What are you playing?

[Vokoca]

Finished Looking-glass Insects in SubaHibi. There's not really much I have to say about it this time, as most of the plot was actually in the alternative ending already. They made me appreciate that alternative ending even more for sure, though, because this was possibly the most horrible stuff I've ever seen a character go through. :x

 

If I'm not mistaken, the rest of the arcs isn't as long, so I might just as well finish them all in one go, if that's even healthy.

I have one chapter left in Book of Shadows.

Two if you count the bonus chapter when I unlock that.

Wait, is the chapter you have left the Tooth one? Oh god, I have to laugh at how stupid ghat one is every time I think about it... The last chapter is good, but it's just a prologue for BloodDrive... speaking of which, I really need to resume playing that.

[Snowtsuku]

Finished Torta's route in Symphonic Rain.

 

Misc. Thoughts/Ramblings(spoilers)

 

General Thoughts:

• Overall my heroine rating will be Torta > Lise > Fal. Torta's the typical childhood friend who has great dynamics with Chris (I love watching them tease each other :3). Lise gets second place because of how cute and innocent she is that just makes me wanna hug her and protect her with all my might. Fal unfortunately gets third cuz I still don't like the "use or be used" philosophy, though I can understand it. Sort of. That being said, I think Fal is the most interesting character out of the bunch (and also the prettiest, hehe).
• Route wise, Torta > Lise > Fal. Torta's route because it actually deals with y'know, Arietta. Lise's route because it had a few foreshadowing elements to keep me interested (ie. wondering why Lise was shy/bullied, revelation of Grave being her father, wondering why Lise was getting injured). Fal's route... not much went on(practice, hang out, more practice. No drama or foreshadowing so it got pretty draggy. The climax was cool though. Better than Lise's because it's annoying having parents be the bad guys).
• Lise gets shafted in screentime. ie. Torta and Fal appear in all three routes, Lise only appears in her own route. QQ Lise
• I'm really, really interested about Phornie's background.. Torta's route finally gives some more info in that Phornie can't leave the apartment/is bound to the apartment so that's why she says bye(in other routes she just outright vanishes after saying bye) but I have a feeling there's more to it(?) maybe not..

Torta Thoughts:

• I see why Torta's route was recommended to be last. I totally didn't expect to actually get to see 'Arietta' in person she has such a nice contrast to Torta. But personality wise I think I like Torta's energetic personality better than Arietta's graceful personality~
• That being said, I'm a bit bothered by how easily Chris becomes unfaithful to Arietta across all routes. I mean, c'mon, I know long distance relationships tend to not work out, but it was still 3 YEARS they were in a relationship. THREE! and for his feelings to all of a sudden change within one month is a bit sad.
• Hell, when Arietta shows up, he even monologues to himself about how happy he was that she showed up because it reaffirmed his love for her, but then drama happens and not even a week happens before he has his sights on Torta   (technically he always did, but still...)
• Speaking of the drama, nice going, Chris. When he called Arietta "Torta" I totally had the biggest "OH SHIT" feeling I've had in quite a while. I love it when VNs bring out these sorts of feelings!
• Love triangles suck. I'm wishy-washy like Chris so deep down I was hoping for a peaceful resolution, but too bad.. I'm fond of both Arietta and Torta so I felt Chris's pain.
• The graduation recital was sooo BS. Like I was getting ready to play the rhythm mini game but nope they skip it for this route xD
• The final encounter with Arietta was a missed opportunity on the writers' part imo. Like I was totally expecting there to be a choice: "Stop Arietta" or "Let Arietta go" and my heart was actually getting pumped up as she laid out his options, but noo Chris automatically chooses to let her go and the credits roll. Felt RIDICULOUSLY anticlimatic. (I honestly would've impulsively chosen stop Arietta had they given us the choice...)
• But man.
• That ending.
• THAT ENDING.
• THAT FRIGGEN' ENDING. HOLD UP.
• HOOOOOOLD UP

​

 

WTF IS THIS. Torta + hair down = Arietta? "Muttered things that went beyond my comprehension" -> was she explaining that she was posing as Arietta the whole time or something? SAY IT ISN'T SO. Please tell me I'm wrong. Or else my head will explode.

 

Edit: Started Al Fine, up until the the point Chris says, "Do you hear the rain?".

#$^%$^%$$#^$%@%#$TGFHFZDWEHT$WRETRYJYTHERDGSEFWT$%Y^&^%$WR#RGSDGGESRQ#R$%#WTRE

ESFRE#WT$ETWRGHDTJY^&^&%^#@%WRSGDHYRWETRYUKNGBSFV GRR#%^$%@#$$Y%$%#$#$!#WTGRDQ

 

Then if you reread the game again...

You'll notice that there are certain dialogues that give away the status of the rain.

[Mikimir]

Conmyu.

[bluethunder91]

Finished Torta's route in Symphonic Rain.

 

Misc. Thoughts/Ramblings(spoilers)

 

General Thoughts:

• Overall my heroine rating will be Torta > Lise > Fal. Torta's the typical childhood friend who has great dynamics with Chris (I love watching them tease each other :3). Lise gets second place because of how cute and innocent she is that just makes me wanna hug her and protect her with all my might. Fal unfortunately gets third cuz I still don't like the "use or be used" philosophy, though I can understand it. Sort of. That being said, I think Fal is the most interesting character out of the bunch (and also the prettiest, hehe).
• Route wise, Torta > Lise > Fal. Torta's route because it actually deals with y'know, Arietta. Lise's route because it had a few foreshadowing elements to keep me interested (ie. wondering why Lise was shy/bullied, revelation of Grave being her father, wondering why Lise was getting injured). Fal's route... not much went on(practice, hang out, more practice. No drama or foreshadowing so it got pretty draggy. The climax was cool though. Better than Lise's because it's annoying having parents be the bad guys).
• Lise gets shafted in screentime. ie. Torta and Fal appear in all three routes, Lise only appears in her own route. QQ Lise
• I'm really, really interested about Phornie's background.. Torta's route finally gives some more info in that Phornie can't leave the apartment/is bound to the apartment so that's why she says bye(in other routes she just outright vanishes after saying bye) but I have a feeling there's more to it(?) maybe not..

Torta Thoughts:

• I see why Torta's route was recommended to be last. I totally didn't expect to actually get to see 'Arietta' in person she has such a nice contrast to Torta. But personality wise I think I like Torta's energetic personality better than Arietta's graceful personality~
• That being said, I'm a bit bothered by how easily Chris becomes unfaithful to Arietta across all routes. I mean, c'mon, I know long distance relationships tend to not work out, but it was still 3 YEARS they were in a relationship. THREE! and for his feelings to all of a sudden change within one month is a bit sad.
• Hell, when Arietta shows up, he even monologues to himself about how happy he was that she showed up because it reaffirmed his love for her, but then drama happens and not even a week happens before he has his sights on Torta   (technically he always did, but still...)
• Speaking of the drama, nice going, Chris. When he called Arietta "Torta" I totally had the biggest "OH SHIT" feeling I've had in quite a while. I love it when VNs bring out these sorts of feelings!
• Love triangles suck. I'm wishy-washy like Chris so deep down I was hoping for a peaceful resolution, but too bad.. I'm fond of both Arietta and Torta so I felt Chris's pain.
• The graduation recital was sooo BS. Like I was getting ready to play the rhythm mini game but nope they skip it for this route xD
• The final encounter with Arietta was a missed opportunity on the writers' part imo. Like I was totally expecting there to be a choice: "Stop Arietta" or "Let Arietta go" and my heart was actually getting pumped up as she laid out his options, but noo Chris automatically chooses to let her go and the credits roll. Felt RIDICULOUSLY anticlimatic. (I honestly would've impulsively chosen stop Arietta had they given us the choice...)
• But man.
• That ending.
• THAT ENDING.
• THAT FRIGGEN' ENDING. HOLD UP.
• HOOOOOOLD UP

​

 

WTF IS THIS. Torta + hair down = Arietta? "Muttered things that went beyond my comprehension" -> was she explaining that she was posing as Arietta the whole time or something? SAY IT ISN'T SO. Please tell me I'm wrong. Or else my head will explode.

 

Edit: Started Al Fine, up until the the point Chris says, "Do you hear the rain?".

#$^%$^%$$#^$%@%#$TGFHFZDWEHT$WRETRYJYTHERDGSEFWT$%Y^&^%$WR#RGSDGGESRQ#R$%#WTRE

ESFRE#WT$ETWRGHDTJY^&^&%^#@%WRSGDHYRWETRYUKNGBSFV GRR#%^$%@#$$Y%$%#$#$!#WTGRDQ

 

 

Now you understand why so many people here recommend this game.

Man, do you realize every character in the game and even the

online summary is lying to you?

City of rain, my ass. This is what shot this game up in my list of favorites.

[Funyarinpa]

Started and finished VLR because I really felt like some mindfuck, though I wasn't too happy with how everything unfolded and the very last segment was too subtle. Probably going with Remember11 next.

[kyrt]

started playing comyu but thanks to the december vn reading club thing went over to Forest. On chapter III of it and rather enjoying it so far. I'll go back to comyu after I'm done with Forest.

[Eclipsed]

Now you understand why so many people here recommend this game.

Man,

do you realize every character in the game and even the online summary is lying to you?

City of rain, my ass. This is what shot this game up in my list of favorites.

[Slowpoke]

Wait, is the chapter you have left the Tooth one? Oh god, I have to laugh at how stupid ghat one is every time I think about it... The last chapter is good, but it's just a prologue for BloodDrive... speaking of which, I really need to resume playing that.

 

Oh god the Tooth one was so dumb. 

But the LAST chapter I meant was the prologue to BloodDrive.

But I realize that I have to get all the wrong ends too so now I gotta do that and then I can read it lol

[bluethunder91]

It was obvious that Fortellos 'magic' was affected by emotions, but it was nice to have Cordell-sensei confirm it during Al Fine:

 

That being said, it explains why Fal completely rekt Chris the day before the graduation recital with her revelation of using him and whatnot. He was completely devasted, resulting in a phenomenal performance during the recital.

 

Just wanted to mention this since at the time I was like "Why would she do that? Wouldn't making Chris depressed make him play worse?" But nope. It makes him play better~

 

Fal is a master schemer  B) 

 

Holy hell, didn't think about that. One of the charms of this game is how you can keep finding stuff like this even a year after you played it.

[Snowtsuku]

Yeah xD

Man, do you realize every character in the game and even the online summary is lying to you?

 

That actually makes Fal of all people one of the 'better' characters in that she's essentially the only person who actually says, "Don't trust anybody" 

 

 

Indeed.

I love how subtle the writers were able to make those dialogues though... I wonder if there were any hardcore keen readers who were able to deduce the truth without reading Al Fine xD.

 

I personally love getting that shocked revelation feeling so I don't particularly care about finding out the truth early on my own

 

~~~

It's funny cuz those of you who have been keeping up with my thoughts&ramblings probably were thinking this the whole time :

Fal:

• Not gonna lie, I felt like scum having to abandon Arietta for Fal. One thing I wish though would be to be able to actuallyread what Chris was writing to her. So we could see both his thoughts and what he writes to her... but nope. Her final letter suggesting they break up hurt. A LOT. -> lol read Al Fine noob
• Probably the thing that bothers me the most though is that Chris essentially ditched Arietta for this... manipulative witch   -> lol read Al Fine noob

Lise:

• Torta also got to have a chat with Lise, but it's not revealed what they talked about. Rawr! I want to know!!! -> lol read Al Fine noob
• Fal's last piece of advice "Don't trust anybody" to Chris was kinda weird, because Lise really wasn't hiding any secrets   . Even Asino emphasized Chris to be wary of all the negative rumors surrounding Lise, so I was expecting Lise to have some shocking personality change like Fal did, but nope, nothing xD. The main source of conflict for this route was just Lise's father, Grave.​ -> lol read Al Fine noob
• Chris was the one to break up with Arietta this time. Wow. The decision came a lot smoother this time aka Chris didn't have to go through a moral dilemma and talk to Lise about Arietta like he had to do with Fal during Fal's route.. -> lol read Al Fine noob
• Torta's "Is this your way of atoning?" question when she visits Chris+Lise in the hospital left me just as confused as Chris was. Hmm... -> lol read Al Fine noob

Torta:

• I see why Torta's route was recommended to be last. I totally didn't expect to actually get to see 'Arietta' in person  :Dshe has such a nice contrast to Torta. But personality wise I think I like Torta's energetic personality better than Arietta's graceful personality~ -> lol read Al Fine noob
• That being said, I'm a bit bothered by how easily Chris becomes unfaithful to Arietta across all routes. I mean, c'mon, I know long distance relationships tend to not work out, but it was still 3 YEARS they were in a relationship. THREE! and for his feelings to all of a sudden change within one month is a bit sad. -> lol read Al Fine noob
• Hell, when Arietta shows up, he even monologues to himself about how happy he was that she showed up because it reaffirmed his love for her, but then drama happens and not even a week happens before he has his sights on Torta    (technically he always did, but still...) -> lol read Al Fine noob
• Speaking of the drama, nice going, Chris. When he called Arietta "Torta" I totally had the biggest "OH SHIT" feeling I've had in quite a while. I love it when VNs bring out these sorts of feelings! -> lol read Al Fine noob
• Love triangles suck. I'm wishy-washy like Chris so deep down I was hoping for a peaceful resolution, but too bad.. I'm fond of both Arietta and Torta so I felt Chris's pain. -> lol read Al Fine noob
• The final encounter with Arietta was a missed opportunity on the writers' part imo. Like I was totally expecting there to be a choice: "Stop Arietta" or "Let Arietta go" and my heart was actually getting pumped up as she laid out his options, but noo Chris automatically chooses to let her go and the credits roll. Felt RIDICULOUSLY anticlimatic. (I honestly would've impulsively chosen stop Arietta had they given us the choice...) -> lol read Al Fine noob
• But man.
• That ending.
• THAT ENDING.
• THAT FRIGGEN' ENDING. HOLD UP.
• HOOOOOOLD UP
• 

   

  WTF IS THIS. Torta + hair down = Arietta? "Muttered things that went beyond my comprehension" -> was she explaining that she was posing as Arietta the whole time or something? SAY IT ISN'T SO. Please tell me I'm wrong. Or else my head will explode.

   

  LOL READ AL FINE NOOB!!!!

 

Another note regarding Fal:

It was obvious that Fortellos 'magic' was affected by emotions, but it was nice to have Cordell-sensei confirm it during Al Fine:

 

That being said, it explains why Fal completely rekt Chris the day before the graduation recital with her revelation of using him and whatnot. He was completely devasted, resulting in a phenomenal performance during the recital.

 

Just wanted to mention this since at the time I was like "Why would she do that? Wouldn't making Chris depressed make him play worse?" But nope. It makes him play better~

 

Fal is a master schemer  B) 

 

I think its hard to figure it out.

Because of the Fal scene where she lent you an umbrella. However, when you get back home Phorni will ask you why you don't need the towel. If you think about it, if the rain is real, Phorni shouldn't ask the question since she'll see that Chris is dry anyway. But then again, Fal too OP.

 

About Fal

Now that you read Al Fine, you'll realize she's not that bad of a character. Even if the manipulative thing about her is true, it think it's just her worldview due to her upbringing. I mean just look at Grave and the fact that she was a orphan before. The scene at the end of her route shows that she likes Chris, even a bit.

[Eclipsed]

About Fal

Now that you read Al Fine, you'll realize she's not that bad of a character. Even if the manipulative thing about her is true, it think it's just her worldview due to her upbringing. I mean just look at Grave and the fact that she was a orphan before. The scene at the end of her route shows that she likes Chris, even a bit.

What do you mean "if"? It is true

But yes, I'll agree that Fal is not as bad as she seems. Like during climax scene where she reveals she was 'using Chris all along' I honestly felt like "Uhh, so what?" xD because really, it didn't feel all that serious or bad and actually felt a bit overexaggerated. Hell, Chris was using Fal himself (originally to create distance from Torta before he ended up falling in love with her) xD.

Add in the fact that she does indeed have some feelings for Chris as seen in the ending, and now I see your point. Fal's awesome

 

~~~

Alright y'all, finished AF in Symphonic Rain.

All I can say is: Bravo!

Misc. thoughts/ramblings(spoilers)

• Apparently there's a Phorni route so hopefully that covers any loose ends about her.
• The rain revelation in the very beginning of Al Fine was beautiful. Like I was so 'used' to the rain that the moment we were given scenes of the town being sunny I was already delusional and was like "Wtf? That's not normal..." and then of course the truth sinks in and you get that 'my whole life has been a lie' feeling 
• I LOVE these types of stories that have this "bigger picture" going on behind the scenes and then it overwhelms you with revelations in a dedicated route. Little Busters! Refrain was the last VN I've read to do something similar (and I read that 6 months ago  ).
• Really fun to get to see everything again through Torta's eyes. It's so weird how Chris all of a sudden seems so absentminded when you only have access to his spoken dialogue instead of his inner monologues. 
• Likewise, having access to Torta's inner monologues makes you realize just how much she was suffering despite trying to put on a smile throughout her web of lies. 
• It would've been cool to run two instances of Symphonic Rain just to have access to both viewpoints xD
• Speaking of Torta's web of lies, I have to give props to her for being able to manage everything so well that Chris (and myself) were kept oblivious until the very end.
• Torta's inner monologue after Chris sends his letter confirming he has feelings for both Arietta and Torta was some of the best writing I've ever read. It really captured her psychological struggle: 

 

What would Sis do at a time like this?

"Torta. You should handle it in whatever way suits you best."

Sis was smiling gently inside the mirror.

"... So damn stupid."

I muttered, and averted my eyes from the mirror.

...But would Ari really say something like that to me?

'I am no longer in the picture.'

'Torta... please take care of Chris for me.'

Would she smile sweetly and tell me that?

Or would she get upset, and yell at me that she wouldn't hand him over?

"...Haha... Ahahaha..."

This was ridiculous.

Laughable.

What the heck was I thinking?

Ari wouldn't answer.

She was incapable of answering.

It was all just a convenient illusion.

'Take care of Chris for me?'

A delusion I created just because I wanted him for myself.

Yell at me?

Another delusion I created just because I wanted to be forgiven.

Ari wouldn't say anything.

Sis was incapable of saying anything.

She was in a coma, in a bed, in a hospital.

That was reality, and that was all there was to it.

And nothing more.

Then what was I to do?

"I should just take Chris for myself."

Certainly, Chris liked me too.

I should just write this in the letter:

'Torta is always with you.'

'I can no longer be by your side.'

If I wrote a break-up letter, then told Chris I like him once again, then he would surely be mine.

--I just had to admit it.

Admit what a wretched woman I really was, and take him for myself.

And so I would take my greatest love, in the worst possible way imaginable.

*Torta shatters the mirror*

I would likely never look into the mirror again.

 

^Beautiful dialogue.

• Very, very interesting that Torta herself is the cause for the ending in her route (putting Chris through her 'final' test: all it did was make Chris revert right back to the whole 'choose Arietta or Torta' dilemma (in fact, he does end up choosing Torta by not calling out Arietta's name, but he couldn't tell 'Arietta' (Torta) because of guilt and instead remains silent.
• Since Torta was aiming for another goal in her test (having Chris call her "Torta" while she posed as Arietta to prove that he chose Torta) she doesn't notice this fact and assumes that he is once again indecisive, resulting in everything going to shit.
• That being said, leave it to grandma to be able to be able to solve everyone's problems xD

 

^honestly, if this was done from the very beginning, there would be no Symphonic Rain huh? xD

• Sigh, did Arietta really have to die       . I would've preferred it to be left ambiguous. But Arietta dying is probably the only way for Chris+Torta to have closure and move on.

Well that's that. Will read Phorni route later and then maybe dig through various scenes to see everything again now that I know the truth. 

 

Been fun folks, thanks for reading my ramblings

[Toranth]

No waiting. Read the Phorni route now!

[Eclipsed]

THERE'S MORE?! ARGHHH i need a break xD

[Snowtsuku]

THERE'S MORE?! ARGHHH i need a break xD

[Decay]

I've actually been trying to get into Symphonic Rain since it's so highly rated but it's just so boring. The dialog puts me to sleep and the terrible art doesn't help. I simply don't understand what anyone sees in that VN. Seriously, what is it that makes it good?

[Eclipsed]

I've actually been trying to get into Symphonic Rain since it's so highly rated but it's just so boring. The dialog puts me to sleep and the terrible art doesn't help. I simply don't understand what anyone sees in that VN. Seriously, what is it that makes it good?

[Kosakyun]

All of these Symphonic Rain talk is getting me interested.

I guess I'll get it.

[Decay]

How far'd you get?

If I had to rate Symphonic Rain before reaching the heart of it, I'd actually rate it like a 7 out of 10 (currently rating it a 9 on VNDB xD) because I agree that it gets pretty damn draggy, not to mention the outdated art.

The heart of it is what makes it so good. It is encountered after completing Fal, Lise, and Torta's routes.

Similar to how (semi spoilers)

Little Buster's heart is encountered after completing all routes

 but at least Little Buster's routes were interesting(?) xD 

[Vario]

All of these Symphonic Rain talk is getting me interested.

I guess I'll get it.

[Snowtsuku]

I haven't even gotten through the common route. 7/10 would be extremely generous to me. It's such a boring slog that I can't play for more than 20 minutes at a time without having a strong desire to stop and do something else. So I have to go through three entire heroine routes before it gets interesting?

 

Why do people like this?

[Kosakyun]

I thought exactly the same thing. B-but...

 

[Sargon]

I have Forest and Fate/Stay Night Realta Nua under my belt.

I should really finish these.

[cloudy12]

I'm thinking of picking up Shikkoku no Sharnoth after Symphonic Rain since my winter break starts tomorrow so I'll have lots of time to kill.

 

For those who've played the steampunk series, do I have to play Inganock to understand Sharnoth? I've read that it makes references to Inganock. Is it better if I play Inganock before Sharnoth?

[Kosakyun]

I'm thinking of picking up Shikkoku no Sharnoth after Symphonic Rain since my winter break starts tomorrow so I'll have lots of time to kill.

 

For those who've played the steampunk series, do I have to play Inganock to understand Sharnoth? I've read that it makes references to Inganock. Is it better if I play Inganock before Sharnoth?

[Eclipsed]

Read the last route in Symphonic Rain .

Misc. Thoughts/Ramblings(spoilers)

 

General thoughts:

• GAME! Why must you play with my emotions xD

Phorni thoughts:

• Okay sorry, but after going through 'revelation city' aka Al Fine, reading through December trying to get into Phorni's route was super painful (felt really draggy) hehe.
• But it picks up once Chris finally remembers everything on his own (y'know, I'm surprised in both Al Fine and Phorni route when he finally remembers he doesn't really get overwhelmed that the past THREE years have been a lie. He's just like "I remember." Very casual about it )
• Man, I thought Al Fine was the core of it and that Phorni would just be a funzies route, BUT!
• Phorni = Ari. /end post. Loool really, that's all that needs to be said xD. I had my suspicions ever since the beginning routes where Phorni would kiss Chris on the cheek before vanishing, but man, this was such a beautiful revelation!!!!!!!!!! She's been by his side all this time, supporting him all the way. So friggen' romantic 
• Considering Arietta died in all other routes, I was fully prepared for a heartbreaker ending. Like I was totally bracing myself:
• Especially since Phorni vanishes. I was like "Are you serious.... Is she really going to die right here, right now?!!"  

~~~

But we all know what happens 

 

• As soon as Arietta opened her eyes I squealed and cried immediately loool. Burned through a shitload of tissues x.x this scene was just soo WONDERFUL!!      .
• ^Why so manly Chris  I was already crying a river.
• Still crying btw. It'll stop soon.
• Symphonic Rain really is phenomenal.