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VN of the Month July 2013 - XBlaze Code: Embryo


kivandopulus

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XBlaze Code: Embryo is VN of the Month for me due to personal reasons. Other masterpieces are 
Seihou no Prismgear and Tojita Sekai no Tori Colony . Clephas liked the last one and also Otome Riron to Sono Shuuhen -Ecole de Paris- . Micchi in addition to Otome Riron is interested in Amairo*IsleNauts and Gleamgarden no Shoujo.

 

1. XBlaze Code: Embryo [130725] Arc System Works 1 2 3 4 5 6
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The protagonist, Touya Kagari, is a resident of Shin Yokozaki City and a sophomore at the prestigious Hakuou North Academy. An earnest and responsible young man, Touya appears to be no more than your average high school student.
While returning from his part-time job, he heard a mysterious sound coming from the depths of the Restricted Ward, an area off-limits to unauthorized personnel due to a horrible disaster that happened there ten years ago…
His curiosity having gotten the best of him, Touya ventured ever deeper into the ruins of the ward, eventually coming across a man who appeared to be gravely injured. Concerned, Touya rushed to his side, asking if he was okay and if he needed any help.
But as Touya approached, the man suddenly stood up and attacked, screaming, “You’re an enemy!”
And in the midst of invisible ringing bells, psychotic strangers, exploding walls of flame, and almost certain death, a small, cute girl with an enormous sword came charging in…
And despite her frilly, fragile appearance, her battle prowess was beyond reason or doubt. The name of Touya’s savior was Es, a soldier belonging to the Mitsurugi Agency.
Seithr, Drives, Unions, and secretive organizations…
Yanked from the comfort of his everyday life, Touya was forced head-long into a world where the threat of death was everywhere and even allies could be his downfall…
The wheel of fate has begun to turn…
And the story of the Azure, and that of Touya Kagari and the mysterious girl Es, began.
There are English reviews. This game inspired me a lot, so I wrote the following mini-review back then:
I initially picked this game after reading gangrelion review on it where he basicly said that no game would ever be the same after trying Xblaze Code: Embryo. This game upturned my vision on visual novels completely for a number of reasons
1) Good action and great story plot
2) Voiced protagonist and every single sub-character
3) Animated faces
4) Characters talk to each others interactively so that one usually stands with its back to us
5) Great built-in encyclopedia and online news determining future element
6) Long enough length to get good impression and short enough to not get boring
7) No 18+ content so no temptation to skip scenes
This game actually gave me a kick to seriously play visual novels and when I'm serious I always use system approach when studying my object of interest slashing through each title from each year. I usually find a base of objects of my interest and explore every single title that I get interested in. This is how this blog started.

 

2. 3-nin Iru! ~Happy Wedding in Livingroom~ 3人いる! ~Happy Wedding in Livingroom~ [130726] Riffraff
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In the midst of a recession, Atsuyuki spent every day attending university and doing part-time jobs to pay off his tuition and living expenses. Of course, he had no time to get a girlfriend nor go out with his friends. However, his part-time job suddenly disappeared and he no longer had a source of income. He was at a loss of how to accrue so much money to cover his expenses.
Returning home for a visit, his uncle recommended a live-in part-time job to him. He quickly jumped at the opportunity which offered both money and a place to live. Arriving at a fine new single house, he was greeted by three girls who introduced themselves as his wife! Just what kind of part-time job was this!? It was for researching newly-wed families, but what was he supposed to do!?
Moege

 

3. Amairo * Islenauts 天色*アイルノーツ [130726] Yuzusoft 1 2 3 4 5 6
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Even though he had secured a teaching job after graduation from university, he was unsure if he wanted to continue being a teacher. One day, he was invited to be a teacher at a girl’s school… on the floating island!? Raizerg has streets reminiscent of Europe in the Middle Ages, employs fantasy technology and is inhabited by various races only thought to exist in a dreamworld. How will his new teaching life unfold in this fairy tale-like setting?
There are English reviews

 

4. Amane Switch ~Yamanai Ame to Yanda Kanojo Soshite Ore~ 雨音スイッチ ~やまない雨と病んだ彼女そして俺~ [130726] Kokuchou 1 2
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Mizushima Shinji lives a normal school live being even forced to become class representative. He even has an ex-girlfriend Minegishi Youko who still keeps approaching him with her bright and cheerful personality. Then one day transfer student Amane rolls in and falls for protagonist. But this school has many her old bully acquaintances, and her life becomes a deluge of misery.
There are English reviews

 

5. Ashita mo Kono Heya de Aimashou 明日もこの部室(へや)で会いましょう [130726] Milk Pudding
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Hikaru is the deputy leader of the photography club at Nikongahara Gakuen. He had started liking cameras 5 years ago, but he still wasn’t sure if was the hobby for him. In particular, he wasn’t able to take any good pictures in the past half year. One day, the student council notified the club of their impending dispandment due to their poor results, low member turnout and high usage of space. To avoid its dissolution, the club leader Azusa assigned ‘goals’ for each members. However, Hikaru was to decide his own goal himself.
Azusa and the club advisor told him that he should aim for the grand prize at a contest or the school festival. Not only that, but it should be a portrait of a girl. They told him he had the ability to capture the charms of a woman, but he had never succeeded before since he was so shy that he couldn’t even talk to them. He only has 2 months to find a subject and overcome his nervousness.
Very weak debut work, selected as kusoge of the year at some popular poll.

 

6. Gangsta Republica ギャングスタ・リパブリカ [130726] Whitesoft 1
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There once was a relatively unknown rumour that those who cannot cast aside the dirt from their hearts should visit that shop and they will meet friends one day. Most people did not pay attention to this vague rumour, but for those who hold a different disposition, this was how they found friends.
Kanae was in the "Charity Club" room at Seitengi Gakuen, wondering if there was anything bad that was going to happen. The students and teachers did not view the noisy club as an official one, especially since he calls it the "Gang Club" himself. The club’s slogan was to "change the world with evil". For example, to play with kids and steal their valuable time as a child, or to help an old lady with her moving and to cheat her out of candy in return. That is their "evil" and it is this "evil" that makes the club members friends. Welcome to their gangster republica.
There is an English impression

 

7. Gleam Garden no Shoujo -Witch In Gleamgarden- グリムガーデンの少女 -witch in gleamgarden- [130726] Cosmic Cute 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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There are girls in the world known as ‘witches’ who have the ability to bring disaster to their surroundings by merely wishing for something strong enough. This ability known as ‘gleam’ is said to be caused by a mental abnormality. Their numbers had increased rapidly over the past few years and society has gradually become more chaotic as a result. The ‘gleam garden’ is a place where witches are interned and where they are taught how to control their abilities so that they do not harm others. Touji is a ‘protection controller’, supporting four girls who had been cast off by society for being witches. He wants to lead them to a new life, and also to find out about the truth of his own past.
There are English reviews

 

8. Koi Saku Miyako ni Ai no Yakusoku o ~Annaffiare~ 恋咲く都に愛の約束を ~Annaffiare~ [130726] Hearts 1 2
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In the near future in Japan, Annaffiare is a theme park located on a giant floating man-made island where dreams come true. There is also a separate ‘city’ on the island where the employees and those related to the theme park reside and go about their lives. Kazuomi was born on Annaffiare and attends a school specializing in management and administration of entertainment facilities. One day, he undergoes on-site training at the theme park and learns about the feelings of the girls, strengthening the bonds between them.
There are English reviews

 

9. Mizukano! ~Mizugi no Kanojo to H Shiyo~ みずカノ! ~水着の彼女とHしよっ~ [130726] Etoiles
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In the future, the ice in the South Pole had melted, causing the global sea levels to rise. The popularity of swimsuits had exploded as people got accustomed to a life next to the sea. One of the top-selling swimsuit makers bought one of the new islands Takaojima and built a research school there. At this dormitory school, those who help out with creating new swimsuits do not have to pay a portion of their tuition.
Kaito returned to Takaojima, where he had once lived on when he was a child, on a personal request from his father to help collect impressions from girls trying out a new series of swimsuits planned for a competitive show. The results would be used to help develop better swimsuits. His father lent him a cat-shaped robot called Noritama, which is connected to the company internal network and has the special ability of breaking down swimsuits to the particle level and reforming them into new ones. Will he be able to create the best swimsuit ever with the girls’ help?
It's not a full-scale moege or swimsuit fetish work due to substantial common route and individual routes, but it's still somewhere near.

 

10. Namaiki Delation ナマイキデレーション [130726] Madosoft
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Shinjuurou managed to avoid supplementary lessons by passing the make-up test. However, his joy was fleeting, as he was tricked by his teacher to be a member of the cultural festival committee. Since there was no one else there, he had to find other members to join as well… but why are all those joined so cheeky?
Scenario is subtle and routes vary in quality due to six writers. It's possible to find one or two good enough routes, but overall it's average.

 

11. Ore to Kanojo ga Mystery na Ken ni Tsuite 俺と彼女がミステリーな件について [130726] P.W.
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Ayumu is able to see and hear things that other people can’t. He used to be bothered by it as a child, but now he has become used to it. When his father got a long-term overseas appointment, they sold the house expecting that he would naturally come along with them. However, Ayumu told them that he would rather stay in Japan. They relented only when they found him a place at his aunt’s apartment in the countryside where he had lived as a child.
Ayumu reunited with his cousin Touka and joined her mystery circle club at his new school. Every one of its members are quite interested in various mystery elements, from black magic to UFOs. The warmth and enjoyment that he felt in the club made him at ease and soon it became an irreplaceable thing to him.
Picture is cute, but routes are unbalanced and each focusing some weird thing like UFO or demon summon and done poorly.

 

12. Otome Riron to Sono Shuuhen -Ecole de Paris- 乙女理論とその周辺 -Ecole de Paris- [130726] Navel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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This is the sequel to Tsuki ni Yorisou Otome no Sahou, taking place in Paris with imouto Resona as the main heroine. It continues from the bad ending in the original game, with Resona and Yuusei moving to Paris to attend École de Philia girl’s school after he could not longer attend the one in Japan. Once again he dresses up as the maid Asahi, although this time serving Resona. He gradually meets other girls there: the pure Meryl with promising talent, the welcoming ojousama Bluette, classmate Liliane, and fellow foreign student Dietlinde. Yuusei/Asahi chases after his dream, while Resona wishes for the courage to be independent. But can they achieve those goals in a difficult new world and their older brother possibly after them?
In addition to the new story, the limited edition version includes after story of the 4 main heroines. Luna, Minato, Ursule, and Mizuho also appear as subcharacters.
There are English reviews

 

13. Seihou no Prismgear 星逢のプリズムギア [130726] Elysion
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The floating university town of Nikkou Gakuen is located in Tokyo Bay. It is a place where researchers and users of ‘power gears’ train hard night and day. Power gears are a new type of energy, allowing users to change into power assist suits. Shuu attends the school, aspiring to be an engineer. Joining up with the failing student Satsuki, will they be able to make it to the top at the school’s gear battle tournament?
Setting is complicated enough and story good enough to enjoy till the end. SOL scenes are boring, but battle scenes compensate for that. Writer is a professional novelist. Momentum dulls by the middle and there may be lack of excitement, but it's still a very good game.

 

14. Senjin Otome -Makina ni Yadorishi Kokoro ga Negau wa...- 戦刃乙女 -マキナに宿りし心が願うは…- [130726] Debo no Su Seisakusho
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Takato lives alone since his parents are hardly in the house due to work. He enjoys a pleasant school life with his osananajimi Akane and best friend Shuuichirou. One day, he received a delivery the size of a coffin from his parents, inside of which was a sleeping naked girl. She was accompanied by a note telling him to seek out the truth with her. At that time, the girl opened her eyes and his fate began to change.
Action

 

15. Tojita Sekai no Tori Colony 閉じたセカイのトリコロニー [130726] Tiny Bell 1 2 3 4
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This is the first game by Tiny Bell, a sister company of bonbon-company.
Minato was confessed to by the new transfer student Nodoka who he had just met. This day was one that he had been longing for. There were awkward and embarrassing moments at first, but he gradually became charmed by her and enjoyed a comfortable relationship surprising to his classmates and osananajimi.
A month later, they spent the night together and they promised not to forget each other since they loved each other so much. When he woke up, he found himself back on the morning of the confession.
There are English reviews

 

16. Yes, Your Highness [130726] Tiny Bell 1
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A war had continued for a long long time in a certain country. With peace and order lost, it was no longer the happiest country in the world and poor people filled the streets. It had become difficult for people to see hope in their futures. At that time, Munakata was called the hero of the country – never having suffered a defeat in any battle. The new post which was bestowed upon him was not in the blood-stained and mud-caked battlefield, but rather in a faintly-fragrant and extravagantly-decorated mansion. His duty was to protect the royal princess Sakurako while she spends her days sheltered away from the outside world.
There is an English review

 

BLOCKED
 
1. Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai! A-2 真剣で私に恋しなさい!A-2 [130712] Minato Soft 1 2 3
A fandisc featuring routes for Seiso and Cookie 4 IS, as well as an after story for Monshiro.
Fandisc

 

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Majikoi A-2 - Minato-soft decide to continuing their milking on Majikoi, so they decided to release five more short VNs. Well at least it's good for Majikoi's fans if anything else.

Otome Riron - Navel really like to make the sequel from one of their VN isn't it. No much to say other that at least Navel did make an attempt to have the MC can get his own happy ending even though the path on this VN was started from Tsukiyori's bad end, and at least the continuation here wasn't as forced as Grisaia trilogy because this VN was started from the bad ending of Tsukiyori.

Namiki Delation - The very first Madosoft VN, and they really like the same hair color for the four of the heroines (Pink, yellow, black, and light blue). Well there's saying if it's not broke don't fix it, and that at least there's one flat chest heroine here.

Amairo Islenaut - The unique Yuzusoft VN in that it has floating island setting and that the MC is work as the teacher, although of course the love interest is still the high school students (ie MC's students). Seeing that Nekonyan did release Sanoba on reasonable timeline, I did hope that they'll license Amairo and also I'm interested with this because of Shimizu Ai, although after I know that Nekonyan did localize Cafe Stella and that it also have Shimizu Ai suddenly I didn't mind that Amairo here wasn't licensed lol. That said, I would say that just expect usual Yuzusoft experience and you won't be disappointed here.

No much to say here, so that's all for July 2013 releases.

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