Perfumare is a free simulation video game wherein you can explore a strange alternate universe that has people with special abilities. Developed by PDRRook, this 2D visual novel is an atmospheric and story-rich game that features themes of mystery, crime, dark fantasy, and LGBT romance.

Similar to Of Love and Eternity, Perfumare is a demo version and teaser—although it’s actually a full indie game that can be considered a standalone title. It contains some marked differences compared to its full version, Perfumare: Avulsion. Please note, however, that both contain mature content rated PG 17+, so expect some violence, drug use, and themes of death.

Your memories hide dark secrets

To clarify first, Perfumare is a VN teaser to Perfumare: Avulsion—which is a fully text-based interactive fiction game. Both can be played without prior knowledge of the other, but as a demo, this game showcases the key scenes of one of the arcs to the full version. Thus, expect the plot to mostly stay the same despite its shorter runtime. However, the endings here only consist of neutral or common endings.

There are romance and friendship routes available, though, which allow you to choose whether to romance any of the three love interests or simply stay friends with them. Like the full version, you play as a semi-customizable and nameable protagonist. There are stylized visuals in this game but it’s still a bit reliant on the text due to the full version being text-based. 

Aside from reading and clicking on player choices, though, there’s not much else to the gameplay. You mostly have to explore the numerous paths you can take to get an ending. However, take note that only one ending here is actually canon to the full version of the game. Thus, while it showcases a bit of the story in Perfumare: Avulsion, it’s not exactly the same game.

A great way to get interested

All in all, Perfumare is an interesting little demo to try out if you’re a fan of dating sim visual novels with dark fantasy as its main theme. While the content isn’t exactly the same as the full version’s, it still serves as a wonderful standalone game to the established universe and allows you to experience some scenes with visuals instead of just pure text.