adamstan

Added. We actually have a fuwa team review of this, so I stuck a link to it in there as well.

I've read it and I loved it. How should I say it... it creates very comfy mood.
https://forums.fuwanovel.net/topic/11-what-are-you-playing/?do=findComment&comment=485843
 
If you like it, I'd also highly recommend getting the FD/side story 沙紀のらぶらぶはねむーん. 

I finished Kisaragi Gold Star and Rance 01 this week. I also started Asairo, but still at the beginning so not much to say yet.

キサラギGOLD★STAR
Prose-wise it's fairly simple, but character dialogue is decently written. It is far from Niijima's best work though as the story itself is fairly plain. The writing gets fairly bad in the specific parts though, by that I mean lack of detail in the girl's talents. When writing about Kendou, art, piano, or singing, it shows the writer's lack of knowledge, avoiding writing any details. It's fairly bad in Tsubasa's part.
Saya route started ok, but the drama is very cringe. And the True route is well not that good. It was rather incomplete and just kind of ended. Overall, it's a a slightly above average moege.

ランス01 光をもとめて
I've started my journey in Rance by starting at the beginning. Technically, I played Sengoku before, but I want to start from the beginning.
This game gives me a good start for what the Rance world is like. Rance World is pretty fucked up, lol. I can now kinda see where he's coming from, because everyone else is really fucked up and you can't help but be influenced growing in that kind of environment. It still doesn't make Rance any less of an asshole, but it is what keeps it entertaining. Rance is a very extreme version of the badass macho guy of 80's and 90's tropes.
Music is meh, but art is pretty good. Gameplay is rather simple and mediocre, but entertaining enough considering it's a remake of a 1989 game.

Arrived yesterday - another 3 physical console editions of JVNs - Hoshi Ori Yume Mirai, Strawberry Nauts and Hatsuyuki Sakura

(As for HoshiOri - I'm actually reading Vita edition, but for "owning a legit copy" purpose I bought PS4 one because it was cheaper )

Another bunch of console editions of VNs. In this batch, there are:
Damekoi (PSP) Princess Evangile (PSP) StarTRain (PS2) Akaneiro ni somaru saka (PS2)
Also, a little before that I got PS3 Limited Edition of '&' - Sora no Mukou de Sakimasu you ni -, with drama CD and some mysterious trinket included in the box:

So far there are two:
1. I've read Princess Evangile three times. First time +18 English version (it was one of my first VNs), then All-ages English version, and finally, last year, All-ages Japanese version (PSP). And it's very possible, that there will be fourth time There's something in that VN that pulls me back - it was a lovely feeling to revisit it, and meet old friends again. It become my "comfort VN" - together with the next one...
2. Konosora (If My Heart Had Wings) - this one I read two times - once in English (with retranslation patch), and then later I read PS3 version - Cruise Sign in Japanese (I even actually bought physical copy of it). I think I will revisit this one too some time.
I guess we could also count MashiroIro Symphony (2 times) - but this was slightly different case, since those two reads were back-to-back - I read PC version, and then PSP one in one go.

I'm a little torn over Koichoco. On one hand, it'd be nice to get another previously untranslated work rather than one with an already decent fan translation, but then there's the fact that Sprite getting some more exposure and income improves the chances of them doing new stuff. I'd very much like to see a new VN from them that isn't related to Aokana, which I definitely enjoyed, but not to the point of wanting even more content for it instead of a new IP. (But hey, I'll take anything I can get.)

Started Kisaragai Gold Star as a fall season game. Maybe I'll also start a halloween themed game.
キサラギGOLD★STAR
It's a rather lighthearted charage with some mystery surrounding their past with everyone possessing a mysterious glowing bracelet. The music is pretty good. So far it's a fairly funny and relaxing game. The story is a normal protagonist surrounded by talented childhood friends, and their shenanigenans together. So all the heroines are all osananajimi charas with exception of his sister. We'll see where it goes from here.
I went for Ichika route first, because I liked her voice actor the most. Then, I went for Mikoto route after.

Yeah the thread title here is definitely rhymed all right. Anyway the tweet in regard of it below.
Initially Steam did list it as October release, although right now it already change into Q4 2022, so it mean that at the latest we'll get the VN in December's end. That aside, as we know this is Laplacian VN which we know was released Aojashin back on February with one tiny fault that caused one tiny controversy that still enough to annoy me here (At least it won't happen with Mirai Radio here), so if possible I prefer to less talk about it for now. Anyway it's good that we finally have the long wait for it is finally almost over, especially if one already waited for it ever since Sol Press announced it (When they still have enough spirit before realized that they didn't allocate enough money to pay taxes).

Yeah, and from what I'm seeing so far, most of it has been kept in the console port (it has +17/CERO D rating actually +15, I confused it with HoshiOri) I know that it might be considered weird, but recently I prefer most of my moege (and even moreso nakige) without H-scenes I'm fine with sex jokes like those in this VN, or off-screen sex, like in Vita version of HoshiOri, but I don't enjoy reading most of the sex scenes themselves.
(When I'm in the mood for eroge, I tend to go for 3DOELVNs or some RPGM shovelware )
I think I'll go with this recommenadtion then - thanks
Currently I think I'm leaning towards Tsubame, but I'm still near the beginning, so it all might change
So we can expect some quality TL

Glad you're enjoying it; it's my favourite VN ever with just the right balance of moe, comedy, and a hint of naki.
I would suggest two alternatives:
Hekiru/Hikaru->Tsubame->Izumi->Anri->Anzu, or
Hekiru/Hikaru->Anri->Anzu->Tsubame->Izumi (my preferred)
for plot reasons, depending on which is your favourite pair of girls (as they are paired routes) and whether you want to do them last.
As for the sex, the game has a great deal of sexual innuendo outside the H scenes so if anything the AA version is very heavily cut; not the other way around. The game was written as an adult game to begin with and then modified for an AA version.
Disclaimer: I'm the translator for the official localisation with NekoNyan.

紫影のソナーニル ～What a beautiful memories～
I put this on pause for a while as I read through some other games, and now I finally got back to it.
This game is inspired by Nietzsche. They hammer this stanza every chapter:
すべて
そう、すべて
あらゆるものは意味が持たない
Everything
Yes, everything
All things hold no meaning
Memories hold no meaning, they are nothing but fragments of the past. Something that will eventually be forgotten. While Lily holds the opposite view: memories have meaning. They are the proof of people's lives and existence. As long as you remembers them, people can still live inside you. Your world is made up of your own memories. What a beautiful memories.
It's good, but it has too much otome wish fulfillment dragging it down. Plus, steampunk genre is not really my taste. I can only read so much 「わたしの、背の高い、足の長いあなた」 - "My tall darling with long legs" before getting annoyed, lol. It's a good game, but I'm obviously not the target audience.

終のステラ
The setting is in a post-apocalyptic world where large singularity machines roam around and pose a threat to anyone who comes near them. The MC, Jude, is a Transporter who gets a request to transport an android to a certain place for the revival of humanity.
Jude finds the android in an old ruin, and names her Philia. Philia wants to be a human, and Jude promises to take her to the professor who might be able to make her human. So the two travels together while trying to figure out how to be human.
Philia has a child-like innocence lacking knowledge of most things with her being a complete blank state. You watch her slowly learn about the world. She doesn't want to eat deer as she feels sorry for it, but she's fine with eating fish. I guess it shows the hypocrisy of humans as mammals are closer to us, so we can relate it to it more. She often reminds Jude of his daughter.
Her lack of sense of danger with Jude's realistic outlook makes for a good contrast. They both experience both the beautiful and ugly side of human nature through their travel.
This works seems to be about finding the boundary between machine and human. What does it mean to be human? Does having a human body make someone human even if their mind is an AI? Or is the mind what matters, if an AI passes the turing test, does that mean they are indistinguishable from humans?
It explores what is necessary for an AI to gain an ego. The professor says that for an AI to gain an ego, it is necessary to have instinct and fear. An AI stuck in a CPU case cannot gain a mind, because they cannot experience instinct and fear without a body. They need a body that can be stimulated by the outside world. I wonder what does /u/gambs think as this seems close to his field of study?
It talks about the uncanny valley: a robot that looks too close to human becomes creepy. A simple robot with a ribbon looks cuter. But the uncanny valley can be conquered by making them indistinguishable from humans.
As usual, Tanaka Romeo's prose is amazing. I have zero complaints. The background art looks great with the scenery.
Tanaka Romeo explores the relationship between parent and child well. How a child is seeking the attention of their parent to prevent from being abandoned. Why are parents willing to die for their kids? Jude's answer is because it's their instict to preserve their genes. Sounds like something Setoguchi would say, hahaha. But he adds later on, that it can develop past instinct into true love after spending time with them.
What the professor wanted was as I expected a 人柱 ending: sacrifice the few for the many. While it might be good for society, if it doesn't prove beneficial for the people being sacrificed it's a conflict of interest. So Jude ends up risking his life to save Philia.
At its core, it's an adventure of two people who learn more about the world：its beauty and ugliness, what it means to be human, and about family love. Tanaka Romeo has created another great piece.
For those who also just want to read a moege, not to worry, Philia is moe as hell. You can ignore all the complicated story and just focus on how moe Philia is.
 

美少女万華鏡 -神が造りたもうた少女たち-
I can see why some people can like Biman 3 so much. It has lots of meme, and lots of it is based on Steins; Gate. But the story is rather meh. It's decent enough for a sci-fi, but there are plenty of better ones. What I would praise it for though is I guess the threesomes scenes which the previous Biman games did not have.
It explores the relationship between religion, science, and the masses. How religion is used as a tool by those in power to keep themselves at the top, and the masses use it to mentally support themselves in hard times. It is amazing how self-aware Japanese are of religion, while accepting it themselves： 「苦しい時の神頼み。」 But honestly, compared to Tsui no Stella, it is rather shallow. Still, It is a decent game with a rather strong ending.

Keep in mind that Kamishino had over a decade to get translated, and yet it was only finished recently as a passion project.  Moreover, though the initial translation was done some time ago, it was only recently that it was actually released.  I imagine if a potential translator plays the translated version and wants the two remaining paths, it might be a possibility.  However, keep in mind that most fan-translations fall apart for a reason, and those two paths are a prime candidate for manufacturing such a reason (they are unnecessarily long for the actual content contained within the path, as well as having a more H focus than the other four paths).

It seems people have misunderstood my reasons for leaving 2 routes out of the translation. It wasn't just because I couldn't find another translator, it's because those routes are really average compared to the wonderful routes that I was happy to translate. If they were good, I would have just translated them myself. In my opinion, the game is better without them.

And here it is.
 

Brought to you by the creators of ATRI with Konno Asta as the writer and Yusano as the artist. The title of the game is Ginka
 
 

I'm playing Yakuza 0 (on Steam) and there's literally a side-story where a ring of high school girls (led by a bully) are selling their used underwear.  There's another side-story where an elementary schooler solicits the adult main character to be his girlfriend, and says she'll "give him her precious thing".  And yet another where some punks try to sell a mother and her elementary-school child into prostitution.  So, uh, yeah.
Keep in mind: Sony NA is giving some of these titles a pass, while Valve isn't.  So yes, Valve being stricter than Sony--while simultaneously carrying actual porn--is headline-worthy.

He was looking for something incredibly specific though. Basically a moege with a black protagonist, which indeed might still not exist.
Also you reviving this saga threatens to activate my PTSD, this was one of the weirdest chain of threads in Fuwa's history and I indeed hope the OP found some source of happiness outside of his dream game no one wanted to make. I don't think this is even the worst or most confusing/desperate of his posts. 

Kudos to JAST for knowing how to show appreciation for their established fanbase! A lot of publishers won't even give a discount for owners of the original game when they release a  remaster or port.

JAST announced today that they will release a fully remastered version of Heart de Roommate from Angle Smile at the end of September 2022!
Content in the remaster:
The remastered version will be free of charge for owners of Heart de Roommate on JAST.
PreOrder here to get a 15% launch discount.
 
(sorry for the styling, I'm on a phone. Will tidy it a bit up once I am on a computer)

Today I fininished Touko's route, and with it - after whopping 123 hours - I have completed console version of HoshiOri
Touko's route is even more "odd one" than Rikka's - but that doesn't have to be bad thing. It has rather slow start, but once it gained traction, it was pretty enjoyable. Touko's cat-like personality was quite amusing, and the character development she undergoes is great. The thing it was missing the most (IMO) was the presence of other friends in after-story. On the other hand, there were few really nice thoughts about love and commitment weaved into it. Also, the school arc of Touko's route further cemented my love for Sora ❤️
Additionally, in console edition, similarly to Rikka's route, Touko also got very nice and heartwarming post-credits epilogue.
So now, I guess it's time for some summary.
It's very good moege, but only for die-hard slice-of-life lovers I'm one of those so I enjoyed it - although due to the sheer length it can get a bit tedious. However, as I said in my previous post, the formula worked for me, even if it wasn't the best moege I played - that title still belongs to Mashiro Iro Symphony
The main highlight of this title for me is that it's oozing with heartwarming wholesomeness - which is especially pronounced in console version ❤️
As for ranking of routes and girls... while I fully acknowledge the very high quality of Rikka's route, my personal favorite after all was Sora
I actually liked all the routes (with different intensity), so it's a little difficult for me to rank them, but I think that going from top to bottom it would be something like Sora = Rikka > Touko = Marika = Natsuki > Misa - but they're all very close to each other.
The VN looks beautiful, and I especially like the art style of sprites - I just wish there were more of them for side characters too.
Considering all of this - it's a solid 8/10 for me
******************************************************************************************************************
Now let's take a moment to talk about differences between console edition and original +18 PC version. The console edition is rated at +17, and it takes similar approach to Princess Evangile - the sex happens off-screen, but it's fully acknowledged that it happens. Additionally, there some added story events (according to credits, it was done by original scenario writers). It's actually pretty bold for the console version at times - including the use of nude sprites if there's only close-up used in the scene (so the nipples aren't visible).
The additional and replacement scenes actually enhanced the experience for me - the writers did pretty good job to convey the intimacy between characters, and added epilogues for Rikka and Touko are simply great.
I skimmed through original adult version, but I found the amount and length of H-scenes to be overwhelming, and also some of those felt rather out-of-character, adhering too tightly to the porn cliches and tropes. OTOH, the lack of some additional scenes from console edition also was painful, since they felt really natural.
Below I'll list the most significant changed/new CGs for each route.
The common thing is, that each girl received additional pillow talk/sleeping together CG, if it wasn't there before.
1. Sora
2. Marika
3. Natsuki
4. Misa
5. Rikka
6. Touko
And that's it. I know I'm the weird one, but I wholeheartedly recommend the console version. If the additional scenes have been indeed ported over to PC for Perfect Edition, then that might be also worth checking out for h-scene lovers Although I've seen some reviews complaining that the merging was done sloppily in some places.
Now I have to take a break - and in the meantime choose the next title to read. I'm leaning towards Hatsuyuki Sakura (PSV) that I bought together with HoshiOri.

Yesterday I finished Rikka's route in HoshiOri
It was indeed quite different from the previous four routes when it comes to the structure and style, and it was great
Rikka's school arc was amazing - both the first part, where she gradually opened up to Ryousuke and the rest of the girls, and the second, where she confronts her inner conflict. Meguru was also very welcome side character BTW the story of two pianist sisters reminded me about Yui and Rea from Parfait - the stories are different, but for some reason I immediately thought about them.
After story was also very nice and heartwarming. BTW - I'm a sucker for marriage endings, so this VN so far was truly a feast for me ❤️ It's also worth noting, that console edition got vastly extended post-credits epilogue. In the original PC version it was just single scene of
and the game ends there. In console version we get another arc after that - basically an after-after-story, and it was great
So now, with 102 hours under my belt, my feelings towards this VN are similar to @Seraphim's - my top routes are definitely Rikka and Sora, although I'm not sure which one wins. While Rikka's route was definitely of "highest quality", Sora's route had a bit higher emotional impact on me. Maybe it was because I read it first?
Now let's see, what Touko's route has for me I honestly have no idea what to expect, since Touko remains rather mysterious character, but I'm eager to find out
The only hint I can go by is that some people say that there's minor spoiler for Touko's route in Rikka's route. The only thing that comes to mind is
 

She does Misaki in Chrono Clock as well, which I'm currently reading. I'm a big fan of her work, but I'm not very fond of Karen in particular, because I think her voice sounds a bit too artificial/strained there. Other than that, I most recently heard her as Momoko in Koikari, which I enjoyed a lot.

Yesterday I started the famous Rikka's route in HoshiOri. I'm just a few days into it (still in June - I played only for 2 hours) but it's on another level already 😮
Look's like I'm in for a treat. And Rikka seems to be awesome character. I already liked to see how she opened up to others during other routes - I'm really looking forward to how they elaborate on that in her own route. For now she seems to be one of the cutest tsunderes I encountered so far .
Also, her VA is extremely versatile - it's really hard to imagine that the person who voices Rikka also gave voice to characters like Airi from MashiroIro Symphony, Amane from Konosora, Satouin from Anokana or Karen from Making Lovers among others 😮