Okay, so I really should have started this conversation weeks ago asking for permission and all of that. I apologize greatly, and if you aren't okay with this let's play, I will absolutely take it down right away. You can find my let's play of Loan Wolf on YouTube on my channel, Pie3024. It won't let me put links in this, so I guess you'll just have to find it on your own. The playlist it's in is called Pie Plays Loan Wolf. Again, my deepest apologies for not asking first.
We absolutely love Let’s Plays. Thank you so much :)
For those who want to watch!: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6g6o4OEmRG7lzyz7bF8el3EpI7YIKeHw
I couldn’t very well share a post about Love Is Strange without sharing Team Rumblebee’s game page now, could I? Three games, including Love Is Strange, are available so far. One stars a werewolf, a succubus, and a nymph, while the other has superheroes. Let them know what you think!
Loan Wolf is a short but sweet visual novel created by Team Rumblebee for Yuri Jam 2016. Released November 1st back in 2016, Loan Wolf focuses on Laika, a werewolf working an IT position at a nondescript firm, juggling shape-shifting mishaps, romance, and the ever present stress of school loans. Maybe I just haven’t played enough gay visual novels but this is easily the best one so far, despite its short length.
Unsurprisingly, as a visual novel the gameplay of Loan Wolf is nothing inspired. However, an aspect that, while small, had a lot of potential was the interactive phone. All it did was show photos that had been taken in the narrative, but it was a sweet addition. If expanded upon in future works I believe it could be a great way to increase interaction and thus engagement in the game.
While short, Loan Wolf’s narrative captivated me with its likable main character and witty writing. The main character, Laika, manages to be both relatable and her own character, while Victoria and Daphne act as nice foils to each other as romantic interests; the sexy new co-worker and the cute college best friend.
Victoria is best girl, don’t @ me
Image courtesy of Team Rumblebee
The dialogue is cute and feels real, and Laika’s inner monologue is both witty and relatable, managing to avoid the uncanny valley of cringe so many have been lost to.
The art of Loan Wolf certainly has its highs and lows. For example, Laika’s character design was simple yet aesthetically pleasing and effective in communicating her character. However, the art style felt very soft causing the come of the characters to fading into the background. Sharper character art could have easily improved many of the scene. The electro-jazz soundtrack was cool, easily filling otherwise empty space and adding to the games more relaxed atmosphere.
My main gripe with the game was that I wanted more. More interactivity, more characters, more story, etc. Not that Loan Wolf isn’t effective in its brief play time, it is. But I’m greedy. Ultimately, I just want to see more from Team Rumble Bee. If this is what they can do for a game jam I would love to see what they can create over a longer period of time.
Check out Team Rumblebee on their itch.io page or tumblr.
