Lily Kingston has just graduated from college and is trying to find a new job! Lost and alone, she's helped out by her uncle, who is the owner of a fancy Italian restaurant. She begins working there as a waitress even though she has no experience. Clumsy and yet endearing, she tries hard at her new job and is often helped by her attractive male co-workers... Could one of them win her heart or will their secrets threaten a budding relationship...? A slice-of-life visual novel, or interactive story game, about a group of people working in an Italian restaurant. Change the ending of the story through the choices you make and learn more about all the characters and their daily lives. (It's also probably worth noting that this game was made in just one month.)
After playing about twenty games with absolutely no storyline, Ristorante Amore was a nice vacation for me. It is quite clear that Ristorante Amore has a focus on the story and characters rather than gameplay. You play as Lily* who works as a waitress in an Italian restaurant. As you could have guessed by the title, Lily* has three love options. Each love option covers the general expectation, the rude introvert, the out-going extrovert and the princely dreamboat.
So you play through and you are done... or are you? Here is where Ristorante Amore takes a pretty hilarious twist. What you were just playing was just the prologue, there is much a lot that was originally obscured from view. If I was to tell you what the twist was, I'd spoil the entire game. So to keep the story unspoiled, all I will say is the protagonist role is switched.
Ristorante Amore was certainly fun but it felt more like reading a manga or watching an anime rather than playing an actual game. Most choices you make don't effect the final outcome. There is only one question per “chapter” that effects who you ultimately choose. Regardless, Ristorante Amore was funny, fresh, had great character art and is definitely worth the (free!) download, even for you asexual people out there. Final score for me is 75/100. Good job Cyanide Tea.