Comparison

Sifting Thyme Visual Novel vs Romantic HOLIC Premium

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Sifting Thyme Visual Novel

Experience a culinary school romance as a new transfer student. Interact with four attractive characters, build relationships, and explore branching story paths. Enjoy a food-themed otome visual novel with multiple endings and unlockable content.

Highlights
  • Food-themed otome visual novel
  • Four romanceable characters
  • Branching story routes
  • Unlockable CGs and social media content
  • Multiple endings
  • Ad-free experience
Features
Read full description

You’re the newest transfer student at Lincoln Culinary Academy, a private culinary school to find your culinary calling and an unforgettable romance. Immerse yourself in your school adventures as you interact with four gorgeous guys with culinary skills of their own. As you spend time with these love interests, your experience at Lincoln turns to a delicious, romantic journey. "Sifting Thyme" is an anime, food-themed simulation game where the romanceable characters are a part of your culinary boarding school life. The way you interact with the characters will affect your relationship and intimacy with them. Enjoy a romantic school life with 4 attractive boys! An otome visual novel where you choose your romance with an attractive boy in culinary school. A perfectly delectable romance for foodies. ■ Game Experience An otome game with four romance-able characters you can bond and interact with to unlock text messages, social media content, and romantic scenarios in the story! Explore branching routes based on your answer choices and relationships with handsome boys. While romancing four love interests, experience unique scenarios inspired by foods, culinary destinations, the latest U.S. food industry trends, and delicious cuisines from around the world! ■ Features - One-time purchase for the game - Ad-free experience - Unlockable CGs - Immersive MC experience – select as a female, male, or non-binary MC - Unlockable in-game social media content with the characters - Original Soundtrack - 8 different endings ■ Official Website Looking for more Sifting Thyme or dating sim games from Nochi? Check out our official website http://nochistudios.com ■ Social Media Get the latest news from our social media! Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/nochistudios Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nochistudios/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nochigames/ Tumblr: https://nochistudios.tumblr.com Additional Info Compatibility with certain devices is not guaranteed. May not play on certain devices that meet OS version requirements.

About

Romantic HOLIC Premium

Experience a mystery romance visual novel where your choices shape the story and lead to multiple endings. Engage with three distinct male characters in a narrative that blends dreams and reality.

Highlights
  • Chat-style visual novel gameplay
  • Multiple endings based on choices
  • Mystery romance narrative
  • Interactive story with branching paths
  • Unlockable illustrations and achievements
  • Timeline feature for replaying choices
Features
Read full description

◆ The worst breakup of her life—and that night, she met him in a dream The day her boyfriend dumped her in the cruelest way possible, the only thing Jaime still had was the white phone he left behind. The moment she opened a mysterious app on it, [Dream ConNECTING], she slipped into a vivid lucid dream. Beyond the crumbling dream world, she came face to face with "him"… Is this dream mere coincidence, or fate? ◆ Three men, three kinds of love - Liam — A café owner who plays it cool but is secretly sweet. He quietly stays by her side when she falls apart. - Elliot — The ex who broke her heart in the worst way. Heir to a wealthy family empire, hiding a secret behind his cold words. - Allen — A mysterious man she can only meet in her dreams. Why has he been waiting for her? Who you choose changes everything: the way she loves, and the future that awaits her. ◆ What makes it special - A chat-style visual novel that reads as easily as your favorite messaging app - Multiple endings—Best, Normal, and Bad—where one small choice can change her fate - A mystery romance spanning dreams and reality across 16 chapters - Heart-fluttering cutscenes and 21 album illustrations - 42 achievements and hidden episodes, with more of the truth revealed every time you replay - A timeline feature that takes you back to past choices so you can discover a different ending ◆ Perfect for you if you… - Love otome games, dating sims, and romance games made for women - Are looking for an interactive story or choices game where your decisions change the ending - Want an easy-to-play visual novel told through chat messages - Miss the butterflies of romance fantasy and shoujo manga - Want an emotional text-based game you can get lost in, even in just a few spare minutes It's a dream, so of course it's a romance. How this story ends is up to you. Questions and suggestions: help@buffstudio.com

Screenshots

Sifting Thyme Visual Novel4 screens
Romantic HOLIC Premium4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sifting Thyme Visual Novel at 4.9 against Romantic HOLIC Premium's 3.7. Sifting Thyme Visual Novel also leads on ratings volume (33 vs 3). Romantic HOLIC Premium's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $9.99). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Sifting Thyme Visual Novel costs $9.99 and Romantic HOLIC Premium $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sifting Thyme Visual Novel holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sifting Thyme Visual Novel has 33 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 95% of Sifting Thyme Visual Novel's written reviews are positive against 100% of Romantic HOLIC Premium's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sifting Thyme Visual Novel ships an update every 3 weeks, Romantic HOLIC Premium every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Sifting Thyme Visual Novel versus Romantic HOLIC Premium: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSifting Thyme Visual NovelRomantic HOLIC Premium
Price$9.99$4.99 — better
Rating4.9 (33 ratings) — better3.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews95.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings33 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size277 MB230 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperNochi GamesBuff Studio Co.Ltd.

Customer experience

Sifting Thyme Visual Novel

All ratings33 ratings
Positive97.0%
Neutral3.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive95.5%
Neutral4.5%
Negative0.0%

Romantic HOLIC Premium

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral66.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Sifting Thyme Visual Novel

No in-app purchases

None

Romantic HOLIC Premium

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sifting Thyme Visual Novel free?
Sifting Thyme Visual Novel costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Romantic HOLIC Premium free?
Romantic HOLIC Premium costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sifting Thyme Visual Novel or Romantic HOLIC Premium?
Sifting Thyme Visual Novel is rated higher. Sifting Thyme Visual Novel averages 4.9 out of 5 from 33 ratings, while Romantic HOLIC Premium averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Sifting Thyme Visual Novel or Romantic HOLIC Premium have ads?
Neither Sifting Thyme Visual Novel nor Romantic HOLIC Premium shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sifting Thyme Visual Novel or Romantic HOLIC Premium?
Sifting Thyme Visual Novel ships an update every 3 weeks, and Romantic HOLIC Premium every 5 weeks. Most recently, Sifting Thyme Visual Novel was updated on November 3, 2026 and Romantic HOLIC Premium on November 11, 2026.

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