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VN of the Month September 2012 - Zero Infinity -Devil of Maxwell-


kivandopulus

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Zero Infinity -Devil of Maxwell- is VN of the month with Re:birth Colony -Lost Azurite- , SINCLIENT and Tsukumo no Kanade ~Kaketsuki no Yasoukyoku~ rivaling it. Zen was also interested in Tsujidou-san no Junai Road while Micchi unexpectedly adds Tsuisou no Augment to the area of interest alongside expected LOVELY QUEST and Pure Girl

 

1. Dungeon Breaker 2 ダンジョンブレイカー 2 [120902] Tamamo Studio
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Alex Rudolfi is a monster tamer. By violating monsters he learns to use their skills.
He saved the kingdom once, but now he is very bored as he is asked not to go adventuring till the coronation.
So he goes to another country Dumanria on the invitation of his acquaintance Roy.
RPG

 

2. Elminage Ibun Ame no Mihashira エルミナージュ異聞 アメノミハシラ [120913] Starfish SD
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A boy and a girl from high school are suddenly surrounded by a mysterious fog and attacked by unidentified objects during night camp for newspaper club. They need to find weapons, friends and explore these circumstances.
RPG

 

3. Tsuisou no Augment 追奏のオーグメント [120914] Jirai Soft 1 2 3 4 5
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Kawashima Hideya is an 80-year-old man who has lived an unsatisfying life. Having lost sight of the purpose in living, he finally decides to commit suicide.
He had wished to return to his youthful days for a second chance at life. Just before he sliced his own throat, he heard a little girl's voice -
"I'll grant that wish".
To his surprise Hideya woke up 60 years in the past, reborn into his teenager body.
As it turns out, the one who called out to him and granted his wish was a shinigami...
There are English reviews

 

4. Under Night In-Birth  [120920] Ecole Software 1
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Under Night In-Birth is a visual novel and 2D fighting game co-developed by Ecole Software and French-Bread, known for the Melty Blood series. It features a brand new cast of characters and a story that spins around modern fantasy.
Fighting is localized and has an English impression

 

5. Ano Ko wa Ore kara Hanarenai 彼女はオレからはなれない [120928] Giga 1 2
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On his first day since transferring to Shihouin Gakuen, Hiroto happened to watch a girl confess to her senior in the courtyard. He wondered if this was what a riajuu was like. “Do you envy them so much?” Next to him was a blushing girl who then offered to make him into a riajuu, which he said yes to in surprise. But how does one become a riajuu? Make friends and go out together? Or be all lovey-dovey with a girl? Is it possible for them to be like that?
There are English reviews

 

6. Kamidere かみデレ [120928] Candy Soft 1
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Shinya is a 2nd year student at Nijiuki Gakuen, who also takes care of the family shrine. One summer day, he awakened as one of the Seven Gods of Fortune (shichifukujin), Hotei. Lucky thing for him as the other six gods were all bishoujos at his school! However, they don’t seem to get along well with him, calling him a monkey and shaming him endlessly. The principal Youko, who was the goddess Amaterasu, instructed them to work together to restore the people’s faith.
There is a short English impression

 

7. Lovely Quest [120928] Hooksoft 1 2 3 
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Summer is the season of love. There have been many cases of ‘impure’ relationships at Academy Amanotogawa and the “Lovely Smile Committee” was started to promote ‘pure’ love. But what is pure love? Is holding hands after school ‘pure’? What about feeding a homemade bentou, giving a lap pillow or going to the bath together? Zenichi was chosen to be the lone member on the committee and sets out to search for true pure love. There’s no time to be embarrassed, the future of the school has been entrusted to you.
There are English reviews

 

8. Mistake x Miscast [120928] mignonne 1
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Itsuki occasionally has dreams about a lover from his past life, Suou-hime. One morning in homeroom, a new transfer student named Rin who looks just like her appeared in front of his very eyes and he embraced her, happy that he finally met her again. “What are you suddenly hugging me for… What’s wrong with you?” Well, it’s natural that he would get hit after that doing that to someone who he met for the first time. However, that isn’t what shocked him the most. It was that the cute Suou-hime that he knew was now a tomboy. Meanwhile, her twin older sister Yui, his osananajimi Kuu and the rest of the class watched dumbfoundedly.
Scenario is mediocre. Nothing really shines here, and even art is dubious.

 

9. Mon o Mamoru Oshigoto 門を守るお仕事 [120928] SofthouseChara 1
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The powerful Lycana Kingdom and Grafford Kingdom constantly fight for control over a small country between them. Lilzo is a small trading post which grew into a large town due to the increased traffic from the war. The town employs a group of mercenaries led by Heat to protect the town at all costs. Of course, that means lots of money is required. The mercenaries gather funds by all means, for the ultimate goal of protecting the town.
Strategy has an English review

 

10. Pure Girl ピュアガール [120928] Frontwing 1 2 3
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Satoru and his younger sister Sora had to find a new place to live when their parents decided to go on a long trip and also renovate the house at the same time. They ended up at the "Dream House". With an open-concept design, a spacious interior, a large pool with jacuzzi, as well as an outdoor bath with a mountain view, it’s everything you could have wanted from a home. The landlord Kei welcomed them and the three other residents Yogiri, Miyako and Suzu: “Perversion is something you should hide, but not something you should be ashamed of!”. Satoru immediately refuted that they were perverts, but he did not yet know at that time that the girls all had hidden fetishes.
There are English reviews

 

11. Re:birth Colony -Lost Azurite- Re:birth colony -Lost azurite- [120928] Applique 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 
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Five hundred years ago, the 5th star rain plunged the world into a deep winter, forcing humans to flee underground, under the sea or in man-made structures called arcologies. At first they waited for the day when the Earth would return to normal, but soon they lost interest in the outside world and were content living in their miniature peaceful worlds.
The arcology Aquarius was founded as an international research institution on a man-made island, but now it is a segregated city with distinct rich and poor areas. Souji was an orphan living on the edge of the poor area of town. He owed his life to a blue-haired woman who saved him and his sister Ruri, but one day she disappeared. Helpless to save her, Souji vowed to become stronger. One day, a girl appeared before him. She looked exactly like the woman who disappeared and also had the same name – Azurite.
There are English reviews

 

12. Ryuuyoku no Melodia -Diva with the blessed dragonol- 竜翼のメロディア -Diva with the blessed dragonol- [120928] Whirlpool 1 2 3 4 5 
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Over a thousand years ago, there was a large battle against an evil dragon. With the help of a holy dragon, they managed to defeat it, and then founded the Kingdom of Vestoria. The princess’ song has the power to grant miracles and as such, people who engage in music are highly respected in the country. Lute is a student at the prestigious Ertmail Music Academy, where young people gather to pursue their dreams of becoming a musician. One day, he met a mysterious girl in the street and ended up spending the day with her. Before leaving, she said that they will meet again. He was about to have dinner with his imouto Mel when he heard a loud noise outside. There was a giant hole in his garden and in the middle of it was a small dragon.
There are English reviews

 

13. SINCLIENT [120928] BOOST5 1 2 3 4 5 6 
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Tooru lost his memories and roamed the street of Yokohama searching for his identity and past. There were many contacts on his cell phone and his room was full of weapons and fake passports. Men in black suits chased after him and his body instinctively knew how to fight. It was obvious that he was not a normal person before losing his memories.
He also had a room key in his pocket and when he found the hotel and entered the room, he was appalled to find a murdered woman with the word ‘Pigrizia’ written on the wall in blood. This was part of the ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ murders that the public had been abuzz about. Finding a memo on his cell phone that looked like a murder plan, he began to suspect whether he was the serial killer. Then he met a man that looked like the spitting image of himself.
There are English reviews

 

14. Tsujidou-san no Jun'ai Road 辻堂さんの純愛ロード [120928] Minato Carnival 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
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Hiroshi was a student at Inamura Academy in Kanagawa Shounan and became interested in his delinquent classmate Tsujidou-san after seeing her help a kitty in the rain. But everyone around her are also delinquents, including her rivals Maki and Renna. The life of an ordinary guy like him just got a lot more troubled!
There are English reviews. I remember starting this game several times, but could not attach to the concept of bullies becoming cute and embarrassed

 

15. Tsukumo no Kanade ~Kaketsuki no Yasoukyoku~ 九十九の奏~欠け月の夜想曲~ [120928] SkyFish 1 2 3 
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Hifumi returned to his hometown Tsuzuraori village with his friends Aina and Touma for the summer to help with the town revitalization project. The town has a few legends associated to it, one of which is the tsukumogami, spirits that reside in old items. They bestow blessings to humans in exchange for their memories and life span. And during the night with the ‘broken moon’ which happens once every hundred years, those that are haunted by the tsukumogami will be taken by it to the world of the dead.
He thought that this was merely a fairy tale, until he met a ghastly girl wrapped entirely in bandages who said she had been waiting for him even if he forgot about her. She gave the tsukumogami Hakujasei to him, and it morphed into a giant snake and attacked him. Cornered, he was saved by another girl with a handgun tsukumogami, Fusehime. Afterwards, Fusehime revealed that she did not have any memories of her past, except that she made a promise to protect someone.
There are English reviews

 

16. Yasashii Mahou no Tonaekata 優しい魔法の唱え方 [120928] Felicia 1
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Even though Tsukasa lives in a world where magic is recognized, he still doubts its existence since he had not seen it with his own very eyes. One day, the magic club and science club at his school had an argument, ended up with a competition where the loser would have to disband their club. The magic club believes in magic which grants wishes, while the science club believes that one must gradually work towards realizing their wishes. Tsukasa thought that even though their methods were different, in the end it was all about fulfilling one’s dream. He was asked by his childhood friend Ibuki to help out the science club, but that’s when he met Mashiro who was a true magician.
There is an English review

 

17. Zero Infinity -Devil of Maxwell- [120928] light 1 2 3 4 5 
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In 1968, the city of Yahiro had undergone rapid development after the war. Ryouga lives with his imouto Takane, accepting everything that happens in life as he believes that everything in the world exists for a reason. After meeting a man Rei who did not remember anything but his own name and helping him out, they became friends. Later when Ryouga found Rei being beat up, he tried to help but instead got caught up in the battle-to-the-death world of the Imaginators, individuals who have machine hearts that make them into super-powered beings.
There are English reviews

 

BLOCKED
 
1. Oyako Rankan 母娘乱館 [120914] Alice Soft 1 2
After a fire destroyed their village and killed their parents, Mamoru and his elder sister Kotone were adopted into the opulent Kamishiro household. Years later Mamoru now works for the family as a butler. Yet the Kamishiro household holds a dark secret: its riches and influence stem from a ritualistic orgy known as the "Feast". Kamishiro ladies are fabled for their amorousness, fertility, and the unmatched quality of their offspring, and during the Feast influential men from all around pay handsomely to inseminate these peerless wombs.
Meanwhile the bedridden Kamishiro head Ikki faces exile if he can't impregnate his wife, the lovely Saya, with the next heir by the end of the month. Pressured by his clients and his scheming lieutenant Shinohara, Ikki calls a new Feast with Kotone as the offering. With clients swarming to the manor like locusts, Mamoru finds himself plunged into a nightmare. Can he protect the family he holds dear--Kotone, Saya, and his younger stepsister Ririko--from the ravages of the Feast until the end of the month?
Nukige with an English review

Edited by kivandopulus

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Months like this remind me of just how obsessive I was back then.  I played ten frigging games from this month at the time, and I really thought nothing of using every scrap of my free time to do so.  What insanity...

Tsuisou no Augment is about as unique as a VN can get.  It is immensely humorous, has a dark and interesting plot, and it manages to be a great deal more than what it appears on the surface.  I recommend it for people who want something eccentric and unusual to play.

Mon o Mamoru Shigoto is one of many kusoge made by Softhouse Chara since their initial successes with Black Bunny and Ouzoku.  Believe me, it isn't worth playing.

Pure Girl is a somewhat creepy sex-heavy VN that has absolutely nothing to do with its title.

Re:Birth Colony is an excellent post-apocalyptic sci-fi based in an arcology that has fallen into a pattern of near-feudalism with the aristocrats and upper middle class (there are no other middle class) living lives about as good or better than now, and the majority of the population living under their boot and the control of the crime bosses of the outer layers.  It is an excellent setting with an interesting protagonist, as well as being the direct sequel to Fake Azure Arcology.

Ryuuyoku no Melodia is from the time when Whirlpool was at its height, shooting out high quality game after high quality game, so it should be no surprise that I have nothing but good to say about this fantasy SOL story.

Sinclient is a lot of things... but what it primarily is is a mix of spy story and Iluminati-style conspiracy theory mongering.  It's interesting to read once but impossible to really enjoy a second time.

Tsujidou-san no Jun'ai Road is already famous/infamous, so whatever I say about it should be taken relative to the reception from the community at large.  For fans of Majikoi, it is a decent choice, coming from the same company.  However, it is quite a bit less well-paced, and the protagonist is significantly less capable/interesting.

Tsukumo no Kanade is a third-rate chuunige, suffering - oddly enough - from horrible visuals with a few exceptions.  Yes, the concept of fighting with tsukumogami as weapons is interesting, but it definitely needed more budget.  I'm not saying it doesn't have its high points - all chuunige have some of those - but it doesn't make up for a significant amount of flaws.

Yasashii Mahou no Tonaekata... yeah, this is a charage that could have been good.  Unfortunately, it never really hit any high notes, even for a charage.  

Zero Infinity is a tribute to and partial imitation of Dies Irae.  I don't say this to be an asshole.  It is a good game in and of itself, but it channels Dies Irae far more than later works by Light's second team, and it does it in such an obvious way that it is hard to make excuses for them.  The only real advantage that Zero Infinity has going for it in comparison to Dies Irae is that the protagonist is less whiney (and generally more cool-headed) than Ren and Eliza is a surprisingly great secondary heroine.

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May as well comment on both of August and September 2012 here.

Rose Guns Days - Another Ryukishi's work in that compared to both of Higurashi and Umineko is quite underrated, although of course it has it's own charm as well. For the premise, basically it tell a story on how a group that consist of call girl and gangster did their best in the harsh underworld in alternate story which basically Japanese was torn between Chinese and USA with Japanese themselves were minority in their own land. Oh yes the sprites here is not as bad as When They Cry series because Ryukishi did hire several other artist to draw the characters, although Ryukishi drawing himself surprisingly not quite bad like when he drew sprites in When They Cry series. It's also too bad that there's no voice for Rose Guns Days here, but it's can easily gotten over with. Oh yes it's also available in English since back at 2015 as well.

Mahou Shoujo - The interesting gameplay VN that got good scores and it has some translation project, although sadly the projects looks dead as of now. No much that I can say other than it got some interesting premise and that it has some magical girl (It's in the title), although the plot here apparently is quite dark.

Tokyo Babel - The first propeller all age VN in that they going all out hiring some very well known VAs such as Sawashiro Miyuki and Hanazawa Kana, although apparently it's not quite enough. It has a lot of fighting scenes so if you like it then surely Tokyo Babel can be quite satisfying, although apparently it was also criticized for putting too much focus on the fighting or something like that. It also got localized by Mangagamer as well, so you can play it in English if you interested with.

Irotoridori no Hikari - Irotoridori fandisc that apparently looks like the true sequel even though FAVORITE did market it as fandisc, and sadly would never see it localized thanks to Sol Press didn't manage to gather the fund to license this and they quite the VN localization market. That said as long as you can ignore on how the setting can be complicated in the fandisc, Hikari here can still a nice read to a degree especially if one remember that it bring a lot of closure to the heroines stories here.

Pure Girl - The heroines of this VN appear in Purino Party, in which it's Huniepop like VN that Frontwing create as sort of desperate effort to get some money seeing that the money that they got from milking Grisaia is still not quite enough. Other than that, it's mostly nukige moege so no much that I can say other than the girls are quite cute and can be quite pervert.

Tsujidou - The 2nd VN that was translated by Tsurezure, and unfortunately Trip didn't like Maki here (At least he manage to finished Hoshiori and translate ~60% of Ginharu after this before finally retired). The VN itself has some delinquents with the MC himself is quite normal, and yet the MC can have the romance with the delinquents in that there's three of them with Ai here is the main heroine. Note that while the writer is different and that he'll carry thhe writing to a degree in Kirikoi later, it's still Minato-soft VNs and therefore Takahiro did play a big role in regard of the planning so you can say that this VN is like Majikoi to a degree (But it's still different from Majikoi).

That's all for what I can comment in regard of both August and September 2012 releases.

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