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Finished Livestream and Root Film

Livestream: was a decent horror experience. I was expecting a bit more SAW-esque horror scenarios for the heroines but outside of the first few flagship advertisement ones they got, it's been relatively tame. Kinda like Corpse Party. More focus on exploring the Hotel and gathering bits and pieces of information while avoiding the monster rather than back to back horror shenanigans.

There are several (4) bad endings that you have to get to make your way to the true ending, and they add a bit to the mystery/suspense while you try to figure out just wtf is going on with Hotel Izanami and what you should do differently to avoid the current bad end you got. Ultimately there's nothing too grand though. Pretty straightforward explanations and reasons at the end of the day. But will these heroines live to see that day?

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~~
Root Film was a good mystery/suspense adventure. It's only shortcoming is, you spend 80% of the VN building up this overarching mystery revolving around a decade old cancelled film with a supposed cursed reputation and its relation to the protagonists while you're doing all of your episodic murder mysteries and then it just... kinda falls flat when you finally start getting into the thick of things.

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The culprit confrontational scenes could've been done a bit better, it's probably the most simplistic/barebones out of the Ace Attorney/Danganronpa games. Basically a glorified multiple choice that you absolutely shouldn't fail if you paid the slightest bit of attention during your investigations.

Everything by the end of it is wrapped up with a neat little bow, all the motivations are explained yada yada yada but man i actually felt unsatisfied with the conclusion. Also Riho was criminally underused. You can't advertise having dual protagonists and then have Riho only take 28.5% screentime while Rintaro gets 72.5%. That's some Danganronpa V3 Ch1 shit right there. But yeah, good read, but overall would've liked more Riho. lel.

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Also worth mentioning: the comicbook simplistic artstyle allowed them to litter this VN with CGs, there's probably an easy 75-100 CGs so presentation wise they did a stellar job. The world / Shimane Prefecture feels vibrant, colorful, and the characters are all quirky and distinct. It's something Root Letter kind of failed to do with its bland characters, empty world.

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Just did some Switch browsing.

Island came out on the 8th this month, I think i remember being slightly intrigued by it esp. by that one shrine maiden gal with the fuzzy hair when i read Grisaia no Kajitsu 50 years ago (btw still need to read Meikyuu and Rakuen or w.e for Grisaia...) but uhh yup Island it is

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Ok so, good first impressions on Island

You play as Setsuna, an above average decent looking 5.3 rating guy who wakes up amnesiac on an Island. That's as cliche as it gets huh.

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Whew. Unfortunately, buddy, you ain't got nothing on Grisaia's Yuuji. 

Setsuna woke up feeling like he was in the middle of something important- a greater, save the world purpose perhaps- and there are immediate hints that this VN could be dealing with time travel and destiny and whatnot. 

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Oo la la, didn't really expect that. Of course, this could all be a big ol' red herring and all the talks of future and time travel is simply a result of Setsuna's delusions. Cuz yeah the guy seems a bit out of it. But he is indeed fairly entertaining, Frontwing delivers with their male protags, as usual.


The poster heroine is Rinne. I think she'd look better without the hat, but whatever floats your boat. Setsuna immediately recognizes/knows her name upon "first" seeing her so maybe there really is some destiny shiz going on here. Rinne a rich gal, from one of the three elite families on the island (the other two heroines are naturally from the other two elite families). She hires Setsuna to be her servant.

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TAKE OFF THE HAT LADY

There is a built in flowchart and in general Frontwings' software development team got so pro at coding that you can literally skip or rewind the VN in realtime and jump to any particular scene no problemo. I wonder if they'll narratively make this a plot feature like YUNO's save points

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The BGMs are fantastic. I guess I have a thing for peaceful/tranquil/surreal/fantasy sounding types and Island would of course be stocked with plenty them. They really do enhance the reading experience indeed.

 

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[Musicus!]

Ozaki's Route

This was a tough one. A pal of mine warned me I should read this in one sitting since I might lose my motivation to get back on it after and I tried, but I ended up reading this in three (not full) days. It wasn't bad: their relationship was good and I really liked the parallels between Ozaki and Kei, but the middle (and most of the route) was really REALLY slow and dragged. :notlikemiya:

Spoiler

 

It felt like ages until we actually had interesting things happening. I guess that's what happens when you want to transmit that they had to train a lot and then there was all that stuff happening with them ditching practice, but still... I was suffering. Also, fuck Kaneda. I don't care if that's just his character, he is insufferable and I can't stand him; at first, I thought "okay, he's just awkward" but him completely not caring about practice pissed me off. It's funny how often I feel like Kei. :ganbarimess:

That scene in which Ozaki tells us her feelings was so wholesome and cute, I loved it. I also liked the whole communication and consent part of it, it's sadly uncommon to have that in a lot of VNs :(( Thank the Gods the h-scene only lasted 5 minutes, holy moly. I was ready to skip it, but it wasn't bad at all! It felt more like an intimate moment between them than fap material to the reader imo and that's why I liked it so much.

I'm a little sad he abandoned the guitar and followed that path, but it's interesting to see how different routes lead to different paths in life! I wonder if Ozaki would end up alone if he had followed his music career and toured a lot... Maybe it's for the better, although I know Ozaki would say she didn't mind that.

 

In the end, it was only a 6/10. If only they had shortened in the middle of the route, it would be enough for me to give it a 7/10.
I sure hope this is the weakest route :haha:

------------

Alright, next week I'll be reading the second act! :ezgif-2-df452814b3f1:

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https://vndb.org/v29057 Waga Himegimi ni Eikan o

Been reading Wagahime. Minatosoft gave this one their all and is set up to be the next majikoi with its vast array of characters, great world building, and foreign continents to be explored.

Reading Wagahime feels kinda unique since the story doesn't feel like a VN but rather the start of your typical adventure manga/anime. I don't know how to explain it its just the vibe it gives.

I've only read the Empire's route which is Noa, it has an enforced order reading which is Empire > Republic/Federation > Tenmazoku or the demons. It is long well, compared to what I've been reading recently which is 10-30 hours length, and just the first route took me some time. I don't know what my exact playtime is since I always leave my PC on and I don't exactly close the games I'm playing so im at 60 hours and prob give or take 1/2 or 1/3 of that is my real playtime.

Its a lot of things, adventure, s lice of life??, action. It actually feels like an upgraded Majikoi for me since in Majikoi, martial arts take a lot of time in the game, and it requires a ton of suspension of disbelief to think that a bunch of highschoolers are walking bombs but in Wagahime its quite normal since it is a fantasy world, and the power levels are set up properly, no one is Momoyo level of op, there are op characters but they are not op in the sense that they have enemies of similar power level. The humor is funny if you're into the type of humor Majikoi had. The setting is actually well-developed, world building is given a lot of time, and that is not something I expected from this game. There is a sense of history in each faction (although I have only seen the Empire's side but based on the discussions I've read, the Federation and Demon route is even better). As the game is set in a warring world, there will be deaths for some side characters which kinda surprised me given that I really didn't think the writers would actually do that.

Characters are mostly likeable, although there are some questionable choices for side characters that don't really contribute humor-wise, they're just kinda irritating which is the two bullies in the class, although maybe they will be explored in future expansions. Routes for side-characters are... Don't expect much they're there for H reasons not for romance reasons. They're just there for a sneak peek and a quick h scene with that character. Its a shame though since a lot of the female side characters are really really good, Escudo is even no.1 in the official poll lol, its kinda obvious she will be given a route in the next expansion, she dominated the ranking a lot.

The pacing is good, it doesn't feel unnatural, beginning for the empire route is kinda slow though however it might be because its the first route and some exposition is needed, the usagi uzoku sensei companion you have is a walking exposition although admittedly the character is quite endearing.

I initially didn't like Noa, not that I hate her or anything but she is not the character type I usually like however the route gives a lot of time for her development to become a proper monarch and a loving partner and I really did like her character in the end.

Shaon the protagonist is... Bland. Compared to Yamato in Majikoi which had a lot of character and personality, Shaon is just kinda a self-insert. He's not exactly a good protag, but not bad either, he's just competent. Although his banter with Minjara, the god he contracted with is funny though. Shaon is not that smart compared to Yamato in Majikoi, but in turn, he is strong and one of the top fighters in the game.

Im gonna take a pause reading this since I spent a long time reading the Empire route that I need to take my immersion out first before reading the Federation.

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1 hour ago, Larxe1 said:

Shaon the protagonist is... Bland. Compared to Yamato in Majikoi which had a lot of character and personality, Shaon is just kinda a self-insert. He's not exactly a good protag, but not bad either, he's just competent. Although his banter with Minjara, the god he contracted with is funny though. Shaon is not that smart compared to Yamato in Majikoi, but in turn, he is strong and one of the top fighters in the game.

Ironically, I think I'd like Shaon a lot more than Yamato who felt more sly than smart to me. And playing the big dominator in H-scenes to compensate that he's next to useless in combat didn't gain any sympathy points with me either. I would have vastly preferred Tadakatsu as protagonist in Majikoi. That said, I liked Yamato in Kazuko's route though. They somehow did fit together and she made him show mostly his good sides. Didn't like him much in the other routes though.

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2 minutes ago, ChaosRaven said:

Ironically, I think I'd like Shaon a lot more than Yamato who felt more sly than smart to me. And playing the big dominator in H-scenes to compensate that he's next to useless in combat didn't gain any sympathy points with me either. I would have vastly preferred Tadakatsu as protagonist in Majikoi. That said, I liked Yamato in Kazuko's route though. They somehow did fit together and she made him show mostly his good sides. Didn't like him much in the other routes though.

Yeah, Yamato's domination in H-scenes were kinda iffy and sometimes he felt like a rapist which is off-putting, I forgot that side of him lol. 

I guess I just like sly characters in general though. Just kinda wished Shaon had more personality traits or something that made him stand out

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On 4/24/2021 at 4:06 PM, Fujoneko said:
Spoiler

Also, fuck Kaneda. I don't care if that's just his character, he is insufferable and I can't stand him

 

Spoiler

Same here. He had a few decent moments here and there, but I mostly just found him annoying throughout the entire VN.

 

On 4/24/2021 at 4:06 PM, Fujoneko said:
Spoiler

I'm a little sad he abandoned the guitar and followed that path

 

Spoiler

For me, it's the other way around. I actually found it refreshing that he strayed from the beaten path that you know the rest of the VN is going to follow.
Usually, in this type of story, you know the protagonist is going to end up being pushed towards a certain goal in one way or another just because it's "something they should do", or "it's their destiny" or whatever. There aren't that many cases where they just decide to do something else entirely.

 

On 4/24/2021 at 4:06 PM, Fujoneko said:
Spoiler

I wonder if Ozaki would end up alone if he had followed his music career and toured a lot...

 

Spoiler

It can obviously vary from person to person, but I think it's safe to say she'd most likely be pretty lonely. It'd be like in KiraKira, where

Spoiler

Kirari goes off to tour the world while Shikanosuke stays back at home working a regular job, only meeting up once every 6 months or so. At the end of the day, I doubt he finds that very satisfactory from a romantic viewpoint.

 


(Wow, that's a lot of spoiler tags.)
 

On 4/24/2021 at 4:06 PM, Fujoneko said:

I sure hope this is the weakest route

It is. Or at the very least, it was for me.

Edited by Seraphim
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49 minutes ago, Seraphim said:
Spoiler

For me, it's the other way around. I actually found it refreshing that he strayed from the beaten path that you know the rest of the VN is going to follow.
Usually, in this type of story, you know the protagonist is going to end up being pushed towards a certain goal in one way or another just because it's "something they should do", or "it's their destiny" or whatever. There aren't that many cases where they just decide to do something else entirely.

 

Spoiler

True, I agree (even though I said the opposite in my review). I guess part of my reaction was because just a few months ago I was having this debate with my life situation and part of me wanted him to choose his dreams, even if it was foolish or reckless haha

 

49 minutes ago, Seraphim said:

It is. Or at the very least, it was for me.

That's what I've heard too :mare:

Edited by Fujoneko
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Waga Himegimi ni Eikan o

Finished the 2nd route which is the Federal/Republic route, I'm not sure exactly what to translate it as but I think its better to call it the Federation or Erin Route. I will also be referring to their faction as the federation, so its easier to understand.

The obvious difference right at the start is there is a lot of mini-events and a longer journey in the Empire Route. Before you reach the capital where the story really begins, in Empire you go through a lot of detours to set up the characters and setting. The Federation Route skips all of that setting-up and exposition and you meet Erin and go straight away to the capital as the world is already set-up, and you will learn more and more about the Diverse cultures and states inside the Federation. What livened up the Empire Route is the vast array of charismatic side characters that are all interesting and fun to talk to, the culture is mostly the same in the Empire. All are humans with some sub traditions inside their own towns but usually they are the same. The Federation though, is different. The background of Federation is all the races inside it are all minorities and slaves who escaped from the Empire and formed their own nation based on the idea of equality and democracy of different races such as humans, elves, dwarves, Ururu(Dog-like people), Taiga, (Cat-like People), Mermaids, Lizards, Demons and some more. The empire route dealt with the complexities within the royal family and the military battles with the Tenmazoku(Demons), while it is obvious that the Federation Route will deal with a lot of politics as the main driving point of the route is the election battle between Erin and Ignacio,  pro-Empire and anti-Empire candidates respectively.  

Shaon will go around solving problems, going to each races' city, and slowly you will eventually get to know all the races' culture, cities, and inherent personality traits. I actually like this route quite better than the Empire as while both nations have almost the same landmass, the Federation feels a lot bigger due to how diverse the cultures are, each city is very different from one another and it really feels like a union of many races. It also has a lot more things going on due to how Erin and the cast will be travelling all over the Federation and the almost constant political battle of Erin and Ignacio. 

I read on a review that the ending feels quite unfinished, for spoiler-y reasons but it doesn't feel that much a lot, its not unfulfilling, you just kinda end up wishing that it should have been a bit longer to deal with the next foreshadowed crisis which was brushed over.

Erin is also a really good heroine, while not being a powerhouse like Noa and Krone, Erin is a political player and she does it well, and as I like political intrigue so I enjoyed her character.

Next up will be the Maou route, Krone's which a lot of people consider to be the true end as a lot of questions will be answered and I am excited to see why Krone was considered the 2nd favourite character by the poll, escudo is 1st of course.

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3 hours ago, Stormwolf said:

Started Sugar Style and it is quite nice. Heroines are likeable, the protagonist is entertaining and the music is well, passable. All in all good joyous fun. 

The game throws so much comedy at me, I can even finish laughing at the first joke before a second and a third get thrown at me.

 

I was briefly confused how after the Prologue, it suddenly said "Mao Route 01" on screen. In case anyone else is wondering; It's not a bug and you didn't accidentally click anything: After Mao 01 Route, you move on to Ichika Route 01 and I presume to another girl's 01 after that. It's not the real route yet.

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I was a bit confused by that as well, but since I hadn't made any choices yet, I figured it was just an introduction of sorts. In any case, the VN seems promising. I find the protagonist a bit annoying and immature at times, like when he said this to a waitress he just met, but at least he doesn't seem quite as hyper as the guy from Fureraba. I like all the heroines and the animated art is really nice, so I expect this will be a good read.

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On 4/29/2021 at 9:37 PM, Larxe1 said:

Waga Himegimi ni Eikan o

Finished the 2nd route which is the Federal/Republic route, I'm not sure exactly what to translate it as but I think its better to call it the Federation or Erin Route. I will also be referring to their faction as the federation, so its easier to understand.

The obvious difference right at the start is there is a lot of mini-events and a longer journey in the Empire Route. Before you reach the capital where the story really begins, in Empire you go through a lot of detours to set up the characters and setting. The Federation Route skips all of that setting-up and exposition and you meet Erin and go straight away to the capital as the world is already set-up, and you will learn more and more about the Diverse cultures and states inside the Federation. What livened up the Empire Route is the vast array of charismatic side characters that are all interesting and fun to talk to, the culture is mostly the same in the Empire. All are humans with some sub traditions inside their own towns but usually they are the same. The Federation though, is different. The background of Federation is all the races inside it are all minorities and slaves who escaped from the Empire and formed their own nation based on the idea of equality and democracy of different races such as humans, elves, dwarves, Ururu(Dog-like people), Taiga, (Cat-like People), Mermaids, Lizards, Demons and some more. The empire route dealt with the complexities within the royal family and the military battles with the Tenmazoku(Demons), while it is obvious that the Federation Route will deal with a lot of politics as the main driving point of the route is the election battle between Erin and Ignacio,  pro-Empire and anti-Empire candidates respectively.  

Shaon will go around solving problems, going to each races' city, and slowly you will eventually get to know all the races' culture, cities, and inherent personality traits. I actually like this route quite better than the Empire as while both nations have almost the same landmass, the Federation feels a lot bigger due to how diverse the cultures are, each city is very different from one another and it really feels like a union of many races. It also has a lot more things going on due to how Erin and the cast will be travelling all over the Federation and the almost constant political battle of Erin and Ignacio. 

I read on a review that the ending feels quite unfinished, for spoiler-y reasons but it doesn't feel that much a lot, its not unfulfilling, you just kinda end up wishing that it should have been a bit longer to deal with the next foreshadowed crisis which was brushed over.

Erin is also a really good heroine, while not being a powerhouse like Noa and Krone, Erin is a political player and she does it well, and as I like political intrigue so I enjoyed her character.

Next up will be the Maou route, Krone's which a lot of people consider to be the true end as a lot of questions will be answered and I am excited to see why Krone was considered the 2nd favourite character by the poll, escudo is 1st of course.

Finally, finished the last and most likely, the true route of the game. This route makes use of all the experiences and knowledge you gained from the 1st and 2nd route, it uses some side-characters you know and love to travel to Rancage, the home of Tenmazoku. It's pretty intense and exciting all the way through. A lot of questions you may have had in 1st and 2nd route are answered in Krone's route. While Krone may not be my favorite heroine out of the main three (Noa, Erin and Krone), she was extremely endearing and was like a childish Momoyo from Majikoi but also more intense in everything.

The 1st and the 2nd routes were not exactly heroine-centric but rather focuses on the factions, the cultures, and the history themselves. It was a good balance between story, side-character scenes, and heroine-centric scenes. This is the same with the third route however, less focus is given on Rancage and the Tenmazoku themselves but now it tries to explain the history of their whole continent. 

I'm still surprised by how rich the world building is in this novel. They really set up this novel to be the next Majikoi given that there are foreign lands left to be unexplored. They are mostly mentioned and I'm expecting there would be further world exploration in the next game but Escudo and Last route pls. I'm pretty sure this novel has more potential than Majikoi given how rich this world is and the untapped potential it has in the future. While being a set-up for the future it is not that unsatisfying, given by the end you're given most of the answers you need to fully understand the general history of the continent the story takes place in. 

Also, one of my favorite relationships in the game were astounding. It was not the protag-heroine relationship but a friendship between Minjara and another person who I will not mention due to spoiler reasons but they had the most wholesome friendship and it had me tear up a bit. 

This game has action elements though and IMO they do it better than Majikoi, I find it hard to take the martial arts battle in Majikoi seriously as it was still a school life story, it was hard to imagine that those kids were on par with soldiers and many more, it required a  ton of suspension of disbelief to make sense but action here makes sense as magic is commonplace. Power levels are respected and easily understood here, and it makes sense within the world, so no suspension of disbelief is that needed.

The side characters were all amazing and the relevant interesting side characters are given flashbacks/backstories that make you like them and understand them even more. Although I kinda dislike how Shaon's master looked so generic like he was just a random NPC while having one of the most interesting backstories for me. Sensei, Damian, and Pigaro had the most interesting past given their connected history like they were companions in the past and the sense of history that gave was interesting.

Every heroine was good, I had a hard time deciding who I liked best 

Noa = Erin > Krone. I really like Noa's jealous scenes lol, I really like those kind of scenes and Noa really endeared me with what she went through for Shaon in the end. Erin was a unique heroine for me and she was the most adult out of all them, she is the prime minister (dairi). Erin was both the most mature and childish at the same time depending on the scene considering her happy-go-lucky but cunning personality. She was the most fun to listen to due to how bubbly she is which contrasted with how cunning and competent she was in politics. Krone was also excellent, I just like Noa and Erin better, I just kinda feel like you don't get to spend as much time with her as you spend with Noa and Erin, or is it just me? Krone's intensity in both love and battle was interesting to see.

Route-wise:

Tenmazoku (3rd) > Federation=Empire

Pretty much a reversal of my heroine opinions, Tenmazoku route which was obviously the best route given that everything builds up to that route. Its hard for me to talk about it without it being too spoiler-y. 

9/10. I've been on a streak now with excellent VN's, Meikei no Lupercarlia then Wagahime. I'm expecting Wagahime to be a big hit in JP and getchu polls in the future, although Rupekari is a bit iffy on mainstream popularity considering its nature. Probably gonna read something light like the new Yubisaki connection.

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[Musicus!]

Act II

(I'm typing this as I'm playing it, and I had to turn off Kaneda's voice because I just couldn't stand it, ugh. He got even more annoying real fast.)

Okay, I finished it. It's official, I'm dropping this. This act was... fine:haha:

Spoiler

Okay, but seriously, it was real boring. I couldn't stand Kaneda, as I mentioned before, and even Mika got to my nerves. Tazaki, the only sensible person in the band, wants to leave the band? That's it, no more.

Act I was fun and all, but after that it was just painful to keep reading - it's a shame, I was expecting so much more :(((

----

After this, I'll finally be able to make progress with Maggot Baits, so at least I'm excited for that! :ezgif-2-df452814b3f1:

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12 hours ago, Seraphim said:

I was a bit confused by that as well, but since I hadn't made any choices yet, I figured it was just an introduction of sorts. In any case, the VN seems promising. I find the protagonist a bit annoying and immature at times, like when he said this to a waitress he just met, but at least he doesn't seem quite as hyper as the guy from Fureraba. I like all the heroines and the animated art is really nice, so I expect this will be a good read.

He's a bit immature for sure, but that's fine. Anything but the non descript generic-kun we usually get. This is a breath of fresh air. VN is still pretty good. Only big complaint i have which seems to be present is the heroine route is mixed in between common route chapters. Meaning you get some heroine niceties and affection gains in her parts...... Problem is that when you're back to the common route they're back to 0. They've effectively made a VN where heroine routes seem non canon and just spice throughout the common route. Funny thing that.

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3 hours ago, Stormwolf said:

Only big complaint i have which seems to be present is the heroine route is mixed in between common route chapters. Meaning you get some heroine niceties and affection gains in her parts...... Problem is that when you're back to the common route they're back to 0. They've effectively made a VN where heroine routes seem non canon and just spice throughout the common route. Funny thing that.

When you get onto the actual route, it's starts counting from 1 up again. No idea why they called it "route 01" in common, when it's just a heroine specific scene.

Oh, also it isn't ignored; The events of the character scenes and your job selection is brought up later during common.

Edited by TexasDice
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1 hour ago, TexasDice said:

When you get onto the actual route, it's starts counting from 1 up again. No idea why they called it "route 01" in common, when it's just a heroine specific scene.

Oh, also it isn't ignored; The events of the character scenes and your job selection is brought up later during common.

I chose Mao and entertainment. Maybe it was a bad combo for a first go due to her personality too. She's not bad by any means though.

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1 hour ago, Stormwolf said:

I chose Mao and entertainment. Maybe it was a bad combo for a first go due to her personality too. She's not bad by any means though.

Mao/Security here. I remember Security scenes and Mao scenes being referenced at later during common (although Ichika has the most Security scenes).

The thing I assume you meant was probably

Spoiler

how immediately after the first date, a seemingly completely unrelated job and common scene starts before we go back to Mao.

 

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6 hours ago, TexasDice said:

Mao/Security here. I remember Security scenes and Mao scenes being referenced at later during common (although Ichika has the most Security scenes).

The thing I assume you meant was probably

  Hide contents

how immediately after the first date, a seemingly completely unrelated job and common scene starts before we go back to Mao.

 

It was before the first date actually. She was suddenly modest and nice and it changed to common route again and we're back to mc being treated like dirt again. I figured this was due to the structure of the VN, but maybe i was wrong. I'll soon find out i believe

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I've finished A, B and C routes for Root Double as of this evening. Onto the D route at the moment.

 

I really enjoy the mystery elements of A route, and the slice of life of B route - though, the exposition dumps became an absolute snooze fest for me, I quite frankly switched off with the lectures on parapsychology and all the gibberish words they were spewing. (The blind spot test was a treat though.)

 

I wonder if anyone feels the same way I do about the translation? It really grates on me at the moment, there are two horrific Americanisms in the translation which are getting on my nerves;

 

Infrequent use of the term 'off of'. I hate the usage of that term because it feels clumsy, and rarely does better than simply saying 'off the' or 'off x' so, "I took it off him" or "I took it off the table" is a lot better to me than "I took it off of him" and "I took it off of the table"

 

Very frequent use of the word "gotten" - this one is winding me up because it is used in place of better words, such as 'received' "I had received the information from them" is a lot better than "I had gotten the information from them" or "I became involved with this" rather than "I had gotten involved" and so on, it seems every other conversation this pops up and it drives me potty.

 

Who were the translators, so I may slap them for these issues? :P 

I'm looking forward to concluding Route D's multiple endings, there seems to be eight normal, good and true endings,  on top of all the bad endings. Seriously, so many bad endings in route A, it was mad.

I'm not convinced the SSS mechanic is better than conventional dialogue or A/B choices though, even glancing at guides it seems to be a complex way of just picking min/max/neutral if that makes sense?

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Back to my usual with reading random vn's which lead me to dropping VN's at a fast pace which kinda burns me out.

Yume to Iro de Dekiteiru - Same author of Hoshizora no Memoria and I guess co-writer on astral air. Made by feng and surprisingly a full length game. There are supernatural elements to this like same level of supernatural you can find in Hoshizora no memoria. I used to be okay with stuff like that in the past I dont know what changed but seeing random supernatural elements in a high-school setting now turns me off real bad. I changed into wanting grounded and real stories. Rupekari had supernatural elements that I did not like but it was just so good to overshadow whatever misgivings I have. 

Yumeiro constantly changes with its approach of mystery and suspense with detective-like thinking of the protag, and its supernatural elements, those two tropes rarely go well unless you are a reallly good author. I like the cast and all, its passable but the magic elements are really turning me off with mikos actually being legitimate wizard-like powers and mikos hunting poltergeists that were actually *gasp* one of the characters dead cat that wasnt able to pass on. I really don't like tropes like that even more if its barely explained, I guess if I read more I will understand but i'm stalling it or reading at a snail's pace. I was able to enjoy Hoshizora no Memoria when I was younger but now my tastes have changed and I don't think I'll be able to enjoy it at the same level I do now but its still enjoyable because IIRC it did execute its tropes well.

Yubisaki Connection- New game by Hooksoft capitalizing on the unexpected popularity of Making Lovers adult heroines, tried playing it and what did I expect lol. I dropped it immediately, I don't like this kind of games where everyone is constantly upbeat, max energy, ost goes full-blown happy daily life ost with a high af BPM. Its kinda draining to read something like that I prefer grounded stories where its not constant max energy happy. What made Making Lovers stand out for me is the characters where kinda normal (except the mc though but he is funny), the characters in there felt more grounded to me and they act crazy sometimes because of the crazy situations the mc brings them into. Dropped.

Probably gonna read Tsuriotsu, Sen no Hatou, or Muramasa depending on my mood

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I'm enjoying Island a lot more than I thought it would. I think that's the particular VN formula I enjoy the most- charamoeges with beautiful scenery that more importantly ultimately builds up to a greater plot. Probably why Rewrite is one of my top VNs.

Island really keeps you guessing though. Is all the scientific hypothesis jargon really true, or is it all just some grand delusions from a bunch of wishful islander kids?

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The heroines are all great. Going off of my 5yearold Grisaia memories, Frontwing was always good at making heroines with top-notch-common-route-bantering-prowess-but-with-fundamentally-flawed-personal-issues-that-will-be-explored-in-their-routes:

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Karen, who longs to leave the island and its outdated traditions.

 

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Sara, who longs to uphold tradition and save the island.


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Rinne, who believes she and Setsuna are the same Rinne and Setsuna of legend.
 

Btw, devs were generous enough to give her a whopping 1 CG without her hat:

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I CANT HELP IT! YOU LOOK SO GOOD WITHOUT THE HAT!


Rinne is obviously my best gal, and so I bawled absolutely hard at her ending. Now, I would've been fine if things ended the way they did, but hoh boy, Island gains massive bonus points for:

Spoiler

KEEPING THE RIDE GOING!!! HELL YEAH

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