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Today âge hold their 20th anniversary event called "Still Breathing". During which they announced a few things: - Muv-Luv Alternative Sequel Called Muv-Luv Integrate Release TBD Here is a link to an article on Twinfinite: https://twinfinite.net/2019/10/muv-luv-integrate/ - Muv-Luv Action Game for PC and Smartphones Code Named: “Project Mikhail” to be released on Steam in Japanese, English and Chinese in 2020 or 2021 No gacha, but possibly a subscription or battlepass Here is a link to an article on Twinfinite: https://twinfinite.net/2019/10/new-muv-luv-action-game-code-named-project-mikhail-announced-for-pc-and-mobile/ - Kimi ga Nomzomu Eien Reboot Scope is still undecided Here is a link to an article on Twinfinite: https://twinfinite.net/2019/10/kimi-ga-nozomu-eien-rumbling-hearts-reboot/ - Muv-Luv Alternative Anime No more Details just a teaser. - They are also working on a mobile version of Muv-Luv and are still planning to release Muv-Luv Unlimited The Day After Episode 04. Here is a link to an article on Twinfinite: https://twinfinite.net/2019/10/muv-luv-mobile-unlimited-day-after-4/ The full livestream (including an english tranlstaion) can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIPDPs3eAv4 Here is also a good summary if you don't want to wtach the whole thing: https://aaltomies.wordpress.com/2019/10/22/short-synopsis-on-ages-20th-anniversary-stream-2019-10-22/

Reminded me a bit of Schwarzesmarken soundtrack.

I was already pretty pessimistic about the VN industry and it was quite obvious that there where a lot of problems. (Sekai Project having to let go staff, Sol Press comments about piracy, the comments about there not being enough translators and so on.) But it is quite shocking to see these problems being pushed in the spotlight. Maybe the VN translation business is really not viable in it's current form. Really sad. And no one can dismiss what he says, there are a lot of people from the VN scene that confirm these problems.

Well, I'm not sure because the differences for the routes are minimal, as I commented some days ago upon finishing my playthrough. Basically some lines change here and there, and the very end of the game, too. So perhaps that scene is messed up for everyone.

Sounds like you might be reading VNs more than before if you are doing it for work. ;p It makes sense you wouldn't want to do something during your free time as much if its your job.

I started in the Peach Princess days - more than 15 years ago. The biggest difference for me has been quantity. Good years for me at the beginning had three visual novels released in English that I wanted to play. There have been several WEEKS this year when three visual novels were released in English that I wanted to play. I didn't have a backlog at all until a few years ago. Now I have more than ten purchased visual novels that I haven't played yet. Just when I think I'll start catching up, there will be a big release week or something I didn't even know I wanted will get released and look so good that I have to play it immediately. I used to be much more forgiving with what I played. The visual novel could have some very obvious flaws. It could be in genres that I didn't like very much. But I played a wide variety and was sometimes positively surprised how much I liked something that I wasn't expecting to like as much. Now if a visual novel isn't one of my favorite genres, or it has a single obvious flaw, it *might* make my backlog. If I generally don't like that particular genre at all or it has multiple obvious flaws, I ignore it and don't even think about it again. There are too many good ones to even consider ones that I don't think I'll like. Beyond that, art has become much more important to me. I look back at the art of some of the early games I liked and I wouldn't ever think of playing them now because of the art. Developer loyalty has become more important to me. If I like a visual novel by a particular developer, I'll buy their next visual novel. If I like two visual novels by a particular developer, I'll pre-order their releases or buy them day one. One thing that has stayed the same is that I do go through phases where I prefer playing certain types of games. Visual novels, RPGs, strategy games, etc. So there are times when I haven't played a visual novel for a little bit, but then I go back to playing them for months in a row.

Foreword: This is a formal shameless review just to present a video and give score / personal impression. There is an abundance of reviews of this game in untranslated review sources (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8), and I did not even include reviews in the translated review sources. VNDB: https://vndb.org/v646 Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkfbKBF3PZE&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv8HOd7D19oHjX9NAj_dJRkF Synopsis: In face of human technological advancement during the Meiji Restoration, the youkai of Japan were forced to make a hard decision: 1) To remain as youkai and watch over the land 2) To return to the netherworld 3) To give up their power and status as youkai and live amongst humans. While there were some that chose otherwise, the majority of the youkai decided it was best to become human. It was tough, but as time passed these youkai were able to blend in with the human world and live peacefully amongst them. However, blood is thicker than water. The offspring of these youkai displayed the powerful abilities of their ancestors in times of great anxiety, often manifesting in horrible and dangerous ways, and were labeled by society as monsters. Officially their condition was named "Acquired Systemic Special Heredity variety Syndrome", or "ASSHS" for short and treated as a non-contagious illness, but the common people began to refer to them as Jinyous (half-youkai) nevertheless. Of these Jinyous, most were sent to Kamizawa City: an isolated urban area walled off from the rest of Japan to keep all the Jinyous together and away from the human population. However, the ones that were deemed especially dangerous were sent to a medical facility on an uncharted island near the shores of Japan where they would be under constant surveillance. Takabe Ryouichi was one of those who were sent to said island at the age of five. This is a story about him along with the girl called Suzu, his only friend on the island, escaping to Kamizawa city to live a normal life. What they didn’t expect was that Suzu carried a secret that attracted much unwanted attention… Game type: Action chunige with fantasy elements Character Design rating: 9/10 Protagonist rating: 8/10 Story rating: 6/10 Game quality: 10/10 Overall rating: 8/10 I won't be original here. Game is a firm masterpiece with great action, funny SOL scenes and just perfect quality overall. But different people find different parts faulty. Some people blame protagonist Soushichi, but I actually like him a lot. He is really funny and human-like in conversations. Heroines are the main flavor of the game. They all are really well developed, and pretty much every one of them has fighting capabilities. Each route has a distinctive individuality. Other people did not like story resolution, but - again - everything felt natural, don't see much of a problem here. My complaint is much more profound. I do not see an interesting story here at all. On a grand scale absolutely nothing happens. There is no intrigue. Basically we get to know from synopsis that Takabe Ryouichi escapes from a clinic for youkai and is searched by the organization controlling this clinic. So what happens during the course of the game? Organization goons finally find Takabe after a few years which is followed by confrontation. That's it. Where the hell is multiple route mystery featured among vndb tags? There is absolutely no need to play different routes to get the whole mystery picture, because there is no mystery. Yes, we have different girls as allies in different routes, and different sources of power are discovered to fight back. But that's not a mystery. There are even no big twists. Ayakashibito is a great game, but its strength is not in depth and mystery. It's in width and details. The story is developed by constantly adding new characters and presenting their backgrounds and sometimes even small stories in great detail. I absolutely like writing, pacing and all. It's an enjoyable reading, but whenever I try to rationalize - why I keep reading - I can't find the answer, and overall evaluation degrades because of that. Ayakashibito remains a game about girls and their magnificent routes. Personally, I hoped for more mystery and twists.

The sound of a train indiscriminately moving, carrying you through the ride was the perfect metaphor. Its calming and comfortable, but there is a recognition that you aren't in control. It captured the themes of this story so well. My high school was close to a subway station, and in some classrooms I could space out and just watch the trains pass by. It often reminded me of this VN, as it just furthered the relevance of the ka-chunk sound to my own HS experience. Just like you it seems, I can really only look at this visual novel with the lens of nostalgia now. I've boarded off the train years ago. Existential anxiety has a different flavor now.