an entity that plays tricks on mortals once a year, is possessed with strange magic and a dark sense of humor. Despite all the strangeness of the story, everyone can find something parallel to their everyday life and see themselves in one of the characters. This story will capture you and won't let you go until the very end.
Game Discussion
Steam User 9
Jeez, that was awesome. To be honest, I didn't expect very much from TCOL in the first place.
But the art style really spoke to me and common - what can go wrong at that price?
Well and then the game pulled me into it more and more. The story, the art style, the music, the characters. Everything fits so well! Especially the story was way more detailled and deeper than expected. You can really tell the amount of love that was spend on every detail, which is really refreshing in a world that gets spammed with AI slop more and more.
It really made me a bit sad when the story ended. Dear developers, I need the third chapter!
Absolute recommendation.
Steam User 6
The Crown of Leaves is one of the prettiest games I've played in a while.
It's the first point and click game I had in a long while (maybe ever since the Scooby-Doo flash game) and I'm glad I had given the demo and the full game a chance!
I absolutely fell in love with the songs, themes and, what hooked me into the game in the first place, the astounding artstyle it has. It has a very distinctive look and every background could bring a tear to the eye. I absolutely love the work Lingrimm has done to this game and how every place in it makes you feel a certain way.
I also like how characters are down to earth and memorable, though it's a shame that some of them don't get as much screentime as the others like Fel and Alain, really hoping they return in a future chapter. Speaking of which, the world building has got to be one of the strongest points the game has, the connection between surreal and real is also really well done.
I'm very excited to see how the story will unfold in the future and I definitely can't wait for when the third chapter comes out, I do recommend also giving the game a go, it's very worth it.
Steam User 3
The Crown of Leaves perhaps has one of the best collection of art, music, and character design i've seen in gaming for a long, long time. the setting of TCOL fills an itch regarding the supernatural i've had for a long time, while also incorporating some more unique elements. also, the main character turns from a twink to a DILF.
Steam User 2
It's a beautiful labor of love with a great story. And even if I personally don't like what happens in chapter 2 and it was enough to make me put the game on the shelf, it didn't ruin my memories of chapter 1. I don't think I'll be coming back for chapter 3, but- Regardless I wouldn't allow this review to stop you from at least trying chapter 1 as long as you approach chapter 2 with an open mind.
Steam User 3
It's honestly hard for me to give a full review with the game still being in development, but there is so much good here. I'm genuinely shocked just how many options and variations you can choose in this game, and just how much they affect the story later. While I haven't played a ton of visual novels, this is one of the most variable paths I have ever seen. The sheer number of secrets there are is surprising too. With only two chapters, there are so many wonderful characters to meet, places to see, and world to learn about. I love Roui and how his arc has progressed so far. The joy of figuring out the puzzles was also great, and seeing just how much it tied to. the art and designs are ALSO beautiful. I love the two faction species of Sahash and humans, and how both have their own factions from there. I have 100% what is out of the game so far and can say it is MORE than worth your time if your wanting a great game that has anthro creatures, puzzles, a story where you can have many paths and your decisions matter, and has so much love and time put into it. Will probably update this review as I play more and/or as more chapters release. SO excited to see more from these devs, and hope they feel the love and appreciation from the people who play.
Steam User 1
I rarely play visual novels, and have never tried one with puzzles, so I went in with almost no expectations. However, I was immediately hooked and bought the chapter 2 DLC right after finishing the first chapter. In fact, when purchasing the game I would heavily recommend to immediately buy the DLC as well as it adds extra content to the first chapter.
The story, visuals and puzzles are phenomenal, a perfect recipe for a fun visual novel. On top of this, the game creates a great amount of intrigue by only revealing some parts of the story each run. This not only leads to so many "Oh right that's why" moments but gives so much more meaning to the choices you make throughout the game.
The only negative points I can come up with are some of the vague puzzles and the repetitiveness of 100%'ing the game. Firstly, a small handful of puzzles lead to a tiny amount of frustration. They require odd solutions that were easy to miss, which broke up the pacing and left me wandering around the level for a while. This is only a minor nitpick and could also just be a skill issue. Secondly, If you intend to 100% the game it can get quite repetitive as you will be seeing a lot of the same text (which are thankfully easily skippable). Aside from the aforementioned small gripes I have with the game it is genuinely peak and super enjoyable! I highly recommend anyone even remotely curious in visual novels to give it a try!
Steam User 3
Why didn't I find this game sooner? I rarely play visual novels except for Adam Wolfe (this game is also recommended). I have never played other visual novels with puzzle-solving elements. Normally, I won't have much expectation, but what attracts me? In addition to good-looking characters and its unique A diversified worldview, a continent where magic and technology coexist —— Shang-La. Yes, there are many such subjects, but it is really interesting. In addition to human beings, there is also an anthropomorphic animal race Sahash in this world (wait can you really wear clothes with your long claws?) . The story, art style and puzzle are excellent, which can be called a perfect combination of excellent visual novels. In addition, the game only reveals part of the plot each time, which is very suspenseful. Every time it makes me have an epiphany of "Oh, so it is".
The only drawback I can think of is that some puzzles are not clearly designed, and the repetitiveness brought by 100% completion of the game. There are several puzzles that are indeed a little tricky, especially the side quests. Their solutions are strange and easy to be ignored, so I often check the strategies, which is a little disrupting the rhythm of the game. It's just a small flaw, or maybe it's just my operation problem. In addition, if you plan to do achievements, you may feel a little repetitive, because you will see a lot of the same text (fortunately, you can easily skip them). I’ve created 12 save files for that. All achievements are not difficult, but they are too repetitive. When you finish all of them, you should also unlock all the mindscapes so don't worry too much about this.
At present, there are only two chapters of the game, and the third chapter is still in production. I hope the artbook will be released at that time too.