Serre Review: Of Bees and Teas (Mini Visual Novel Review)

“While touching on some light topics of being ostracised and alone, it opens up the idea of an idealised romance between two unlikely souls… it perfectly tip toes the lines of what makes a short game perfect and complete.“

Platform: PC | Release Date: October 31st 2017 | Hours Played: 15 minutes

Love really knows no bounds as is evidenced in Serre, a simple and sweet story about an alien who crashes into Earth and meets a young girl with a fondness for plants.

The visual novel throws us instantly in as our human, Arlette is met with an intimidating large bee-like alien. Fearing for her life, her flight-or-fight response is to… offer some tea?

The game is presented in a vibrant and colourful world as the two begin to learn more about one another. The art is drawn in a unique comic-esque style that is very pleasing to look at.

While the conversations are simple and the story takes place in a matter of days, the small little quirks presented quickly help the reader feel a sense of familiarity with the characters.

Oaxa, the bee-like alien, comes off like a child full of awe, wonder and bemusement at the world that we deem as our everyday life. Her simplistic and kind behaviour makes her incredibly endearing and her design emphasises on the fuzziness of bees, both in design and personality.

Arlette, the ‘human’ alien, is probably someone that we can empathise and relate with. She is a relatively quiet girl who tries to keep her thoughts to herself. However, due to spending so much of her time in the company of her beloved plants, she finds herself unable to differentiate between inner thoughts and outer speaking. This leads to some cute and awkward moments which, in a short game, can become very character defining.

These become more defined by the character’s vibrant expressions along with little transitional animations that really bring out the character quirks and behaviours.

The overarching theme has more to do with Arlette and her feelings of resentment of not being accepted. While we never get the full details, it’s enough to sympathise and even remind ourselves of a similar situation. There is some trials and turbulations that are bestowed upon our couple, but this is soon resolved in a way that isn’t too over the top and naturally plays out.

5/5

Even though Serre is incredibly short, it has a profounding impact on you long after you finish it and that speaks volumes. While touching on some light topics of being ostracised and alone, it opens up the idea of an idealised romance between two unlikely souls. The game perfectly tip toes the lines of what makes short game perfect and complete.