If someone asked me, “I'm looking for a cute romance game, do you have any recommendations?” I might think for a moment and reply like this: “Then how about taking a look at 'Sullyland Nursery Rhyme'? However, if you are only imagining sweet love, your heart will probably be snatched away.” This is because this work is not a story where you simply fall in love with someone and become happy. The fantastic and beautiful world view and charming characters that first catch your eye certainly possess the gorgeousness typical of an otome game, but beneath that, an unsettling atmosphere quietly settles. Moreover, that uneasiness doesn't suddenly shout out at you, but rather feels as if it has sat down right next to you before you realize it. The flip side of casual conversations, the gazes of the characters, the pauses between words—such tiny inconsistencies accumulate, and the feeling that “something is wrong” expands bit by bit.

The stage of this work is a strange world where the religious city of Malenis and the world of the dead, Sully Land, blend together. Hearing only this, you might feel that it is a “typical fantasy setting,” but this world is not a simple illusionary world. Rather, it might be closer to say it is a space where beauty and eeriness exist in the exact same place. For example, even though you are looking up at the beautiful stained glass of a church, there is an discomfort as if you somehow feel someone's presence behind you. The world itself is distorted somewhere, and it won't let you feel at peace even in places that would normally seem safe. Since that sense of oddity constantly covers the entire story, you will likely be able to taste a sense of immersion as if you yourself have wandered into that place, rather than just reading through the text.

In romance games, one often feels a flutter of excitement at the moment when the distance between you and the other person narrows. However, in “Sullyland Nursery Rhyme,” that very sense of distance begins to feel like a hazardous object. The romanceable characters appearing in this work each harbor deep trauma or hidden secrets. Normally, falling in love with someone would seem to save them, but in this work, love does not necessarily turn out to be a salvation. Rather, it even makes you feel the possibility that affection will distort, turn into obsession, and emotions will run wild. Even though the emotion of “liking” someone is supposed to be warm, you will probably be surprised at how scary it can become with just a slight change in form. There is a powerful individuality unique to this work in how romance becomes a stimulation rather than healing, and at times even looks like a danger signal.

Human beings are mysterious, and the more we know a secret, the more interested we become. I feel that this work utilizes that exact sensation. The characters do not show everything about themselves from the beginning. Rather, the fact that they are hiding something comes across blatantly. Once you start thinking, “Is that smile real?” or “Was there a different meaning to those words just now?” you won't be able to stop. And each time a secret or past is revealed bit by bit, you won't be able to end it by just falling in love. When seeing a person who is hurt, we sometimes feel that “I can't leave them alone,” and this work might be a piece that stimulates such emotions extremely strongly.

The charm of “Sullyland Nursery Rhyme” lies in how it is not a mere romance adventure, but a place where suspense, darkness, psychological depiction, and perilous affection are intricately intertwined. Within a tension that sits side-by-side with death, developments that make you want to doubt even yourself regarding who to believe or what the truth is seem to be waiting. The stimulation might be a bit too strong for people who “want to enjoy sweet romance.” However, for those who feel that “happiness alone is not enough,” “want to touch the darkness in the characters' hearts,” or “like stories that do not end with just being beautiful,” it is likely to be a piece that firmly grabs their hearts. You intended to open a gentle fairy tale, but from the gaps between its pages, darkness was quietly staring back at you—it can be called a work possessed of such dangerous charm.