Year 2009 was cool in my evaluation due to two 10/10 masterpieces. It starts to get weird, but the overall number of masterpieces for me is exactly 20 yet again this year. New portion of Visual Novel Openings 2009 with songs.
My list of masterpieces in 2009:
Abyss -Homicide Club-
Amber Quartz
Bengarachou Hakubutsushi
Boku no Te no Naka no Rakuen
Coμ - Kuroi Ryuu to Yasashii Oukoku -
Devils Devel Concept
Eden* They Were Only Two, On The Planet.
Heliotrope -Sore wa Shi ni Itaru Kami no Ai-
Hoshizora no Memoria -Wish upon a Shooting Star-
Kitto, Sumiwataru Asairo Yori mo
Like a Butler
Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai!
Natsu no Ame
Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai - Under the Innocent Sky.
Shinjisougeki Carnival
Soukou Akki Muramasa
Steins;Gate
Tapestry -you will meet yourself-
Trample on "Schatten!!" ~Kagefumi no Uta~
Zettai Karen! Ojou-sama
VN of the year was spoiled before during awesome October month - it's Soukou Akki Muramasa
But yet again google ruined my routine by wiping my second channel, so need to decide where this all is going one more time. First, brief recap.
First channel was shut down due to violation of community guidelines after publishing short 2-minute video of Nanairo Daydream ~Nanami Wonderland 2~ . It basically started with nsfw scene on the beach, so might slip something there, or might be totally different video since google likes to find something bad months after video's initial publishing. I never got answered what exactly violation was about and which video's fault it was. Any appeals got returned within 15 minutes, so pretty sure no human ever reviewed that. Google breaks its own rules of three strikes since I had 0/3 strikes.
This second channel takedown is due to copyright. Natsu no Ame BGM rights owner issued some 50 complaints for each of game's videos (for each play fragment, apparently) at the same time, so it was instantly 500 violations or so. Usually it's just 1, only Garden had some 30 per video, but at that point I ignored and nothing happened for a year. If I ever record any gameplay, it will be with BGM shut down. But the question is why would we need playthrough without BGM. Once again Google breaks its own rules. There was no warning, no strike and even no way to appeal - the only option for me was to find email of publisher and ask him to take down complaints or counter sue rights owner in US court. SERIOUSLY? Monetized partners channels are given 7 days to deal with complaint or do smth with video, but channels under 1k subs are just instantly shutdown. And once again there are no real rules here, because content owners just show their ads on the claimed content videos 99% of the time as claim is applied. And on the 100th occasion someone decides to take down video instead. And with 500 takedown complaints sent at once it's an instant shift from innocent to grave recidivist. Basically, there aren't clear rules, and creator is always guilty by default with the only protection measure being monetized partnership. I don't want to gamble with a cheater anymore as channel that doesn't bring ads money and takes a lot of space can be shut down literally at any moment under any pretext at all, so there are three ways of blog development that I see:
1. No more channels. Just blog with same format month articles and occasional reviews is enough.
2. Make a channel with only games that I like and BGM cut. With smaller number of videos it's going to be possible to backup stuff.
3. Make same channel with great video frequency, just with BGM cut.
Year 2010 is as lively as ever. I don't think there was another such year where I was able to find at least one masterpiece in each month. The overall number 18 is slightly less, but it only shows the continuing tendency for increasing charage share, and I blocked quite a lot of charage from getting into masterpieces just because did not see a story-driven plot or some spark. There even was one 10/10 game for me, and that does not come often. Visual Novel Openings 2010 with songs just because I still into openings. And I seriously hate it when openings are interrupted with ads, so I try to cut out all such tracks from playlist, like Rewrite opening. And you know what - the same few companies demand ads insertion in their property everywhere. And they are such cheapskates that even monetize their own official channel openings, as if customers attraction is not enough. Basically, they are so greedy to insert ads inside ads. Here is a list of those shameful companies that I noticed so far and am going to hate even more - Key, Frontwing, Leaf. Shame upon you, cheapskates. My list of masterpieces in 2010:
Akatsuki no Goei ~Tsumibukaki Shuumatsuron~
Comsome! ~Combination Somebody~
Deardrops
Evolimit
Fortissimo//Akkord:Bsusvier
Harukaze dori ni, Tomarigi o. 2nd Story ~Tsuki no Tobira to Umi no Kakera~
Indigo
Kashimashi Communication
Ore no Tsure wa Hito de nashi
Ouka Sengoku ~Nobunaga-chan no Koishite Yabou!?~
Para-Sol
Rune Lord
Second Novel ~ Kanojo no Natsu, 15fun no Kioku~
Subarashiki Hibi ~Furenzoku Sonzai~
Tasogare no Sinsemilla
Tsubasa o Kudasai
Ushinawareta Mirai o Motomete
White Album 2 ~Introductory Chapter~
Those who were following monthly issues already know the name of the game in 2010 that I evaluate as 10/10 - it's Subarashiki Hibi ~Furenzoku Sonzai~. I'm still somewhere in the mids of playing it, but after weird introductory chapter it's such a fast-paced and ever-thrilling narration I doubt I've seen anywhere before.
Since there is no poll this year, let me at least provide an update on the results of the previous poll. 10 versus 5 votes support the idea that no video version of playthrough is needed. And because of that I'm in no hurry to provide reviews. But at the same time I like it to have videos to check things afterwards or find answers to questions, to compare real game lengths, things like that. Unfortunately, there are very few services that are eager to provide space for that:
- Niconico limits number of videos to 50 for free users
- Vimeo no longer has free plans, it's basically just a hosting now
- Bilibili demands to answer some 100 otaku questions in Chinese with majority being correct ones to gain access.
- Youtube ... you know, minus two channels
- Dailymotion has severe limitations on upload, but it's the amateurishness that kills. All my 720p videos only show there as 380p, and things change only after support ticket resolution. Then comes new video and it's again 380p. For one game I need some 100 one-hour videos, I'm not going to address support 100 times. And according to users, it's a problem that persists for years without any solution.
One video playthrough on average takes 15gb of space, so with clouds I can backup like... 5. HDD is not the safest and cheapest option, plus I'd prefer it to be accessible. So I'm going with two variants - another youtube channel with BGM cut, plus video insertion inside blog post. Those videos should be no longer that 100 mb and no longer than 15 minutes to not take up cloud space, so there will be hundreds of videos under each review, and I can only hope that blog itself is not shut down because of those videos, because finding pretexts for closure without explanation is the thing Google excels at.
Year 2011 is a hurricane of great titles. My initial pick contained 20 masterpieces, but had to widen this selection up to 28 with some additional feedback since I can't sample it all on my own at the moment and there are genres I just can't force myself to play. Visual Novel Openings 2011 with songs just because.
My list of masterpieces in 2011:
Aiyoku no Eustia
Bloody Rondo
Dengeki Stryker
Duelist engage
Dunamis 15
Grisaia no Kajitsu
Hanachirutani Sanjinkou
Hotel.
Hyper→Highspeed→Genius
Irotoridori no Sekai
Izuna Zanshinken
Kajiri Kamui Kagura
Kamikaze ☆ Explorer!
Koi de wa Naku - It's not Love, but so Where Near
Koikishi Purely ☆ Kiss
Legend Seven ~Shirayuki Hime to Shichinin no Eiyuu~
Manatsu no Yoru no Yuki Monogatari
Midori no Umi
Mirai Nostalgia
Onigokko!
Otomimi ∞ Infinity
Sukimazakura to Uso no Machi
Taiyou no Promia
Tenshi no Hane o Fumanaide
Tiny Dungeon ~Birth for Yours~
Vermilion -Bind of Blood-
Walkure Romanze ~Shoujo Kishi Monogatari~
Yurikago yori Tenshi made
That's a huge number. I know I say it each time that this is real golden age of visual novels, but that's how I feel. I'm on lookout for changes to the worse, but no signs of that as of yet. With this great selection choosing one does not come easy, but I choose light over blackness (meaning Akatsuki Works Black) , lol. Does not matter which one of light's two works of the year, actually.
Year 2012 is probably the last great year, at least it looks like that to me now. Extended list of masterpieces includes as many as 33 titles this time which is more than ever. But at the same time private stories more and more substitute epic stories, so I actually have trouble choosing one representing the year. Visual Novel Openings 2012 as usual.
My list of masterpieces in 2012:
'&' - Sora no Mukou de Sakimasu you ni -
1/2 Summer
Aete Mushi Suru Kimi to no Mirai ~Relay Broadcast~
Astelight Jourantan
Astraythem
Chuuning Lover
Dolphin Divers
Dracu-Riot!
Fata morgana no Yakata
Grisaia no Meikyuu
Gun Knight Girl
Gurenka
Hatsuyuki Sakura
Harumade, Kururu.
Kimi e Okuru, Sora no Hana
Kono Sekai no Mukou de
Kouyoku no Soleil -vii’s World-
Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai! S
Namima no Kuni no Faust
Otome ga Tsumugu Koi no Canvas
Owaru Sekai to Birthday
Re:birth Colony -Lost Azurite-
Root Double -Before Crime * After Days-
Rose Guns Days
Sakura, Sakimashita.
Shinigami no Testament ~menuet of epistula~
SINCLIENT
Strawberry Feels
Tiny Dungeon ~Brave or Slave~
Tokyo Babel
Tsuisou no Augment
Tsukumo no Kanade ~Kaketsuki no Yasoukyoku~
Zero Infinity -Devil of Maxwell-
It does not have that huge of a meaning which one to chose, so I'll only give CG to show my preference.
And I guess I need to choose at least one game for review from 2012 and it will be Astelight Jourantan , hopefully the full trilogy.
Year 2013 exceeded my expectations. I was able to choose as many as 34 masterpieces, even one more than in fruitful 2012. Surprisingly, there's a better selection of chuunige as well - industry is absolutely alive and kicking. However, now it's truly the last year of abundance - sneak peek into 2014 shows the number of masterpieces being in the mid twenties. Visual Novel Openings 2013 .
My list of masterpieces in 2013:
Boku ga Tenshi ni Natta Wake
ChuSinGura 46+1
Daitoshokan no Hitsujikai
Electro Arms -Realize Digital Dimension-
Futagoza no Paradox
Getsuei Gakuen -kou-
Gensou no Idea ~Oratorio Phantasm Historia~
Grisaia no Rakuen
Hapymaher
HHG Megami no Shuuen
Himawari no Kyoukai to Nagai Natsuyasumi
Inpyuri -Hito to Anata to Ayakashi to-
Izayoi no Fortuna
Jesus 13th -Ushinawareta Gakuen-
Kara no Shoujo - The Second Episode
Karumaruka ＊ Circle
Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi.
Koi Suru Tame ni Umaretekita-
Komorebi no Nostalgica
Lovesick Puppies -Bokura wa Koi Suru Tame ni Umaretekita-
Natsu no Owari no Nirvana
Natsukumo Yururu
Ojou-sama wa Gokigen Naname
Prism ◇ Recollection!
Reminiscence
Ryuusei☆Kiseki -Shooting Probe-
Seihou no Prismgear
Sengoku † Koihime ~Otome Kenran ☆ Sengoku Emaki~
Shoujo Shin'iki ~ Shoujo Tengoku -The Garden of Fifth Zoa-
Timepiece Ensemble
Tojita Sekai no Tori Colony
Tsukiakari Lunch
XBlaze Code: Embryo
Yume ka Utsutsu ka Matryoshka
As for year 2013, apparently, Clephas chose Hapymaher . I'm absolutely subjective when I choose game of the year thinking only of personal preferences, so I choose ChuSinGura 46+1.
And I need to announce what I'll be reviewing. Sadly, Dunamis15 can't be hooked. Or rather it can and I can get wall of text, but no lines are loaded into memory, so proper play is impossible, and I'm not going to repeat what I did with Psyclone - copy-pasting lines from the wall of text on the fly, it was also a much shorter game. So for 2011 I'm going to review Noblelige instead .
I find two games in the utter need of English reviews, so I'm taking up Seihou no Prismgear and Shoujo Shin'iki ~ Shoujo Tengoku -The Garden of Fifth Zoa- for review. See you there!
Year 2014 has overall less normal releases and masterpieces that 2013, but there is still one kamige Nanairo Reincarnation and one hilarious mindscrew Bradyon Veda to represent it strongly.
I tried to include everything notable in the list, even Aokana, but still only ended at 27 masterpieces. Somehow even number of openings degraded to under 150 from usual close to 200. Visual Novel Openings 2014 .
My list of masterpieces in 2014:
12 no Tsuki no Eve
Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm
AstralAir no Shiroki Towa
Baka Moe Heart ni Ai o Komete!
Bradyon Veda
Chaos;Child
Dekinai Watashi ga, Kurikaesu.
Endless Dungeon
Hello Lady!
Hikoukigumo no Mukougawa
Houkago no Futekikakusha
Kami no Ue no Mahoutsukai
Kimi no Tonari de Koishiteru!
Kimi to Boku to no Kishi no Hibi -Rakuen no Chevalier-
Koi Suru Doll to Omoi no Kiseki ~Poupee de Souhaits~
Minamijuujisei Renka
Nanairo Reincarnation
Racial Merge
Reminiscence Re:Collect
Sakigake ⇒ Generation!
Satsukoi ~Yuukyuu Naru Koi no Uta~
Sekai o Sukuu Dake no Kantan na Oshigoto
Sekai to Sekai no Mannaka de
Semiramis no Tenbin
Soushuu Senshinkan Gakuen Hachimyoujin
Teito Hiten Daisakusen
Zannen na Ore-tachi no Seishun Jijou.
For year 2013 Clephas chose Nanairo Reincarnation , and I see the point here.
As for reviews, I recordered all three of Seihou no Prismgear , Shoujo Shin'iki ~ Shoujo Tengoku -The Garden of Fifth Zoa- and Prism Princess ~Futari no Himekishi to Kokan no Monshou~ quite some time ago, and videos are coming up soon, but don't want to write reviews without some inspiration, so it may take a while.
Year 2014 had significantly less releases and only occasionally pleased with masterpieces. Still, counted twenty masterpieces. Can't choose Silverio Vendetta since it's a part of trilogy, so Kikan Bakumatsu Ibun Last Cavalier remains the best candidate for VN of the Year. Visual Novel Openings 2015 .
My list of masterpieces in 2015:
Ayakashi Contract
Boku no Hitori Sensou
Chrono Clock
Fairytale Requiem
Hana no No ni Saku Utakata no
Hatsuru Koto Naki Mirai Yori
Kikan Bakumatsu Ibun Last Cavalier
Koko kara Natsu no Innocence!
Kurogane Kaikitan -Senya Ichiya-
Kyuuketsuki no Libra
Love Rec.
Rakuen no Shugosha
Sakura Nikagetsu
Sakura no Uta -Sakura no Mori no Ue o Mau-
Sanoba Witch
Silverio Vendetta
Sorcery Jokers
Soreyori no Prologue
Sumire
Tokeijikake no Ley Line -Asagiri ni Chiru Hana-
As for review from 2015, I'd go for Schwarzesmarken to see its merit myself, but it should take me a while.
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.
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.
Rather modest year, overall. There are still as many as 17 masterpieces, but number of games has decreased significantly, and I barely got 100 openings in Visual Novel Openings 2018 . Without a strong chunige title I'll opt out for the strongest mystery title as VN of the Year, and that's Butterfly Seeker .
My list of masterpieces in 2018:
AI Love: Koisuru Otome wa Kikaijikake
Butterfly Seeker
Curio Dealer
Haru to Yuki,
Karigurashi Ren'ai
Kieta Sekai to Tsuki to Shoujo -The World was Prayed by The Girl Living A Thousand Years-
Kotonoha Maichiru Natsu no Koe
Lost Echoes
Maoten
Mirai Radio to Jinkou-bato
Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru: Trinkle Stars
Raspberry Cube
Shogun-sama wa Otoshigoro
Shunkyoku no Tyrhhia ~What a Beautiful Dawn~
Yorite Konoha wa Kurenai ni
Yuusha to Maou to, Majo no Cafe
Unjou no Fairy Tale
As for future review out of 2018, I went into Sora no Baroque blindly to see if company releasing Trinity series can really fail, and it's so disgusting visually that it takes time to digest it.
2019 hit the new bottom in many aspects and marked the beginning of COVID era, so there was a noticeable loss in attention for visual novels by the end of it. I counted only 13 masterpieces, could not even get 100 openings in Visual Novel Openings 2019 . Without a clear favorite I'll call Realive VN of the Year .
My list of masterpieces in 2019:
AI: The Somnium Files
Kanzume Shoujo no Shuumatsu Sekai
Kimagure Temptation
Kokorone=Pendulum!
Missing-X-Link ~Ten no Yurikago, Togi no Hana~
Musicus!
Realive
Ren'ai, Karichaimashita
Sakura, Moyu. -As the Night's, Reincarnation-
Swallowtail -Ano Hi, Ao o Koete-
Tamayura Mirai
Tasogare no Folclore
Wakaba-iro no Quartet
Looked through 2019 several times and found nothing in dire need of a review. Since Swallowtail -Ano Hi, Ao o Koete- already has a good review, wanted to give an alternative look to D.C.4 ~Da Capo 4~ , but it's just plain too horrible, dropped after two routes, does not deserve to have a video and even minimal effort applied. Guess it's time to review something good then, notably, Realive
Somehow both number of masterpieces (14) and number of openings I am able to collect in Visual Novel Openings 2020 decreases yet again. Silverio Ragnarok symbolizes the whole trilogy for me, so I consider it to be the winner in 2020 , but I admit It can change after I review Hakuchuumu no Aojashin . Also plan to do the same with Hoshizora Tetsudou to Shiro no Tabi just because I did not find an English review. Then it will be Tsui no Sora Remake 's turn, next undecided, probably something from 2009 and further.
My list of masterpieces in 2020:
9 -Nine- Yukiiro Yukihana Yukinoato
Adabana Itan
Akatsuki Yureru Koi Akari
ATRI -My Dear Moments-
Hakuchuumu no Aojashin
Hokenshitsu no Sensei to Shabondama Chuudoku no Joshu
Hoshizora Tetsudou to Shiro no Tabi
Kami-sama no You na Kimi e
Kara no Shoujo - The Last Episode
Marco to Ginga Ryuu
Secret Agent ~Kishi Gakuen no Shinobi Naru Mono~
Seishun Fragile
Silverio Ragnarok
Tsui no Sora Remake
Despite all the looks I still find as many as ten games to be great. And still 50 openings to enjoy Visual Novel Openings 2021 . Since I prioritize chunige , my choice for the year is Waga Himegimi ni Eikan o . As for plans, hardly anything has changed except that I'm first going for Sakura, Moyu. -As the Night's, Reincarnation- , but so far only recorded common route over last three months, so useless to plan further. Will definitely get more active when I finish all the postponed RPGs , six titles accumulated so far.
My list of masterpieces in 2021:
Buddy Mission Bond
Fuyukara, Kururu.
Genpei Ryouran Emaki -Gikei-
Kunado Kokuki
Madohi Shiroki no Kamikakushi
Meikei no Lupercalia
Monkeys!¡
Sousaku Kanojo no Ren'ai Koushiki
Umi to Yuki no Cyan Blue
Waga Himegimi ni Eikan o
Root Film is nowhere near masterpiece, but I'd still rate it higher than others this month.
1. Kanojo ga Aitsu de, Ore wa Dare!? 彼女がアイツで、俺はだれ!? [200731] Praline
I (Kazuharu Shimozono) is an ordinary boy student with no special abilities.
One day, I was called to the student council room by the school broadcast.
Waiting there was Oria Kirishima, the student council president, and as soon as she and I were alone with each other, the student council president said, "I was Nobunaga in my previous life! I will attack you!"
I didn't know what was happening but I knew I was in danger and I ran out of the room. Then an outright gyaru, Karan Yuki, appears, holding my hand and saying, "Are you okay?" and took me to the rooftop. With her hands on my face, she looked into my eyes and said "It looks like we finally met...?" and she began to take off her clothes.
Apparently, they have memories of the past life... but I have no idea what it means.
And, I think it's normal, but I have no memories of my childhood, let alone my previous life.
Low price game with story being short and indefinite. It's a gag game with constant flashes from the past lives with the color changing only by the end of individual routes. Only two heroines, but harem is an option.
2. Root Film ルートフィルム [200730] Kadokawa Games 1 2
Spirited young filmmaker Rintarou Yagumo is involved in a new TV project—a mystery drama production set in Shimane that also served as tourism promotion for the prefecture. It has been 10 years since the original pilot was shot, and while the project was discontinued for unknown reasons, plans for a revival seems to be in place. One of the characteristics of this project is that it is a competition between three filmmakers, and each filmmaker shoots using a different actress as the protagonist. Yagumo is excited to learn that the other two filmmakers are famous directors. Before long, Yagumo and the staff members head off to go pre-location scouting, but a murder occurs at their destination…
Yagumo and Riho are the two protagonists. As you progress through each of their stories and unravel records of the past, you will witness the truth… Root Film is a mystery title developed with realistic and beautiful backgrounds from data that was carefully gathered of Shimane Prefecture, which is where the story is set. Enjoy the deep story written by Hifumi Kouno, which points to the catharsis of art and madness in the darkness of today’s internet society.
Game is localized and has English reviews
3. Yoru, Tomosu 夜、灯す [200730] Nippon Ichi Software 1
Taisho era.
This is the story of a boarding school for young ladies that stands quietly on the outskirts of town. The students there are “caged birds,” restricted from leaving the school grounds even on days off.
The girls shared everything, from their loneliness and joy to their teenage melancholy. Eventually they created the “Pseudo Sisters” system—a special relationship in which two girls would exchange each other’s most valued possessions and form a sister contract until graduation.
But one day, two girls who formed a contract to become “Pseudo Sisters” committed a double suicide. The two died holding the “valued possessions” said to be a symbol of the bond between them, but the teachers returned those “symbols” to their original owners and treated it as an accidental death.
If we die, we can stay together forever. The wishes of these two girls who committed suicide were trampled so easily.
Console Yuri Taishou horror is as far from my tastes as possible
4. White Wings ホワイトウィングス [200717] Pureworks 1 2
This is an agonizing wintertime love song.
At Shoba Senior Middle School in Shizuoka Prefecture, the stress and tension of preparing for Shoba Senior Middle School entrance examinations affects those in their later teenage years. They might encounter a life of separation from each other. Some of them may meet again, while others may never see other again. Secrets that are covered by rapidly falling snow are interwoven with a sorrowful rhythm. Broken families, Experiences of bullying, Tears concealed by smiles. Is the taste of first love sweet or bitter? Who will be redeemed, and who will enter the abyss? Attracted, estranged, separated, hurt. Young men and women, three encounters, each carries sorrowful secrets in the cold winter. Embracing each other and absorbing the earth’s final, small bit of warmth.
During the last winter before Shoba Senior Middle School entrance examinations, Shoba Senior Middle School welcomed a pretty transfer student named Moe Miyazawa. She was assigned to sit next to Hiro Fujiwara, and had a heavenly appearance as well as an unapproachable air. She looked like an ice-cold snowflake and indifferently floated into Hiro Fujiwara’s heart. It seemed like a romantic beginning. Moe Miyazawa looked pretty and had outstanding grades, but was very cold and detached. Her classmates did not welcome her, and did not develop close relationships with her. However, her talent and beauty touched Hiro Fujiwara, whose family had already been broken. Furthermore, she also seemed to regard Hiro Fujiwara as someone unique. He couldn’t help but feel moved by Moe Miyazawa, but it was just that when he tried to get close to her, he found that it was really too difficult to get close to this girl.
At the same time, Reika Fukihara, a charming girl with a warmhearted smile, also had a chance encounter with Hiro Fujiwara.
She was outgoing and magnanimous, had a warm personality, and was also a bit bizarre, which gave Hiro Fujiwara a feeling he had never previously experienced. Hiro Fujiwara was obviously attracted to Moe Miyazawa, while Reika Fukihara’s vitality and uninhibited personality as well as her enthusiasm may have caused other people to see her as stubborn and unyielding. However, Hiro Fujiwara thought that Reika Fukihara was just like an angel opening up her wings in front of him. Reika Fukihara’s warmth and radiance sparked enthusiasm and hope within Hiro Fujiwara, who seemed to treat others with kindness, but actually was afraid of interacting with others. Reika Fukihara was too enticing for him. He couldn’t hold himself back, and was fatally attracted to her.
On one side was the unapproachable ice-cold beauty, and on the other was the unfathomable elfin girl.
His heart drifted between these two girls and remained indecisive.
How could he choose between them and make sure that it was the right decision?
Game is localized and has English reviews
BLOCKED
1. Genjitsu ga Mietekita node Lolicon Yamemashita. 現実が見えてきたので少女を愛するのを辞めました。 [200731] Kaeru Soft 1
Tanaka Mikio has been obsessed with girls whose age is far below him. Be it real life or 2D girls. Having been a virgin all his life, he decided to quit. He wanted to get married and establish a family. In the process, however, Tanaka got rejected 108 times.
Afterward, he meets Enomiya Mai, a lady who can cure his recurrent heartbreaks. Unfortunately, despite Tanaka's genuine affection for her, Mai can't sexually arouse him. Still, he decides to marry her anyway.
However, destiny does dirty on him; Enomiya Mai has two lovely daughters.
Only listing lolicon nukige because of review and opening
Surprisingly, all age Adabana Itan and ATRI -My Dear Moments- put traditional titles to shame this month.
1. Adabana Itan 徒花異譚 [200618] Liar-soft 1 2
A girl finds herself in a dark and unfamiliar forest when a monster appears out of nowhere and attacks. A mysterious boy, wielding a brush as if it were a sword, appears just in time to cut down the monster.
He calls himself Kurofude, and he addresses the girl in a familiar tone as Shirohime. Yet she does not recognize him or the name he calls her. She has lost all of her memories.
According to Kurofude, they are in the land of Adabana, a realm of illustrated books. Their tales are like dreams; no matter how deeply one immerses oneself in them, once one wakes up, they are gone. Thus the name Adabana—a name given to flowers that will never bear fruit. Their duty is to travel through story realms and look for signs of distortions in the tales.
Shirohime, a girl with seemingly all the agency of a doll, accepts this explanation and opens a book handed to her. The title: Hanasaka Jiisan. As she opens the dilapidated illustrated book with its pages riddled with worm-eaten holes, the pages glow brightly and whisk the girl and boy away to a fairy tale realm...
Game is released in English and has English reviews
2. ATRI -My Dear Moments- [200618] Frontwing 1 2
In the near future, a sudden and unexplained sea rise has left much of human civilization underwater.
Ikaruga Natsuki, a boy who lost his mother and his leg in an accident some years earlier, returns disillusioned from a harsh life in the big city to find his old countryside home half-swallowed by the sea.
Left without a family, all he has to his name is the ship and submarine left to him by his oceanologist grandmother, and her debts.
His only hope to restore the dreams for the future that he has lost is to take up an opportunity presented to him by the suspicious debt collector Catherine. They set sail to search the sunken ruins of his grandmother's laboratory in order to find a treasure rumor says she left there.
But what they find is not riches or jewels; it is a strange girl lying asleep in a coffin at the bottom of the sea.
Atri.
Atri is a robot, but her appearance and her wealth of emotions would fool anyone into think she's a living, breathing human being. In gratitude for being salvaged, she makes a declaration to Natsuki.
"I want to fulfill my master's final order. Until I do, I'll be your leg!"
In a little town slowly being enveloped by the ocean, an unforgettable summer is about to begin for this boy and this mysterious robot girl...
Game is released in English and has English reviews
3. Anabel Maid Garden アナベル・メイドガーデン [200626] Barista Lab
My childhood friend is my fiancée and my… maid!?
It was the day before summer break. On that day, the protagonist, Kuzuhara Kei, was given an astonishing instruction from his father:
“You have a fiancée. Go greet her.”
Kei, still harboring unrequited feelings for his childhood friend Annabel , proceeded to the meeting place planning to decline the marriage proposal. But waiting there for him was… Annabel in maid clothes.
“I’m your fiancée, and from today on you’re my master♪”
And so, this summer break Kei began living together with Annabel.
The girl that was his childhood friend, close friend, and unrequited love had become his childhood friend, close friend, fiancée, and… maid!
Yay, more vanilla nukige
4. Kirakira Stars Idol Project Nagisa [200619] sushi_soft 1
"You're the idol you used to sing to on stage?"
After their first live performance, Nobuyuki and Ai have a fateful encounter with the top idol, Nagisa Yukihiro.
Six months later.
With Miwako's kindness, Nobuyuki and his friends attend a joint lesson with Uesugi Productions, a long-established entertainment production company.
While getting involved with Nagisa through joint lessons, it is decided that an idol festival - DivaFes - will be held, but...
"What are you going to do? What do you want to do as an idol?"
"I want to join in--no, I want to try!"
DivaFes in a joint lesson, and Ai takes on the trial to take the next step as an idol.
Yay, more idols. Also in English.
5. Nekotsuku, Sakura. ねこツク、さくら。 [200626] Lump of Sugar 1
Gods (ghosts) reside in this school...
Kuji Academy's building has a vast history and boasts its vast facilities and a huge number of students.
One spring day, main character Ootsuki witnessed an odd event while helping with the entrance ceremony: Cat ears grew from the head of Ayano, a female freshman!
Another girl with cat ears appeared to apologize to the two. She introduced herself as Tsuki, the "twin god" younger sister, a guardian deity rumored to protect the school.
Tsuki explained, "My older sister possessed Ayano. That's why she grew cat ears!"
The "twin gods" true identity is that of two cat ghosts that haunt the academy. They also seem unable to get out of the school grounds.
Aki, the older sister, got tired of it. She planned to possess Ayano as a means to get out of school.
However, even while possessing Ayano, Aki is unable to leave! As Aki's wishes cannot be fulfilled, Ayano remains possessed.
Thus, Ootsuki's new school year starts as he tries to find a method to grant Aki's wish with the help of his good friend Renka and the occultism enthusiast Yayoi.
There is an English review
6. Ore wa Hime Bushou o Haramasetai! オレは姫武将を孕ませたい！ [200626] Momoiro Pocket
Main character went to museum on a trip and was lured by a painting. He regained consciousness during Sengoku Era. A dignified girl with a sword was standing above him. She called herself Oda Nobunaga. Main character tried to find benefit even from this turmoil era.
Title basically says "I want to impregnate warrior princess", and that's basically it, don't expect a story
7. Qualia ~Yakusoku no Kiseki~ QUALIA ～約束の軌跡～ [200626] PURESIS
The AI-equipped android “Machina” was the world’s first to pass the Turing test.
She was an extremely sophisticated android that could be mistaken for an actual human, however it seemed that she still had immature areas that could be developed further.
The protagonist and developer Hiro, along with the co-developer Karen, prototype robot Proto, and Machina—who started working as Hiro’s maid—lived their daily lives which intermingle with one another.
As Machina matured day by day, Hiro began to grow special feelings for her…
An android heroine and a brilliant but lonely protagonist—
the two mutually struggle to grow, defy fate, and attain happiness.
This is a story of pure love and heartfelt bonds.
Need moar vanilla nukige
8. Maokatsu! ~Maou to Yuusha no Idol Seikatsu~ まおかつ！ ～魔王と勇者のアイドル生活～ [200626] Wonder Fool
Main character was summoned to another world as a hero to defeat the Demon King. But instead he decides to make Demon King top idol and spread new entertainment in this different world!
Rough production and story as well as idol theme don't leave this game a chance.
BLOCKED
1. Hime to Otome no Yakimochi Love -Kirameki Natsu Monogatari!- 姫と乙女のヤキモチＬＯＶＥ-きらめき夏物語！- [200626] Princess Sugar
Summer themed fandisc.
Fandisc
Secret Agent ~Kishi Gakuen no Shinobi Naru Mono~ is the only game deserving attention in May for me.
1. Kirakira Monstars キラキラモンスターズ [200528] White Powder
Four monster girls invited main character to a summer resort with the aim to shoot TV documentary "Kirakira Monsters". The comedy about communal life begins here!
Partial release
2. KukkoroDays くっころでいず [200514] iMel Inc. 1
The main character's mundane daily life is turned upside down when a certain woman appears in his life.
One day, a magic circle suddenly appears in the main character's room, out of which materializes an injured woman holding a sword and clothed in knight's armor.
This woman's name is "Cattleya".
She claims to have been transported from another world.
Until she finds a way to return to her own world, she will be an unexpected guest in the main character's home...
Will Cattleya be able to safely return to her own world? Or could her fate take another turn...
Game is released in English and has English reviews
3. Petrichor ペトリコール -Petrichor- [200529] MELLOW
"You know, I really like the smell of rain. I heard it's called petrichor."
The smell of rain reminds him of that day—a certain night 2 years ago.
"I want to have sex with you. Take my virginity."
Takumi, the protagonist, met Akari, Erika's friend, who he hadn't seen in awhile. She begged to have sex with him and he gave in.
Having become aware of the pleasure of sex, they continued to meet up and do the deed.
However, those days came to end when Akari suddenly ghosted him, leaving him with only a parting kiss that happened to be their first.
——2 years later
Takumi who still carried residual guilt over the events of two years ago, continued his studies in college and spent time with his girlfriend Erika
But early that summer, he ran into Akari who was working a part-time job at the coffee shop he was going to on his date with Erika.
"There's no way I can forget it, can I? About the rain... about that terrible night."
I prefer to call games like this vanilla nukige - since they try to present a short romance story with one or two heroines, but without a real story it inevitably becomes a banal nukige
4. Secret Agent ~Kishi Gakuen no Shinobi Naru Mono~ Secret Agent～騎士学園の忍びなるもの～ [200529] ensemble 1 2
Mikage Jin, the protagonist, is a descendent of a family of ninjas who have been tasked with defending Japan ever since the Edo period. He is in training both to become an expert in the ninja arts and to eventually succeed his mother as a secret intelligence operative.
He was deployed, undercover, to Fuyuka Academy in order gather information that will resolve an incident popularly known as the “Turncoat Affair” that had been making waves among the public.
Along with his AI partner, Momoka, Jin infiltrates the academy, and deepened his relationship with his classmate, Kanon Mayfield, a knight, Shirogane Kagura, the knight captain, Renjouji Mai and underclassman Amenomori Yui while carrying out his mission with the utmost discretion.
However, by freak accident, Jin’s true identity was revealed to Kanon. Though Jin having his identity revealed meant his mission was a failure...
“Please make me a ninja!”
In return for keeping his identity a secret, Kanon asked him to make her into a ninja!
Only time will tell if Jin will be able to successfully carry out his mission.
There are English reviews
5. Pieces / Yurikago no Canaria pieces/揺り籠のカナリア [200529] Whirlpool
Dreams and dreams. People dream of their ideals by sleeping.
In it, fragments of wishes twinkle like jewels. If so-
One of the overflowing feelings. It is the girl's somnium that continues endlessly. And be born. A cradle canary for prayer.
Depends on your stance with prequel
6. Tenmei no Conquista 天冥のコンキスタ [200529] Eushully 1
In the area around the Imnis Mountains in the northern part of the Raoulversh continent.
The Angel Army, the forces of light, and the Demon Army, the forces of darkness, were constantly vying for control of the territory.
At the end of a long and dizzying war, the dark forces were gaining momentum and advancing the war situation.
One day, the forces of the two sides are in a state of balance.
–The reason for this was because of the rumor of the “demon king’s downfall” that governed the dark forces.
Whether it’s a lie or not, the control of the demon army gradually begins to be disrupted by this news.
The Angel Army, seeing through the confusion launched an offensive and the balance of power was gradually being reversed.
However, a man who sees this situation as an opportunity has launched a new force.
Due to the harsh environment, Klaus, a human, a race that rarely seen in the land of Imnis.
He used to be a Suima, but for some reason he was transformed into a “human body”, a drunkard.
Underneath his fragile body lies the inherent abilities of the Suima demon race.
He has an inborn and unparalleled ability to manipulate scents and control others with his magical powers.
Klaus has expanded his power to become the new king of the demon tribe to rule the land of Imnis.
He led the dark forces and launched an army march to destroy the Angel Army.
SRPG
7. Shuffle! Episode 2 ~Kami ni mo Akuma ni mo Nerawareteiru Otoko~ SHUFFLE! エピソード2～神にも悪魔にも狙われている男～ [200529] Navel 1 2
Forty years after SHUFFLE!, a catastrophe threatened to tear all worlds apart. However, thanks to certain individuals from the three worlds who jointly halted the calamity, bringing peace back to the three worlds.
59 years later, we join our protagonist Raito Aioi, who lives with her cousin, Kohaku Anjou. It was a typical day at the start of summertime. However, such peaceful daily life is quickly interrupted by the appearance of the god princess Lithia and the demon princess Nelia. They come to the Verbena National Academy, where he attends and declared:
"I came here to separate the gods and humans," says Lithia, while Neria smirks, "I will take your life."
Then, Limes, who met by chance, comes to stay at Raito's house, and Kirara Kinoshita, a junior who adores Kohaku, also joins the fray.
Raito's ordinary daily life suddenly becomes so lively. Yet, as Raito spends time with these girls, he learns the secrets they hold in their hearts.
There are English reviews
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1. Bishoujo Mangekyou -Kotowari to Meikyuu no Shoujo- 美少女万華鏡 ー理と迷宮の少女ー [200529] ωstar 1 2
The fifth and closing story for the Bishoujo Mangekyou series.
Nukige with a story, but still primarily a nukige for me
2. Tsuki no Kanata de Aimashou: Sweet Summer Rainbow 月の彼方で逢いましょう SweetSummerRainbow [200529] tone work's 1
——As lovers.
It's been one year since the protagonist and Rein met. It's now the spring of their third year at school.
For the first time, they're in the same class, in adjacent seats. Everyday is a chain of new and blissful events, keeping their hearts racing from their "first love".
And now, it's the summer holidays. The two of them are going to attend summer school; it's being held is San Francisco... where Rein was born... her homeland.
An unexpected event results in the two of them sharing a room, bringing their "fresh and innocent" limited-time cohabitation life to a start———
——As husband and wife.
The protagonist and Rein have married and have set out as husband and wife. Between them was born their beloved daughter.
It's quite a lot of work raising a kid, but she returns to them an even greater share of happiness.
Their precious family is always by their sides. Their precious friends are always watching over them. And that's why they can keep walking looking straight ahead.
"Darling... I want a second one soon"
This is a story packed with such "exasperating amounts of happiness" and "being moved by one's family".——As lovers.
It's been one year since the protagonist and Rein met. It's now the spring of their third year at school.
For the first time, they're in the same class, in adjacent seats. Everyday is a chain of new and blissful events, keeping their hearts racing from their "first love".
And now, it's the summer holidays. The two of them are going to attend summer school; it's being held is San Francisco... where Rein was born... her homeland.
An unexpected event results in the two of them sharing a room, bringing their "fresh and innocent" limited-time cohabitation life to a start———
——As husband and wife.
The protagonist and Rein have married and have set out as husband and wife. Between them was born their beloved daughter.
It's quite a lot of work raising a kid, but she returns to them an even greater share of happiness.
Their precious family is always by their sides. Their precious friends are always watching over them. And that's why they can keep walking looking straight ahead.
"Darling... I want a second one soon"
This is a story packed with such "exasperating amounts of happiness" and "being moved by one's family".
Fandisc
It's going to be pretty much my first off-topic post, but I feel the need to inform on the matter why all the links are inaccessible.
My free hosting (http://tigrimigri.com/) died on me on November 6th and I've been waiting for it to show up ever since. I can't do monthly overviews without it since I initially fill in data through the wiki.
I don't really have any backups save for very early crude version so I felt reluctant searching for a new home. But it's finally the time and I've tried some free services only to find out that I need a paid hosting.
First my requirements. I needed Semantic Mediawiki with a bandwith over 5gb. Here is my list of free services with evaluation why they did not work for me.
1) http://www.shoutwiki.com - they provide semantic mediawiki extension only on request, but I sent that request over a week ago and there's still no answer and ticket status directs at 404 error since the very beginning so I guess that's it.
2) http://referata.com/ - it returns error on the very basic create template choice so it looks abandoned for some time
3) https://www.gamepedia.com/ - has Semantic Mediawiki in its extensions but hosts only wikis on one certain game, not other around gaming wikis
4) https://byet.host - is actually the only service that I was able to comfortably test semantic mediawiki after the collapse, but it has quite strict policies and my fresh semantic mediawiki has been banned twice already - for load spikes (I ran shell scripts to upload pages from .csv files faster) and for some 2ch/4ch content (I guess links to vndb.org were considered as that since there is literally nothing else on that wiki). There are tonns of noname other free hosts who actually are byet resellers. They are easily identified by unlimited everything for free, the same signup pattern and nameservers actually looking at byet.
5) https://x10hosting.com/ - can't say much about it, since it says right away at signup that signups from my country are not allowed, unwise to try and violate that.
6) https://www.heliohost.org/ - i tried to register on both available servers and it's it's just unmanagable with very slop operating speed on a fresh installed mediawiki
7) https://viewen.com/ - they look legible, but they demand to like and share them every month on facebook and stay constantly in touch. Upon registration they provide a list of eight (!) segments where you need to give out pretty much all your personal data, vow to worship them as facebook god and some other sections that I did not read up to. Can't stand that much intimacy from a hosting. Their TOS is quite strict as well, so such site as vndb on semantic mediawiki could fall under child porn, scripts abuse and copyright infringement.
8 ) https://aws.amazon.com/ - they refused to accept my card information - guess it's because they are USA-centered.
9) https://www.000webhost.com - they're well known for leaking millions of private data records recently but even without noticing that there are some obvious shortcomings. There's an automated script only for wordpress site, otherwise manual uploading the site and configuring database needed. There's a lot of negative feedback about sudden violating the terms of service notices, so Semantic wiki with its background data update services would be in the vanguard of violation.
10) http://www.host-ed.net/ - company is an old one and there are a lot of issues piled up around it - the most pressing one for me is that PHP version is as low as 5.4 and only quite old mediawiki versions would be able to start here.
11) https://www.freewebhostingarea.com/ - php version is only 5.2.6 and most of pages go into 404 redirects
12) https://www.5gbfree.com/ - site's down for last few days, probably dead. In past I tried it and I remember some severe limitations like inability to have own domain name.
13) https://googiehost.com/ - actually a reliable choice, but I had my first Mediawiki there and once a month mediawiki was just dying with pages loading for 5 minutes/initiating an error. Support ticket improved the situation each time, but after several months of such torture I moved out afrom there.
14) https://www.atspace.com/ - has some real limitations on the MySQL database with just 30mb storage and only 15 tables allowed.
That's actually it. All the others are the resellers or/and offer too little disc space (I need at least 300-400mb) or severe limitations on bandwidth/database.
So far I've set up with one of the the cheapest possible web hosting (and I'll be making .xml exports of all pages periodically) and I really hope I would not ever need to make a 1$/month web hostings review after this free hostings review.
Foreword: Dropped this game a decade ago, but I played all other RococoWorks visual novels, so I have a history with this brand, and I quite like its works.
Synopsis:
A lot of invisible walls suddenly appear all around the world. The same phenomenon happens in Nanahama Town, but another phenomenon takes place as well...
"Landforms and buildings have gone back to the past." People in Nanahama are confused, but they somehow keep on living there.
Two years later, Kyouka, a TV reporter, and Tomaru, her friend, are sent to the town to investigate the cause of the phenomenon...
Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv_Q6BpbqxgMITmOnGkbtjir
Game type: Atmospheric mystery game
Character Design rating: 7/10
Protagonist rating: 7/10
Story rating: 7/10
Game quality: 9/10
Overall rating: 7/10
I dropped this game once, but I still consider it a masterpiece. Nonsense? Not at all, because True Route elevated the score a lot for me. Basically, it's a nice even game with superb graphics and rather intriguing mystery. However, composition and concept are much more ambiguous.
So Volume 7 has introduction called "Outer world", three romance routes with three different couples called "Inner world", and finally "True world" which includes all the couples plus new characters as heroes pursue the mystery of Nanahama. First part mainly draws the world, introduces characters and creates a slow-pace calm atmosphere with nice youth story. Romance routes.... well, I don't care about them at all. Romance itself is quite hasty, and I don't really like to see H scenes of these defenseless heroines. First route is with the same protagonists as introduction route - Tomaru and Kyoka - so it's more or less natural transition to romance, but Ryugo and Kotora route is what made me drop this game. It's painted in so boring traditional Japanese colors that it makes me want to sleep. Third Yashiro and Sakura route is kind of weird because of age difference and overwhelming amount of H scenes. So I don't want to see these two last romance routes at all. "True world" is what all those 20+ introductory hours were for - fast-paced chaotic story from some 10 different viewpoints as we're told the many mysteries of this world
Shortcomings. Such structure is already flawed as different people like different things in games, and introducing alien elements makes them feel that their beloved element is sacrificed. Some want charage while others require plotge, so it's really easy to flame this game. There is little explanation. Setting is too elaborate for Outer and Inner World parts. These parts also have really slow pace while True World has aggressive development. Characters are too childish. Story is too polite and lacks excitement. There is no catharsis in the ending, so final impression gets dulled. There's a lot to look down to.
But benefits are very similar. Character are childish, but not naive. They are reasonable, charming and defenseless. Atmosphere is really great and warm, so first half is enjoyable and comfortable no matter the pace. True World actually has a genius concept as it shows many old scenes from different viewpoints or with continuation, or with knowing who person is talking to at this moment. Scenes that looked like fillers suddenly acquire meaning. It's not a game about passion or burning, so why expect a catharsis. You get so many mysteries revealed, so what more do you expect? It's an absolutely lovely game, but one word constantly pops up in my head while I think of Volume 7. Refreshing...
Foreword: This is Keno-san's scenario. He did not have much experience when we was thrown to produce scenario of the game that we know as Love Potion in two months time. Critics buried the game and that's why there was much more care in producing next game scenario - that was DESIRE, the game that I can't praise enough. The next year Keno wrote scenario for EVE burst error and on the wave of popularity moved to legendary Elf company where he kept working on EVE franchise and created another masterpiece YU-NO and then left for Abel company. He created a lot of wonderful scenarios after that but we're interested in Xenon ~Mugen no Shitai~ scenario. It was developed after DESIRE but prior to EVE. So it was the golden age for Keno and he was experimenting a lot, trying to further develop the already complex DESIRE structure. This resulted in Xenon -Phantom Limbs-.
Title: Xenon ~Mugen no Shitai~
Developer: C's Ware
Date: 1994-12-09
VNDB link:https://vndb.org/v7474
Synopsis: Kōji, a Japanese high school student, experiences strange, recurrent life-like dreams. He finds himself in a space station inhabited by beautiful young women. As he tries to explore the dream realm he wakes up. His teacher, intrigued by his account of the bizarre adventure, urges him to travel back to the space station in his dream and report his discoveries to her. Eventually Kōji realizes that his dream and reality are tightly connected, and finds himself compelled to avert a grave danger.
Structure: Three routes with 3rd route to have four branches for different heroines, then there is an extra small kinetic route or something like that.
Length: Close to 10 hours, probably a bit less.
Game type: Space mindfuck mystery
Difficulty: Moderate. Flags are obscure so best to use guide.
Character Design rating: 7/10
Protagonist rating: 7/10
Story rating: 10/10
Game quality: 7/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Rating comments: Game is quite difficult to evaluate since there are two worlds with own sets of characters and there are even two protagonists (actually, even three) of varying charm. Not all the characters are cute, some look good only at CG. Game has great text but is lacking in some fields.
Protagonist: Quite and ordinary japanese student on one hand and much cooler The Greatest and Toughest Space Pirate, Genius and Universe Champion on the other hand. I liked the latter much more!
Characters:
Megumi - real world girl, your lover and her papa is medical center sponsor
Sayaka - real world government researcher
Ryouko-sensei - real world psychiatrist
Mai - real world Ryouko-sensei sister, participates in experiments as catalyst
Ranfa - space ship mechanic
Fal - space ship researcher
Tracy - space ship captain assistant
Bianca - space ship sleeping beauty in cryogenic chamber
Story:
It's not easy to tell this game's story without spoilers. And this game's charm is only due to this mindfuck state of mind in projects constantly. If I tell the contents of 3rd route, game will be stripped of half of its charm. So I'll only roughly retell first route. Game introduction shows Kouji being taken out of hypnosis state by psychiatrist Ryouko-sensei. And this scene is repeated like 10 times throughout the whole game and it's great for the atmosphere - sometimes it's real awakening, sometimes it's just a dream. After introduction we find ourselves in some hospital chamber, bump in some weird looking (some exposing uniform) girl then discover naked girl wired to some cryogenic coffin.
After that Kouji wakes up in the real world (I'll call it real for now although it's not that simple). He's questioned by Ryouko-sensei about what he remembered from the dream. Outside of the room he is greeted by Megumi, who claims to be his girlfriend and lover. There is also some strict government official lady Sayaka who does not let us go into computer room. And finally there is Mai girl who is very worried about Kouji condition. And from there it goes chaotic. This real world is constantly shifting with the dream world where there are four different space ship crew girls await - mechanic Ranfa, researcher Fal, captain assistant Tracy and sleeping beauty Bianca in cryogenic room (actually, it's the different sleeping girl, first one in the dream was actually Fal).
So Kouji gets thrown from one world to another, sometimes without warning - we share consciousness and even items while there, so basically we've found some media disk in one world and could find the device to play it only in another world. Furthermore, we hear voice of some man from time to time. In real world we try to know more about the hypnosis treatment we undergo and to get to the computer room. In the dream world there is even more action - we investigate the sleeping beauties, try to find out about our identity and once even blow the ship.
As for identity - that's another interesting story. Some ancient ruins were found on some planet and first research team was sent to investigate the ruins. Noone survived. Second research team was sent to investigate the fate of the first research team and.... noone survived, except Kouji. So everyone urges us to remember anything but in vain. Then there is the sleeping beauty Bianca who eventually wakes up and blames Kouji of killing the whole first and second research teams. Then there are reports that actually Kouji was not listed neither in 1st, nor in 2nd research team... So the main question of the game is WHAT am I? That's just an amazing start, but actually game does not live up to this fantastic start to the end.
First chapter ends when Megumi gets kidnapped and as we rush to rescue her we get caught by Ryouko-sensei and get another charge from the mind machine that burns 2000-30000 of brain fibers in Kouji's brain and in the dream world Kouji steals the shuttle and flies to the Eriteia planet with ancient ruins to meet with Ranfa who promises to give answers to all the questions - and we get first chapter end while man and woman promise each other to become new Adam and Eve while staying on some wasteland.
That is a fantastic first chapter. But then starts the second chapter and... Kouji just cries off the bat - I'm the Great Space Pirate, Genius and Champion of the Universe! So the beginning of the chapter feels like a comedy with most of the real world girls trying to calm him down and treat his craziness. But the sad part here that this is real space pirate who changed consciousness with Kouji and came 6000 years from the future. He's cool, reserved and he first persuades Rouko-sensei into being his slave, then with her hands does the same with Ryouko-sensei's sister Mami, then proposes to his girlfriend Megumi to become his wife, actually, slave wife! And together they manage to confront Sayaka successfully after some violent scene and burning 30k more of Kouji's brain vibers.
Third route finally gives some answers as we play as real-life Kouji on the space ship. Fourth route is just ero-bonus content, sadly. So what we have is awesome space mystery that gradually looses its mystery and turns into a set of ero-scenes.
Theme: The recurring theme of the game is that of the dream. What is reality? Is it possible to percieve what's real and what's not? Game tells us a definite - impossible to perceive. The Confucius symbol of butterfly in human's dream is used a lot. Mai directly asks Kouji to be a butterfly in her dream. Since dream is as important as reality it's best to live a full life and take full efforts even in dreams.
CG: There are very few event CG in this game and those few that exist are of bland palette.
Sound: Actually, it was to my liking. Especially the theme of Greatest Space Pirate was awesome. It's some heroic march so when it starts merrily, you always know that Kouji now has a different personality. And I totally adored the voicing of Rafna... she's the youngest character and her seiyu just did a miracle here with the special voice and intonations. And Rafna got the cutest character design and CGs on top of that.
Overall comments: Scenario is second to none and text is really good. Game mechanics are finally driven from commands selection to usual ADV type, so story can be enjoyed to a bigger extent. I can't recommend this game to everyone since it does not reach the level of other Mr. Keno's masterpieces. But I can totally recommend this game if you like the space mindfuck mystery setting or if like good writing. Personally, I adore Vladimir Nabokov's books. Of course he has well known masterpieces like "Lolita", but I can take any of his novels and open them at any part and just start reading - the text is so good, complex, multi-level and rich that I get great pleasure just from reading a couple of pages. The same goes to this work. The aftertaste might not be the best, but while you read there's much pleasure in the process.
Foreword: Why is there only like two Japanese reviews for a game with this classy setting? The Japanese must have overlooked another great game, and I'm restoring it to due glory. Or so I thought.
Synopsis:
There is a city filled with crime. The police can do nothing, and a big conspiracy is now being planned. To protect his beloved, Rex rises up...
He has a secret that he is actually a battle hero, Xvain. His decision to use his power is triggered by meeting with Fiart, his childhood friend. Since the day he swears to protect her, his endless battle starts...
Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McrIk5XeMIk&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv9q-oMU8Hrp7fXhAM9jFglv
Game type: Action fighting story
Character Design rating: 6/10
Protagonist rating: 5/10
Story rating: 5/10
Game quality: 5/10
Overall rating: 5/10
Studio e.go makes RPG mostly, but there's also a good number of AVG games. I remember trying one of their games long ago. It was not RPG, but had some weird repeating actions, and I just could not break through that loop or whatever it was. But in 2007 things must have changed completely already, so I can finally give this brand a new try.
As you see from the scores, things did not go just as I expected. First, I got to battle explanation system. Was a pretty long explanation. And I never faced a single battle. Guess it was turned off in the settings by default of whatever, but I don't remember touching anything there besides text speed. Then there was a spot to hunt androids. And no choices advanced the story. So I kind of chose hunt more and do other things like going home more. And somehow story went on occasionally. And now imagine that situations like that arise constantly in the game. Sometimes such scene was rushed in a minute, sometimes it took some 50 minutes of real time skipping and trying variants. And on the *th time of choosing the same variants it somehow proceeded. I cut some pointless stumbling in the video, but there is still abundance of such moments with up to half an hour of pointless skipping. Maybe there is really some kind of battle experience that I needed to get, but I never saw any experience meter or points, so can't say. It's all super confusing. Those who played with battles turned on say that battles are meaningless since you always know enemy's dice and can always choose perfect dice out of three variants to counter that.
Let's leave system weirdness be. We're here for the hard-boiled city fighting adventure, after all. Rex has a secret weapon - power to transform into Xvain who fights with the demon power. And if this power is misused, his humanity can be lost. And in game there are indeed variants at each of five chapters to rest or pray so that accumulated devil weariness is lifted each time. I wound not call story fine. With these random grinding layers it feels like story serves the fighting sequences, and not vice versa. Development is gentle with occasional humor moments. There are some nice characters like older brother or Slayer. And story can be enjoyed to a certain extent... if you can put up with no voicing. There is voicing in H scenes, but I cut them out clean in the video, so no luck here. What kind of game inserts voicing only in H scenes? Either game that wants to empathize heroines charm in special emotional moments or... nukige.
And here we come to the dark side of the game. When I occasionally glanced at game gallery, I could not recognize this game. There are a lot of devil HCG which can only be gained by approaching H events under different stages of devilishness. There are thee stages, but it's reported that at every chapter you are forced to reset this meter to 0, and there aren't enough battles to raise this parameter. So all those violation scenes could only be unlocked by actually hacking the game. Wow, just wow. This game manages to fail as a tactical game, as a story game (not with all those battle insertions), as a charage (after final H event there is less than a minute till credits) and now even as a nukige.
I really wanted to like this game, and I liked both battle nun Michelle and genius Rinse heroines. But I'm just not sure this game is even meant to be played this way as a pure-love action driven story. It feels more like RPG with actual RPG elements torn out. With every element examined the same word pops up in my mind. WEIRD.
Foreword: Yatohime Zankikou has an absolutely starry staff, great chuni story, astonishing visuals and lots of fighting girls. Everything promises the ultimate score, but why average scores are just between 7 and 8 then?
Synopsis: A god called Yatonokami who is worshiped by men is now sleeping. Or is he? Somewhere, somewhat, something arose and its manifestations are possessing people and turning them into 'oni'...
You're Nagamine Yuuma, an ordinary student, the one who is woken up by his cute female neighbor friend every morning...
But in truth Yuuma isn't really a normal guy, his body has the power to produce electricity (that he only has some limited control), which made him considered as freak for most of his life. He moved in a new town 3 years ago though, and now he is enjoying that new life a lot, because at last he found friends who aren't bothered by his 'abnormality' -- in fact, his neighbor Sakurako has an obvious crush on him. But he also has weird dreams about... being someone else...
Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCFoeng74Do&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv-7GaQiAmbz7XVCKGErvE-a
Game type: Chuni with a lot of katana fights
Character Design rating: 7/10
Protagonist rating: 6/10
Story rating: 5/10
Game quality: 10/10
Overall rating: 7/10
That's one of the weirdest scores splits that I set. Game is of great quality made by all the canons of the genre. But nothing really touched me here.
First about the advantages. There's a huge number of CGs. There is no shortage of cool and charismatic characters. Everyone but protagonist is voiced. Battles are full of special effects. The last, but not the least, heroines show a lot of sex appeal, especially Tou that almost comes to the level of Cala from Viper RSR. Girls have very long and varied individual routes each written by different authors.
As for the shortcomings, let's start with the story, as usual. It's a normal school chuni, but with events actually unwind really fast. We get attacked by a huge monster very early and saved by Tou. The next day there's a new monster attack, and this time it's Tsukiko turn to save us. But Tou shows up as well, so they have a clash. Yuuma electricity ability gets known, so Towa moves to his class to observe him closely. Then the priestess with her pets shows up, followed by evil spirit attack etc... What I hated the most in all this mess is that nothing is explained. There's no firm backstory, no build-up. Right away random action events get thrown in your face. A huge number of characters with special abilities show up one after another with no time to digest anything. And when I think it's time to shed some light to this or that character, just more extravagant characters get thrown into the mix constantly. There's no time to really create affection for characters. Only in the middle of individual heroine routes we're shown the mad scientist and the shady figure that seem to be experimenting by sending these monsters, but nothing complex at all. Story does not really try to go deeper and develops only externally. There is some explanation given later, but pretty unsatisfactory one.
The protagonist. He seems like a normal guy, but I absolutely hate him for the passiveness and blandness. He does not really have anything but his electricity trick. He can't defeat even a single weak monster alone. But every girl gets to love him instantly - because there's no time to spare here! He sparks electricity which is a sign of ancient great ayakashi power, so let's try to stay close to him. That's all the explanation we get.
Heroines... We have one standard genki red-haired childhood friend Sakurako, a massive samurai tsundere (sic!) Tou, a quiet serious shinobu Tsukiko and side-heroine Hainrike who is a European girl who travels together with Loup-Garou. There are actually also short branches for priestess Himiko, Ayana, Yuika, but I did not care enough to record those as well since they basically are considered bad endings. When Tou blushes I'm ready to fall beneath the earth from shame... it's so lame. There's absolutely not enough time for the heroines. It's not enough that they basically all love Yuuma from the start. The whole bonding equals Yuuma just coming in during girl masturbation as a rule. Super convenient and super stupid. Girl endings failed to impress me. Tou/Tsukiko endings are almost the same since they are similar-background main heroines. Other heroines endings are ok at best.
Actual fights. They are so unreasonably long that it looked to me like boxing rounds. Some clash, then constant exchange of dialogue lines, then some clash again... and a lot of rounds this way. And the saddest thing is that dialogue lines are used in an absolutely stupid manner. We get to know nothing new. Heroines do not try to understand the other party motivation and personality. First fight - then talk. It's the rule everyone follows. And there are so many CG that they get to be used really wastefully. Like there are CG just for couple seconds scenes without dialogue lines.
In conclusion, Yatohime Zankikou is still a masterpiece, but of the most hated genre by me - Shounen. Shallow characters and themes deprive the game of the adult atmosphere turning it into a tasteless show of prowess. Seven is the absolute top score this game deserves, polarization can be only downwards. And that's very sad, there were all the chances to get the ultimate masterpiece. If Yatohime Zankikou saw light in 2004, I'd have very few questions, but this very theme was explored in Ayakashibito and Ayakashi with much more depth let alone other great serious masterpieces showing up in 2005. I need a real deal, not something done just for show.
Foreword: I'm quite curious about BaseSon state before they rode the Koihime theme.
Title: Yuuhi no Mukougawa
Developer: BaseSon
Date: 2004-10-01
VNDB link:https://vndb.org/v1213
Youtube walkthrough:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaPkM9uZLZM&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv9P6w6Jmc3aamggcIEP8eAZ
Synopsis: Moriguchi Kazuto is just the ordinary high school student who attends a private school. He spends his days relaxing, regularly attending school and also enjoying time and talking about urban legends and rumors at the school's occult group. Among the club members are the shy underclassman Sayuki, the serious classmate Shizuka, the beautiful temporary teacher Shinamo, and the club president Shintarou.
One day, Kazuto wakes up after seeing a strange dream - and his life changes completely, his world flips around when he meets the strange girl called Miaka, who just keeps giggling without a worry in the world. He started hearing and seeing things others couldn't, and what these phenomenona pointed to was the urban legend of his school.
"The girl of the sunset."
The old story and the curse of the girl who jumped off of the rooftop and entered the "other side". And so Kazuto gets sent to an unknown, another world.
"You're coming with me, you're coming with me, you're coming with me--" the "girl of the sunset" chants. His every day life changes completely, and turns into a horrible and miserable nightmare. The sound of the ringing bell. What will become of Kazuto as he and the people around him slowly become eroded by fear?
Can Kazuto find a way to break free from the curse's chains? Can he find the true meaning behind "the girl of the sunset?" And what exactly is the "final day?"
Game type: School urban legend occult story
Character Design rating: 5/10
Protagonist rating: 4/10
Story rating: 6/10
Game quality: 7/10
Overall rating: 5/10
Rating comments: It was an exhausting journey for me. I was expecting something very different. What I got hit the worst spots for me.
Protagonist: No presence felt. All meaningful actions chosen by reader.
Characters: That's the most difficult question for me. I chose serious childhood friend / shrine maiden Shizuka and main heroine mysterious girl Miaka. The other two are much worse - totally shy Sayuki and clumsy teacher Shinano. Shizuka was a least partly enjoyable with her constant half-closed eyes look as if awaiting some pervert action. She kinda fulfills the role of childhood friend, so she dominates the stage. Another good thing about her is her family, notably father who presents the only attempt in the game to cheer things up a bit. Miaka just shows up occasionally and says strange things. No one knows which class she is from, and protagonist each time forgets to ask her about it. She remains black box right through the end, and that's not what main heroine should be like.
Story: The good thing about the story is that it's compact and takes place only at school. Pretty much everything else is bad. Members of the occult study club are in the center of attention. No one does anything in this club - reading books at best. But after protagonist starts to see strange dreams about sunset girl, it becomes a hot topic for discussion. But again - everyone in this game is incompetent. Miaka keeps talking about her lost diary, and club's greatest accomplishment is finding this diary. And of course this diary brings us to the end of Miaka route. Other girls stories are just about girls themselves. Now for the darker side of the game. Protagonist sees delusions about each girl in their routes. Apart of that each girl has a dark experience that becomes the center of each route. Rape, chains... all that stuff. And it produces only negative emotions. Game is closer to utsuge than to nakige, really.
Thoughts:
1) Game is pretty dark on its own, but just as two previous BaseSon works, there is NO humor in here, like at all. The mood is dense with all the seriousness, but then it turns into negative with approaching the girls stories.
2) At least a third of the game happens during sunset. All the crimson palette and all the delusions in form of dreams really reminded me Sayonara o Oshiete. The whole concept really looks similar, but with some normal school SOL part this time and without a touch of madness. But I really disliked Sayoshi, so it might affect my evaluation of Yuuhi no Mukougawa with a similar concept. Also some parallels can be done with Ashita Deatta Shoujo, but without the genius concept.
Overall comments: What we get in the result is a depressing game with no really likable heroines. Games is of really high quality, but it turns into a short-minded disaster. I can't stand occult theme, so it was a torture to read about it. What I see from first three BaseSon games is that it can make visual novels of high quality with great visuals, but it absolutely sucks at original stories. It's a great boon for them to have found the Koihime niche. If they continued as they started, they would have been bankrupt by now.
Foreword: A nice otaku game always catches my attention.
Synopsis:
Kenjiro is lazy and has no job. One day, his mother calls him and tells that she asked his aunt to hire him at her school. However, Kenjiro is a hardcore otaku - he has no social skills to speak of, can't get along with people, and has never dated a girl... When he arrives at the school, he is shocked to find out it's an all-girls' school, and has no idea what he should do!
Luckily he meets up with Nanase, his cousin he used to play together with when they were young. She, however, suddenly says to him, "Are you still an otaku? Don't talk to me at school."
When he is down, he suddenly hears a familiar melody, a BGM from some famous game. He enters the classroom and finds a girl playing the game. She introduces herself as Asuka, and she happens to be the one and only member of the Comic Club....
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv_bK0MS_DGj0C_UvdauhF91
Character Design rating: 9/10
Protagonist rating: 7/10
Story rating: 7/10
Game quality: 8/10
Overall rating: 8/10
I tend to undermine slice of life games since these games don't give me new stories. The more the importance of those ones that I can call masterpieces. And this is exactly such case.
Concept is fairly simple - an otaku becomes a temporary intern at a girls school and also an advisor to a comic club. Since it's a charage, it's natural to discuss heroines. There are five of them, but only four are geeks. The last one is our tsundere cousin Nanase. She is kind of main heroine because of her special status, but her route is the most boring one as it focuses on isolated from other members romantic relations. I was seriously disappointed by her route as there are lots of such developments in any charage. There are three authors in this game, and common route together with Nanase route are written by Hasegawa Ai, an AXL scenario writer whom I seriously dislike after Shield 9 and Like a Butler. Shinobu and Mashiro routes are written by Toki Houou who did mostly eroge, but participated in script creation for Sumikko Soft first game. Shinobu is the cutest heroine who tries to hide her otaku habits and leave a normal school life. Her route is the shortest of all and becomes a poor tennis spokon with the only bright spot is common for all heroines comiket participation. As for Mashiro, her route is quite fun, but focusing on emotions, realistic problems and worries, and thus leaves a somewhat heavy impression. The last two routes - Asuka and Shima - are written by Himenogi Aku who hosted a lot of moege/charage as a scenario writer. And his lively approach actually saves this game. Both routes are light, otaku-heavy and really fun. Incidentally, H scenes are also the most lively in the whole game. Finishing with one of these routes generally provides a better overall impression, so there is some evaluation split.
As for the flaws, can't say there are many. Protagonist is perverted and insensitive, but for a wild otaku it's a normal state. I did not like side characters, but they rarely show up. There are a lot of net and anime parodies and references that were incomprehensible without wikipedia even in 2009 due to aged material and letters omission, but those don't really obstruct experience. Of course I'd prefer a circle of friends story without individual heroine routes, but joint activities are also plentiful, so I did not feel locked up with a single heroine even in Nanase route.
I ended up praising the game even in flaws section. So let's continue with the praise. Otaku protagonist playing eroge is easy to sympathize with. Some nerd jokes were commonplace, but there was enough unique discussions. Sheldon Cooper would want to watch Shima route who is toy trains enthusiast with ability to discern them by the sounds made. But the deciding factor for me was circle of friends atmosphere. Zettai Karen! Ojou-sama does not live up to Genshiken as ultimate otaku heaven, but it is a a properly done and amusing dive into otaku atmosphere with unusual otaku heroines, and every such success counts.
Foreword: Clock Up team Dyo creates pretty conventional SF games unlike its older brother, so Zwei Worter is a good time to get acquainted with it to get ready for Rune Lord.
Synopsis:
In 2005, a group of meteors deals a big blow to humanity. But thanks to advanced science and technology, mankind overcomes extinction by creating new intellectual living creatures called "Dissolve".
In 2007, incredibly powerful outer space creatures called Elcid launch their onslaught against earth. Extinction is only avoided because of the advances made in the recovery of the previous disaster. But in the end, in just two years
nine-tenth of the population loses their lives.
In 2017, last surviving members of the human race, "Dissolve" and an another new race intellectual living creatures called "Hybrid" all band up together for their final stand against Elcid....
Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvszhxhP2Xs&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv_fPiCjwROyNolcwq9mBQGv
Game type: SF mecha battle story
Character Design rating: 7/10
Protagonist rating: 6/10
Story rating: 6/10
Game quality: 8/10
Overall rating: 7/10
It's minor masterpiece scores. There are many reasons for it. So every element needs separate explanation.
First things first. It's Evangellion! Just really, same bright atmosphere with some mecha battles and some psychological drama. Yukie is a copy of anime Asuka, and Sakuya is so much alike Rei. And these are two main heroines as well here. Zwei Worter actually has three main heroines with the third one being Illuda, guess just because she was the most memorable heroine in Dyogrammaton.
As for prequel-sequel link, I did not play Dyogrammaton, but people who played say that there is very little connection between the games, so it's safe to play right from Zwei Worter, but of course many elements like Shigure twin sisters are a welcome adaptation in the new game.
But the story is not really special, pretty much copy of Evangellion, and that poses trouble. Writers basically tell us to imagine that it's something like Evangellion and don't care to build a unique world. Explanations are lacking, and story becomes rough. Game also tries to be bright and preserve anime-like atmosphere, so it actually loses in comparison with Evangellion due to less serious approach. No deep mysteries are uncovered, it's mostly about heroines and mecha robot action scenes.
But when it comes to heroin routes, it's not that simple. There are four different writers for five heroines + one sub heroine, and that determines quality shifts. Basically, Sakuya is a paragon one with all elements fit in place. Illuda route is almost as good, but with some deterioration in the second half. Alias is really moe with her constant "nya" and nekomimi. But Yukie route is flashy and bland while Piano... plain weird.
There is also Append Story and Final Story. Append one is just one hour long and it's basically about side heroine Shigure and... suit! The suit is actually the most memorable heroine. She does not have a head, but is so funny that it looks really hilarious. Final Story actually has a revelation at the start, but ending is kind of meh.
Overall, game is of high quality and good variety. It lacks excitement, and active gameplay in battles with fast clicking only irritates (especially in one route when there are four battles in a row and you urgently need to do something), but those couple good heroine routes and couple crazy side characters pull it through.
Foreword: There was very limited selection of games to choose from in December, but I chose Eien no Owari ni because of phrase unfinished masterpiece that I glanced in some review. The fact that Tama-Soft made Lost Child also matters a lot for me.
Synopsis:
There is a high school that will be closed down soon - one day, Keisuke transfers to that very specific school. On his first day, he visits the newspaper club, but Ryo, the club's leader, acts very coldly towards him. He soon finds out that the club has been doing nothing due to lack of club members. For some reason, the members are also very distant from each other...
He gets interested in their strange relationship and decides to join the club. After joining, the atmosphere of the club gradually changes and their new relationship is established. However, he accidentally gets to know the reason why the members used to be distant to each other. It happened just when he transferred to the school...
Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv9HyOG7idnOMuKaGgSeqEFs
Game type: Growth mystery nakige
Character Design rating: 8/10
Protagonist rating: 7/10
Story rating: 7/10
Game quality: 5/10
Overall rating: 7/10
In the end it's a SOL nakige with a twist of mystery, so just not a fitting genre for me, but still a masterpiece! It usually says a lot. It's rare to find something original and with human-like heroines in nakige, but it's exactly such case. But let's not jump to conclusions before the main part.
Concept is actually unusual. I can't avoid minor spoilers which are needed to promote uniqueness of this game. So Keisuke comes to school and tries to unite newspaper ghost club who suddenly broke apart after some incident last year. And first week of the game is just perfect, a supreme masterpiece. Then during second and third week nothing really new happens, and at all ends in super aggressive development and denouement. As for scenario parts, we start as Keisuke, but then after flagging a heroine we suddenly turn into past with another protagonist Keiichi. And we already know that something bad happened to Keiichi, which resulted in club stopping activities. And we eventually get to the point when this something bad happens. But afterwards we get to present already, but we can't be sure of protagonist identity anymore. It might be Keisuke, might be Keiichi, might be the same person. Keisuke disappears from everyone's memory. It remains as a big mystery. And basically in this game past determines future. Past incident is different for each heroine, so future differs greatly, but considered the bad incident it's unwise to expect a happy ending.
There are a lot of downsides of this game, hence the unfinished masterpiece label. Engine is even worse than in Lost Child in my opinion. I did not find text speed settings, so in the end text drew not instantly for me, and with higher than needed speed. Scenario is not impressive and has inconsistencies of common route with individual routes due to multiple scenario writers. Heroines are not flashy and lack charm. There are a lot of colorful side-characters, but none of them has voicing, so silence can last for a long time. Hozuki route is significantly shorter than the other two, and since Hozuki route is supposed to be the last, it creates a bad aftertaste. Absence of happy ending does not help evaluation either. There are only three routes which is below standard of four-five nowadays. No true route.
In game's defense, it is able to nurture sense of uniqueness and present great nostalgia atmosphere and bgm. First week is the paragon of an inspiring beginning. Game is able to remain mysterious thanks to the false protagonist move. Heroines in this game are very human-like, not tied by any cliche. Clumsy relations with these heroines are really cute. It's very rare nowadays when creators realize the inevitable bad impression, but stay true to their concept and don't introduce standard elements to appeal to everyone. Eien no Owari is the last and lesser known game of Tama-Soft, but discovering such gems is twice as pleasant.
