Kai no Kiseki Farewell O Zemuria - Review

Genre: RPG.

Developer/publisher: Falcom
Platform: PS4/5/PC.
Official Site: https://www.falcom.co.jp/kai/

Release date: 26-9-2024.

 

Alright feels like its almost tradition for me to play a falcom game in september every year...

and I kinda feel old when I realize i've been at this for over 10 years.

There's a lot to think about but I tried to go into this game with very little expectations

but honestly it was hard, it seems falcom really pushed this a certain way and tried to get

old fans to come back for it because it promised a lot.

 

**I feel like I need some permanent disclaimer that this is just a blog where I ramble

about games I play, a place to write some thoughts on the wall.  If you don't like it

then close the tab, you can always play it yourself and form your own opinion.**

 

Pro's

- Rean route and Kevin's route were great.

- Grimgarten is kinda fun actually.

- Storywise it really delivered... and a lot of things makes sense now.

 

Con's

- Van's route was a slowburn and just boring compared to the rest.

- Maybe not make characters unplayable in grimgarten if they joined up prior.

- Gameplay balance is weird; its either easy or made to make your life miserable.

- 

 Anyway on to the game itself! it is structured similarly like reverie and there's a new and

improved marchen garten but with a twist if ouroborous decided to mess with it. OK I guess...

its like snake gang improved the original. Whenever I had to go in there for the story(early on)

 it wasn't really interesting. Some of the events may've been amusing in there, however it still felt

like it was but an after thought. It seems they can't let go of gacha mechanics so that's there as well. 

Grim Garten is just a grind dungeon where you can freely decide who to play as but sadly there's

some exceptions depending where you are during the story. I am grateful to the gacha gods for

gifting me Risette's black dress and some accesorries as well as Rion's bath towel.😅

Combat is pretty much the same as the kuro games except with improvements

so I won't be going into that, newly improved so it doesn't get stale I guess.

 

In terms of graphics the game looks great, they seem to take a different approach with scenes

at times; to try and make it more movie-like. Falcom sure has improved with this.

Music was pretty good, I loved the OP and I always listened to it when I booted up the game

except for when I took a short break to do whatever like chores. The final dungeon theme

this time was amazing and I loved it, like you just knew this was it!

 

I liked how everyone was covering each others eyes in this scene LMAO.

 

Things I enjoyed were mostly the little things like character interactions as shown above 

and it was great  when the main story actually progressed but depending on the route

I found it varied heavily and not every route was as great as the other.

Some parts were a bit of a slog especially early on not much happened.

Dog aggro is serious business, Van's a real magnet.

The prologue was kind of exciting but things calmed down quick for a bit  in chapter 1, honestly

it was like a reintroduction to everything I still knew & then some. I know my memory is not

great but its not that bad, I struggled to keep playing during those parts. I know all games

have their boring or slow moments but at times it could seem they focus too much on small

matters to stall or kill time till something happens that requires immediate attention

till then you focus on doing random requests so Van doesn't go out of business

which is what most of Van's route felt like which was not great.

 

Damn he wastes no time... huh?

 

It took me 50-60 hours to finish the game and the reason for that was mostly

because I did side quests so chapter 1 took me like 15 hours, maybe i'm slow but when

I closed the game I saw the completion at 40% in ps5 menu I was shocked because not much

of note had happened really, thankfully it picked up from then on in the different  routes.

If I had to rank them it would be Rean > Kevin > Van.

Hello good sir, this is a no smoking zone.

I did however stop doing sidequest during ch3, because I felt like it was time to get back

on track with no distractions. Had I skipped sidequest ands just focused on the plot then...

I think I would be done a lot sooner. 

 

TL;DR while I don't think Kai is a bad game, it can be very enjoyable however I think

Van route just spins it wheels for too long while we get big reveals elsewhere till we finally

get the bang for our buck with Van but at that point it is the end which sure was something.

I'll recommend this game to long time trails fans but if you're new to the series

this is not the place to be, there's lots of games you could try first but Kai is not one of them.

More ramblings after the jump but there's some complain'o-jutsu

but I feel like I should get it across that I generally enjoyed the game!

 

Trouble Magia - Review

Genre: VN.

Developer/publisher: Otomate.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://www.otomate.jp/trouble-magia/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v47011

Release date: 12-9-2024.

 

I wasn't originally going to get this but while on my second route of Hanakare I did crave

something with a little bit of story to it as Hanakare wasn't able to give that itch.

Either that or I would be playing the kaito files... but I wanted a break from RGG studios

so I decided to get otomate's newest game, the decision was mostly based on the fact

Trouble Magia seemed funny and not as heavy which is what I wanted anyways.

 

Trouble Magia also has a long subtitle which I am not even going to bother typing itout

i'll just be referring to it as trouble magia, I mean no disrespect but its simply too long.

I kinda felt bad for the seiyuu's having to say it aloud cuz aside the first time starting

up the game I never waiting for them to finish whenever I booted it up again. 

 

Pro's

- Interesting & fun story & characters.

- Enough volume that there's enough time for plot,shenanigans & romance.

- Art, doesn't have a unique style but its good.

 

Grey area

-  Final route is significantly longer due to reasons but it did make sense of everything.

 

Con's

- Can seem a bit cliche.

- The length of this game can be a bit of a double edged sword as well.

- The long arse subtitle.

 

Honestly I don't think a lot of people got this game? I won't lie my first impressions

when I looked it up weren't positive... but that did change as I played it

and it was actually quite fun & interesting albeit very cliche at times.

I didn't really watch the OP a lot either like maybe a handful its not one of those

that I watch religiously everytime I boot it up.

 

Basic plot be like: Lucia wants to be a magic knight and gets to attend a school

however she also has a curse which makes her transform into a random animal

and it causes all sorts of problems in her life. She seeks to break it...

but also can't just tell anyone about it due to it happening abruptly.

Eir was the one who suggested attending the academy because there might be a way

there plus she could get some experience to pursue her own dreams. Two birds with one stone!

Speaking of stones Eir gave Lucia one since she can't go with her it could protect her if need be.

Due to a minor incident Lucia gets placed under supervision of the student council

and it gets even harder to hide the fact she's cursed. Luckily onii-chan lends a hand as well.

The game really follows Lucia's everyday life, it was quite entertaining.

She didn't get along with everyone at first but I really liked to see her fit into her new life

and grow closer to certain characters. Lucia is the type of heroine you wanna cheer on.

The writing was for the most part pretty good, it may not look it in the common route 

but its a good setup for everything that happens after.

I liked how in individual routes certain things that happen earlier

are still relevant chapters later. I really liked this, Matsurika did this as well.😄

On another note while it was not as repetitive as Mistonia, with each route you do

the more you will know of the overall plot which is introduced in small bits

hinting at something more, every route was interesting even if some

focused more on the characters individual problem.

I'd say each route still was relevant in some way but there naturally are ones that explained more.

I played in the order of: Lars > Rick > Alexei > Isaiah > Sion and this flowed pretty well

that I can recommend the same, Isaiah is locked and there's not much choice but to do Shion last.

Certain things will become obvious over time. This is neither good nor bad IMO

but even then it still managed me to surprise me in routes 4 and 5.

 

As for the heroine, I liked Lucia's optimistic attitude she didn't seem the type to let things get to her.

 I also liked how proactive Lucia was, there was mutual trust and she was being relied upon.

Her design, specifically her hairstyle made her stand out, I liked it. She also had multiple outfits

as did most of the other cast so this game did seem like it had a bit of a budget.

At a glance it reminded me of Wand of Fortune except that the curse felt like they took

Lagi's problem and gave it to the heroine as she turns into an animal.😂

Art was decent, it wasn't amazing but its not awful or anything, I liked the colouring.

I got used to the style & the sprites were all great, what I really liked is that at times

the POV would switch to the guys and Lucia would have her own sprite too.

Music fits the setting and mood, definitely feels like you're attending some royal acadamy

and Ricardo's theme was pretty good, I banged my head to it.

System is standard stuff and nothing to write home about, its plain and simple

imagine wand of fortune but without the scheduling or rng stuff. Bless.

 

 I'll admit the game did start out a bit randomly with Lucia entering the student council

only for us to go back to the very beginning before she enrolled and getting the how's & why.

Granted they did point out her own forgetfulness so something must have happened.

I did really like the setting in this game and the backgrounds really added to it!

the vibes were pretty great too but as you're introduced to Lucia's new life at the school

I was never really were sure what would happen or if the curse would go off

so I suppose there was an element of excitement so the common route didn't bore me

but there were a few boring moments but I think any VN or game has that really.

 Some parts were actually kind of funny! I didn't really have any problems with the

pacing of the story due to this but it did slow down a little to focus on teamwork

because the teamspirit of the student council members was not the best...

especially Lars who just sleeps whenever he wants and tends to be like whatever

and then there's Ricardo with this cocky arse the comedy writes itself.

At times the interactions could also feel very down-to-earth which imo was a plus.

 

    The common route was on the long side,  a total of 12 chapters including individual route.

I wasn't really sure what they were trying to do, there's a heavy focus on school life and

character interaction. I mostly enjoyed it. There was so much time they spend with eachother

you could see how  they grew etc. There were enough hints dropped and by chapter 3 I already

was like some of seems related to the curse. So it wasn't half bad and it kept my attention.

With the way it was written it felt like an anime, it had a structure to focus on

the characters and problems that ensued. You slowly get to find out what the curse is as well

as figure out some deeper plot while getting to know the chosen love interest.

Also god bless there's a skip to the next choice option, you use it by swiping the screen!

 

The length of the chapters varied but it was a good common route simply for the fact

I was actually able to remember events that happened in it. Really the length is no joke

there's enough time for introduction, character development, fun and romance.

Its actually refreshing for it to be so well rounded but real talk I think the final chapter

especially Sion's was a little too long? maybe its just me...

==================================================================

I suppose part of trouble magia can seem like its very cliche but I think this

was a part that made it fun, its like the writers didn't care about that and just went with it.

Trouble magia made me realize writers can make a story as cliche as they want

its how you use those cliche's is what makes an otherwise boring story interesting.

The first route I did Lars was very interesting but then I moved to Ricardo

and realized I am unable to look at certain side characters the same way again.

Certain things just caught my attention more quickly than before as well... still each route

was unique in the way it did things and brought new things to the table so I can't complain.

---

My take-away is basically even if something seems cliche and overdone

it can still turn out pretty good! I mostly looked back fondly on the routes so all in all

it was a pleasant experience! I can't gaurantee you'll the same level of enjoyment as I did .

Most of the routes were unique, you got the obvious not as relevant to the bigger picture routes

and then there's some which go into it deeper, mostly the last two routes.

Like XYZ isn't as relevant as A & B but they're still a treat, you don't want every route

to be much of the same, I have sat through games like that and it gets old fast & that sucks.

After a dozen or so VN the way Trouble Magia does it obviously feels better to me

and I quite enjoyed the more character focused routes as well as the more involved ones.

I'm glad there was no secret route in this game and for that I am glad since

I did feel a lil tired by route 5.  Also I only did the best ends and merry bad ends, I ignored the other 

bad ends except for the onein Sion's route due to Mistona PTSD, Sion's was kinda cute

but it felt like a joke end....... merry bad could range from sad to funny as well.

No fullcomp CG but the title screen is nice for a groupshot.

I'd recommend Trouble Magia to those that like their otome mostly lighthearted and don't mind

school settings or potential cliche's. This was honestly a fun otome if you let it be!

If you expect the most stellar writing and be blown away by it, or prefer it to be short&Sweet

then this game may not be for you. Let's be real; the plot was still pretty decent

and the writer really tried. Trouble Magia also felt similar to wand of fortune to me except

without the RNG bs. TBH while it won't replace WoF, trouble magia is like its little sister!

8/10

Its easy to follow the story, characters interact a lot and not a lot of monologues

which adds to the fun factor to me. The japanese didn't seem to be of high level

nor did the dialogue ever felt like it was dry  so that makes this game perfect as something

to test your japanese on but honestly I hope trouble magia gets localized. Its easy to overlook

due to a number of things but never judge a book by its cover you may just enjoy it anyway.

 

More rambles after the jump but I will be talking about the characters+digest the plot

so if you don't want spoilers don't read further. TBH its more like I am narrating some

of the events here and there with some commentary+share my fav CG's.

Not sure who would enjoy any of it because this game is pretty long and its a text dump

and I didn't write everything down either... why did I bother lmao. Enjoy that wall O text.

==================================================================

Yakuza 3 remastered - Review

On the biography of Kiryu Kazuma episode 3.

Genre: Brawler/adventure.

Developer/publisher: Sega.
Platform: PS4.
Official Site: N/A.

Release date: 20-8-2019.

 

Uh yea I decided to get started on the next entry in the yakuza series and it is an

experience alright, it was step down from 0 and the kiwami's in almost every way

but in terms of Kiryu's character and some parts of the plot its actually pretty decent still.

I do think the last bit of the game just wrecked itself like a train going off the rails.

**I feel like I need some permanent disclaimer that this is just a blog where I ramble

about games I play, a place to write some thoughts on the wall.  If you don't like it

then close the tab, you can always play it yourself and form your own opinion.**

 

Pro's

- Kiryu's character in general.

- The stuff with the orphanage was pretty wholesome.

 

Con's

- The pacing, mostly in chapter 3/4/10.

- Massive infodump in ch9 of 40+ min in length.👎

- Combat is pretty basic, high encount rate for no reason.

 - Substories be quantity over quality more stinkers than goldies.

 

Kiryu trying to catch a break mission impossible.

 

Graphics, okay here is where I am fairly chill as this was a PS3 game.

The scene direction is still good but... it can be a bit lacking coming from the kiwami's.

Movement doesn't feel too good either... its kinda janky now but grew on me.

The last scene of the game were poorly remastered or carried over

from the original, mostly everything else was pretty well done.

Like it was not HD at all, I could see the bitrate/jitter which is not good.

Do you love 40 minute+ infodumps? and a random fight for absolutely no reason?

 

You know its bad when you gotta step away from the game in the first chapter

to assess the situation and change your mindset to continue... but since I was bored

and was in the mood for late night yakuza drama I said sure why not? or more like

I had to set my expectations straight because we be back in ps3 era guys.

 

Y3 gets a pass(as in it okay) from me if you're here to see more of Kiryu's life, his character positively

improved in this game and to me he's no longer this deadpan grunt I thought he was in Y0.

As a game it has its fair share of faults and I could see some people dropping it esp in ch4. If you

can power through that it shouldn't be too bad, the game is about the same length as yakuza 1 or 2.

I think if they ever remake this game they should do away with the stupid golf minigame

or remake it so that its no longer clunky and its just some QTE stuff at that part in the story

while also fixing the cabaret stuff because hooboy its complicated here.

 

 More ramblings after the jump, I try to be mostly spoiler free but I had to vent

so if you want to play this game and want no spoilers at all do not read further.

Mistonia no Kibou the lost delight - Review

Eh... Edward's smile seems creepy on the cover but he ain't.

Genre: VN.

Developer/publisher: Otomate.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://www.otomate.jp/mistonia/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v47010

Release date: 18-7-2024.

 

This VN was delayed by like a month and is also slated for an english release by aksys.

At first I wasn't sure if I should bother getting it in JP but still went with it.

The heroine did seem cool & its been a long time since I played a VN with a maid as the protagonist

the last one was like crimson empire, I had a rather laidback/slow approach toward Mystonia

and so it took me longer to get through! i'm sure if I had pushed it then I could have been done

in a week or so but why the rush?  Otomate's september lineup may be stacked

but unfortunately half of their games don't interest me right now.

 

Pro's

- There's enough intrigue to get hooked.

- Length is comfy, not overly long or drags on.

- Gorgeous Art and fitting BGM.

 

Con's

- Boring common route, probably the least exciting part of the game.

- Overall story elements can feel repetitive the more routes you do.

- The content in the other ends needs an acquired taste, also it has NTR.

 

Storywise this game has revenge themes so if you're not comfortable with those it could

be a skip, for me I think it depends on how it is handled but am disappointed with how

Mistonia implented it, its like they chose to push petty revenge which did not sit well with me.

**Thankfully it is still an otome game and taking revenge isn't always the best outcome.

This game's characters are also intertwined with each other. Each set is between the heroine

and two guys such as Ascot/John, Edward/Linus and Lukas/Alfred which works

with one particular ending each route called Maze. This maze end was by far

the worst possible outcome in the game and more often than not I just regret doing it.

 

I'll say the cast of the game sure was a vibrant bunch! there's a mix of well known

and lesser known seiyuu's as well. If you've been playing otome's or watching anime

for a while you will definitely hear some old favorites.

Due to the huge cast of characters I did worry this game would be on the long side

but it wasn't that long at all the common route was roughly 3 hours. Its only long if you do all.

Perhaps this game had too many characters because it was hard trying to keep

track of them all and even then some barely had any screen time so if you

did not pay much attention something could have easily pass you by

which may or may not have happened to me. More on that later.

The art looked very distinct and unique, some charactter designs looked like

this was a serious game but then I looked at the CG's on the official site

and it seemed much lighter? needless to say the art looked gorgeous.

I think there was only one CG that looked derpy to me.

The music was pretty good at setting the mood and tone of the scenes.

I thought the beginning was pretty good & got me hooked, the story beats there were well executed

as you get a look at the heroine's life and hints about there being more to it all. Rose/Applause

doesn't work alone and there are other maids including a shy/clumsy one as well as butlers etc.

Its just chapters 1 through 3 can feel a bit repetitive which is likely my only complaint about it.

System is standard stuff but you'll be having to select where to go on a map quite a bit.

Most scenes after selecting where to go are relatively short, so with a guide it may seem

like a lot but its really not that long. You really do work as a maid at a mansion!

Eh as long as you watch every event with characters or go to a room with a gem u're good.

Those scenes can range from boring to mildly interesting and/or funny. There's three main endings

for each route as well but honestly the only endings I cared about were the happy ends.

 

The common route was pretty boring, Rose/Applause works as a maid

and will see other characters interact as she works, at the end of the day

the gem fragments you collect will form better information of what happened.

Due that I think the investigation part of the common route is the worst part of this game.

I did not fully understand the gemstone stuff but they're like memory fragments

and so Rose can get a better view of what transpired between characters which may or may not

help her own search for the truth. Its not like Rose was an onlooker, she was doing

her job the whole time! and quite well but honestly I don't think she could ever

be a favourite of mine mostly due to how she treats the guys in the maze ends, it completely

ruins the mood. Lucas nor Linus among others did not deserve any of that and in the case

of Linus his maze end was by far the worst written in every possible way.

Other maze ends ranged from mildly entertaining to wtf is this BS, looking at you Ascot.

I mean I am all for different outcomes but the heroine could be really manipulative

which can either work in her favor or against her. It never felt good to me.

 

Hmmm..........

Do you ever just play an otome game that you think had a pretty decent plot and characters

but you just couldn't enjoy certain aspects of it? to me Mistonia falls into that category.

I know full well that it is impossible to like everything but it seems this was done

by multiple writers as the shift in tone between endings and/or routes was just too much.

Next the characters; you got some like Lucas who're really interesting

but are just sleepers in other routes or there as support like Alfred tends to be

so when I got to the truth route it felt like what if all the tiny threads combined

and then throws a bunch of new stuff at you that's suddenly totally relevant, its so bad

that suddenly side characters have a much bigger role so sudden that my only reaction

to it was like oh okay!  Some of the overall plot across the 6 routes was also too repetitive

and there's another villain but... you never see much of them at all during said routes, only truth.

I can't remember this tiny foreshadowing and then barely any reference till 6+ route later.

Had this be one of my first otome games I think I would be much more forgiving but it is not.

Alright... Alright... ALRIGHT!

Mistonia definitely had a decent mystery and intrigue but just fell flat in the end

and I think its because too many different writers or one took care of the truth end

or this or that route and didn't touch jack else and worked with what they had.

**The length of the game may also be a problem because it can seem quite short

compared to other games and it can seem that a lot is crammed into a chapter

so while its not boring it can certainly seem like its rushed itself.

I do wonder who worked on Lucas route though because I really liked that one.

 

Doesn't help I had trouble to get into it because the heroine had a constant poker face, it wasn't

through halfway a route I could see any romance. Its basically full of serious tones but early on

it doesn't seem that serious yet and plays most of them out in a fairly light manner

so despite being revenge themed I myself am not even thinking of revenge half of the time.

It did get better when you get onto a route but the common route didn't do it any favors.

Simply put I was a bit mixed on the vibes and it could change depending on routes.

I did however really like the character interactions between main and sub

it kept it engaging when the plot wasn't really there yet. It took untill

midway of Lucas's route before I started to get invested in literally anything.

In said route the plot/romance was actually pretty good, idk if it was because

I did Lucas first but I had a good time which is what matters anyway.

Alfred's route was a bit of a sleeper, its honestly best to do him first or second.

Linus actually grabbed my attention and was interesting from his 1st chapter.

ASScot's route was an entertaining dumpster fire but I started losing interest at Edward

and thought most of his route was boring and wondered what he even add to the plot

because Ascot's route brought so many revelations I was like what else is there? 

Edward's route wasn't very exciting in comparison which isn't good tbh.

John's route was pretty great from the start and I was relieved since it was worth sitting

through 5 routes to get to him. Maybe your opinion could differ but I enjoyed John's route.

Fair warning this game does have NTR ending(s) needless to say if you hate that trope

don't do the ending related to it, its always the maze end so just stick with best end.

To be safe maybe don't do both of Asscot's Clown&Maze endings.

I know Rose is in it for revenge but I just don't like the idea or appeal of some guy even slightly 

disappointing you in some way to make everything worse for them or to switch to guy B

because A isn't useful. I know that this plays very well into a certain character but damn not for me.

I guess I am just not that petty of a person which may be why the best end was enough for me.

Atleast the choices make you have a say in the matter so that is good.

I definitely did love Lucas, there's actually a very good reason he is like that.

 Mistonia can be slow at first and it could seem not as interesting but it may pay off

to keep paying attention as you go through the common and individual.

NGL the common route investigation part reminds me of VN's from 10 years ago.

So is it good? well if you're looking for an otome with an active protagonist and a fun

cast of characters with some fluff despite serious tones it still gets my recommendation

especially if you're tired of longer otome games, you'll still get a solid package here but if

you hate NTR or the MC manipulating situations for her own ends this game is not for you.

Granted most of that stuff is reserved for the clown/maze ends but its still something to be wary of.

Even after everything I am still not sure how I feel about the MC, I only really liked her in the best

ends, mostly everything else just made me feel umcomfortable that I want to pretend I didn't do them.

I just am not able to vibe with this heroine when she pulled some of the stunts that she did.

6/10

I initially gave it an 8 but man those other ends just... NO.

**Even a day after beating it I am like is my score too high? oonly route I thought was

really good was Lucas, others don't compare so I dropped it by 1 point.

I will say Mistonia has some very high production values from sprites,CG's to the

background art and also the music. None of that was bad at all, neither was some of the story.

Also I can see why this was picked up for localization, being undercover as a maid

is a cool idea and could hook folks even if they're not into otome games.

However if you do end up playing this and the heroine doesn't vibe with you then that is okay

and then this game may not be for you! Rose is just written to appeal to certain angles.

As for playorder  I was mostly interested in Linus and Lucas as well as John

but unfortunately there are restrictions for Edward,Ascot and John.............

Edward needs Linus,Lucas and Alfred. Ascot can be done after Two/three good ends

of those initially availabe. John basically needs all so no choice with that one.

Recommended order: Lucas / Alfred /  Linus >  Asscot > Edward > John.

I recommed this because the initial three have no restrictions

but if you care about the story then its best to do Linus before Ascot

and with this you can have some free choice based on personal preference.

As per usual spoiler and route babbles after the jump, if you don't want those then stop reading here. Like always I will share some of my favorite CG's as well but not all of them.

Side note writing Applause is weird all the time so I refer to the heroine by her alias Rose.

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail - review

Couldn't take a screenshot of the title screen so uh have the keyart!

Genre: RPG.

Developer/publisher: Square Enix.
Platform: PS4/5, PC, xbone.
Official Site: N/A.

Release date: 27-6-2024.

 

I have been playing FFXIV for quite some time but never wrote a review on it.

This post is mostly about the new expansion dawntrail and it isn't much about the previous.

There aren't any major plot spoilers in this post but anything could count as

a spoiler to some so whatever I guess this is just a blog post and I am writing my own

personal thoughts as a review of a game I played, if you don't like it then close the tab/browser.

Pro's

- Decent enough plot.

- Great character development for Krile and Erenville.

- The first four zones are beautiful.

Con's

- Levels are simply given to you and I personally don't feel like I earned the lvl 100.

- Recycles too much old tunes and enemy models as well, its like i've seen/heard this before.

- I get Wuk Lamat is a main character but she steals too much of the spotlight...

 

 The expansions features a slight graphic update with better textures and models

gotta admit I was a little nervous, my WoL turned out okay but there may have

been those the update wasn't too kind of. The developers were kind enough to

give players a free fantasia to edit the character again. Which is a good thing.

Not really great at taking screenshots but thought this was a nice spot in the game.

 

More rambles after the jump but if you want the short of it, I think Dawntrail is decent

however don't expect too much out of the story and just enjoy it for what it is not for what it is not.

 

Ys Memoire The Oath in Felghana - Review

Title screen not much so have one of these images you unlock for clearing the game?

Genre: RPG.

Developer/publisher: Falcom
Platform: PS4/5,witch.
Official Site: https://www.falcom.co.jp/ysf/.

Release date: 22-5-2024.

 

With not much games of interest coming out and to take a break from otome games

I decided to get this game instead. Ys Felghana is also another ys games I never played

so now only VI and Seven remain unplayed.

V does not count and/or doesn't exist, remake it falcom... it deserves better. 

 

Pro's

- Fun boss fights (some annoying ones). 

- Exploring is rewarding, plenty of goodies to find in each area.

- Great OST.

 

Con's

- Ending feels a bit rushed.

- Short, its replayable but lacks an optional boss or reason to grind to lvl 60.

 

More rambles after the jump there's not really any plot spoilers in this post

but I did write somethings that bothered me, its all pretty minor.

 

Akuyaku Reijou wa Ringoku no Outaishi ni Dekiai Sareru - review

 Genre: VN.

Developer/publisher: Operahouse.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://akuyaku.operahouse.co.jp/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v47740

Release date: 21-3-2024.

This is an adaptation of a villainess lightnovel, Akuyaku for short or in english as:

The Villiainess Is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom.

I never read it but it seemed like fun so I gave it a shot. I am well aware this is by the developer

who released charming empire and gakuen club, so I was still a little skeptic going into it.

I wasn't too sure what to expect but it suits the quality of their other releases.

 

I haven't really seen too many villainess works other than hamefura or taming the final boss.

Sorry if this sounds harsh but Akuyaku Reijou unfortunately wasn't able to do much new

other than just having cute romance... with not much substance to it.

I did think it is perfect to play if you don't have much else you'd rather be doing...

Pro's

- Voiced heroine.

- Sweet SWEET romance.

- Great art.

Con's

- Long text dumps/monologue's.

 - Primitive system, this grandma's fingers hurt from holding button to skip.

- Music can be grating on loop.

 

System is just standard stuff but when I saw the UI... I was like is this a PC game?

it sure had that kinda layout, idk what to expect of systems in VN nowadays

but Akuyaku Reijou was so backwards compared to other visual novels.

 

Akuyaku Reijou is pretty much a straight-forward visual novel

that adapts part of the lightnovel and it doesn't have any routes so there's like

only one love interest. This is also one of the rare cases where it may be better

to go into it without knowing anything about it so the twists will still be interesting.

So if you never heard about Akuyaku Reijou then yes you can start here!

 

I didn't understand why there were even choices, other than to get CG's maybe?

but there weren't that many and so I started to wonder what the purpose of this game was

because they may as well have turned it into a kinetic novel like witch on the holy night.

It was a chore to collect the other CG's in the three different volumes especially

with how you have to hold the skip button... to even get through it but atleast

it made it seem like your choices affected things so that's not bad.

 

The art is really gorgeous and I have no complaints of it.

The music wasn't really anything special there weren't a lot of tracks

and to hear it on loop for too long is grating so yea meh.

 

Now that we have the bad out of the way, the heroine was voiced which was a plus!

only downside is that her thoughts aren't voiced, if it was I think it would be funnier but alas.

I liked the art and was intrigued by the setting/story but there wasn't much of a plot that was

memorable, this focused way too much on romance. Its nice there weren't any bad endings

and you can enjoy romance with the leading man Aquasteed. The heroine did have multiple

outfits which was another nice thing, I actually like it when the sprite suits the scene.

Anyway since Aquasteed was really nice I almost didn't want anyone else anyway buuut

while I get it he saved her from certain doom as a villainess things did seem a bit too good to be true.

Of course I was disappointed that there was only one love interest but by volume 2

I did realize that it just wouldn't have worked, they would have to change the scenario a lot.

Aquasteed aside... Keith interested me the most, Akari can have Heartnight tbh...

 

 I can't really recommend this game though unless you have low standards

and just want to be swept off your feet without much plot/substance

which is probably the only thing the game was good at.

Some of the names are also kinda weird like what is a Heartnight Lapislazuli Lactomut?!

that sure is a mouthful of word vomit that seeing it in full makes me cringe to the point

Aquasteed Marinforest sounds normal in comparison. That aside the game

honestly feels like eating something very sweet and then feeling sick afterwards

like its not bad but you may not want too much of it? it also reminds me of the fact

that a visual novel can have gorgeous art and even a voiced heroine but if the rest

doesn't measure up then it is such a waste. Character interactions were barebones

and not that fun, it honestly makes me want to play something with more substance

cuz Akuyaku Reijou just didn't do much for me, I can't rate it higher than a 5/10.

 

I probably sound ungrateful but eh can't like everything and after sitting through

a bunch of otome's I liked i'm bound to find something that doesn't match up.

If there's anything memorable about this game it was cute romance, voice acting 

and the insanely beautiful art, everything else was pretty meh to me.

I am more inclined to think that this game is some kind of marketing trick

because there's so many otome games on switch and then there's Akuyaku...

which could get you interested in the novels that are readily available in japanese.

Anyway keep on trucking operahouse! this may be the last time I buy a game from you guys...

More rambles after the jump, there are spoilers as well as a few of my fav cg's

so if you want to play don't read further.

13 Sentinels Aegis Rim - Review

 Genre: VN/SRPG.

Developer/publisher: Atlus.
Platform: PS4/5,Switch.
Official Site: N/A.

Release date: 22-09-2020.

 

I had this game on my wishlist for a while and then... right after I finished Yakuza 2 Kiwami

this went on sale, it was less than 20$ so I said why not? but I ended up playing UtaChro first.

Pro's

- Interesting characters.

- There's payoff if you do all of the character stories.

- Beautiful artstyle.

- Yakisoba pan.

Con's

- Poor presentation, confusing story.

- Repetitive combat system.

The story is the kind of wtf is happening but you ain't getting it from one perspective

so it constantly jumps back and forth between a bunch of characters. I didn't really like

this sort of non-linear story-telling but I was intriguid by the story so I continued anyway.

Besides the characters and interactions were kind of fun too which is a plus in my book.

 

The game is split between two modes Remembrance and destruction.

There's also analysis but it just kinda exists for collection purpose

and to go over the confusing plot in case you're still confused.

Remembrance being about getting to know the characters and finding out why they're

even fighting in destruction which wastes no time on that,  there's some fluff dialogue

before & after battles but in terms of story destruction fell flat. It seems its only there for

gameplay and to progress remembrance. The loop back and forth wasn't so great 20 hours in

which is where I kinda had a good grip on the plot but I was still confused.

You can't get the full story from just 1 character so you gotta finish someone elses

but unlike some VN it all is presented so chaotically it makes my head hurt.

 

You know there's some truth to this...

I thought the story was intriguing but the presentation kinda sucks. This is just one

of those games everyone raves about but I just can't see what's that good about it.

Like its decent to me. I don't particularly enjoy being confused 90% of the time

but there's definitely pay off if you continue the individual stories so that's good.

I generally liked Shu's scenario except it got too ambitious at the end to the point

it couldn't properly finish it, Shu's also a good example of how they tried

to combine multiple stories, for some it worked but others... not so much.

Destruction ends up properly finishing the game but I am still like wtf man when I look back!

I also disliked Renya cuz this guy just had to be a smartass and its like watching sherlock....

*glasses fix* Lelouch voice but hey atleast it made some things make sense and wrapped up the story.

In the end my fav chracters were Shu,Natsuno and Yakisoba pan guy.

Atleast he's kinda infamous for it... also yea I did enjoy the fluff dialogue in destruction.

 

There was also romance but for some of the canon couples it  doesn't feel right or

more like some of them felt extremely forced in and man I just can't ship a few of them.

Like I could see Shu & Yuki/Tomi and even Tomi/Neji but Megumi had me cringing while the most

cringe romance in the game definitely was Iori & Ei but for some reason that gets a pass from me. LMAO I guess its the shoujo-manga vibes but whatever, romance is a hit or miss in this game.

Anyway! wasn't for me could be for you and if you really liked odin's sphere or nier automata

then Aegis Rim should be right up your alley too. The only reason why I continued to play

was because of the characters and trying to figure out how it all tied together, this combined

with the visuals was Aegis Rim's strongest points. I regret almost everything though

and at the very least for like 20$ I can say it was definitely worth a try.

For rating I'd give it a 6.5/10 and generally think the game is just fine!

its not as great as I heard people say it was but it was not that bad either.

 

Some more ramblings after the jump as well as my final thoughts but this is the short of it.

Also there's not really any plot spoilers in this post so don't worry.

Utakata no Uchronia - Review

Genre: VN.
Developer/publisher: Broccoli/Licobits.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://licobits-game.com/uchronia/ 

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v40519
Release date: 11-04-2024. 

 

I still decided to get this game but the price... why is this game so expensive?

I even bought it digital but 8000 yen? damn that is the price of a limited edition

from the PS Vita era. Idk if this is just broccoli or the economy tanking

but I can see why people just don't want to blind purchase these games nowadays.

 

I'll say it right off the bat, this game was definitely not another Piofiore yet

it could be its successor in spirit. Also while this is not an otomate game

you can definitely tell this was by former staff of theirs.

 

Pro's 

- Interesting story in the grand scheme of things...

- Most love interests were likable except one.

- Gorgeous art and fitting bgm.

 

Con's

- Needs a high level of japanese to fully understand the story.

- Length, focuses too much on the big picture that it cuts itself short.

- Overall plot/flow of the game gets a bit repetitive with every route.

- Yori, i'm not even going to say anything else here.

 

I really liked the OP movie back in the demo and they finally uploaded it on YT

seems like they waited till the actual release date instead of alongside the demo's release.

I hardly ever skipped the OP, it generally was nice to see everytime you boot up the game.

Like I said in my demo impression post, UtaChro is very scenario focused, I just

did not expect it to be on such a grandscale and the fact it was legit surprised me.

UtaChro is very focused on the world they live in and the relationships of the people

in Hinagiku's life etc. Utachro is rich in worldbuilding and interpersonal relationships

but due to all that makes for a pretty long game, no joke. Due to that the romance takes a

while to develop as well but I generally had no complaints because of the pace of it.

For some routes the resolution could seem rushed or good enough... oh well.

What I also like is the whole main cast is part of the plot and don't just

disappear off the map once you lock onto a route which is great.

System is same as piofiore, lots of choices; 2 main endings a best and bad end.

There's no affection/correct choice indicator so easy to hit a game over end.

It may be best to use a guide if you don't want any surprises. There's the switch the PoV

like in Piofiore but since this is from the same writer/director so its to be expected.

 

In terms of story I was hooked to some extent and wanted to see where it was going

but it was also a bit long-winded and the conversations were not always able to grab me.

In Utachro my attention often waned. I do not know if it was because of the level of

japanese or the dialogue just being... dry. Of course at times jokes were cracked

but comedy is not really the focus in this game and it was far and between.

The level of japanese UtaChro uses often betrayed me, because at times it is simple

but it also won't hesitate to throw some complicated kanji at you.

Haven't played Y7 yet but that's me whenever I encountered Kanji that tripped me up.

 UtaChro is also incredibly slowburn, I am glad I did Awayuki as my first route since it fit

really well and I liked their chemistry somewhat but it wasn't a route to bring out

the full potential of the story which was sad. Good starter but not much else.

I did Yori second because he was the resident trashbag and wanted him out of my hair

after the crap he pulled during Awayuki's route and at the end of the day

Yori just wasn't my cup of tea but it may be someone elses? Tobari on the other hand

was probably one of my favorite characters, the romance with him was just right as well!

It reminded me of non-toxic normal relationships, which after Yori was a breath of fresh air.

Idk what to say about Tsuyukusa without spoilers other than that I am kinda tired of the

friend-type routes but he was one of the more relevant routes in the game, he did take a while

to grow on me and like Tobari I couldn't really see it till like chapter 4/5. Got not much to say about

Yashiro tbh but throughout most routes he was sorta just there, I remember him saying

I'm just an amnesiac guy somewhere which sounds about right till you get

to his own route and he just fucks everything up literally.😨

 

Hinagiku as a heroine was pretty great, good natured and a bit pampered like a princess

but also fearless and not easily afraid of situations she is getting herself into

yet at times she is still a girl you know? don't expect too much of her and I think she was

at her best in Tobari's route! I did prefer her over Naaya from Matsurika.

 

I also made a low effort meme for fun.

Yashiro could be a bit more to the left but for the most part this fits.

 

Overall UtaChro is overly lengthy and complicated, I only really enjoyed&remember the

interactions with the love interest & other fun interactions but there wasn't much of that.

The conflict going on in the town..... sure I was intriguid by what was really going on

but I just was kinda bored with how it was presented. Maybe it really is the dialogue

since it just didn't grab me most of the time. Or I just wasn't interested in the big picture

which just makes it a me problem. Your opinion could differ from this so I will still encourage

this game to anyone that likes scenario driven visual novels of decent length & don't mind politics

but idk the routes are kind of a hit or a miss. The only guy I really liked was Tobari

so I don't know what that says either, probably not much(other than that I might like stupid guys).

 

I know Uta-Chro is scenario driven but it really surprised me that there was

enough romance along the way and this was for me the saving grace.

If I had to be harsh this was a 5/10 due its repetitiveness but it gave me Tobari so... its a 7/10.

Uta-chro was just a really weird game, I came here for the scenario but left with romance.....

I still hope Aksys or someone else still picks up Uta-Chro... I mean its not Piofiore

but it has some of its elements as well as Nicola&Yang's love child Yori

which I am sure people will either love or hate. Even if that person is not me. 

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

There are route restrictions and Yashiro, Tsuyukusa and Yori are off limits at the start.

Yori is unlocked by doing Awayuki, Tsuyukusa unlocks after doing Tobari and finally

Yashiro needs like everyone so no choice but to do him last.

My play order ended up being:

Awayuki > Yori > Tobari > Tsuyukusa > Yashiro >Finale.

I'll just recommend the same except maybe switch Awayuki/Tobari based on preference, this order

may be good to be able to go from those who're available at the start to a more important route.

Whether or not you do Yori right after Awayuki just depends whether you'd like to or not.

This game is even more restrictive than Matsurika and its not even funny.

Route babbles after the jump however the only routes I really wrote about

were Tsuyukusa and Yashiro, but only note-worthy things. This game is too long

someone else can do it if they'd like to but it ain't gonna be me. I'm drowning.

2045, Tsukiyori - Review

Genre: VN.

Developer/publisher: Mellow/Entergram
Platform: PS4/5,Switch.
Official Site: https://www.entergram.co.jp/tsukiyori/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v36012/

Release date: 21-12-2023.

 

I don't play much galge but for some reason I was just drawn to this game.

Idk if that is a good or bad thing but I'll go with good.

I suppose the aesthetic of the game really got to me and I was sold! 

This was my chill game the last couple of weeks for when I wasn't in the mood for something else

This isn't a particularly long visual novel its a 25ish hours at minimum.

Also this is a review for the console version and not the PC version.

Pro's

- Decent story and likable charactters.

- Gorgeous artwork and fitting BGM.

- Elle is E.M.T aka Elle Maji Tenshi.

Con's

- Lack of CG, there were places were one would be nice but there was none, especially epilogue.

- Technobabbles galore.

- Not many choices, basically a kinetic novel as there's only one choice to decide a route.

 

Art was pretty good, I guess it was also this that sorta sold me on this VN.

Music is nothing exceptional some good jams, it generally fits the mood.

 

 System is standard VN stuff, not much to mention here, the UI was comfy

and I could save/load without issues this time. I did notice there aren't really

any choices except for one that will decide which route you will end up on.

I suppose this is nice if you just wanna chill and enjoy the story without

having to worry about any bad ends of which there were none.

 

 There are only three heroines so that means three routes, great for when you don't

want to sit through like 6 routes and have to deal with less relevant characters.

Its kinda really obvious from the get go who the main heroine was, at first she didn't really feel

like she was meant to be a love interest but this got better later on especially her own route.

Story has some light sci-fi elements and is set in the not so distant future.

Sou our protagonist doesn't like androids but they're here to help! much to his distaste.

He was involved in an incident which let him to have to work with Yuuhi and Masakazu

after being caught in the act hacking stuff. Now Sou is cursed with helping them around

in finding a SUSpicious individual who the protagonist also happened to bump into.

I actually liked the first half of the game, the second half was more or less SoL fluff

and the more interesting plot had fallen into the background in favor for romance.

 

I'm meming now but I like how at the start of the game  Sou's like I would never simp for androids

but over the course of the game and at the end of the route its literally at your service my queen.

 

Anyway I liked how Sou got over his fear, he was also pretty proactive so the only disappointment

is that he doesn't have a full sprite like the girls, I think that really would have added to it.

Thankfully he does have a face! so I guess I will take what I can get here...

The pacing of the common route was okay and the story was easy to follow, maybe a bit

too easy to guess certain things but there were hints and some foreshadowing

but it was long and basically the whole main story is the common route+Elle

while the other routes deal only with lingering issues of the other heroines.

 

 The girls themselves were all likable and had their quirk, however romance wasn't really

the topic early on, there was plenty of time to get to know everyone till the second half

which is where the romance kind of started to come in.

There weren't really any routes that felt like they were self-contained as all girls were tied

into the scenario pretty well but the sad fact is that the story was mostly about Elle.

Both Yui and Shirabe are but an after thought. 2045, Tsukiyori is also a VN that focuses on

its scenario first and romance second so one may need to be a little patient.

How do I put this? if you played something like witch on the holy night but wanted it

to have actual romance and like hi-tech stuff then Tsukiyori might be for you.

I like to compare these two VN but that is mostly cuz of them having no real choices yet

in terms of story they are not really that similar at all its more or less in design.

 

I thought Tsukiyori was also lighthearted but it can have its tense moments

and it wasn't too over the top either, it had a good balance of fluff and seriousness.

The bad part is, it had a lot of dry segments, lack of CG and it wasn't always as engaging

so at times I was bored however it did manage to pick itself up so it wasn't too bad.

Most technobabbles went in one ear and out the other, so I guess half this game wasn't for me.

 

 

Me after finishing this visual novel...

 

Overall its pretty solid but it wasn't particularly great either.

I liked how I was able to get hooked with ease so Mellow did one job right...

sadly I think the transfer from PC to Console wasn't that great and it may feel lacking

as the 18+ scenes have been removed, thankfully whatever romance there is was cute.

I wish the kiss cg's were better since I have seen much better, the quality of Yui and Shirabe

is unacceptable to me in 2024 especially compared to some recent otome games I have played.

I'm glad atleast Elle was great but yea not a good look.

If you wanna get this do it for the plot and Elle but don't expect too much either

like it might be worth it for Elle's route but not full price for other routes. 

 

If you're still on the fence, it has a 4ish hour trial/demo which I found

more than enough to give a player a taste of what it is all about.

Only bad part is the trial can't carry over save data so...

I had to skip a bit to get back to where the demo ended.

Will write a bit about the characters after jump like usual, there will be spoilers

but there won't be a whole digest, the game/route is too long for that.