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kivandopulus

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Blog Entries posted by kivandopulus

  1. kivandopulus
    Bakumatsu Jinchuu Houkoku Resshiden Miburo does not have serious contestants in a Comiket month and is VN of the Month. Kin'iro Loveriche is another masterpiece. Clephas had somewhat the same vision. Micchi prioritized Koi ni, Kanmi o Soete, Natural Vacation and Kin-iro Loveriche  
    1. Sangoku Hime 5 ~Hishou Kourin Senkou no Toushin~ 三極姫5 ~飛将光臨・戦煌の闘神~ [171208] Gesen 18 1  Girl incarnations of famous Chinese generals continue to help main character to conquer the whole China. Eight different heroine scenarios are prepared. TBS  
    2. Bakumatsu Jinchuu Houkoku Resshiden Miburo 幕末尽忠報国烈士伝 MIBURO [171222] inre 1 2 It is the Bakumatsu era. There has long existed a mysterious sort of power... The legends say that this power awakens within a chosen person when the nation is on the cusp of fate. A person with this power can read an enemy's weaknesses like an open book, and can cut them down with a single stroke. Supposedly, the enemy's weak points are designated by tiny lights... and sometimes, bright flames of crimson. The lights often manifest as what can be called "orbs"... In the decade since the arrival of Commodore Perry's black ships, Japan has been in the throes of unprecedented turmoil. The political heart of the nation has transitioned from Edo to Kyoto, and within Kyoto lies a lawless zone known as Tenchu. In order to keep the law within this area, a special police force comprised of ronin, known as the Wolves of Mibu, or Miburo (later to be known as the Shinsengumi), was formed, with Kondou Isami as the leader. One day, they happen to save the life of a certain man by the name of Mita Ken. Within the dying days of the shogunate, his chance encounter with these keepers of the peace, all of whom have their own idiosyncracies, is where our story begins... There is an English review  
    3.  Kin'iro Loveriche 金色ラブリッチェ [ 171222] Saga Planets 1 2 3 4 5 Noble Private Academy: it is where the ladies and gentlemen of the future are raised. At this boarding school, students not only learn basic education, but are also taught how to be dignified. This year is especially unique since royalty from the small Scandinavian country of Sortilège were invited to the school. Ouro caught the eye of the princess Sylvia after a certain incident, which led to him being beaten up at the school and ultimately placed into a vacant room in the girls’ dormitory. There are English reviews  
    4. Natural Vacation なちゅらるばけーしょん [171222] Hibiki Works Kairi stepped out of the air-conditioned bus and had to squint his eyes from the blinding sunlight and summer heat. When he slowly opened his eyes, he saw the sparkling azure ocean in front of him, with the clouds adding pockets of white to the sea of blue, and he smelled the faint scent of the ocean brought in by the gentle breeze. He moved here from the city to live with his grandfather after his parents went abroad for work. The kind townspeople welcomed him to their town, including two girls Haruka and Yuzuki. Would you like to spend a wonderful summer break together with them in this town? E-mote animation is used, so we already know it's going to focus on cuteness and erotics. Don't expect a story. SOL scenes are also mediocre at best.  
    5. Suite Life  [171222] Chelsea Soft As part of the “SUITE LIFE” TV show, seven strangers began to live together in the same house. They all came from different backgrounds, but they must break down the walls that exist between them to become like family. Game introduces different modes like camera mode or reading mode to liven up the SOL, but of course it remains just a moege-ish game with short common route, H emphasis and no distinctive story.  
    6. Fuyu no Polaris  冬のポラリス [171229] Stage-nana 1 A mysterious global pandemic is making people disappear into thin air. A mysterious glass object carried by a girl found adrift at sea. Two stories that set two pairs of protagonists off on separate journeys around the world. What does it mean to live, make mistakes, and live again? Game is localized and has English reviews  
    7. Nillhana  ニルハナ [171229] unitcheese 1 2  Morimiya Takuya was spending his life in idleness, doing shady jobs and getting involved with dubious women. "I want you to infiltrate a certain care facility and expose what's going on inside." Such was the request a certain mysterious girl, Yuu, approached him with. Captivated by her, Tatsuya accepts - but the facility in question appears to be much more suspicious than he had imagined. The shady owner. Dark pasts looming in the corners. Sex with the female convalescents. The more time Tatsuya spends inside as a live-in care volunteer, the more his mental state deteriorates. Between flashbacks of the past and strange nightmares of a far-off land, will he be able to leave the facility unharmed? And just what is Yuu's goal? There are English impressions  
    8. Koi ni, Kanmi o Soete  恋ニ、甘味ヲソエテ [171231] Canvas+Garden 1 My new home is my grandmother’s house that also functions as a café. Due to my grandmother’s recent illness and hospitalization, however, she was forced to close the café until further notice. When I heard about my grandmother’s situation from Chisato Komada (a childhood friend who is like an older sister to me), I looked around the desolate café and my heart was filled with a sense of loneliness. It was then I immediately thought: “I want to bring the shop back to life again and show it to grandmother…!!!” We renovated the inside of the shop and gave it a new name. We prepared a new menu and café uniforms and began the hiring process to find new, part-time staff. Right away two girls, Niwasaka Rira and Shionomiya Rishie, came into the cafe. 「“Um… would it be ok if we worked here?”」 An unusually strong breeze blew cherry blossom petals inside the shop and they fluttered and danced around the cafe, myself, and the girls around me. This could only be a premonition of the bittersweet tale that would soon follow… Game is localized and has English reviews  
    BLOCKED   1.  Hikari no Umi no Apeiria ~Casablanca no Kishi~ 景の海のアペイリア ~カサブランカの騎士~ [171222] Silky's Plus Dolce This is the fandisc for Hikari no Umi no Apeiria. Reiichi’s friend disappeared. After consulting with Sara and Nanami, he found out about the existence of an app called the Boundary II α system. He logged in once more to Second to solve the mystery of his friend’s log-in for over a month. This was the beginning of a new incident. He must find a way to log-out of the α system in which he was trapped, but he had forgotten everything about Apeiria… Fandisc   2.  Nemurenu Hitsuji to Kodoku na Ookami -A Tale of Love, and Cutthroat-  眠れぬ羊と孤独な狼-A Tale of Love, and Cutthroat- [ 171222] Clock Up 1 2 Takeo lives at a love hotel in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho, working as a janitor and cleaning after the guests leave. He is quite tired and listless during the day since he suffers from chronic insomnia. The only way he can fall sound asleep is by killing someone. Thus, he works behind the scenes as an assassin for the head of the ruling gang in order to get a good night’s sleep. Even though it’s an extremely risky business, the days were relatively stable and peaceful. One day, Takeo met the call girl Azami. When he embraced her, he had the best sleep that he’d ever had, so he thought about keeping her by his side. However, she was being chased by his boss, which meant that keeping her would amount to turning against him and an end to his peaceful life. Nukige listed for the sake of reviews   3. Sky & Heart Last Survival  [171222] Giga
    Sky & Heart Last Survival contains a survival mode similar to the survival modes of the previous games, and ero scenes for a few of the Fei from Baldr Heart. In the survival mode you play as Sou, and you have all weaponry from both Baldr Heart and Baldr Heart EXE aside from the collaboration weapons. Almost all units from Baldr Sky, Baldr Sky DiveX and Baldr Heart are present as enemies
    Beat em up fandisc  
  2. kivandopulus

    VN of the Month 2017
    Aoi Tori , Kizuna Kirameku Koi Iroha  , Yoru Meguru, Bokura no Maigo Kyoushitsu are all decent choices within their genres, but I should agree with Clephas about the first one being the winner. Micchi feels the same, but adds lighter ones like Making*Lovers , Maho×Roba -Witches spiritual home- , Abnormal Lovers and Yurameku Kokoro ni Michita Sekai de, Kimi no Yume to Yokubou wa Kanau ka  
    1. Occultic;Nine オカルティック・ナイン [171109] MAGES. GAME Shikura Chiyomaru's fourth title that was first published as a light novel with Pako as character designer. The story follows nine idiosyncratic individuals. Little incongruities that occur around these nine eventually lead to a larger, unimaginable event that may alter what is considered common sense in this world. Anime Spin-Off  
    2. Ore-tachi no Sekai wa Owatteiru. 俺達の世界わ終っている。 [171109] Red Entertainment Corporation 1 2 3 Our World is Ended follows Judgement 7, a team of young developers working on a brand new game engine called the W.O.R.L.D program. When wearing an Augmented Reality headset, this revolutionary program changes the landscape in real time. When Reiji, the game part-time director, tries the program in the streets of Asakusa, he catches a glimpse of an unsettling cityscape. Could this be a glitch or is there more to it than meets the eye? His doubts are soon to be confirmed as the members of Judgement 7 will find themselves trapped between fiction and the real world. Characters and creatures from their previous games have breached into the world and now risk of becoming reality. The city is on the verge of being overwritten. Judgement 7’s battle to bring the world back is about to begin! Game is localized and has English reviews  
    3. Karakara 2 カラカラ2 [171110] calme 1 2 Let us live on this land so arid. KARAKARA. It is the sound of aridity. It is the sound of dry asphalt and sandy winds. It is the sound of relentless sunshine, as well as the sound of a withering race. The "Age of Dusk." It is a time of senescence for the human species, during which hybrids known as the "Others"—those who are human, yet not—exist in great numbers. On the windswept barrens of a land without moisture, a small gathering of people make their living in a world they no longer know. Down a stretch of highway and far from the heart of the town are two such people who run a small diner. To them, the circumstances that reshaped their world is of far less concern than the number of lunch boxes they can load into their delivery vehicle. After all, leaving customers hungry is not good for business, and business keeps them fed. Day after day, they occupy themselves with the endless work of their store. However, the comfortable monotony of their daily lives is turned on its head when they discover a large suitcase by the roadside on their way home from deliveries. Lying on the suitcase, unmoving, is a young girl with pink hair... Though parched, they keep each other company, and while hollow, they fill each other's voids. So shall they live on this land so arid. Game is localized and has English reviews  
    4. Abnormal Lovers あぶのーまるらば~ず [171124] Torte Soft Hinata lives with his mother Mayoi and his older sister Akeno, while training as a cook at the family’s Café Carroll. Even though his childhood friend Mimi causes a ruckus every day, he leads a peaceful and happy life while aiming to become a full-fledged cook. However, his mother got in an accident one day and he had to take over running the family business until she recovered. The popular grade A student Seri, childhood friend Mimi and quiet classmate Yukana all came to live and work at the coffee shop for varying reasons. He was wondering if everything will turn out alright when the three girls, along with his older sister Akeno, made advances on him starting from that very first night. Moreover, it was an abnormal type of love! It's an ordinary family store moege with the only intrigue of this "abnormality". As it turns out, the whole thing is about tilt into fetishes of heroines like S-M etc, nothing really hardcore.  
    5. Aoi Tori アオイトリ [171124] Purple Software 1 2 3  November, winter. Sitting at the base of two mountains is Kirihara Academy, an all-girls Christian boarding school. Men are normally forbidden on the premises, with the sole exception being the protagonist Shiratori Ritsu, who both attends the academy as a student and serves as a priest. Ritsu has the power to bring "bliss" to anyone he touches, with the potency being higher if it's sexual in nature. He's targeted by demons for having this miraculous power, and has never once left the academy. The girls consider him an "angel", with many coming into his carnal embrace in search of "bliss". Burdened by the sin of killing one of these girls, Ritsu vowed to put others' happiness above all else. Caught in a chaotic mix between the pure and the obscene, Ritsu spends his days on the precipice of insanity. That would soon change, however, with the arrival of a single girl. The curtain of our story rises, and Mary Harker, a vampire at the end of her hundred-year long journey, takes the stage. Sharing the spotlight with her, is the voice of a demon on the other side of the phone. Can the power of "miracles" really bring people happiness? What is the value of being born into this world? This is a story of life woven with words of prayer-- There are English reviews  
    6. Azayaka na Irodori no Naka de, Kimi Rashiku あざやかな彩りの中で、君らしく [171124] Prekano The protagonist transferred into a boarding school, sharing a room with a boy who was in his grade. His roommate was the son of a famous Kabuki actor and also performs as a promising onnagata (female-role actor). However, he found out his secret by accident: he was actually a girl. From that moment on, their relationship changed completely. However, he was not the type to take advantage of such a situation, but instead he wanted to help protect her secret. Prekano is basically Giga subsidiary for the poor dealing with a single heroine. Not cool.  
    7. Bokura no Sekai ni Shukufuku o. 僕らの世界に祝福を。 [171124] Kawauso Soft 1  Kazuki took in a puppy that was on the verge of freezing to death on a cold rainy day in the middle of winter. He also let in a stray black kitty that often came to play with him. He welcomed both of them into his room and gave them food and warmth. Before he knew it, he fell asleep to the faint sound of raindrops and the whir of the heater. When he woke up the next morning, there were two naked girls by his side. It appeared that the animals had turned into humans and wanted to repay him for his kindness. There is an English review  
    8. Kizuna Kirameku Koi Iroha 絆きらめく恋いろは [171124] CRYSTALiA 1 2 Touki is a second-year student at Murakumo Academy who is training as a katana smith. He attracts a lot of attention since his ancestor was a famous katana smith, but due to a certain reason, he spent all his time playing with machines instead. The appearance one day of the ‘goddess’ Ayase, who claimed to be the guardian deity of his family home, was the trigger for many fated meetings: The black-haired transfer student Saya, who he met on a moonlit night. His childhood friend Tsubaki, who is the school’s strongest swordswoman. His kind kouhai Shion, who has a habit of breaking her weapons. The full-of-curiosity ojousama Freesia, who is an aspiring blacksmith. These meetings rekindled his passion for swordsmithing, and his special bonds with the girls grew stronger by way of the swords which he crafted for them. There is an English review  
    9. Maho x Roba -Witches Spiritual Home- まほ×ろば -Witches spiritual home- [171124] Akabei Soft3 1 2 3 After an unexpected turn of events, Naru became the temporary manager of a girls’ dormitory. However, all the girls living there are magicians: shy daydreamer Konatsu, sharp-tongued ventriloquist Kuon, cool and vain Shizuru, and the ever-energetic moodmaker Teru. With the magic academy’s principal Enis and genius magician Mikage in tow, his normal life gradually turns into one that is extraordinary. His bonds with the girls grow stronger, marked by many ecchi incidents that could only happen from living together. This is a love story woven together by magic. Would you, too, like to live together with magic girls? There are English reviews  
    10. Making*Lovers [171124] Smee 1 For my whole life, I never had a girlfriend. People could laugh at me all they want, but I refused to give up on my ideals when it came to love. I had always pictured a first encounter where I knew right away she was my destined one. After several chance run-ins, we would exchange numbers. Then we would hang out together on the weekends. Only once we've grown close enough would it be time for a real date. I wouldn't have accepted any love that didn't develop like a storybook romance. Picking up girls at a club or going on blind dates was out of the question for me. And so was arranged dates. How could it be romantic when someone else set you up? I had stood unwavering in my beliefs for my entire life. Until, that is, when the words of a certain girl turned my view on love inside-out. Game is localized and has English reviews  
    11. Yoru Meguru, Bokura no Maigo Kyoushitsu 夜巡る、ボクらの迷子教室 [171124] Samoyed Smile 1 2 Haruki fulfilled his wish of becoming a teacher, but he soon became disillusioned after his ideals were shattered after witnessing first-hand the corruption at his first post at a private school. Ever since then, he has half-assed his job, having lost his ambition. One day, his father Hidetsugu, who he broke off relations with, had a request for him from his hospital bed. He was the principal of the Fujiwara night school and he wanted Haruki to become a teacher for the remaining students and help them graduate before the school closes next year. In return, he would receive his father’s vast inheritance. While this alone should be enough to convince him to accept, Haruki thought that it would be a great opportunity to recover what he had lost. Fujiwara is no ordinary night school; it is a school for drop-outs. Moreover, it is a place full of memories of his late mother. There were three students, as well as one of their daughters. While they aim to graduate from step one, Haruki hopes to finally be able to attain what he had wanted from his career. There is an English review  
    12. Yurameku Kokoro ni Michita Sekai de, Kimi no Yume to Yokubou wa Kanau ka ゆらめく心に満ちた世界で、君の夢と欲望は叶うか [171124] CUBE 1 2 3 4 5 Starting this fall, Aoi will be attending a boarding school located on a distant Southern island where his father once taught at. Since all the preparations were ready, it was decided that he would move in to the school dormitory during the summer break. The island is only accessible by boat, and he was caught in a storm on the way there, but he somehow made it. Even though it was the summer break, there were still three girls who remained in the dormitory: the mischievous free spirit Sumire, the kind and cheerful Tsukino, and the cool and outwardly dependable Konoha. Moreover, his imouto Tomoe, who loves to dote on and also be doted upon by him, followed him to the island to prevent him from attending the school. The days on the island were full of fun and excitement. They showed him around the island, swam in the sea, did some preparation studying, and spent time in the library on rainy days. Every day was full of things to do. However, the summer break doesn’t seem to be ending. When Aoi became aware of this, he set out to search for the island’s secret…. There are English reviews  
    BLOCKED   1. Kyonyuu Fantasy 3 if 巨乳ファンタジー3 if [171124] Waffle 1 2 Ancient Rome, but not the same Roman Empire we know. These events took place in the city of Doronium that was located in Gernia province, which bordered the territories of the minotaur tribes near the norther part of the empire. The man named Canecone, a member of the city council, had recently acquired a new slave, Paia. On her first work day, while the girl was looking for mushrooms, she stepped on Medusa's sacred grounds and was cursed by the goddess. Paia's hair and legs turned to snakes, which brought calamity upon Doronium. When the girl entered the city's amphitheater, the gladiators and the guards were petrified, causing panic among the spectators. The top officials of the city: the duumviri and the city council members called an augur to divine how to defeat the monster, but ultimately could not come up with a good plan. In the meantime, the trees around the amphitheater began turning to stone. And while the petrifying wave was slowly consuming the city, believers of the Church of Holy Rood preached that it was divine punishment for the Romans' self-indulgence. Finally, the members of the city council turned to the famous sibyl Zoe for help. The plan proposed by Zoe was to summon a close friend of Medusa, Julinas, who was the lowest and most obscure god in the Underworld. To conduct the ritual, the council members called the most gorgeous women in Doronium: Destra and Escelda. Perhaps because of their help, the obscure god Julinas descended to the human world. And when he found out that it was a senior slave who told Paia to trespass on Medusa's sacred grounds, he lifted the curse. Later, Destra and Escelda offered Julinas the gift of Venus for the first time in his 500 years of divine life. But his delight was not going to last. Due to divine laws, gods could only spend a few days in the human world. Julinas was going to return to the Underworld, but... Nukige is localized and has English reviews   2. Omoi o Sasageru Otome no Melody ~Afureru Omoi o Shirabe ni Nosete~ 想いを捧げる乙女のメロディー ~あふれる想いを調べにのせて~ [171124] ensemble
    This is the fandisc for Otomelo, with after stories for all the heroines. There’ll be guest appearances from other characters in the similar music-themed Otokana series.
    Fandisc  
     
  3. kivandopulus

    VN of the Year
    Year 2017 is probably the last great year with respectable number of releases each month and almost 20 masterpieces. Clephas ended up choosing Aoi Tori, but I generally choose some chunige, so it's Suisei Ginka this time.  Visual Novel Openings 2017 .  
    My list of masterpieces in 2017: Ai Yori Aoi Umi no Hate Aoi Tori Blade x Bullet - Kinrin no Soleil Bakumatsu Jinchuu Houkoku Resshiden Miburo ChronoBox Haruru Minamo ni!  Hataraku Otaku no Ren'ai Jijou Hikari no Umi no Apeiria Kanojo wa Tenshi de Imouto de Kizuna Kirameku Koi Iroha Kin'iro Loveriche Ojou-sama no Hanbun wa Ren'ai de Dekiteimasu! Omokage Railback Oni ga Kuru. ~Ane ga Hinshi de Pinchi Desu~ Silverio Trinity Suisei Ginka Tsuihou Senkyo Yami to Hikari no Sanctuary Yoru Meguru, Bokura no Maigo Kyoushitsu As for future review out of 2017, I already mentioned earlier that it will be Ai Yori Aoi Umi no Hate.
  4. kivandopulus
    Yami to Hikari no Sanctuary is VN of the Month with Kanojo wa Tenshi de Imouto de being another masterpiece. Clephas actually chose both. Micchi favors Nora to Oujo to Noraneko Heart 2 , Tsugihagi Make Peace and a delayed title  
    1. Arui wa Koi to Iu Na no Mahou あるいは恋という名の魔法 [171027] Omochi Soft Three beautiful princesses came from another world which was built on magic rather than science. Their world was currently facing an unprecedented crisis and they needed to acquire more magical power to overcome it. Yamato’s semen possessed special powers which greatly increases magic abilities. So, he has to choose one of the three attractive princesses to love. However, each of them had a spell cast on them. The kind Faty would turn into a little bird when she falls asleep. So she could not remain in the same bed as him through the night. The righteous Rian would develop a high fever when she gets angry. So she made up her mind to suppress her feelings. The much-admired Cerea could not convey her feelings in words to the one she truly loves. Once she falls in true love, she cannot relay her feelings in words towards the one she loves no matter how she tries. Even while hiding their own worries, they longed to be loved by him. Scenario is non-existing here, but instead of ordinary moege development, game actually makes it an... elegant moege. It's all about spells, knights, books and princesses, true love. Atmospheric, but without a story not worth it for me.  
    2. Baldr Bringer [171027] Giga 1 2 Elis was formerly the manager of the virtual world VERTEX until she was driven from her position and stripped from almost all of her powers. She sat in the middle of the room in front of a huge machine, wondering if she would have to return to reality while making the final pre-activation checks. She breathed a sigh of relief as everything appeared ready, but then an alarm sounded the very next second. “Please work!!” ‘He’ opened his eyes at the same time as her cry of desperation. It was the beginning of his consciousness as oil coursed through his steel body and his limbs moved according to electromagnetic pulses. After checking that he knew who she was, Elis asked a favour of him: to protect her from the viruses that were coming for her. “I think I will help you. Is that alright?” A few minutes later, as he looked down upon the wreckage of the defeated enemies, he was glad that he had protected her. She told him that he was a para-intelligence being and bestowed him with the name Fuji, short for “Dusk Bringer Sower of Huge”, the simulacrum that he was born in. “Welcome to the virtual world, VERTEX!” Shooter has English reviews   3. Boukyaku Shitsuji to Koi Suru Ojou-sama no Memoir 忘却執事と恋するお嬢様の回想録 [171027] Campus 1 There was something missing. It was memories of his childhood. It was the key to locked memories. She just wished for wings to fly into the sky. She just wanted to take a step out of the cage that she had been locked in. Because surely this key would open the door to something wonderful. Because surely the first love which only comes once is something irreplaceable. It can’t end like this. It can’t remain unrequited like this. We can’t be happy like this. Even if it’s only one thing, I want to know the truth. This is a normal story, a normal love story, that happens everywhere. A story between a young lady and her butler. Short single heroine kinetic romance  
    4. Junjou Karen Freaks! 純情化憐フリークス! [171027] Wonder Fool 1  Supernatural beings such as youkai and spirits, called “freaks”, co-exist with humans in this world. Mikitaka lives with his older cousin Shizumi on the island of Kakuriyotobari, where 80% of the residents are freaks. One day, his childhood friend and first love Yuuka returned… as a ghost! She didn’t know why she became a ghost, and they let her stay with them since they’re old friends. However, that wasn’t the end. Shizumi was revealed to have regenerative powers after an accident, it turns out that everyone around Mikitaka is a freak. With the help of freaks mediator-in-training Rio and Tsukumo - a tsukumogami (an item-born minor god) assistant, he set out to find out the girls’ true identities and the cause of their current state. There is an English review  
    5. Kanojo wa Tenshi de Imouto de 彼女は天使で妹で [171027] Alcot Honey Comb 1 2 Yuuki has always attracted attention due to his superior looks and being the son of two entertainers. However, he has a quiet demeanour and did not feel comfortable in the spotlight, instead wishing for a more peaceful and ordinary life. But things don’t always go the way you want them to in life. He met an angel by chance one night, who asked him if he wanted to become a god. Ignoring his perplexed response, she made him an ‘angel candidate’ and his life changed completely. First, the girl Touka became his imouto by using her powers to create a ‘miracle’. Moreover, two girls were sent to train him: the school’s prettiest girl and idol Mia, who was actually an angel; and, the solitary cool beauty genius girl Kazumi, who was actually a shinigami. He was put through harsh training by the three girls, but could not become an angel, much less a god. Not only that but his osananajimi Erina, the only place of solace he could turn to, was awfully displeased with him since he’s been so close to other girls lately. Things really don’t go the way you want them to. One year later, Yuuki still remained an angel-in-training. In fact, it’s like he hadn’t grown one bit. Would an angel without wings like him ever become a god? What kind of future awaits him? There are English reviews  
    6. Nora to Oujo to Noraneko Heart 2 ノラと皇女と野良猫ハート2 [171027] Harukaze 1 2 3 This is the sequel for Noratoto, featuring new heroines Iris and Noel. Subheroine Nobuchina, Lucia and Eurasia get their own routes, while of course there are after stories for the main heroines of the previous game. The game takes place during the summer at the beach where Nora worked. Snow began to fall one day, signaling the Snow Queen Iris’ impending appearance. There are English reviews  
    7. Pure Marriage ~Akai Ito Monogatari - Celica Hen~ Pure Marriage ~赤い糸物語 セリカ編~ [171027] Lass Pixy Touma had admired Celica ever since he was young. He always went to watch her gaze lonelily into the distance from the tall tower and nicknamed her Rapunzel after the princess from the fairy tale. They did not talk to each other, and only verified each other’s presence each day. This daily routine changed when her father allowed her to go outside for the first time. When she was walking around taking in her brand new surroundings, a speeding truck headed straight for her. Luckily, Touma was able to save her just in time. It was actually an absurd trial planned by her father, who asked that he marry her because he had passed it. As they had been attracted to one another since long ago, they exchanged vows and became a married couple. However, just as Touma was about to begin a wonderful life with the pure and naive Celica, an unbelievable secret was revealed: she had the blood of a succubus inside of her! Moege   8. Ruri no Kasane ~Imouto Monogatari~ ルリのかさね ~いもうと物語り~ [171027] NekoNeko Soft At a small shrine in the suburbs, the priest’s only son met his young relative Ruri when he was still a high school student. While they didn’t get along at first, they became close before they knew it. One day, both of their parents passed away in an accident. They were both left without any relatives, and Ruri had only just entered elementary school. After much agonizing, he chose to live together with her. NekoNeko continues with its lolicon mania, and this time main heroine imouto is a loli. I'm not touching this lolige, but what I get from impressions is that main imouto route turns into a nakige, and two side heroines aren't memorable on a big scale.   9. Tsugihagi Make Peace - Pretending x Friendship - ツギハギめいくぴーす!-pretending×friendship- [171027] Curefull Base Yuuto was called out to the school rooftop by the student council leader Ayase after school. All five students who gathered there had a common trait: they had no friends. She asked them to pretend to be friends. She admitted that it was an outrageous request, but it was to help them build interpersonal skills so that they won’t still be alone after they graduated. Using her powers as the student council leader and persuasion skills, Ayase convinced all of them to participate in the trial. “It’s fine if it’s just pretending. Well, it’ll work out because it’s not real. It’s not like we could make any real friends anyway.” A normal clumsy youth story of strangers getting into friends and then into lovers. Countless events are poured in, but these events feel disjointed from each other and done halfway. Individual endings are substantially shorter than common route and with half of those occupied by H events, heroines' individuality is hurt.  
    10. Venus Blood -Brave- [171027] Dual Tail 1  The world Zilant enjoys peace with the blessing of a goddess. People pray to the goddess Zilant who feeds on their faith. One day red moon floats in the sky, and the ancient Demon Lord Lagar revives. Under red moon's light goddess blessing gets lost, and devils gradually expand their zone of control. A hero and a scholar meet at a town that's next to fall. They decide that no price is too big in the face of the threat and accept tentacles with the forbidden practices.  The journey to subdue the Demon King by these two people begins. RPG has an English review  
    11. Yami to Hikari no Sanctuary ヤミと祝祭のサンクチュアリ [171027] Azarashi Soft Zero 1 2 3 4 Souji is the successor of the Izumo family’s traditional martial art form to defeat vengeful beings that harm humans. He accompanied his osananajimi Arisu, the daughter of the head of a world-leading zaibatsu, as her bodyguard to the distant island of Niizajima. She transferred to Kamikura Private Academy to look for her older sister, who had disappeared without a trace. There were many strange ‘rules’ on the island, which they believed were set in place to cover up a ‘secret’. With the help of Arisu’s osananajimi Yuuri, zaibatsu rival Claudette and mysterious classmate Julie, as well as some strategy, they gradually got closer to the truth of the island. But what awaited them wasn’t Arisu’s older sister, but countless ‘apparitions’ that had been talked about in many stories. There are English reviews
  5. kivandopulus
    Oni ga Kuru. ~Ane ga Hinshi de Pinchi Desu~ is VN of the Month and Omokage Railback is another masterpiece. Clephas was choosing between these two with such outcome. Micchi leans towards Sakura Hitohira Koi Moyou , Seven Days and a fandisc.  
    1. Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o! -Kono Yokubukai Game ni Shinpan o!- この素晴らしい世界に祝福を! -この欲深いゲームに審判を!- [170907] MAGES. GAME The series follows a boy who is sent to a fantasy world following his death, forming a dysfunctional party with a goddess, a wizard, and a crusader to fight against monsters. Anime Spin-Off  
    2. Flowers -Le Volume sur Hiver- Flowers -Le Volume sur Hiver- [170915] Innocent Grey 1 Suou/Mayuri: "Is there someone in your life whom you want to be with, forevermore?" "Tell me the key necessary to arrive at the Goddess of Truth," challenged Suou after becoming the president of Council of Nicaea and overcoming the trials from Yatsushiro Yuzuriha. As promised, the name given was "The Seven Wonders of the Beginning of the End," directly linking Kousaka Mayuri, her amity who disappeared in Spring. A number of even more bizarre events arise in Saint Angraecum Academy during the season of Winter. With the help of her friends, Shirahane Suou will stand up against many obstacles, but… the words she prayed to God, "Please forget about me," still overwhelms her. The reemergence of her step-mom's shadow, passing thoughts, unexpected continuations… Just what will it all bring about to Suou? The final wintry season will melt everything away… Yuri  
    3. Doki Doki Literature Club! [170922] Team Salvato 1 2 3 4 Hi, Monika here! Welcome to the Literature Club! It's always been a dream of mine to make something special out of the things I love. Now that you're a club member, you can help me make that dream come true in this cute game! Every day is full of chit-chat and fun activities with all of my adorable and unique club members: Sayori, the youthful bundle of sunshine who values happiness the most; Natsuki, the deceivingly cute girl who packs an assertive punch; Yuri, the timid and mysterious one who finds comfort in the world of books; ...And, of course, Monika, the leader of the club! That's me! I'm super excited for you to make friends with everyone and help the Literature Club become a more intimate place for all my members. But I can tell already that you're a sweetheart—will you promise to spend the most time with me? EVN has English reviews  
    4. Akatoki 2! -Tsumugu Mahou to Koboreru Hikari- あかときっ2!-紡ぐマホウと零れるヒカリ- [170929] Escu:de The world we live in is overflowing with mysteries: people ride on brooms, cast magic, and fight against beings that appeared to have come straight out of a fairy tale. The world had once fallen in a crisis, but that is now all in the past. Even though these fairytale-like creatures ‘Kurayami’ still battle with magicians in the skies, there is a on-going search for a way to co-exist together. In the renowned magic city of Akatoki lies the world’s best magician training academy. Akatoki is designed to be a model city for co-habitation between the two races and is also home to the group of magicians who had previously saved the world. A generation later, as a new team of magicians was to be assembled, there was the beginnings of a new being… TBS  
    5. Dolphin Blade Dolphin Blade -ドルフィンブレード- [170929] Island Belle “Dolphin blade” is a marine race sport featuring girls in swimsuits on motorized float shoes. It is especially popular in Yamato, the 81st island district of the United Federation. Kousuke is an employee at the leading Aihara Electronics Corporation. His business performance was excellent thanks to sweet-talking his boss and he appeared to be on the track to certain success. However, his boss was then dismissed for an ‘indecent act’ and he also came under suspicion of similar conduct. Despite being spared a similar fate due to lack of evidence, he was involuntarily transferred to a sub-subsidiary as the new manager of a dolphin blade team. Even though the team had some skilled members, they were unable to attain any good results every year, accruing a huge debt in the process. He would not be able to return to Aihara if the debt is not fully paid off. It was clear that the upper management intended to get rid of him, but he was determined to do his best to prove them wrong. SIM  
    6. Haze Man -The Local Hero- ヘイズマン -THE LOCAL HERO- [170929] Bug System 1  Every day Shoutarou does many part-time jobs just to get by. Even though he is quite skilled at hand-to-hand fighting, he doesn’t make much use of it and lives a simple life, while watched over by his childhood friend Renka. One day, he met an intelligent life form from another planet, Fara, who hailed from a planet called Perel. He risked his life to save her from a thug’s attack and his life then changed completely. By joining with Fara, he gets an immense increase in his physical ability and also special powers. She transforms into his armor and protects his body from harm. While normally these powers would not be needed in daily life, this resulted in the sudden appearance of Jil, who planned to take Fara back to Perel with him. He must fight Jil’s henchman every day and their heated battles caused a big disturbance in the shopping street. However, it was promoted as a hero show by his company boss Tooko to attract visitors. What will happen to Shoutarou and Fara? Will they be able to fight off Jil? How will the town revitalization event turn out? There is an English review  
    7. Hoshi Furu Yoru no Farnese 星降る夜のファルネーゼ [170929] Miti 1 2 There once was a ‘good witch’ who used magic to bring prosperity to the world. The people were grateful to her and enjoyed her benevolence. However, a ‘bad witch’ appeared and incited the humans to kill her virtuous counterpart. With the powerful and wise ‘good witch’ no longer around, the ‘bad witch’ was free to do as she pleased. The people suffered as she brought on fires and floods, destroying and corrupting everything she touched. They managed to kill her too and vowed to forget about magic, but she had cast a curse upon the world: witches will continue to exist in the world. Thus began a hunt for the ‘witches’ with the intent on exterminating them all. This is the beginning of the ‘star hunt’, which has continued for hundreds of years. Etoile stood in the middle of a church in the capital, nervously awaiting the opening of a ‘star hunt’ trial. He was a new ‘astrologer’, an equivalent to a lawyer, tasked with defending a client for the first time. He was barely able to prove her innocence, although he hadn’t been able to find the true culprit. Afterwards, a witch with a dog familiar suddenly appeared in front of him. She called herself the ‘Witch of Justice’ and offered to assist him. It is up to them to take back the ‘starry sky’! The premise of the game is to regain the ‘starry sky’ which was lost because of the bad witch. You have to collect evidence to prove the innocence of your clients during the witch hunt. Along the way, you’ll find who the culprits (bad witches) are and defeat them to gradually regain the ‘constellations’. As you complete more cases, you’ll begin to see a link between the cases . The evidence can found by searching places of interest, while the actual ‘star hunt’ involves stripping them by countering their lies and revealing the witch’s seal (constellation) on their bodies. To draw out the seal from their bodies, you must bring them to ‘ecstasy’. There is an English review  
    8. Iyashi no Megami no Marmot 癒しの女神の実験台(モルモット) [170929] Shirokuma Dango 1  After working continuously in a shady business, his body and soul are in shambles. As he was walking without an umbrella in the rain, a woman called out to him: “Have you been comforted lately?” Arriving at the address on the business card he had received, he was enlisted as a ‘massage model’ (also known as a marmot) at the comfort industry specialty school, Shichijou Salon Arts Academy. His body, soul and nether regions, are comforted by the whispers of the goddesses at the school. Will he be able to safely regain his healthy body!? SOL scenes are terribly boring, otherwise more or less normal moege  
    9. Mono no Aware wa Sai no Koro. もののあはれは彩の頃。 [170929] Quince Soft 1 2 All Japanese people know the rules of e-sugoroku: roll the dice, move your piece, aim for the finish. However, for Akira and those around him who have also lost their memories, they have become the ‘pieces’ in a world that mimics this game. They have to compete with each other to be the first and only one to reach the finish line and escape the world. With each roll of the die, they proceed around the streets of Kyoto basked in the fall colours. While following the commandments on the ’tiles’ they land on, they have to avoid the hidden dangers of the ‘board’. Along the way, the memories of ‘reality’ gradually return. Why is there two worlds: ‘sugoroku’ and ‘reality’? Why are they here? There is an English review  
    10. Omokage Railback 面影レイルバック [170929] Hiqo Soft 1 2 3 During Masashi’s last summer as a student, it was decided that he would transfer schools due to his non-blood-related older sister Juri’s work as the young manager of Yoshioka Construction. His new school would be in the small rural town of Yagurana, located at the end of the railroad. He met the young land-owner Iroha, who vows to protect the land from corporations, and started going to school with her. However, the reason why he was there was because of Yoshioka Construction’s desire to develop the land. Moreover, he was the heir of the corporation itself. There are English reviews  
    11. Oni ga Kuru. ~Ane ga Hinshi de Pinchi Desu~ 鬼がくる。~姉がひん死でピンチです~ [170929] Enishi Soft 1 The goddess Kohime appeared before Haruto to save his sick older sister Haruko. However, she wasn’t able to save her since he did not have enough faith. He devoted his time to increasing his faith, but Haruko mistakenly thought that Kohime was taking his little brother from her. She responded by doting on him even more than usual. Meanwhile, Kohime was using her status to make him do all her work, while his childhood friend Riri was stalking him from afar as usual. Their fight over him intensifies day by day. What will become of Haruko’s destiny? There is an English review  
    12. Sakura Hitohira Koi Moyou 桜ひとひら恋もよう [170929] Parasol 1  Haruta calls himself an ordinary student, but he still had not gotten over his first love, who was actually his imouto who he never knew he had. A new school year had arrived and everyone at his school, Souto Gakuen, was talking about the rumoured merger with Houjou Gakuen. The school’s founder and chairman had passed away suddenly last year and the school lost its direction and was in a bad financial state. However, a merger with Houjou Gakuen, a grades-centric school that uses corporal punishment on its students, would signal the loss of freedom and self-governance that Souto Gakuen was built on. It seemed that there was no way to avoid the merger when a young girl appeared, claiming to be the new chairman of the school, and passing out leaflets petitioning the merger. Even though he did not believe that this small girl was the new chairman, he was so touched by her actions that he inadvertently accepted a leaflet and ended up joining the merger petition group. There is an English review  
    13. Seven Days: Anata to Sugosu Nanokakan セヴンデイズ あなたとすごす七日間 [170929] LIFE0 1 2 3 One day close to the beginning of summer vacation, Shuuichi was watching a ‘cursed Blu-ray’ given to him by his buddy when a spirit came out from the disc and possessed him. His childhood friend Murasaki belonged to a family that managed an ancient temple, so she tried an exorcism to rid him of the spirit. While the ritual was successful and quelled the vindictive spirit, the spirit girl’s form remained due to her inexperience. Her name was Chiyako, the name of the girl who was killed on screen, and she revealed that the spirits of six other girls dwelled within her. According to Murasaki, spirits can only remain in this world for 49 days, which meant that there would only be seven days allotted for each of the seven girls. Shuuichi was tasked with helping them achieve happiness so they can leave this world with no regrets. However, it is a very short time to accomplish this task. Also he did not realize at this time that it meant that he would be getting to know each girl well only to bid a painful farewell seven times over. There is an English review  
    14. Space Live スペースライブ [170929] Circus 1 2 Over 200 years in the future, humanity has abandoned reality and chosen to upload themselves into Net Space, a digital, interconnected world, divided into several factions surrounding different idols who compete every four years to win followers to their side.There's Macro Space's Ai E, a hardworking, easily flustered girl trying to regain her lost position; Goggle Space's G Chrome, a logical competitor using her wealth and data troves in a bid to secure the lead; Mosaic Space's Higitsune, a haughty, elusive idol enjoying the competition itself; Ai Space's Sarifa, an eloquent fashionista willing to bet it all; and Luna Space's Tsukikage, a minor idol hoping to finally gain some recognition. Game is localized and has English reviews  
    15. Yuganda Uso no Koi to Letter 歪んだ嘘の恋とレッテル [170929] Studio Orca 1  Maki used to be lovers with his childhood friend Saeko and they would imitate what adults would do. However, one time they had sex and she ran away from the town because of it. Immediately he was blamed for the incident and labelled as a ‘monster’. Many years later and now in his second year at school, those rumours have still persisted. On the day of the final exam for the term in early July, he protected his cousin Yuki from some harassment from some boys and his past label resurfaced. However, this time he gave up trying to deny it and acted like he enjoyed it. Saeko suddenly returned to the town and he also ended up having multiple relationships with many girls by chance. Addicted to the new sensations and pleasure, he seeked many forms of erotic play to express his pent-up anger. At the same time, he was able to see the girls’ true feelings and personality. Is this pure love or twisted love? There is an English review  
    BLOCKED   1. D.C. III ~Da Capo III~ Dream Days D.C.Ⅲ DreamDays~ダ・カーポⅢ~ドリームデイズ [170929] Circus A Fandisc of Platinum Partner and With You. Featuring the stories told on the modern day Hatsunejima alongside with stories of the Heroines on the Kazami Academy episode of the D.C.III series. It is composed of seven episodes, which features the five heroines plus Mikoto and Sumomo, and the return of most of the D.C.II cast, including Otome, Yume, Nanaka, Koko, Anzu, Akane, and Aisia. Fandisc  
     
  6. kivandopulus
    Another August capitulates before the doujins. Blade x Bullet - Kinrin no Soleil is the only normal game and winner by default. Did not find Clephas winner for August, but it's ether the same or fandisc or none. Micchi is more interested in Kotonoha Amrilato and fandisc.  
    1. Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2 -Naruhodou Ryuunosuke no Kakugo- 大逆転裁判2 -成歩堂龍ノ介の覺悟- [170803] Capcom 1 2 3 4 Two months after the events of the previous game, Susato Mikotoba learns that her best friend, Haori Murasame, has been accused of murdering the murderer of Dr. Watson. With no defense attorney willing to help, she decides to do so. However, since women aren't allowed in Japanese courts, she disguises herself as Ryūnosuke Naruhodō's cousin Ryutarō. Meanwhile, Ryūnosuke assists her in the case, and the two of them become involved in a conspiracy. Detective is localized and has English reviews  
    2. Watashi wa Kyou Koko de Shinimasu. 私は今日ここで死にます。 [170816] mint wings 1 2 What do you do when you see someone about to take their life? I’m sure there’s more than one answer to that question — but when it happened to me, I had neither the time nor the composure for idle philosophy. When he sees Mishima Yuka throw herself off a bridge into the river below, Haibara Kyousuke follows right after, saving her from drowning. But it’s not like he wants to deal with this kid — he just had to do it… or so he wants to think. Well, said girl wants none of his indifference, and forces her way into his life — to find out why exactly he saved her life, or so she says. All Kyousuke wants is that she at least end her life without regrets; all she wants is to take her life. But just as Mishima has her demons, Kyousuke has his own to deal with. How do you find the strength to live in a world where you don’t fit in, where nothing seems to quite work out for you? They’re both looking for an answer… and maybe together, they can find it. There are English reviews  
    3. Blade x Bullet - Kinrin no Soleil BLADE×BULLET 金輪のソレイユ [170825] SkyFish 1 Valkyrie, the ultimate divine spirit weapon. Anyone who obtains its power can overcome the military of an entire nation. Deep in the North lies the closed city of Eljudnir, upon which many girls gather with varying aspirations. The last person left standing would be able to obtain its power. The resurrected Yagi met a girl who called herself Hela, the goddess of underworld. She told him that he possessed the spirit of the malicious god Loki, and informed him that, together with the black valkyrie Reginleiv, he was to hunt down those who sought the powers of the valkyrie. There is an English review  
    4. Kotonoha Amrilato ことのはアムリラート [170825] SukeraSparo 1 High schooler Rin was just buying a snack in her hometown’s shopping district一but she gets a shock when her surroundings suddenly transform. "...Why is the sky pink...?" She should know this area well, but the unreadable letters on the signs and the strange language the people are speaking have made things unrecognizable. ...Just then, Ruka, a girl so cute she could be an idol, appears and extends a helping hand. Rin, a high schooler who claims to have positivity in spades, and Ruka, a supportive girl who speaks just a smattering of Japanese. This is the story, pure and sometimes frustrating, of two girls intertwined by their fumbling efforts to communicate. Yuri  
    5. Ren'ai Kyoushitsu 恋愛教室 [170825] UnN/A 1  Standing outside of the classroom, the protagonist took a deep breath and calmed his nerves. Once he summoned the courage to open the door, he was immediately surrounded by girls in the class who treated him like a rare animal. That is natural since this had been an all-girls school until last year. However, not all the students were receptive of having a boy in their class. There were three groups: those for the co-ed change, those against it, and those whose views were in between. He has yet to get used to his new life in this new classroom with new friends, but he felt that his future is full of possibilities. There is an English review  
    6. Ryouchi Kizoku 領地貴族 [170825] SofthouseChara 1  Siegfried is the fourth son from a small poor noble family who won some land thanks to his battle contributions. He founded a new Maired clan and ruled over a vast territory in the southern part of the kingdom. He thought that it would be a pleasant and relaxing life, but he wasn’t ready for the amount of work that was involved. Of course, there’s lots of paperwork and required appearances, but also having to answer to faction requests, making babies and naming a future successor? Everything was new to him and the only people to help him was the daughter of a ruined noble family, a knight who had been dismissed with dishonour, and a high-class prostitute. He didn’t know if they could be relied on, but nevertheless he takes his first step towards successfully managing his territory. SIM  
    7. Tonari ni Kanojo no Iru Shiawase ~Two Farce~ となりに彼女のいる幸せ ~Two Farce~ [170825] Prekano It won’t be long before the historic literature club will be disbanded as there’s just the protagonist and his kouhai Chisa left. Even as they worry about the club’s future, they carried on with their daily trivial exchanges in the club room together. And so, they became closer by the day. Short one heroine romance  
    BLOCKED   1. Minato Carnival FD みなとカーニバルFD [170825] Minato Carnival 1  There are new characters and scenarios for both the Tsujidou-san and Anegin series. --Tsujidou-san Jun'ai Road New Episode-- It's 2013, a year after Hiroshi met Ai Tsujidou and spent time with other delinquets during a turbulent summer. There had been rumors that an unindentifed person was hunting delinquets in Shonan, the city where Maki graduated which seemed to be peaceful. The delinquents in that area have been getting excited knowing that that hunter was running around. Considering that the protagonist Hiroshi Hase has not been in love for a year, which girl will he choose? As younger heroine Yui Aketashi meets with the the protagaonist who she dearly misses, the story of delinquet girls starts again. Fandisc   2. Wagamama High Spec OC ワガママハイスペック OC [170825] Madosoft 1
    This is the fandisc for Wagamama High Spec, with after stories for all four heroines and new routes for sub-heroines Karen, Chitose and Yukari.
    Fandisc  
  7. kivandopulus
    Foreword: I'm a fan of DnD , Wizardry 8 and Japanese Wizardry series, so I could not just pass by Dungeons & Daimeiwaku. As for Mareni writing, it's a stamp of minimally acceptable quality although without a normal story it can easily go astray. Synopsis: In the world of sword of magic, expert miners discovered an underground labyrinth in a remote area of the continent. “The Abyss” is very huge inside, full of monsters and traps. However, it was rumoured that ancient treasures lie deep inside its depths and adventurers from all over came to challenge the dungeon. Among them is the young and foolish samurai Shouran, and his party consisting of the sexy but problematic alchemist Nicolite, the aggressive M ninja Hakumeimaru and the expressionless mysterious archer Kurozuka. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwGwDxf37gEl3UABPvr6h2gRVAj86RTei   Character Design rating: 6/10 Protagonist rating: 6/10 Story rating: 5/10 Game quality: 6/10 Overall rating: 6/10   I keep choosing Mareni works for review, but this must be the first time when I deny it of being a masterpiece if we don't count Albatross Koukairoku that I tried some 3 times and that I absolutely hate. And the reason is that Dungeons & Daimeiwaku is closer to Albatross Koukairoku than anything else I read from Mareni. But that is probably the best rated and most praised game of Mareni, so let's sort it out. Common route is usually the best part of the game, but not in this game, apparently. It's a terribly long line of encounters with different monsters and several bonding events in-between. Archer Kurozuka is the only proper fighter, but she joins only at the very end of the common route, so fights in the common route are a mix of running , fighting due to emotional overflow, some tricks, luck and intervention of higher forces. This is supposed to be the part to pour in all the humor available, but I did not like humor in the game. There aren't normal jokes with structure and punches. "Humor" here is achieved mostly through the same means as in Albatross - abnormal illogical development, denying laws of ethics, forgetting to fill plot loopholes, fumble way of doing things and just straightforward cheating. I tried to catch a glimpse of normal humor, but at best it's some phrase thrown during ambush while inventing a way to deal with it, although no punch ever follows. Then three individual routes follow... and those are pretty horrible. Hakumeimaru just deals with her sister and is plain unfinished. Nicolite in her route deals with her (different) sister, and even though this route has a logical ending, it's so quirky that I it might as well be unfinished as well. With boobs in clothes as route main heroine, this route is also destined to become most etchy and it even hosts a 3P h-event. Kurozuka archer is rather serious in comparison, so her route is most action-packed, but it's still fighting only a sub-boss, so it does not feel goal-setting or meaningful on a large scale. There is also a True route available from the menu after clearing individual routes, but I almost missed it because game has zero walkthroughs on Japanese sites, just insane. And Chinese sites give choices for individual routes, but absolutely forget to mention the True route in any way. So this true route is actually the best part of the game as it becomes rather serious and does not need to waste time on trash mobs, so development finally acquires some meaning and some kind of whacky resolution.  As a result, playing this game for the story is a waste of time. Trying to find humor is pointless. I did not feel DnD or Wizardry spirit in here, sadly, as without proper seriousness game becomes a mere parody. After all, there is no aim and no super-antagonist to keep the parts glued. So I have trouble defining reasons to play this game. I rated Astelight trilogy as masterpiece because it was fast-paced chaotic quirky development. But Dungeons & Daimeiwaku has a single setting that it needs to maintain, just like Albatross Koukairoku. So it becomes just a themed collection of quirks, weirdness , gimmicks, erotics and parody. I could finally enjoy humor and characters only in the True route to an extent. It mends things to a certain degree creating a plausible final impression, but when I remember the torture of Common Route and half-baked individual routes (except for Kurozuka that had its nice moments), I absolutely deny this game a masterpiece status. Without proper story, atmosphere or humor it can only appeal to niche auditory that can appreciate quirky humor and relations.
  8. kivandopulus

    VN of the Month 2017
    Kinda forgot to post May. ChronoBox made the day for me with Ojou-sama no Hanbun wa Ren'ai de Dekiteimasu!  and Newton to Ringo no Ki as other masterpieces. Clephas had the second one in mind for the winner. Micchi adds such titles as Anata ni Koisuru Ren’ai Recette and Nekopara nukige  
    1. Amayui Castle Meister 天結いキャッスルマイスター [170526] Eushully 1  “Magesmiths” are wizards that specialize in labyrinth construction and restoration. Avaro, one of them, sought to one day run his own workshop. To realize this dream, he accepted a job in Influse Kingdom of investigating some ruins. Unfortunately, he got caught in a cave-in and ended up lost. As he wandered, he came across a girl, sleeping inside a magic stone, Fia. After waking up, Fia told him that she has no memory of herself; however, she knows that she is unmistakably a Goddess. Continuing, she tells Avaro that she could, if she wanted to, move the entirety of the ruins with her Godly powers, and she points out that she has to, no matter what, make it to the closed-off holy ground of the Kingdom. The "Mist Corridor of the Sacred Sound." Fia, who has said nothing but what could only be nonsense so far, invites Avaro to join her on her journey, saying that he can use these ruins as his workshop however he likes if he does. Although doubtful, Avaro accepts her conditions and becomes the apostle of the self-proclaimed Goddess, and while using the moving ruins as his atelier, they head north. Before long, rumors of the ‘Gualacuna Fortress’ are spread across the country, and while fighting anyone who comes after the fortress, thinking that it has valuables or is a threat, Avaro searches for the truth related to the Goddess’ memories. Along with the Goddess of Marriage, “The Story That Weaves Bonds” marks the beginning.. RPG  
    2. Anata ni Koi Suru Ren'ai Recette あなたに恋する恋愛ルセット [170526] Unison Shift 1 The recently-founded Rokkasei Gakuen doesn’t have a rich history. One of its notable features is that students will select their specialization during the second term of their first year. Haruma decided to pursue the confectionery course that had been added this school year for the simple reason that he loves sweet a lot. Nonoka, who loves both eating and making sweets Yuzuki, who looks to be perfect at everything, but is actually quite clumsy Fuuka, who possess maternal instincts and fortitude behind her quiet demeanour Miel, who has a discerning palate, despite her lack of motivation and energy Haruma’s meetings with these unique girls in his class draws him further not only into the charm of sweets, but also sweet sweet love... There is an English review  
    3. ChronoBox クロノボックス [170526] No Brand 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Nayuta was one of many students who attended “EDEN” on a small solitary island called “Angel Island”. The enjoyable time that he spent together with his friends was put to an end by a sole black box and a “girl in black”. Surely, it will be all right. It’s best to keep forgetting the past which should not be remembered and continuing living their lives with their angel-like friends who have gathered in EDEN. The nightmare on which the girl leads them has yet to end... There are English reviews  
    4. Hanidebi! Honey & Devil はにデビ! Honey & Devil [170526] Eufonie 1  Yuuto was returning home after finishing up his part-time job when some men in black suddenly appeared and forced him into a car. “Hurry up and take off your pants! I can’t take it anymore!!” Without given a choice, he was sexually assaulted inside by a girl named Ouka, who had become possessed by a succubus after carelessly touching a sealed book. It caused her to become aroused indiscriminately. She had desperately searched for a way to drive away the succubus and targeted him since he was the descendant of an exorcist. While Yuuto didn’t know anything about exorcisms, she would be able to withstand the succubus’ powers for a short time by having sex with him. He was at a loss after such an unexpected first meeting, but it didn’t end there. She arranged for his immediate transfer to her school, the prestigious Ten’ouji Gakuen. “Please have sex with us and drive out the succubi!” It wasn’t just Ouka who was possessed by a succubus, but three other girls as well: the pretty book girl Ruri, the strict monitor Aoi, and the student council president Kaoruko who is his childhood friend. Will he be able to expel the succubi and what will become of their relationships which started off with sex? There is an English review  
    5. Newton to Ringo no Ki ニュートンと林檎の樹 [170526] Laplacian 1 2 3 4 "'Newton' was actually the pen name of a brilliant-minded girl!?" Protagonist Syuji Asanaga and his childhood friend Yotsuko Utakane, whilst tracking down Syuji's missing grandfather, unexpectedly ended up travelling through time. What they witnessed upon their arrival was the presence of a single girl right in front of them. This particular girl would go on to be dubbed as the father of modern-day science, Sir Isaac Newton! That's correct, Newton turned out to be a small, flat-chested girl! Unaware of this, Syuji loudly crashed into the apple tree right in front of the girl. "Just now... I came up with something that might be incredibly ground-breaking, you know!?" It was at the moment our main couple travelled through time, right then and there, that Newton discovered universal gravitation! And just like that, through Syuji's witless conduct, the great scientific discoveries of that century had all crumbled to ashes. What's more, like the domino effect, this would gradually end up altering key points in history. It is now sometime during the 17th century! The story is set at a prestigious English university called "Tenbridge University", named for the fact that it spans a total of ten bridges! Will Syuji ever be able to rectify history and return to the present!? Game is localized and has English reviews  
    6. Ojou-sama no Hanbun wa Ren'ai de Dekiteimasu! お嬢様の半分は恋愛で出来ています! [170526] Luxury Tiara 1 2 The pretty boy Hajime is an agent of a large secret organization, who was asked by the boss one day to do the impossible. His mission was to infiltrate Houshou Girl’s Academy, where only pure maidens are allowed, and to claim the title of the greatest lady: ‘Highness’. Thus, he traded in his weapon for lipstick to become an agent of matchless beauty. What is the purpose of this strange mission? There is an English review  
    7. Ojou-sama to Aware na (Ko) Shitsuji お嬢様と憐れな(こ)執事 [170526] Carol Works Rikudou is pretty much homeless because of his freewheeling father. Fortunately, his uncle took him in and arranged everything for him with the sole condition that he serves as a bridge between him and his rebellious daughters. He readily agreed, thinking that it was a common worry for a father, and thus his days of suffering began. Moege-ish game with a trap protagonist is contrary to my interests  
    8. LoveKami -Useless Goddess- [170529] Pulltop 1 2 3 "I took in a goddess!" It was after the descent of uncountable goddesses in Japan... Most goddesses were able to blend in with humans, living peacefully and happily together. Some of those goddesses even went on to become idols. However, there were others who simply refused to follow the rules. These goddesses prefer living freely and doing as they please, inadvertently causing all sorts of trouble for humans. Goddesses who are naughty are called Aragami. The protagonist, Sho Narumi, stumbles upon a goddess who collapses on the street and attempts to help her. Soon enough it is revealed that she's the Aragami who had been causing frequent power outages in one small-town area of Tokyo. Sho decides to protect his beloved hometown by helping the goddess to get rehabilitated! "Rehabilitate the goddess!" Wait...aren't goddesses supposed to help humans? With the setting moving from Akihabara to a quiet small-town area of Tokyo, the story of one naughty goddess's rehabilitation begins now! Game is released in English and has English reviews  
    9. Kangoku Shounen 監獄少年 [1705] SEEC It's at the end of Taisho era. The main character, Tetsu Akatsuki witnesses an incident in 12-Story Prison which is one of hub of Secret Police… The closer he gets to the truth, the more he finds that the dark of 12-Story Prison is deep. Holding your own sense of justice in mind, solve the mysteries together with your partner! The mystery novel adventure game about the justice and friendship between Tetsu and Nagi, who put their lives at risk. Detective  
    BLOCKED   1. Omokage Railback - Episode Hachi: Deiki no Tsuki 面影レイルバック・エピソード捌 泥亀の月 [170502] Hiqo Soft 1 2
    Prequel of Omokage Railback that tells the story eight years prior to Omokage Railback.
    Demo/Fandisc has an English impression   2. Neko Para Vol.3 Neko-tachi no Aromatize ネコぱら Vol.3 ネコたちのアロマティゼ [170525] NEKO WORKs 1 2 3 Patisserie "La Soleil", run by Kashou Minazuki, is flourishing thanks to the help of two catgirls: Maple, full of pride and a little on the haughty side, and Cinnamon, an impulsive daydreamer. These two are especially close among among the rest of the sisters. One day, Maple encounters something that shakes her belief in attaining her dream. Cinnamon, unwilling to see Maple suffer, wishes to help her in any way possible... but she can't figure out how. This story is a heartwarming cat comedy about their ambitions and the bonds between family members... with a little ecchi on the side, too. Nukige listed for the sake of opening   3. Hime-sama Love Life! -Motto! Ichaicha ☆ Paradise!- 姫様LOVEライフ! -もーっと!イチャイチャ☆ぱらだいす!- [170526] Princess Sugar
    Heroines' afterstories
    Fandisc  
     
  9. kivandopulus
    Hikari no Umi no Apeiria is the only masterpiece in July 2017. Clephas also thought so. Micchi on the other hand finds Hatsujou Sprinkle , Shin Koihime†Musou -Kakumei- Souten no Haou and O-uchi ni Kaeru Made ga Marshmallow Desu to be worthy.  
    1. Aoiro Note アオイロノート [170728] ad:lib Takuya entered Shikizaka Gakuen this spring. One day after school, he saw his classmate Misora inconspicuously putting up a club recruitment poster in the empty school building. With a cool aura and seemingly hard to approach, the beautiful Misora was the talk of the class since the first day. However, she is actually quite shy and the image that had been forced upon her had resulted in her becoming isolated from the rest of the class. So, she thought to create a club to make some friends and break free from her current lonely situation. Takuya couldn’t leave her after knowing the circumstances, so he decided to help out achieve the school life that she yearned for. Feels very similar to original Aoiro. Weak scenario-wise even though if differs from ordinary moege .  
    2. Choukou Shinki Ixseal 超昂神騎エクシール [170728] Alice Soft 1 2 Protagonist Tsuguhiko Oudou is the reincarnation of the demon king. He lived his life as a normal student among human society while waiting for his chance to reinstate his position as demon king and rule over the world. On the appointed day however, he is attacked by Ixseal, a knight from the God’s side. He manages to escape, but is then immediately betrayed by his subordinate Bezel. Meaning that in the end he is left with just one power, the power of “lust”. Bezel also manages to trap Ixseal on earth, away from her allies. Tsuguhiko and Ixseal then decide to team up and form a joint front against Bezel and his army of demons. But the only way to defeat these strong demons is to provide Ixseal with more power. And since the power of lust is the only one left for Tsuguhiko, you can guess where this is going. RPG has an English review  
    3. Fuyu Uso -Snow World End- フユウソ -Snow World End- [170728] Campus 1 2 It follows the scenario of what happens at Mahoshi Gakuen if the magic contract didn’t end up in Satsuki’s hands, Souichirou had protected Aoi from being taken over by the succubus, and Eris didn’t find what she was looking for with Shizuku. Everyone lies, whether it be to protect, to deny, to misrepresent, or to keep things unchanged. In spring, Souichirou met Satsuki for the first time and she shortly thereafter was welcomed as a new club member. In summer, he was busy preparing for the Mahoshi festival with Aoi and the student council. In autumn, he was caught up in some trouble involving his longtime friend Eris. Then came today, the first day of snow. He didn’t know the reason, but he could tell that it was a lie. Even though he always found it hard to deal with her… Even though he thought that their paths would never cross… Even though it seemed that he must not reach for her… — he could not betray his true feelings. “I love you, Teidou-senpai. Please go out with me.” It was the beginning of a story about the snow world end. There is an English review  
    4. Golden Hour ゴールデンアワー [170728] Niko 1 2 3 4 Yuuya got in an accident just before the regional qualifier finals for the football nationals and he couldn’t play anymore. After the team’s eventual loss and the end of his playing career, he lost sight of his goal in life, and instead just killed time at the game center every day. He also gave up on love, believing that the girl he’s interested in, Natsumi, did not feel the same way about him. On the way to the game center after school one day, he met a girl, Yuki, who looked exactly like Natsumi. It felt like he had met her before even though it should be their first time seeing each other. She suddenly told him: “I will support your love.” And so the time which had stopped for Yuuya and Yuki began to move once more... There are English reviews  
    5. Hatsujou Sprinkle 初情スプリンクル [170728] Whirlpool 1 2 3 The protagonist, Kamishiro Souta is a second year high school student who is unusually active and has very high sexual desire. Although some students in the school (mainly girls) keep their distance from him, he still dreams of having a fulfilling life full of erotic happenings so he gives his best. Although he could be said to be a dangerous person in general, on a certain day his desire was off the scales. All he could do, was to think of perverted things. When he was filled with desire to fondle an older woman's breasts, falling into a state where he was just a step from being unable to live in a society, a mysterious beauty, Meidou Hazuki appeared before him. Calling herself a "witch" who inherited demon genes she told Souta that he too, has for some reason awakened as a demon. Moreover, out of all seven deadly sins he possessed magic power of "lust", of all things his magic power acted as aphrodisiac causing women around him to get in heat. It appears that his awakening was forcibly caused by the treasure stolen from Hazuki's family, that she was in the middle of chasing after and requested Souta to help her. And so, Souta was involved in an outrageous happening. Will his condition of exuding aphrodisiac aura improve? What about hidden feelings of the girls around him? Involving lots of people, the story goes into a strange direction and filling protagonist's school life with erotic happenings. There are English reviews  
    6. Hikari no Umi no Apeiria 景の海のアペイリア [170728] Silky's Plus Dolce 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Aoyama Yoshito is a university student in the folklore studies faculty. When Yoshito was chasing after his faculty lecturer he ended up in a particular area, got himself lost in a mountain far from human habitation and finally arrived at a certain Western-style mansion. This mansion was owned by the immensely wealthy family of old nobility, the Mikado clan. Yoshito was permitted to stay at the mansion as a guest and forced to participate in the "Eigu rite" which would decide the next head of the Mikado clan. The three beautiful but mysterious Mikado sisters, the assembled candidates of the rite invited by the Mikados as well as the mansion's inhabitants, the previous Mikado clan head Heizou and the current head Fumika. What fate awaits Yoshito in this mansion where the desires of men and women intermingle? There are English reviews  
    7. Ouchi ni Kaeru made ga Mashimaro Desu お家に帰るまでがましまろです [170728] Marmalade 1 2 “Hey, are you all right?” Kanon held out her hand to Ryou, who had collapsed on the ground in the park. Left without a home after being kicked out, he was taken in by her and given a place to stay in exchange for working at her pâtisserie, “Marshmallow Tree”. The shop had been very popular before she had become the owner, but now it doesn’t get many customers due to a change in opening hours and the arrival of a famous competitor nearby. He was able to liven up the shop a bit with the help of others, but his relationships with them also got more complicated at the same time. Every day is full of chaos, with unexpected events happening one after the other. What will happen to him and the shop? It is the beginning of sweet and fluffy marshmallow days. There is an English review  
    8. Re;Lord Dai San Shou ~Grossen no Maou to Saigo no Majo~ Re;Lord 第三章 ~グローセンの魔王と最後の魔女~ [170728] Escu:de 1 This is the third and final episode in Escu:de’s Re;Lord series. Following the liberation of Herford and Cologne, Iris was captured by Adler’s Jäger unit. Since she possessed too much sensitive information to fall into enemy hands, including the concealment of his own magic and plans for a rebellion, Wilfried pursued them into Greiz instead of going after the third witch.   Greiz is a middle-sized city in the center of Groesen, and it is home to the capitol. However, there were no trains entering the castle town, and the hustle and bustle of the past was eerily missing. Surprisingly, it was also under the territory of the third witch. He was forced to fight on two fronts, as fate also seemed to conspire against him. Wilfried’s final battle has begun. RPG  
    9. Sakura no Mori † Dreamers 2 サクラノモリ†ドリーマーズ2 [170728] Moonstone 1  This is the sequel to Moonstone’s action thriller Sakura no Mori † Dreamers, composed of a main route and a Madoka route, both of which take place in the second school term after summer vacation if Shinji does not get in a relationship with any of the other girls. While the two routes are separate from each other, there is a common element which links them together, so the reader is encouraged to play both. With the defeat of the Joker, all the bodachs disappeared from Sakuranomori. Peace returned, but it was only for a fleeting moment. A new nightmare had begun; It was a crimson world with man-eating monsters where the murderer who was supposed to be dead still wandered. Death in this world resulted into death in reality. The Sakuranomori Dreamers once again threw themselves into battle, to protect the town and those they loved. On the other hand, the daily life with Madoka unfolds. But is it only a sweet nightmare? There is an English review  
    10. Shin Koihime † Musou -Kakumei- Souten no Haou 真・恋姫†夢想-革命- 蒼天の覇王 [170728] BaseSon 1 2 3 4 Gi version of the Shin Koihime † Musou - Kakumei series. The Kakumei series aim to deepen the story of Gi, Go and Shoku in a restart from 0 with new scenes and stories for existing and new heroines routes. 24 new characters announced(some of them already made debut on Eiyuutan series) for a total of 73 heroines, over 200 CGs, more historical battles from the Three Kingdoms and battle system reworked also it was announced that some Seiyuu(Voice Actor) will be different from the previous versions totaling at least 50.000 voiced words and over 75 Voice Actors. TBS  
    11. Tsuki no Michibiki Kumo Haruka 弓張月の導き雲はるか [170728] Debo no Su Seisakusho In a world where humans and dragons co-exist, there are those called 'dragonmasters' who can be contracted with a dragon as their partner since they can communicate with them heart-to-heart as a result of their strict training. Claude aspired to be a dragonmaster, but even after completing his training, he had yet to find a partner dragon. One day, the village chief permitted him to participate in a ritual to meet a dragon and he trekked into the depths of the forest to search for his own partner. He found her under a large tree: a cute dragon girl named Freya. RPG  
    BLOCKED   1. Bishoujo Mangekyou -Tsumi to Batsu no Shoujo- 美少女万華鏡 -罪と罰の少女- [170728] ωstar 1 2 3 4 5 6 Yuuma is on leave from school since being hospitalized due to an incident. For the first time in a year, he finally reunited with his beautiful twin sister Yuuri and began to live with her. However, he had a secret that he could not tell the sister: he is genuinely in love with her. Nukige listed for the sake of reviews   2. Hyakki Ryouran no Yakata 百奇繚乱の館 [170728] Astronauts: Sirius 1 2  Aoyama Yoshito is a university student in the folklore studies faculty. When Yoshito was chasing after his faculty lecturer he ended up in a particular area, got himself lost in a mountain far from human habitation and finally arrived at a certain Western-style mansion. This mansion was owned by the immensely wealthy family of old nobility, the Mikado clan. Yoshito was permitted to stay at the mansion as a guest and forced to participate in the "Eigu rite" which would decide the next head of the Mikado clan. The three beautiful but mysterious Mikado sisters, the assembled candidates of the rite invited by the Mikados as well as the mansion's inhabitants, the previous Mikado clan head Heizou and the current head Fumika. What fate awaits Yoshito in this mansion where the desires of men and women intermingle? Nukige listed for the sake of reviews   3. Niizuma Koyomi 新妻こよみ [170728] Hadashi Shoujo 1  Soushirou is about to graduate college, but at this point he still hasn't found his calling professionaly speaking, that is till he admires a vase made by a famous potter. That's Soushirou's calling, the work of art captivates him so much that he immediately makes a vow to become a potter under that famous artist's tutetalage. Soushirou is accepted as a disiciple, with that Soushirou moves from Tokyo to a quite and cozy rural prefecture to live and learn with his master; there is where Soushirou will find love and marry while he develops his skills, becoming a worthy successor to his master. Nukige listed for the sake of review  
     
  10. kivandopulus
    Clephas ended up choosing nothing, but I'll stop at Ai Yori Aoi Umi no Hate , will need to eventually review it. Micchi only pointed at delayed titles and one fandisc.  
    1. Shiin 死印 [170601] Experience 1 2 3 The Tokyo metropolitan area's H City. In this suburban city, a strange rumor has been spreading recently. Those who possess the «mark» will die. The «mark» is unexpectedly engraved onto the body, as if it was a chewed up birthmark, and is said to result in an unknown death. As a matter of fact, a strange incident occurred where someone met a suspicious death. This incident has become an urban legend, and has propagated various speculation such as it being the result of a ghost encounter somewhere or unknowingly coming into contact with a curse. Having lost your memory, you stand before a western-style house said to protect those who possess the «mark». As if drawn to something, when the doors to the house open, you're greeted by a beautiful doll who is the lord of the mansion. «Welcome to Kujou Mansion.» The doll continued to speak. «You will die if you stay like this.» «But that doesn't mean that there isn't a way to be saved.» The countdown to «death» had already begun… Game is localized and has English reviews   2. Ojou-sama wa Sunao ni Narenai お嬢様は素直になれない [170623] ensemble 1 2  Souichi seems to be a normal student, but he is actually an experienced bodyguard. One day, he was asked by his mother, who is also a bodyguard, to transfer into Reihou Gakuen to help her protect a certain girl at the school. Reihou Gakuen used to be a famous girls’ school, and even after turning co-ed, it is still predominantly full of girls. Moreover, he was surrounded by eccentric girls for some reason. One of them was the girl who he was supposed to protect, and she smugly said: “From now on, you are my ‘schwester’!” The girls seemed unapproachable at first, but he began to see another side of them as he got closer to them. There are English reviews  
    3. Osomatsu-san The Game: Hachamecha Shuushoku Advice -Dead or Work- おそ松さん THE GAME はちゃめちゃ就職アドバイス -デッド オア ワーク- [170629] Otomate Visual novel game based on 2015 anime adaptation of Akatsuka Fujio's 1962 "Osomatsu-kun". "Osomatsu-kun" story revolves around the Matsuno sextuplets whose faces are all the same: Osomatsu, Karamatsu, Choromatsu, Ichimatsu, Jushimatsu, and Todomatsu. The "Osomatsu-san" revolves their story 20 years later, trying to survive in the middle of the modern era. Anime Spin-Off  
    4. Ai Yori Aoi Umi no Hate アイよりアオい海の果て [170630] AXL 1 2  In the future, nations and civilizations have disappeared due to rising sea levels caused by tectonic movements and global warming. The survivors lacked technique and talent, but they were able to restore an ancient battleship and attach a spare hydrogen engine to it. Then, a long long time passed, and all land was inundated by the sea, and humans barely survived aboard the self-navigating self-repairing ship. Ao is a boy who lived in the town aboard the ship. He helps out his parents with plowing the fields and fixing the fishing gear. There is no entertainment aside from visiting the floating market once a month and gazing at the passing ancient flotsam and pondering what they were once used for. It was a relatively depressing life akin to living in a closed society. One day, he entered the ship’s engine area, which the adults had told him absolutely not to enter. There was a picture from long ago, showing girls in colourful clothes dancing at a school in front of a large crowd of happy children. This was a ‘culture’ which has long since been lost. Moreover, he found a girl sleeping within a capsule. She was wearing the same clothes as those shown in the picture. The capsule opened when he touched it, as if he had authenticated something. The girl appeared to have lost her memories, aside from one thing: that she is an idol. An idol’s job is to sing and dance, and to spread happiness to everyone. Ao and the self-proclaimed idol Ai set out to revive the idol culture in this small world floating on the sea. There is an English impression  
    5. Akaneiro no Kyoukaisen 茜色の境界線 [170630] Alcot Honey Comb 1 2 One night, Shuu met the fox spirit Tomoe. In order to become a goddess, she must subdue the ‘tatari’ (curses) which devour all. Shuu’s hometown of Kanbe has been struck by these curses since some time, and despite the efforts of Tomoe and the half-youkai Kasumi, their numbers have only increased. Now Shuu’s kouhai Shion has also become targeted by them. In order to protect his hometown and those precious to him, Shuu joined the fight against the tatari. As they cross the line between the human and demon worlds, the world becomes dyed madder red. There is an English review  
    6. Haruoto Alice * Gram 春音アリス*グラム [170630] NanaWind 1 2  Seiryou Gakuen is a popular high-ranked school in the seaside city of Minato which prides itself on the latest facilities and student independence. Since a year ago, it has been managed concurrently by the student council and the new entrants council. Soutarou is a second year student who is part of the ‘twilight club’ (tasogare-bu) that was formed under special circumstances and is governed by the student council. It helps with minor things like searching for lost objects and resolving troubles and worries. Even though every day is busy, they are carefree and he gets to walk to school with the student council president who he looks up to and talk with the beautiful club leader. One day, he received a letter with no name on it: “Will you be able to solve the repeated problems that will happen from now on?” At the same time, a helicopter descended upon the school. The club was then beseiged by various troubles: negotations with the two school councils, a place with snow cherry blossoms, a mysterious clock tower, and a mysterious ability that could be used only by a few select people. There are many secrets called ‘alicegram’ which lie buried in the town. Will Soutarou be able to solve them all? There is an English review  
    7. Pure Song Garden! ピュアソングガーデン! [170630] Pulltop 1 2 In 2027, advances in virtual reality technology have allowed for the creation of a ‘mixed reality’, combining both reality and virtual reality. It is not uncommon to see ‘virtual idols’ performing, and the most popular one is Ai, who was created using the newest state-of-the-art VR technology. Kanata is part of the M3 (Music Mediaworks Mate) circle of music lovers, along with his self-proclaimed guardian and cohabitant Kuon, and kouhai Asuka, who is interested only in weird ‘sounds’, among others. One day, they were able to attend the huge virtual live event “Pure Song Garden” as part-time staff members thanks to the connections of Ritsu, a lady who lives in the same apartment as Kanata, and who used to take care of him when he was a child. Before the event, Ritsu brought them to the stage and did a start-up test for Ai as a special demo for them, but when she appeared, something felt off. Actually, it was not Ai, but a beautiful girl Iroha who looked just like her. She said that she came from fifty years in the future for a short trip. Her ‘navigator fairy’ Suzu, a girl with fairy-like wings who accompanied her, explained that only Iroha’s consciousness travelled from the future and that she was only temporarily using Ai’s virtual body. At that time, there was a great commotion on the event grounds over Ai’s sudden disappearance. Iroha will have to take over Ai’s role on stage at the live, and Ritsu and the M3 members did their best to support her. Everything was going smoothly at “Ai”‘s performance when a warning sounded and an unexpected error occurred! The “VR hazard” accident resulted in Iroha unable to return to the future. There is an English review  
    BLOCKED   1. Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm EXTRA1 蒼の彼方のフォーリズム EXTRA1 [170630] sprite 1 A senpai who she admires. The senpai who she loves. Friends with whom she could confide her worries and do her best. Just by showing a little bit of courage, she was able to obtain so many precious relationships. Mashiro thought that she has finally reached the happy end. However, she was barely passing her classes. She lost completely in a sweets battle to Rika and Arika. On top of that, Misaki and Asuka declared that they are Masaya’s lovers!? At this rate, her dear senpai would be taken from her, she’ll have to repeat a year, and Mashiro Udon would go out of business!? Mashiro’s mother, Botan, suddenly suggested that she and Masaya go on an overnight date. She declared that she’ll make a tasty bento for him and dress up nicely. With the help of the others, she trained really hard to up her feminine qualities before the date. Will they reach the true happy end!? Fandisc   2. Tantei Seven タンテイセブン [170630] Digital Cute Bango doesn’t like his own name, which has caused him to be teased since he was a kid. However, he has friends by his side: childhood friend Kasumi, best friend Reiji, and Reiji's younger sister Mariya. Together they formed the ‘paranormal research clab’ (the complete idiot Kasumi misspelled the name) at Kototoi Academy in Mina-Asakusa. However, without the adequate number of members, their official club status was denied and their club room was taken by rival clubs. Bango and Kasumi were eager to find other members to search for supernatural activities with them. They gathered many unique individuals and they came upon strange events. It all started when they entered a house full of junk in search for a lost cat. The place was a den of psychic phenomena, a theme park of malicious spirits. Yet still they advanced into the deepest parts of the house in pursuit of the mysteries of the former tenants. At the same time, a series of bizarre incidents befell the area around the school. First, a commotion regarding a dangerous drug. Then, the death of a cat who had been skinned. Finally, there was even a murder. There was a doll left behind at each crime scene. Who is the culprit? They must use the special powers which they have possessed since their childhood to solve the crimes. Nukige listed for the sake of an opening  
  11. kivandopulus

    VN of the Month 2017
    Clephas chose nothing for this month. But if we add console releases, Tsuihou Senkyo is good and original enough to be called VN of the Month even though I tend to dislike survival games. Micchi expectedly fell for Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Vol. 1 & 2 and 9-nine- Kokonotsu Kokonoka Kokonoiro , while Zen favors Niizuma LOVELY×CATION and delayed titles.  
    1. Song of Memories [170427] Pure Wish 1 2 The game involves a mysterious virus that only infects women. In this world, the infected begin their invasion as a “new breed of humans.” The story revolves around the protagonist and the game’s heroine, a woman who harbors suspicions about the nature of the infection. There is an English review  
    2. Tsuihou Senkyo 追放選挙 [170427] Nippon Ichi Software 1 2 The game takes places in an abandoned amusement park. The game's characters are trapped within the park, with the outside world being in a post-apocalyptic wasteland infested with murderous monsters. Within the park, the game's thirteen main characters are held captive by a mysterious mechanical doll named "Alice", who holds the "death games", which basically force the characters against each other for survival - the losers being exiled back out into the world. Alice refuses to stop the games until only two characters are alive and present. The game's protagonist is Kaname Ichijou, a young man who has the ability to see sound as colors, and sees spoken falsehoods in the color of red. He also harbors a grudge against most of the rest of the characters of the game for allowing the exile of his little sister. There is an English review  
    3. 9 -Nine- Kokonotsu Kokonoka Kokonoiro 9-nine-ここのつここのかここのいろ [170428] Palette 1 2 3 4 5 ― Shiromitsukawa A city that other than being a academic town, doesn't have any special characteristic. There has been some attempts at revitalization in order to attract tourists, but it achieved no success. However, for an unexpected reason the city began to gather the people's attention. Niimi Kakeru is a boy that despite the hasty attitude, has a strong sense of responsibility. He seems to be an ordinary student with a kind personality, but after a sacred treasure of a certain temple got damaged, an unusual power woke up on some youths including him. He was supposed to be an ordinary student living in an ordinary town, but... Now the young ones are involved in this mysterious fate. There are English reviews  
    4. Hatsukoi * Syndrome 初恋*シンドローム [170428] Campus 1  Everyone says that your first love never comes true. Yuuto thinks that it is indeed true since he, like most others around him, had lost his first love. But unlike the others, his broken heart has still not healed to this day. Looking at the watch that his first love Haruka had gave to him as a present, he decided that he will finally move on from the past. He resolved to bury the watch under the giant cherry blossom tree on the school grounds, which is said to be seen as being in full bloom by those who are in love, and cut loose from his past regrets. However, there was a girl wearing an unfamiliar school uniform who had arrived there before him, looking up at the cherry blossom tree. Lunalight noticed him and asked him a question while smiling: “Do you want to fall in love?” The magician-in-training Lunalight wished to experience first love and also breaking up, in order to understand love and become a full-fledged magician. It was a fateful first meeting for Yuuto, who was still bound by his first love. He would also be reunited with the girl from his past, who had given up her first love to become a magician. What will become of the futures of these three, who are held captive by first love? There is an English review  
    5. Niizuma Lovely x Cation 新妻LOVELY×CATION [170428] Hibiki Works 1 2 It’s been a year since Hibiki started working in beautiful Sakuragi, a city of four seasons. He’s gotten used to his new life and everything is smooth sailing, but he started to think about his future when his close friend got married. He realized that marriage was something that doesn’t just happen one day, but it is the culmination of ‘everyday’ actions over a long period. Having made up his mind, before long he fell in love with a girl. It was the first step towards a happy marriage. There is an English impression  
    BLOCKED   1. D.S. i.F. -Dal Segno- in Future D.S. i.F. -Dal Segno- in Future [170428] Circus During the winter, Atsuya and his friends received an invitation letter from the island’s manager Ame, who was supposed to have disappeared. “Let’s meet again at the village where snow falls and the fireflies fly” Travelling to the snow-bound onsen town where the ‘snow fireflies’ are said to dwell, they were greeted by the new manager Kanade, along with fireflies dancing about in the falling snow. It was actually an event organized by the Amakase Research Institute to thank them for taking good care of Ame and the fireflies are actually man-made fairies. Then, the true fireflies actually appeared during the night with a full moon. In the midst of the fantastic scene, Ame reappeared before them once more. Is it another artifical event or is it a miracle for this night only? Fandisc   2. Grisaia: Phantom Trigger グリザイア:ファントムトリガー [170428] Frontwing 1 2 3 4 5 Following the Heath Oslo incident, the existence of the US-Japanese anti-terror organization CIRS has become a matter of public knowledge. CIRS has been rebuilt from the ground up, and its most covert functions spun off to a new agency: SORD (Social Ops, Research & Development). The goal of SORD is to train a new generation of operatives to defend the country against future threats. To that end, the organization has established a series of schools up and down the country. Mihama Academy, more-or-less left to rot after its abrupt closure, has been given new purpose as one such 'specialist training school'. This new incarnation of Mihama Academy is home to a diverse group of students, who every day work to polish their unusual skills - sometimes on the job. Mihama now entrusts the misfit girls who attend it with guns and live ammunition. Paying their own safety no heed, these students are again and again plunged into dangerous extrajudicial missions - all for the good of the realm. "We've been granted a place in the world. That alone isn't enough - there wouldn't be any meaning in living, if that was all we had... It's not enough just to get by on the backs of others. I live by my own strength, and I fight to survive. Because only the survivors among us belong with the living..." No matter how much life grinds them down, what future awaits these girls, who've themselves chosen the path of the gun? Fandisc   3. Majo to Tsurugi to Sen no Tsuki 魔女と剣と千の月 [170428] Kai 1 2 3  This game takes place after the events of PENDULUM. Peace seemed to have been returned to the world with the decrease in the remaining number of circulars. However, one day the pure white circulars suddenly turned into pitch-black demons who have a increased penchant for destruction. These ‘evilised’ spread all over the world in an instant. The Magus Order continued to fight on the front line, but they were being overwhelmed by the power of the evilised. In the midst of battle, Ren was turned into a circular due to the great magic power and was going to ‘evolve’ into an evilised until Sayaka was able to seal him in suspended animation. However, they would eventually have to fight against this immense power in the future. As a last resort, Sayaka decided to create the homunculus Rei using a part of Ren’s soul and hidden magic powers to fight against the evilised. Nukige with English reviews   4. Tayutama 2 -After Stories- タユタマ2-After Stories- [170428] Lump of Sugar 1
    Takachiho-shi Yakotami-chou is a particularly powerful spiritual spot where humans and Tayutai work hard to coexist in harmony. There is a festival there called the Jintaisai which started naturally from their mutual expressions of gratitude. The Tayutai would create a gift using their powers and give it to the one that the human that they live with and love; in return, the human would share his own spiritual energy with the Tayutai. However, there was an incident at this year’s festival. It was one that no one could’ve imagined.
    Fandisc  
  12. kivandopulus

    VN of the Month 2017
    Haruru Minamo ni! is VN of the Month, let's also give credit to Hataraku Otaku no Ren'ai Jijou . Clephas has the same winner. Micchi kinda likes everything - Suisou Ginka no Istoria, TRINOLINE, Natsuiro Kokoro Log ~Happy Summer~, Koinosu☆Ichacolize .  
    1. Amanatsu Adolesence 甘夏アドゥレセンス [170324] Confiture Soft 1  At Kazamitou Gakuen, students are free to do as they choose and the light music club which Akira is part of is actually the most ‘free’ rock band! Following the motto of enjoying everything in the world, he partook in the club activities as a bass player with guitarist Ryou and vocalist Natsu. That was until the club was disbanded after setting the auditorium on fire with a flame-throwing guitar. Akira was put into the science club and remained melancholic even while being comforted by his classmate Amane. However, when he returned home, he was greeted with the sight of a beautiful and naked silver-haired girl. Sasha is a Russian girl who will be staying at his place due to his parents’ arrangements. Together with the former light music club members, Sasha and Amane, he works towards the upcoming Amanatsu Music Fest and the Russian rock festival Вторжение. There is an English review  
    2. Full Kiss フルキス [170324] Giga Masaharu started at his new school hopeful of getting a girlfriend. A year later, his dream appeared to have been merely a delusion. However, the falling cherry blossoms signal the beginning of a new year and perhaps, a chance for his dream to finally come true. Another Kiss series moege.  
    3. Haruru Minamo ni! はるるみなもに! [170324] Clochette 1 2 3 The seaside town of Tamatsue is surrounded by mountains on three sides. Even though it is undergoing modernization via re-development of the coastal area, there is still a feel of a small town in the mountain side. There are two shrines in the town, dedicated to the ‘god of the mountains’ and the ‘god of the sea’, but while the former has a ‘living goddess’ who they are proud of, there is no enshrined deity for the latter. Thus, they invited a new god to take its place. However, the ‘living goddess’ who appeared was rather useless and couldn’t fulfill the roles required of her! The older brother of the ‘god of the mountains’, Tatsuki, was asked for help by the new goddess, who also became his classmate. While he supported her in her divine training, many other gods descended on the town. It seems that they all had an interest in him...? There are English reviews  
    4. Hataraku Otaku no Ren'ai Jijou 働くオタクの恋愛事情 [170324] Akabei Soft3 1  Tetsuya works hard as a taxi driver, and enjoys anime, manga and games during his private time. While he is satisfied with his current situation, he can’t help but feel a bit lonely not having anyone around with whom to share his hobbies. One day, he picked up a female passenger and noticed that she had a keychain of a character from an old anime he loved. They chatted happily about anime during the ride and she gave him a business card when she got off. She worked at the anime song bar Blue Comet, a place where otaku like him can gather and chat in a relaxed atmosphere. He was somewhat interested and decided to pay it a visit. Meeting others who have the same hobbies as him, his daily life began to gradually change. There is an English review  
    5. Kamidanomi Shisugite Ore no Mirai ga Yabai. 神頼みしすぎて俺の未来がヤバい。 [170324] Hulotte 1 2 Hajime is just like any normal guy who wants to fall in love, except that he collects charms from shrines all over the country with the hopes of becoming popular. The self-proclaimed goddess of marriage Urara suddenly appeared before him and told him that if he didn’t find his fated partner within a year, then he will remain a virgin for his entire life! His future had become very unstable because some of the charms which he had collected were actually real. Just like eating too many sweets would lead to a stomachache, his obsession with charms of marriage had resulted in the opposite effect. He was eager to get a girlfriend and avoid a solitary life, but he didn’t want to put in much effort to do so. Fortunately for him, Urara showed him three girls who were potential partners and also taught him how to tell how close their fate is to him. It is similar to the idea of the red string, except it is displayed as a number instead, and the goal is to reduce the number to zero. The prime minister’s daughter Nanami, popular idol Suzuna, and Japan’s greatest detective Yukari. All three of them have their own eccentricities. Thus begins his relationship with girls whom he had previously no ties with. There is an English review  
    6. Noroi no Maken ni Yamitsuki Otome 呪いの魔剣に闇憑き乙女 [170324] SofthouseChara 1 A long time ago, the continent was peaceful until a black mist enveloped the kingdom, making ill all those who touched it. The citizens believed that it was the work of a demon lord and became scared to leave their own homes. When the beautiful princess also fell ill, the king beseeched someone to defeat the demon lord in exchange for a reward. One young man offered to do it in exchange for the princess’ hand in marriage. Together with his friends, he defeated the demon lord, who vowed to be resurrected one day to get his revenge. The young man returned to the cheers of the people who called him the ‘hero’. Claire greatly admires the hero who saved the world and thus, started on the path of the adventurer. However, there is not much work available for novices like her, so she does part-time at Len’s magic item shop. One day, she came upon an old magic sword in the shop. When she picked it up out of curiosity and swung it around, a dark glow emanated from it and a demon beast came out! While she was able to stave it off, the beast escaped from the shop. Not only that, but the sword had cast a curse upon her. With the help of the former adventurer Len, Claire embarks on a life-risking journey to drive back the darkness and rid the sword’s curse. SRPG  
    7. Omoi o Sasageru Otome no Melody 想いを捧げる乙女のメロディー [170324] ensemble 1  Misaki is an aspiring pianist studying abroad in Germany, with the dream of someday playing the piano that his late father had built. One day, he received a call from his older sister Shiori who was the music teacher at Lilie Girls’ School. She told him that the lone piano that was entrusted to the school would be donated to the museum at the end of the year and asked him if he would take over as the music teacher while she goes on maternity leave. Presented with the opportunity to fulfill his dream, he decided to accept the position and returned to Japan. When he arrived at the school, he discovered that only students at the school have the chance of playing the piano, and only if they are selected to perform on it during the school festival. Thus, he must attend as a student while serving as a teacher. Of course, that means that he must dress as a girl. While he was afraid of the consequences if his secret got out, his desire to take advantage of this final chance made for an easy decision. And so begins his new life as a cross-dressing teacher and student. There is an English review  
    8. Suisou Ginka no Istoria 水葬銀貨のイストリア [170324] Uguisu Kagura 1 2 The “City of Water”, Amemadoi, was built on a man-made island and boasts a beautiful and gorgeous cityscape. The lone wolf Eishi and his bizarre imouto Yuura and polite and kind childhood friend Sayo each have their own problems, as is the case with the hero-admiring kouhai Yurugi and cool Kukuri, who he found stuffed in a trash can in an alleyway. Various events and expectations were waiting ahead for these individuals with wounded hearts, such as playing concentration with the club room on the line, playing old maid with a girl who had been cast off, making up for what has been lost while watching the fireworks with fascination. Despite his disposition, Eishi vowed to bring a happy end for everyone. One where everyone would be able to smile. He would do it in his own way, working hard to attain an uncertain goal. This is the beginning of a story about growing up in a city where tears have been lost. There is an English review  
    9. Office de Sasou Ecchi na Kanojo オフィスで誘うエッチな彼女 [170324] Hearts 1 Touma started his career at the Saint Laird company fresh out of school. There he met the beautiful and caring senpai Mai, who is quick to get jobs done. However, he soon found out that she is actually quite the slacker away from work. Although she warned him to keep it a secret, their relationship soon became one where they would talk about anything.
    One day, Mai came over to his room to drink with him, and ended up in just her underwear in a drunken state. Tempted by her words and actions, he ended up having sex with her. The next morning, she bashfully dismissed the events of the previous night and left without saying another word.
    Starting from that day, Touma’s life began to change rapidly. His relationship with his stylish boss Shinobu deepened as their workload together increased. When everything was completed, he was assaulted by her and they had intense sex together. Meanwhile, he had caught the attention of a high schooler Mikoto who works at a family-run lunch shop which he favours. What will become of his relationships with these attractive women?
    There is an English review   10. Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu -Death or Kiss- Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 -DEATH OR KISS- [170330] MAGES. GAME 1 It follows an original story that differs from the original light novel series and the anime. In its original story, the Ruler Election has spun off a beauty contest, giving the winner a treasure that promises the recipient great luck and a powerful advantage to achieving the throne. Except, the prize isn't what it seems, and, taking on its "Death Curse", Subaru must use his power to return from the dead to solve the mystery, build the trusts with the girls, receive the "kiss of a beautiful girl" and break the curse to escape death. Candidates for a relationship with Subaru are Emilia, Rem, Ram, Felt, Beatrice, Crusch, Priscilla and Anastasia. Anime Spin-Off  
    11. Trinoline トリノライン [170331] minori 1 2 3 One hot, midsummer's day, Shun Nanami's sister drowned to death. It's a memory he will never forget, which has become lodged forevermore in his heart. He decides from then on to live in her stead, to make up for the life she never got to lead. Time passes, his agonizing childhood behind him, and he currently spends his days attending school like always. Then, another sultry summer comes around, reminding him ever-so-slightly of his sister once again... Just then, he hears a piano's melody far off in the distance--a tune she always adored. He follows this music to its source, only to find his sister standing there. "Please take care of me from now on, Onii-chan." His little sister passed away long ago, but now, an android who looks exactly like her has appeared before him, "TRINO." There are English reviews  
    BLOCKED   1. Natsuiro Kokoro Log ~Happy Summer~ ナツイロココロログ~Happy Summer~ [170324] Hearts
    This is the fandisc for Natsuiro Kokoro Log, featuring after stories for each of the four heroines, as well as harem routes for both the real and virtual worlds. It takes place one year after the original game as the computer research club members head to a training camp and end up helping out at a traditional Japanese café.
    Fandisc   2. Chaos;Child Love Chu☆Chu!! カオスチャイルド らぶchu☆chu!! [170330] MAGES. GAME 1 Love Chu Chu!! is set in October 2015 in Shibuya, Tokyo, and takes place after Chaos;Child's true ending. Bizarre events referred to as the "Reincarnation of the New Generation of Madness" take place, but do not interest the protagonist Miyashiro Takuru, the president of the school newspaper club; instead, he wants to focus on "real-life activities" and spending time with girls. In Love Chu Chu!! the story is affected by player choices: by regularly uses the "Yes/No Trigger" system, in which they fill in "yes/no" questionnaires in the in-game magazine Cool Cat Press, which causes the story to branch depending on the player's answers. Fandisc   3. Koinosu ☆ Ichacolize こいのす☆イチャコライズ [170331] eRONDO 1 Koinosu ☆ Ichacolize is all about building a ‘love nest’ where you can be lovey-dovey with your ideal girlfriend. After choosing your heroine and deciding on your name (default is Masakage) at the beginning, the game branches off into three separate routes which all take place in the same setting (your apartment), although with different story backgrounds. Ichika is a servile waitress who catches your eye at a café that you frequent. Sachi is a petite girl who you used to play with and with whom you were entrusted on days when she attends a cram school nearby. Natsume is the imouto of your next door neighbour who temporarily lives there when her older sister studies abroad. Nukige has an English impression  
     
  13. kivandopulus

    VN of the Month 2017
    A small month that has only one definite winner unless you like detectives - Suisei Ginka . Clephas agreed with such choice. Micchi prefers Ouka Sabaki , Shugaten! -sugarfull tempering- and some imouto nukige.  
    1. Chou Kagaku Dasshutsu Saihate no Cross Eyes 超科学脱出 最果てのクロスアイズ [170222] Intense 1 2 3 Months after the luxury cruise ship explosion case, the girl with two psychic powers, Hitomi Akeneno, has engaged in saving people with the psychic research facility, ZENA, is struggling to strengthen her abilities. At the same time, the detective with an artificial arm that has the ability to change the past time, Kyosuke Ayana, has just received the information that, Ritsu Kamiji, the person concerned with the serial killer case in Camellia Hills, would probably make some trouble in the small country of Eastern Europe, Witsarock. To stop the potential disaster, he set out for Witsarock. Now, the time of crossing the two stories, has arrived. Detective is localized and has English reviews  
    2. School of Talent: SUZU-ROUTE School of Talent: SUZU-ROUTE [170223] MyDearest 1 2 Love. The "Untalented" one's "Talent", that surpasses all things. Welcome to Mikage Academy, a famed educational institute that prides itself on being the home school of prime ministers, world-renowned artists, great businessmen, and all sorts of other movers and shakers of society. What's their secret? They accept only students with Talents – special powers that border on magic, granted by the divine, said to only occur in one in every ten thousand people by the time they reach adolescence. I'm in love with this girl, Yuki Suzu, the dorm leader of the elites on campus, the White Lilies. And you know where I am on the pecking order? The very bottom of the Black Roses, a pack of slackers and rejects. And you guessed it – our dorms get along like cats and dogs. Game is released in English and has English reviews  
    3. Ouka Sabaki 桜花裁き [170224] Irodori 1 2 Shimei took up his post as the new administrator at the Nakamachi magistrate’s office, which had been founded to alleviate the burden on the offices to the north and south. He was followed by his cheerful and hard-working childhood friend Rimu and the strong-minded Sakura, who was dispatched from the Kitamachi magistrate’s office to supervise him. Shortly after his arrival, a young girl Koume was brought before him on a charge of murder. She was to be sentenced the following day, and if she was found guilty of the alleged crime, she would be sentenced to death. Shimei noticed something suspicious in the recounting of the events and along with Koume’s desperation, he was convinced that she was not guilty. But who is the true culprit? Will he be able to prove her innocence? Detective is localized and has English reviews  
    4. Ritaania no Seirei Tsukai -Meikyuu o Yuku Mono- リターニアの精霊使い-迷宮を征く者- [170224] Luna Soft The stage for this tale is the "Ritaania Kingdom", a kingdom that has enjoyed continuous peace for 500 long years. One day, a "portal" which linked Ritaania to the demon world wherein dwelled vile monsters appeared. If the portal was left unchecked, monsters would invade Ritaania and the kingdom would be destroyed. However, a similar portal appeared 500 years earlier and a certain hero came to the rescue of the beleaguered kingdom. The one who came to be known as the "Spirit Master of Ritaania" commanded five spirits, "The White Spirit Norn", "The Red Spirit Vesta", "The Blue Spirit Rusalka", "The Green Spirit Melissa" and "The Black Spirit Ellis" and fought bravely against the demons, it was said the Master succeeded in sealing the portal. The Spirit Master's descendant Leonard is now commanded by Ritaania's Queen Sylvia to enter the portal together with the spirits in order to pass through to the demon realm in order to save the kingdom... RPG  
    5. Shugaten! -Sugarfull Tempering- しゅがてん!-sugarfull tempering- [170224] Recette 1 2 3 Fueya is a mysterious town where faeries are said to reside. The ‘night of the fairies’ takes place once a year when diamond dust fills the sky. It is said that happy miracles occur on this night. Even though the townspeople mostly treat the legend as a funny tale, they still look forward to it every year. There’s a small patisserie named Folkroll on the outskirts of the town. It’s been around for dozens of years and is known for their really delicious cakes. However, the old man who worked as the patisserie was recently injured and had to be hospitalized. Without someone to make the cakes, the shop’s future was in danger. The girls who worked there, Meru and Koori, didn’t know what to do and decided to make a wish on that special night for someone to come and save the shop. Then, a miracle happened and a mysterious young man Kurou appeared before them when they returned to the shop. He didn’t have any memories, but knew a lot about baking and agreed to work as the shop’s patisserie. There are English reviews  
    6. Suisei Ginka スイセイギンカ [170224] Akatsuki Works 1 2 Ten years ago, there was an accident during the transport of chemicals in the port city of Mizuho, as well as a series of murders, but it is now just a part of history. At that time, Izana suddenly became separated from her best friend Tetsuo, and she never could come to terms with his disappearance. This summer Tetsuo suddenly reappeared before the overjoyed Izana. However, he revealed to her a terrible truth… There is an English review  
    BLOCKED   1. Neko-nin exHeart 猫忍えくすはーと [170224] Whirlpool 1 2 3 4 Japan. From time immemorial, there are those who possess superhuman abilities. These beings who looked like a cross between man and beast are called Demi-Humans. They acted as Ninja and served those in power. And so time passes to present day—— "We have come from the Fuuma Village to fulfill an ancient contract. To serve you! Nin♪" Yura and Tama. These ninja cats made their dynamic entrance. These cats approached our hero with their loving aura in full bloom. Their adorableness and will causes our hero to be taken by them. But how will he support them? How on earth do you use ninja in this day and age? As he ponders this question, the sense of being a master begins to sprout in our hero when he interacts with these lovely cats. But who is spying on them from the shadows…? A heartfelt tale of cat ninja who won't shut up about loyalty, with a bit of action thrown in the mix! Nukige has English reviews  
     
  14. kivandopulus
    Foreword: I know I was going to review Schwarzesmarken, and I quite liked the anime version, but I see zero reason to play the game after anime. Ama no Sora Retrospect, on the other hand, seems to have zero English reviews despite the non-trivial setting, thus it fits my choice pattern nicely. Synopsis: Amanosora is a small town of around 60,000 people, formed ten years ago from the merger of the villages of Tensei and Sorami. Shikimi attends the local school with the cleaning club leader Himari and his lively kouhai Shinon. There’s a rumour at the school that the door to another world would be opened by pressing a certain sequence of buttons in the elevator at the lighthouse in the Stargazing Commemorative Hall. One day, the school committee asked the cleaning club to tidy up the interior of the lighthouse. Together with his mysterious book-reading classmate Misumi, they solved the elevator riddle while doing the cleaning. It led to the top floor of the lighthouse, which was a huge fairytale-like library. This was the other world: Remembrance. A small girl named Amahoshi awoke from her slumber and asked for their help in gathering the town’s scattered memories. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU-wNyVG10o&list=PLwGwDxf37gElxanVUMQVC9AYM7z-xo4Rs   Character Design rating: 6/10 Protagonist rating: 6/10 Story rating: 5/10 Game quality: 8/10 Overall rating: 6/10 I have mixed feelings about this game. As you see from the scores, game quality is really high, but individual elements weren't to my liking. Game tries to look different from most charage as it diversifies SOL events by including small mystery elements. It often feels like a light novel. See for yourself - first there's the concept that God is a monkey, then wailing of undead is heard, next we're introduced to the library of memories, a short while there's a sudden outburst of public homosexuality (trap - check). Finally, main characters prepare a play for the town festival, where we choose one of four girls, and this is the only choice in the game. During individual routes we basically help the girl by relieving her from shackles of memories, so the pair can proceed to the happy future life. That's basically it. So the whole elaborate setting is not so elaborate in the long run and is needed only as pretext to handle memories directly in individual routes. Again, I can't say that girls aren't likeable, but none of them feels right. Shinon is the most human-like from them, but she's a rather normal genki blonde twin-tail booby girl. Amahoshi the goddess is surprisingly plain , and her route is absolutely the worst and overwhelmingly boring. Head of club Himari is super plain and uninteresting. Misumi is a traditional long black hair calm book reader. The contents of routes is quite fresh, but nothing overwhelming dealing with such normal things as twin sister, old friend, hobbies like cooking or game arcade, a bit of time leaps, a bit of mystery. There are two scenario writers, and it feels due to quality shifts and the reason that longest Shinon route is twice as long as shortest Himari route.  I have one more grudge about this game. It's not serious even though it wants to be a mystery game. Atmosphere is absolutely loose and relaxed at all times. Even when undead start to wail, a freaking parody music begins leaving zero intrigue. There is no such thing as danger here, and mystery actually also dissolves with this feeling. Because there is no grand mystery, there is no climax in any of the routes. As for routes themselves, development is opportunistic at times. I also did not feel sincerity in SOL scenes, did not like the sub-characters like weird teachers and even the way group members communicate. There are no joint character CGs, and group does not feel integral with most communication done in the dialogue with the protagonist , and heroines just make small comments and jokes among each other. Overall, pretty much every aspect of the game irritates me for some reason. Given the high quality and effort involved it's hard to articulate exact reasons, but even good ingredients don't feel properly cooked together. It's still a good game and can totally see how it can be liked, just not by me. And judging by the fact that it's the last Glace game and still without English reviews, it might be not my individual problem.
  15. kivandopulus
    Foreword: Third review in a row, huh. I just had footages done beforehand. Prism Princess is a booby action with some animated H scenes which wound usually instantly put game out of my interest zone. But it has fighting heroines, plus humor is reported to be worthy, so why not check it myself. Wanted to change game several times, but found nothing to replace it within a year. Synopsis: One day, a naked girl appeared in hikikomori Naoto’s room. She stripped off his pants and declared: “I’ve found you, son of the demon lord! Now die!” She swung at him with a sword that she pulled out of nowhere, but it was stopped by another naked girl. “I will definitely protect you…” On top of that, his childhood friend is an idol and his younger sister is not just a chuuni, but secretly a powerful magician!? What the hell is going on? Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwGwDxf37gEkbd-pr8jHX-cXpZVmsg71n Character Design rating: 6/10 Protagonist rating: 6/10 Story rating: 3/10 Game quality: 7/10 Overall rating: 5/10 The story gets such a huge blow because it's a collection of the most banal existing chiche. Main character with supposed link to demon king gets assaulted by one naked girl with a sword and protected by another naked girl with a sword - traditional angel and devil allegory. In an instant they agree to live together with protagonist alongside imouto and childhood friend. Of course all of them go to school together and naive outsiders learn the human world and human ways...  In the middle of the game some kind of knight spirit appears, and the only miniscule intrigue is learning knight's identity as he eventually becomes antagonist. Super boring. Two non-fighting heroines routes are even worse. Of course the only way such synopsis can be accepted if it's presented as a parody to all the most beaten cliche. I found humor dense and vulgar with the only appealing points being RPG spirit mix. But you should make own opinion from the following several examples: - Talking dog suddenly appears, protects protagonist against a sword with his teeth and is asked to introduce himself - so he treats this question as inquiring how he can talk while holding a sword with his teeth instead , so a lengthy explanation about technique follows - Sword battle between celestial beings is suddenly finished as old guy appears and gives everyone  bumps with bare hands - When Prism wants to pee in the middle of the school lesson, two outsiders start to discuss RPG means of dealing with it like teleportation or hypnosis spell - Masturbation is declared as main theme from the start and is often referred to  - Two main heroines fighting with swords naked for the whole duration of prologue is supposed to be funny - Girls discussion of elemental attributes and weaknesses transforms into discussing sister attribute power and weakness I did not get the sources of parodies, to be honest, e.g. I did not watch Haiyore! Nyaruko-san which is one of the biggest inspirations. And it's still a booby-action. Naked sprites and animated H scenes have always been two important indicators of nukige, and this game has both. If it had the third indicator - harem route - I would label this game as one from the start. So, game does not shine with story or heroines. Mild RPG spirit, parody and non-repulsive SOL are probably the only good traits of it. But is it enough to play this game? That's what everyone should  decide themselves.
  16. kivandopulus
    Foreword: Shoujo Shin'iki has some English reviews already, but they tend to focus on negative sides (1 2 3) even though game deserves better. Synopsis: Shun has always wondered what was on the other side of the stone walls surrounding and beyond the tunnel out of Kaijou-shi ever since he was a child. However, he never ventured out since every time there was an opportunity to do so, he fell ill or there was some family business. After he graduated from Seihoukan Gakuen, he decided right then to leave his hometown. The next spring, he received a call from his mother, asking him to come back for the Seikousai festival which he had always attended since he was small. His family kept the items for the festival, but this year’s event will be even bigger than normal. His imouto Sana and osananajimi Yuki both had been chosen as the miko for the kagura dance. As he was returning back to Kaijou-shi on the train, he reflected on why he left his hometown. He had found nothing special on the other side, just the beginning of a new life. However, it felt like he had lost something along the way. Then he could hear his osananajimi’s gentle voice: “Shun-chan, it’s been a while since you’ve been back”. He felt like those words livened his spirits and comforted his heart. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwGwDxf37gEk09JR45yzp8YI97UXpaB0j   Character Design rating: 8/10 Protagonist rating: 6/10 Story rating: 7/10 Game quality: 8/10 Overall rating: 7/10 Basic information can be acquired from synopsis and other reviews, but I want to focus on ups and downs right away. So these five thing things are what game is sometimes criticized for: 1. A lot of scenes are present in all routes 2. All endings are the same, except for Sana's which is short and vague. 3. Story sucks as a typical creepy village with occult customs 4. Action scenes are boring 5. No character development for heroines   To tell the truth, these are hard to oppose, but I'll try, anyway. 1. Those scenes are mostly transition ones to each individual routes and final scenes that have to be the same for the game's purpose. 2. Game concept can justify three similar endings and one special ending for Sana. 3. Story is clearly hommage to Leaf's classical visual novel Kizuato, so it has to follow ancient concept from 1996 to  an extent. 4. Game is atmospheric mystery utsuge. Action scenes aren't focused on here. At times of conflict one side is usually seriously overpowered, so there can hardly be a proper battle. 5. Are there really that many games with character development for heroines? We're not growing a bride here, and protagonist is in the center of the conflict, not heroines, so why should they be developing. Shoujo Shin'iki is a complex construction built over classical visual novels centered around beast, primarily Kizuato. Both games have same clan/shrine that seals beast madness instincts in males of the same blood, in both games there are for heroines with the youngest heroine having a special ending if protagonist for several times denies intimacy suggested to him. But Shoujo Shin'iki also introduces occultism and a multiple-layer mystery. What makes Shoujo Shin'iki a masterpiece for me is breathtaking graphics and heroines, fantastic atmosphere, complex setting, those ugly yet memorable ending scenes and the impact. All this beauty is repeatedly crushed by a single occult power burst. This repeats over and over creating aura of inevitability. But there is redemption, a way out of this loop which is indicated by Sana's special ending. That's the whole conceptual meaning of it. No use to wait here an afterstory of how they got married and raised kids. It's just not that kind of a game. With all that game has enough depth and complexity for those who seek it. And it's a rarity in the game when the meaning is concealed in the depth of the game and not in the ending. And then rereading the game main part brings in new depth. But if it's a masterpiece, why just 7/10? Because I tend to take disturbing scenes like these badly. All those endings and preceding events with Honoka create a depressing impression. Same route construction repeats for the 4 routes, so I'd read only two if I knew beforehand. The package of the game says "Story does not always has a happy ending". This is exactly such case.   
  17. kivandopulus
    Foreword: Now when I've run out of RPGs till September 2nd and I don't feel eternally burdened by writing a review, I can finally get to it. Battle and guns is what brought this game into my sphere of interest. But is it really a chunige? Synopsis: 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? Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77L0WqXVWKQ&list=PLwGwDxf37gEnB4I_g3cVHj6DNaBSAuxd-   Character Design rating: 6/10 Protagonist rating: 5/10 Story rating: 5/10 Game quality: 5/10 Overall rating: 5/10 It's no use hiding that this game is nothing that I hoped for, and that was rather demotivational. But what's even worse is that game is about sports - something that I detest in any form. Remember that sniper riffle shot? You better do since it's the only cool CG in the whole game. With invention of power gears the competition of such athletes becomes the most spectacular show of prowess. It involves shooting the flying ball with guns and some power actions, but it's still not even remotely close to a real battle. I'm actually this vague about the rules because I don't really get them. Rules are glanced once and never returned to. And game does not even try to make an effort. It feels like watching baseball without knowing the rules, and then out of the blue winner is announced, and this winner is always protagonist's team. There's zero visualization. The best shot you can hope for is someone running, maybe even three persons running. Instead of action we just watch competitors talking all the time, and then it all suddenly ends. And the worst thing is that there are no charismatic rivals - all are just masked nonames (except for Mia and Kaoruko who have meaning for some routes). So I'll try to treat this game as charage focused around sports. Might it even be a spiritual ancestor of Aokana (but you already see that it's not given the effort applied to explaining setting)? So you see the way I discuss these boring "battles", but it's actually the best thing in the game. Everything else is even worse. So least important side-heroine Ageha route becomes the best as it devotes little time to SOL and H (just one event).  Cyborg chibi Mii route is the worst of the three as it's paired with another chibi heroine Mia and does not bring any real cybernetics to the table which results in boring endless SOL. The true route pairs two main heroines - Ruchiru and Satsuki (even synopsis assumes this route development as in other routes protagonist does not join Satsuki). It tries to unite both childhood memorable event heroine Ruchiru and Satsuki who has drama with her sister into one mystery as main character sees Ruchiru in Satsuki for some reason, but even this hook fails to deliver anything but beaten chiche and cheap drama as a result failing behind Ageha simple and straightforward route. Don't expect any revelations - route can easily finish with just winning a battle. The main character is reasonably strong and capable, but it's nothing different from the bulk of vns. Let's wrap it up as this game hardly deserves a lengthy discussion. Seihou no Prismgear is extremely boring, especially during common route that is supposed to be the best part of the game usually. Deployment is uselessly long and tiresome with zero excitement. True route makes it a story game but with a tightened forced scenario fit for the undeveloped setting. Battles are not only visually skipped but also described with as little detail as possible. Any possible complexity is killed by a simplistic shounen winning spirit and things like that. Two out of three routes fall into youth drama category. But is it really a bad game? No. And I have no one to blame but myself for expectations betrayal. At the same time there is nothing really exceptional in it. It's definitely worth a try if you're looking for a light drama charage in this kind of setting. But personally I can't look at anything that is not a masterpiece charage.
  18. kivandopulus
    Can't see anything decent enough except for Silverio Trinity . So did Clephas . Micchi lays hopes on Hoshikoi*Tinkle , Ninki Seiyuu no Tsukurikata and even Aikagi .
     
    1. New Dangan Ronpa V3 Minna no Koroshiai Shingakki NEWダンガンロンパV3 みんなのコロシアイ新学期 [170112] Spike Chunsoft 1 2 3 4 5 Like the title "New" implies, the game has a completely different storyline, characters and environment than the first three games (the "Hope's Peak Academy" storyline ends with an anime series), with only the series' mascot Monokuma returning. The game features a new killing game called the New Killing School Life. The new setting is called Gifted Inmates Academy or the Prison School for the Gifted. The Academy (and hotel) is in a garden surrounded by a cage. It's implied that the story is set in the future. The overall theme is mentioned to be "psycho cool", unlike the "psycho pop" and "psycho tropical" themes of the first two games. The visual style will have a "cool adult-like image" and the Class Trials will have "high-speed reasoning action". While the storyline and the sixteen new characters are different, the gameplay is similar to the earlier games, including exploration, talking with other characters and the Class Trials. It will have notable additions and improvements, though, like the possibility to use your own lies to defeat opponents during the trials. Detective has English reviews  
    2. New Game! -The Challenge Stage!- [170126] MAGES. GAME 1 2 The Challenge Stage is a training adventure game based on the popular anime. The player is Suzukaze Aoba, who is tasked with creating add-on downloadable content for a hurriedly decided RPG epic. During Training Parts, your more experienced co-workers teach you and you learn skills. Your training parameters will change depending on which co-workers teach you. The story will advance during Adventure Parts. You’ll be able to enjoy conversations with your co-workers and friends, and your friendships can change based on your responses. In the second half of the game, you can enjoy the individual episodes of the co-workers you became friends with in the previous parts, as well as trigger character routes. Anime Spin-Off  
    3. Aikagi アイカギ [170127] Azarashi Soft 1 It was the last winter of his school life and with entrance exams and graduation edging closer, Nozomu didn’t know what to do. He was told to become independent, but he couldn’t find a suitable place to live by himself. His childhood friend Shiori couldn’t stand watching him in his current state and suggested that he live with her. While he thought that it wouldn’t really make him independent, his parents readily agreed to the idea. Before he knew it, they were living together under the same roof. Their cohabitation was only to last one month. Since it’s only for a short period and she’s his childhood friend, he thought that nothing wrong will happen. However, living together with Shiori revealed to him a side which he hadn’t seen before, and he began to see her as a woman. Where will their relationship end up now that he had begun to have feelings for her? There is an English impression  
    4. Fu'un to Kou'un to Koi Uranai no Tarot 不運と幸運と恋占いのタロット [170127] Campus Ten years ago, a fortune teller warned Kouta that the month of June ten years later will be unluckiest month of his life. The only way he could avoid the misfortune would be to find a lover who would share her good luck with him. He did not wish to fall in love with a stranger just to escape bad luck, so he entered the fated month and was besieged by numerous misfortunes. His childhood friend Akane, who’s training to be a fortune teller, offered to be his lover since she’s not a stranger. Not even the tarot cards can predict where their complex relationship will go. Again kinetic single heroine cheap romance series  
    5. Hoshi Koi * Twinkle 星恋*ティンクル [170127] Cabbage Soft 1 2 The port town of Nagisa has a nostalgic ambience. It is the only place where the star Nagi can be seen. The townspeople hold the “Starry Sky Festival” every December to worship their guardian star. However, it doesn’t concern Kei, who moved to the town with his sickly imouto Soraha. It was more important to him to get used to his new life. At first, they faced a series of troubles, but Soraha’s health gradually got better thanks to the clean air in the town. He was able to make friends at his new school and adjusted to living in a rural town with few inconveniences, even without their parents around. However, there was one odd rule that he had to abide by: he must not let the existence of Nagi be known to outsiders. One day, he has a mysterious encounter with a girl who had the same name as the star, Nagi. This is a love story between humans and the stars. There are an English reviews  
    6. Kami-sama no Game -Kankinsareta 6nin no Danjo- 神様のゲーム -監禁された6人の男女- [170127] Xuse 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kazuma suddenly found himself trapped in an unfamiliar room with 5 women: his cousin Kokoro, her classmate Moe, the daughter of a noble family Kotoko, medical school student Mitsuki and the married wife Yuriko. They were all confused as to why they were there, and a light appeared above them and started to sing: "Who will die and who will live~♪ The dirty humans will survive~♪ Come now, let’s betray one another~♪ God’s game has begun~♪" The self-proclaimed “God” playfully asked them if they would like to play a game. Of course, they didn’t want any part of it and just wanted to go home. In response to their refusals, “God” sliced off their arms and opened up a large hole in the stomach of those that made a cheeky remark. Panic ensued until everything was reversed in an instant. Having found out first-hand the powers of “God”, they had no choice but to participate. It was a death game with absurd rules that could change at the whim of “God”. Will they kill or help each other in order to survive? There are English reviews
     
    7. Kanojo to Ore no Lovely Day 彼女と俺の恋愛日常 [170127] Parasol 1  Shou is a talented painter who is a scholarship student at Sakuranomori Gakuen. However, shortly after entering the school, he was fascinated with figures and became addicted to building them. As a result, he didn’t complete any works of art and the school told him that they would revoke his scholarship unless he wins the upcoming competition. When his parents found out about this, they put him in the dormitory without any figure-building tools to make him concentrate on painting. All he could think about was to hurry home so that he could build a satisfactory creation for Hobby Festival, so he had no choice but to participate in the competition. Up until now, Shou had painted objects and people as he would see them. While he was very talented in doing so, his way of painting changed after he experienced building figures. The most important thing in any creation is love for the character! There’s no point in having the model just sit there; he must know her personality, her mannerisms, her way of thinking, her secrets…. He couldn’t start painting until he knew everything about her, so he began to observe her and got to know her worries along the way. Will he be able to win the competition and what will happen with their relationship? There is an English review  
    8. Kimi no Hitomi ni Hit Me キミの瞳にヒットミー [170127] Giga 1 Akira was the only member of the classic literature club, which was in danger of disbanding. As the deadline for recruiting new members approached, the student council president Hotori approached him with a suggestion for how to save the club. She told him that he would get the full details in the club room. When he entered the room, there were four girls there. However, they were not interested in joining his club, but rather they wanted to create their own! They had gathered there to take over the club room after the literature club folded. Hotori suggested that he get the girls to join the literature club. Will he be able to convince them or will the club be taken over? There is an English impression  
    9. Lamune 2 ラムネ2 [170127] NekoNeko Soft A summer tale begins in a rural seaside town. The burning sun, the sounds of the cicadas, pure white beaches and the blue sea and skies as far as the eye can see. One would expect that something will happen, but at the same time it feels like surely nothing will. And so this summer begins just like every one before it. Niche game for nekoneko fans or those who remember atmospheric Lamune from 2004. Volume is rather small, there are a lot of sound problems, and story does not really go anywhere preferring to focus just on atmosphere.  
    10. Ninki Seiyuu no Tsukurikata 人気声優のつくりかた [170127] MintCUBE 1 2 3 The mid-sized voice actor agency Production Bloom is always short on staff. Keito is an old friend of the manager Kaname, who asked him to help out part-time with the collection of scripts from the sound production company. As he wandered the premises, he met some seiyuus who all had their own worries. This is another side of the voice acting world that is not well known, told from the viewpoint of the seiyuus themselves. There are English reviews  
    11. Silverio Trinity シルヴァリオトリニティ [170127] light 1 2 3 Situated on the eastern border of the military nation of Adler is the historic city of Praga. It remains a powderkeg despite the official ceasefire between the three nations fighting over the territory and its resources, each of whom was completely different militarily, economically and religiously. There is a constant hidden power struggle which threatens the temporary balance and peace. To break the tense and stagnant situation, the leader of Adler’s “Virgo” corps, Gilbert Harves, assembled all the "Esperanto" (Astral users) to create an experimental platoon. Among those chosen was Ashley Horizon, who had once been saved by the hero Christopher Valzelide and who will now be tasked with saving others. There are English reviews  
    12. Dear My Abyss [170131] Berial One day Subaru receive a weird book from an anonymous sender, the book has a putrid smell and is sealed. With it a message stating that she should never read it and that it’s impossible to dispose of it, even by burning or cutting it to bits Rather than being disgusted or afraid Subaru think of it as a good way to pass time and decide to show it off to Misuka and Kazumi. They decide to try burning it off but not before Subaru read a bit of it. A few days later strange things start to happen, the nice teacher who was Kazumi’s only ally disappear, strange people appear all around town looking for a book and a transfer student immediately take an interest in Subaru. Detective  
    BLOCKED   1. AstralAir no Shiroki Towa Finale -Shiroki Hoshi no Yume- アストラエアの白き永遠Finale-白き星の夢- [170127] Favorite 1 The town of Tsukigasaki has entered its third year of winter. Showing the seasons no mind, the snow only continues to fall. Gently, swaying in the air, as it descends downwards. That snow, which never had reached the ground, now does. The cityscape, once bleak, is now a blanket of glistening white. Just as no single snowflake is identical to another, each and every set of footprints on this snow-laden path are different from one another. No path can ever be retraced, for by the time you've looked to your back, those footprints will but all have melted away. As though a beckoning light, signalling that the road we know of as time is one that goes only forward. Yet, even from the base of Yggdrasil each branch is visible, so maybe too, it might be possible to pave new roads, new realities. Countless snow-laden paths lay stretched out before both human and faerie alike, and among those many happy endings they must choose one which they truly desire. Now, let us journey forth, in search of those white crystals that bear testament to eternity–––– Fandisc   2. Real Eroge Situation! リアルエロゲシチュエーション! [170127] Jitaku Studio 1  Shinobu has feelings for his classmate Kanna, but she isn’t good with otaku like him. So he decided to give up his hobby to get closer to her. A year later, he received a letter from her asking him to come to the classroom by himself after school. He was full of both nervousness and anticipation having been suddenly called by a girl who he had feelings for, but when he entered the room, another classmate Ayame was waiting for him there instead. She’s one of the most popular girls in the school, not only for her cheerful and friendly personality, but also for her voluptuous chest. And she was masturbating against his desk. “Sorry for using Kanna’s name to call you out here. I didn’t think you’d come otherwise. I love you! I fell in love with you at first sight... and I’ll definitely make you crazy for me too!” After the sudden confession, she went after him daily with extreme and ecchi ways. This triggered a move by his osananajimi Yuri, who was infatuated with him. Furthermore, even Kanna herself declared her love for him. His springtime of youth has come, full of real eroge-like situations and plenty of sex! Nukige listed for the sake of an opening
  19. kivandopulus
    This month comes down to competition between Ou no Mimi ni wa Todokanai! , Akiyume Kukuru and Ryuukishi Bloody † Saga . I'm egoistic when making a choice, so it's the first one. Clephas opted out for the last one as it may have bigger impact for the community that tends to ignore AXL titles that are usually a full head taller than closest rivals within the same month. Micchi also lays hopes on Hatsukoi Sankaime and Shinsou Noise ~Jushin Tantei no Jikenbo~  
    1. LoveKami -Sweet Stars- [161216] Pulltop 1 2 3 4 The Goddesses Descend! It was a time when people had forgotten their dreams and lost faith. The silhouettes of goddesses revealed themselves to the people who then could only believe in what they saw right in front of them. The confusion surrounding the countless goddesses appearing in Japan could be explained due to Amaterasu Okami wanting to teach the goddesses about the human world. All of this brought about the implementation of the Divine Education Act. A year passed and the numerous goddesses and humans got to learn about each other, got to know one another, and came to a mutual understanding. The subculture holy land and heart of Divine Idol culture, known as Akihabara, housed the seven lucky goddesses that dominated as idols in L☆SEVEN. Next Generation Goddess Auditions! Divine Idol chicks, go on to spread your wings! A glamorous and splendid contest, what a goddess's dreams are made of, is being held. Laugh, grow, and even cry with the goddesses who descended from the sky and are aiming to become top level idols. Game is released in English and has English reviews  
    2. Akiyume Kukuru あきゆめくくる [161222] Sumikko Soft 1 2 3 In the near future, there are certain people who have special abilities due to the artificial DNA, “XNA”, inside them. The government decided that six of these boys and girls were especially dangerous and transferred them to a newly constructed school where they would remain confined until their graduation. However, the conditions to graduate from Rururan Gakuen were kept firmly a secret. After sorting through many clues, it seemed to them that ‘love comedy’ was the answer. What does that mean? Is it accidentally seeing a girl’s panties? Bumping into a girl with a piece of bread in her mouth on the way to school? Eating bento together or having an eccentric imouto? Well, they have all the time in world to figure it out as the day will keep repeating until their graduation. There are English reviews  
    3. Amenity's Life   [161222] Hooksoft 1 2 3 Reiji woke up early in the morning as usual and reached over in bed to check the time on his smartphone. To his surprise, there was a naked girl sleeping next to him instead. She told him that she was his smartphone and he didn’t believe it. His osananajimi Mikuri soon barged in and it took some time to get everything sorted out. Then he realized that the robot vacuum, his headphones and even the kitchen oven had turned into girls. What the hell is going on!? There are English reviews  
    4. Hatsukoi Sankaime 初恋サンカイメ [161222] Windmill 1 2 Everyone has experienced first love and it is a truly bittersweet experience. Taichi had also fallen in love once, but it ended very painfully for him. Two years later, he was ready to take a step forward and fall in love again. Just when he was about to begin his new relationship with a girl who he fell in love with at first sight, the ghost Rin descended from the skies. Aside from the colour of her eyes and her hair, she looked exactly like his first love. Will he be able to forget his first love and move on, or will he still yearn for it? There is an English review  
    5. Himekoi * Sucreine! 姫恋*シュクレーヌ! [161222] Princess Sugar Ryou entered a rather unusual private boarding school built in the middle of a forest. Even though Takaramori Gakuen had turned co-ed three years ago, there were not many boys possibly due to the school not being well-known and its long history as a girl’s school. He became the focus of attention from all the curious girls since he was the only boy in the class. Tired from the sudden attention, he was taking a break during lunch in the courtyard when his classmate Chiyuri invited him to join her occult club (which was registered as the literature club). He didn’t have any club in mind, so he agreed to temporarily join as a trial member. That night, they went to the old school building to investigate one of the seven mysteries in the school: the ‘spell of the large mirror’. It is said that if you touch the antique mirror in the hallway at midnight while strongly wishing for something, it will come true. As he was being hurried by Chiyuri, he wished to fall in love and carelessly tripped while touching the mirror. When he came to, he found himself back in his own room. He thought nothing of it and headed to school, where he met a girl who he didn’t recognize, Mayuki. She was wearing a beautiful dress, but it matched the surroundings. Mayuki interacted with him like they had always been close friends, and while he felt a bit uncomfortable being suddenly so close to a girl, he was actually quite happy inside. When he arrived at the classroom, everyone wore pretty dresses and quickly became his friends. It was as if it was a dream. The next day, Mayuki was nowhere to be seen and no one knew of her existence. He thought that it might have been caused by the spell and headed back to the old school building at midnight, but there was no change in the reflection. Thus, he returned home downcast and went to sleep. However, he saw Mayuki again in his dreams. The magic mirror had created a dream world and he could meet her every night when he slept. So begins his dual life attending both school in the real world and the dream world. Atmosphere is relaxed and scenario extremely boring. Only good as a healing lightweight game.  
    6. Honoguraki Toki no Hate Yori 仄暗き時の果てより [161222] Moonstone 1 It was the forbidden summer. Working as a detective's assistant, Gojou Kouichi returns to his hometown island at the request of a client searching for a friend who has gone missing. His little sister who came to welcome him at the harbor, his parents’ guesthouse and the state of the town all appear to be unchanged. However, rumours of a strange creature are heard within the island, and one night a doubtful Kouichi is assaulted by a monster. Inui Komako, a lone girl who seeks to destroy it unbeknownst to the villagers, saves him from the clutches of death with blade in hand. Kouichi was certain that he saw it. He saw the monster appearing from obscurity, but also the realm spreading out from the ends of darkness. It was a sight that humans must never lay eyes on. The forbidden domain. There is an English review  
    7. Koi wa Yumemiru Mouretsu Girl! 恋は夢見る妄烈ガール! [161222] Chelsea Soft "Whatever the heck this is, it's sexy." That first pang of love in one's heart is ever a sudden thing. That fiery passion I had felt towards my first love as a child, Yuunagi Shizuku, was revitalized as I was suddenly thrust into a vivid erotic fantasy centering around her. And the reason I came back to the city from my childhood only to be suddenly assailed by erotic fantasies about my first love...? The city Mioka sits below a shrine dedicated to cats. Due to his parents' work situation, a young man, Kujou Ren, who is considerate of others, or, in a word, is kind, ended up moving to this city. He stood, now, as a transfer student facing his new school, Mioka Academy, all the while remembering those two weeks he had spent in this town as a child, and the how he had fallen in the love for the first time in his life during those two weeks. At it was on that first day, where, after heading home having left his classmates with a rather middling first impression of him, he would be granted a unique power as he was struck by lightning during the onset of a sudden rainstorm. From henceforth, the moment a girl so happened to merely give him the briefest of touches, or he tripped and bumped into one on his way down, his mind would be forcibly filled with the erotic fantasies from the mind of whomever he touched. Such was the mysterious power he gained. As a result of this new ability, he ends up becoming acquainted with many of his fellow classmates. He meets the slightly clumsy airhead Mioka Aoi, the daughter of the Shinto Priest of the Mioka Shrine and student council president, Nekojou Erika, as well as the boy-hating and energetic Shiozaki Yuki. So it was that right after transferring to a new school, he found himself in the midst of an erotic and "fantastical" adolescence. Creepy pervert protagonist and H tilt don't leave this game a spot among decent games, but if you can enjoy a lewd comedy, it actually fits these shoes perfectly.  
    8. Liber 7 Eigou no Owari o Matsu Kimi e Liber_7 永劫の終わりを待つ君へ [161222] Lass 1 2 Kouryoukan Academy student Naoto keeps a secret even from his closest friends. It is his ability to read and write into the memories of others by merely touching them. While he could have easily abused this power, he considers it too much of a bother and carries on his life as normal. However, threatening events began to frequently happen around him as Tanabata approached: the discovery of a mangled corpse of a girl, a large terrorist blast with civilian casualties, and the disappearance of his osananajimi Saaya. He was perplexed at the events which unfolded, but when a girl showed up to kill him, he found out that the town had become a stage for a fight to the death between combatants with superpowers. He managed to flee just as he was about to be killed. Then, it struck midnight and a blinding light enveloped the area. When he came to his senses, he found himself back three days earlier. Naoto is one of 7 ‘rebellion’ chosen by some mysterious figure. He must kill the other six, otherwise the world will be destroyed in 3 days. The victor would have the power to grant any wish as the new ‘God’. There are English reviews  
    9. Meguru Sekai de Towanaru Chikai o! 廻るセカイで永遠なるチカイを! [161222] Studio e.go! The Amazumi Shrine in the mountains had suffered a great fire, but has since recovered. The four sisters who live there, Akiho, Minatsu, Mafuyu and Harune, were battling apparitions for the first time when they met a strange man Nayuta, who did not remember anything but his own name. He joins them in their fight and helps them bring the shrine back to prosperity. But there seems to be someone behind the influx of apparitions... SRPG  
    10. Ou no Mimi ni wa Todokanai! 王の耳には届かない! [161222] AXL 1 2 The village of Baarle is situated in a corner of the Reste Kingdom, near the border. The protagonist Cactus used to be part of the ‘Izayoi Knights’, also known as the ‘Ears of the King’, but he left after a certain incident. He quickly turned into a useless person and roamed across the country until he arrived at Baarle. Now he serves as the self-proclaimed bodyguard for the town while avoiding his actual job of tending the fields. He keeps getting reprimanded by the village elder Nastur, but he has found himself a home thanks to the goodwill of the villagers. One day, a beautiful pharmacist was dispatched to the town from the capital. He was surprised to find out that it was Peony, his imouto who he used to live with. Then came Coreo, the daughter of the head of the former thief guild, along with the mysterious ojou-sama Thistle and even the princess of the Reste kingdom, Zinnia. The peaceful town had turned suddenly into a very busy one. Suddenly, a feudal lord came and demanded that they hand over possession of the land. When the villagers understandably refused, he tried to drive them out by applying heavy taxes and asking impossible requests. Cactus could not stand still and decided to confront the lord’s tyranny to protect his precious village. He was able to save the town by using the techniques he had learned as part of the ‘Ears of the King’ and with help from the youths and former thieves. However, at that time they still didn’t know that their actions would set off a series of events which would shake the nation... There are English reviews  
    11. Ryuukishi Bloody † Saga 竜騎士Bloody†Saga [161222] Akabei Soft3 1 2 3 4 Humans are no match for the powerful dragon, who could mow down everything with a swing of its tail or send everything flying with a flap of its wings. Not even an army of the strongest soldiers could stop the dragon. However, there was a hero who was able to accomplish the task. He became the king of a nation surrounding the mountains where the dragon dwelled. Veludylun was a peaceful country since the mere presence of the dragon deterred other countries from attacking it. The only threat to the country was the dragon itself. The king established the ‘dragon knights’ to fight against the dragon and protect the citizens if it goes on a rampage. Even after the king passed away, they continued to protect the nation. While they could not defeat the dragon, they risk their lives to protect the people. The nation prospered thanks to their actions. Many years later, a young wandering pharmacist named Roy arrived in Veludylun. He still didn’t know at that time that he would cross paths with the ‘dragon knights’ and how the nation would change when it is menaced by the dragon. There are English reviews  
    12. Sailove! さいらぶ! [161222] Tachikawa Software Sakura is the brightest kid at school, pretty much the perfect individual. However, he does have one thing that he is bad at: love. His phobia gets tested daily as he constantly gets confessed to by the girls at school. One day, his classmate Aoba, a fellow outstanding student who has no interest in love, suggested that they pretend to be a couple. They agree to act like the most powerful couple that everyone will idealize. Low-price game with only two heroines. There is some drama, but not nearly enough development or volume.  
    13. Shinsou Noise ~Jushin Tantei no Jikenbo~ シンソウノイズ ~受信探偵の事件簿~ [161222] Azurite 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Shizunomiya is a commuter town located on the outskirts of a big city. It has many urban landmarks, while still being full of nature on the sea side. In the middle of this town is Shizunomiya Gakuen, whose students often flock to the city after school to enjoy the wide assortment of entertainment there. Kazuma entered the school this spring, but he is no ordinary student. He has the ability to envision the thoughts of others, however he is not able to discern the source. Moreover, these thoughts often overlap one another, creating noise that makes it hard to understand them. While he was born with this ability, he still cannot completely control it and often gets involuntarily exposed to strong thoughts. Nevertheless, he still leads a relatively normal school life. First year students are required to form ‘action groups’ which have to do various events throughout the year. The groups are chosen randomly, and the unsocial Kazuma ended up with seven eccentric members. They didn’t bother to meet up, but just to do enough to fulfill their obligations as an ‘action group’. Shortly thereafter, there was a theft in the girl’s changeroom. This would be the first case for the ‘Reception Detective’ Kazuma. This is a mystery/suspense ADV, so you’ll have to use your detective skills to solve puzzles and crimes. It employs a ‘voices of the heart’ system where you can tell what a character is actually thinking. You’ll have to collect clues to solve the crimes, which quickly escalate from a simple theft. There are English reviews  
    14. Venus Blood -Ragnarok- [161222] Dual Tail 1 2 3 4 Prince Vaari is a descendent of Overlord Loki who, 500 years ago (in Venus Blood Frontier), subjugated the 5 warrior goddesses of Yggdrasil and founded the kingdom of Asgard. Under Loki's rule the demon and divine races were united in tenuous peace. But Loki went missing, and for a time the vassal goddess Odin ruled in his stead. Odin finally passed away, and a movement favoring those of divine blood seized power. Vaari, then a child, was driven from the capital due to his strong demonic blood, while his half-sister Brunhilde with strong divine blood was taken under their wing. Years later, as conflict between the demon and divine races erupts into civil war, Vaari encounters an arrogant young boy who calls himself Loki and bears knowledge and a sharp wit that belie his appearance. The boy promises Vaari great power--the power to subdue and enslave the newly-awakened warrior goddesses--if Vaari can fight his away to the Divine Tree, claim its power, and prove his mettle. Chased by Brunhilde, who now wields the power of the holy relic Nibelung, Vaari sets out to unite the squabbling races of Asgard once again under a new Overlord. TBS has English reviews  
    15. Zannen na Ane to no Love Comedy 残念な姉との幸福論 [161222] Libido Soft 1 Miyuki’s father is a gambler, his mother lives apart from them, and he’s close to being kicked out of school if anything goes wrong. However, he’s pretty happy with his life, being surrounded by his two older sisters and noisy friends. On New Year’s day, when he and his sisters went to the shrine to make their wishes, their father jumped out from the shrine. He gleefully proclaimed that he was now divorced for good and the Yaegashi family is no more. Miyuki was shocked, but his sisters didn’t seem to mind at all. They both wanted him to live with them and he had until March to decide on who he wanted to go with. There is an English impression  
    16. Ne no Kami - Kyou no Miyako to Futari no Hime Kishi - Kouhen ねのかみ 京の都とふたりの姫騎士 後編 [161229] Kuro Irodoru Yomiji 1 2 Kyoto is shrouded in silence. While the Ayakashi change course and prepare themselves for invasion, a sudden turn of events suddenly has Len drawing her sword against Shinonome. Despite her pleas, Len pays no heed to the words of her childhood friend. "...As soon as I kill you, I'll make sure Ruka joins you." Behind the scenes, conspiracy and truth swirl together but what will become of the princess knights and their beloved princesses? Find out in the concluding chapter of Ne no Kami - The Two Princess Knights of Kyoto Part 2! Game is localized and has English reviews  
    17. Fain Inbuden ~Uruwashiki Onna Bushou-tachi no Tatakai~ 華陰淫武伝~麗しき女武将達の戦い~ [161230] Dieselmine 1 2 One continent. Two major powers. Empress Cao Li and her women supremacist country Hua yin. Emperor Xiong Wang and his muscle worshiping country Yang wei. Cao Li aims to once and for all unite the continent. Xiong Wang aims to turn all women into sex slaves. Their ambitions clash head on in a battle to the end. The beautiful and strong battle commanders, a match for a thousand warriors. The unique and personality rich muscle commanders with 1,000,000 grunts in tow. Can our beautiful female commanders survive on the battlefield where might, intelligence, stratagem and sexual technique flow and intertwine in anarchy? SRPG is localized and has English reviews  
    BLOCKED   1. Amakano+ アマカノ+ [161222] Azarashi Soft
    This is the fandisc for Amakano, with two episodes for each of the three heroines: a summer episode and a future episode culminating in marriage. It also includes other mini bonuses, like special commemorative voices and desktop accessories. Each heroine will get 5 H scenes.
    Fandisc   2. Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai! A Plus Disk 真剣で私に恋しなさい!A プラスディスク. [161222] Minato Soft 1  Three mini-scenarios about Mogami Aki, Bushou and the Hound Squad (mainly Thelma). Contains one new h-scene for Benkei and the Student Council President. When all three routes are cleared a new route appears.
    Fandisc   3. J.Q.V Jinrui Kyuusai-bu ~With Love from Isotope~ Lost Route Eden no Shoumei J.Q.V人類救済部~With love from isotope~ Lost Route エデンの証明 [161229] Studio Beast 1 
    What if story. Another ending to the original J.Q.V.
    Fandisc  
     
  20. kivandopulus

    VN of the Year
    Year 2016 is a comeback with some very strong titles and months after somewhat weaker 2015. It even broke out of the 20 masterpiece curse. Clephas hesitated between three titles, and stopped at Tokyo Necro , but for me it was an evident winner. Visual Novel Openings 2015 . 
    My list of masterpieces in 2016: Akeiro Kaikitan Akiyume Kukuru Amatsutsumi Dungeons & Daimeiwaku -Great Edges in the Abyss- Inochi no Spare Island Floral Flowlove Hataraku Otona no Ren'ai Jijou Karenai Sekai to Owaru Hana Ou no Mimi ni wa Todokanai!  Ryuukishi Bloody † Saga Sakura no Mori † Dreamers Sen no Hatou, Tsukisome no Kouki Senren * Banka Shoujo-tachi wa Kouya o Mezasu Signalist Stars!!  Soshite Hatsukoi ga Imouto ni Naru Sora no Tsukurikata -Under the Same Sky, Over the Rainbow- Toki o Tsumugu Yakusoku Tokyo Necro Tsumi no Hikari Rendezvous World Election As for future review out of 2016, I usually choose something lacking attention, so the candidate that suits the best is Dungeons & Daimeiwaku -Great Edges in the Abyss- . Again, with the sudden influx of RPGs that showed up, I won't take up a review before I finish all those.
  21. kivandopulus
    Clephas was clear about Karenai Sekai to Owaru Hana being the winner , and none of the rivals appeal to me in the slightest, so I concur here. Micchi has a wider selection including Suki to Suki to de Sankaku Ren’ai and Natsuiro Koi Uta  
    1. Memory's Dogma [161104] LizArts 1 2 3 4 A neuroscience × genetics × near-future sci-fi visual novel adventure game. In 2030, due to Japan’s advancements in neuroscience, memories can now be saved and recorded. This is called e-Memory. However, due to the rapid increase in the number of crimes using the e-Memory technology, the government has introduced strict regulations on human memory data. In essence, the government now holds a monopoly on all human memory data. The recording of still-living humans was forbidden, and the e-Memory technology was only to be used on the deceased, giving rise to the establishment of "Connect Centers." These state-owned and operated facilities allowed one to call and communicate with the dead. These "Connect Centers" allowed people who were still in a period of bereavement to cope with their loss by talking with their recently deceased loved ones. The protagonist, Kusuhara Hiroki, is a college student struggling with suicidal impulses after the sudden passing of his close childhood friend, Mizunashi Sorano. Her memories were to last only until August 26—a mere four more days. Kusuhara teams up with his friend, Amamiya Kakeru, in an attempt to steal Mizunashi Sorano's memories from the server where they were stored. In the midst of this, the two discover the secret of the Connect Centers, and are suddenly embroiled in the fight taking place behind the scenes. Game is released in English and has English reviews  
    2. Fate/Extella [161110] Type-Moon 1 2 3 The Moon Cell Automaton is a spiritron computer, which exists on the moon and has the power to grant any wish. All across the spiritron-constructed virtual world, SE.RA.PH, Servants and the Masters who control them fight for the right to be the Moon Cell Automaton’s one owner in a ceremonial conflict known as the Holy Grail War. Now, the Servant Nero Claudius and her Master have won the Holy Grail War and have obtained the universal wishing mechanism, the Holy Grail. They also obtained the Regalia, a ring that proves their kingship. With it, they rule over their once-enemy Servants and start a new beginning on the moon’s new world. But a new enemy has appeared before them. And this enemy has something that shouldn’t exist: another Regalia. Action is released in English and has English reviews  
    3. Aki Uso -The Only Neat Thing To Do- アキウソ -The only neat thing to do- [161125] Campus 1 2 It follows the scenario of what happens at Mahoshi Gakuen if the magic contract didn’t end up in Satsuki’s hands and if Souichirou had protected Aoi from being taken over by the succubus. Four years ago, Souichirou came upon a girl under a row of maple trees, with boys twice her size sprawled out the ground around her. She had crimson red eyes and radiant golden hair. He realized via his special ability of detecting lies that she was not human. The girl Eris was in fact a vampire, the only daughter of the famous Cartlet family, who had run away from home to escape her parent’s strict rules and an impending arranged marriage. Now the two of them are really close, having lived together since that fateful meeting. One day, she did not feel well and he took care of her while she recovered. She asks him out of the blue to have sex with her. What is the true meaning behind her request?! There is an English review  
    4. Gakkou no Seiiki 学校のセイイキ [161125] feng 1 This is the third game in feng’s Seiiki series, this time with two heroines instead of just one. Youhei’s older sister Yaeka is his homeroom teacher. She looks dignified as a teacher, and is very popular amongst the students. However, she’s always drunk at home and leads a very loose private life. His classmate Maika is a transfer student who is into all things Akiba. She always invites him after school to go walk around Akiba. He’s gotten used to seeing her with a grilled squid in one hand and buying up doujinshi and doujin games. This daily life, which he thought would continue forever, changed completely when rumours spread that Maika would be suddenly called back to her home country. Youhei and Yaeka try their best to help her remain in Japan. There is an English review  
    5. Karenai Sekai to Owaru Hana 枯れない世界と終わる花 [161125] Sweet & Tea 1 2 3 4 Shou and Ren arrived at a beautiful town full of colourful flowers. They met the three sisters Haru, Kotose and Yukina, who run the cafe “Famille”, and he starts working there in exchange for a bed to sleep in. In the middle of the night, Shou follows Haru far away from the town to a hill covered with flowers as far as the eye could see. He watched as a little girl whom Haru was embracing turned into a flower under the large moonlit tree. She noticed his presence and smiled lonesomely while looking fondly at the beautiful flowers in full bloom. “I have survived up till now in this world by doing this. But I still want to continue living… even if it’s in exchange for other people’s lives.” Shou looked up at the petals which fluttered down and responded: “No matter what this world forces upon you, no matter how many people won’t forgive you... I’ll still pray for this world to end.” There are English reviews  
    6. Kirigirisou 霧切草 [161125] Spike Chunsoft The main character is a completely normal student with nothing unusual about them. They get lost one night while returning home, left driving in a dense forest. Vision still obscured, they meet the mysterious beautiful girl Kirigiri Kyouko, and give her a ride. However, after getting into an accident, the two of them take refuge in a nearby Western-style house. That house is in fact where Kirigiri had been headed, but with a huge tree growing inside, it’s a bizarre place. The heroes are assaulted by a creepy Western-style suit of armor, a skull buried in the garden, and a girl who’s just like Kirigiri Kyouko… You are the protagonist. Can you solve the mystery of the house and escape from this strange place? Detective  
    7. Natsuiro Koi Uta 夏彩恋唄 [161125] Studio Ryokucha 1 2 3 Kamiki Kazuma was placed under his great-grandfather's control as a young man. However, as a result of his childhood illness, he was labeled as being unworthy and removed from his great-grandfather's oversight. As a result, he was able to return to a normal lifestyle and went back to enjoying a normal life with his childhood friend, Takanashi Hikaru. After his great-grandfather died several years later, the Kamiki Family stopped its tradition of absolute control. As a result, his little sister Ayaka, who was attending a boarding school, was able to return to a normal life. He'd finally obtained a normal life. However, a girl naming herself his fiance, Suwa Shion, appears, disrupting his quiet life. At the same time, Tsukiyono Yuuna, who was being forced to attend marriage interviews with an older man by her father, sought to find some way to get him to give up on her. As a result, she lies by saying that she was going out with Kazuma, who just happened to be there. Kazuma, wanting to do something about the fiance who had suddenly appeared before him, decides to go along with Yuuna's lie. And so their life as a false couple begins. What will happen to them from here on? There are English reviews  
    8. Suki to Suki to de Sankaku Ren'ai スキとスキとでサンカク恋愛 [161125] ASa Project 1 2 3 Meet Sousuke, our protagonist. He's just your average student, living in a rural town. Ever since his father remarried when he was young, he's been living together with his little sister Nanaru. Together with his childhood friend Maho and their other friends, they have fun geeking out at school in the Otaku Club (or the "BC," as they like to call it). Sousuke enjoys those tranquil, peaceful days... But then one day, only one month before summer break, that peace is shattered. "I've missed you so, so much... Nii-san!!" It's his blood-related little sister! His beloved little sister, who had gone with their mother after the divorce, and she's back! Suzu silently flaunted her status as the 'real' sister at school, at home, and out around town, while stepsister Nanaru was just left feeling awkward and out of place. Stepsister Nanaru: "It's too late to come in here claiming to be the 'real' sister, I've already trained him, hohoho." Real sister Suzu: "Fine! I'll just RE-TRAIN him!!" "This is bad. This is VERY bad. My sisters are going completely haywire!" But if that wasn't bad enough for our poor protagonist, now some upperclassman called Shiina, who 'forced herself' to fall in love with Sousuke at first sight, appears! And if you thought the childhood friend Maho was still normal, too bad! She's acting slightly bonkers too. What is our poor protagonist going to DO?! This is only the beginning of a wacky, zany love triangle fiasco hot enough to cool the summer heat There are English reviews  
    9. Yomegami: My Sweet Goddess! よめがみ My Sweet Goddess! [161125] ALcot 1 2 In Yomegami the world is at peace, but mankind is unaware of the miracles in this world, as well as the struggle going on in the world of Gods. We pick up the story in spring in a provincial town called “New Masado City”, when a transfer student named Hayato transfers in at an unusual time. Hayato is the reincarnation of a devil that went on a rampage in the past. His mother, iris, is also a reincarnation of a former power. But in her case it’s a goddess rather than a devil. She told him that if he performs enough good deeds in the human world, he would be able to return to the world of Gods. And so Hayato attempts to live his life as a youth in accordance with her words. Unfortunately, the devil’s power still hold power over him and it happens that he snatches a kiss from his new classmate Mikoto. If this misunderstanding continues, all of his previously accomplished good deeds will be nullified! He takes on the help of his best friend and class president Mari to find the right way and time to apologize. But then a mysterious and mischievous dog-eared girl appears and events take a turn for the worst. Why did this have to happen to him!? It seems his life is too deeply connected with his previous existence… There are English reviews  
    BLOCKED   1. Otome ga Irodoru Koi no Essence ~Egao de Orinasu Mirai~ 乙女が彩る恋のエッセンス ~笑顔で織りなす未来~ [161125] ensemble
    This is the fandisc for Otome ga Irodoru Koi no Essence, with after stories for the five heroines and short episodes for sub-heroines Maori and Yakumo. There’s also a secret episode from the perspective of the principal Kotoe.
    Fandisc  
     
  22. kivandopulus
    Sora no Tsukurikata -Under the Same Sky, Over the Rainbow- and Signalist Stars!! are the candidates. Clephas nominates the first one. Micchi also underlines Deep Love Diary -Koibito Nikki- .  
    1. Hi no Nai Tokoro ni Kemuri wa Tatanai 緋のない所に烟は立たない [161001] Akatsuki Works 1  Aside from his usual business as a consultant in Okushima, Shuuri is actually a ‘katariya’ who can get himself out of any problems with words alone. Every day is different from the one before it, and this time was no different. He found the granddaughter of the most prominent family in the town, Tsuki, lying on the street and took her in. When she came to, she requested that she find her grandfather. But how can you find someone who is already dead? There is an English review  
    2. Tsukikage no Simulacre 月影のシミュラクル [161001] Applique 1 2 3 Seiichi received an invitation letter from his dear cousin Rei who he hadn’t seen since he moved. She asked for his presence at the family’s mysterious ceremony which is held once every few years. He decided to return to the town of Izawa where he had once lived, and was reunited with his childhood friends. There is a legend of a living doll at the large mansion in the forest, and it always takes the form of a girl from the Kisaragi family. There is an English review  
    3. BlazBlue: Centralfiction ブレイブルー セントラルフィクション [161006] Arc System Works 1 2  Ragna and the others were in the Union of Hierarchical Cities, called "Ikaruga". They were rebelling against the ruler "Imperator" by their own reason. As an answer for the consequences, the mankind all over the world were decomposed into "Seithr". While the power inside Ragna was forcibly provoked to be out of control by the Imperator. Thereafter, the Imperator has vanished somewhere, leaving the huge black sphere called the "Embryo". And Ragna was lost, after he transformed into his internal existence, the "Black Beast". However... Ragna is still alive. When he gained consciousness at the 13th Hierarchical City "Kagutsuchi", the power of the Black Beast was sedated. Moreover, he was still himself though, he lost all of his memory. "Now time to rebel against the end." Action is localized and has English reviews  
    4. Kangokutou Mary Skelter 神獄塔 メアリスケルター [161013] Compile Heart 1 2 Kangokutou Mary Skelter is set in a universe where 1999's Japan is home to cities such as 'Jail,' a living prison that was birthed and then subsequently swallowed by the earth and buried 666 meters below ground. As a result of this cataclysmic event hostile monsters known a "Marchen" began to appear, threatening the safety of humans. Kangokuto Mary Skelter follows male protagonist Jack and heroines belonging to Chishiki Girls' Squad several decades after this massive event as they aim to escape their prison-home. The girls' unique reaction to the Marchen's blood provides them with increased physical abilities that will allow them a chance at freedom. The primary condition for players to escape is to grow the living Jail 666 meters, raising it from the depths below. The structure possess three great desires by which it grows: appetite, sexual desire, and the desire for sleep. RPG is localized and has English reviews  
    5. Plastic Memories プラスティック・メモリーズ [161013] MAGES. GAME The SAI Corporation has achieved great fame for its human-like androids. Called Giftia, these robots are programmed with a synthetic soul and serve many purposes in society. There’s just one flaw: a Giftia can live only 81,920 hours (about nine years and four months) before their memories and personality fade from existence, and they become potentially violent. That’s where Mizugaki Tsukasa comes in. After failing his college entrance exams, Tsukasa lands a job at the SAI Corporation’s Terminal Service Department, whose purpose is to reclaim these “expired” Giftia. Surrounded by expired Giftia and assisted by his Giftia work partner, the beautiful, innocent and inexperienced Isla, Tsukasa must come to terms with the short lifespan of these incredibly life-like androids in Plastic Memories. Anime Spin-Off  
    6. Idol Death Game TV アイドルデスゲームTV [161020] Witchcraft 1 2  The story focuses on the "Dream of Dream" or D.o.D. competition, which sees potential idols in a contest to take the center position in the Project 47 idol group. However, the 10th D.o.D. competition takes place at Shichibōkan, a mansion nestled deep in the mountains, and will involve the idols fighting for their lives, with the lowest in the popularity rankings executed in a "death game" broadcast on live television. Detective has English reviews  
    7. Reco Love Blue Ocean レコラヴ Blue Ocean [161020] DINGO Inc. Enterbrain! 1 The nameable protagonist of Reco Love is a second-year high school student who attends Mitsumi Academy, a school that consists of every grade from elementary to high school. While attending the “Mitsumi Camp” study and exercise training camp for the two months of summer vacation, he will deepen his bonds with the heroines, and aim for success in confessing his love for the girl he showcases on film at the Mitsumi Festival on the final day of camp. In this version, the protagonist joins the Cute Movie Club, of which student council president Nagisa Misaki is president. While receiving advice from his younger sister, Mana, the protagonist, a story as fresh as a blue summer ocean will develop featuring his classmate, drama club member, and main heroine Miu Sagara, and other characters. SIM has an English review  
    8. Reco Love Gold Beach レコラヴ Gold Beach [161020] DINGO Inc. Enterbrain! 1 2 The nameable protagonist of Reco Love is a second-year high school student who attends Mitsumi Academy, a school that consists of every grade from elementary to high school. While attending the “Mitsumi Camp” study and exercise training camp for the two months of summer vacation, he will deepen his bonds with the heroines, and aim for success in confessing his love for the girl he showcases on film at the Mitsumi Festival on the final day of camp. In this version, the protagonist joins the Ero Film Club of which Seiya Doumoto, who is just barely an erotic knight, is president. While receiving advice from his older sister, Yuina, the protagonist, a story as gorgeous as the evening beach will develop featuring Finnish exchange student and main heroine Mariana Prinsilla, and other characters. SIM has an English review  
    9. Yahari Game demo Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru. Zoku やはりゲームでも俺の青春ラブコメはまちがっている。続 [161027] guyzware Summer vacation has come. Protagonist can spend this time with any of the girls or choose to stay at home. Anime Spin-Off  
    10. Deep Love Diary -Koibito Nikki- Deep Love Diary -恋人日記- [161028] Campus Wataru met his fiancée Chika for the first time at a formal marriage interview. As strangers, they didn’t have any friendship between them, let alone feelings of love. They didn’t want to trouble their parents without any particular objections, but they were at a loss of what to do since they were both earnest students who had no dating experience. While Wataru had no issues with the beautiful and seemingly flawless Chika, he believed that it was pitiful for a man to have his love chosen for him. He wished to be free to choose his own bride. In return, Chika said that since their marriage had already been decided and she had no issues with his parents, she would be willing to marry him. However, it would be rude to him and their future children if she became his wife without having any feelings for him. So, she suggested that they work hard to become “true lovers” before their marriage date. Swayed by her reasoning, he agreed with her proposition. They promised to fall in love with each other, in order to ensure that their planned marriage will last. To this end, they created a “love diary” and try out the things which lovers do, like going out for a date, doing shopping while holding hands, cooking dinner and feeding each other, and much more. This is the first page of their true love. Another cheap short kinetic romance game by Campus  
    11. Furerute Love Connect: Ore to Kanojo no Aijou Hyougen ふれるてラブコネクト オレとカノジョの愛情表現 [161028] Nephrite When he was a kid, Makoto was always together with four girls: very shy Manami, who has a fear of strangers; older cousin Reiko, who was his first love; strong-willed and open-hearted Tsukasa; and, his imouto Momo, who seems to always be pouting around him. They had thought that they would always be together forever, but they were all separated after he had to move for his father’s job change. Ten years later, he finally returned to his hometown of Nagashimo and was happily welcomed back by his childhood friends. However, he noticed that they seemed distant from one another. What had happened between them during the ten years that he was away? While talking to each of them separately, he learned that the change arose from misunderstandings and insecurity. As he eased their concerns, he realized that he had a deep affection for them. Nothing really good or special about this VN, kusoge  
    12. Nanairo*Clip ~Saigo no Stage~ なないろ*クリップ ~最後のステージ~ [161028] D.O. The remote island of Hoshimiga is located far south of the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. It was rich with nature, being protected by the sacred tree, but it was now threatened by redevelopment. To protect the sacred tree and the island, they have to gather 5000 visitors for the sacred tree festival. It was a seemingly impossible task, but Shinji and his osananajimi Hiromi had a plan: they would become idols and attract visitors to the island. Their radiance would brighten their surroundings, while their feelings would spread across the world. With the goal of protecting what meant the most to them, their summer of passion begins now. Veteran eroge maker creates an outdated nostalgic work of low scenario quality level  
    13. Re: LieF ~Shin'ainaru Anata e~ Re:LieF ~親愛なるあなたへ~ [161028] RASK 1 2 3 4 5 The isolated Pacific island of Mikumo has no internet nor cell phones, not even any convenience stores or family restaurants. There’s not much to do in terms of entertainment. It is here that Tsukasa begins his new school life, a new beginning, with both hope and unease. He shares a room with a guy who he meets for the first time. How will his relationships with others who have their own goals turn out and what will their "graduation" be like? There are English reviews  
    14. Sengoku Hime 7 ~Sen'un Tsuranuku Guren no Ishi~ 戦極姫7~戦雲つらぬく紅蓮の遺志~ [161028] Gesen 18 Re-enacting the events up to the Siege of Osaka in 1615. There are some new commanders among the 110 that you can control, as well as new outfits for some returning heroines, such as Oda Nobunaga. Since this game takes place over 65 years, the commanders’ sprites will change as they grow. TBS  
    15. Signalist Stars!! しぐなリストスタ~ズ!! [161028] Ibiza 1  Anyone is welcome to the special island model city of Koumei, so long as you are steadfast to your dreams, no more how big or small. For example, it could be wishing to falling in love like in the movies, or becoming a bride. Atsushi wishes to become a hero who protects the city. One day, as if by fate, he met the transfer student Kureha who wants to become a prince who protects everyone. Neither wanted to give up on their very similar goals, so the school chairman Isumi announced a competition to determine who will be the hero. They have to help others and the appropriate winner will be chosen based on everyone’s votes. Will they be able to protect the culture festival from aspiring evil-doers and seize the hero title? There is an English review  
    16. Sora no Tsukurikata -Under the Same Sky, Over the Rainbow- 空のつくりかた -under the same sky,over the rainbow- [161028] Cosmic Cute 1 2 3 4 Naoka is a city shrouded in a pervasive thick fog. It is known not only for its vampires, but also as the place for people who have lost sight of their goals in life. Ryou is one such individual who lost his purpose and confidence after a past failure. While he works for a detective company, but he’s rather a jack-of-all-trades dealing with minor troubles, like searching for lost belongings or fixing roofs. One day as he was listlessly passing time, he happened upon a self-proclaimed magician Hal who had come to the city to attend the magic school there. After helping her with some problems, she ended up helping him at the agency. Hal was tough, friendly and positive – all traits which he had lost. Will they fill the voids in each others’ hearts by being together? There are English reviews  
    17. Unionism Quartet A3-Days ユニオリズム・カルテット A3-DAYS [161028] Clip☆Craft 1 2 3 This is the sequel for Unionism Quartet. Fehde, a ceremonial duel with its origins in the Middle Ages, has morphed into the wildly popular sport ‘fehda’, with the combatants being called ‘knights’. Akita trained every day with the goal of becoming a knight, and he joined the school’s grand tournament Vartok Fehda with Yurina, Remilia, Amane and Milly. They faced many strong enemies and fought through tough battles, and ultimately won the tournament in spectacular fashion. Two months later, things have returned to normal. However, even though the intense battles of the Vartok Fehda were long over, the girls all began to show affection to Akito, sparking a new battle: the battle for Akito’s heart! The changing of the seasons meant that it was time for the advancement exams. Akito planned to participate in the solo tournament to determine the extent of his power. One day, the school’s headmistress called them for a meeting, and they were greeted with two knights-in-training who they have not met before... There are English reviews  
    BLOCKED   1. Gusha no Kyouben ~Ima Shika Dekinai Koto ga Takusan Arun Da!~ 愚者ノ教鞭 ~今しかできないことがたくさんあるんだ!~ [161028] Akabei Soft3 1 2 3 4 
    That summer, Kazuki and his six friends went on a crusade together. They still don’t know if it was the right thing to do, but they gave it their all. There was no theory, reason or sound judgment behind it; it was just based on their own beliefs. This is a story about innocent and reckless kids who rebelled against the ‘foolish’ adults. They strove for their own futures, unchained from this unreasonable world.
    Nukige listed for the sake of reviews  
  23. kivandopulus
    Sen no Hatou, Tsukisome no Kouki is the winner this month, but Dungeons & Daimeiwaku -Great Edges in the Abyss- can also fascinate. Clephas did not see worthy candidates this month. Micchi is captivated by Tayutama 2 and D.C. fandisc.  
    1. Utawarerumono: Futari no Hakuoro うたわれるもの 二人の白皇 [160921] Aquaplus 1 2 3 4 5 Continues from directly after the events at the end of Itsuwari no Kamen/Mask of Deception. "...I leave Her Highness... in your hands." "Nekone, live on... and find happiness." RPG is localized and has English reviews  
    2. Harmonia Harmonia -ハルモニア- [160923] Key 1 2 3 4 his is a story from a very, very distant era. The world has suffered from a great war. The contaminated atmosphere is turning ash gray, life on Earth almost came to a stop and water started vanishing. The world population has declined remarkably compared to the Golden Age. The people joined together to live in this world. It was in these times that a "Phiroid", a robot that can feel, woke up in a decayed facility. The fruit of science before the war: a humanoid, feeling robot. They were promised a new partner, one that could make their life easier. However, the awakened Phiroid finds out very quickly that he is emotionless. Perhaps he was not finished during the manufacturing process since his right hand is not covered with artificial skin, his mechanical parts visible. The Phiroid wanted to get closer to humans. He continued to wander through this devastated world, looking for the emotions he was missing. One day, a girl takes him in. She thinks of him as human and kindly looks after him. A little but warm town. The Phiroid boy began learning what feelings are while living together with this girl. Game is released in English and has English reviews  
    3. Sen no Hatou, Tsukisome no Kouki 千の刃濤、桃花染の皇姫 [160923] August 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The ruins of the people's tranquility lie smoldering―― Two thousand years of prosperity have come to an end, the Empire conquered at the hands of degenerate invaders. As what they once took for granted crumbles around them, its citizens nevertheless continue to strive for a better tomorrow, even as they are swept up in the tides of history. Miyaguni Akari, the final heir to the imperial throne, seeks *power*――for it is her absolute *duty* to eradicate her sworn foes and reclaim her empire. Tokita Sojin, a proud warrior without a past, seeks a *lord*――for the noble blade must be wielded in the name of *fealty*. Fate shall see to it that their paths will cross――and it is not the domain of man to know whether their journey shall end in despair or in triumph. There are English reviews  
    4. Tayutama 2 -You're the Only One- タユタマ 2 -you're the only one- [160923] Lump of Sugar 1 2 3 4 5 It has been 50 years since the release of the Tayutai which had been sealed in Ashihara-chou. Humans have since acknowledged their existence and the Tayutai have also moved towards living in harmony with humans. The town of Yakotami-chou where Sora lives was blessed with the country’s most favourable spiritual energies. As such, it was promoted as a place where humans and Tayutai can coexist, and underwent rapid development as it took in many humans and Tayutai. One day, Sora happened to settle a trivial fight between a child and a Tayutai. It’s not uncommon to see such occurrences in this town. However, he was surprised when a girl with cute ears on her head appeared before him claiming that he was the one she had been looking for. She led him to the Tayutai shrine, Yachimata Shrine, and turned towards him with sparkling innocent eyes. “I want you to be my husband!” He couldn’t understand the girl Kohaku’s true intention, but after hearing an explanation from her mother Mashiro and deeply impressed with her enthusiasm, he agreed to help her realize her goal of forming the ‘Human and Tayutai Coexistence Society’. There are English reviews  
    5. Dungeons & Daimeiwaku -Great Edges in the Abyss- 大迷宮&大迷惑 -GREAT EDGES IN THE ABYSS- [160930] Liar-soft 1 In the world of sword of magic, expert miners discovered an underground labyrinth in a remote area of the continent. “The Abyss” is very huge inside, full of monsters and traps. However, it was rumoured that ancient treasures lie deep inside its depths and adventurers from all over came to challenge the dungeon. Among them is the young and foolish samurai Shouran, and his party consisting of the sexy but problematic alchemist Nicolite, the aggressive M ninja Hakumeimaru and the expressionless mysterious archer Kurozuka. There is an English impression. Our usual Mareni with absurd surreal comedy and lewdness, but this time even more appealing due to fantasy setting.  
    6. Kanojo * Step カノジョ*ステップ [160930] Smee 1 2 3  The protagonist has moved too many times to count and this time, he has ended up in his grandmother’s minshuku located in Shirasagi, a rural town situated near the mountains. His sister told him that this was their last move, and after he graduates from school, he will be free to do as he wishes. After suppressing his feelings of love until now, he sets out to pursue his first love. There are English reviews  
    7. Natsu no Majo no Parade 夏の魔女のパレード [160930] Wonder Fool 1  In a slightly different world, girls called ‘witches’ who are born with a rare mysterious ability are required to use their powers to help people. Living in the rural village of Kanahara-mura, Yukito is the son of the great witch Yuris. However, he has no magic ability whatsoever and lives a normal life like any other young boy. He thought his days would continue like this, until three witches-in-training appeared before him. The girls, Arisa, Carol and Topia, came to complete their graduation training “Witches’ Parade” in order to become a full-fledged witch. They ended up freeloading at his house, and he was asked to watch over them. He couldn’t just leave these eccentric girls who are new to the area alone, so he agreed to the request. However, that wasn’t the end of his suffering. On that first night together, Arisa and Carol both proclaimed that he was their fiancé. He didn’t remember having ever made such a promise, but when he asked Yuris, she told him that he had promised to marry them when they became a witch. He couldn’t back out from a witch’s promise, so he must choose one of them before they complete their training, that is unless he already has a girlfriend. With his senpai Azuki aggressively going after him and his bracon imouto Saya returning from witch’s school, he senses that this will be the most boisterous summer of his life. There is an English review  
    BLOCKED   1. D.C. III ~Da Capo III~ With You D.C.III With You ~ダ・カーポIII~ ウィズユー [160930] Circus
    This is the fandisc for D.C.III R X-rated and D.C.III P.P., with stories in both Kazamidori and Hatsunejima. There are after stories for the five heroines from Kazamidori and an if story in Hatsunejima where Kiyotaka could see the girls’ dreams, there’s also 3 new scenarios for Shiki, Sumomo and Mikoto.
    Fandisc  
  24. kivandopulus
    Inochi no Spare is VN of the Month although Clephas also bothered with Gin'iro, Haruka for some reason. Micchi in addition favored Triangle Love -Apricot Fizz and Hanahime*Absolute!  
    1. Chuusotsu! 1st graduation ちゅーそつ! 1st graduation [160814] Studio Beast 1 2 3 4 5 Under the P3 law enacted under the Global People's Federation, citizens are ranked according to the Authorization Seals issued by the world government. As spring arrives, the manga lover Marisugawa Arue, set back by a long-lasting illness, finds herself having to live her life as a "chuusotsu" - a person with no education beyond middle school. The chuusotsu are not in possession of any Seals, and are considered to be failures at life. As such, their Authorized Power level is only 5 - young Arue's future is already looking mighty bleak. "How will I be able to accomplish my goals now..." In order to break free of her grim situation, and reach her true goal in life, Arue applies for a government relief program where she will... Share a room with other chuusotsu!? Her two roommates are overwhelmingly unique: a taciturn girl in a souvenir jacket and a crazy otaku girl. And then the three girls are given group challenges to clear. What makes a wonderful life? Synchronize your minds and philosophize on this proposition. "There's no way incompetents like us can do philosophy..." Their time is limited, and failure means that they will immediately get kicked out of the apartment! Will Arue manage to successfully complete the philosophical challenges and achieve a happy, steady-going life...!? This is a philosophical story of how the three girls considered lame ducks by the society spend their unusual youth in a world where Authorization Seals decide the lives of all people. Game is localized and has English reviews  
    2. Nanairo Script なないろスクリプト [160814] Timenauts Haruki worked as an illustrator for the large bishoujo game company Disir. He was a much talked-about newcomer with a name sounding like a famous writer’s and whose drawing ability was popular among social networks. Soon, he became the company’s main illustrator, producing games in tandem with fellow writer Ayano over the span of four years. However, instead of good sales and great reviews, Haruki had lately become the target of some nasty criticism. He was then abandoned by his partner and left adrift on a sentimental journey. He ended up in the far-away countryside where the villagers were quite enamored with him. Will he be able to regain his past brilliance as an illustrator and return to work? Basically, only one route got released as a professional work, and it failed to present heroines properly, failed to set stage properly with protagonist circumstances, failed to raise emotions. Was a kusoge in that shape.  
    3. Baldr Heart [160826] Team Baldrhead 1 2 3 4 Due to a certain incident, the Simulacrum-piloting mercenary Sou lost his fighting ability and as a result, his job as well. He returned to his foster father’s home on the island of Wadatsumi, followed by his former partner Yuuri for some reason. Soon after his arrival, he saved a girl who had lost her memories, Tsukuyomi, and she ended up staying at his home. Although there were no decent jobs on the depopulated island, he readily received a work request from a mysterious individual. It was to transfer into the island’s only school Kouka Academy and investigate if its students were involved in the terrorism that has besieged the island. Standing in his way as he set forth to infiltrate the school was the student council president Mao and her Simulacrum. At that moment, a girl who called herself a fairy appeared before him and began to assimilate with his Simulacrum... Action has English reviews  
    4. Gin'iro, Haruka 銀色、遥か [160826] tone work's 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Snow is not an uncommon sight in April in one of the northernmost towns of the country. Yukito is a well-known honor student at the local school, unable to leave those alone that need his help. As a second year student the new spring will bring him new feelings in his teenage life. Feelings that will soon turn into beautiful realisation. In this game there are five heroines, first there’s the transfer student from Canada, Bethly. She loves to paint but only knew the very basics of Japanese before she came to Japan. Next up there’s Hinata, a junior at school who also can’t leave someone alone when they need help. Momiji is Yukito’s classmate and sits next to him in class. She wants to make it onto the big stage of theater plays. Also aiming for the top is figure skater Mizuha, Yukito’s childhood friend. He gets to meet her again after 2 years abroad. Last of the heroines is his step sister Yuzuki, who somehow feels far away. But maybe that’s because it’s only been one year since she and her mother moved in with them. From here the story will only have one goal. After so many years, Yukito’s life will take a big turn in just 3 seasons. This is a story of love– There are English reviews  
    5. Ichibun no Ni Koigokoro 1分の2恋ゴコロ [160826] 1 2  Aoi doesn’t go to school; instead he works hard every day on part-time jobs to care for his two imoutos, Hina and Runa. While he does have some regrets about not attending school, he is satisfied and motivated by the sight of his imoutos’ smiles. One winter day, Aoi was working harder than usual in order to celebrate his imoutos’ birthday, which was fast approaching. Then he reunited with his former kouhai Minori and met his shy neighbour Koyuki. These encounters brought about changes in Aoi’s relationship with his imoutos. There are English reviews  
    6. Inochi no Spare 生命のスペア [160826] Akabei Soft3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Shukugawa Meguri is afflicted with an illness called the “Oumon” disease. At this point in time, nobody knows its cause, and there’s no real treatment for it yet. The only option with a slight chance of success, is to undergo a heart transplant. But finding a compatible heart is something that can be compared with a miracle. For that purpose Meguri’s sister, Ria, was actually born as a designer baby. So that her heart could be used “like a spare”. This is the story about two sisters, the youngest born for the sake of the eldest. Other than their family, only Meguri's best friend Ryuuji knows about their secret. Her resolve wavers during the little time they have left. What will be the conclusion at the end of these emotional moments? There are English reviews  
    7. Triangle Love -Apricot Fizz- Triangle Love -アプリコットフィズ- [160826] Campus 1 2 Mitsuru gets along quite well with Karin since they both enjoy going to the game center, bowling, playing darts and doing karaoke, among other things. Since Karin has a best friend in Ayame, it was inevitable that she would join them when they hung out. Even though it was one guy with two girls, they got along quite well and they spent most of their time together. Soon, Mitsuru began to have feelings for the outspoken Karin, who looks like she’s always playing around but actually has strong conviction, and the shy yet kind and considerate Ayame. Since they shared so many hobbies, Karin and Mitsuru gradually became attracted to each other and started going out. While Ayame had feelings for him as well, she was content to stay one step back and watch them while they continued to hang out as a group. Just before their second year, Karin suddenly transferred schools. Since her new school was quite far away and they wouldn’t be able to meet casually any more, she decided to cut ties with him. Even after Karin’s departure, Ayame was unable to convey her own feelings to Mitsuru since she didn’t want to betray Karin. Their ‘more than friends, less than lovers’ relationship continued for a year, until Ayame finally decided to confess to him at the beginning of their third year. However, Karin returned on that very day. What will become of their triangle relationship? There is an English impression  
    8. Hana Hime * Absolute! ハナヒメ*アブソリュート! [160826] Mirai In 2025, the social game Crown Hearts about the battle between the princes' country ‘Stella Crown’ and the princesses’ country ‘Floris Hearts’ was a smash hit, and pro gamers have become as popular as star athletes. Koharu attends Luminus Academy with his pure osananajimi and hopeful new pro gamer Maher, kind and slightly brocon imouto Hiyoko, and Hiyoko’s friend and extremely popular net idol Ayane. One day, they attended the opening ceremony of the annual Crown Hearts event “Divine Crown Battle”. However, this year, they announced the new “Crown Hearts VR”, where one may battle others in the real world using the latest in virtual reality technology. Sixteen entrants were chosen for the “Divine Crown Battle VR” tournament: a ‘king’ and his seven ‘flower princesses’, and a ‘queen’ and her seven ‘star princes’. Koharu was chosen as the king by the AI girl Polina, who appeared out from the Crown Hearts world. He must battle in the tournament alongside the sword princess Maher, love princess Hinako and many others. It was rumoured that the winner would have his or her wish granted. Are you ready for this new generation battle royale!? Strategy  
    9. Hoshizora Tea Party 星空TeaParty [160831] SkyFish poco Spring, the cherry blossom season... A warm day continued in Hoshirai academy, when the incident occured. The protagonist was driven out of the apartment where he was going to live, and now he is staying at the school's dinner room. Alice, a girl, which was created from the protagonist's delusions and has an ability to dive into the people's dreams. Kokoro, a mysterious woman with an unknown ability. Teru, an honor student with an ability to materialize photos, which she made. Umi, a girl with an ability to make the people's dreams come true. And Nemu, a girl with ability to bring a stuffed toys to life. And so their days began... Very short game split in episodes and not bearing any serious meaning. More like visuals only game.  
    10. Trianthology ~Sanmenkyou no Kuni no Alice~ トライアンソロジー ~三面鏡の国のアリス~ [160831] 07th Expansion 1 2 When three worlds become one, Alice will awaken. Once you have cycled through the three completely different worlds until the very end, you will find out "Alice's Truth." 07th Expansion presents you with an all-fresh visual novel. There are English reviews
  25. kivandopulus
    Foreword: I just had to try Elf adventure title. Now I joined the army of Hiruda scenario fans.
    Title: ELLE
    Original Title: エル
    Developer: Elf
    Release Date: 1991-06-23
    Summary: Post-nuclear world last survivors dome city. "Black Widow" organization is trying to obstruct plans for human survival while anti-terror organization along with lady sniper Elle oppose them.
    VNDB Link: https://vndb.org/v2293
    Video playthrough: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLENAECnNmAq_KMeaBzd3g0HXL2znhn-eQ
    Game Type: Point and click adventure visual novel
    Story Length: 7 hours.
    Complete Story Clearing Difficulty: Easy!
    Comments of Difficulty: One-way road. The worst thing that can happen is that you can miss optional H-scene or couple CG.
    Character Design Rating: 9/10.  Story Rating: 10/10. Protagonist Rating: 10/10
    Game Quality: 10/10
    Overall Rating: 10/10 Rating Comments: I did not really expect this work to surpass De-Ja. But it actually did! Could not stop till finished it in one sitting. I can not give excellent mark to Characters since it's an adventure story and there's little time to crack complex characters. But apart of that I loved every second of it. Point and Click is much more fun than Interactive Adventure choices. There is much less effort needed to capture flags to progress the story compared to De-Ja, mostly because you don't need to think/look/investigate etc - story progresses just by talking and checking different locations for new stuff.

    Structure: Game is one piece so it was difficult to say how much progress was left. Almost at the very end I was still of large amount of story to come since there were still two locations closed - but - BAM - unexpected stuff showed up and story shortly ended.
      Story: First things first. I've NO idea what girl is depicted on game poster. The only blonde girl in the game was secretary side-character. That's not fun making a poster out of non-existing character. And there is zero trace of game's alias title - L-Elle.
    Story felt a bit shorter than De-Ja. I can't avoid spoilers although promise not to spoiler heavily about the ending. So you join a unit of snipers to investigate recent abductions of humans by Black Widow organization and their leader Gimmick. "Sniper" is just a cool title, all you have is a hand stun-gun with volume ranging from light stun to lethal shot. So five of them are of low ranks and their officer is of S rank. You actually are of SS rank but you can't reveal that so it's blank rank and you're subordinate of a different intelligence body. One of lower rank snipers is girl named Elle who takes you on a tour around Media center and the city and then leaves alone. First you encounter a girl sexually assaulted by two Black Widow members, then as story progresses there are two more sexual assaults that you prevent right in the media center, the base of sniper organization. The attackers have bombs explode on arrest. Then one by one fellow sniper team members start to die just after they approach the mystery of Gimmick identity. Their bodies are gravely destructed, partly dismembered with all entrails out. Eventually Elle joins you as an investigation partner and together you eventually manage to reveal the secret of Gimmick. Then Ex-Machina happens (in a good meaning, nothing extraterrestrial or stupid) and everything ends in the spirit of Matrix.

    Characters summary: Characters are all depicted very lively. It's a brutal man world story so males advance the story while girls here are just service staff : waitress, receptionist, nurse, pop-idol, tv drama star. They have quite episodic roles and involve a single H-scene each (Chris actually has one and a half since you save her from street gangsters in quite an intriguing state). So Elle is the only heroine here.   Elle: El Mines is a sniper division member. Right from the start she marks you as a pervert and you by chance come to the same place together following the same lead and find the body of first fellow sniper. After that She feels responsible and volunteers to join you to find Gimmick. She's quite a typical Elf main heroine very similar to Gachako from De-Ja. Loud voice, constant use of "ne, ne" , emotional behavior. Just like Lipstick ADV and De-Ja written by Hiruda before, the most fun stuff happens when she follows you to well-known locations and comments on everything and quarrels with every female around.
      Protagonist: Joe Takanaka is the default name, but actually you get to insert your own name just as game starts. Again, very similar to De-Ja, protagonist is one hell of a pervert. Whenever he sees something with a skirt, he can't stand but to try to grab it, to lick it, to kiss it and to devour it with his eyes, of course.
      Sexual Content: Low. But freaking funny! There are five sexual assaults made throughout the game by gangsters and in four of them you actually join the assaulters! One superfun scene is of Section chief who we found guilty in murder. So he takes his secretary hostage stripping her while threatening with a knife. We don't have a good angle to shoot him so we just join him to harass her together. The fun part is that he cries : stop right now, it's my secretary, what are you doing to my subordinate. Since it's point and click adventure, you can't skip scenes but must gradually kiss/touch/lick etc, but the good stuff is that H-scenes give you a new lead by the end of it, so it's not just a senseless act, but a plot move.
      Affection for the Characters: High. Every male characters has strong individuality and you won't be able to forget them. Every female character is very cute and fun in her own way.
      CG Score: 10/10. There aren't too many CG here, but I just love Elf CG, even H-CG and guro ones. Special note should be given to animations. There are hundreds of 3D animations in the game. Most of objects grow legs and other limbs and do weird things on clicking. Very fun stuff. Really. Every second object on a screen. Another great feature is short videos in most important plot moments. They are of great quality and they make you forget that you're playing a visual novel game. It's totally like anime in those scenes.   Sound Score: There are some 20 compositions and most of them were so-so, just to break the silence. I have not remembered any brilliant ones, but it probably due to the fact that all the multiple animated scenes have their own sound, not the usual compositions. But I never once got tired of any track and never ever felt like one track was looping for too long. So 8/10 it is. Addictiveness: I'm hopelessly addicted to early Elf works now. And ELLE is awesome mostly because of point-and-click style. Now it's really interactive experience and you really feel like playing, not clicking every possible variant in each location over and over. Just talk and walk.
     
    Humor: Yes! I'm distinguishing a special column for humor here. Game treats everything unseriously. Just look at this picture. Nurse whipping patient to make him drink medicine properly. One guy hanging on a rope. Another one in speed wheel chair. 3rd one smells a pile of poo. Next pair are having sex. Next to them is a nurse who's masturbating with a sofa. To the right is the guy who holds his own eye. Just below is the guy with his head in his hands. This nice grandpa in lower right corner has a dick showing up from his head and cumming on clicking. Every object is clickable and everything produces fantastic commentaries and/or animations. This no restraint humor is the best!

    Technical Difficulties: Game is based on old fullscreen Direct-media and DirectX so it basically freezes on Alt-Tab, but as soon as I tried to run it in window-mode with DXWind, it was perfect.

    Conclusion: Game that I'll never be able to forget. Every piece that I like came together and produced pervert protagonist comedy adventure story in sci-fi setting with a single intriguing story-line and great shock in the end. It's the first VN game I played that I liked without any but's.
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