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Rewrite: Boring, Lazy, Mediocre


GUTB

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Rewrite is often called Key's finest VN, and maybe it is, but it's also terribly boring and at best a mediocre VN, not a AAA effort.

All of the heroines are interesting, but their routes are mostly mediocre hack-jobs with the exception of Lucia's probably due to Ryushiki's greater talent. They all have giant plot holes , characterization problems, and like all mediocre VNs the heroine routes forget most other characters even exist.

The common route could easily be cut in half and nothing at all would be lost. The SoL comedy is bad outside of the Yoshino / chuuni segments and a few gag scenes.

The largest issue though is the laziness of the production. Several important characters don't have sprites. Very few CGs in comparison with the number of scenes -- and some of the few CGs we do get are of useless scenes like the ramen stand scene, Chihaya watching a card game, etc. Some high quality VNs can augment CGs with animated sprites and other effects to build a scene, but Rewrite does very little in the this department. In general scenes are very static, boring and lifeless. When the Harvest Festival comes, you would have absolutely no idea it was there if the fact wasn't bieng narrated to you. Now compare that with the festival in Summer Days -- visuals, audio, sound effects, etc, immerse you into those scenes.

So, in general, it seems Rewrite is just a mediocre VN at best, just longer than most in the genre.

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If you don't like Rewrite, that's fine, I respect that. However, comparing it to Summer Days is pretty much like a cardinal sin here because the School Days series are rather infamously known by almost all anime fans for obvious reasons. That, and the fact that Summer Days was made by an entirely different company completely unrelated to Key/Visual Arts.

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26 minutes ago, GUTB said:

Rewrite is often called Key's finest VN

By whom? For the record, it's Clannad.

 

28 minutes ago, GUTB said:

The common route could easily be cut in half and nothing at all would be lost. The SoL comedy is bad outside of the Yoshino / chuuni segments and a few gag scenes.

Actually, SoL part with occult club buisness is the most funny part of the VN.

29 minutes ago, GUTB said:

All of the heroines are interesting, but their routes are mostly mediocre hack-jobs with the exception of Lucia's probably due to Ryushiki's greater talent. They all have giant plot holes , characterization problems, and like all mediocre VNs the heroine routes forget most other characters even exist.

In other words you simply hate all writers except Ryushika. Yeah,I like Stephen King but I despise Richard Bahman.

34 minutes ago, GUTB said:

Several important characters don't have sprites.

It's a usual story with Key's games. And most of us play VN for the plot not the sprites.

37 minutes ago, GUTB said:

Some high quality VNs can augment CGs with animated sprites and other effects to build a scene, but Rewrite does very little in the this department. In general scenes are very static, boring and lifeless

Yeah, I afraid what you can say about Steins Gate with its primitive special effects...

39 minutes ago, GUTB said:

Now compare that with the festival in Summer Days -- visuals, audio, sound effects, etc, immerse you into those scenes.

You mean oyakodon and twincest scenes? Definitely, the right way to make life festive.

42 minutes ago, GUTB said:

So, in general, it seems Rewrite is just a mediocre VN at best, just longer than most in the genre.

Bad trolling, mate. Try harder next time.

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Hahahahahahhah what the fuck?!?! You don't like Rewrite, that is fine there are quite a few problems with it. However, to try and highlight the problems using Summer Days makes you seem completely unhinged. The School Days series is a bit of an aberration and few "vn" follow the same construction, using it as a baseline for what is considered a "good vn" makes no sense.  

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Spoiler

1322616211129.jpg

Gonna have to agree with watcher there, you're comparing the production of a vn with a game that isn't even really a vn. compared to most anime, the animation in the Days games is extremely sporadic and not even very good, see what i did there? 

Most of your other arguments are your (valid) opinion, and would be worth discussing if you'd actually elaborate on them a bit

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2 hours ago, GUTB said:

Rewrite is often called Key's finest VN, and maybe it is, but it's also terribly boring and at best a mediocre VN, not a AAA effort.

All of the heroines are interesting, but their routes are mostly mediocre hack-jobs with the exception of Lucia's probably due to Ryushiki's greater talent. They all have giant plot holes , characterization problems, and like all mediocre VNs the heroine routes forget most other characters even exist.

The common route could easily be cut in half and nothing at all would be lost. The SoL comedy is bad outside of the Yoshino / chuuni segments and a few gag scenes.

The largest issue though is the laziness of the production. Several important characters don't have sprites. Very few CGs in comparison with the number of scenes -- and some of the few CGs we do get are of useless scenes like the ramen stand scene, Chihaya watching a card game, etc. Some high quality VNs can augment CGs with animated sprites and other effects to build a scene, but Rewrite does very little in the this department. In general scenes are very static, boring and lifeless. When the Harvest Festival comes, you would have absolutely no idea it was there if the fact wasn't bieng narrated to you. Now compare that with the festival in Summer Days -- visuals, audio, sound effects, etc, immerse you into those scenes.

So, in general, it seems Rewrite is just a mediocre VN at best, just longer than most in the genre.

Seems the usual key's triple concentrate of boredom and tedium.

Lol, at first I didn't realize what he was really referencing, I declare his argument invalid, (key still makes boring stuff, though)

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Although Summer Days is a horrible comparison object since it's not even a real VN and technically more an anime with choices, it's certainly true that Rewrite had rather poor production values. Serveral images were clearly poorly modified real life photographs and one of the main villains didn't even have a sprite - you can't sink lower than that.

Though calling Lucia's route Rewite's best route is kinda hilarious, considering Ryuukishi...

Spoiler

lied the shit out of his ass with the ghost story, and Lucia going crazy completely out of the blue when she was long saved and happily together with Kotarou was just bogus.

Ryuukishi is a talented writer, but Lucia's route was certainly one of his lesser works.

Anyway, I think some of the issues with the production values will be addressed with the Rewrite+ release. I'm pretty sure I saw a preview image with an image of a character who didn't have a sprite before.

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The largest issue is laziness in production"

 

Agreed, like 50% of the human baddies Kotarou fights are spriteless, like wtf, especially that one dude in Akane's route, Takasago or w.e(bet half of you don't even remember this prick), and also RIP spriteless side character newspaper gal Inoue, though I'm told they gave her a sprite in the fandis

 

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It's up to person to decide what is boring or lazy. But you can't build your statement on the technical details and general impressions only. Well, you can but it doesn't make it 100% valid. The House in Fata Morgana has one of the lowest production values I've ever seen but it's considered as masterpiece. I know, it's doujin but even I can make better backgrounds in Gimp. Were the authors lazy or maybe it's because of a tight budget?

You know there's a rumor, that "Grisaia no Kajitsu" was the "Final Fantasy project" for FW and basically saved them from the bankruptcy. Even if it's a lie, most of the VN's companies live in constant fear of failure. Key is no exception. Their engine is so old that Rewrite was lagging on my high-end laptop. But still the stories they create are engaging and colorfull most of the time.

And the last example. I'm currently playing Dracu-riot and can confirm the lack of CG. They reuse one scene again and again and have no sprites for supporting cast at all. Does it make the game mediocre? Or less funny?

Bait or not, I still believe the good game doesn't deserve such treatment. If someone has different opinion, he or she better shows us the real arguments.

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Welp... I didn't plan to outright do this on my first day in the forums, but hey: I just HAD to reply to this topic.

Rewrite was legitimately the first VN I've ever read. I really wasn't that used to reading fluent, english text yet and I also wasn't used to the general concept of VN at all.

Oddly enough, I finished Rewrite within less than a month, completing all routes (except the hidden, bonus route).

In hindsight I had the time of my life. I often hear people talk about Rewrite's common route being way too long. And I might have to agree, because many people make valid points on this argument.

HOWEVER, It didn't feel that way to me at all when reading Rewrite for the first time. I laughed at the hilarious comedy, all the stupid stuff Kotarou does with the occult club and other characters. Nothing they did was completely meaningless to the plot, because these "useless" scenes were meant to deepen the relationship between multiple characters as well as give you a chance to get to really like them. In short: It gave life to the main heroines.

While I have to admit that other VN have better art, I don't think the same goes for the music. I can't count the times I at least teared up when hearing "Koibumi"/"To you who never lies" even years later. Proof, that the story really touched me (; I will always remember you Shizuru :().

While I definitely can't agree with your opinion, I can accept that you find Rewrite lacking in some departments (I will refrain from mentioning the "Days"-series at this point) as the common route can feel to long and some routes have parts that can be considered as illogical.

It still stays a really good VN for me though, because I am willing to overlook potential faults the game has as Rewrite has many aspects, that were executed brilliantly. (Rewrite being the reason I even got into the VN-scene.)

Lastly, PLEASE NOTE, that this is just my opinion about Rewrite and wasn't intended to offend anyone. If you have anything you'd like to say about the VN, I'll be glad to listen. It's always a good thing to get to know other's opinions on a title you like.

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11 minutes ago, Yoshi said:

t still stays a really good VN for me though, because I am willing to overlook potential faults the game has as Rewrite has many aspects, that were executed brilliantly. (Rewrite being the reason I even got into the VN-scene.)

Lastly, PLEASE NOTE, that this is just my opinion about Rewrite and wasn't intended to offend anyone. If you have anything you'd like to say about the VN, I'll be glad to listen. It's always a good thing to get to know other's opinions on a title you like.

"Brilliant" massively over-states Rewrite in virtually every category. If you find it "hilarious" when Kotori spouts some random slaughtered English for the billionth time, or Kotarou delivers yet another dumb pun, or how Chihaya says "Hai?!?!" in response to literally every question, etc, than I suppose I have no right you can't be really impressed with that aspect of the game....

Another "brilliant" feature of the game: massive plot holes. For example, in clearly supernatural parts of Lucia's route being literally forgotten by the second half with a pathetic excuse given. Or the Earth Dragon being called the strongest familiar while that is supposed to be Sakuya -- avoiding that would have been really simple, but that is one aspect of the game's laziness. Or when there's 4 people having a fight in the abandoned church in Chiyaha's route when according to Lucia's route anyone who goes in will contract a deadly illness within minutes. Of course I could on and on...

I liked Lucia's route the best -- because Ryushiki shows his skill as a writer unlike the other hacks. There is a natural and satisfying romance that goes from mutual attraction, to confession, to dating, and finally a kiss -- I mean, how hard is that? Why do all the other writers fail at this -- like how in Chiyaha's route you don't get to even so much as HUG her?! Also the fight as the end of Lucia's route is silly and nonsensical, it's a very well scripted fight scene that was exciting, while most other combat in the game is honestly lame. So MANY scenes in which the writer forgets about Kotarou's capabilities.

Key is a major VN studio. It's not really forgivable to be so cheap on CGs. In a modern VN, it's really important to create a scene -- unless you are someone like Ryushiki who puts out games famous for their plots and stories. CGs are an important tool for scene creation. High quality developers (like Age) use CGs and a lot of sprite animations and other effects to better create scenes. I brought up Summer Days as an extreme example of a high quality festival scene -- you see colorful festival stalls, lights everywhere, crowds, the sound of wooden sandals, and festival music completes the image. The Harvest Festival is......absolutely nothing. The same barren backgrounds with no one in them. No special music. No sound effects. The only idea something is happening is from the text alone. Also....Summer Days has much better romance stories.

 

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7 minutes ago, GUTB said:

I liked Lucia's route the best -- because Ryushiki shows his skill as a writer unlike the other hacks. There is a natural and satisfying romance that goes from mutual attraction, to confession, to dating, and finally a kiss -- I mean, how hard is that? Why do all the other writers fail at this -- like how in Chiyaha's route you don't get to even so much as HUG her?! Also the fight as the end of Lucia's route is silly and nonsensical, it's a very well scripted fight scene that was exciting, while most other combat in the game is honestly lame. So MANY scenes in which the writer forgets about Kotarou's capabilities.

Thing is, Kotarou wasn't meant to be "OP". Heck, he didn't even learn to fight properly (except for the small teaching period at Chihaya's). He is still just a Highschool-student with superhuman athletic abilities. His "Aurora" wasn't meant to be used for real fighting as well (except for the greatsword- and wolf-transformation in the respective routes).

12 minutes ago, GUTB said:

Key is a major VN studio. It's not really forgivable to be so cheap on CGs. In a modern VN, it's really important to create a scene -- unless you are someone like Ryushiki who puts out games famous for their plots and stories. CGs are an important tool for scene creation. High quality developers (like Age) use CGs and a lot of sprite animations and other effects to better create scenes. I brought up Summer Days as an extreme example of a high quality festival scene -- you see colorful festival stalls, lights everywhere, crowds, the sound of wooden sandals, and festival music completes the image. The Harvest Festival is......absolutely nothing. The same barren backgrounds with no one in them. No special music. No sound effects. The only idea something is happening is from the text alone. Also....Summer Days has much better romance stories.

While art is important, it isn't everything. For me, as stated before, the music was one of the most important factors in Rewrite. Some of the tracks stayed in my memory up until this day.

Also, Rewrite does contain romance, but romance isn't the main topic in Rewrite's story. I'm quite a sucker for the romance genre, but, oddly enough, I didn't feel like any more romance between Kotarou and the chosen heroine was necessary for the main plot.

But then again, that's just my opinion.

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I'm sorry to say but, I feel like your rants are just targeting people who like Rewrite in general. Tell me something, if you're going through all the trouble of citing Summer Days in your rants, then how high do you actually regard the VN? Do you legitimately like Summer Days or are you really just using it as a excuse in an attempt to back up your argument?

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34 minutes ago, GUTB said:

Ryushiki shows his skill as a writer

Do you read Japanese? If not, then you can't really judge the writer's skill with Fun-TL. 

42 minutes ago, GUTB said:

Key is a major VN studio. It's not really forgivable to be so cheap on CGs.

It's not EA and visual novels aren't AAA titles.

44 minutes ago, GUTB said:

unless you are someone like Ryushiki who puts out games famous for their plots and stories

You know, there're many other great VN's writers. Romeo f.e. Wait, he's done one of the Rewrite route. Oh, no...

49 minutes ago, GUTB said:

The only idea something is happening is from the text alone.

Please don't ever read any book. Because, suprise, no pictures there!

51 minutes ago, GUTB said:

Also....Summer Days has much better romance stories.

LOL, that is most hilarious thing I've ever read. Much funnier than Summer Days.

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