I’ll say this up-front: I would not describe SeaBed as a romance.

But by the time I realized that, it was too late to play something else in time for today’s review, and it is a game about love.

SeaBed is described as a yuri mystery visual novel.

It switches between different time periods, showing scenes of Sachiko and her girlfriend Takako on a romantic vacation, their past together as childhood friends, and working with colleagues after starting their own business.

However, it soon reveals that in the present day, Takako has gone missing. At this point, I thought I understood why it was described as a mystery.

I was wrong.

The prologue (which is lengthy, by far the longest chapter) follows that up with another twist, and then another one, leading into one of the most confusing visual novels I’ve ever read.

SeaBed is not an easy visual novel to read. It leaves you wondering exactly what is going on, and even once you start to form an idea, a new detail will arise to make you question it all over again. Part of this is because it’s told through three primary viewpoints. At certain points, you’ll also unlock “Tips,” short scenes worth reading as soon as you unlock them to add to your confusion fuel further theories.

Despite this sense of mystery, most of its scenes are slice-of-life. Casual conversations, simple interactions, pleasant day-to-day scenes with a slight undercurrent that something might be wrong. It has a glacial pace, so keep that in mind if slow slice-of-life isn’t your thing.

Sachiko and Takako’s relationship is a key part of the story. At its core, I’d say SeaBed is a story about love, and about how it feels to be separated from someone you love. There are hints of romance at other points in the story, as well.

Honestly, I still don’t quite understand the story even after finishing it. Instead of bringing everything together so that it all makes sense, it’s more ambiguous, with room for interpretation despite the biggest points fitting together.

SeaBed is a game about love, although it’s not quite a romance. Was it a good fit for a Valentine’s Day celebration? I don’t know. Either way, if you like slow-burn visual novels where the genre can most accurately be described as “confusion,” you might find SeaBed to be an intriguing mystery.

The next visual novel I decided to read for this month’s celebration is the first yuri visual novel I’ve read, A Kiss for the Petals – Remembering How We Met.

This is actually part of a series (A Kiss for the Petals) and is set as a prequel to the other stories about Risa and Miya, two girls attending the same school.

The story begins in the present with the two of them together as a couple, but the changing of seasons makes Risa think back to the day she first saw Miya, and then the bulk of the story is a flashback about how they first met and got to know each other.

It’s another kinetic novel, so there are no choices, and it took me a little over an hour and a half to read. Most of it is told from Risa’s perspective, with a handful of scenes from Miya’s. The switch to Miya was sometimes so brief that it was a little jarring, but not too bad. Although the two characters are very different from one another, they’re both likable.

What surprised me the most is that for all I’m counting this as part of our romance celebration, it’s… not really a romance.

Risa and Miya are dating in the present, but the flashback itself really is how they met, not how they became a couple. For all intents and purposes, most of the visual novel is a friendship story, showing how they went from having a rather contentious relationship to being friends.

While this was just a short prequel story, the others in the series are supposed to be more fleshed out.

I enjoyed this one enough that I’ll probably look into the next, so consider checking out A Kiss for the Petals – Remembering How We Met if you’re looking for a cute yuri visual novel that’s mainly focused on friendship.