The Dandelion Girl: Do You Remember Me? (2019):
“A short visual novel about a middle-aged man on his summer vacation, where he meets a strange girl who claims to be from the future. Adapted from a short story.” - Steam
Well, the title kind of spoils the twist, but let's get into it. This is a kinetic novel (There are no choices, so it's not actually a visual novel.) based on a short story by Robert F. Young in 1966. It's about the adventures of a man named Mark who has decided to take a vacation in Cove City, after working so hard as a lawyer. There he meets a 17 year-old girl Julie Danvers in a field of dandelions. She lets him in on a secret. Her father is a government scientist who built a time machine, and she is actually from 240 years in the future.
At first, Mark plays her off as just being imaginative. But, the more they talk, the more she lets some of her father's time travel theories slip, and Mark starts experiencing odd fits of deja vu. Over the course of his stay in the cabin in Cove City, he begins to appreciate his get-togethers with Julie and talking time travel with her, as well as appreciating her playfulness and his own present moment.
Mark starts to wonder if he could've avoided being drafted in the Vietnam War, and has a violent flashback of shooting an enemy soldier. Julie explains that no, you can't change time, because it's like a book that's already been written. “Whatever happens, happens.” she says. You can only create events that lead to the present. Or at least, that's what her father says.
Julie enjoys looking at clouds and nature and says everything is destroyed by industry in her time. She also mentions that her father is being pursued by the Time Police. Mark and Julie enjoy looking at clouds and Julie says everything is perfect in the 1960s. Mark laughs, and says Julie will say that about other decades too.
Over time, she starts missing get-togethers with Mark and he starts to worry about her. Years later, when Mark is getting married, he experiences the deja vu, and realizes all of Julie's irrational fears about Time Police and her father make sense. I'm not going to spoil it. You can download it on Steam.
So, was it a good read? Yes. I usually prefer visual novels over kinetic novels, but I also like sci-fi. To be fair, this is soft sci-fi, and very short. But, it's still a good story about having experiences and connections with someone that you can't quite explain. It's definitely of its era, as Julie helps Mark heal from the trauma of the Vietnam War, and Julie escapes the destruction of her time. The format of the kinetic novel fits really well with Julie's “Book of Time” theory.
That said, there was one thing I didn't like, and that is the inclusion of onomatopoeic sound effects in the novel. “Ah...” “Kuuuu...” and “Unngh...” that I'm sure are not in the original 1960s “The Dandelion Girl” story. They just point out that you're playing an anime-style game. I found it distracting in what was otherwise a relaxing and philosophical game. The music is gentle and good for reflection, and then you see...”uuungh”. It really breaks the deeper moods.
That's the only thing that really took me out of it. Other than that, it's a good game. Check it out on Steam. It's free. Took me about an hour to read. A good soft sci-fi story. There are no killer robots or action scenes, but if you just want to relax and take a break, it's a good read. Give it a look, if you can.
