Sound of Drop - fall into poison - Review Summary

Beautiful artwork and an excellent soundtrack enhance an engaging story with multiple branching endings, though poor translation and repetitive bad endings weaken the experience.

Excellent soundtrack enhances atmosphere: Reviewers consistently praise the soundtrack for being amazing, fitting, and instrumental in building the game's creepy atmosphere. The music is described as well-matched to situations and fully conveying the intended mood.

Engaging and interesting story: The story is described as interesting, engaging, and well-told, with unexpected twists and a gripping narrative. Players appreciate the quality and the immersive nature of the plot.

Beautiful artwork and visuals: The art style, including CG art and backgrounds, is frequently lauded as beautiful and varied. Players find the visuals appealing and note improvements over the original, adding to overall enjoyment.

Surprising plot twists: Reviewers mention that the game contains surprising revelations and plot twists that keep players engaged. The story is described as mysterious and full of unexpected turns.

Brutal and disturbing bad endings: The bad endings are highlighted as detailed, brutal, and disturbing, with vivid death descriptions adding to the horror. This aspect is seen as a distinctive feature that enhances the game's impact.

Poor translation quality: Players consistently report that the translation is awkward, unnatural, and feels machine-translated, detracting from the reading experience. Multiple clusters highlight specific issues with clarity and fluency.

Repetitive bad endings: Many reviewers find the bad endings repetitive, meaningless, and too similar, often differing only by ending list numbers or using the same CG. This makes multiple playthroughs tedious and reduces the impact of choices.

Confusing and convoluted story: The story is frequently criticized as convoluted, awkward, or hard to understand, with some parts requiring re-reading. This hampers comprehension and enjoyment.

Not scary enough: The horror elements are widely considered weak, with reviewers noting a lack of genuine scares or disgust. The atmosphere is not suspenseful, falling short of expectations for a horror visual novel.

One-dimensional characters: Characters are often described as one-note, lacking depth and believability. This weakens the narrative and makes it hard to connect with the cast.

Multiple endings and branches: The game features a large number of endings, including four true endings and numerous bad endings, with branching paths and choices that affect the outcome. A second playthrough is required to access some endings.

Many bad endings: Players report over 20 bad endings, with wrong choices leading to immediate death and the game returning to the title screen. Bad endings are logical and not unfair, but numerous.

Horror visual novel: The game combines visual novel storytelling with horror elements, including jump scares and suspense. It is set in a haunted aquarium with supernatural and urban legend themes.

Choices color-coded blue and red: Choices are presented as blue (safe, little impact) or red (risky, often leading to bad endings). Blue choices affect achievements and which good ending is reached, while red choices often lead to death.

Haunted aquarium setting: The story is set in a haunted aquarium, featuring supernatural elements and urban legends. The protagonist is a 15-year-old girl investigating the location, with the narrative divided into daily life, horror, and explanation parts.

Recommended for visual novel fans: Multiple reviews strongly recommend this game to fans of visual novels, anime, and emotional storylines. The game is praised for its compact storytelling and compelling narrative.

Worth buying on sale: Several reviewers advise purchasing the game during a sale, especially at 50% off or more, citing better value for the price. The full price is considered questionable by some.

Suitable for genre newcomers: The game is recommended for first-time visual novel readers as a good starting point, though one review disagrees. It may also appeal to those new to horror visual novels.

Great for horror mystery fans: Reviews highlight the game as highly recommended for fans of horror and mystery visual novels, with a mostly female cast. It appeals to horror enthusiasts even if they are new to the genre.

Not recommended by some: A minority of reviewers do not recommend the game, citing lack of reason to play or poor value for the price. Some also mention a disappointing ending.

Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00.

Game completion: 9.0h.

Story completion: 5.0h.

Session length: 9.0h.

The game's initial half is engaging, but many players report that the second half becomes boring or repetitive, indicating a drop in enjoyment after the early game. Some players also experience a slow start that quickly resolves.

Friction: slow beginning; tedious bad endings; boring characters; boring sections.

Unlock drivers: getting past the slow beginning; experiencing the opening sequence.

Horror Yuri Completionist: Completionist, repeatedly replaying to unlock all true and bad endings and achievements. Motivation: Explore all horror and yuri content, including bad endings for story and achievement completion. Stance: buy.

First-Time VN Newcomer: Single playthrough, guided by story, avoiding excessive death, and enjoying the narrative. Motivation: Discover horror visual novels with a compelling story and accessible entry point. Stance: buy.

Cautious Value Seeker: Evaluative, price-aware, prefers discounted purchases and avoids controversial content. Motivation: Get good value for money from a short but quality visual novel without unwanted tropes. Stance: sale.

Multiple endings and New Game+: The game features four true endings and numerous bad endings, with New Game+ unlocking additional storylines and endings. This structure encourages multiple playthroughs to experience the full narrative.

Game length varies widely: Playtime estimates range from 3 to 20 hours depending on reading speed and completion goals, with most reviewers citing around 10 hours for a full playthrough. Slow readers or those seeking all endings may spend up to 30 hours.

Comparisons to other games: Reviewers frequently compare the game to titles like Corpse Party, Saya no Uta, and Root Double, noting both similarities and differences. These comparisons help set expectations for genre fans.

Achievements guide endings: Achievements are primarily tied to unlocking bad endings and progressing toward true endings, keeping players engaged. Some achievements are collectible and easy to obtain, while others may require specific actions like ALT+F4.

English proficiency recommended: Playing in English is advised for better understanding of allusions, but the translation quality varies from clunky to acceptable. Some non-English speakers may find it challenging.