Frozen Essence: Difference between revisions

'''''Frozen Essence''''' is a [[Freeware]] [[Romance Game|otome]] [[Visual Novel|visual novel]] created by VenusEclipse. The story centers around Mina, an [[Ill Girl]] who has been sealed in a giant crystal for 1,000 years, but as she has no memories from before that time, she doesn't know who put her there or why. One day, a strange, hooded figure breaks her out of her [[Crystal Prison|icy prison]]. She wakes up hundreds of days later in a protective realm that she apparently mentally created, cared for by an Oracle and her three bodyguards, Rune, Caius, and Aysel who are responsible for bringing Life essence to Mina in order to keep her awake and alive.

The latest version can be found at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20120623193609/http://unbrokenhours.com/frozenessence/download.html creator’s website].

* [[Cry Cute]]: Caius completely breaks down in his Light path after {{spoiler|Mina almost dies saving him}}, pinpointing the moment where he goes from a [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Jerk]] to a [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold]].

* [[Dramatic Unmask]]: In the Water Path, Mina accidentally {{spoiler|pulls off the Oracle's hood enough to see his face}}. The player doesn't recognize the character (whose face isn't shown in any other path), but Mina does and the shock is enough to break her out of her [[Trauma -Induced Amnesia]].

* [[Golden Ending]]: ''[[Frozen Essence (Visual Novel)|Frozen Essence]]'' is notable in that its "True End" is a [[Bittersweet Ending]] with {{spoiler|Rune, Mina's main love interest, dying}}. However, the True End differs from all other endings in that it's the only one in which {{spoiler|Mina is separated from the Death Sphere and hence is able to lead a normal life, in contrast to the other "happy" endings where she gets to be with her love interest but is still confined or restricted in some way due to her status as the feared Death Sphere}}. Additionally, many players consider the Water Path's Light End to be another "true end" of sorts because it's the only one in which the mysteries surrounding Mina's identity and her dreams that remain unexplained in even the True End are resolved with {{spoiler|her regaining her memories and reuniting with her childhood love}}.

* [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Jerk]]: Caius initially appears to be a typical [[Troubled but Cute]] [[Loveable Rogue]] who claims that he's helping Mina just because it benefits him and doesn't care if she gets herself hurt or not only because of his [[Dark and Troubled Past]]. Except that in most paths, it turns out that he ''wasn't'' lying about [[Lack of Empathy|looking out for only himself]] and [[Blood Knight|killing being the only thing he cares about]] {{spoiler|after he joins the enemy's side and attempts to kill his former companions without a shred of hesitation or remorse. He does prevent the [[Big Bad]] Oryon from recapturing Mina and Rune in Rune's path, but only because he wants revenge on Oryon and to be the one who kills Rune in the end}}.

* [[Powered Byby a Forsaken Child]]: The White Order figured out that {{spoiler|they could protect people from the harmful rays of the Death sphere by using imprisoned orphans as a buffer.}}

* [[What Happened to Thethe Mouse?]]: This is invoked if you do not complete most of the endings, as after the {{spoiler|cave-in during the failed ritual}}, you typically only get to see the details pertinent to the love interest's path you have chosen, and you don't learn the whereabouts of the other characters.