Comparison

Sifting Thyme Visual Novel vs Romantic HOLIC

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

Engage in a romantic visual novel where your choices shape a love story between dreams and reality. Uncover secrets and determine your character's destiny through interactive dialogue and branching narratives.

Highlights
  • Choice-driven narrative
  • Multiple endings
  • Hidden stories and achievements
  • Immersive text and characters
  • Visual novel gameplay
  • Drama and fun
Features
Read full description

Meet your destined match through your decisions. A romantic love story that moves back and forth between dream and reality. # Story After a terrible breakup with her boyfriend, Jaime finds a white phone amongst his belongings. Jaime ends up connecting to her dream through the strange app on the phone named 'Dream Connector' where she ends up meeting a mysterious man... # Game Introduction The game progresses through dialogue and your decisions determine Jaime’s destined match. Complicated relationships that are determined by your choices. Your decisions will decide if you get to the bottom of the secrets of 'Dream Connector' and who Jaime will end up with. *Don’t miss any minor details. Everything is connected. *Think hard about your relationship with other characters. It may affect your relationship with your desired match. *Nothing is for certain. Pick what you think is right. That will determine your future. # Game Features A visual novel that's simple enough for anyone to enjoy but also with a deep storytelling experience with drama and fun. A simple gameplay system and an addicting story! Your choices determine the ending and achievements add more fun to the game. *The text and characters create an immersive and touching experience. *Make your decisions and experience the ever changing storyline and multiple endings yourself. *Find hidden stories and achievements. The love story of a dreamer. ... This is your story.

Screenshots

Sifting Thyme Visual Novel4 screens
Romantic HOLIC4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sifting Thyme Visual Novel at 4.9 against Romantic HOLIC's 3.7. Sifting Thyme Visual Novel also leads on ratings volume (33 vs 3). Romantic HOLIC's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $9.99) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). 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 $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'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 every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Sifting Thyme Visual Novel versus Romantic HOLIC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSifting Thyme Visual NovelRomantic HOLIC
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 iOS15.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size277 MB205 MB
Age rating17+9+
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

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

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 free?
Romantic HOLIC costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sifting Thyme Visual Novel or Romantic HOLIC?
Sifting Thyme Visual Novel is rated higher. Sifting Thyme Visual Novel averages 4.9 out of 5 from 33 ratings, while Romantic HOLIC averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Sifting Thyme Visual Novel or Romantic HOLIC have ads?
Neither Sifting Thyme Visual Novel nor Romantic HOLIC shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sifting Thyme Visual Novel or Romantic HOLIC?
Sifting Thyme Visual Novel ships an update every 3 weeks, and Romantic HOLIC every 5 weeks. Most recently, Sifting Thyme Visual Novel was updated on November 3, 2026 and Romantic HOLIC on November 7, 2026.

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