Time Princess

So, back in January I was amazed to find myself playing a game called, horribly enough, Dress Up Time Princess. Well, I'm still playing it but they have since made some major updates and rebranded it as simply Time Princess. Which is marginally better but still makes me cringe. The general conceit of the game is still the same, but there are WAY more storybooks now and some new features. I'm caught up on my freelance gig, so I thought I'd take my free 30 minutes before I need to make dinner to write up an update post. 

The mechanics are still largely the same, though they have added an odd sort of story tree (the Mirage Forest) with missions and things you can unlock (including the only interesting bit: where the MC goes back in time to when her parents were her age). But, they haven't added to that in a while and it's a bit stalled out. Not sure why they did it if they aren't going to update it...which is actually a bit of a theme with a lot of these (see below when I go over each of the storybooks)...

The other major addition is a guild-like thing called the Society where you can gift your fellow society members items and unlock special outfit pieces. It's not terribly interesting, but is nice in that you can help people out and get some things. The first one I was in was kind of useless without many participants, but I moved to a new one and it's more active. Also kind of good (or bad, depending on your viewpoint) is that even though there's a chat function, it's not really used. So it's a very anonymous type of thing.

They've also added more mini-games. Some of which I hate (I'm terrible at flappy bird type things), some of which are okay (I rather like the bravery challenge one). It's a chance to earn extra stuff but you don't have to do it.  

But let me talk about the main thing -- the storybooks. There are two types -- basically, major storybooks (with a blue rimmed cover) and minor storybooks (with a green rimmed cover). The major ones can be multiple chapters and have full functionality. The minor ones are generally an expansion of a particular character's story from a major storybook. Sometimes, in fact, you even get to play as one of the characters you could have romanced with before. 

So, I'm gonna list 'em all (and will update this over time) and what I think of them personally. The biggest issue is that a lot of the stories really don't have an end but they also don't seem like they're going to finish them anytime soon.

Major Stories

• Queen Marie -- the original storybook, 2 chapters. I'm at 86% complete. I still think it's really a weird story in that you're a MARRIED character. That said, I find this one generally fairly interesting, especially some of the historical detail. 
• Swan Lake -- 1 chapter. 93% complete. Is the only one with voice acting. You'd think I'd really like this one but...eh, I don't really. The Swan Prince is really kind of annoying and his brother the wizard is, honestly, imminently smackable and I didn't hesitate in the one story path where you choose to stab him. The VA actually made it worse and I very very much wish I could find a way to turn it off. The MC herself is okay, but my preferred ending for her is really where the two brothers go their merry way and she rules the kingdom on her own.
• Romy and Julius -- 1 chapter. 84% complete. This one ends on basically a cliff hanger, which is really annoying. Story-wise, it was okay, though I didn't love it. I'm not even sure why they used Romeo and Juliet as a starting point, as they really changed it up.
• Gotham Memories - 4 Chapters. 88% This was the one I was really quite interested in but I gotta say after completing a lot of endings that I don't love it. See, there's the one newspaper guy (Davis) who is okay but a bit lackluster. Then Vittorio, the gangster, which is the only one there's any chemistry with who LITERALLY HAS YOU GO UNDERCOVER AND SLEEP WITH AN EVIL HOMICIDAL MOB BOSS and you agree to this because you...want to uncover the story. I mean, WTF. Then Charlotte, who's dad is a bad guy and one of the ways you have to get ahead is to betray her trust. And Diane, the DA, who, if you don't do exactly what she wants, is really a bit of a bitch. Well. At least the clothes in this one were nice. But I feel there are a lot of compromised morals in this one no matter what route you take.
• Helen of Sparta -- 1 chapter. 94% complete. Another very unfinished story. And really, most of it is just Achilles and Apollo bickering like bitchy little schoolboys. And the MC is underage. I feel like this one was a very missed chance to do something interesting, though it could be saved if they bothered continuing the story.
• Magic Lamp -- 2 chapters. 99% complete. This is one of the ones I've enjoyed the most. Both the love interests (Kahir, the prince, and Light, the genie) are interesting and engaging and decent (though Light really likes to be tsundere). The side characters are also reasonably complex and interesting with back stories that make sense. It also ends well with decent resolutions.
• Shadows of London - 1 chapter. 89% complete. Gah, would really like to like this more but it's another one that basically completely leaves you hanging without any good ending with any character. Both the possible dude love interests (the vampire and the doctor) were well written enough and engaging, but there's no resolution there for either of them. The girl Priscilla I found to be incredibly annoying and stupid. The story itself was mostly okay -- other than just not ending well (or at all, really)
• Little Women - 1 chapter. 96% complete. By all rights I should adore this one as Little Women was one of my favourite books when I was growing up. And she's a writer. But...it's just okay. And, hey, you can actually get yourself an ending with Laurie (though he's not a main character). But there was something generally lacking about it. I don't even know what. Didn't love it.
• Phantom of the Opera - 1 chapter. 92% complete. The MC in this one is unutterably stupid. And, honestly, if you know the story at all, why in the world would you ship her with the phantom? The best thing about it are the outfits.
• Taisho Adventures - 2 Chapters. 95% complete. This one is interesting and with decently developed plot & main characters. The MC is also reasonable. Good clothes too (though that seriously isn't why I play). The story was, however, fairly predictable. The side characters could have been a bit more developed too. But overall, not bad.
• Saga of Viera - 1 chapter. 84% complete. Another one where the ending is completely unsatisfactory and unfinished. I mean, basically she causes like a meltdown/war and they just...end it? Also a story very lacking in the romance part -- the one elf dude barely thaws and the dark elf lady is like a bunch of weird sexual tension. This could be saved but it's very frustrating in its current form.
• Tang Dynasty Hunter - 2 chapters. 97% I quite enjoyed this one but, again, they totally leave you hanging at the end! Both the love interests are fun/interesting and well defined. The MC is quite good. The setting was also interesting and had a fair bit of humour. BUT it needs another chapter. At least.
• Si-Woo's Sight -- 2 Chapters. 87% complete. This is a Korean Idol / Ghost story thing. The story and plot was interesting and I learned a few interesting ghost facts. Liked all of the characters okay. Wouldn't say the endings were particularly satisfying, but it was all okay.
• Princess Sissi - 1 Chapter. 44% complete. I have no idea why, but I have very little interest in this one. Maybe because it seemed really, really obvious who the love interest guy really was? Maybe because the girl character she helps is so snotty? Princess overload? I don't know. I only got as far as I did because I was doing the one thing a day for the daily missions. I didn't get to any real endings other than I think she died in one. I can't even remember why.
• White Snake - 2 Chapters. 55% complete. Huh, I thought I'd done more of this one. I did hit an ending or two, none of them good. So. The story is pretty interesting. I like the mythology. The main love interest guy was good too. I think I stopped because I kept running into dead ends and didn't have the time to go searching for a walkthrough to get to a good end. I do plan on finishing it at some point though.
• Dancing on Ice - 2 Chapters. 25% complete. This is the one I'm currently working on though I gotta say that it has probably my least favourite MC out of any of the stories so far. She's a hot-head figure skater accused of doping who doesn't try to clear her name and just bunks off to practice somewhere else with dreams of returning back. Her mom's a bitch. She kinda is too. The guy LI is prickly as all heck. The girl Nastia is saccharine sweet. I'm kind of curious to see where the story goes, but I can't say I really like it.
• Have You Seen Claudia? -- 2 Chapters. 2% complete. I haven't actually started this one. When I saw them post the teaser on what the new story was going to be and it looked like it was gonna be the H.H. Holmes murder hotel in Chicago, I was like WTF, really? And then, yes, it was. So I...seriously, W.T.F. Holmes looks like a romance option???? I just...wow. I mean, I'll probably try it just because I cannot imagine how they turn this into a story. I mean, what's next? Hitler? COME ON. It's a serial killer story!!

Minor Stories 

• Figaro Fever -- 100% A sub story to go along with Queen Marie involving opera. It's nicely self contained and a decent story. Worth doing.
• A Servant's Resolve - 100% Another sub story to go with Queen Marie, though this time you play as a servant who gets to know Lafayette. Interesting, some decent historical detail, though really an odd choice. 
• The Affair of the Necklace - 100% Another QM one, this time from the POV of the society lady that was trying to get you in trouble as the Queen over that super expensive necklace. Why did I finish it? I honestly did not care about her at all and learning about her motivations did not make me like her one iota better.
• A Precious Friend - 99% (which means I haven't finished constructing all the clothes) Yet another QM one, this time from Gabrielle's POV. Eh, it was okay. She's kinda cloying.
• The Western Wall - 100% A sub story for the Magic Lamp from Light's POV. Reasonably interesting and a bit of an insight into his character.
• The King's Mistress -- 98% Yet another QM one, where you are the Queen again, but this time you suspect the King of having a mistress (spoiler: he doesn't). It was a bit sweet but very, very predictable.
• Mysterious Island - 100% A Magic Lamp sub story with a side adventure for the MC. It was okay.
• For the Love of Flying - 96% complete. A sub story for Gotham Memoirs where you play as Charlotte and re-live her trying to get certified as a pilot. I...eh, just have no real interest in her. I finished it because of the clothes.
• Fated Encounter - 38% complete. A Queen Marie / Fersen story where hubby is very distant and she's torn by her encounters with the attractive Count. It's okay. I'm just such a prude. I mean, she's married.
• The Poet - 0% complete. A Magic Lamp side story that looks to feature Kahir. So I'll definitely do it. Will update once I have.