Monday, October 28, 2024

Yakuza 4 Remastered - Review

The Yakuza FOUR.
 Genre: Brawler/adventure.
Developer/publisher: Sega.
Platform: PS4.
Official Site: N/A.
Release date: 29-10-2019.
 
Alright, its time to get started on the next Yakuza game which is 4!
This game stars 4 different protagonists so it not just Kiryu anymore
as he is being joined by 3 more lads or like a dragons.
 
Also if you're wondering how I finsihed this game so fast, that's cuz 1; Yakuza games
aren't that long to begin with. 2; i'm not out to be a completionist so I can clear them within
reasonable amount of time. 3; I actually started this while on Eli/Finn's route in honey vibes.
 
Pro's
- Decent story, and good pacing.
- The four main characters were all great.
- Substories were fun, as well as the dialogue.
 
Con's
- No way to pause during cutscenes/fmv's.
- Certain aspects during Saejima's part such as a certain boss.
- NPC's could have used a remaster treatment as well...

Story is a direct sequel to 3 but trouble brews again in the underworld
and some people get to the bottom of it, Kiryu gets involved as well.
Due to that this game is incredibly hard to recommend to start with as it just builds on too much
that is already established. TBH just go at your own pace and if you're here for the main
story + some substories, it shouldn't be taking someoen that long to begin with.
Moving on: This game does not start with Kiryu however, it starts with a guy 
named Shun Akiyama and you won't be playing as the same guy for too long
unless you really are going to complete every substory as they drop.
Akiyama was being real right from the start and he's never going to get more real.
Rather than switching through characters like in Yakuza 0 you stick with one character
till his part is finished before moving to the next chapter featuring another.
I quite liked this since it kept stuff consistent, sadly if you don't do substories
the chapters can at times feel hilariously short and at times there's not even a moment
to do them, thankfully you can do them in the final chapter
where you can switch to whoever you fancy at will.

At first I thought there was a decent amount of voiced scenes but it seems
the amount of scenes that're unvoiced increased as the game went on. 
So it pretty much like a trails game where there's some occasional important
cutscene with voice and the rest is... unvoiced till its time to up the budget with an fmv.
Moving on to better points; the encounter rate wasn't as high as Y3 and thus I didn't
fight as many punks on the streets which was honestly a relief. Enemies still block
but battles didn't feel nearly as drawn out as in Y3 which is all a plus in my book.

Revelations are also back but I didn't do them all, this time it was easy to overlook them
and you didn't always get a notication when they popped up but I got most of them
for Shun, Tanimura and one for Saejima in the finale.
Everyone also did a unique pose and way to remember it, Shun was like Kiryu
but Tanimura used his notebook and fucking Saejima just carved some wood.
  I actually liked that Kiryu seemed to remember his revelation moves from Yakuza 3
and he really is like a big guy now who's stronger than most. He only
 got two because of it while the others get like 4 or so.

For a PS3 game it all looked pretty great to me, I wasn't even hard
on Y3's graphics to begin with but its all a step into a better direction.
I did think the the graphic model of main characters vs npc's was a bit jarring
like npc's look like hobo as their outfits are lowpoly while the mc's look like kings.
---Hotspring. No better screenshot than to illustrate the hobo npc design even Hana looks better
 
In regards to gambling minigames.
Substories:
The first one I did was quite a lengthy one, not a quick&dirty
over in 5 minutes but literally 20minutes of teaching some guy how to run
a business and sometimes you gotta downsize. It was an experience indeed, sadly
it had a lot of sequels so I was kinda tired of that one by the time it was finally over.
Anyway most were good and made me laugh at some of the funny dialogue
sure there's a few that overstayed there welcome or just boring ones but I can't complain.
Tanimura: Record scratch *freeze frame* how did I get into this situation?!

More ramblings after the jump, there's not really any plot spoilers.

   --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 I gotta say I liked Shun Akiyama, idk if he's popular but wouldn't be surprised if he was.
I was pretty much hooked to the story right from the first chapter as well
and the scene direction/graphics all are a step up from Yakuza 3.
Looking back at this scene now I am hurt man....
I had no issue's with the pacing as well, sadly there's no way to pause during
cutscenes still which is really the only downside I noticed within an hour of play.
Shun is all kicks and no punches I kinda laughed at this cuz back in Y2kiwami
all I did was run around kicking and screaming but his style is actually really nice
and didn't feel barebones, Shun's a professional kickboxer. My only real complaint
about Shun is that he smokes too much like damn he's a walking fumigator.
Did they really start a chapter with a fucking meme?!
For Shun's part, I didn't dislike the story being told, there were obvious
hints at there being more to it, him as a character was quite interesting as well.
Kiryu took a while to grow on me like multiple games but Shun did it with one game.😅
The ending of the game also made me ship Akiyama with Hana-chan a bit more
but it seems they're going for the comedic aspect of it, still better than nothing! 
Also I liked the one substory where she told him he had 30min's to find a guy
who liked girls like her. It was a bit of a hassly but definitely one of the better ones.
In premium adventure aka a mode where you can free roam and play as whichever
guy you want and do substories/minigames or completionist stuff I noticed that a lot
of Shun's substories are all crammed into his office so god forbid you wanted to do
substory B but then you trigger A or C instead cuz they all started or reconvened there.
Everything just stacks on top of each other in one zone till you do it which is actually
very reflective of the state of his office, yea just dropping that in here.
ANYWAYS while I do like Shun, finishing some more substories
with him made me realize I don't like him that much, he's cool but often
seems to know everything a little too well like he already has it figured all out
but since his heart is in the right place ends up doing more good than bad.
That's likely why he's so likable and I can't hate the guy, so don't get me wrong.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Taiga Seajima: Unfortunately this is where it took a slight nose dive in terms of enjoyment.
The initial cutscenes started with a bang but then it was just so long before you could save
because it turned into a movie. It also took me 5 to realize Hamazaki was our buddy here
and oh man this guy well okay he definitely redeemed himself a little! LMAO.
Anyway it seems the dev's really liked that one show called prison break huh?!
that part actually sucked donkey balls cuz early game Saejima is pretty weak
but gets better with upgrades, Saito was such a shitty boss and way overtuned making
the whole segment unfun cuz you couldn't even take a break inbetween.
So you had to have an hour or two to play through it comfortably. I lost count of how much
you had to fight Saito, I'm sure it was 3 times no 4 if we count dodging a sniper.
Then the second Saejima chapter is essentially a giant cutscene with 1 boss fight
so uh yea we almost had another chapter 9 the plot except without infodumping.
LMAO holy shit, Saejima's segment was just such a disaster and definitely one of those
parts of a game you never want to go through ever again, so replays never work out.
His story isn't necessarily terribly written but... its just a pain to play through it.
This substory was funny atleast too bad I couldn't finish it till the finale
which I did while stocking up on potions for him.😔
Kitten's were a sight of comfort really... who wouldn't save them?!
I could have named them Kiryu and Majima but eh... I like other characters too.
I'm joking but yea these screens below go hilariously well without context.

At the end of day I actually felt bad for Saejima and Y4 may have been
his game but he couldn't do it alone and he wasn't alone he made allies and friends
which considering everything that happened is what tugs my heartstrings a little.
Edit: I actually finished like all of his substories in premium adventure
and gotta say his were pretty good, brother and sister was a bit long but
liked it more than the Shiobara stuff. Also that green thing... bothers me.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Masayoshi Tanimura: This guy I had my eyes on ever since he briefly popped in
during Shun's story cuz what a hot stud. His voice actor was changed to Toshiki Masuda
due to some scandal, someone I haven't heard in quite a while too which was nice.
I liked his rough OWARI DA whenever you successfully completed a chase
and well his voice did suit Tanimura so IMO they did not choose the wrong seiyuu.
Tanimura is a rather bad cop who goes and play mahjong on duty LMAO.
I loved his character because he is extremely self aware, also he's not that bad since there
were times he knows how to do his job. Tanimura walks the line of the grey area
with almost perfect balance. He's such a bad boy and he knows it!
Wtf was that substory man... felt like an episode out of a tv show.
I also did more substories during his part than Akiyama or Saejima combined.
Also you think Tanimura is a bad cop, its hilarious how much of a good boi he is
to what was revealed in his story like oh man... where do I start?
Alright.
 Tanimura was a character that was just a delight to see, makes you realize that while not all
cops are good even the ones that slide slightly into darkness still have light within them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kiryu... well it is been four games so its only natural he had to wait for his turn
and watch 3 chapters go by for once. Grandpa Kiryu: Its been 48 years...
I thought that his story was the shortest by far but then again I did not stop to do any
substories and just trucked through sadly this meant Kiryu's part 4 was a little harder.
But eh its okay I welcome a lil challenge & you get enough exp during it, just
make sure to buy some healing pot's and you're good to go! I did do some of
Kiryu's substories in the finale, some were funny like the curry adventure & tubby guy
the former was actually annoying because I was like what if it just goes cold on the way back?
so I just rushed over there as fast as I could like Kiryu's ass was on fire.
Also the fake kiryu was around again and all I can say is hope he learned this time!
Okay my dude...
The  dialogue really was selfaware in this game... holy shit.
---
OMG all I did was some substories and stock up on potions and this scene
happened when I got back to new serena...
NGL it caught me off guard but it was funny as heck cuz everyone reacted
in their own way and Kiryu is just as stoic as ever and just gently carried on.
Unfortunately Kiryu really was just a side character in this game
but it was nice to have him back and that he still retained his skills
like he was the only one that already had skills unlocked.
I can see why some people are disappointed Kiryu did not do much
but let's be real he did take a backseat but still affected things and stepped in accordingly
and after three games (4 if we include 0) its only a good thing this happened.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Also got my ass beaten at pingpong when I randomly visited that hotspring place
due to thinking I had to go in there from the police radio jitter Tanimura gets.
But eh is it really an L if you get headpatted after a loss? 

Awww...
---

Final thoughts
WTF why was this game such a goldmine?!
 
Well I think I may have found another favorite yakuza game!
maybe it was because of the many perspectives but the characters, pacing
and overall plot was pretty engaging and I was hooked.
The twist was fun this time and I chuckled a bit, its honestly amazing
how they used what they had written as a foundation to craft Yakuza 4's story.
Sure I didn't like Saejima's part as much but I didn't dislike him as a character and
at first I was indifferent towards him but by the end of his part I liked him.
Akiyami was also pretty fun! as was Tanimura he made me caw at the audicity he has.
Tanimura's final fight was not fun at all it was the hardest
for stupid reasons, with ball's out kido being the easiest atleast for me.
Tanimura's probably my favourite out of all of them and Shun's a close second
like they both had really great lines, comedy gold both mainstory and sub.
Yakuza politics this time felt minimal which is maybe why I enjoyed it as much as I did
even tho some scenes were long there were no long infodumps. All was paced well.
The only thing I didn't understand was the post credit scene, it seems like a hook for Y5...
also while this game concluded itself decently enough it didn't do it as good as Y2.
Yea you got to name it and I chose Rikiya, may he become a true viper.

 Also I really liked the way you level up in this game, it adds more of an RPG feel to it
as well as oh yea can go learn new skills now only to realize you are still missing an orb or two.
Substories were more quality rather than quantity this time and added a bit more perspective
to things and aren't just quick&dirty weird stuff going on. There's still funny ones but it seems
they're becoming side stories now with the amount of text. Despite some gripes almost
everything about this game was great and I generally had a good time with it!
8.5/10
Anyway the addition of other perspectives prevented it from getting stale after 3 games with
just Kiryu, speaking of he did feel like a supporting character at first but its nice to see
the baton being passed to others. Also when Kiryu had his appearances it was always great.
 
I'm definitely up for the sequel some day but not anytime soon, I need a breather.
I also found out Y5 is one of the longer games surpassing 0 in length, maybe later!
most games so far have been 20 hours at best and I do really like how RGG studios
is able to tell a story within that time and keep adding to it in meaningful ways.
Like I can just boot this game up in the evening, play a little and just enjoy the chara's & story.
 
I'll see what other games I still want to play but all in good time, as much as I liked
how I just casually started this game I don't want to do this a lot.

2-11-24 edit: Added few more screenshots and fix some minor things.

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Honey Vibes - Review

Honey, there's landmines on da beach.
Genre: VN.
Developer/publisher: Otomate.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://www.otomate.jp/honey_vibes/
Release date: 3-10-2024.
 
I wasn't originally going to get this but after the last game I played
something like this seemed appropiate, the premise sounded fun tbh.
Moeyo otome doushi fell off the radar after I learned its really short
so I just decided this would be the last otome of the year instead.
 
Pro's
- Fluffy and Spicy; romance oriented otome game.
- Character focused rather than plot focused.
- Length; doesn't overstay its welcome.
- Gorgeous art & music fits the vibe.
 
Con's
- Plot isn't really its strong point, its hidden away in a corner called the finale.
- Some of the less than good ends can be a killjoy.
 .

Artstyle is pretty unique, at first reminded me of bad apple wars/dairoku but its
not the same artist, I guess its because the eyes and it having a similar look.
While most CG's were gorgeous there were a bunch with weird angles
or with the heroines face not shown or it cutoff near the edge but everyone
had a decent amount so I didn't mind if it that much. I will say that there was
one thing that I find unnacceptable and Theo was a victim of it. One of his ending CG's was not
positioned right which is a criminal offense, I could see another background behind the CG.
Another gripe is that they weren't evenly spread out through the routes and in some cases
there were a lot of them right after the other like at the end of Elijah's route.
Music is nice and felt really relaxing and gave it chill vibes
but I wasn't sure what was with the ar tonelico/NIER bgm's as this
made it seem more ambitious than it was.

Plot:
The protagonist Nagisa seems to be a pretty normal girl going about her day
till she rescues an animal CV:Toriumi Kousuke (Hello Simeon from Kai no kiseki!)
Something appears to be up and Nagisa starts tripping and next she finds herself
in a room full of antique with an unusual chessboard; usually the pawns are only
for two people but this board is for three? weird. The furball introduces himself as Colt
and the room they're in is some sort of space between worlds so he offers her a chance
since Nagisa seems to be a kind person that he wants to place his faith in.
Colt has basically chosen her to help save beings like himself
and hopes that she can offer them happiness till the last moment.
Next she wakes up she is in another world called Libalium and Colt isn't a
furball anymore and a human with wings as ears (Like Meteion I suppose...?) 
Colt is more or less like a priest or kind of like a god.
Meanwhile Nagisa just thinks she is having a dream, lol.
Colt tries to explain she is in another world, and she's not dreaming
and eventually meets a bunch of guys who live in that world.
At first Nagisa doesn't have any idea what is going on really and the games begin.
 ---
 
I liked Nagisa, her reactions to some things were quite natural but I wish she had
a sprite in the corner, its weird since when you go to the backlog she has a sprite there.
She could seem a bit unsure in the beginning but there were times she really shined.
 
With there being a game going on and all I think this game was shameless
about the fact that this was a reverse harem, boys don't fight over me but
then it is literally about that since Nagisa fell into the role of queen
and most guys are divided into different camps red,black and white. 
Nagisa basically made it so the guys have to convince her to choose them
and well gonna say some of the guys had varying levels of how they went about it.

Honey Vibes was for the most part a fun isekai, there's a sense of seriousness but it also
doesn't take itself too serious and just rolls with what it tried to do without shame.
It wasn't too long or that anything dragged, the game's length is fine. Common route introduces
things and there's enough time to get a feel of everyone's personality before going into a route.
Sadly the bad ends were such a killjoy idk what but had I gotten them by accident
the mood would be ruined and I don't think I would even want to see the best end.
This game shared some writers with 9rip and it definitely had a little bit of suspense
so I can see why this game suddenly went off the rails but still I don't remember
9rip being as bad as this?! the bad ends in honey vibes legit killed the mood.
While I won't complain about there being different outcomes some felt out of place or a bit
extreme and not what I initially came here for or fit with the setting. I will admit I didn't
do a lot of research on Honey Vibes but expected it to be dark was the last thing on my mind.

How interesting the plot in the route was varied a lot since Honey Vibes focused more
on romance and the character's personal issue than whatever plot there was which felt
like an after thought to me in routes such as Alvin. Finn's route complimented Alvin's
in a way its like the otherside of the same coin, both routes also had great romance.
 In some routes the bad ends are also worse  like Eno for example. Milo's route still good
not just in terms of romance but since I understood more in the grandscheme of things
and unlike other routes, Milo's bad ends atleast made me understand why its the way it is.
Theo's route was also decent, his personal conflict together with the overall plot was just
beautifully written, unfortunately he has some of the worst bad ends in this game.
Elijah was the only route that I thought was well rounded and actually focused on the
story/lore but even then it was still just character focused like all the rest which means
 even if it seems more involved it isn't. They saved it all for the finale route.
So while in most routes the overall plot was never amazing, it was still pretty decent
since if you do all routes it connects well enough.  If you come here for the
romance & your favourite voice actor is in here you'd likely be satisfied.
Story can peak in some routes and just dips in others, the characters carried this game hard.

As for the game as a whole, its fluff and spicy! I don't play a lot of otomes where things
get THIS steamy but honey vibes was on another level that most others felt tame.
Sadly most desire ends were awful, it just felt like another bad end where the one tied to rationality
is the only good outcome which all things considered is kinda lame.The LI's were all pretty good
but for some I immediately went like oh no! looking at you Milo but he as well
as Alvin were among my fav's so look how that turned out. The only one
I didn't like was Eno really. With 6 LI's there might be a favorite for anyone.
This game could be interesting to play blind but honestly i'm glad I used a guide
since there are just way too many landmine bad ends you could trigger.
Bad ends did at times contain minor plot revelations so I'd say its still worth
checking them out just don't be surprised if you get burned while doing so.
The actual story is left for the finale route which wraps everything up in a grand way
perhaps there is room for a sequel or FD? idk but it may need one since
after the finale most best ends just has me going is that it really?
8/10
I can't hate this game because its literally the best and worst of otomate in one package.
Its likely it will be picked up for english release and will be disappointed if it won't
since there's definitely an audience for this, no I know there is.

TL;DR Honey Vibes is quite enjoyable but if you're just here for an romance novel
i'd stay away from the bad ends if I were you unless you like to live dangerously.
This game is not all sunshine and rainbows and can get surprisingly dark in bad ends.
If this sparks your interest then by all means I will recommend this otome game.......

For playorder there weren't any restrictions so I just picked one in the moment:
Alvin > Eno > Milo >Theo > Elijah > Finn > Finale.
You can do whatever camp you want in any order due to no restrictions
the best I can recommend here is to just stick to one camp before moving to the next.
 
More rambles after the jump, just the usual some of my fav cg's etc
if you want to play don't read further.
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, October 3, 2024

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!
 

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Trouble Magia - Review

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

Sunday, September 1, 2024

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.