Frozen Hearts – A Love Triangle Done Right

Written by Devil Darling, Writer, Otome Enthusiast, Horror Lover

Published on August 13, 2024

Hi, everyone.

I just played through Frozen Hearts, and it left me pleasantly surprised. It’s a short but very worthwhile game by Transparent Games. The story is an amazing mix of mystery, isekai, fantasy, and romance. I loved my time with it, so I need to tell you all about it.

Art and Visuals

Frozen Hearts’ art style diverts from that of many of its contemporaries. It still takes inspiration from anime, but the look is much softer, giving the game a unique visual identity. The artists did a great job here. Each of the characters has a memorable design, and you can easily tell them apart even by just looking at their silhouettes.

The environments are quite pleasant as well. There aren’t that many of them, and they’re nothing too special, but they perfectly fit the tone of the story and accentuate the characters that inhabit them.

The Story

When the story begins, you wake up in a frozen castle surrounded by people who are entrapped in ice. You take on the role of Sophie, a girl who’s lost most of her memories and has a mysterious immunity to cold. You explore the castle, and as you do, a particular scene catches your eye — two men frozen mid-combat, taking center stage among all the other icy statues.

With nothing left to do inside, you venture outside in hopes of finding other people. To your luck, you encounter a woodsman in the forest, but he mistakes you for a demonspawn. In his panic, he ends up corralling a mob of villagers to hunt you down, but the situation quickly de-escalates thanks to the village elder, Meggs. She helps you regain some of your memories. With her help, you learn that you’re in Whitemore, and that the people here worship you as a hero, calling you the Frost Princess. It was you who had frozen the castle, all the people inside, and yourself.

And why would you do that? To put an end to the war that was ravaging the kingdom by trapping both sides in ice. The two frozen men who had caught your attention were, in fact, the former king and the rebel leader who led an uprising against him. And now that you’ve unfrozen, they are sure to follow soon. Will you know which of them to trust without your memories?

Characters

The stars of the show are undeniably the characters, each of whom has multiple layers to them. Perhaps the only exception is Meggs, who serves more of an expository purpose but still contributes to the narrative. The choice between different love interests isn’t an easy one, as each has their own compelling character traits and flaws.

Sophie

The story’s main character and the one you play as. When she awakens, she has no memory of what has happened or where she is, with only a very vague idea of who she might be.

As you progress through the story, she slowly begins regaining her memories, shedding light on important past events that shape your perception of her and the other characters. A big part of her journey is learning why she made the decisions that she did, and how she should proceed forward. Was Richard in the right, or should she trust Ivon?

Richard

You’ve heard the tale of the evil king whose cruelty inspires people to rebel against him, leading to one dramatic final battle between good and evil. Richard is a twist on that classic archetype. He’s not motivated by greed or a lust for power but by a desire to see his kingdom prosper. He believes that Whitemore and its people need magic to survive. The kingdom relied on the arcane for many things, including common appliances and protection, but those things are being slowly stripped away from them.

Richard did the things he did because he saw no other way. Even when his experiments gave birth to the demonspawn, and his subjects began dying as a result, he still pushed forward. In spite of his “the ends justify the means” mentality, there’s genuine kindness in Richard.

Ivon

Ivon is the rebel leader who led an uprising against King Richard in response to his cruel experiments. And while he does look down upon the reliance on magic, he’s not above using it to further his own goals. In fact, he’s the one who cast the spell that summoned Sophie from Earth. Ivon hoped that a hero from another world would give him an upper hand in his war against Richard. When called out for his hypocrisy, he excused it as necessary pragmatism. Sophie even feared at one point that Ivon might see her as nothing more than a useful tool.

All that being said, he’s still a well-meaning guy who truly cares for the people of Whitemore. But he firmly believes that they can not only survive without magic but thrive. He plans to invest funds in the development of technology, which he believes will serve Whitemore even better than the arcane arts.

Elder Meggs

The first friendly face you meet is Elder Meggs, who shows up just in time to save you from a mob of villagers who were hunting you, fearing you’re a demonspawn. During the early parts of the story, when Sophie still doesn’t have all her memories, Meggs serves as her guide to the world, befitting her archetype of a wise old sage. You learn that she’s so knowledgeable thanks to being the latest in a line of elders responsible for watching over the frozen castle and passing down the tale of the Frost Princess. This is also why Meggs immediately recognizes Sophie, even though it’s been 200 years since anyone had last seen her.

Features

One of Frozen Hearts’ standout features is the full voice acting for all characters, which brings the dialogue to life and deepens your emotional connection with the characters. The voice actors have done a phenomenal job, ensuring that each line is delivered with the right emotion and intensity, making the story even more engaging.

Then there are the branching choices. This is, of course, a staple of visual novels, but in Frozen Hearts, almost every decision feels like it has weight behind it. I often had to stop and think about the major ones. With the game having multiple endings, your choices really matter. And while it’s quite a short story — I was able to play through it in roughly two to three hours — the branching paths add replayability. I found myself often wondering what would happen if I went back and made a different choice.

Why You Should Play “Frozen Hearts”

Frozen Hearts is a must-play for anyone who loves a good mix of fantasy, mystery, and romance. The game’s story is gripping, pulling you into a world where your decisions carry weight and can change the course of the narrative. The pleasant visuals and character designs are complemented by an equally compelling story.

The fully voice-acted characters add a layer of immersion that is rarely seen in visual novels, making the interactions feel more intimate. The emotional twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat, constantly questioning your decisions and the motivations of those around you. For instance, even when I chose to support Ivon, I couldn’t stop second-guessing myself and whether his methods truly were the right ones.

If you’re looking for a short yet engaging story that combines a compelling mystery with a well-written love triangle, Frozen Hearts will deliver. You can download it for free here, so what are you waiting for? Go try it out.