Mistel Valentine

For those who have played Vendetta, look in the spoiler box for a small gift. 

Anyway, Mistel is a Paladin of the Japan-worshiping Holy Country of Canterbury, which is based in the same region as Britain is today.  She is an older woman with a strong sense of compassion, her duty as a warrior in service to her faith and her country, and a lot of experience with the ups and downs of life.  As one of the three heroines, she shares one quality they all possess... a deep love of Ash. 

This path focuses on Dainsleif as an antagonist, and as a result... it is one massacre after another.  That guy is even crazier than Strayed from Vendetta and is an equal in his own way to the puppet-masters on the Empire's side.  As is common in games with a true path, this one reveals a few elements of the protagonist's past and what is going on behind the scenes that isn't covered in detail in the other paths. 

This path, like Aya's, left me crying... multiple times.

Rain Persephone

Rain Persephone is a mercenary working for the 'Sea of the Rising Sun' mercenary band who has a strong personal attachment to Ash, as well as a virulent hatred of Valzeride-style heroism that is pretty nostalgic for those who played Vendetta.  That said, she is essentially a 'good' person at heart, and her priority is Ash's salvation, so she doesn't have that hopelessly black-hearted personality that Zephyr had... or that weird love of Vendetta's.

Anyway, Rain's path focuses on Cerberus and the issues relating to him and the influence of the Underworld on what is going on.  As a result, it is perhaps the most... nostalgic of the paths so far.  In particular, the final battle brings back memories of great times, hahaha.  The downside is that, like the others, it has a sad ending... or rather an inevitably sad ending, for the same reason as the others. 

Again, this path is classic Light, setting things up for a Grand/True route, and I seriously recommend that anyone who reads this game read this path after the other two heroine paths, as it reveals way too much about certain aspects of the story that kind of spoil things for the other paths.  That isn't to say that the elements from those paths are included in this one, but rather, too much vital information is revealed that would probably interfere with full enjoyment of the other two.  In fact, the order in which I did the paths is probably the best one, looking at things in retrospect.

 

True Path

This path shows off one of the few areas in which this team completely surpasses Masada... they can make a direct sequel that feels as strong in its own way as the original, without being entirely dependent on it for everything.  For better or worse, Masada is terrible at reusing characters... as was proven with Bansenjin.

This is Ashley Horizon's path, above all other things.  It brings all the elements introduced in the other paths together and confronts the biggest issues and antagonists head on.  It is also incredibly brutal to everyone involved, as is the habit with both of Light's chuunige teams.  This path is long... longer than the heroine paths by about a third.  It is also highly reminiscent of Dies Irae's Marie path in the way it comes together (to be blunt, this team always builds tributes to Dies Irae into its games, both subtle and unsubtle, so that wasn't much of a surprise).  The biggest difference between the two is that Ashley is closer to Marie and the girls are closer to Ren in role and personality, hahaha... I honestly think that was meant as a subtle joke on the part of these writers, a bit of an elbow to the gut for those who expect the males to always be the endlessly combative ones. 

That said, these deliberate surface resemblances and subtle/not-so-subtle tributes to this team's favorite game aside, this was a fun ride.  I will say that enjoying this game to the fullest requires that you have played Vendetta.  Otherwise, there are huge holes in your knowledge that they aren't about to bother to fill in.  While this team lacks Masada's poetic approach to everything, they do have a rhythm of their own that is hypnotic in its own way.  The problem is that they sometimes let their Masada-worship get out of hand (it was worst with Zero Infinity). 

Anyway, this is an excellent addition to Light's lineup and my pick for one of the best direct sequels ever, lol.