Paradise Lost was the first game in Masada's/Light's 'Shinza series (Paradise Lost>Dies Irae>Kajiri Kamui Kagura). For the sake of those who read Dies Irae but still don't understand how this universe/setting works, I'll explain it in a spoiler box at the end of the post.
Paradise Lost is based in the ruins of a city once called Sodom, now the Quarantine City, a city full of poisonous miasma that causes death and mutation in its inhabitants, a city sealed from the outside world by an impenetrable barrier, a city where Darwinism is the only law. All the denizens of that city are beasts, monsters who combine human cruelty with the lack of restraint of an animal. In that city, a man, sometimes named Lyle, at others Nacht, and at yet others Death Scythe, walks the streets of the darkest, most toxic area of the city, stained with the blood of those unfortunate enough to encounter him.
That's my intro to one of Paradise Lost's two protagonists, Lyle. In a city where everyone is out for themselves, with no pretense of anything else, Lyle is a living legend, a monster who kills simply because he can, because he feels like it. Always at war with his even more violent alternative ego, Nacht, he searches for a past lost so long ago that it was forgotten by time itself. Frozen in place for years, time begins to move forward when he encounters the angel Ririel deep in the depths of the Dead Zone.
The other protagonist, Knowe Christ, is a bit more comprehensible from the average human perspective. He is a young man who is on the lowest rung of the Quarantine City's societal ladder. Born with defects that make a life of violence impossible for him, he supports his adopted little sister Sophie by selling drugs and being a 'body chopper', selling his own body parts for enough money to feed them both. He loves Sophie dearly, and she is the only thing keeping him sane in the abyss that is that city.
Paradise Lost is, like all Masada games, over the top and pretty much a perfect example of epic chuunige style (as opposed to the standard types, which are less melodramatic and grand in scale). In some ways, this game avoids everything that Masada normally does poorly (namely slice-of-life) entirely. It is pure story from beginning to end. There is no conflict between daily life and the darker struggle, because the struggle is merely an extension of that daily life. Both protagonists are dark by nature, though Knowe can be pretty frustrating for his surprising naivete (understandable, since he is a weakling by the standards of the city).
This game has a lot of great fights and slaughter, and the actual story is pretty interesting. Unfortunately, the visuals are dated (though still pretty cool) and the protagonists aren't voiced, both of which are negatives for a chuunige (you would have thought Light would have fixed that when they re-released the game). There is only one truly good person in this entire VN (Ririel), and most of the characters in the game would be considered to be monsters by our moral standards. Both inside and outside of the city the world is a huge dystopia, with merely the vector differing.
This game uses a lot of Christian apocrypha (as should be obvious, considering that Ririel is an angel) in the setting, but it is done in a way that should be pretty offensive to most Christians, lol (seriously, I don't think that Masada could have so thoroughly designed a blasphemous work even if he'd done so intentionally).
While there are six endings to the game, it should be noted that there are only two possible overall outcomes, with the only differences between them being whether the endings are focused on Knowe's side (and one of his two heroines) or Lyle's side. Basically, the essential difference between the endings is determined by whether the antagonist succeeds or fails in his main goal (ironically, the antagonist succeeding creates the 'good' endings).
Overall, this game is a great chuunige... but anyone who doesn't like chuunige won't like it, because there is literally nothing but chuunige content in this game.
I decided while I was playing my Tsuyokiss marathon to replay the Majikoi series. My reason? I played the original over five years ago, and my perspective on it was bound to have changed since. In that sense I was correct. I came to one conclusion that I'll go ahead and state beforehand... Majikoi is a game that definitely picks its readers (in a sense, this is true of all of Takahiro's games).
Whereas the Tsuyokiss series is, for better or worse, a series of VNs in the 'traditional golden age beginning of the charage' style, Majikoi is more like 'I thought of this setting while I was high on pot and decided to take it as far as it would go'. The fact is, Majikoi is most enjoyable for those who can sit back, let go of their grip on reality, and just enjoy it for what it is without constantly being driven crazy by the over-the-top (in a different sense than a chuunige) nature of the setting and characters. If you can't do that, you are bound to hate or at least be disinterested in this VN. Noble Masters, the first Minato Soft game written by Takahiro, had a similar sensation to it, but Majikoi pretty much takes it as far as it can go (without escaping the slice-of-life boundaries of Takahiro's stories completely).
For better or worse, most of this VN is slice of life. It is generally good/amusing slice of life, so I actually don't mind even now, but the sheer number of 濃い characters can at times grate on the nerves, even as those same characters provide a lot of amusement. The obsession with strong women that Takahiro obviously has makes for a great set of heroines in all of his games, but it also means that the protagonist's position is weak, no matter how talented he is (even seeing things through Yamato's eyes is pretty frustrating sometimes, though not as stressful as either of the Tsuyokiss protags).
Unfortunately, people who like 'soft' women will find this VN less than attractive. All of the main heroines are pretty headstrong and difficult to deal with, and Takahiro's approach to the romantic part is pretty... sex-trainer-ish at times. It was like that in Tsuyokiss as well (from the summaries on Getchu, I'm pretty sure it was intentional). Chris's path caused a lot of arguments from prudes and 'freedom of H-scenes' Fuwans in the past, if you want the most drastic example, lol.
I honestly enjoyed the VN as a whole still... but I probably wouldn't rate it as high as I did back then, if I were playing it for the first time now. Kazama is just annoying to me now, rather than being a piece of comic relief, for instance. As I said above, there are a lot of points in this VN that split opinions drastically based on taste, and those who love this VN will love it... and those who hate it will trash it like crazy. I love the setting, simply because it reminds me of Simon Green's love of 'there is no point in explaining, I just want to put this in there so I will' writing style. It is an acquired taste for those used to reading stories with more rational settings though.
About the February Releases
Currently, fun2novel is reading Ouka Sabaki for me, and he has a fondness for mystery games and the Ace Attorney series, so he is a good fit for that game. When he completes it and I post his commentary, we'll make the decision on the VN of the Month for February at that point.
Omoi o Sasageru Otome no Melody
This is the newest game in Ensemble's ongoing trap protagonist series of ojousama-ge (charage where all or most of the characters are rich girls). In this one, the protagonist dresses up as a girl to both attend school and teach music at a girl's school. He does this because he wants to play the piano his father tuned that is only played during the school festival.
Now, I should say that this VN shares the singular flaw that all of the VNs in this series after Koi no Canvas have made... primarily the lack of depth in the heroine settings and the weak endings. So, in that sense, this isn't an improvement over any of those, which I generally rated between a 6 and a 7.
This game's common route is short and to the point, splitting off into two differing arcs based on your first choice, then into heroine routes based on your second choice. The differing arcs also represent differing experiences with the characters in general and the heroines specifically, since the circumstances differ greatly.
Now, setting aside my displeasure with the endings and the weak character settings (all character settings save the protagonist are 'confined' to the school, with almost no reference to their lives before or their formative experiences), I can honestly say that they did the protagonist well. This is despite the fact that he is basically the same protagonist as in the previous games in the series, based off of Koi no Canvas's protag, who was kind-hearted and giving but more than a little passive outside his areas of expertise (this has become a series tradition, to mixed results). In this protagonist's case, it actually fits really well into his role as a teacher, so it isn't as much of a downside as it was in the previous games.
Now, the focus in this VN generally lies with the music and the development of the relationships with the heroines, rather than the heroines themselves, if that makes sense to you. That decision, as in previous games, to ignore the 'history' of the heroines, means that character development is based entirely in the here and now, with no information on the 'why' of things in depth. It also means that you won't see outside influences dropping in to create drama, which is rather a waste considering that one of the attractions of ojousama-ge by other companies is the way the parents or circumstances almost always intervene to interfere in the romances.
Don't expect a strong conflict in this VN... for the most part, the girls all end up accepting the protagonist in their paths with relatively little worrying, a fact that left me feeling a bit bemused. Mia, in particular, seemed like the type to at least go to another teacher with it (I was kind of looking forward to it), so I was a bit let down in this sense. Generally speaking, while there are 'moments of drama' there aren't any drawn out drama elements in it, so tension tends to be limited to one or two scenes before it is resolved.
Romantically, since this is a relatively short VN, things move really fast, as they always seem to in this type of VN. Because the protagonist is in an 'upper' role to most of the heroines, it actually works better than it did in the previous games in the series, even if it shared some of the same elements.
The big attraction of this VN is the protagonist's teacher role, at least for me. For the first time since Koi no Canvas, I actually felt like the protagonist was playing an interesting role... and at the same time, he is also a brilliant and devoted pianist, which is a huge positive. In this sense, this game escapes the 'pale and useless' protagonist box that almost every charage falls into.
So... is this a good VN? It will probably pick its readers. First, you have to be fond of or at least tolerant of trap protagonists. Second, you'll have to bear with the lack of in-depth character settings. Third, the endings are even less in-depth than the normal charage. This is a decent VN, in my opinion. However, it isn't VN of the Month material, unfortunately. It is an improvement over the last few games in the series, though.
Edit: Just a bit of information... all of these VNs after Koi no Canvas were written predicated on the future release of a fandisc. That seems to be at least part of the reason for the weak character development, though it is inadequate as an excuse.
... something to look forward to. Amatsutsumi is nothing like what I thought it would be, in a good way (at least from my point of view). Purple Soft really has been going off in weird directions with their last three non-FD titles... Hapymaher was a kamige, Chrono Clock was good... this one could go either way, but the beginning is pretty fascinating (in the way watching a car crash is fascinating from the outside).
From now on, in addition to my forum posts, I will be posting my VN of the Month and Random VN posts here, as well as occasional generalized comments on trends in VNs and the Western VN world in general. Feel free to comment and argue with me, as I welcome constructive (emphasis on that) criticism (in other words, commenting just to be a troll is not welcome). If you feel that my comments on a particular VN don't fit your impression of it, feel free to write a rebuttal in the comments.
It has been a while since I bought a new jrpg and played it all the way through in under six months... To be blunt, most new jrpgs just aren't worth finishing these days. I gave up on Atelier shortly after Mana Khemia, Square hasn't produced anything interesting in ten years (for a story-addict), and most of the best old series are dead or in semi-permanent hiatus stasis.
Before this, I played Zestiria, and if you read my comments on it, I mostly liked it, though there were some aspects I wasn't particularly impressed with (the Armatization system, the translation of the skits, etc). If I were to give Zestiria a 7 out of ten for making a good effort and keeping my interest to the end, I'd rate Tales of Berseria a 10/10... the rarest of things, a modern jrpg kamige.
I almost never give 10 ratings, whether of VNs or of Jrpgs. The reason is simple... even kamige rarely get everything right. In the case of a JRPG, this is even harder than with a VN, since it not only has to have an impressive story and presentation... it has to reach a level with the gameplay, music, and visuals that is impressive as well, if not perfect. Tales of Berseria is one of those rare games that manages all of that. Since I'm not a technical critic, my impressions of the visual and sound aspects are emotional reactions more than anything else.
For character designs, the only character design that set my teeth on edge besides the Normin characters (returning from Zestiria) was Magilou... I have a serious distaste for jester costumes, and Magilou's is just plain ugly to me. This is an aesthetic comment, based on my personal sense, and I realize it won't be shared by everyone else. On the other hand, Velvet is... perfect. The visual change from the village girl, to the ragged prisoner, to the vengeance-seeking daemon in a ragged black coat, red bustier, and skirt was visually striking and very definitive of her in her roles in the early story. Most female character visual changes during a JRPG tend to be... unpleasant (I love long hair, so that tendency for some of the females to all of the sudden cut their hair drives me insane). Velvet was a rare exception in that. For fans of Zestiria, seeing Eizen not as a giant man-eating lizard but as a bad-ass pirate in black was a nice intro to the guy who had so much influence on Edna from the previous game. His fist-fighting style, his voice (Japanese), and his visual design are all as I would have imagined them, considering how Zaveid refers to him in Zestiria. In addition, seeing a younger Zaveid, before his Zestiria way of living was established, was a nice treat... and getting the background behind his words in the first game is also nice. Laphicet, who is essentially Velvet's biggest partner throughout the game's story, has a fairly mediocre design (someone has a shota-complex in that studio), but his magic is fairly awesome to see, and his voice is actually pretty good, for a child-styled voice (most are too high or too low, even in Japanese). Eleanor has a personality that will grate on some people, and her visuals fit it quite well, since she has a very straight-laced personality (though she does loosen up as time goes by). Rokurou is probably the third-best design of the group... his facial design, the movements of his eyes and expression during combat scenes, and his hybridized Japanese-style clothing all fit together nicely with his psychotic personality to create a solid character who partners up well with Eizen as one of Laphicet's male role models.
Story-wise, this game is essentially a long revenge story... it isn't about saving the world. The enemy is 'saving' the world. No, Velvet doesn't give a flying bit of monkey poo about the world. She is far more interested in murdering her step-brother for his murder of her younger brother in the incident that stripped her of her humanity and destroyed her village. She is cold, ruthless, and filled with hatred that, when combined with her daemonic hunger, makes her a pretty scary character. She would make an excellent second-to-the-last-boss in most JRPGs, simply because of how intense she is, retaining a level of humanity that strikes to the heart while acting in a manner that is almost too focused on the results to be a fully functional human being. Oh, she has her soft moments... but as the saying goes, even the worst of villains will sometimes be kind to a child or save a puppy.
That is perhaps what is most exhilarating about this game. Most of the player characters are unabashedly selfish in motive, acting solely for their own sake, regardless of the cost to those around them. For a world being consumed by a blight that is actually worse than the one in Zestiria in some ways, this makes them true villains, even if their enemies are just as bad in their own way. Velvet's fighting style is visceral, brutal, and it perfectly fits the action-oriented battle system of this series. Feet, fists, and blade all in one ball of fury (literally) that sometimes strikes out with a demonic claw to devour her enemies.
That brings me to the battle system... except for two major elements, this can be considered to be functionally the same as most other Tales games since Abyss. The first of these elements is the 'souls' system. In this system, you can gain more action points (SP) for future combat actions by inflicting status ailments or killing enemies, thus strengthening you at their cost... but in exchange, if you let them inflict ailments on you, you lose souls, and this severely limits how you can act once it gets down to one or two. The solution to this is the second element... the 'soul break', where you can, at three souls or above, sacrifice a single soul to use a special move that has various effects on how you fight. Since I fought with Velvet throughout the entire game, I'll just speak about hers. Her ability allows her to strike out with her 'claw' and 'therionize' (eat) a part of her enemies (incidentally also breaking their guard and leaving them open to further attack) and gain a boost of some sort based on the type of enemy she ate. The primary advantage of this state is that she can continue attacking until the effect runs out, ignoring her remaining number of souls. It also heals all status ailments and debuffs and some HP, as well as making you invulnerable to ailments and knock-backs. Unfortunately, it also immediately begins to drain HP, and if you maintain this state for too long, it is entirely possible to run yourself down to a single hp, if you aren't careful about getting hit. Since killing enemies can also restore hp, this isn't an entirely bad state to be in, and if you have enough souls stored up, you can maintain this state by 'eating' an enemy whenever it is about to run out. On Normal mode, I felt like I was playing a Tales version of Dynasty Warriors at times (with a greater variety of attacks), lol.
Second in importance for gameplay, at least as far as I was concerned, is the equipment skills... basically, every equipment type has a single skill that the equipable characters can learn permanently by earning enough Grade while wearing it. I had all of the ones available by the end, and I hate to imagine how much harder most of the game would have been without them. Why? Because stat increases due to experience gaining are insanely minimal in this game, leaving you reliant on equipment-enhancement and equipment skills to make up the gap... oh and player skills, but that goes without saying. On harder difficulties, it only gets worse (believe me, I had some horrible experiences when I set it to the harder modes for the hell of it until I got used to the changed rhythms of battle).
In any case, now down to the story... to be blunt, no other Tales game even gets close to this game in terms of story and presentation. Vesperia was good, but it didn't have anywhere near as much of an impact as this one did on me. I cried, raged, and laughed with the characters from beginning to end, despite having weeks-long gaps between my playing sessions. That is how deep an impression this game left on me, that I could pick it up after a fairly long hiatus and get just as absorbed into the narrative as if I'd never left. By the end, I was weeping for both sides of the conflict, while agreeing from the heart with Velvet and her crew, it was easy to empathize with Artorius, despite his inhumane actions and manner. As revenge stories go, it was far deeper than you'd expect, while retaining the essence of how it began from start to finish... a feat that is greatly impressive to me. Not to mention that Velvet and crew's journey was never, at any point, about saving the world... a huge advantage over other jrpgs in and of itself.
A few Linguistic comments
In the Japanese language terminology there were some really interesting (for me) differences in how the same elements were referred to between games. Whereas the Japanese term for the Malak in Zestiria had nuances of divinity to it, the term used in this one referred to them as 'spirits', with a nuance of something that could and should be used as a tool. As for the daemons, the difference in terms was even more telling between the games. In Zestiria, they are 'hyouma' (Hellions), a term which can be translated as 'possession demons', divesting the individual in question of built-in responsibility for what he has become. However, in Berseria, they are called 'gouma', a term which can be translated as 'sin demons'. This simple alteration of phrasing marks a drastic difference in attitudes between the Shepherd-equivalents (the exorcists) of Berseria's age and Sorey in Zestiria. This difference in attitude is reflected throughout the story, creating an atmosphere that is drastically different from the one in Zestiria. 'Subtle' isn't a quality you usually ascribe to JRPG makers, so I was all the more impressed with this game for the linguistic aspects.
EDIT: Ah, if you didn't figure it out from the text above, this game made me back into a fanboy for the first time in a while. Sixty hours across one and a half months plus complete satisfaction in how it ended and the process of how it reached that ending... such a rare experience for me these days.
Studio Ryokucha. This company is fairly unique, utilizing an art style that differs dramatically from the standard for moege/charage but still falls into the same realm nonetheless. In addition, this company has produced a disproportionate number of excellent games, despite the fact that they are all essentially charage (though the degree to which they fit the genre differs from game to game).
Natsuiro Koi Uta is their latest work, a ‘pure’ charage set in modern Tokyo. It starts out with an archetypical turn of events… a young man (the protagonist) and a woman (one of the heroines, Yuuna) faking being lovers to deal with their families trying to arrange a marriage for them. The ‘fake lovers’ trope is one of the single most annoying tropes in existence, not the least because it makes actually forming a real relationship unnecessarily complicated.
As a ‘pure’ charage, this VN’s drama is quite limited and easily resolved, despite the seeming seriousness of the obstacles and drama in each path. To be honest, I was looking forward to a more interesting set of events popping up in the heroines’ paths, but things tended to settle down with surprising ease, leaving me feeling a bit left behind.
This VN has its emotional moments, but I will be honest with you when I say that the VN pales after having played Yomegami immediately before it. As charage go, it is a high-level VN. Two of the four heroines are interesting (I dislike genki-kei baka imoutos and wannabe oneechan osananajimis as heroines), but, because of the fake relationship thing, the protagonist has a tendency to go half-hetare right before the formation of the relationship. I honestly have very little patience for VNs that keep you in suspense about the formation of the relationship for better than half of each path, so, despite liking Shion and Yuuna, I still felt that their paths were a bit frustratingly tedious at the beginning and a bit too sexual once the relationship formed (think seven h-scenes per heroine…).
If it sounds to you like I’m just using this post to bash this VN, that isn’t how I mean it. I enjoyed parts of this VN and I honestly like the setting. However, it lacks a central story that isn’t entangled in romance, and I’m afraid that, after Yomegami, my tolerance for pure romance VNs has fallen a lot lower.
Overall, if you just want a normal charage full of adolescent romance, this VN is a good choice. However, if you want an interesting story, this VN will leave you wanting.
This is the newest title from Lump of Sugar, and as is typical of their recent productions, it has a needlessly complicated system for story progression that would have driven me insane inside ten minutes if I hadn't dled the patch that removes the gimmicks from their site.
From what I've heard, LoS finally heard the screaming of their fans, that they didn't want anything to do with the pointless gimmicks that plagued Unmei Senjou no Phi and Magical Charming. Kind of sad that it took them a few years to figure it out though.
That said, this VN... is not something worth writing home about. Oh, it is as pretty as any other LoS game, and it does have a decent setting and characters... but - when the gimmicks are stripped away - it is a bare bones second-rate moege. The only route I played that I can say was completely worth the time I spent on it was Ichika's, which is probably why she was the main heroine.
The biggest downers of this VN are:
1. The gimmicks
2. The protagonist (think 'the one true idiot')
3. A lack of any sort of details of what goes on with the heroines outside of the actual relationship with the protagonist. This makes the heroines much flatter than they really needed to be and weakens the overall attachment to them.
I'll be blunt. This VN will please a crowd of those who just want a sweet romance leading up to H-scenes and very very mild interpersonal drama. However, it will be immensely dissatisfying to anyone who likes to get to know the characters in full. There are lots of tidbits dropped along the way, but the lack of details just makes that more frustrating.
VN of the Month, May 2015
Ayakashi Contract
My reasons are very simple... no other VN from May's releases even approached Ayakashi Contract in one simple area... a sense of completion and satisfaction when it was complete. While Sumire succeeded in breaking out of the 'box', Ayakashi Contract manages to use everything in the box to its best effect, which is something that should be praised, even if it falls short of kamige-level.
Yes, I went ahead and played this, having pre-ordered it on Steam. I've been pumping about three hours a day into it since it came out and my final level for my main party was 47 (which seems to be low, but that is apparently because people go for the 'beat the boss without weakening him first' trophy, pfft). This is a game designed to bring nostalgia to the minds of those who are fans of the SNES and PS1 eras, and in that sense, it definitely succeeds. It utilizes a battle system copied from one of the most famous kamige jrpgs of all time, Chrono Trigger... with a number of additions, both big and small. The world map is also reminiscent of that estimable game... but the resemblance pretty much stops there, save for a few other superficial elements.
First, I'll give you a basic rundown on the story concept. Endir, a mercenary swordsman, is sent to a certain island to assassinate a young girl, and it is there that he finds out that she is destined to die in any case, giving her life for the sake of the world, to appease the monsters. It really is, from the very beginning, a story of compassion, driven almost entirely by Setsuna herself, with Endir as a sounding board, more than anything else (your choices as Endir are fairly irrelevant).
It is easy to love Setsuna. She is kind-hearted and genuinely compassionate, as one would have to expect of someone who is going willingly to their death to save the world. As a character, she has, of course, been 'done before', but that isn't as problematic as you might think, considering how the entire VN is meant to stab you with nostalgia about as subtly as driving a nail into someone's forehead, lol.
The world map's design style is identical to Chrono Trigger's (albeit with modern graphics), and many of the skills are drawn straight from that game, name and all... though there are about five times as many skills total. All skills, save for a few found in chests and a few defaults, are obtained by selling items gotten from monsters to the Magic Associations, which gives you their 'Spritnite' if you sold them enough of the right item. There is no need for more than one of the 'command' type spritnite, as each character's techniques and magic are unique to them, so don't waste your 'budget' of sold items by getting more than one of any of them, lol. Support spritnite are another thing entirely... these give various effects, ranging from stat boosts to healing you when you kill enemies, and using them strategically can make the game immensely easier.
Most monster drops need you to meet certain conditions for them to be dropped, ranging from killing enemies with a specific element, killing them with damage close to their exact hp, or overkilling them (there are other conditions, but those are listed in the monster encyclopedia, so there is no need for me to go into detail here). This can be a bit of a pain when it comes to items from bosses, but you can re-fight bosses in certain dungeons opened up in the late game, so don't worry too much about it, lol.
One of the positives of this game is that there are multiple characters capable of healing... to be specific, both Setsuna and Endir can serve as healers, as well as damage dealers. Not being bound to keep any one character in your party just to survive can be immensely helpful... especially when their attack element is useless against the local enemies, hahaha.
The atmosphere of this game is not just shaped by the setting... but also by the music and the world itself. Piano music dominates this game, giving it a somewhat 'realer' feeling than a lot of the half-synthesized music that is common in mid to low budget jrpgs. However, while the tunes are just fine for activating your emotions, they tend to blend into one another after a while. The world... is defined by snow. Literally. Blizzards, your feet leaving a path through snow drifts, monsters rolling balls of snow both before and during battle... this game is based in winter, and it doesn't even try to be anything other than a world in winter, hahaha. Both aspects can leave you numb after a while... but the game is short enough that it isn't that noticeable if you play it in digestible bites of a few hours at a time.
Story-wise... I'd say that the writing/localization is several levels above what you used to see in the same era as Chrono Trigger (one aspect of that era that I am glad is gone is the weirdly inconsistent translations). The basic plot is classic jrpg, with endless excuses for taking the long route to get to the final destination, lol. The ending is... a bit of a letdown, from my point of view. I honestly don't see why they chose the classic 'dialog-free' ending type that used to be common in SNES era jrpgs, even if they were going for nostalgia, hahah.
Overall, this is a first-rate effort, for what amounts to a mid-budget VN directed at retro-gamers. It goes for the emotions, it ignores the intellect, and it breaks the fourth wall at times (you'll see what I mean if you go to a certain place once you get the airship). In other words, it is a classic 'save the world' style jrpg, and for those who like the older console-style jrpgs, it is pure crack, though it does leave you wanting more (I'm probably going to yank Xenogears out and play it again sometime soon, lol).
If some of you failed to notice, I've been going back over my list of ancient favorites amongst the moege/charage/slice-of-life genres. Why am I doing this? I actually have some good reasons, other than whims.
First, I keep recommending these things to people, but when you start talking about a VN you last played five years ago, people tend to let it in one ear and out the other. I mean, my long-term memory for games and books is pretty good, but my brain is fairly compartmentalized, so I don't remember them actively unless I go through the effort to refresh that memory. Can I continue to say that I honestly recommend something without playing it in the recent enough past that I can compare it to other, more recent VN experiences, through more jaded eyes?
Second, I want to know just how much nostalgia is coloring my viewpoint. To be blunt, the longer you are away from your favorite games or VNs, the more the memory gets beautified by distance in time. When I recently did a speed replay of G-senjou, I reaffirmed why I disliked the story structure while at the same time realizing that I didn't always do it justice due to my biases (no, I didn't blog on it, but I was mostly doing it for my own edification, anyway).
Third, I like to think that I try to be as objective as possible, so I wanted to reexplore my VN roots when it came to my attitude toward charage/moege. One thing I've noticed as I replayed certain charage from the past is that the best of the older generation wasted the least time on 'everyday' slice-of-life, ironically. The gradual shift to put an excessive emphasis on the everyday life aspects of charage and moege is a relatively recent phenomenon, from what I've re-experienced. A part of this is that, as the audience in Japan has aged, so has their nostalgia for an 'ideal youth' become much stronger. The fact is, a lot of the 'devoted' moe-gamers in Japan aren't young people (at least not the ones who are also erogamers). They are older people who want to experience an idealized version of youth through a non-person protagonist's viewpoint. Ironically, this seems to be the reason why the market is shrinking, since younger generations don't find that kind of stuff as accessible as the older generation does, so you can tell to some extent what generation a company is appealing to by how weak the protagonist is and/or archetypical the characters are, lol.
This is my fourth time replaying the Light VN, Vermilion Bind of Blood, and to my startlement, I realized that my only commentary on this is is in my ancient VN of the Month Thread on the forums. So... of course I cannot leave my beloved public ignorant of this game (though I've made a habit of recommending it to everyone, like Evolimit).
Vermilion was the first chuunige made by Light's second team, and it was my first experience of the team's work. It is also probably that team's single most balanced VN, and it is the only one I call a kamige, albeit with a few reservations.
The protagonist of this story is one Kashima Toshirou (who is referred to in the Western fashion as Toshirou Kashima throughout the whole game). He is a former samurai from the era just before the opening up of Japan by Perry's black ships who became a vampire. Now he is a gloomy man who serves as a watcher for the vampiric community of the fictional American city of Foggy Bottom. Toshirou is something of an anomaly amongst vampires in general... and most seem to hate him instinctively (there is good reason for this, though few ever know it). He considers all vampires merely to be an extension of humans, denying the vampire legend that most believe in, and he has nothing but contempt for those who allow themselves to drown in their power and the arrogance born from it.
This game has four heroines. They are:
Anne Portman- The first heroine. You are forced to play her route first (probably because nobody would want to go after her if given a choice). Unlike the other heroines, who are more or less easy with their lives as vampires, Anne is a timid, kind-hearted girl who is fundamentally unsuited to being a vampire. Her role in this game is quite similar to that of Kasumi in Dies Irae (more as a contrast in the form of a 'normal person' than as a real heroine). While her character is less than inspiring (that she is a heroine is the only flaw I see in this game), her path is actually quite good, though less so than the others in this game. I did and do find the ending worthy of mention, because it is... pleasant in a sad sort of way. It is also surprisingly uplifting, coming back without being tainted by my dislike for the presence of a Victim A heroine in a chuunige VN.
Sherryl McGregor- The victor of the heroine polls twice in a row, Sherryl is Toshirou's long-standing partner in both work and the home. Their relationship is a 'don't ask, don't tell' one where they don't talk about their pasts. It is an easygoing relationship, but it is fairly obvious that Sherryl fell for him decades ago. If I were to compare Sherryl to a translated VN heroine, it would be the adult Cal Devens from Phantom of Inferno, albeit with a century and a half of experience under her belt. Sherryl was born in Victorian England, and her experiences in the slums there shaped her base personality. She bluffs, she fights, and she has a temper... but underneath it all, she is as soft as a fuzzy teddy bear when it comes to Toshirou. She is also a talented singer, a skill she shows off at Casanova, the bar near the office. Her path is the most revealing of Toshirou's past (in fact, that is its structural purpose, though that doesn't interfere with its quality), and it is a fun ride... Her ending is actually pretty hilarious as well as touching, because it is probably the only path in the game where Toshirou manages to move on to some extent (Toshirou is very very stuck in his ways). Sherryl also grows a great deal as a character in this path (as a matter of course) and it is a pleasure to watch.
Nina Orlok- The Principal (political leader of a Diaspora, which is the name given to vampiric communities) of the Western US Diaspora, a young woman forced into a position far beyond her personal power by her powerful blood father's will after his death. She sees her duty as the only way to repay her father's trust in her, and she constantly struggles with the gap between what she wants to be and who she actually is. That said, she is actually a quite capable political leader (a given, since she isn't dead or imprisoned, despite being a youngling in a position that would normally only be allowed to an ancient vampire), with a core of strength hidden under the girl struggling desperately to fulfill her father's hopes. I sincerely enjoy her path, each time, because her growth as a character is inspiring, especially once she gets past her father complex. Toshirou in her path is probably the most samurai-like (in the classic sense), and the battle that closes out this path is the third-best in the VN (behind two of the fights in the Grand Route).
Ariya Takajou- The Jaeger (vampire hunter) White Pile's successor, who has come to Foggy Bottom specifically to hunt Toshirou Kashima. Driven by her desire to prove herself and a latent fear born from her experiences as a child (her family killed before her eyes by vampires), she endured training that would make a Marine recruit run away screaming to obtain the ability to almost match the physical abilities of a vampire (it is something close to inner qigong). She despises all vampires and sees them as inhuman monsters, but her meeting with Toshirou fills her with a personal hatred, as his obvious (to her) difference from other vampires drives her to obsess over him. Ariya's personality (on the surface) is very... twisted. She is probably the single most sharp-tongued heroine I've ever encountered (she makes Kagome from Comyu seem pleasant), quite naturally using insults in a tactical fashion to get vampires to lose their heads and simply because she doesn't like people. In her own path, she also develops a rather... twisted sort of love for Toshirou (and it is love, mixed with hate, gratitude, and intense sado-masochistic lust). I always rofl at the way she changes in this path, and the ending... is actually really really cool.
Grand Route- The Grand Route of this game focuses on fighting the antagonist who was the root cause of the conflicts in the VN, as well as dealing with the origins of vampires in general. In this path, Toshirou finds himself facing his past and looking into the future in a way he doesn't in the other paths. This path also has two of the best fights in the game, including the final face-off between the antagonist and Toshirou himself. This path also gives a really significant insight into the mind of a side-character whom I loved... Klaus, the previous White Pile. The ending of this path is bittersweet and faintly sad (as is common in a lot of chuunige true endings), but it also gives you a sense of completeness, closing out the VN nicely.
Side-characters worthy of mention
Isaac- Isaac is the bartender at Casanova and plays a key role in all the paths. He is Toshirou's one true friend, and his personality is a cross between a hedge philosopher and a boy who never gave up his dream (and never will). His (oddly troubling) life advice frames a lot of the game's key internal conflicts, and his influence can be felt throughout every part of the game, to some degree.
Klaus- The previous White Pile, an elderly Jaeger who fights with a gigantic stake (think a log from a log cabin with its edges carved into a spike-like tip and you get the picture). He is a warrior to the core, a man who hates vampires absolutely and has made a living sacrifice of his life to cleanse as many of them from the world as possible. In contrast, his unstinting love for humanity, including its flaws, is awe-inspiring in its strength, and he has an absolute faith in humanity's potential to rise above its own filth. He saved and raised Ariya to be his successor, and she is perhaps the only chink in his armor other than his personal hate (he normally sees vampires not as individuals but as harmful insects to be crushed) for Toshirou. He loves her deeply, in a fatherly fashion, and it is his love that is perhaps Ariya's greatest salvation, though it is also her second greatest weakness.
I picked this one as my second game for VN of the Month May for a very simple reason... this company's previous works(1/2 Summer and Timepiece Ensemble) were overall enjoyable/emotionally powerful and I was hoping for a repeat of the experience. I'll be honest and say outright that it is nowhere near either of those two for sheer emotional impact, but I did find it more interesting in some ways, intellectually.
First, the basic setting is pretty interesting. The VN takes place in a school with an absolute caste system, where most of the students are 'failures' brought in from around the country and forcibly enrolled in order to reform them and a few dozen high-level students rule over them with an iron fist. This is achieved through the use of bracelets and anklets that stick together when activated at a special student's console and a collar that can unleash electric shocks as punishment.
The protagonist basically comes into the school with the purpose of doing something about Tenjouin Aika, who is the overall absolute authority of the school, as well as being the head of the special students' organization through sheer charisma and personal ability. The story is split into two differently themed sets of routes, one purely romance-themed and the other focused on the behind-the-scenes occult circumstances that shaped the school's policies. The former's heroines are Naho and Nono, with Nono as the main heroine of that one. The latter is focused on Aika and Kanade, with a focus on Aika. That isn't to say that Kanade or Naho's routes are neglected... it is simply that the most important issues for each of the two main themes of the game is only resolved in the main heroines' routes.
The overall quality of the game - both in terms of narrative and basic story structure - is quite high and generally enjoyable, but it lacks the nakige-qualities of 1/2 Summer and Timepiece Ensemble, which is something of a downer. Rather, it focuses - sometimes to excess - on the rather straightforward themes I mentioned above, the occult issues and the straight-out romantic ones. The main theme of the story in either case is individual/personal growth, though it is a bit more complex than that.
I think that the biggest problems with this VN - and what stops it from being a truly superlative one overall - is that there is no exploration of heroine or protagonist backstory whatsoever and the fact that the lack of an extensive after-story for the heroines other than Aika.
Yes, I played this. On the surface, this game looks like a straight-out thematic nukige... but in reality it is a comedy VN that just happens to have a lot of sexual humor and h-scenes, lol.
Basically, the protagonist Shotarou receives a fatal wound protecting a pretty girl, who proceeds to kiss him, fusing her body with his, covering him in an armor suit and granting him incredible physical abilities while also healing his wounds... and then immediately asks for sex once he is finished beating up her attackers. He ends up in a '-rangers' type hero vs monster villains type situation where he faces off against plant monsters controlled by a scantily-dressed girl wielding a bow. This leads to a lot of wacky situations that are generally amusing from beginning to end.
What surprised me was that they actually made an effort to tell a story in this game. Sure, it wasn't a GREAT story, but it was a decent one, far better than you usually expect from a game so reliant on sex and sex humor. I spent most of my time laughing, but I was also able to get into the story emotionally to an extent, despite the half-assed nature of the setting.
While this isn't good enough to be a VN of the Month candidate, if you just want to play a VN with shotgun-fast humor and carefree h-scenes, this is a decent choice.
PS: I know I didn't bother explaining about this VN in detail... but literally ninety-percent of this game is endless conversations that turn into jokes, halfway decent fight scenes, and h-scenes. The remaining ten percent is the halfway decent story they somehow managed to combine with this.
This game is the one I've been waiting for... a mimikko nakige that doesn't ignore the setting or human nature.
At the beginning of the story, the protagonist, Kazuki takes in a puppy he finds abandoned in the park, feeds her, and then falls asleep with the half-feral cat he feeds occasionally watching. When he wakes up, they've both transformed into mimikko, a catgirl and a doggirl... Soon after, it becomes apparent that shortly after this event, pets around the world began turning into humanoids, resulting in the kind of mixed reactions you'd expect in the real world if that happened. The reactions, as described, vary between fanatical religious obsession and fetishism to xenophobic psychopathy and upsurges in racism... and everything in between.
Now, this game has a really odd balance... there is almost enough H content in this game to call it a nukige, but the emotional narration, the characters' actions, and the way it is written is pure nakige fare. Kuro and Hana (the cat and dog) are really obvious deredere characters, and Hana is the obvious main heroine. However, Kuro and the three other heroines are not neglected in any way, shape, or form... they all have their unique story/paths.
This game is big on the feels. Kazuki is a young man with an intimate knowledge of loneliness and isolation and a sense of compassion that is close to saintly. In addition, he is wise enough to do what will prepare the two girls in his care for the world they've come into, rather than simply protect them from the knowledge of what is is like (which would be typical for the average VN protag)... For the example in the prologue, he takes them along when he goes to the local animal shelter to help pick out the animals that will be taken to the place he works (a charitable organization that takes in abandoned pets and trains them for adoption, similar to organizations in 'no-kill cities' in the US, such as my own Austin), where they will be trained so as to make them more adoptable... and makes it clear to them the inevitable results for those who aren't chosen (note: I only chose to spoil this part because it is vital to understanding the difference between this and your standard moe-fuwa mimikko game).
This is one of three games I've encountered of the type, each approaching things from a different perspective (for one thing, this one is fantasy). Those other two are Sakura Iro Quartet and Otomimi Infinity. Nekopara ignores human nature a bit too often to make it into that particular rarified company, lol.
Anyway, for those interested in a mimikko nakige with really good feels, this is a good choice. This is a great emotional story. However, don't expect extreme levels of depth or dark motives from the main characters, since they are all essentially good-hearted people.
The Growlanser series is one of those weird, hardly known jrpg series that died out after the ps2 era (mostly because its gameplay was too traditional, but also because the transition to 2.5D sprites failed so miserably in V and VI, along with the derivative, predictable story). However, before its death, it produced four first-class games, three of them linked in a single chronology. IV, also known as Wayfarer of Time, is the exception in the series as a whole, being the only entirely standalone game.
Growlanser IV's Western release was on the PSP (also playable on the Vita and PSTV) with a modified main route and an 'evil' route that you could access on NG+. The first four Growlanser games can be said to be very attractive to those who like player agency. This is because, depending on how you fight, how you play, and what conversation choices you make (three of the four protagonists are silent ones whose) you could not only alter your own perceptions of the main character, but you could also alter the ending and even the game flow as a whole dramatically.
Growlanser IV isn't an exception to this, but in a way it is easier. One reason is that you aren't required to get the highest rating on all story missions to get access to the 'true' ending. Rather, it uses a 'fate alteration' system which allows you to take on sidequests, take various actions in combat, and make choices in conversations that alter how the game ends, who lives, and who dies. The 'Modified Route', which is pretty much the 'good' route, pretty much requires you to alter every possible character's fate in order to create the result of ten major characters still being alive past the turning point of the story and the end. With some of these characters, it is as simple as saving them in a certain story battle, with others it requires making the right choices in conversations with them in order to change how they act, thus preventing their deaths.
In this way, I came out of Growlanser IV feeling that, for the first time in a long time, that player agency actually mattered. Hell, I never thought scolding a girl about throwing things then showing her kindness would give me an opportunity to save her soul later.
The main story itself is heavy on war politics, much like all the other games in the series. In this case, it is a war story spread across about four years (my estimate) that ends up involving the whole of the known world. The protagonist, raised in a mercenary outfit, ends up getting involved with saving the world and the nations in it... but you rarely see him being treated like a 'chosen one' outside of a few of his own companions. Rather, most reactions are based in that person's standpoint and affiliation, which made both the enemies and allies feel real to me in a way few jrpgs ever manage.
This game manages to avoid the traditional pitfalls of the average jrpg. What do I mean? I mean that tendency toward hot-blooded idealism and dew-eyed innocence about human nature that ruin 90% of JRPGs storywise. I mean, a king isn't interested in saving the world... he is interested in enriching his country. Good people in the wrong position will do bad things, and bad people who can benefit from it will do good things. The characters feel like people, and I don't feel like I'm talking to carbon copies of characters from a thousand other jrpgs like I do with most mainline jrpgs.
The battle system in this game is a combination of turn-based and real-time strategy. Generally speaking, you start out at a certain point of the map, and your characters move in real time when you aren't making choices about their next action. It is possible to alter their course, and you can block enemies' routes with your warriors' bodies. Knacks (non-magic activation skills) can be used to strike hard, slow enemies' turns,or slow their chanting of magic. Magic takes a while to chant, but in exchange you can take normal actions immediately afterward, and spells can be canceled at any time just by pressing the triangle button and going to the character in question.
Perhaps the game's biggest overt weak point gameplay-wise is the way you learn skills (passives), Knacks (instant-use attack/support/debuff/buffs), and magic. They are learned by attaching spellstones to the characters' ring weapons (three to a weapon, with the level of the stone you can attach limited by the ring's slots) and killing enemies in battle. The reason why this is a problem is simple... only the character who deals the fatal blow to an enemy gains ability points for their... abilities. A warrior who can take out five enemies at once with the use of the circle strike knack is going to find it easier to learn abilities than a mage or archer that can only strike one enemy at a time (synchronize spells later on to cast area spells utilizing multiple characters... but it still can't beat the quickness of AOE knacks).
The greatest help to the player is the fact that you can buff before going into battle using spells, thus eliminating the need to tie up magic users in buffing for the first part of a battle. Considering that most story battles have time limits, this is an issue. This game rewards clever use of the systems like the arena and buff spells and will seriously sodomize you if you go through the game without thinking or preparing.
Overall, Growlanser IV was the series' peak, and it saddens me greatly that the series was killed in the PS2 era. This game is about sixty hours long for the first playthrough (successive playthroughs are easier), and it is one of the better rpg stories I've ever played, being somewhat reminiscent of Suikoden, which is funny, considering they rose to cult popularity around the same time.
First, I should state that I went into this game with a specific heroine in mind from the beginning. I might go back later and play one of the other heroine routes, but I played this game specifically because I thought the concept was interesting and I liked Hanna's character description.
This game is by Hook Soft, a company primarily known for its combination of lovey-dovey relationships, mild comedy, and surprisingly long paths. This company generally produces high-quality charage, but I always found it hard to play their games because of the sheer amount of ichaicha involved (it is probably more than you are imagining). Their protagonists are usually reasonably capable (so far, none of the ones I've played has had an average or stupid protagonist), and their heroines tend to have their own strong moe-characterizations (this company is a bit heavy-handed on the moe sometimes).
This game is no exception. The protagonist, while having the usual 'light and joking' qualities of a charage protagonist, is mostly an honor student who lives alone, works part-time to pay for his living expenses, and keeps his grades up for the sake of his scholarship. As such, it immediately passed the first 'charage hurdle' without a problem (charage hurdles being stupid tropes that ruin everything but are endemic to the genre).
This game's theme is also its gimmick. As the title hints, you have a choice after the heroine is locked in as to whether the protagonist will take the lead in the relationship or the heroine will. This results in differing outcomes and h-scenes, which provide some extra depth to the experiences with the heroine in general.
The heroine I focused on, Hanna, is technically a foreign transfer (not exchange) student, having moved to Japan with her parents and little sister Lisa some time before the game begins (relatively recently). She attends a rich girls' (ojousama) school in the area and is an object of admiration for her grace and beauty both in and outside the school. She is a gentle-mannered girl from beginning to end, meaning you'll only rarely see her angry... but she does get jealous (in an adorable fashion). I liked how the path and common route both hand the protagonist learning what kind of person she was, her circumstances, and filling in the gaps between his initial perceptions and the reality as it went.
I really want to praise this company for the smooth transition from the common route to the heroine route. It felt so natural that I wouldn't have even noticed if it weren't for the choice as to who was to take the lead in the relationship. In fact, I've rarely encountered VNs that were this smooth and well-paced, which reminds me of why I kept trying to play this company's games despite the fact that the huge amounts of ichaicha could wear on me at times.
Hanna- Protagonist Lead
The path where the protagonist leads is pretty straightforward. As they spend time together, Hanna gradually changes, losing some of her hesitance to rely on others, and she gradually comes to rely on the protagonist deeply. This is generally a path where an already adorable Hanna becomes even more adorable and reveals more facets to her personality and her relationship to her family. There is a ton of ichaicha, as is common for Hook soft games, and the 'small drama' common to charage heroine paths is fairly easily resolved in a way that provides a neat conclusion to the path. The epilogue is fairly cute, and it made me smile.
Hanna- Heroine Lead
The first thing I noticed was that the confession scene was completely different. Where the protagonist was the one desperately pushing himself to confess to her in the previous route, in this route, it was her trying to find a way around her hangups to confess to him. The interesting thing is the difference in how the initial hangups are resolved between the paths, and I thought it was a clever gimmick.
While some key parts and details are echoed between the path, they are presented differently, and in this path, Hanna is far more aggressive about the relationship, whereas the protagonist is slightly more passive (this route actually feels more like a standard charage route, given how most charage protags only have fake personalities). From a visual perspective, Hanna's everyday-wear outfit is changed in this path from the other and the common route (indicating that you were meant, at least in her case, to play the other one first - yay me! - most likely).
In addition, this path has short scenes from Hanna's perspective, something the other path lacked, probably because it was a path focused on the protagonist leading the relationship.
What is most marked about this path in comparison to the other is Hanna's personal growth. She quickly goes from your standard 'passive ojousama' to a strong personality that dominates the relationship without crushing the protagonist's personality or pride. I liked that they changed up how Hana acts in every way while not ruining her basic characterization, and I had to appreciate how carefully thought out it must have been in advance. Indeed, there are facets of Hanna that come out only in this path, which makes it worth playing on its own.
Conclusion
A Hooksoft charage with an interesting gimmick/concept, some good comedy, and a lot of heavy ichaicha. If you want the 'gold standard' for charage, Hooksoft is one of the companies to look to.
I have to apologize for being unable to deliver on one of my promises... to be specific, it doesn't look like I'm going to have time to finish Seiken Tsukai no Proposition this week... although, I could already tell it wasn't going to be a solid VN of the Month candidate.
Unusually, there were actually two solid candidates for May's victor... Sakura no Mori Dreamers and and Soshite Hatsukoi ga Imouto ni Naru. It really could have gone either way... both VNs are memorable and interesting, with solid stories and great characters... but in the end it was Soshite Hatsukoi ga Imouto ni Naru that won out. Why? There are a number of reasons... the biggest of which being the somewhat abrupt switches between the slice of life portions and the heavier plot portions in Sakura no Mori. It isn't a really startling problem, but it was still a bit awkward. Both stories were extremely emotional, but in the end, Hatsuimouto was just better technically.
Edit: I really, really wish my bosses would stop dumping extra work on me... every time I think I'm done I check my email and find more for me to do.
Mmm... the first word that comes to mind with this VN is 'nostalgia'. This VN isn't a high-budget affair... in fact, just from the looks and sound of it, it is fairly obvious it is on the lower-budget end of things. The music is about as generic as it comes (fairly low-quality and lacking in variation), and, while there are character sprites for far more characters than is usual, the actual resolution outside of the h-scenes is fairly low.
This is a charage/moege, with no element that varies from the basic formula of the 'classic' charage. The protagonist is a kind-hearted, somewhat lazy young man who is dense when it comes to the heroines' feelings (pfft), each of the heroines falls in love with him for his kindness and sincerity (pfft), and the heroine paths are all straight out 'fall in love>ichaicha>conflict>conflict resolved quickly>ichaicha>low detail ending' types. The heroine paths were unimpressive, and neither the writing nor the story is worth writing home about.
However, what this VN does very well is resurrect the old 'moe' visual+characterization that used to be the standard of the umbrella genre of moege in general. The heroines are designed in such a way to make those familiar with moe culture like them despite the third-rate production values. Their poses and character settings are designed to tickle those who grew up as otakus with the love-comedies of the first decade of the century, and I honestly ended up finishing it solely due to this... because, for better or worse, I loved the love-comedy anime that were so common near and just after the turn of the century.
Unfortunately, that really is all this VN has going for it. The designers of this game are obviously moege nostalgists, and they made something that the ero-gamers of yesteryear will love. Unfortunately, for modern erogamers, it isn't a particularly joyful experience, even in comparison to other charage/moege out there.
VN of the Month June 2016
I'm going to be blunt... while I briefly considered Lamunation as a potential VN of the Month, it wasn't something that I could choose from an objective perspective. It deserves an honorable mention, but it isn't VN of the Month.
Otome Domain, while it was good... was not VN of the Month material.
So, the conclusion is... that there is no VN of the Month for June 2016. I don't have the energy or time to invest in a Softhouse Chara game right now, so I'm afraid that there isn't going to be a surprise entry from Planet Dragon, either.
This is the second mimikko game from January's releases, a pure moege made by Cabbage Soft, the makers of two other games, both of which I disliked (perfect examples of charage/moege slogs in the sugary and brainless mud). I can't honestly say that Amairo Chocolata is that different from the company's other games... but I'm willing to forgive a lot for mimikko heroines.
This game is pretty short, so short I finished it in just under eight hours (it's been a while since I bothered with a game as empty of content that it was this short). Like most 'pure moege', this game is essentially endlessly cute with no real content beyond cuteness, adorableness, and H-scenes. That I was able to get through it is a mark of how much my fetishes drive me, but it also brought about a severe response from my old battle scars from years of playing such games.
The two heroines in this game are Chieri (the loli catgirl) and Mikuri (the miko doggirl). Chieri is a straight-out tsundere, whereas Mikuri is a straightforward tennen genkikko heroine. I can honestly say that there isn't a ton of depth to either of them or the protagonist, and I was more than a little dissatisfied that they focused entirely upon the cafe as the setting. With some work, it would have been possible to make this game a lot more intimate-feeling and turn both heroines and the two side-characters into something more unique. Unfortunately, such efforts were severely lacking, meaning that I played this game solely for ears and tails.
Originally, when this game came out, I bought it, played the first part of the prologue, facepalmed over the protagonist's actions, then dropped it. I still don't think that choice was a mistake, even now. That's not to say this is not an excellent game (it is), but the fact is that Kouki being a total doofus at times is annoying as hell.
This game is split into two parts, Sorceress and Alive. The two parts have significantly different story progression and outcomes, and it would be safe to say that Sorceress is a different game from Alive in many ways. Sorceress can be called a 'combat sport charage', as it focuses primarily on the heroines, romance, SOL, and the Rave tournament. This in itself is quite an enjoyable example of the sub-genre, though the gap between Kouki in his 'strategist mode' and his 'dense doofus mode' is startling at times.
Alive is more of a plotge with chuunige elements (I've had people describe it as a chuunige, but it doesn't have most of the major qualities of one). The story there is darker and much denser, showing sides of the various characters you can't see in Sorceress. Though, tbh, it is bound pretty tightly to some tropes familiar to most otakus.
The heroines are Azuria, Akina, Yuzuriha, Miya, and Riri. Riri only has an ending in Alive, but she does play a role in both parts of the game.
Azuria is your typical mother-like oneesan character... with the classic physical features to go along with it. Of the five, I think she has the strongest personality second only to Yuzuriha, who is intense behind her calm appearance. She wields earth magic, which she uses mostly in a defensive manner at first (though she does expand her repertoire).
Akina is your typical 'fire magic tsundere'. To be honest, there really isn't any need to explain her further if you've seen any number of anime tsunderes with fire magic. They all act the same way and are equally predictable. Her relationship with Kouki ends up somewhat like that of Yuuji and Shana in Shakugan no Shana (the first half of the season) in some ways.
Yuzuriha is the quiet bullied girl of the group. She uses ice magic, and her manner seems to reflect this... However, she is probably the most passionate and loving of them all by several degrees. Her relationship with Kouki has a rather larger portion of psychological dependence than the other paths, but I still think of her as the strongest personality of the group.
Miya is the apparent 'imouto' character, constantly clinging to the protagonist, always with a mischievous smile on her face. While there are definitely hidden depths to her personality, it is somewhat hard to get at them early on. She wields wind magic, which reflects her (apparent) whimsical nature.
Riri... is your typical arrogant tsundere ojousama, with fight-loving traits blended in. To be honest, she has the least amount of character development, so I have to say I think she got gypped. That said, she is a great rival for the Sorceress part of the game, and a wielder of darkness magic.
An important character to keep in mind is Yuumi, who is the most powerful mage in the school, a wielder of light magic that dominates her opponents easily. Her personality is apparently hedonistic and driven by the whimsy of the moment. She also is extremely lazy.
Sorceress
I'll state here again that Sorceress is basically a charage with battle elements tacked on. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. The 'working together to win the tournament' element provides an excellent reason for the protagonist to get close to the heroines despite his original meeting with Akina, and the actual individual story progression is quite good.
However, except for Yuzuriha's ending, the character endings were somewhat disappointing in comparison with the deeper character development of the common route and the drama of their individual routes. This is understandable in retrospect, if you've played Alive, but it was still irritating. Considering how much the romance of the paths built up the characters' dreams for the future, the lack of a 'significantly after' factor to the endings was disappointing.
The action in this game in general is about the same as a low-end chuunige (reasonable action, low on descriptions of what happened...).
Alive
Alive is a far darker story, which strips away the veil hiding the nature of the Queendom (females are dominant due to a low rate of male births), and there is a lot of death and destruction... For those who loved the characters in Sorceress, Alive can be painful at times, though the catharsis is pretty decent, especially in the middle and later parts of the story.
To be honest, due to the structure of this game, it is really, really hard not to spoil anything important. So, I'll just say that the story is good... for what it is. It is not terribly unpredictable (though I imagine some will think there is a light mindfuck in there), and the twists were rather obvious. However, for what it is, it is enjoyable.
That said, it isn't without a few severe flaws endemic to its structure. Alive is essentially a single path with seven endings (one normal, five good, and one true). As a result, there is little effort to give further life to such characters as Riri or Yuumi (until near the end), and I was immensely disappointed with how the endings were handled... in particularly the true ending.
While the five main girls all have a 'years after' ending, the lack of a harem ending (I'm not joking) after making all the girls fall in love with him (not kidding) is just ridiculous. In addition, the true ending fell flat... yes, it was nice in an abstract sense, but for someone who read through the last part of the main path on the edge of his seat, I had to wonder what the writer was thinking. While it does bring tears to the eyes somewhat, there were at least a half-dozen ways it could have been easily turned into a bawling tear-jerker final scene that would have had all the readers dribbling snot and going through whole tissue boxes. This lack of a satisfying catharsis to top off the game was a somewhat flat ending to an otherwise excellent game.
First, I should explain the differences between this version and the original. The endings and part of the story are extracted from the PS2 version, which got generally higher ratings than the original PC version, and paths from the Minikiss fandisc were added on (including Konoe Sunao's route), making the game as a whole feel more complete. This basically means that this is the definitive version of the VN and you should really play this one if you want to play Tsuyokiss.
Second, I bring up the simple reality of this VN... it was made in 2005, during the height of the 'moege golden age', when most of the best moege, charage, and the like came out. To be blunt, if we are just talking about variety of expression and scenario design, there are very few 'modern' moege variants that can compete with the best from the period of time between 2004-2007. This is a direct result of trends narrowing the range of expression in moege/charage as time went on, rather than an absolute drop in writing quality, so please do me the favor of not lumping this in with those 'but everything was better back then' people. I like retro stuff but I can admit when it really hasn't aged well.
Third, this is my second time playing Tsuyokiss. To be honest, the first time I wasn't impressed... part of it was that I'd just come off of Majikoi in Japanese (Minato Soft being a subsidiary of Candy Soft), and another part was that at the time I was a lot less tolerant of non-fantasy moege/charage. A few warnings about this VN is that it was made during the time when tsundere culture was just becoming fashionable as a distinct concept rather than just slang in VNs (tsundere having peaked back around 2010 in VNs, as opposed to 2007 in anime). As a result, they defined this VN as a 'tsundere' VN at the time, even though - strictly speaking - there is only one straight-out tsundere heroine (Konoe, who wasn't even a playable heroine in the original), with most of the others being variations on the kuudere (Nagomi), 'arrogant heroine' (Erika), or bakakko themes (Kani - also known as Kinu). There is also a yandere in there (most Candy Soft games have at least one borderline yandere), though I won't tell you who it is unless you ask. Basically, this was made back in an era when the various ideas of 'dere' weren't nearly as clearly defined as they tend to be now (mostly because writers basically force the heroines into those archetypes) and it is considered the work that basically defined the 'dere' idea for VNs.
Having played a lot more moege/charage since playing this the first time, I was surprised at how well it stands up to modern VNs. In fact, it leaves most of them in the dust. Part off this is that the Full Edition includes even more content than the incredibly long original (this VN took me almost thirty hours to complete), but another large part of it is that the lack of 'archetype-fitting' means that you can sit back and enjoy a much freer characterization experience. I honestly hated Kani, both the first and second time through, but I found it much more enjoyable to play through the other routes (except maybe Erika's, since she is something of an arrogant bitch no matter what point in the story you are at) than I did the first time around.
That said, this VN doesn't really compare well visually with modern VNs, save in basic aesthetic sense in the CGs/drawing (modern styles being the result of modern technology rather than actual advances in artistic skill). However, in terms of the audio, outside of a few voices like Sunao's (Sunao's voice is a bit... pale and awkward, to be honest) the audio comes out comparatively well in comparison to most modern VNs.
A few aspects nostalgia freaks and people tired of the de facto restrictions on moege/charage romances that exist today will probably like that there is a side route for the teacher, and the heroines aren't universally justified in their motivations (there are a lot fewer 'convenient' twists to character situations than there would be today, and as a result, it feels more natural despite using the same storytelling style as Majikoi).
On the other hand, this is no more and no less than a straight-out love-comedy with a lot more of the old-style slapstick introduced by Love Hina and Tenchi Muyo than you generally see today. It also shows off the beginnings of what would eventually become the 'complete nonentity protagonist' that dominates most moege/charage made between 2007-now. While Leo has a lot more personality than a modern moege/charage protagonist generally has (with notable exceptions here and there), he does show a lot of the qualities that have become cliched in modern moege/charage protagonists (half-hetareism, 'average' everything, 'is normally lazy but pulls out all the stops when needed').
So... if you want some nostalgia, mixed with VN historical value, mixed with high-spec writing and scenario design, this is a good choice... if you can get over the usual art-bigotry that seems to define all you young whippersnappers.
Edit: Oh, and otakus, it isn't your imagination. Fukahire's VA is the same one as Reinhardt Von Lohengrimm from Legend of the Galactic Heroes... one of the weirdest choices I've ever seen, lol.
Mistel Valentine
For those who have played Vendetta, look in the spoiler box for a small gift.
Anyway, Mistel is a Paladin of the Japan-worshiping Holy Country of Canterbury, which is based in the same region as Britain is today. She is an older woman with a strong sense of compassion, her duty as a warrior in service to her faith and her country, and a lot of experience with the ups and downs of life. As one of the three heroines, she shares one quality they all possess... a deep love of Ash.
This path focuses on Dainsleif as an antagonist, and as a result... it is one massacre after another. That guy is even crazier than Strayed from Vendetta and is an equal in his own way to the puppet-masters on the Empire's side. As is common in games with a true path, this one reveals a few elements of the protagonist's past and what is going on behind the scenes that isn't covered in detail in the other paths.
This path, like Aya's, left me crying... multiple times.
Rain Persephone
Rain Persephone is a mercenary working for the 'Sea of the Rising Sun' mercenary band who has a strong personal attachment to Ash, as well as a virulent hatred of Valzeride-style heroism that is pretty nostalgic for those who played Vendetta. That said, she is essentially a 'good' person at heart, and her priority is Ash's salvation, so she doesn't have that hopelessly black-hearted personality that Zephyr had... or that weird love of Vendetta's.
Anyway, Rain's path focuses on Cerberus and the issues relating to him and the influence of the Underworld on what is going on. As a result, it is perhaps the most... nostalgic of the paths so far. In particular, the final battle brings back memories of great times, hahaha. The downside is that, like the others, it has a sad ending... or rather an inevitably sad ending, for the same reason as the others.
Again, this path is classic Light, setting things up for a Grand/True route, and I seriously recommend that anyone who reads this game read this path after the other two heroine paths, as it reveals way too much about certain aspects of the story that kind of spoil things for the other paths. That isn't to say that the elements from those paths are included in this one, but rather, too much vital information is revealed that would probably interfere with full enjoyment of the other two. In fact, the order in which I did the paths is probably the best one, looking at things in retrospect.
True Path
This path shows off one of the few areas in which this team completely surpasses Masada... they can make a direct sequel that feels as strong in its own way as the original, without being entirely dependent on it for everything. For better or worse, Masada is terrible at reusing characters... as was proven with Bansenjin.
This is Ashley Horizon's path, above all other things. It brings all the elements introduced in the other paths together and confronts the biggest issues and antagonists head on. It is also incredibly brutal to everyone involved, as is the habit with both of Light's chuunige teams. This path is long... longer than the heroine paths by about a third. It is also highly reminiscent of Dies Irae's Marie path in the way it comes together (to be blunt, this team always builds tributes to Dies Irae into its games, both subtle and unsubtle, so that wasn't much of a surprise). The biggest difference between the two is that Ashley is closer to Marie and the girls are closer to Ren in role and personality, hahaha... I honestly think that was meant as a subtle joke on the part of these writers, a bit of an elbow to the gut for those who expect the males to always be the endlessly combative ones.
That said, these deliberate surface resemblances and subtle/not-so-subtle tributes to this team's favorite game aside, this was a fun ride. I will say that enjoying this game to the fullest requires that you have played Vendetta. Otherwise, there are huge holes in your knowledge that they aren't about to bother to fill in. While this team lacks Masada's poetic approach to everything, they do have a rhythm of their own that is hypnotic in its own way. The problem is that they sometimes let their Masada-worship get out of hand (it was worst with Zero Infinity).
Anyway, this is an excellent addition to Light's lineup and my pick for one of the best direct sequels ever, lol.
Yes, it is another Takaya Aya game... to be specific, his joint work with Morisaki Ryouto (known for his sci-fi bent and work with Applique). This work is also considered to be one of his penultimate masterpieces, which is ironic, since the company he created got bought out almost immediately after this game was released, hahaha.
Anyway, Komorebi no Nostalgica was one of two contenders for my VN of the Year 2013 and lost out to Hapymaher. However, given how Hapymaher has proven somewhat difficult to replay (the Christmas arc puts me to sleep every time), and the way I find new things in Komorebi every time I replay it, I'm going to go ahead and say that that decision was probably a mistake, lol. Komorebi is a meticulously-written game, with so much attention to detail on the part of Takaya and Morisaki that it is literally impossible to pick up everything on one playthrough... and more importantly, it has a strangely powerful emotional impact that can't help but make you reflective on the issues it brings up.
The setting of Komorebi no Nostalgica is based in the twenty-fifth century, long after the changing climate sank wide swathes of the world's land beneath the oceans and fifty years after a humanoid AI rebellion that resulted in what amounts to a negotiated draw (mostly because the AIs didn't want to wipe out humanity). The AIs in question are self-aware machines that possess human looks and emulate human emotions using a quantum processor and a unique set of self-developing algorithms. They are called the Metosera and live alongside humans in a larger society that coexists with human society while they dwell in 'Arks', large towers in the major cities that take on the maintenance and 'procreation' of their race. The government is now a world government, mostly because the nations that existed before the war were utterly dependent on Humanoids for most forms of manufacturing and manual labor and couldn't continue to exist on their own.
This VN focuses on a group of friends that discover an extremely high-spec pre-war Humanoid hidden in the walls of their school building, and the discoveries they make as they rebuild Cinema (the Humanoid in question) and learn from her.
Cinema is not a heroine, but she is undeniably the centerpiece of the story. The mysterious 'Store Manager' that customized her (to the extreme) and his intentions become central issues in several paths, and her unique aspects come into play in others. However, the universal aspect is that her presence sparks a number of issues that were dormant to rise to the surface during the course of the paths.
Main Characters
Shimazu Shouta is the protagonist, a guy who loves retro machines and is great at repairing old hardware and jury-rigging solutions to mechanical problems. By default, he is the homemaker of the family, since the two women living with him (his stepmother Kagari and his adoptive sister Akira) are both programming geniuses incapable of taking care of themselves. What stands out in regards to his character is his adaptability and his acceptance of the way the world is. This is important because it is what makes him an excellent partner for Fluorite in her path and gives the perfect perspective on Cinema.
Shimazu Akira is Shouta's adoptive little sister, a natural-born hacker with a neural implant and way too much talent for her own good. Unfortunately, her impulsiveness and intolerance of 'inelegant' solutions to programming problems lead to constant trouble, since she has no impulse control. She is utterly dependent on her brother, to the same extent as her mother, without the wisdom of years to stabilize her.
Fluorite Alvega is a Metosera who has spent most of her formative years with the 'group of friends', making her somewhat unusual for her kind, who usually end up spending more time with their own than with humans. While she has the Metosera tendency to think in straight lines and constantly analyze the world around her, she is more self-reflective and tolerant of the flaws and foibles of humans than many, who tend to be overly straight-laced.
Kaja Fruhling is the daughter of two of Kagari's (Shouta's stepmother's) coworkers and was born in Germany. She is an easygoing girl who shares Shouta's love of motorcycles and scuba diving, and she is generally easy to get along with. While has some tomboyish aspects, she is surprisingly perceptive and compassionate beneath the surface. She is an all-around athlete who often gets recruited by the athletic clubs for help, but she isn't interested in joining any of them permanently.
Sawatari Itsuki is a sharp-tongued young woman who is the most reserved and bookish in a group that is full of straightforward people. Of the group, she is the most 'balanced' in terms of talent, being a general prodigy (as opposed to one-point monsters like Seijuurou/male-Momoka, Flow/humanoid AI, or Akira/genius hacker). She is bookish and tends to get put in positions of responsibility, but this is mostly because she has a surprisingly forceful personality that is at odds with her appearance. She is also feared because of her tendency to wield 'correctness' as a weapon while being perfectly willing to ignore it if it is inconvenient to her personally.
Cinema is the Humanoid uncovered in the school's secret room. Last active the year the Two Years War began, she was designed by someone even Akira describes as a 'genius'. She displays reactions that can only be described as 'emotional' and 'alive' in a fashion even the Metosera have difficulty managing, and certain aspects of her design indicate an extremely unusual design philosophy. However, she is undeniably too low-spec to gain sentience in the same way the Metosera did... so the question is just how is it that she leaves such a non-mechanical impression on those who see her...?
Samon Seijuurou is the last member of the 'group of friends', a muscleheaded martial artist who is infamous for knocking the classroom door off its rails as he runs in just before the bell. At one point in the past, he wanted to become the strongest fighter in the city and went around picking fights with delinquents from other schools, but he eventually ran out of people to challenge. He is very simple-minded and straightforward and disinclined to question things. He has a good heart, but his inability to understand subtlety often trips him up (not to mention that he is an idiot and an open pervert).
Important Side Characters
Shimazu Kagari- Akira's birth mother and Shouta's stepmother. A genius programmer who is utterly incapable of taking care of herself (a quality her daughter shares). She has a very childlike manner and tastes, but she is in actuality very intelligent and mature (if in an odd way) beneath that appearance. Her attitude toward parenting is very much a 'wait and see while taking everything in' approach, and this has resulted in her daughter becoming a hacking wild child (who is essentially good natured) whereas Shouta became a mature homemaker despite his natural tendencies.
Samon Munenori Seijuurou's grandfather and the master of the dojo that Seijuurou, Shouta, and Kaya attend. He is a veteran of the Two Years War and one of the few veterans who managed to get past his resentment of what amounts to humanity's defeat by their creations (it was only a draw because the Metosera avoided killing humans directly, though some died due to complications later or because they helped the Metosera).
Celes is Fluorite's 'mother' and the Elder of the New Capital's Ark, the home of the city's/region's Metosera. She is a veteran of the Two Years War and one of the first Metosera to obtain sentience. She has a gentle manner and is deeply compassionate, and her attitude toward Fluorite and her friends resembles that of a gentle grandmother, as she merely laughs off the antics and trouble they got into in the Ark as kids. She sees Fluorite's oddities, born of her mixed socialization, as a source of hope for the future of her race, and she treasures the relationships that her 'daughter' has formed.
Fluorite Path
If you want the joy of discovering the details of the setting for yourself, do not open the spoiler box. I'm essentially getting extremely nerdy in the paragraphs in the spoiler box, so if you want my usual completely spoiler-free commentary, just ignore it. I considered just leaving it in the open, but I concluded that some people would not want to be spoiled about the setting to this degree.
As I say above in the spoiler box, Flow has a rather stunning gap-moe thing going in her route, with her normally calm, almost flat manner showing serious cracks when she is around Shouta (hints of this can be seen in her reactions to Cinema in the common route as well). The early part of this route is very telling about both Flow personally and the Metosera as a whole, revealing a great deal about how they think (analyzed partially by Shouta himself, who has spent most of his life around Flow as a friend). The latter half is fairly action-focused, with Cinema's issues taking center stage (really, in all the paths this happens), and it is very strongly focused on the legacy of the Two Years War. The climax of the path would have anyone in tears, and I honestly found my heart breaking each of the four times I played this game and this path in particular. The box below has a very general setting spoiler involved with this path.
Itsuki Path
First I'll say that the romance in this path is fairly conventional. Itsuki and Shouta have known one another for a long time, and they already care about one another, so there is a lot less of a hurdle for Shouta in getting together with her than with Flow, where he had a moral dilemma born of him worrying about how he affected Flow. As such, I won't comment on the romance any further, since it is little more than a device to help the story along in this path.
There is an excellent fight scene (by non-chuunige standards) toward the end of this path, and that is something to look forward to for action fans. However, the true spotlight of this path is
Yep, that was me geeking out again.
Essentially, this path contrasts the Metosera's evolution with Cinema's once again. This is one of the primary themes of the game, and Itsuki's path provides another point to build things up for the reader.
Also, the epilogue to this path is as good as Flow's if in a different way.
Kaja Path
One thing that is interesting about replaying VNs is that you realize the reasons why you forget things and remember others. All of the heroines in Komorebi no Nostalgica are extremely close to the protagonist, and all the ones other than Akira can be considered 'osananajimi' (childhood friend) characters. However, Kaja fits the most perfectly into the osananajimi template, especially in the romantic elements of her path.
Kaja's role with Shouta is as the 'friend he doesn't really see as a woman', a trope that gets pulled out a bit too often in VNs for my taste (it isn't so bad when they aren't heroines, but when they are heroines, the romance is usually wince-worthy at best). Because of this, it is no surprise that I avoided this path on future playthroughs, despite the insights it provides on Cinema. I should note that this path is one of those where there is a massive wall of text between the actual love confession and them becoming lovers (meaning the 'worrying about this and that' period is that long).
Unlike the previous two paths, this path doesn't have a major action scene, though it does have some drama. While this is a much better path than charage equivalents of the same trope, I still hate that trope, lol. The epilogue, like the previous two, is a 'several years later, after graduation' epilogue, which is always nice, since it is great to know how things turn out for the characters central to the path.
Akira Path
If Komorebi was based on D&D rules, Akira would have an intelligence stat of 40 and a wisdom stat of 5. To be blunt, Akira is something of a spoiled brat whose talent, mother's social position, and Shouta's tendency to spoil her have shielded her from most of the sticks and stones that would have hit someone like her. Her hacking ability is extremely high (helped by her uncontrollable curiosity and disinterest in restraining herself), but she tends to outright forget common sense in any number of situations.
One thing that stands out about the romantic part of this path (other than Shouta over-thinking things, as usual) is Kagari is a great mom, despite being incapable of cooking, cleaning, or doing the laundry (Shouta does all these things, lol). Her tendency to see through Shouta and the others is present in all the paths, but it is particularly in the open in this one.
Let's just say that this path has less of a philosophical bent than Flow's or Itsuki's and less of a romance/SOL focused bent than Kaja's. This path's drama is mostly focused around the search for 'Tenchou's' identity and fate after he concealed Cinema. While there is some action, the actual stakes involved are far less than in Flow or Itsuki's path.
Last Episode
Last Episode is a chapter unlocked by completing all four heroine paths. It is very revealing about how and why 'Tenchou' vanished from the public world, and it also provides a conclusion to the story as a whole. Certain aspects of this chapter change based on which heroine you choose at the very first part of the chapter, as this determines which heroine is your canon heroine, lol. Of course, I always choose Flow... if there is a choice between human and non-human, I will always choose non-human.
There are some seriously teary moments in this episode... particularly
To be blunt, this chapter is really about Cinema and the final purpose for which she was created. If you, like me, have come to love Cinema by this point, you will probably break down in happy tears.
Extra
There really isn't anything to the extra chapter (accessed using the usual Takaya Aya code nkmr). It's basically a short joke skit written for people who have finished at least one of the paths.
Conclusion
A few stylistic comments first. Each chapter of this game has an episodic preview that hints at a key aspect of the next chapter. It is done using the second opening song and credits, and I thought it was worth noting, because while it hints at what comes next, it does so without spoiling things. It is also notable that the second opening song is just as beautiful as the first one (in retrospect, the music in Komorebi is top-tier, but Hapymaher's god-tier BGMs are so beyond the pale that comparing them at the time couldn't help but be a win for Purple Soft's flagship game).
Komorebi no Nostalgica is one of a very small number of VNs that is 'complete' in every conceivable way. For better or worse, most VNs leave an opening for fandiscs, sequels, or dlc. However, Komorebi ties off all the loose ends and provides the answers any sane reader having experienced this story would want to know. Moreover, it does so in a manner that is not detrimental to any of the four heroines or their paths, which is, in itself, an incredibly unusual thing (essentially providing a true path that applies to all the heroines).
Komorebi no Nostalgica also touches on a wide range of philosophical and ethical topics, in particular relating to AI and information technology in general. That this was done without compromising the emotional aspects of the story at all is a tribute to the genius of the writers.
Final Comments
If I have any advice for someone playing this game, is that the magic (not the devil) is in the details. This is a game that rewards people who actually take the time to think about or look up things they don't quite understand from what they are reading, and both Takaya and Morisaki rather obviously created this as a work of love and art, not just business. There is food for both the intellect and the heart in almost every (non-H) scene, and the characters, especially the main ones, are all well-written and brought to life well in the course of the story, which is in and of itself both touching and food for thought.
First, I should say that, left to my own devices, I would never have played this VN. You ask me why? It's because I avoid show-business themed VNs and anime like the plague. If a rl friend hadn't begged me to try it, I would never have picked this VN up.
I should say that one thing I didn't like about this game is that it has a similar protagonist to the one from Aokana... a former talent in his field who gave up and ends up helping others 'rise to the occasion'. To be honest, I loathe VNs where the protagonist is a has-been who doesn't even face his inner demons properly in most of the paths.
Now, getting that bit of salt out of the way, I can say that, without that, this VN is actually fairly high quality, both visually and story-wise. The heroines felt 'alive' (an important aspect if you want to inject seriousness into the story), and their worries were ones even someone not involved with the industry can realistically imagine, thus making it relatively easy to relate to them. The downside of this is that the protagonist is only a cipher for telling the heroines' stories and providing an excuse for h-scenes, so it will probably split opinions somewhat.
The biggest problem, for me, was that I had no interest whatsoever in the subject matter. I don't care about voice-actors and I couldn't care less about actors, singers, etc in general. I'm only interested in the finished product, to be blunt. I don't want to hear stories about show business, and I rarely take an interest in a talent one way or the other (writers being an exception).
As such, for me a lot of this VN was involved in fighting down my distaste for the entire mess as I went along. For those who like the subject matter and don't mind the protagonist issues, this VN will be a good read. Unfortunately, this isn't a VN I'll ever be able to appreciate without my own bias getting in the way.
Ogishima (Brandole) Jun
The son of Id Brandole and Yukari of the Ogishima family. He was raised as a human by his mother, who sealed his vampiric nature on a regular basis since early childhood. While he seems mild-mannered on the surface, he has an incredible capacity for rage and ruthlessness in defense of those he considers family. He is highly intelligent, even brilliant. At the beginning of the story, Belche arrives to inform him that, if she thinks he is fit to rule, he will take over the Brandole Family of vampires and marry a woman of good family (Lian). Jun, while he resents the intrusion at first, quickly adapts to Belche's presence in his life, coming to see her as a mentor, a second mother (who loves him deeply and makes it obvious in a number of little ways), and vassal. His tendency to value 'family' (in a broad sense) over anything else is apparently shared by all men of his bloodline. As a Shinso/First, he is technically immortal (he can be killed but will eventually resurrect given time) and will turn anyone he bites or shares bodily fluids with. His blood, saliva, and other fluids feed his vampire virus to his servant vampires, maintaining their lives and powers.
Belche (Elceranto De Annoyance)
Belche is perhaps the most interesting character in the game. She was originally from Ireland (up to four hundred years ago, as the rumors and historical records are blurred and she herself states she forgot just how old she was), and she was turned into a vampire by Id Brandol in order to grant her revenge on those who had harmed her. She relates her experience of growing into vamprism as a process of 'staining a white canvas, as my common sense was blotted out by a frightening darkness' in a tone devoid of any emotion. To the entire Ogiwara 'family', she is a mother figure, gentle but strict, wise beyond words. To the enemies of her family, she is death and horror itself, the Witch of Cacophany, who brings death and horror with her wherever she goes. (it is also remarked a few times in the story that she is the most powerful Second to have ever existed)
「‥我が身は不老にて不死、死して尚、主人のために何度でも立ち上がる‥」
「我が名こそは最強にして最悪、我が名を耳にしたる者、正しき者には安らぎを‥悪しき者には地獄の響き‥」
「ブランドル家使用人、エルシェラント・ディ・アノイアンス‥我が存在の全ては、ただ主人のために‥以後お見知りおきを‥マスター‥ンむ‥」
"My flesh is untouched by age and undying. Even should I die, I shall rise again and again for the sake of my master. For my name is both the strongest and most terrible. For those who hear my name, let those who are correct find tranquility... and for those of evil heart, may they hear the echoes of Hell... I am a servant of the Brandole Clan, Elceranto De Annoyance. All of my existence is solely for the sake of my master... Pleased to make your acquaintance from now on, Master."
Lian Lucie Dimermore
Lian is a lesser First of the Dimermore family, which is known for the sheer amount of the vampire virus they carry in their blood. At first she comes across as arrogant and ignorant of the ways of the world outside of vampire society, but she is also deeply loving. Having been raised as a noblewoman intended to marry the successor of the Brandole Clan, she was originally promised to Id (who was MUCH older than her), a fact that did not in any way displease her, as he was one of the few adult vampires that didn't treat her as a bother or a tool to be used. She has the ability to alter the minds of those around her, and she has a tendency to use it with casual ruthlessness on those she considers lesser.
Rika Pembleton
Draculius's resident tsundere, a fake nun from a vampire-hunting organization who is insanely trigger happy, has problems with details, and is something of a zealot. Her fiery nature causes her a great deal of trouble, and she becomes Jun's first 'child', to both their dismays. Like many tsundere characters, she actually has an immense capacity for emotional dependence, and she also has a strong need to have a purpose in life, which is one reason why she is so zealous in her work. She is also Jun's first lover. She gains the ability to alter the flow of time, which also allows her to alter the trajectory of her bullets (an ability that was eventually given to the protagonist of 3rdEye's Bloody Rondo, along with part of the terminology used in this story). Of the characters, Rika probably changes the most obviously depending on which of the two paths, the joke path or the true path, you choose to go down.
Takayanagi Misao
One of Jun's closest friends, a trans girl who constantly clashes with Jun and Shuu for teasing her (because they both think of her as a boy and Japanese society didn't recognize trans officially at the time this was made save as a curiosity or a trope). She is fairly simple-minded, though reasonably intelligent (she gets good grades but is easily tricked and manipulated). She is something of a glutton and more than a little childish, constantly being mothered by those around her to a ridiculous extent. She is not a heroine in the story, though she wishes she was.
Xeno Jailburn
Lian's werewolf servant (she is also a vampire, since Lian's and Id's virus was used to allow her grow up healthy) who is obsessively loyal to her mistress. Despite her loyalty (which is absolute), one of her favorite pastimes is making fun of her somewhat naive mistress, and her sense of humor is definitely the most hilarious in the game. Like her mistress, she has a deep capacity for love, but that capacity is very narrowly focused, usually limited to people she considers family (which is a very strict delineation in her mind, stricter than Jun's). She takes great pleasure in rubdowns in her wolf form from those she trusts, but earning that trust is not easy, to say the least. She has the ability to turn into a liquid, which allows her to do things like hiding in Lian's shadow or entering areas through cracks in doorways.
