Dear Devere Review – Short but Sweet

Follow the romance between a woman named Angela and the mysterious Mr. Devere by reading the letters they left behind.

Dear Devere
Developer: Jasmine Osler
Price: Free
Platforms: PC

Dear Devere is a visual novel set in 1930s Scotland told through a series of letters. It begins with a woman named Angela Bard writing a letter to no one in order to get her frustrations out on paper. After declaring her intention to bury the letter in the forest, she is taken by surprise when a reply comes, written by a mysterious sender named Devere.

Although she’s initially skeptical of the stranger responding to her letters, she keeps up the correspondence with him, and soon the two grow close. Unlike a traditional visual novel, Dear Devere is told almost entirely through the letters. You never get to see Angela and Devere, but rather the letters they sent while their voices narrate the contents. That isn’t to say it’s dull to look at, however. On the contrary, Devere’s envelopes are beautifully illustrated, and soon Angela begins illustrating hers as well. Together with the excellent voice acting for the two leads, this art does a great job of building the story’s atmosphere.

Now, I don’t want to go into too many details about the story, because it is quite short. It should take about an hour to finish, give or take a little depending on how fast you read. Suffice it to say things are not nearly as simple as you might expect from the premise, and things take an interesting turn when Devere begins to reveal details about himself.

While Dear Devere largely is a romance story as the relationship between Angela and Devere develops, it also is partly a mystery. The story is divided into acts, and between each act, you take on the role of an unnamed character who is reading the letters as part of an investigation to learn what happened. These sections are presented differently and emphasize the point that this is the character you are actually playing as. Near the end, you’re given a couple of dialogue choices–the only choices in the game, as it’s otherwise a kinetic novel–and one of these determines which ending you receive.

The romance was interesting, but it was the mystery that really drew me in. The introduction of this twist on the story caught my attention, and the story progressed at a perfect pace to keep me guessing about how it would all turn out. It’s a short read, but an enjoyable one, and it’s well worth reading if you have any interest in the genre.

The Final Word
Despite its short length, Dear Devere is a compelling tale with elements of both romance and mystery that should be viewed as a short story told in visual novel form.

– MonsterVine Rating: 4.5 out of 5 – Great