Vibrant Frame is a heartfelt slice-of-life Korean otome game developed by Lumiere Entertainment and published by Smilegate. If you love k-dramas then you’ll absolutely adore this game! I can’t remember the last time an otome had me kicking my feet and giggling the whole way through! Follow Ari Seong, an aspiring film director as she navigates the highs and lows of her final year at university. After a series of unfortunate mishaps, Ari has a fateful run-in with the campus heartthrob, Hanjoo. While their first meeting is an absolute disaster the pair keep running into each other around campus. With each new chance encounter the pair gradually build their own unique romantic story, frame by frame.
Game Details
- Genre: Romance | Slice-of-Life | Mature
- Get the Game: Steam
- Developer & Publisher: Lumiere Entertainment & Smilegate
- Similar Games: Lover Pretend | Him, the Smile & Bloom | Backstage Pass
Vibrant Frame Characters
A diligent college student with a perfect balance of school, part-time jobs, and home. She constantly refuses her friends’ invitations to group dates, focusing instead on her part-time job.
For Ari, the immediate concerns of tuition and studies are paramount, and any spare time is spent watching films, aspiring to be a director.
She thought love was out of the question, until a man more stirring than any film enters her life…
With his sharp mind, handsome looks, and third-generation chaebol status, Hanjoo Cha is the elite of the Mechanical Engineering department, proving the world’s unfairness. With a face and stature fit for a model or actor, he is already coveted by many top companies.
To him, love was just a fleeting game, until a woman more chaotic than any reality he’s known appears in his life…
Vibrant Frame Review
Vibrant Frame reminds me a lot of Lover Pretend, without the weird brother subplot. Both follow a film student with aspirations to work in the film industry as they navigate the highs and lows adult life. In this case the main character, Ari, has her sights set on becoming a film director and in addition to her school work, she occasionally takes on editing jobs to help build out her portfolio.
Of course the road to success is not an easy one and Ari finds herself dealing with one obstacle after another. Between directing a short film for an assignment, getting scammed out of her apartment, and increasingly demanding part time jobs, Ari finds herself already treading water. But, things get even more complicated when the hard drive with all of the footage for her short film gets run over by a car, destroying all her hard work. At her wits end, she confronts the culprit, who turns out to be the campus hottie, Hanjoo Cha.
Man is gorgeous and Ari finds herself momentarily stunned by his princely aura, only to be brutally brought back down to Earth by his indifferent attitude. Hanjoo could care less about her problems and attempts to leave, but Ari demands that he take responsibility for destroying the hard drive. He reluctantly agrees. And what should have been a one-off encounter becomes so much more as Ari and Hanjoo’s paths keep crossing in unexpected ways.
Each new meeting pushes the pair closer together and what starts as a casual friendship blossoms into an undeniable attraction. It’s a pretty standard k-drama dynamic—hot, unapproachable rich guy falls hard for quirky down to earth girl next door after a series of whacky hijinks. Cue the catchy ballad and 360 camera angles. (I’m kinda surprised this game wasn’t sponsored by Subway or Samsung!)
This isn’t anything new, but, I don’t care! I eat clichés like this up! I am a sucker for a cute rom-com k-dramas and Vibrant Frame is all of that goodness in a short otome package—it’s the best of both worlds.
Some may find Vibrant Frame‘s slow pacing and storytelling a bit of a tough sell given the more dramatic otome offerings out there, but honestly I love the more grounded slice-of-life vibes of the story. It really allows for the characters and their personalities to shine.
On top of that the main leads are just so natural and genuine, you can’t help but get swept up in their budding romance. On paper, Ari and Hanjoo couldn’t be any more different—let’s be real, Hanjoo is the total package, rich, attractive, and talented; while Ari is an average girl, just kind of winging it to get by. With each new encounter both Ari and Hanjoo see different sides of each other, and come to love each other for who they are on the inside. Cliche, I know, but it works!
I am not ashamed to admit that I was a giggling flustered mess throughout my playthrough. From awkward glances during a film shoot, to their adorable movie date to the eventual dramatic confession… I couldn’t help but roll around in all the warm fluffy vibes. I genuinely wanted these two dorks to get together and all the silent pining and fantastic chemistry really pays off in the end.
I also love that the game gives the player the chance to get to know both Ari and Hanjoo’s thoughts and feelings by switching the narrative between both of their perspectives. Giving us a complete look at the characters as their relationship unfolds. We’re not just expected to fall for Hanjoo because he’s hot, but because like Ari we’ve had the chance to get to know him, inside and out. We don’t just fall for his looks, but for the awkward dork he is on the inside. In most otome I don’t really feel like I get to really know the love interests, but here I fell hard for Hanjoo Cha.
As far as heroines go, Ari is personally one of the most relatable. Her entire life mirrored my own undergrad experience from struggling to pay rent, working crazy part-time jobs, all while maintaining a full course load. It was a lot and because I could see myself in Ari’s struggles it made me want her to win that much more!
Unlike other otome that pack in a lot of drama, Vibrant Frame tells a much simpler, slice-of-life story revolving around Ari’s day to day life and interactions. The conflicts are believable and heartfelt, because they mirror some of the real-world experiences we all face—from feeling insecure and overwhelmed to silly misunderstandings and miscommunications. In fact, Vibrant Frame feels more like a manhwa or even a cozy, k-drama than a game.
Generally the plot of Vibrant Frame is pretty lighthearted, so no icky bad ends here. It does get pretty steamy at times, nothing graphic, but Ari and Hanjoo definitely smash (a lot). Also, bless the devs for giving us not only a shirtless Hanjoo CG, but a shirtless, Hanjoo sprite—and trust they are used often. Also, in addition to the usual CGs, there are few times where the visuals will switch to a webcomic panel style, which gives Vibrant Frame more of a mixed media feel. It’s a really nice touch that added more impact to some of the more emotional scenes. Also, because this is a modern game, you can also text your friends occasionally. It’s mostly used for the aesthetic, but it’s cool to read through the messages.
Vibrant Frame is fully voiced in Korean (except for Ari, sis is a silent heroine) and let me just say, the Korean voice acting hits different! I don’t what it is, but every time Hanjoo spoke, my heart did little backflips in my chest. Like the man was talking directly to me. I wasn’t ready! Man already had my heart, but the voice acting put this story over the edge!
And the music, this soundtrack went HARD for no reason! The way the tracks would swell during the emotional highs and fade away during the low moments, made me feel like I was watching a k-drama!
But, the most unique aspect of Vibrant Frame is the Shutter Chance, camera mechanic. The game lets you step into Ari’s shoes a bit and snap photos during key moments in the story. Stuff like taking pictures of the cherry blossoms on campus, the scenery during a beach film shoot, or sneaky spank bank shots of Hanjoo when he’s sleeping… Totally normal stuff.
Shutter Frame functions much the same as a phone camera, with basic zoom and screen adjusting features so you can capture the perfect shot. The pictures you take are stored in a special gallery, where you can revisit them whenever you’d like! But, that’s not all, taking pictures during key moments actually determines which of the game’s two endings you unlock. There aren’t any of the usual choices you’d expect in an otome, the story’s outcome is based solely on whether you take pictures when prompted.
It’s a cool concept, given Ari’s background in filmmaking, but it’s not super intuitive that taking pictures is important to the story. So, if you don’t know going in it’s easy to slack off and not do them as the story progresses, Especially since the story kind of skids to a halt while you setup each photo. But, I’m someone who takes a lot of screenshots when I play games, so it’s kinda cool to be rewarded for taking them as part of the gameplay.
Is Vibrant Frame Worth Playing?
Oh my gosh YES!! Vibrant Frame is a game that made me feel things, which is something I can’t say about a lot of the otome games I’ve played recently. There are no crazy theatrics, just an emotionally resonant slice-of-life romance. While some may find the story slow, the natural chemistry of the main cast and relatable conflicts make Vibrant Frame a must play.
If you don’t fall for Hanjoo’s charms, you have no soul, man will have you swooning! And Ari is a heroine that we can all see ourselves in! I cannot recommend this game enough!
Vibrant Frame is an intimate story that takes its time fleshing out the characters and their relationships. Letting the natural chemistry of the characters take center stage, which makes for a much more impactful story.
I especially recommend this game if you are a lover of k-dramas and manhwa!
Thank you to Smilegate for sending me a copy of Vibrant Frame for this review!
