One Small Fire At A Time

It's surprisingly good and really cheap on Sale (Less than a dollar).
I'm really enjoying it so far

It's not that long and the choices are really simple like "Go There or Don't Go There"
But otherwise it's great.

I enjoyed this game. It's a nice little prequel to "An Octave Higher". Nice work, Kidalang crew.

As other reviews point out, this prequel to An Octave Higher can be played as its own stand alone visual novel.

While not as long or focused on world building as its predecessor, It's interesting to learn about some new characters and old ones too in this now short series. It's focus on mental health, while it might not be interesting for everyone, I thought was well done.

I was less impressed that some of the dialogue was presented in paragraphs at times instead of the individual characters presenting their lines in the usual format. I also thought unlike the previous title that it was a lot easier to achieve the 'canon ending', so it may have a little less replayability (considering the other endings have no standing in the future story of the series).

For it's length and the fact that its a prequel, if you enjoyed An Octave Higher then give this one a try through a sale. It's a bit of a shame that Kidalang isn't operating anymore because the world of Overture seemed to have a lot more stories to tell.

If you like previous game "Octave Higher" this is a good sequel.

If you are first time of this series, it'll be fine because it's just small easter eggs from previous game and still a good VN game that has multiple endings, depends on how you behave.

Pretty good prequel of An Octave Higher. It's enjoyable and it touches themes that regard mental health without being stigmatizing which is always nice.
I must admit that overall the story seems cut at a certain point: between Candela's death and the execution there's story time that hasn't been used and could have been used to give some depth to the other characters, which overall seem pretty monodimensional although enjoyable, except for Drake.
Would I recommend it? Yes but not at full price. Overall 6/10.

I can't tell you how much better this VN is than An Octave Higher was. I went for the true ending first, and I was gripped from the second chapter on. The twists, the turns, the comedy, the drama, the mystery, this story literally had it all. A certain amount of my enthusiasm could be coming from the fact that I suffer from a few neurological disorders myself, so I found this story (very thoughtfully focused on the treatment of people with such disorders) and some of its characters to be quite relatable. But regardless, this has to be one of the best VNs on Steam!

I do think I enjoyed this game more than I otherwise would have because I had played AOH first, so if you can slog through it, I do recommend playing AOH first. Rest assured, OSFaaT will be way better. There's only one really cringey part (near the beginning) and the rest of it flows magnificently. Since the protagonist is a child, turning 13 during the game, there are no romance options or dating elements to worry about, all the relationships are merely friendships. And the best part is, no Frederic, because this story takes place 5 years before he was born!

If there is anything I can say I really didn't like about the game, it's that I wish the character Alanis Blyton had a larger role. Granted, she played an important supporting role in both this game and AOH, but her appearance here was even more brief than before, and she was one of my favorite characters in both stories.

A couple warnings, just so you know what you're getting into. I would not let children under at least 13 play this game, maybe older. From chapter 10 on, the game starts to get into some images and scenarios that might be scary or disturbing to young children, due to the mystery/crime elements of the story, but it's not bad. I'm way too squeamish to watch any horror movies myself, and I was totally fine. Also, one of the alternate endings, "Untainted", is very sad and depressing, much more so than anything in AOH. If you struggle at all with depression or being suicidal or anything like that, definitely just click through that one without reading it, or just don't go that route.

And whatever you do, pay attention to everything you read, especially on the true ending route! If you get the whole experience of this game on that route, the whole story is an interconnected web of plot. Several times throughout my first playthrough, I read things that I thought were just minor little funny things, only to reach a point later and go, "Oh, that's right! I remember that!"

9.5/10 Will read again!

It doesn't have any real gameplay aside from couple of small choices, but don't let that deter you. It's a nice little story with both fun and sad moments, interesting world and sympathetic characters. Well worth buying on sale.

Like its predecessor "An Octave Higher", One Small Fire at a Time has an interesting enough premise, decent world building and engaging characters (for the most part), however a lot of that is undone thanks to the story being extremely rushed. This game suffers from it even more than its predecessor; at times you're given the impression that this game's story is just moving from scene to scene with no breathing room (this is especially prevalent towards the end).

The main character, Janis (who was one of my favourite characters in the previous game) is only an inkling of the badass character that she is in AOH but it does make her more nuanced and three dimensional. Her relationship with Aidan however is underdeveloped and doesn't hit home (or as it probably should) when you reach the true ending.

Only worth a read if you liked AOH but it is a step down in both scale and story from AOH. I did enjoy my time though. 5.0/10

One Small Fire at a Time is almost like a little masterpiece.

This is the story of Janis. A strong willed child that has been sentenced to the mad house for her inability to use magic in a world dependant upon magic for life's daily needs.

But even in a mad house the world of Overture still relies on magic. Forcing Janis to adapt to survive. Relationships with the other characters are still paramount and your actions will determine towards which ending the game branches. Everything begins to change once the investigation of the mad house is underway.

A single run through is about 4~5 hours and it is worth revisiting to see the various endings. Enjoy the classical music and the art along the way. It's worth every penny. There are about 12 fairly compact chapters making it suitable for both a long sitting or a bite sized play through.

I'm especially found of how Janis's depression and the question of sanity keeps cropping up in the story, often both for sadness and humour. We're given excellent supporting characters such as Candela and the issue of mental health is both a source of seriousness and humour as the investigation of the mad house unfolds. The ending is also something else.

The game An Octave Higher is set some decades into the future. One in which Janis Woolf takes on the role of memorable supporting character and the world of Overture continues.

Really good quality story! Well-written story and characters.
Good for starting a difficult conversation about mental illness/handicap.

Visual aspect highlights the storyline, safe for work.

The story is actually quite nice. But sometimes the angst seems really funny as my 14 year old emo self can sometimes relate to it. Some problems that this game has is that there is a bug that prevents you from being able to click on the screen in order for you to read through the text. You have to restart the game in order to play it again, which makes it quite troublesome as you need to remember to save every so often. But nevertheless, the game is actually quite nice!

This was an interesting read. The world is glorious, the characters fully-formed, and the tale was great, if sad in a few places. Still, I would recommend this to anyone wanting a good read.

Apparently, this is a prequel to another visual novel, which I will have to acquire and read. Also, there is at least one loopy achievement that can only be accessed after getting the "True" Ending.

This is a good read with multiple endings and a lot to think about. The discussions of how society decides what is lunacy and madness get a bit long winded, but can cause you to really think about it.

I picked it up on-sale, but I think it would be worth full price. Even using fast-forward while doing alt endings, I still got over 4 hours of reading time from this. I think it's worth that.

Also, there is no nudity, H, or any other adult content. So, if you're looking for that. look elsewhere.

Overall, One Small Fire At A Time is a pretty good prequel to An Octave Higher. While it lacks the length and depth of its predecessor, the artwork is definitely better.
My only problem with this visual novel is that you can reach the true ending quite easily. I did it on my first playthrough and I like to struggle a bit, get a few alternate ones (all preferably) beforehand.
Having read An Octave Higher is a plus but it's not essential. I would still recommend playing AOH first. It's a fascinating story that will make make you want to know more about Overture and its people. That's when One Small Fire At A Time comes in, as a nice cherry on the cake.

Another awesome VN from Kidalang! I liked it so much, I went through the first playthrough (5 hours) in one sitting; couldn't stop reading. I do admit that I liked An Octave Higher a bit more, but this prequel was definitely a close second. While some have suggested otherwise, I do think the VN is more enjoyable if you've read An Octave HIgher first. An Octave Higher explains the magical system and gives an overall introduction to the world in these stories. Besides, it's more interesting to see Janis's backstory while knowing who she is in An Octave Higher.

Like in An Octave Higher, this story was very thought-provoking and causes the reader to consider things about life. It particularly raises questions about the treatment of those with mental illnesses in society. As someone who suffers from depression/anxiety, I did relate quite a bit to some of the rhetoric used in the story.

Ideas on the time lapse: (kinda spoiler-ish)
Based on how young Janis is in this game and how old she looks in An Octave Higher, I suspected the time between the two is maybe about 10 years or so, but thinking about it, I've decided that can't be right. Joff (another character in An Octave Higher) hasn't married or had his son in this story, and since his son was a teenager in An Octave Higher, assuming he got married (maybe to Ena) and his wife immediately got pregnant, then maybe the time between the stories is about 15 years. Perhaps a bit more. They might even state Joff's son's age at some point in An Octave Higher, but I can't recall since I played it quite a while ago.

The joke ending was, once again, quite amusing.

I HIGHLY recommend this game (as well as An Octave Higher) to those who enjoy thought-provoking VNs.

One Small Fire At A Time is one of those games that turns into a pleasant surprise. It is well worth the asking price for the game. Definitely a game I would recommend.

It appears this game is a standalone prequel for An Octave Higher, which is something I'll be buying here shortly.

Where should I start....

I really like this game, just as I liked previous part, which is "An Octave Higher". The story is set some time before "Octave", more or less 20-30 years. We see origins of some secondary characters, most notably Janis and Joff Godwin.

Anyway, you have the story explained in the summary of the game, above reviews section, and I don't want you to read the same shit all over again. I'll just tell what you can expect. You can expect well balanced story, with humour, action, sad moments, plot twists, etc. There are also many long and smart conversations about various things (mostly psychology), so if you don't like it, then I don't recommend it to you.

Art. Art is very impotant factor in Visual Novels. Often in low-budget games, such as this one, artstyle is very cheesy. Thankfully this isn't a case here, character sprites and backgrounds are detailed and just well done. There are also many CGs for more complex scenes, which is very good.

Music. I'm especially sensitive on this point, and to my satisfaction, this game has very good soundtrack, I couldn't hear any generic overused stock music (well, there were few classical pieces).

Overall, this game is very good, even if bit short (Better than if it was too long, then it would be quite boring), and for fair price.

Some things up front:
1) This is a prequel to An Octave Higher. This game is playable as a standalone, but knowledge from the other will be helpful and will probably make it more enjoyable.
2) This is a visual novel. There are choices, but otherwise there is no gameplay.
3) Just like An Octave Higher, this has some mature themes. For example, sexual violence, mental illness, and suicide are discussed, sometimes at length.

The Good:
1) Excellent writing. It manages to be both funny and disturbing as the situation calls for it. The story moves at a quick pace without being rushed.
2) The music is similar to (and partly the same as) An Octave Higher. I personally think this is a good thing. Classical music mixed with thematic music for kinds of scenes and situations.
3) Great art again, both backgrounds and characters. The styling is consistent so if you like the preview images, that is what you will get.
4) Thematically very interesting. Just like in An Octave Higher, characters tend to wax philosophical at appropriate times. They wrestle with tough questions, and the reader is invited to think about it too. This time, the focus is on the nature of mental illness.

The Not So Good:
1) Some of the humor was funny but took me out of the story. The references broke immersion in a couple spots. It turned out okay because I got back into it just fine, but that could annoy some people.
2) The ending is a bit jarring. Some of the characters' actions didn't feel quite right. No spoilers here, but be aware that you may not really click with the ending.
3) A bit short. I completed the full all routes in a litle over 4 hours.

The Verdict:
I'd recommend giving this a read after An Octave Higher if you enjoyed that visual novel. I think An Octave Higher is a bit better (at least as a standalone game). If you liked An Octave Higher, I think you'll like this one too, especially if you find the discussion of mental illness compelling.

This VN is about the protagonist that lives in a madhouse because she can't use magic and a group of men trying to uncover some shady activity that the owners of the madhouse might be involved in.
It has a true ending which lines up the protagonist's life before An Octave Higher happens and 3 alternative endings that could have happened depending on your choices in the story.

You can play this even if you haven't played An Octave Higher and only miss a couple of technical details about the world but not the story.

It was nice to see more of Joff's and Poe's character here to give perspective on their characters in the main game.
All in all I like this game :3

A nice little VN with a good amount of Comedy and Drama at the End of it.
It has around 3-5 hours Playtime and shows an interesting Story of a Girl, which can't use Magic in a World, where Magic
is everywhere. Because of that, she was brought into a Madhouse where the Story starts.

PS: This Game is the Prequel of ,, An Octave Higher''

Charaktere: 4/5 Stars.
( The MC has a nice personality and the SC's aren't that bad. They have a story which will be explained to some decrease.)

Art/Style: 3,5/5 Stars
( It has a nice look, cute at some times but it can intensify the Drama and the Fights.

Musik: 3/5 Stars
( The Musik isn't special but nothing bad. It match the Story but it sometimes stops abruptly when you move forward to the next scene)

Story: 4/5
( It has a nice Story which is well told. I would have given 5 Stars if the ending wasn't so......how should I say it......odd? )

I would give it around 3,5/5 Stars and recommend it.