Ye olde hidden-object finding with a solid plot and rosy visuals.
Yeah, I know what you're thinking. "But Cello, isn't this a girls game?" Well... Yeah, it kinda has that vibe, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. The game has a sweet little story where you play the wife of an employee at the US embassy in Japan, and while the plot is nothing out more than a whodunit with you trying to find the murderer, it still contains some interesting plot twists that kept the story going while still making sense.
The game itself is one of those find-hidden-items-on-the-screen games and is controlled using only the mouse. While it does have some frustratingly well-hidden items, most of the time the game plays nice, and I found that I didn't have to use the hint-button that much. However, after completing a couple of scenes I often needed to take a rest because this game really takes its toll on your eyes!
Unfortunately, most of the time there is absolutely no connection between the story and the stuff you are required to find in a scene in order to advance, and that tends to break the immersion and make the whole hidden-object thing seem like something Squeenix just fit in in order to turn this from a visual novel into a game. It also kinda breaks immersion when, after having visited the police station to enlist the help of a detective, I inexplicably have to find a bunch of fishes, hairbrushes and cigars.
To summarize: The story is good, but is hampered by nonsensical item-finding.
One thing that is good about the gameplay is the fact that you revisit the same areas several times throughout the game - and and thus required to look for other items in familiar areas. That's actually a lot of fun, since your memory comes into play as well as your perception - can you remember anything from the last time you were here? I found that I slowly learned to memorize the placement of several items, and that kind of slow progression gives off the same kind of satisfaction as remembering exactly when to jump in a Super Meat Boy level.
Oh, by the way, there are also a few mini-games in here, but they are really nothing special, so not really worth mentioning here.
As for the graphics, they are in fact really, really pretty, and the characters are exceptionally well-drawn, with care taken to make believable expressions and such.
The sound is mostly in the background and manages to not annoy, while at the same time not being especially interesting either.
All in all this is a sweet little game with an interesting story and tried-and-true hidden-object gameplay. If you like hidden-object games or the Agathe Christie kind of crime mysteries, this may well be able to give you some hours of enjoyment. And while the story is probably only fresh the first time around, the gameplay never gets old.
(This review was expanded from my Steam recommendation. If you want access to my Steam recommendations feel free to add me on Steam)