Re:Birth Colony is a VN that has a special place in my heart. It is the second VN in the two VN series about a future where a rain of meteors rendered the planet's surface lifeless and humanity is living in arcologies of various types. The first one, Fake Azure Arcology, I plan to replay a bit later. It has the same writer as Hapymaher, Harukiss, Sakigake Generation, and a number of other VNs going back to 2007.
The protagonist, Keram Souji (also known as Rindou Souji), is the adoptive child of a noble in the multicultural arcology of Aquarius, some 500 years after the Star Rain (the disaster) and a few years after the events in FAA. The society he lives in is one split between two areas... the 'Central District' where the nobles and what amounts to middle class citizens and normal corporations operate... and the outer regions that are controlled by criminal syndicates such as the multicultural (with heavy oriental leanings) Gentian. It is a world where the nobles have absolute power... as long as they don't seriously screw up. On the surface, Souji seems like the standard role model student... However, Souji's other identity, as a first-rate hacker raised by Airi (also known as Rangiku) and working for Gentian, is somewhat less... pure.
Souji is a pragmatist, except where his friends and family are involved. Then, he will use any means he can put his hands on to completely obliterate whatever is threatening those he cares about. Seriously. One of the best scenes in the entire VN involves him essentially
In the early part of the story, Souji comes upon a girl called Azurite in a facility sealed off for the past five hundred years, and his - relatively - peaceful life gets turned upside down.
For better or worse, the story of this VN is focused on Souji and Azurite, and while things come to a resolution in all the paths (sort of) it isn't one that is really satisfying in the sense that someone as greedy as I would prefer. I mean,
, but that ending wasn't exactly a resolution to the story's main conflict, lol. The various paths all reveal elements crucial to creating the big picture in Azurite's path, which is the true one... but because of that, they leave too much unresolved by definition
As a whole, the story of the VN is first-class, but that sense that the heroines other than Azurite are just foils for her is more than a little irritating... I loved Noie (both conceptually and as a character) so I was a bit miffed at how her route gets gypped.
Technology in this setting is pretty advanced... in particular cybernetics, AI, and networking technology are all way beyond what is possible now, even if you set aside certain super-abilities possessed by the protagonist and Azurite. That kind of hard sci-fi is one of my biggest addictions, so I quite naturally adore that part of this VN.
Overall, this is a VN that will seriously tickle people who love hard sci-fi and twisted, dystopian societies. I honestly hope they will produce a third VN in the series (a distinct possibility, considering how open-ended the series' concept is), so I can experience more of this lovely stuff.
Koisuru Otome to Shugo no Tate - The Code Name is "Shield 9" is the VN that most vets think of when they think of AXL as a company. For better or worse, this has become the defining work in this company's library, and it is the only one that has any sort of English release patch out (though it is only a partial with Yukino's route).
This VN is something of a thriller, focusing on Kisaragi Shuuji as he protects Yukino, Ren, and Marina from the assassins and would-be kidnappers inside their school. Unfortunately for him, this means he has to dress up as a woman... and this was another part about this VN that has become genre-defining looking at it in retrospect.
There are generally two types of 'trap protagonists', the type that is always uneasy with it and the type that adapts completely to it (when they don't think about it deeply). Examples of the former include Shuuji in this one, the original Otoboku protagonist, and Ruitomo's protagonist. Examples of the latter include the protagonist of Koi no Canvas, the protagonist of Tsuki ni Yorisou Otome no Sahou, and a few others. Most of the former type tend to have a heavy comedic element and/or a strong serious element. This VN is definitely of the serious type, though there are a lot of amusing moments.
Because of his role as a bodyguard, Shuuji is constantly on the lookout for threats, and there are some nice showdowns throughout the VN, though which of the two final antagonists serves as the main in individual heroine routes varies from route to route. The common route has some serious 'wtf, he/she is an assassin?!' moments, and there are some moments where Shuuji gets to show off how cool he is. However, as was the tradition with 'school life' VNs at the time, Shugotate deliberately breaks up those moments with mild comedy and a ton of slice-of-life.
This is a VN that is the most enjoyable the first time around, when you aren't spoiled to whom the villains/antagonists are, and you aren't yet familiar with the background of what is going on. Looking at it on my third time around, my thoughts are identical to the second time... 'this VN is best when you aren't spoiled about the antagonists'. Part of this VN's attraction is not knowing who the enemy is until the game actively hints at it, as well as not knowing how a scene will turn out. While the endings are classic AXL, being reasonably satisfying and bringing setting the tone for future imaginings on the characters' futures, I have come to the conclusion that they are a lot more touching the first time around, lol.
Even looking at it from this perspective and despite the somewhat dated conventions of the time (the somewhat ridiculously fast-moving romantic elements), this VN is still amongst one of those most high-class VNs in history... it just doesn't survive multiple playthroughs by people who happen to remember who the enemy is, lol.
That said, Setsuko's and Yukino's paths are still great even now and after multiple playthroughs. However, that just shows that those two heroines are the ones the writers liked the most, due to the level of emotional impact you get from their stories.
Now, comparing this to Bara no Seibo, the sequel released earlier this year, I have to say that Bara no Seibo built nearly perfectly on the foundation established in this VN, keeping the nice suspense and action writing while cutting down on the 'break the mood' moments that sometimes pop up in this one. Moreover, it is based off of a non-romance version of Setsuko's ending, which is a huge plus for me, since her route is my favorite by far (Setsuko is awesome. Setsuko Banzai!). After playing this again, I almost wished I'd only played this one for the first time immediately before Bara no Seibo due to the degree to which the two games meld together.
This game is a peculiar one. This is the third time I've played the game, and the second time I've posted on it. If you want to see my original review, please look here:
I'm going to focus here on coloring in some of the details of why I like this game and think it is underrated amongst Western readers of untranslated VNs. First, the factors that lead to it being underrated.
1) The protagonist takes on a man-whore role through large swathes of the game and isn't a pure-hearted boy by any standard. For some reason, man-whores aren't received very well by a lot of Western readers, especially ones that are calculating and intentionally act that way.
2) The visual style of the game differs significantly, if subtly, from the more common styles of the post-2010 era. It is rougher in some places and more elegant in others.
3) A large portion of the readers don't like Arika. Now, there are good reasons not to like her in many's eyes. She is whimsical, manipulative, and lazy as all hell when she isn't interested in an activity. However, she is also hyper-intelligent, intuitive, and has the same kind of super-luck that Cap did in Majikoi. Unfortunately, she is the kind of character that seriously divides readers.
4) People's expectations of trap protagonists. Most people going into a trap protagonist game expect a lot of comedy antics related to the cross-dressing. However, Hajime doesn't bungle things and doesn't panic the way a lot of trap protagonists do. In addition, 'calculating' is a quality that many who actually like trap protagonist games don't like in them... and Hajime is nothing of not calculating.
5) The surprising darkness of the setting. People go into trap protagonist games thinking they will be comedic and moe-moe festivals. Ojomasu is neither. There isn't a lot of comedy in the game, and there is very little in the way of moe fanservice.
6) The prologue H-scene. Probably the thing that annoys a lot of people is the h-scene in the prologue and how it came to be. For people that go into this game with a 'I want to see pure love romance from beginning to end' attitude, this is a huge downer. That it is followed by Hajime using the affections of a number of other women during the course of the story only enhances this impression for this part of the crowd.
7) Ginko isn't one of the heroines. Yes, in any other game, Ginko would have been one of the heroines.
The things that make this game worth playing.
1) Everything above. Seriously, the fact is that a lot of the people who play this game aren't the intended audience. In some ways, this is a more down-to-earth version of the 'guy infiltrates a girls' school' trope.
2) Despite only having three heroines, those heroines provide a full spectrum of personalities. The whimsical Arika, the stoic and straightforward Benio, and the sweet-natured Peko provide a lot of variety without any real overlap. If Ginko or Rion (the ones the largest part of the fanbase seemed to want routes for) were heroines in this game, it would distract from things greatly. Moreover, there is way too much overlap between Ginko and Arika personality-wise.
3) There is just enough darkness to the setting and story to create a firm contrast to the soft atmosphere of the girls' school. In a lot of cases with these 'girls school infiltration' VNs, there is a sense of unreality created as a result of poor buildup of the setting.
4) This game doesn't even attempt to imitate the success of other companies. I honestly think they should have named this game something else, because the title makes it seem like a game that should be a soft romance rather than the more complex story it is.
5) Hajime is a protagonist you can enjoy self-inserting into. He is capable, intelligent, and ambitious, a combination that is a refreshing change from most VN protagonists in general.
Ok... if just one path got gypped by the writers, I would have overlooked it as a minor flaw. It would have been worthy of irritation, but I wouldn't have bothered remaining angry forever. It isn't uncommon for a single heroine to pull the short straw when it comes to route quality... but after reading Kaede's route I have something I need to say.
This game is incomplete!!!!
Here are my reasons for saying that:
1. Ruriko's route goes from dark revelations to sudden lovers to the ending in a ridiculously short period of time.
2. Kaede's route is horribly truncated. The drama I was looking forward to at the end simply didn't happen, and the actual path ended on a 'what the hell?! Is that it?!' note.
This is an obvious attempt to imitate the tendency of Akagoei's author to deliberately leave issues unresolved, but generally speaking, Akagoei's writer merely deliberately left a few loose ends in order to allow people to speculate about the future. This literally resolves NONE of the issues in this VN. Nothing is resolved, nothing is solved, and nothing gets done except short romance and a really quick love-life. This feels like a frigging trial edition rather than a complete game.
Edit: To clarify, I have nothing against leaving some issues unresolved. However, this VN obviously has a ton of scenes that were either cut or just never completed. This includes ones along the way for events that simply never occur... an obvious example is the way the protagonist negotiates over a replacement for his bike in Ruriko's path. Unfortunately, for some reason, this never comes up again, even though it looked like a major story event might be coming together. Another example is the bike show (sort of like a gun show here in the US) that the protagonist hears about and thinks about going to in Kaede's path. For some reason, it never really comes up again, except as a convenient extra near the end.
There are dozens of other bits and pieces throughout this VN that could have easily become the small parts of a greater story... and just never go anywhere. I have to wonder if the writers in this VN actually had any idea of what they were doing in the first place...
Edit2: I should say that this game starts out really great... the way the protagonist and his butler switch gears depending on the situation, and the gratifyingly evil way things begin gave me a lot of hope for the VN. However, as I discovered afterward, all the good stuff happens in the Trial Version... if you played the trial, you've basically played all that was good in the game, sadly.
First, I should note that this game suffers from what are likely budget constraints. I say this because some of the VA choices are... questionable. Ragou's VA in particular is something of a disaster, with a discordant mismatch between the voice and the characterization. This stands out even more because other choices like Kaen and Diran's male VAs are actually really awesome matches.
I failed to properly articulate what the music in this game resembles at most sometimes... and that would be Persona 5. Something about a number of the tracks resembles the ones seen in that game enough that, in combination with the horrible color choices, made me feel like something was off at a lot of points in the story.
Common Route
The common route of this game is not particularly long (the game as a whole is not nearly as long as any of Light's other games), but it does serve its purpose. In introduces the primary antagonists, the heroines, the side-characters, and the protagonist while setting the stage for future conflicts. It is functional, more than anything else, and if it weren't for the excellent characterization for Mizuri, Shion, Amane, and Tsubasa, it would be considered bland. Ragou and Kaien, for pure chaotic evil characters, are pretty amusing to watch, despite the fact that they are doing horrible things to people.
My complaint is that there is too much time spent on SOL for a Light game. Yes, there is a sense that you need to know what the characters are losing for it to be poignant when everyday life is disrupted, but the ratio is a bit skewed for this game, considered the golden ratio of SOL to plot and action in any good chuunige is 1:4:3.
Tsubasa
Tsubasa is a weird heroine... not the least of which because she is a TS heroine who was once a guy. However, in opposition to this, she tends to be the sexiest of the three heroines due to her characterization (it was intentional). She is also the most 'classic' onmyouji of the two human heroines, using some familiar onmyouji techniques and preferring the bow as her weapon of choice.
Her story is, at least in part, a confrontation with her past, and the primary conflict - for her, at least - is internal rather than external. While there is some buildup to a major confrontation toward the end, it needs to be said that the whimsical nature of the antagonists makes the shift to the final battle somewhat abrupt. In addition, it felt like this path didn't really have the sheer drama I'm familiar with from the company's usual works. It isn't a horrible path, but it does feel more like a Millie path than a Chitose path.
Amane
Amane is Hayato's adopted older sister who was raised by his grandfather with him. She is a total brocon and constantly clinging to Hayato when she is with him. However, the best way she can be described when she is away from him is 'cold and competent'. She is a master of kenjutsu and a 'power type' onmyouji, using techniques that fall into the 'open path' style of direct combat rather than the more roundabout styles like Houjutsu (which is basically a preparation is everything), Fuujutsu (the art of binding and sealing), or Injutsu (the art of curses and turning ties against an opponent). It makes sense, since the protagonist takes a lot of his inspiration from her.
Her path is more involved with Kaien, as opposed to the way Ragou was the prime antagonist for Tsubasa's path. You'll discover this during his first appearance, but Kaien is the kind of absolute evil that just deserves a good superhero punch to the face. He likes to make people suffer above all other things, and he finds the hatred people direct his way to be pleasurable. The irony is that, rather than the confrontation with him, Amane's inner conflict with her yandere nature is the bigger draw point of this path. To be blunt, if you played the common route, you'll have noticed the signs of yandere in her actions, and this path brings them out in a big way midway through. Uncharacteristic of Light's usual style, it isn't taken to its logical conclusion, instead being solved with the power of love *vomits*.
Shion
Shion's path is far more typical of Light's style, in that it is long, highly-detailed, and has a lot of twists and turns.
Now for some explanation. Amongst the Magatsu, there are thirteen called the Thirteen Demonic Generals, who both possess a humanoid shape and intellect, as well as the ability to touch on one of the Seven Aspects of Creation and use them in a spell that matches their desires. Shion, also known as Saikakou Nue, is one of these. In the distant past, she was sealed away by the founding onmyouji of the Isurugi bloodline (Hayato and Amane's ancestor) during the Heian era. Shion herself is one of the few of her kind that is capable of coexisting with the human race, for reasons that are only illuminated in her path. She is a contrary individual, being something of a tsundere combined with someone who puts on arrogant airs and brags about her abilities to any and all that will listen.
To be honest, I was a bit startled at the huge difference between Shion's path and the other two. While the first third is mostly SOL, almost the entirety of the remaining two-thirds is pure plot and action. There are plenty of good action scenes toward the end (the last two chapters of her path are almost entirely battle scenes), as well as background for Kaien (whose origin story is unbelievably sad) and Shion (whose origins are equally sad, which seems to be typical of most humanoid Magatsu). The ending itself is a tear-jerker, and I was somewhat annoyed at the very last part, for reasons that will be self-evident to anyone who dislikes Ragou.
Conclusion
I'd say this one is on the lower end in terms of quality for a Light VN, even if you don't include the minus points for the character design and VAs. It is ironic that even a low-quality Light game is still better than most of what the rest of the industry can produce, though, lol. Typical of my habits, I have been a bit harsh on this game, as it is in my favorite genre. It isn't going to become one of those chuunige I replay on a regular basis, either. However, it is still fine if you are starved for the genre.
Edit: If I have one thing I wish they would redo (other than some of the VAs and the artwork) it would be making the story somewhat less straightforward. Too many of the conflicts in the story are resolved too easily for a Light game, and there is no foreshadowing or long sides that give life to the characters' hidden sides. In particular, Ragou remains a two-dimensional character to the end, despite being the main antagonist. It is ironic that the nihilistic sadistic demonic priest Kaien has a more filled out character than him.
This is the latest kemomomi VN from Lump of Sugar, whose best VNs all have kemomimi girls, lol. In this one, the protagonist Takuto and his little sister Shiina are transported to the world of the gods, where human perceptions of the world, mythology and legends come to life. As a game, this story feels a lot like a 'gentle and slow nakige'.
To be blunt, the first thing I think most people will note upon getting past the prologue of this game is... that Roka is the most moe-moe heroine they've seen in a VN in years. Roka, the kitsune, is probably the most perfectly moe character I've seen in an anime or VN since before 2010. The desire to pat her on the head and spoil her rotten was the first emotion I felt in this VN.
That said, I could do without her being a heroine. Does that sound odd to you? Well, I've never been fond of lolis as heroines, and lolis like Roka really seem like they shouldn't be heroines to me. Her mother, Kuzuha is much more to my tastes... to the point where I'm a bit irritated there isn't an extra H-scene for her, hahaha.
I got a bit off track with my kitsune moe obsession there...
Anyway, this VN has four heroines: Mikoto, the combined avatar of the Rabbit of Inaba and Tsukuyomi, who is a natural mischief-maker; Roka, the avatar of the concept of the nine-tailed fox, who is basically an adorable child being mothered by he predecessor; Chiyo, the embodiment of the concept of the Tsukumogami (objects that gained sentience from Japanese myth); and Shiina, the protagonist's stoic but mischievous little sister.
This VN is heavily winter-themed, based in an old-style Japanese town. The backgrounds are all beautiful and well-done, and it leads to a very 'cozy' feeling that enhances the slow and quiet feel of the game's atmosphere.
The common route of this VN is focused on the protagonist living a quiet life in the gods' realm while he waits for the chance to go back to the human realm, and it is pretty much a lot of cute and/or comedic sol with a surprising amount of traditional 'lucky sukebe'. While there isn't a lot to remark on here, I will say that the common route does a great job of filling out the heroines' personalities and background, thus fulfilling the role of helping you decide who to pursue first.
Roka
As I said above, I could have done without H content for Roka. However, seeing Roka's adorableness increase in her path made it worth playing. If you paid attention to the world-building in the common route, you can probably guess what the drama in the path is about. However, I will say that the ichaicha here is very reminiscent of the odd relationships between Makina and Yuuji in Grisaia and Tonoko and Tsukasa in Kamishino (hint-hint) at least in general outline. I found this path enjoyable and emotional, even if I didn't want any H for it.
Mikoto
Once you've played the common route, you'll probably be able to guess what the conflict of Mikoto's path is (they foreshadow both paths during the world-building). So, I'll focus on her personality. Mikoto is a 'stereotypical bunny girl' in some ways, and not so in others. Like the stereotypical bunnygirl, she gets lonely easily and has a somewhat dependent personality that she covers up with her smile. Unlike the stereotypical bunnygirl, its causes are a bit more esoteric and deeper than simply 'she is a bunny'. Overall, her path is even more emotional than Roka's, though there is a lot less cuteness (you all know from above about how I feel about Roka, lol). It also has a very, very extensive epilogue that made me smile through the catharsis of the main part of the path.
Chiyo
For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, a tsukumogami is generally an object that has been treated well and used constantly for over a century, causing it to become self-aware (this is why tsukumogami are usually things that would normally be well-preserved, like antique bowls, cups, chairs, swords, etc). Chiyo is the embodiment of the 'concept' of the tsukumogami rather than an actual tsukumogami, which means she doesn't have an object that serves as her real body.
Chiyo's path was the first one that wasn't foreshadowed in the world-building. It was also the strangest romance so far... not the least of which because Chiyo's desires are a bit different from human desires in some ways (well, I imagine there are people who have similar hangups, lol). It was actually a pretty decent path, but the drama felt more forced than either of the previous two paths, perhaps because Chiyo's character had no obvious issues that would cause drama on their own.
Shiina
If there was one word that would describe Shiina, it would be 'eccentric'. At first glance, Shiina seems like a stoic, unemotional heroine, but she frequently teases and makes jokes with a straight face. Her reactions are often off-center/odd compared to normal people.
I'm honestly glad I left this path to last, because my intuition screamed at me to do so from the beginning. I recommend that anyone who plays this game do this path after Mikoto's, at the very least, as playing this path will spoil the experience somewhat. Shiina's path is the most dramatic path in the game (and not for the usual incest reasons). It also has a large infodump about the general setting toward the end. For those who like incest paths, Shiina is a great imouto character, as well.
Conclusion
Lump of Sugar games tend to vary widely in quality, from total kusoge to kamige. While this one falls short of kamige level, it is nonetheless a first-class VN with a good story, excellent characters, and great characterization. I wouldn't object to future games being based in this setting, either, lol.
First, I should define what I consider to be 'old' VNs. I essentially define 'old' VNs by the 'ten year rule'. When ten years have passed, generally the cultural references, the artwork, and even the sound styles have changed enough to be almost completely distinct from the most modern VNs. At present, that means VNs made before 2007.
Now, next I need to make a statement... I am not an art bigot. One of the most negative issues I've run across in dealing with newer VN readers is art bigotry. To be blunt, there are lots of people who won't read anything made before 2010 simply because the art style is so different. To those people I say... 'every era has its own taste'. While VN art has indeed gotten more refined in the ten years, to the point where it has gotten to where you hardly even notice the characters are drawn in the first place, I can straight-out say that quality art is quality art, regardless of the era.
Now for sound... setting aside music, which really hasn't been refined at all in the last ten years (if anything, it has regressed, especially usage), voice-acting and sound effects have actually evolved a great deal in the last ten years... at least to the point that you are less likely run across the 'comical' sound effects common in a large portion of VNs ten years ago. Voice acting has mostly evolved in the sense that people that once would have become pros don't make it anymore, so the industry has become higher cost (for the developers) and higher quality (for the consumers). In that sense, I can understand some degree of prejudice.
However, when it comes down to it... I'm a story addict. Yes, I became an otaku because of the way the Japanese treated animation art. However, it is the stories that have kept me going. Now, in my less than copious spare time, I've been re-reading some old VNs... and I've noticed a few things I probably would have missed a few years ago.
1. Slice-of-life was less oppressive ten years ago- I don't think I would have realized this if I hadn't taken this little trip to the past, but the excessively long slice-of-life scenes that define modern charage have been getting longer and longer per scene with every year. Part of this is probably because of the nostalgia quotient rising for the long-time otakus in comparison with how it was previously. However, it is a poisonous trend that is actually making the experience less pleasant and more tedious as time passes, unfortunately.
2. A well-drawn line can be as pretty as any hyper-quality modern artwork if done right- This is something I always asserted in private conversations, but I wasn't sure if it was pure nostalgia until I went back and actually re-experienced a few old VNs. Yes, the styles were somewhat cruder back then... but the aesthetics were, if anything, more distinct and beautiful in and of themselves.
3. Ero was weaker... except when it wasn't - To be blunt, the emphasis placed on erotic content and the effort put into it was far lower in non-nukige VNs ten years ago. Less interest went into making heroines more erotic and more was put into making situations erotic, probably to let the libido-poisoned brains of the average male actually look at the characters before they saw them naked, rather than focusing on projection oppai. That isn't to say the erotic situations weren't erotic... but there was a far stronger emotional element involved because of the way they handled the character designs outside of h-scenes.
4. A good story might age badly, but the ones that don't, don't- Some VNs lose all their attraction as they age and more modern VNs exceed them in every possible way. However, there are still gems out there that are as awesome now as they were the day they were made. Rejecting VNs simply because they are old is a short-sighted approach that makes me feel nothing but contempt, after my experiences of the last few months.
It is no secret that I am a huge Higashide Yuuichirou fan and that Evolimit is my favorite Higashide Yuuichirou game. Before I go any further into this, I should note that Evolimit has the dubious honor of being the VN I've played the most often... a total of six times, as of two hours ago. I should also explain what Higashide's unique qualities are as a writer.
Higashide Yuuichirou wrote six VNs for Propeller before retiring from VNs completely to work for Type-Moon as a writer. He also worked on the Vita version of FSN, with the Caster and Rider routes, the Muramasa FD, Princess Waltz (as an assistant), and Fate/Extella Link. His qualities as a writer include a peculiar genius for the characterization of 'heroic' characters, the ability to create villains/antagonists worthy of those same heroic characters, and an even rarer ability to both write and integrate SOL with those aspects. For better or worse, most SOL writers fail utterly when it comes to dramatic characterization and most chuunige writers suck at SOL compared to specialists. However, Higashide manages to do both at a very high level and, when he is 'in the zone', does it better than any other writer I've encountered.
Some will argue with me about this, naming Shumon Yuu, Masada, or even Hino Wataru. However, it needs to be said that Shumon Yuu writes in a manner that is so unique that it is completely genre-free. Masada writes excellent dramatic characters, but his SOL is average at best. Hino Wataru tends to shift the balance of his games back and forth, and there is usually a huge gap between the quality of the paths of heroines he loves and those he merely likes.
I have never felt like Higashide has failed to give a heroine a fair shake. In fact, Higashide almost never makes heroines the true focus of a game/path from beginning to end. Circumstances, events, the protagonist, the antagonist, and the pattern as a whole often far transcend the heroine of a given path. His heroines are often good, but I've yet to encounter a path in a Higashide game where I felt cheated.
Higashide is a devout follower of the concept of the 'heroine that is always by the protagonist's side, no matter who he chooses'. This type of heroine pops up in a lot of chuunige. Kagome in Comyu is probably the most blatant example of this, but Higashide takes it to extreme lengths. In Ayakashibito it was Suzu, in Bullet Butlers it was Selma, and in Evolimit it is Shizuku. The key point of each of these heroines is that the bond with the protagonist transcends romantic relationships (though it leads to them in their own paths). Suzu is both parent and older sister to Soushichi, Selma is Rick's master and truest friend, and Shizuku and Shiranui are ridiculously close friends, so close that they easily settle into a familial role toward one another. Why is this important? Because these characters and their relationships form the largest and firmest pillar that serves as a backbone for each of these protagonists' view of the world and how they relate to it.
Evolimit
Evolimit is a kamige. Yes, that is my opinion, but I'll stand by it until the end of days if necessary. For this entry, I'm going to focus on characters, their interrelationships, and their influences on one another. From here on in, I will intermittently add in spoilers, which I will put in boxes. These spoilers will often reveal aspects of the story you absolutely do not want to know until you've played the game, so I recommend just reading the parts that aren't spoiler-boxed and going back after you've had the opportunity to play the game.
The Characters
Shiranui (nobody calls him Yoshikazu, interestingly), is an interesting character. Like the other two Higashide kamige protagonists (Ayakashibito's Soushichi and Bullet Butlers' Rick), he is, when it comes down to it, a classic hero. He is the type who will, without hesitation, throw away his life for others if it comes down to it, take a bullet for a friend, or mercilessly destroy someone or something that seeks to harm them. Since this is revealed in the prologue (and my rules about spoilers don't apply to prologues), I'll go ahead and describe his basic set of circumstances.
First, Shiranui was one of the Calamity Monkeys, the first colonial/terraforming expedition sent to Mars by the more-or-less unified governments of Earth. Born with a bad heart, he spent much of his youth in horrible pain and fear, wondering if that day would be the day his heart went out. However, he received a heart transplant, and soon after he encountered Kokoro, the spiritual remnants of the young Chinese girl who was his heart's original owner. The reason I reveal this particularly dramatic element in advance is because it is necessary to describe his peculiar personality.
On the surface, Shiranui is a slightly pervy young man with an ever-present smile who goes out of his way to be something of a clown. In stressful situations, he is surprisingly perceptive, brave, and compassionate. However, there is one peculiarity that is all-important to grasping his character.
He is incapable of sorrow.
The reason goes back to the spiritual remnant of his heart's original owner, Kokoro. In order to allow her to remain within him, he, of his own free will, gave up his ability to feel sorrow (as well as odd bits and pieces of other emotions) in order to allow what amounts to a second person to inhabit part of his brain. She is also the reason he chose to head for Mars. When he discovered that her dream was to go to Mars as part of a colonial expedition he, without hesitation, chose to take the baton and run with it, ferociously devoting himself to the duty of taking her there as part of himself.
Selma Fortenmeyer
For various reasons, it isn't possible to tell the story of Bullet Butlers without telling the story of Selma Fortenmeyer, Rick's master. Selma is the true/central heroine of Bullet Butlers and the focus of most of the conflict in the VN, in the sense that she sparks most of the disasters and victories by her very existence and her position.
Her growth as a character is easily the most powerful and obvious in the story, and it really is an incredible degree of growth. To get a picture of it, you should know that at the beginning, she is the picture of the ennui and apathy-infected noble daughter. She knows nothing is expected of her, but she isn't allowed to flee from her position in life. Moreover, she is at a point in her life where she doesn't value her existence at all, save in that Rick and Valerie care so much for her.
However, as the story progresses and events force her to the forefront, she grows into her role with speed and alacrity, gradually overcoming the despair that has infected her and rising to the occasion. Playing this VN for a second time, I was struck even more by this progression - and this is just in the common route - from a worthless younger daughter to a strong-willed hero.
For those who played Ayakashibito, Selma is a significantly different barrel of fish... in reality, Rick's role is closer to Suzu's in their relationship, and it really does show. At the same time, both characters are a lot more mature than those two (Rick is twenty-four and an experienced gunslinger and butler, after all). As a result, there is a depth to their character dynamic that has a different quality than that of Soushichi and Suzu.
While Selma, of course, shows herself at her best in her own route, she does nonetheless grow into her role in the others, as well. She is easily the best heroine in this VN, but it is a mark of Propeller's own peculiar proclivities that none of the routes can be considered to be 'neglected' in relation to one another. Even though Selma's route is the 'true' one, the other two routes both have their own impact and power.
Anyway, as I said in my previous post, I've never finished all of the routes of a Hook Soft game, despite their VNs being almost universally of relatively high-quality as charage go. This one didn't turn out to be an exception, for the same reasons as all the others.
It isn't a horrible VN. In fact, for lovers of slice-of-life, cheap romance, and 'golden road' standard heroine routes, this VN is pure crack. Unfortunately, the excess of any one of those elements without a good balance with something else is almost guaranteed to make me feel like a diabetic without his insulin.
The concept is traditional moege through and through and a continuation of one of Hook Soft's ongoing series, where objects become anthropomorphized all of the sudden and at least one of them ends up as a heroine. The protagonist is your standard 'average guy who is kind-hearted but has no other redeeming traits' harem protagonist. That in itself was enough to turn me off to this game almost from the beginning. His standard-fare reaction to his smartphone becoming a cute girl and the vents that followed basically put the nails in the coffin for me.
I focused on two of the heroines... Maho (his smartphone) and Kanade (the cool-girl classmate who sits next to him). Purely based on the heroines and side-characters, I probably could have gotten into this VN... the first year I was playing them. Unfortunately, while I've become a lot more forgiving of certain quirks of the slice-of-life genre, the first impression of this VN turned me off so completely that I only took the very ending parts of the heroine paths seriously, which means that my opinion on this game is not really relevant to a moege-player at this point. Hook Soft has so many things going in its favor... so why does this company insist on reusing the same cookie-cutter protagonist for all of its games (to one extent or another)? A little non-downward (in other words, don't make the protagonist dumber or less competent) alteration to the character dynamic would be nice once in a while... but I suppose that was too much to ask from a company that prides itself on producing this kind of stuff.
Sorry, I needed to get that out of my system. I promised a friend I would play this game, but, as I warned him from the beginning, I've essentially been ignoring Hook Soft games whenever possible for this precise reason. I always end up bashing them or giving a really dry account of them as a 'standard charage'. Unfortunately, this one touched my worst button at the worst possible time (I'm currently recovering from a nasty stomach bug), so I just blew up a few minutes ago after finishing my second path.
Anyway, on a more positive point, both of the heroines were interesting, looking at it from a purely non-hate influenced standpoint. Their paths were also nicely-constructed if you ignore the excess of ichaicha and the fact that the choice system in the game is a bit too intrusive (you choose which characters' scenes you watch, rather than having a common route). Maho and Kanade were the two heroines I knew from the beginning (other than the osananajimi, Kikuri, who I had no intention of having anything to do with from the beginning) they were intending to thrust into your heart. The hints that you were supposed to take an interest in them weren't exactly subtle, and the relegation of the remaining two heroines (excluding the aforementioned osananajimi) to places where you don't encounter them outside of their own scenes is an obvious indication of their low priority in the writers' minds...
In any case, a lot of this game is the 'heart-warming' *sighs* scenes with the various anthropomorphized objects as they settle into their lives with the protagonist (you generally pick three scenes in each chapter to watch, with several of them being the sub-characters). Purely for this, I'd say this game does a good job of aiming for people who want this kind of thing and aren't as prejudiced as I am toward the protagonist of this story. If the protagonist was better, this game probably would have jumped another point and a half on my vndb page, but he knocks it out of the running for me being able to remember that I played this VN a year from now.
I'm a fan of the idea of 'all objects contain a kami' idea, but I can honestly say that moe ruins it most of the time, lol.
Concerto Note is a game I bought years ago and stuck in a small box containing my 'rainy day classics' without playing it. Recommended to me over eight years ago as a classic kamige, I essentially forgot about it until I saw that Cross Concerto was coming out soon.
This game uses a 'parallel story' system with a flowchart, where obtaining items on the non-true paths is required to complete the true path successfully. This particular type of system is fairly rare, but it occasionally pops up in 'true heroine/path' games.
I'm going to be straightforward on the heroines... the heroines don't really stand out as being unusual, except for Rito. Wakana is your standard optimistic genkikko, Shirayuki is your standard frail ojousama, Seika is your standard 'is liked by girls more than men' type (fights, talks and acts like a man by Japanese standards, etc), and Sayori is your standard gentle-mannered oneesan type (with maid as an extra element).
Rito, on the other hand, doesn't quite fit into any of the standard archetypes. On the surface, her interactions with Shinya make them seem like standard-issue 'husband/wife childhood friends' who practically finish one another's sentences, but their relationship is much more peculiar than it seems on the surface. Moreover, Rito is an excessively rational person who can figure out just about any situation from the smallest number of clues. I say 'excessively rational' because, as is noted in the story, she mostly separates her emotional state completely from her actual course of action, and she doesn't make knee-jerk reactions to others (except Seika and Shinya). She also possesses eidetic memory.
The story in this game focuses on the protagonist and friends (which people become friends varies based on whether you are on Route 1 or Route 2 of the common route, with Route 1 having Wakana, Shirayuki and Rito's paths; and Route 2 containing Sayori's and Seika's paths) as they try to combat the unnatural bad luck (or rather lack of fortune as Tama puts it) that is befalling them. This is mostly done by stealing other people's luck through Tama (directly in Shinya's case, and in a contagion-style manner with the others) to counter the fatal misfortune waiting ten days in the future from the beginning of the story.
To be blunt, the weakest point of Concerto Note's story is the really short period of time in which the story occurs. Forming a strong romantic relationship between the characters feels very unnatural in Seika's and Shirayuki's cases due to the time constraints and lack of previous connection.
Wakana's path (which is the one you are supposed to play first) suffers from Wakana being one of the game's two weakest heroines along with Shirayuki. Where this path stumbles is in the central conflict... or rather its source. While it is the sort of conflict that would be believable in a charage (where details are generally vague in any case), in a plotge with as many precisely-used plot devices as this one, it felt forced.
Shirayuki's path also suffers due to the heroine's weakness... but it also suffers because Shirayuki's connection to the protagonist and friends is so weak. In a VN that covered a longer span of time, the events in the path would have been more believable, but the kind of actions both Shirayuki and Shinya take in this path came very close to breaking the suspension of disbelief at times. Emotionally, the path is more touching than Wakana's, and the central conflict is much more believable. However, the romantic aspects were forced/hurried.
Seika has a similar problem to Shirayuki but to a lesser extent. The extreme nature of the situation where Seika gets involved with the group in Route 2 of the common route and the common elements to both her and Shinya's personalities and backgrounds made her path less problematic to believe. This path also manages to have a more believable conflict than Wakana's (which is the least believable conflict in the game) while matching Shirayuki's path for emotional impact.
Sayori's path is my favorite other than Rito's. While Sayori is a secondary character in most of the paths, a strong effort is made to fill out her character in this path... and it succeeds. Moreover, the romance in this path is cute and believable, and the emotional connections feel the most real of the paths so far.
Rito's path... is extremely heavy, both story-wise and atmosphere-wise. It tackles the darkness behind Kannagi that is only hinted at in the other paths, as well as revealing just how Shinya and Rito became friends (specifically rather than in general terms). It also tackles the truth of Tama and the reason why the characters suffered from such extreme misfortune. Compared to the often comedic nature of the other paths, this path is often grim or sad... but it also feels like a culmination of all the scraps found in the others.
In other words, it is a standard true path, with perhaps a steeper gap in atmosphere than is the norm. However, this was familiar to me from other Applique games, as many of them have similar shifts in atmosphere between paths.
Conclusion
It is easy to understand why this game became a classic. While it lacks the sheer impact that Tasogare no Sinsemilla had, the relationship between Rito and Shinya quickly became one of my favorite parts of the story. For anyone who wants a good plotge and isn't an art bigot (as in, absolutely hates anything made more than five years ago), this is a good choice.
For those who haven't read my comments on the first Tsuyokiss game, here they are. I'm now going to move onto the direct sequel to the original, Tsuyokiss Nigakki
Tsuyokiss Nigakki is the second VN in the series, based in the second semester of the same year in the protagonist's life. The introduction of a new character - Serebu - seemed like it might change the dynamics a bit... but it really didn't. I was honestly disappointed with the lackluster common route and the sheer amount of repeated text from the original (In particular, Erika's route suffers from sharing exactly the same general beginning pattern, just adding on a few details in a cheap attempt to make it seem like a new route). I'll be straight with you... the lack of really good development for Serebu and the weak paths for the repeated heroines (weak because I basically just experienced nearly identical paths yesterday) meant that this VN falls flat on its face... and that is probably the reason why this one wasn't included in the omnibus of Tsuyokiss VNs released last month. After all, there is no real reason to remind people that Candy Soft's flagship series produced a sub-par game with so many cut corners, now is there?
Understand... I realize that using mostly the same heroines means that there was going to be a lot of similar events, but the VN as a whole came out feeling... washed out in comparison, despite a few minor tweaks to the visual character designs. Part of this was the aforesaid issues with repeated text (something you probably wouldn't notice if you weren't me and used to nitpicking on stuff like that), but an even larger part of it was the issues with VAs (several were switched out, for whatever reason) and the lack of any true depth to the new character. I'm not going to say that there were no new events on any of the heroines' paths... but the basic pattern for each was pretty much the same in a general fashion. To be honest, there were a thousand different ways they could have approached a new Erika path (the original being a bit poorly designed in the first place), but they chose to do the initial relationship formation in exactly the same way with a very similar track of events. I wanted to kick the writers by the end for repeating the studying scenes (albeit with new CGs and new text, if with the same meaning and atmosphere), and I wanted to do so even more for the pathetic way Erika comes to almost exactly the same conclusions at about the same time in the path. It is a sequel not a fandisc... give me something new for the sake of Nyarlathotep! I would have been perfectly happy if they'd actually gone through the trouble of not having paths for the previous game's heroines at all, if they were going to do it this way!
This kind of blatant attempt to exploit the original's popularity with as little effort as possible pissed me off, seriously.
Edit: I will say that dere-Nagomi is great no matter how times I see her. She makes every other kuudere I've met seem pleasant and friendly in comparison until she goes dere... where she becomes the ultimate deredere heroine.
Edit2: To elaborate on the 'paths are the same' issue, some are identical in the general process, and others also are identical in the ending. Nagomi's path was the best in the original, and it continues to be the best in the new one. Yoshimi's path is straight-out weaker in this one, Erika's is essentially unchanged save for the ending, etc etc. The big difference is that the game overall is much shorter than the first one.
... are you as surprised as I am that I'm already posting on this? It isn't because I rushed through it or concentrated on it for three days straight. No, in this case, it is because the game is actually only about seven hours long in total... and that is probably an overestimate. While I don't tend to judge VNs by length, I do want to be able to get to know the characters before I see them falling in love.
This game's biggest plus point is that it is story straight from beginning to end, with no side-trips or long drawn-out slice-of-life segments... but in a way, that very same element is also the biggest bit of self-sabotage the writer of this game committed. To be straight with you all, given the excitement in the prologue, I thought I had some surprise chuunige fun with non-human heroines and a conspiracy in the background... and this game does have all the elements that might have created a low-level chuunige of decent quality. A ruthless kitsune heroine who hunts unnatural beings in order to rise to the next plane of existence as a deity, a half-youkai girl who struggles with her own identity and place in society, and a token human heroine who has 'Victim A' written on her forehead. There are inhuman beings with their own agendas, people the protagonist is involved with in daily life who have another face, and disaster seems to be looming over the school he attends...
So why, I ask, did Alcot give this over to their low-price subsidiary? Yes, there were some moments that were somewhat touching... but I wasn't invested in the characters because of a lack of any real character development beyond the introductory level. The protagonist was living with a kitsune, but they'd only touched upon the surface-most level of her personality when the heroine paths came along. The youkai-hunting half-breed girl was doing the classic 'oh, he knows what I am but treats me equally' bit, but it happened so quickly I could almost feel the sonic boom slamming my hopes in the face. Victim A turns out to have a secret issue with a non-human being, but it is resolved easily and with only a very small amount (relatively speaking) of drama.
Do you see what I mean? Instead of a good chuunige, we have the flesh-stripped, gnawed-on skeleton of a chuunige. It is better than Sougeki no Jaeger (which had some of the same problems) or Pygmalion, but again, that isn't saying much. Hatsugamai, the most recent game by this company, proved that even on a low budget, it was possible to create a first-class game. However, this one shows the pitfalls of not putting enough of a budget into a chuunige.
The grand route, while it extends the kitsune heroine's route beyond its somewhat bittersweet ending, is not what I'd call a work of genius, either... Overall, this game turned out to be a disappointment, if only because it had seriously immense potential to turn into something great, given a bit more effort.
The Kyonyuu Fantasy series is easily one of the weirdest series I’ve ever encountered. On one side, you have what is clearly nukige levels of sexual content, with some of the most absurd h-scenes I’ve ever encountered, taking male breast-obsessions to new levels. On the other side, you have startlingly detailed settings and interesting stories with protagonists who only seem weak on the surface.
Kyonyuu Fantasy 3 is no exception to my experiences with the series. When I started it, I was returned mentally to my first experience with the series, in the form of the massive omnibus edition of the original and its side and after-stories, the Digitalized Novel version. I’m going to be blunt, this series’ protagonists are universally the same type of person… loving, wide-hearted, and extreme nymphomaniacs with a breast obsession. The one in this one is the god of paizuri (if you don’t know what this is, ask one of the h-addicts around here), Yuranis.
The era is something like twelve to fourteen hundred years before the original, when an alternate Rome (where Caesar was never assassinated) ruled much of the Western world. The protagonist gets thrust into the human world, and he makes his way with the usual casual competence and lack of tension that is pretty much inbred into the series.
I should say that this Rome shares all of the Empire's many flaws and virtues, from systematic slavery and the difficulty of obtaining the status of citizen, to the formal and orderly lawmaking and engineering that defined the Empire at its best.
I’ll be honest, I absolutely love the way they put together the settings in these games… there is enough detail to satisfy people like me, and the tons of erotic content makes me rofl, since it is so… random most of the time. I’m serious and I’m laughing… and I honestly just can sit back and enjoy games in this series without taking them overly seriously. It is pretty rare for me to just sit back and enjoy something with this much h-content, but the Kyonyuu Fantasy series is a definite rare exception.
The endings other than the true one are actually pretty detailed, and I was mostly satisfied with them… though it is pretty blatant that they intend to put out yet another series of fandiscs for this one later on, lol.
As always, I played the one with the catgirls. lol
This VN is a kinetic novel from the makers of Karenai Sekai, Sweet & Tea. At this point (the third game) the pattern the makers of these games are following has become apparent, though this game is not really on the same level as Karenai Sekai or Kemono Musume. The protagonist is generally amusing (he is the type that constantly sends conversations off track by saying random crap and then forgetting it ten seconds later), and his surrounding situation is interesting...
However, I thought this VN was a bit poorly handled. There is a major genre switch about four-fifths of the way through the game, and that genre switch makes me go 'eh? Seriously?' i was left feeling that this game needed multiple paths, at least partially because at least half the cast of characters wasn't explored at all (though delicious hints were dropped here and there). In my mind, this makes the game something of a half-assed failure, since a well-designed kinetic novel should leave you with the feeling that 'this is how it was meant to be' rather than the feeling that 'they must have cut the other paths for some reason'.
As amusing as the game was at times, the actual story was badly handled and the romance was so-so, at best.
To be honest, except for the end of the VN, this one is fairly disappointing. It was like they mixed a fandisc with a real sequel... there is way too much slice-of-life mixed into the VN, and the fact that they reused the Hajun concept again (anyone who plays this after having played Dies Irae and KKK will understand what I'm saying) was immensely irritating. I mean, the biggest complaint every last person who played the original had was that it was too much of a Dies Irae imitation, without the power that Dies Irae possessed.
*sighs*
From a simple raw quality standpoint, this is - in the end - a Masada VN, and it shows through in the quality of the narration... it just grates on the nerves for me, because I expected better from Masada than a pale copy of his other works.
The last few hours are, of course, classic Masada battle narration and story advancement... which still didn't quite make the overwhelmingly irritating slice-of-life segments worth it.
As the title says, there are some issues for March's VN of the Month... namely the fact that there are too many releases, lol. After playing 3 VNs, I've played less than half of the releases for March.
This means that I'm going to have to prioritize. Now, in this case the obvious cuts are going to be the gameplay VNs. I'm going to avoid them this time around, simply because neither of them looks like anything special anyway. I'm also tempted to avoid Shoujo-tachi wa Kouya wo Mezasu. The reason? The more I look at it, the more I realize that the most interesting aspect of it is the name. The characters and concept don't really speak to me, and I'm increasingly getting to where I don't trust Takahiro for anything outside of Majikoi. The reason for this is even simpler... the more I've read his other stuff, the more I've come to think that he literally doesn't have anything interesting left in his brain. Making it worse is that I don't have much of a taste for stories that center around something even remotely focused on the entertainment industry, and that includes game-making.
Now, what is left after I excise those and the ones I've already played... the Dies Irae side-story comes to mind, but I honestly can't get up much enthusiasm for a side-story prequel, even to a VN as great as Dies Irae. The new Liarsoft game also comes to mind (are you seeing how ridiculous March is this year now), but I just flat-out don't enjoy most of Liar-soft's VNs that much. Sekien was great when I was starving for VNs before I began seriously playing untranslated, but I honestly couldn't get into any of the other Steampunk games. Maitetsu is just flat-out out of the question.
In other words, looking at what's left over, I'm having trouble getting up a desire to play another. If all else fails, I'll try Liarsoft's newest VN or Dies Irae, but...
None of my incarnations has ever been very good at pretending to be nice. Yes, that is an understatement, from a purely objective perspective. However, when you are a sentient universe-eating monster that used to be a fat, bald otaku from a frontier planet in a rather pathetic galaxy in an even more pathetic universe, it is kind of hard to understand how to be ‘nice’. Understand, I was just out to have a few drinks, perhaps eat some of the more nasty criminals that infested the city of Neo Lovenia, and maybe find a few people worth loving… I had no intention of getting involved in something so utterly boring as a slum-dwellers’ riot when I left the sewer-level apartment I’d chosen more out of memories of a certain child’s cartoon back ‘home’ than any practical reasons. Unfortunately, as with most matters involving mortals, I wasn’t exactly given a choice whether to get involved or not. Especially when a really pretty girl hidden under the rags of a filthy slum-dwelling piece of mortal trash was tossed off a bridge, straight into my arms… That, in and of itself, would not have been much of a problem. On any other day, I would have simply eaten the girl, made her into one of my trillions of immortal servants, then gone on about the business of getting myself debauched in the biggest city on one of the most degenerate planets in all of that particular universe. Unfortunately, the men in the silly blue robes with the magic staffs had the bad taste to try to blast me with lightning bolts, probably thinking I was one of the girl’s allies. Since this verged on that most terrible of all sins, incivility, I decided to retaliate in kind. It wasn’t my fault that the fragile matter of that particular space-time continuum wasn’t up to the task of withstanding the equivalent of a sigh of exasperation from me. The bridge, the rioting slum-dwellers in their filthy rags, and the entire unit of what passed for police on that particular sorry excuse for a civilized world, were suddenly wiped from existence, along with a large portion of the surrounding streets and buildings… and a perfect half-sphere of the water running through the reservoir below. Needless to say, I was somewhat dismayed. While I tended to devour all sorts of nasty things in my true form, I generally refrained from drinking the water on planets like that one… one could never tell just what was in it, after all. The oily taste of rotten fish and the bits of effluvia that tended to infest the waters on backward worlds like this one filled my mouth, reminding me of why I generally refrained from such activities when in mortal form. The girl in my arms was quite unconscious, and I was briefly tempted to just toss her in the river and be done with it… but she was also unreasonably pretty underneath all that grime. So pretty, in fact, that she reminded me of my own mortal days, when I spent most of every day staring at a computer screen at animated beauty because the world around me was so ugly. As such, I believe that it is only reasonable that I should be forgiven for deciding to refrain from eating her before I got to know her. Once an erogamer, always an erogamer, after all. Having returned to my home, such as it was, I found myself at a loss. Being a sensible creature, I’d long-since arranged for my own pocket dimension full of all the creature comforts to follow me wherever I went, and there was no chance of trouble from the outside entering without my permission. Unfortunately, I had seemingly lost my wits, deciding to bring a mere mortal child, however pretty, to my sanctum, full of walls of eroge, anime blu-rays, and video games from every era of my pox-infested homeworld’s technological age. As such, I was quite well-aware that my home wasn’t exactly suitable for the inhabitance of beings of the female persuasion. The nightmare of many otakus yet to obtain the power of true enlightenment, of taking a girlfriend home only for her to find out about his hidden passions and reject him furiously, briefly raised its head. I shook my head, smiling somewhat wryly at my rather prosaic worry. After all, if all else failed I could always eat the girl anyway. Pretty as she was, she would be even prettier with glowing orange eyes and a bear-trap smile full of endless hunger. However, now that I had refrained from eating her once, I found it difficult to consider doing so anyway. I am nothing if not stubborn, as a particularly bone-headed (literally) Neanderthal discovered when we got into a headbutting contest during one of my many pleasure trips to my homeworld’s distant past. So it was that I found myself transforming the girl’s rags into a simple kimono (again, once a weaboo, always a weaboo), cleaning her body by the simple expedient of turning all non-living matter on the surface of her skin into quick-evaporating anti-bacterial soap. Why did I have to inherit the original’s otaku-obsessions? I wondered, feeling a bit exasperated. All of the avatars made by the original have their own quirks and individual leanings, though the essential nature of the being we represent is unchangeable. However, I am one of the few unfortunates to have inherited the original’s ‘hobby’ and tastes. The one thing all of us inherit is ‘hunger’. It takes different forms, depending on the individual, but all of us eat people. If it is the simple fondness one might have for their favorite meal, the result tends to be what most mortal races would call a ‘monster’. The individual’s basic personality survives being eaten… but their body and their desires are changed drastically. In the billions of years since my maker had eaten this particular universe, I’d come to understand just how differently our emotions toward those we eat effect various species. If we happened to actually know and like the person in question, the result that came out the other side was generally superficially unchanged… after all, the more we know and like someone, the less likely we are to want to turn them into a duplicate of ourselves. But I digress. I was speaking of our ‘hunger’. In some cases it manifests as lust, in others it manifests as greed, in some it manifests as sadism, and yet in others it can manifest as a desire to kill. It isn’t always negative… if it was, very few universes would have managed to survive our presence. In my case, it is pride, the desire for recognition given free reign. Need I state how paradoxical my otaku hobbies and my ‘hunger’ are? I’ve not quite gone so far down that path as the original went… so I’m not about to proudly state that I love eroge to the world. Unfortunately, that meant that I was generally forced to hide my hobbies on whatever world I chose to use as a foothold at a given time. As such, I vanished the various otaku paraphernalia in the room, transforming the walls into something resembling the inside of a castle lord’s room from the Middle Ages (imagined by me), with a four-poster canopied bed, deep purple silk sheets, covering the walls with bookshelves filled old-fashioned hand-written, hand-bound books in the local language (translated in an instant). As a bow to my ever-present weabooism, I left the katana and wakizashi hanging sheathed on nails driven into the wall and the set of samurai armor I’d created in one of my all-too-common fits of obsessive madness on its stand in the corner of the room closest to the heavy varnished-wood door. I took another look at the girl and sighed deeply. Her fuzzy black cat ears and silky black tail attracted my otaku-obsessions like a fly to honey, and the fact that she was a Japanese-style bishoujo only made it worse (considering the whole reason this universe had been devoured was because the original found out there were naturally-occurring cat-people there). The urge to eat her was briefly overwhelming, but it soon receded, tamed by certain… other feelings. Unlike the original, I have some restraint, after all. I picked her up, threw her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and carried her over to the bed, where I dropped her, covering her with a down-filled quilt I materialized out of thin air. Her white, oh-so-white skin which contrasted so wonderfully with her midnight-black hair once again invited me to dine upon my guest, but I had little difficulty suppressing the urge this time. That done, I picked a random book off of the shelves and began reading, Hmm… Waylander by Gemmel… my original’s tastes are a bit predictable. I reflected as I waited for her to wake. The story was about a kingslayer assassin, and it was written by one of the original’s childhood favorite authors. While the story started as a straightforward revenge story, describing the rapid collapse of the man who became Waylander into the worst pits of human nature, it was still an enjoyable read… very much like cheap fantasy junk food. A few hours later, I sensed her stirring in the bed, her ears twitching and her breathing becoming shallower. An instant later, she shot upright, screaming. Irritated, I created a sound barrier around her head and waited for her to stop. The cat-like ears of the native form I was using were highly sensitive, and her screaming could have awakened the dead. I observed her closely, seeing that her wide, unfocused eyes were a large, brilliant emerald in color and her teeth had the prominent canines that distinguished her visually from humankind, together with her ears and tail. Eventually, her eyes focused, and her screaming stopped, and I released the sound barrier, waiting for her to speak. “…w…wh…who are you?” She asked in obvious confusion, her voice hoarse, most likely from the screaming. “My name is Clephas.” I replied, giving her what I thought was a gentle, reassuring smile.
I am bored, so I figured I would note the non-nukige VNs scheduled to come out on PC at the end of the month, for those who are interested.
Ojou-sama wa Sunao ni Narenai - This game looks to be the first serious title by Ensemble in some time (since Gokigen Naname), just going by the descriptions of the situation and the protagonist. While the setup is definitely a twist on the Shugotate theme (sans cross-dressing), it is nonetheless one of the two games I'm seriously looking forward to from June's releases.
Ren'ai Kyoushitsu - Just looking at this one, it screams 'standard-issue charage, in pretty pink, as usual!' to me. I read up on it, but the descriptions and the fact that the writer isn't named tell me that this is just yet another newborn company trying to bite into what is left of the decaying mainstream charage market. Unless this game massively exceeds my expectations, I can't see it going anywhere.
Tantei Seven - For some weird reason, the people who brought us the Illusion-game knnock-off Musumaker are now bringing us a mystery game... and not only that, they seem to have decided adding in downloadable episodes later on (for a price) is a good idea in a game that is focused on story... typical Illusion-imitator. In other words, I'm not willing to buy this one, since I don't like this kind of company. However, if you play it feel free to tell me what it was like, lol.
Akane Iro no Kyoukaisen - This is the second game I'm looking forward to from June's releases. Just from what I've read up on it, I feel excited, since there hasn't been a youkai-VN in a while. My addiction is rising...
Pure Song Garden! - I used to love Pulltop, but the company seems to have abandoned what made them one of the sharper weapons in Will's armory. Honestly, for a company that was previously so great at balancing moe, charage elements, and story, it is immensely disappointing that they would do something as puerile as an idol game... two times in a row. I was hoping their next release would be something heart-warming like Natsuiro Recipe, but I guess I should have known this company's executives are shooting something nasty into their veins before board meetings.
First, I should say that I disapprove of releasing visual novels in pieces. I'm perfectly willing to wait three or four years for a good story, but I hate nothing more than being interrupted in the middle and having to wait another year for the next one.
The habit of releasing VNs in chapters was a vice mostly restricted to doujin VNs in the past. The more obvious reasons are people like me who hate having their stories interrupted, the previous dominance of physical media, and other issues. However, as digital releases have become more common, companies have begun to try to find ways to suck more blood out of their readers without investing as much money. The result has been a rash of fragmentary game releases, like Corona Blossom, Grisaia Phantom Trigger, and the Uso series by Campus.
Now, while I used them as an example, those are mostly positive examples. All three constructed their 'pieces' so they could stand on their own. Phantom Trigger takes an episodic approach, making each entry feel like an anime episode in a series or a novel in a series that does a good job of concluding the events of each entry, so that you don't become desperate waiting for the next. The Uso series by Campus made each entry so that it stood on its own without needing previous knowledge of the other entries, despite their interlinked setting and characters. These are probably the two best ways to approach micro-releasing VN stories... but in both cases, I would actually much prefer to read all the chapters at once, lol.
I say I hate micro-releases, but that is because I see VNs as game hybrids. For me, I only want to invest money in a game once. I hate subscriptions, I hate microtransactions, and I absolutely despise random additional (paying) content. I can justify buying a season pass along with the game itself, but that is because it is a one-time transaction that gets me everything without having to concern myself with continuous pushing of bits and pieces of essentially worthless digital merchandise.
In other words, I hate that this has become more common because I instinctively fear the day when some 'brilliant genius' manages to incorporate true microtransactions into a pure VN.
Miu is one of my favorite types of characters... a character that has two sides to their personality that are so dramatically different that you'd almost think they had a major psychological disorder. Miu's path is focused on taking joy in life in the face of certain death (though it might not seem that way at first). To be blunt, Miu's dere is probably the most hilarious and adorable of all of them. When she goes all lovey-dovey, it is in a fashion that even puts other lolis to shame, even though she is fundamentally shameless (haha). This path is definitely better written than Miyako's, though that is probably because Miu's problems are mostly internalized.
Kono Sekai no Mukou de was the first game made by Orange Yell, and it is based in the same world as their second game, Sakura Nikagetsu. This company is a low-budget maker that produces comedy/nakige (from the time between each release and the low budget, I'm guessing they are almost completely self-funded). While they are nothing special visually or in terms of the audio, their games 'have heart' as some people put it.
Kono Sekai starts out just after the protagonist, Asobu, discovers his parents have disappeared, leaving him with a massive amount of debt. What makes it worse is that that debt is owned by yakuza who have made it very clear he is going to have to 'sell a lot of things and go far far away', lol. As he goes out to have his last meal using his final paycheck, Asobu finds himself on a street in front of a strange shop, unable to pass it by. Helpless to do anything else, he enters... and finds an expressionless loli named Suzu waiting for him.
Suzu offers him a job... in exchange for 'saving' a dying girl named Kazari, he is given the money necessary to pay off his debts, and he is told that he will have a chance to change his own future once he has fulfilled his part of the bargain. At first, that doesn't seem like such a bad deal... but he finds that he is living in his apartment with Suzu and a shinigami named Touko.
To say it straight, this VN sets out from the beginning to grab your emotions. It doesn't even make an attempt at hitting the intellect very hard, and it doesn't have the budget to grab the moe-addicts. So, this is a VN you go to if you want to laugh and cry, which is precisely why I wanted to go back and replay this.
You are forced to do Kazari's path first, since she is the obvious center of the story, followed by Touko's then Suzu's paths. This VN is full of heart-warming moments, minor laughs (mostly manzai-style comedy and him poking fun at the girls' expense), and - toward the end - tears. While this VN doesn't try to do anything out of the ordinary with its story, its appeals to your emotions are so straightforward that it doesn't even need to go out of its way to grasp your heart.
One thing about this game and Sakura Nikagetsu is that they both blur the lines between life and death, treating them almost casually, which is an unusual occurrence even in VNs where you have a ghost or megami heroine.
If you aren't an art bigot, this company's games are an excellent choice for stories that tug on the emotions, and I'm glad I went back to this one for a refresher.
This is a list of next month's releases that I'm not playing (that aren't nukige) and my thoughts on each, based on the Getchu and official pages, as well as my experience with the writers and companies involved.
Raspberry Cube
This is from the makers of Wagamama High Spec, one of the most average charage in existence *Clephas sticks out his tongue defiantly at the inevitable protestors, accidentally allowing several demons he was eating to escape* First, the good signs... this game's initial presentation is that of a comedy charage. The heroine character profiles are wacky, the initial description is also goofy, and the CGs presented are not 100% h-scene material. On the negative side, however, they rather blatantly avoid any real description of the protagonist beyond his position as a 'former delinquent'. It is generally not a good sign that the heroines have about the equivalent of three paragraphs of detailed info and the protagonist has one short one. In addition, there is a general sense I get from the official site that they are trying to impress you with their moe-moe atmosphere... but they did that with Wagamama High Spec and their other games as well. As such, my initial impression of this game goes in is a 'probable 6, maybe 6.5'.
Hime to Otome no Yakimochi Love
I'm going to be blunt, the company and its obsession with princess/ojousama-themed games doesn't really do much for me. Oh, I do have a fondness for ojousama-ge, but this company never hits the right notes and it tends to go for the 'standard' themes with its paths for the rich girls involved, regardless of the writer. The writer, in this case, is the same person who wrote Primal Hearts and Primal Hearts 2, so there is hope for the comedy aspect. However, he is also very inconsistent as a writer, sometimes showing flashes of sheer genius, at others stumbling over his own feet in attempts to make poorly-chosen tropes work. The heroine descriptions are all a standard templates for various princess and ojousama heroine types, so it is hard to get up much of an interest in them, at least for me. The protagonist in this one is described well and seems like he might be a strong presence... at first glance. Unfortunately, it is rather evident just from the material available that he is probably going to spend much of the game being as dense as the lead used to shield nuclear reactors and stumble at all the right moments to make him seem like an idiot despite being supposedly a highly intelligent jock. I'd probably predict a similar rating to the game above, if for different reasons.
Another thought about the two above
It is never a good sign when two charage come out in one month using the same writer.
Sono Hana ga Saitara, Mata Boku wa Kimi ni Deau
This is the latest game in Campus's now-massive series of kinetic novels based in its two-faced school of normals and hidden magical beings. I'm going to be a bit blunt... if you played Hatsukoi Syndrome, you will figure out from just the character description of the heroine exactly what is going on. Magicians/sorcerers in this setting have one serious peculiarity that plays a role in their love lives (curses them, pretty much), and it is pretty clear what is going to happen based on that fact. While Campus has yet to make a bad game in this setting, it is something of a buzzkill (at least to me), that they went out of their way to pick a mage heroine and immediately gave you big rotting fish of a hint before you even play the game as to the central conflict.
I'll be playing Sanoba Witch (https://vndb.org/v16044) first this month, and Boku no Hitori Sensou immediately after if Silverio Vendetta isn't available before that. So far, Sanoba Witch is Yuzusoft to the core... I'm curious to see where they'll go with this setting.
I've been avoiding Campus's games. Why? Because the Uso series they began with and all their other games are based in the same setting, which I thought would be pretty frustrating. I broke down and played this one pretty much just because it was one of only three releases this month, including Grisaia's new game, which were non-nukige and non-fandisc... that said, I'll say the conclusion first. This game isn't VN of the Month material.
That isn't to say that this game doesn't have its high points. Some parts of it made me smile and I cried once... but I honestly didn't like the heroine of this game. I liked the girl the protagonist didn't end up with, so it was frustrating as hell. In most VNs, you would have the chance to see the 'other heroine's path', but Campus only does kinetic novels, though the Uso series is continuous, with each one covering a different heroine with the same protagonist (incidentally why I've been ignoring it).
As a result, I will most likely never get to see Haruka and Yuuto come together, which is immensely disappointing. I liked Haruka a lot, what with her being the classic 'genius twisted up inside' character.
In comparison, Luna is... a really naive character, and once she actually falls for the protagonist, she is a really straighforward deredere heroine. For romance-lovers, this will probably be an attraction, but I was already Haruka's fan within ten minutes of 'meeting' her, so I honestly couldn't rejoice.
Of course, that is part and parcel of the game's theme, which is about first love and its loss... but I honestly would have preferred it if the roles had been reversed for the female characters, lol.
