Spell Candle is an immersive indie otome that blends the storytelling of a visual novel with a unique gameplay style that aims to raise awareness for mental health. This is the first title from Bulgarian indie developer Bottled Monster Ink. In the game, take on the role of a foreign correspondent turned investigator of magical crimes to uncover the culprit behind the mysterious disappearance of a sleeping God.
About Spell Candle
Prepare to celebrate the yearly event marking the end of winter, the closing of the Eyes of Evil, and the coming of spring!
Blood ceases flowing. Children welcome their parents home. The enchantments of war are broken once more by time. Relief washes over the Eastern continent when the Gods of Day and Night chose to once again patrol over the Northern Skies.
The Elves of Quil’an’Guillar, the oldest of races, bring their dead brothers and sisters at arms home and honor them through seven days of celebrations for their souls: Fire-dancing, Aqueduct-riding, Stone-carving, Tree-gifting, Monster-riding, Death-speaking, and Candle-Burning.
The Ares Empire, allies of the elves in the Eternal War always attend the seven days of the Dread Festival, as a show of respect.
This year, however, when their delegation hails the Holy Elven Right of Wax, an ancient seal comes undone, potentially dooming the world.
What could be the cause?
Only you, investigator, can figure it out.
Characters of Spell Candle
The player takes on the role of a political journalist turned designated investigator of magical crimes. Spend 7 in-game days in Omnis, the City of Candlewax and get to know the four suspects, who are also your potential designated love interests. Take part in the grief festival, question your suspects, make choices that directly affect the world around you. Let your chosen love interest hold your hand through your personalized experience of grief.
Check out my playthrough of Spell Candle
Spell Candle is an Immersive Fantasy Otome
When I saw Spell Candle described as a “grief coping mechanism”, I thought the devs were referencing how some in the otome fandom like to claim that otome is how they escape the pressures of reality. But, then I read through more of the Steam page and saw that the devs meant “grief coping” literally:
Spell Candle is 2D otome visual novel that aims to raise awareness about mental health and the challenges we face after losing a loved one. As you navigate the game, your choices shape the experience, and the in-game system will reflect your decisions, providing insights into grief-related behaviors by the end of it. The game is made with the help of psychologists.
My bachelors is in Psych, so I’m always interested in seeing how mental health is handled in media, especially games—and let’s be real otome games love to play around with trauma for funsies. Whether it’s an attempt to add depth to the characters themselves or as a gimmick to add spice to the story, otome writers love giving us damaged boys to “fix” with our love. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve yelled at my Switch (or during streams) that whatever otome love interest I’m romancing need therapy, and not a girlfriend. But, alas mental wellness isn’t always at the forefront of the otome agenda, so my pleas tend to fall on deaf ears.
Which is why Spell Candle is such an intriguing concept, because it’s making mental health the focus of its narrative through how it presents its in-game choices. Not only do your choices shape the characterization of your player character, but they add context to their past and that in turn affects how they reacts to certain situations within the story.
There is a choice midway through about the MC’s worst memory. Players can choose between things like the loss of a friend to war, suffering from a health condition, or an abusive relationship. Each choice adds a new layer to the MC and guides how they navigate interactions with the characters throughout the demo.
In addition to that, there is a scene in the demo where the MC becomes overwhelmed by a social situation and starts to experiencing a panic attack while with one of the love interests, Terra. He quickly realizes that something is up and casually guides the MC to a more secluded area. Once they are away from the crowd, he uses grounding techniques to help the MC work through the episode. It’s brief, but effective and it’s cool to see these types of scenes depicted in a game like Spell Candle. Because it sheds light on things players may experience themselves in their real lives.
While the demo is short—covering the prologue and the first in-game day of the main story—it manages to lay the groundwork for the characterization of its main cast and the world of the game. This is a very intricate fantasy world with its own unique history and culture, and I will admit that it can be a bit overwhelming being thrust into such a detailed world with no context. To help combat that a little bit, the MC is a journalist sent as part of a delegation to document a political visit to the capital city of Omnis for the annual grief festival. As such, they are constantly observing and documenting everything in painstaking detail, occasionally giving insights into the world and its history. It’s through this lens that we learn about the culture of the world of Spell Candle.
Again, it can be a lot to follow, but you get the gist of it as you play the demo. In Spell Candle there are Elven demi-gods who command different elemental aspects and govern the world. There’s the brooding and soft spoken aspect of Death, Mors Mortis; your brusque and at times infuriating boss, Latimor (the Shadowmaster); then there is the flirty and sensual aspect of Water, Aqua; and finally the overly accommodating himbo and aspect of Earth, Terra. Each love interest has their own unique charm that makes them stand out. Though, if I had to be honest, Terra wound up being my favorite—there is just something about sweet, caring himbos that always seems to make me weak in the knees. And on top of that, I stan a beautiful ebony king.
The interplay between the characters mirrors the tenuous political dynamics of the world. Aqua and Terra like to blow off steam by knocking boots. While, the flamboyant Aqua and the more serious Latimor get along like oil and water. Mors Mortis is just a sweet baby boy who keeps to himself, but is surprisingly well informed about everything that happens in the city.
As if that wasn’t enough drama, things get shaken up when someone releases an evil god during the opening ceremony of the grief festival. Because the our love interests were the closest at the time of the incident, they all become suspects and it’s up to you to unmask the culprit. From there the demo takes on more of an investigative tone, as you interrogate each of the love interests to find out more about the incident. Some of the interrogations are pretty straight forward, while others require a bit more finesse to uncover the truth. But, that’s half the fun!
I really enjoyed playing the Spell Candle demo! The characters are fun and gorgeous—especially Terra and Aqua. The art is beautiful, and the overall design is similar to that of something like Touchstarved or When the Night Comes. The demo sets the stage for its immersive world, characters, and a mystery that is sure to keep you guessing with each new investigation. If you are a lover of fantasy, mystery, and ridiculously good looking characters, you’ll definitely want to keep Spell Candle on your radar!
