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VN of the Month April 2011 - Aiyoku no Eustia


kivandopulus

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April benefits from titles delayed in March, but among 17 titles I can only acknowledge Aiyoku no Eustia for its detailed world and characters, although it's not the kind of game I can enojy. Micchi also empathizes a delayed title and some fandisc.

 

1. Duelist x Engage デュエリスト×エンゲージ [110408] Praline 1 
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Shidou Yukito’s mornings are always busy. Waking up before the sun rises, battling against the cold air and temptations to go back to sleep, every second is too valuable to waste.
A regular day, regular people, and Monaka’s regularly forgotten lunch box, Yukito is content with his peaceful normal life. That is, until his estranged father died.
Out of the blue, a woman who claims to be his father’s secretary informs him of a tremendous debt his father has left behind with his legacy and wants Yukito to succeed in his place or else Café Soleil, along with their house, will be subject to bankruptcy claims. A debt that can’t be cleared in any reasonable amount of time, let alone the deadline is in less than a year, Yukito’s only choice is to marry his fiancée from the Corangrane Kingdom in Europe, a descendant from the noble Soleil Family. And that fiancée is coming to meet him tomorrow.
And as if that wasn’t enough, the first words coming out of her mouth was:
“So you are my fiancé. En guarde!”
Will Yukito be alright? The fiery duels between unshakable wills over marriage, the battle royale has begun!
There is an English review.

 

2. Kyuukyoku Mahou Shoujo Zettai☆Aneki 究極魔法少女 絶対☆姉貴 [110408] Axis
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Akira’s older sister Hikari is amazing, placing tops in the national mock exams, almost setting world records in athletics and she’s even a ‘mahou shoujo’ that takes care of bad guys. As the school’s representative, she was given the opportunity to enact any proposition that she wants. She announces to everyone that she will be attacking any club that she wishes and if they lose to her, then they will be disbanded. With a smile, she wished everyone good luck. To save their ‘volunteer club’, they decide to fight back with all they’ve got.
Older sister route is the only one properly done so others feel like subs. Magical girl here is just for flavor. Scenario just can't be called good.

 

3. Mecha-con! めちゃ婚! [110408] Onomatope* 1
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A sudden change in law by the government ten years ago decreed that rich men must have multiple wives and father lots of children. Haruki’s parents passed away in a traffic accident and he inherited the family wealth while continuing to manage the Sakurajima business group. Even though he hasn’t had a girlfriend before, he now must propose to those girls that are closest to him.
Harem comedy, but harem setting is not utilized well as it stops at 3P. Individual routes are nothing different from an average galge.

 

4. Sakura Iro Quartet さくら色カルテット [110408] Atelier Kaguya 1
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In the near future, bioroids called Iris were created using genes from animals to be the perfect partner for humans. They now live together with humans in harmony. Ryouta is a meddlesome student at Kurama Gakuen who comes upon a stray Iris named Sakura. He decides to take her under his wing and to become her master, but then Sakura’s older sister Ui shows up, along with a suspicious guy Ogami Shingo. Even his schoolmates Ayano and Momoka get involved. It seems that she holds many secrets…
There is an English impression

 

5. White ~Blanche Comme la Lune~ [110408] NekoNeko Soft
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Shigetomo is a 25 year old insurance agent who lives a pretty standard life with his imouto Hotaru ever since their parents’ deaths 10 years ago. One day he travels to a small faraway island for work, but was shipwrecked. When he awoke, he found himself in a seemingly different time and place, where everyone was pure and trusting. He wondered if it was a time slip or a parallel world and thought about looking for a way back to the world he knew, but he soon grew fond of this place and its people. In particular, a young pair of sisters take a liking to him. However there’s a hidden secret which he soon finds out about…
Sicson game as there are as many as two sisters (real and sister-in-law) in the center of the story. But it's very similar to previous Sorairo that I fiercely disliked. Same past and present versions of girls, same attempt to summon a mystery.

 

6. Yuusha to Kimi ni Hanataba o 勇者と彼女に花束を [110408] Klein
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The magic city Reifan is where thousands of years ago, a goddess saved the world from being taken over by the demon lord. The protagonist is an adventurer who travels around the world and he comes to Reifan. Along the way, he saves a female knight who was attacked by a monster. Before losing consciousness, she says “to the magic school in Reifan…”. Upon arriving at the school with her, the principal informs him that she is Princess Cynthia from the neighboring country, and that monsters have been threatening the area lately. He asks him to become friends with her so that she will not be worried. When he was leaving the room, a girl named Teana calls out to him and she gets him to stay at the Crystal Goddess Inn where she works.
Story is childish and everything else of doujin quality.

 

7. Kamidori Alchemy Meister 神採りアルケミーマイスター [110422] Eushully 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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In the Setetori region of the southern part of the Raulbhach continent lies the Mikelti Kingdom, and amongst the seven major cities of this region is the workshop city of Yuidora. This is where a young orphan named Wilfred lives, pursuing his dream of becoming an alchemist. However, soon after gaining his license he gets entangled with three girls with differing personalities and goals, and he soon agrees to hire them as his guards in order to help each other out. Like this, Wil begins his life as an alchemist, surrounded by the ever growing group of his allies as he follows his parents' footsteps in becoming a great alchemist.
RPG has English reviews

 

8. Marguerite Sphere Marguerite Sphere -マーガレット スフィア- [110422] Meteor
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The coastal city of Shiromine is known as the town of flowers since marguerite flowers can be found everywhere. There’s a legend that the flower spirit will grant the wishes of pure and earnest boys and girls. Daichi lives together with his twin imouto Matsuri and they attend the Shiromine Gakuen together. Matsuri has many admirers due to her cute looks, but she’s very cold to everyone, because she is hesitant to show her true feelings. Daichi thought that his days would continue like this until he met a fortune teller who told his future without his consent.
Only main heroine route provokes emotion due to unusual twist while other routes are just bad. All those urban legends stories are commonplace and easily forgettable.

 

9. Vanitas no Hitsuji ヴァニタスの羊 [110422] RococoWorks 1 2
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Claude goes on a journey with the one he calls father, Eliphas, a magician who can alter other people’s awareness, making them think illusions are reality. When he was walking the streets of Engelbourg, he noticed something sticking out from an empty barrel. A couple guys asked him if he saw a girl around and he used his ‘color magic’ to trick their eyes and save the girl, Therese. At that time, he didn’t know that this chance meeting would have a profound effect on the fortress city, nor that there were engels (angels) sleeping there.
There is an English review. I should probably say that I played it in the past, and it was worse that Volume 7 and even than Airy Fairy. It feels like story stops after prologue and what happens next is just endless filling the time with something random.

 

10. Aiyoku no Eustia 穢翼のユースティア [110428] August 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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After the surface of the world broke down, the city of Novus Aether floats in the sky, thanks to the prayers of the Holy Maiden. Years ago, when the Holy Maiden's prayer was interrupted, an incident known as the "Gran Forte" occurred, causing a portion of the land to fall and split the lower city into two, separated by a cliff.
In time, the lowest layer became the dwelling of all kinds of low-lives, people who lost much of their former lives during the "Gran Forte", becoming known as the "Prison". However, a contagious disease which causes people to grow wings has spread throughout the city, and a unit has been formed to deal with these people swiftly.
In this "Prison" resides Caim Astraea, a freelance ex-assassin who does odd jobs for his friends for money, refusing jobs that require him to kill people. During one request, Caim finds a girl who contracts the wing-disease, enveloped in a light that reminds Caim of the “Gran Forte” years ago...
Game is localized and has English reviews

 

11. Daiteikoku 大帝国 [110428] Alice Soft 1 2 3 4 
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Years before the Universe was United, small Human fractions dotted parts of the vast Universe. Individual States were established and navigating to other areas of the Solar system required a few hundred years. Contact with other countries was virtually impossible.
Soon the Eris Empire noted the strange stars that existed in the space region. As their Research advanced, they discovered that these stars can move instantly from one area to another area.
Labeling it the “Warp Gate” This allowed many stars systems that had been isolated to make first contact with each other and so began the Age of Discovery.
Through Aggression and conquest, Repeated Destruction and Submission, the Nations began to build civilizations from one star to the next.
The “Star field network Diagram” – Became the New World Map.
In 939 AD Space unity.
Nations asked why the leaders of the three powers are seeking power...
The National Eris Empire Council is the worlds largest empire able to restore the world order and suppress chaos.
Imperial Japan was the world's oldest nation, and worn out during the prolonged war with the Chinese empire, it is the largest one being targeted.
TBS has English reviews

 

12. Kagura Soushunfu 神楽早春賦 [110428] Debo no Su Seisakusho
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Another installment in the Kagura series, featuring the ‘baka trio’ from the previous game Kagura Gensoutan as the protagonist and main heroines. After restoring peace to the school, Seiichirou, Yayoi, Azusa and Shizuru all leave to pursue their own futures, leaving Akira, Kanade and Makoto to continue their studies. However, there’s a feeling of uneasiness since there’s still one corner of the school building which hasn’t been fully sealed and it is teeming with youkai inside. How long will the barrier hold up and will they be able to overcome this danger even though they aren’t that experienced at all?
All Kagura RPG feel the same to me

 

13. Moe Moe Daisensou☆Gendaibaan 萌え萌え大戦争☆げんだいばーん [110428] SystemSoft Alpha
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This is an all-ages game with the heroines based off military aircraft and vehicles, and they are known as ‘maidens of steel’. There are three scenarios available: Europe during World War II, the Far East during the Cold War and the Vietnam War, and finally the Middle East during the Iran-Iraq War. The game is broken up into 3 parts: adventure (ADV), simulation (SLG) and communication (COM). The battle system has 3d sprites wandering about the map destroying stuff, although the mechanics are similar to the previous games in the Moe Moe series.
SIM

 

14. Morobito Kozorite ~Joy to the World! The Lord is come~ もろびとこぞりて ~Joy to the World! The Lord is come~ [110428] CLAPWORKS
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Kyouya attends Tsukiyama music school, but he has lost sight of why he plays the violin. He spends his days with his cheerful osananajimi Mayuko, his carefree best friend Jousuke, his kouhai who considers him her rival Yukari, and his senpai Shiki, who is a genius composer but has zero life skills. On one chilly autumn day, a girl with an angelic voice moved in next to his room at the dormitory. After meeting Kano, he gradually remembers the joy of music that he had forgotten.
Gentle musical school themed work. It's a nice work with nice characters, but definitely not Nodame Cantabile, so it becomes boring if heroines fail to grasp.

 

15. Primary Step [110428] Purple Software Delight
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Minato lives alone because his parents are away for work. He is friendly with many of the girls that live in the same apartment as him and attends school together with them. However, his parents inform him one day that he will be transferring to another school. His quiet days soon gradually become quite rowdy as all the girls want to show their feelings for him when they realize that this is the last chance they will get.
A mediocre harem moege with graphics being the only prominent feature.

 

16. relations. sister × sister. [110428] Aile Soft 1 2 3
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Kouhei lost his mother when he was young and now his father who had raised him up has decided to remarry. Since it’s been 10 years since his mother’s death, there was no reason for him to object. However, he was surprised when his new mother brought along two daughters. Suddenly he had two new non-blood related sisters: older sister Kaori, who is great at everything and very popular at school, and younger sister Chisato, who is just as pretty as her sister but has a fear of men. Other girls soon find out about this, including his osananajimi Haruka, resulting in his life turning upside down.
There are English reviews

 

17. Temaribana 手毬花 [110428] TopCat 
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When Kotora came to, he was on an old-fashioned bus alone heading to Murakumo boarding school. During the long bumpy ride along the mountain roads, he looked outside the window and saw a beautiful yellow-green scenery which warmed his heart. A girl got on the bus and looked at him coldly and asked him if he was a transfer student. He didn’t know why she didn’t like him. The next girl that got on the bus told him not to worry about it since she was always like that.
I got seriously disappointed in previous TopCat same themed game Atori no Sora to Shinchuu no Tsuki. It's again rural mystery, but this time with no weird esoteric stuff. It's again heavy and cautious development in contrast to modern liveliness. It plays well with nostalgia and old-school feelings, but personally I'm glad it's the last TopCat work.

 

BLOCKED
 
1. 11eyes -Resona Forma- [110415] Lass 1 2
This is a fandisk for 2008 release 11eyes that includes a before, after and ‘if’ story, with particular emphasis on Lizelotte. There’ll be a mix of both serious and light raburabu stories. Of course, the cross vision system makes a return. There are also some user-written short stories included.
Fandisc
 
 
2. Nitou Ou Mono wa Ittou mo Ezu 二刀追うものは一刀も得ず [110417] Artemis. 1 
You are a feudal lord in past Japan. You don't have a successor yet so lots of girls go crazy about you. They pull down their panties in front of you just so to have the chance to bear the next ruler. Frenzies of raging princesses that compete each other for your seed is a norm around your castle. Reverse rapes are common as well. Yet no one has ever been able to bear your child. No, no one has ever been able to have sex with you... Because you are an impo.
One day, just as usual, girls are introduced to you in the hope that their gorgeousness might cause your little limpy to go stiffy... Instead of meeting a girl, your vassal introduced two katanas named Kotetsu and Muramasa. And right when you touch, the blades transform into girls...

Nukige, but curious one and with an English review
 
3. Shuffle! Love Rainbow [110428] Navel 1
This is the fandisk to various games from the Shuffle! franchise. It features after stories for Sia/Kikyou and Primula from Shuffle! Essence+, Kaede’s story after she regains her memories in Really? Really! and an another story for subchar Ruri.
Fandisc
 
4. Sisters ~Natsu no Saigo no Hi~ sisters~夏の最後の日~ [110428] Jellyfish 1 2 3 4 
Far away from the hustle and bustle of the city lies a small rural town in a mountainous region. A young man meets a pair of beautiful sisters there along with their mother, and lives together with them. Their days together are full of happiness, but he didn’t know that there is a hidden secret.
Nukige, but with English reviews

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Duelist Engage is actually an excellent (first class) charage.  I remember enjoying it immensely, though part of that is because I wasn't as jaded as I am now.

Aiyoku no Eustia is the single most frustrating chuunige I've ever played.  Part of it is this is when August began using the ladder-style story structure, but the largest part is that only the Eustia path is internally consistent with the story and setting (and I hated Eustia and her path).  

The 11eyes fandisc is actually better than the original game... by a large degree.  Funny that.

Vanitas no Hitsuji is a medieval everyday-life fantasy focused around a rare magic-user protagonist and a set of heroines with a varying set of problems ranging from everyday worries to wondering when she'll end up a prostitute.  Generally speaking, I enjoyed this one greatly.

Primary Step is a mediocre charage, perhaps the worst Purple Soft game ever.

Sakura Iro Quartet is a first-class game, despite being made by a company that specializes in nukige.  I'm not just saying that because it is a mimikko game and mimikko is my primary fetish.  No, I'm saying it because the game's story is actually really good.

Kamidori is my least favorite early-era Eushully game.  

Mecha-con is a straight-out literal harem game.  It is actually surprisingly enjoyable, despite the unbelievable setting.  I won't say it is a kamige, but it is fun to read a story about a guy and a group of heroines that had no choice but to get together because the protagonist is wealthy and the law requires it.

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Quite an interesting month from two known gameplay VN along with one of most awaited VN to be translated.

Mecha-con - The first VN from onomatope in which they eventually come with Libra releases in that it got quite infamous with the translation. As for their debut VN, well since the setting support it I can only say that at least I won't have the problem like back at Rakuen (ie Grisaia 3rd part) in regard of the ending (It's harem ending for the info as per setting suggest).

11eyes FD - While the main VN is quite nice, the FD here did add more setting info into 11eyes world. Some of those are including Mizusu's story as exorcist, the backstory of Black Night cadres, the continuation of Shirori's story, and last but not the least provided an alternative ending for the main villain (Although the alternative ending is obviously non-canon for obvious reason). All in all it should be nice read if one want to see more on 11eyes setting, although obviously it's still untranslated as of now so you must understand Japan if you want to understand it (Or just use the translator, which to say not the ideal way to read the VNs).

Kamidori - I did remember that Taka-jun did review this and state that he did find the story is bad and he give Kamidori high score just because the gameplay, and after I read the review I decided to just forget about it since back then there's no obvious way to read Kamidori in English. Or at least that's what supposed to be happen until today if not for the fact that I idly browse a certain site in the morning back at 2012 and suddenly find Kamidori is on the list (Note that the site only list fully translated VNs), and of course I find out that it's already fully translated thanks to Aroduc. For the info I already play this several times and yet I still didn't manage to get Yuela's ending as of now, and that there's a lot of replay value in this VN. Kamidori here is the first translated Eushully VN. As for the gameplay, it adapt Himegari one with some improvement and apparently it's well received so much that they reuse the gameplay in Amayui later (I still waiting for Amayui's full translated narration patch of it by the way).

Eustia - At first the translation was handled by Taka-jun group (Yandere Translation) and they already translate up to Fiona's chapter, although of course the project was already dead (Otherwise Eustia here is already become one of very well-known translated VN). After that, obviously the people said that August is cursed and thus no one attempt to translate Eustia here, at least until at April 2017 when an user here (Eplipswich) decided to translate Eustia here and until this day it's still in working with the most recent progress in that Eustia here was already at ~70% TLC-ed. As for the premise, it's setting was in a dark fantasy world in which the MC here is the former assassins who somehow come across a winged girl that about to be sold as prostitute, and the MC here was obviously save her. Other element in the story is included politic, discrimination, and war. Overall I can say that Eustia here is very well received VN, and I hope that we can see the full translation patch release at this year if possible.

That's all for what I can comment in regard of April 2011 releases.

Edited by littleshogun
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