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Thirty Days review
In-depth strategy, character routes, and practical tips for Thirty Days
Thirty Days is a choice-driven visual novel that invites players to spend a month interacting with multiple romanceable characters and branching storylines, making replayability and decision strategy central to the experience. This article focuses exclusively on Thirty Days, covering how to approach different protagonists, manage relationships, and unlock varied endings while offering hands-on tips drawn from multiple playthroughs. Read on for a practical, player-first guide that mixes step-by-step tactics with personal anecdotes and examples to help you get the most from Thirty Days.
Getting Started: Core Mechanics and First Playthrough
So, you’ve just booted up Thirty Days, and you’re staring at a blank save file, ready to dive into a month that will change everything. 🎮 The premise is simple yet daunting: you have thirty in-game days to navigate a web of relationships, secrets, and life-altering decisions. But how do those Thirty Days game mechanics actually function? Where do you even begin? Don’t sweat it. This guide will walk you through the core systems and set you up for an unforgettable first journey.
The magic—and the pressure—of this game comes from its perfect marriage of structure and freedom. Understanding this framework is the key to enjoying your time, not feeling overwhelmed by it.
How Thirty Days structures choices and days
At its heart, Thirty Days is a masterclass in pacing. The game is divided into, you guessed it, thirty discrete days. Each morning, you’re presented with a Daily Planner. Think of this as your mission control. Here, you’ll see two or three major time slots (like “Morning,” “Afternoon,” “Evening”) and a list of available locations or events.
This is where how Thirty Days choices work becomes clear. You don’t just watch a story unfold; you actively build your schedule. Choosing to visit the library in the afternoon instead of the downtown cafe isn’t just a scenic change—it determines which characters you meet, what conversations you have, and which plot threads you tug on.
There are two main types of choices you’ll encounter:
1. Schedule Choices: These are your macro-decisions. “Where do I go today?” They gatekeep entire scenes and character interactions.
2. Dialogue/Event Choices: These happen within scenes. They can be subtle (choosing a supportive vs. a teasing tone) or monumental (deciding to share a crucial secret). These directly influence relationship meters, which are often hidden but profoundly affect how characters perceive you and what paths open up later.
A crucial piece of Thirty Days game mechanics is that time only advances when you make a schedule choice. You can sit on the planner screen as long as you want, theorizing about outcomes. But once you lock in “Visit Park – Evening,” that time is spent. Some events are only available on specific days, creating a lovely, tense balance between pursuing what you want and exploring what’s available.
💡 Personal Insight: I learned this the hard way. On my first run, I was so focused on one character that I spent Days 5-10 always choosing locations they frequented. I completely missed a limited-time community event on Day 9 that introduced two secondary characters who became vital in a later storyline. The game quietly punishes you for having tunnel vision!
Choosing your main protagonist and initial setup
This is arguably the most important decision you’ll make: who are you for these thirty days? Thirty Days offers six unique main characters (three female, three male), and your selection isn’t just cosmetic. Protagonist selection Thirty Days determines your starting relationships, your internal monologue, your unique dialogue options, and even which scenes you can access first.
Picking a protagonist is like choosing which lens to view the story through. Each one has pre-existing friendships, tensions, and knowledge that others don’t. A choice that seems obvious to one protagonist might be unthinkable to another.
To help you decide, here’s a breakdown of your options:
| Protagonist | Starting Vibe | Unique Perspective | Best For First Play? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex | The Newcomer, curious outsider | Unlocks “first impressions” dialogue; learns secrets alongside the player. | 👍 Highly Recommended. Low preconceptions. |
| Sam | The Confidant, empathetic listener | Gets more open, vulnerable dialogue from others early on. | 👍 Great choice. Focus on relationships. |
| Riley | The Skeptic, sharp and observant | Notices background details and hints at character deceit. | A rewarding challenge. |
| Jordan | The Peacekeeper, deeply connected | Has existing history with everyone; unlocks “past memory” scenes. | Interesting, but can be info-heavy. |
| Casey | The Artist, intuitive and creative | Access to symbolic, emotional dialogue choices others lack. | Very thematic for certain routes. |
| Taylor | The Driven, goal-oriented | Can unlock “efficiency” paths, skipping some social steps for plot. | A unique, direct experience. |
🔄 My personal recommendation for a first playthrough? Go with Alex or Sam. Their perspectives are designed to be player-surrogates, asking questions you’d want to ask and making the web of relationships easier to untangle initially.
Now, before you hit “Start,” let’s tweak your settings! A smooth interface makes reading how Thirty Days choices work much less stressful. Here are my non-negotiable setup tips:
* Text Speed: Set it to the fastest setting you’re comfortable reading. You’ll be reading a lot, and slower text can make pacing feel sluggish.
* Auto-Advance: Turn it OFF. You always want full control to pause and think after a line of dialogue.
* Skip Mode: Ensure it’s set to “Read Text Only” or an equivalent. This allows you to fast-forward through scenes you’ve already seen on future replays without accidentally skipping new content.
* Save Slots: Get in the habit of using multiple slots. The game gives you plenty. Use them!
First-playthrough goals and pacing tips
Welcome to your first thirty-day countdown! 🚀 The biggest mistake you can make right now is trying to see everything. This game is built for saving and replay Thirty Days. Your goal for this run is not perfection; it’s exploration and emotional investment.
Think of your first play as a scouting mission. Your primary objectives should be:
* Meet Everyone: Try to have at least one conversation with every major character in the first ten days.
* Follow Your Curiosity: See a mysterious locked door mentioned? Hear gossip about a past incident? Let your natural interest guide your schedule choices, not a guide or checklist.
* Save Relentlessly: Before any schedule choice, and before any major in-scene decision. Title your saves descriptively! (“Day 12 – Before Concert Choice” is a lifesaver later).
* Embrace the Consequences: Got a “bad” outcome? Don’t immediately reload (unless you’re truly devastated). Some of the most powerful storytelling comes from dealing with unintended fallout. This is a key Thirty Days first playthrough tips.
To solidify this approach, here’s your pre-start checklist:
✅ Choose your protagonist (Alex/Sam are safe, compelling bets).
✅ Adjust text speed and disable auto-advance.
✅ Create your first manual save named “DAY 01 – START.”
✅ Mentally commit to NOT using a walkthrough.
✅ Decide to save at the start of each new day in a new slot.
The pacing can feel breakneck, but you control it. Don’t feel you must use every time slot every day. Sometimes, the game gives you a “Stay Home and Rest” option. It’s not a trap! It can lead to introspective scenes, phone calls, or receiving unexpected visits.
Let me share a story from my first run. I was playing as Sam and, on a whim, chose to visit the quiet campus gardens several afternoons in a row because I liked the atmosphere. Around Day 7, this triggered a chance meeting with Leo, a character who seemed aloof in group settings. In that private, serene setting, he opened up about his anxiety about the future. That conversation wasn’t just “relationship points”; it completely recontextualized his later, more abrasive actions in the main story. I would have totally misunderstood him without those seemingly minor schedule choices. That’s the beauty of the Thirty Days game mechanics—the “side” content often is the main content.
This philosophy feeds directly into the joy of saving and replay Thirty Days. When you finish your first month (with whatever bittersweet, messy, beautiful ending you earn), you’ll have a save file at the beginning. Starting a new game with a different protagonist isn’t just a rerun. You’ll see familiar scenes from a new angle—hearing a character’s internal doubts instead of just their outward smile, or having access to a location because your new protagonist has a key. You’ll know where some threads lead, allowing you to make deliberately different schedule choices to unravel new mysteries.
So, take a deep breath. Your thirty days await. Focus on living them, not winning them. Save often, follow your heart (and your curiosity), and remember that in this game, every ending is just a new beginning for a different version of the story. Happy exploring! ✨
Thirty Days rewards curiosity, careful saving, and multiple playthroughs to uncover all its narrative branches and character moments. By understanding core mechanics, prioritizing route goals, and using targeted save strategies, you can experience varied endings and hidden scenes without wasting time. Try a discovery-first approach on your initial run, then use focused strategies and the save checklist for subsequent completions. If you enjoyed this guide, share your favorite route or a surprising moment from your playthrough to help other players and continue the conversation.
