The Expression Amrilato

If you’re a fan of educational games, and enjoy light girl-with-girl romances, you’ll love the Expression Amrilato. This visual novel has the same style as Kindred Spirits on the Roof, but also makes itself stand out with the ability to learn a new language similar to educational language games like KanjiCombat.

An alternate world

In The Expression Amrilato, Rin is simply out to buy herself a snack at the local grocery store when the sky changes colors. She finds herself in a strange new world with writing she doesn’t recognize and people speaking a language she doesn’t understand.

Suddenly, an incredibly beautiful girl who could be an idol finds Rin and offers her help. The girl is Ruka, and she is here to guide Rin through this new and unfamiliar world. As Rin learns the language, she bonds more and more with Ruka.

Learn Esperanto

In the game, main character Rin finds herself lost in an alternate world where the main language is Juliamo. This strange language present throughout the story isn’t entirely fantasy—it’s actually Esperanto. Esperanto is a construct language which was developed in 1870s and 80s to be a unifying language for all of mankind. The Esperanto texts in the game have been overseen by the National Esperanto Association in Japan, helping to keep it accurate. The game comes with both a study mode to help you learn the language, and the full length visual novel.

Mysteries forgotten?

One of the major flaws with the game is that the game is so focused on the romance and language of the game, the mystery of what happened and why gets left behind. If you were curious as to why Rin was suddenly dumped in a strange new world, you may find yourself disappointed.

The game switches genres from mystery to slice-of-life relatively quickly, leaving readers confused. Play time is a leisurely 22 hours, but the pacing can be a little slow in terms of plot progression. If you’re a fan of yuri, you’ll still love this game, but you may have to lower your expectations for other parts of the plot.

Beautiful art

One of the most important parts of visual novels is of course the artwork. The art in the Expression Amrilato is no less than stunning. The pink sky does a beautiful job of giving the world an alien feel, while the characters themselves are very detailed and beautiful.

One minor issue with the artwork is that while the characters are 2D, the backgrounds feel 3D, which can make the art feel a little off. This doesn’t detract a lot from the game, but it is noticeable.

Pros

• A heat warming yuri
• Educational aspects
• Relaxing gameplay

Cons

• Can be slow
• Plot isn’t complete
• Backgrounds are a little offering