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October Releases: Tsukikage no Simulacre


Clephas

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Simulacre.png

Tsukikage no Simulacre is a mini-VN by Akatsuki Works' sibling brand, Applique, which specializes in solid story-focused VNs ranging from nakige like Toko o Tsumugu Yakusoku to hard sci-fi stories like Re:Birth Colony.  Applique is also responsible for the creation of Tasogare no Sinsemilla, which is a classic VN that I still remember well to this day.

This VN, like Hinonai (reference the previous post), seems to have been created as a combination prelude/advertisement for a future, more extensive VN.  In this case, it looks to be an occult horror/mystery.  The fact that the mystery of what is going on is never revealed to the reader by the end of the VN only reinforces this idea. 

However, if it is a mere prelude, it is an excellent one, since it definitely caught my interest.  The focus of this VN is the mystery 'living doll' of the Kisaragi family, which is said to have been the creation and loyal companion of the family's founder until his death, when it ceased to move.  At the beginning, the protagonist is called to the Kisaragi head family's home to participate in a ritual marriage to the living doll, a ritual that has been carried out countless times in the past, though its full meaning was lost long ago. 

The protagonist himself is a member of an estranged cadet family of the Kisaragi, which has gone its own way over the years, while maintaining a frail connection to the rest, which run a corporate conglomerate specializing in mechanized technology of various types.  He has a unique talent that lets him instantly be able to tell what is wrong with any mechanical device that he knows the makeup of at a touch, a talent that never sees use throughout the VN (further reinforcing my belief that this VN is going to see a sequel, at the very least). 

The music in this game is... atmospheric.  Seriously, the atmosphere in this VN is defined through most of its length by the BGM, setting the stage for events in the main path (there is a secondary 'nothing happened' ending, but it is fairly irrelevant).  I was really impressed with what they did with it.  The visuals are standard Applique, bringing back nostalgic memories of Sinsemilla and other games by this company.

Story-wise... it is incomplete.  It is enjoyable, but the way it ends makes it obvious that the writer intends to put out future entries and maybe make it into a series or a full VN.  It ends on a slightly less satisfying note than Hinonai, but then, the incident in the VN isn't resolved, so that is only natural.

 

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10 hours ago, Narcosis said:

Seems like japanese developers are also slowly jumping into episodic release model.

RIP vn industry, 1982-2016.

I kind of doubt that that is what they are doing here.  I got the impression that Hinonai, at the very least, was made for the purpose of introducing the characters and giving you a background on them as much as anything else.  Tsukikage also has a similar feeling, in that it feels sort of like a much more detailed version of one of those flashback scenes you see in some story-focused VNs where the protagonist has a tragic/traumatic past.

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1 hour ago, Clephas said:

I kind of doubt that that is what they are doing here.  I got the impression that Hinonai, at the very least, was made for the purpose of introducing the characters and giving you a background on them as much as anything else.  Tsukikage also has a similar feeling, in that it feels sort of like a much more detailed version of one of those flashback scenes you see in some story-focused VNs where the protagonist has a tragic/traumatic past.

Hopefully. On a sidenote, it's not like the japanese devs are way behind the western market, they are simply more reluctant to apply changes; if something works, there's no need for a change, right? That said, episodic stuff isn't anything new in terms of their market - even manga and tankōbon can be considered that, especially if they're a part of a bigger story. Forcing people to wait in excitement is their way of doing business. If it's something, that might alleviate current problems they're facing, it's worth trying. I still prefer full releases, but with current market trends and oversaturation, it might not be truly possible anymore; at least for all the studios, that don't sleep on money.

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3 hours ago, Narcosis said:

Hopefully. On a sidenote, it's not like the japanese devs are way behind the western market, they are simply more reluctant to apply changes; if something works, there's no need for a change, right? That said, episodic stuff isn't anything new in terms of their market - even manga and tankōbon can be considered that, especially if they're a part of a bigger story. Forcing people to wait in excitement is their way of doing business. If it's something, that might alleviate current problems they're facing, it's worth trying. I still prefer full releases, but with current market trends and oversaturation, it might not be truly possible anymore; at least for all the studios, that don't sleep on money.

Honestly, my guess is that Akatsuki Works and Applique intend to go for the non-ero market on tablets and smartphones, which is why they released this on PC, IOS, and Android all at the same time.  Unlike charage companies, their games can stand on their own without erotic content, for the most part, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if this doubled as a test-case as well as an informal advert. 

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