Tsumikui ~Sen no Noroi, Sen no Inori~ for V - Demo Review

Game: [Tsumikui]

Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.

Developer/Publisher:Operetta, Dramatic Create.

Platform: PC, PS Vita.

Official Site: http://dramaticcreate.com/tumikui/index.html

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v18295

Release date: 2017-06-29

Well time for another demo because its still a while before the games I am interested
 actually come out and me is bored... so let's try this and well it wasn't so bad at all.

The theme of Tsumikui is sin and reincarnation... and naturally

I was more interested in the past than the present.

Kaoru is a cute heroine but her past self way back in the heian-like period did something 

terrible and its come to haunt her in 20XX aka present time.

Kaoru is quite like a typical shoujo manga heroine... the daily life parts are nice

but honestly they are surprisingly draggy and TL;DR as the game did not pick up untill 
like an hour of highschool chitchat that barely had any importance to the plot except some moment
halfway through when bad people get brought up and Kaoru almost has a heart attack.
Atleast Souta was cute and I get they did it to show that Kaoru's life 
is not going to be the same but it could've been shorter?

It seems that this game mixed some things I like and things I do not like

and executes it in such a way that early on I was basically meh half of the time
but I admit when things picked up it did get better, even if Ren was a little
abrupt in that one scene, he did eventually explain what was going on
and eventually Kaoru is like please help me get out of this mess and well 
Ren is more than happy to help her cannabalize the souls of 1000 criminals
to undo a curse thats been running for generations, if she doesn't do this she'll die.

Of course its not going to go smoothly but that is expected, Kaoru's normal life is shattered
after finding out she's the reincarnation of Sera-hime and she's now being led 
on a cursed path she may or may not find happiness on.
Even then Kaoru needs a little time... because killing people even if they did bad things
doesn't feel right to an average highschool girl like herself but Kaoru is no doormat
she just needed some time to take it all in and is willing to fight for her life.

Either way the demo is of fairly decent length, you'll get to see all of the main guys
but early on you're only spending time with Ren plus they have the nerf to cockblock 
Ren's route behind SIX other guys! sweet mother of Operetta why you do this?!

Pro's

- Interesting story.

- Voiced heroine, her voice is ok, if you don't like it you can turn it off.

- Art, there's moving CG's too.
- Music, fits most of the scenes.

Con's.
- Pacing, TL;DR.

- Two main characters are completely ignored and treated like side characters.
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Gakuen Club ~Houkago no Himitsu~ - Review

Game: [Gakuen Club]

Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.

Developer/Publisher: Operahouse/Dogenzaka Lab.

Platform: Mobile, PC, PS Vita.

Official Site: http://store.steampowered.com/app/505080/Gakuen_Club/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v20958

Release date: 2017-2-19 (English)

No one cares about this... but whatever since there is no otome game that's on my list to import
till june I decided to pick up Opera house's other otomege in english and well I mostly
expected another so-so experience since it used to be a mobage afterall and I wasn't far off.
This was originally called Campus Nightlife but they changed the title back to the original and I agree
its much better but if they wanted a proper english title Academy Club would've been enough.

Pro's
- Characters, do it for them as most stories are worth it.
- Art, Melo's art is as beautiful as always.

Con's
- Overall plot is bland but it works I guess.
- Music's meh, definitely not a selling point.
- Copy Pasta.
- Not many choices and they don't matter much.

While I find Gakuen Club to be much better than Charming Empire because the characters
atleast exist outside of their own route and get properly introduced in the prologue
which overall made a much better introduction but other than that it wasn't much better.
 The heroine Akane Koizumi is a goody two shoes, she enrolls at a school after her father got a
promotion and somehow has to be that woman to stay in the kitched after finding out about the secret club.

Here it comes... all the guys are in this secret after school club to get to first place for their personal
wish granted, they need to be popular and cuz they so handsome all the girls squee at them.
If you were expected fun stuff like ouran highschool host club you'd be disappointed, there's
really not much comedy but I liked a scene in Renji's route were Wataru scolds him
 and the heroine, either way from the first route I did I figured all the guys have a dark secret
of why they're doing this, which you'll only find out in their own route and that is perfectly fine.
Either way I found myself slogging myself through the first route I did in this game(Sakai)
 to the point it took me 3 days when its really not that long maybe its because
I don't like school settings or maybe it was the annoying setting and screaming fangirls
but I am glad said fangirls are relatively tame in all of the routes.

Overall I think Charming Empire was still more enjoyable to me, Gakuen Club did some things
better as all characters actually exist outside of their own route but that's where it end.
Charming Empire had choices every chapter... Gakuen Club only had a few
and well they don't matter much story wise they only determine the end as it works
on some kind of point system, not getting enough will get you a normal end
but it not hard to get them right, so its a comfy system nothing rage worthy.
It took me two routes before I found one I could fully enjoy... maybe its
good that I got the bad ones out of the way without realizing, lol.

TL;DR
 I only recommend Gakuen Club if you're dying for another otome game with a decent translation.
Granted I saw a few errors but I didn't find any issues and compared to the dumpster fire
that was taiali's so called localization atleast Charming Empire and Gakuen Club are definitely
more worth your money!(on a sale) also you really shouldn't think about buying taiali in english
not even as a joke, the whole thing was a scam from the start so many warning flags
yet that company took advantage of the one chance we gave them.
Either way the route I liked the most here was Saku's. it was also imo the most well rounded.

Side Kicks! (otome game) - review

Cover is ok but could be better...

 Game: [Sidekicks.]

Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.

Developer/Publisher: Toybox inc, Extend.

Platform: PS Vita.

Official Site: http://joqrextend.co.jp/extend/sidekicks/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v19743

Release date: 2017-3-30

While I originally had no intention to play this because it reminds me of SA7 and lol

 even the heroine has precog... and well its not an excuse to fangasm this time so why not?

That aside side kicks reception was very positive so I ended up buying it...
and well it wasn't bad but I wouldn't call it a masterpiece either its just good at what it tried to do.

Also lol there wasn't any other otome I wanted to buy till June so this fit in the gap quite perfectly.
I don't really like modern setting otome but I still think the selection of guys is good
but to me there was only one that appealed from begin to end, I guess my sixth sense is at work here.
Sorta sad... because I couldn't fully enjoy the first four routes but that doesn't mean it was bad.

Pro's
 -Interesting story and characters.
- Setting.
-  Art&Music.

Con's
- Too many choices that amount to nothing.
- To get to the real truth you must do everything... but at what cost?
- They couldn't decide how to balance the mystery and otome parts.

The game takes place in sakrada in the USA, I have to admit this is refreshing

instead of taking place in japan like most do but they all speak in japanese!

Yeah OK it a JP game and well a lot of fiction have that problem so who care about that.
At first its also pretty hard to notice this is an otome... it has so many things
that make you say what am I playing again? also some parts are a bit too detailed
which make me wish the focused a little more on the otome part.

It also noticeable it had very high production values, the backgrounds move.
in certain screens when its evening there are pretty lights which is nice to watch

and the music was very fitting I never was inclined to mute unlike WoF.
While the audio quality was great certain characters were too loud so
I had to lower the voices of Chika, Rico, Kurumi and Tsubaki somewhat.

The art was pretty good too even there are some slight derps here and there but maybe it intended
but considering the artist mostly did bishoujo/hentai work its understandable still
he did a good job because everyone was charming, esp Nora!
System was comfy, ain't got issues and skip to the next choices saves lives but I found it
weird I couldn't use it in certain segments even tho there was nothing new
maybe it was because there was a movie segment coming up.

Unlike Oumagatoki ~kakuriyo no snoozefest~ Side kicks! actually managed to be
more interested but it still suffered from the same issues, characters I can't
care about and episodic side story problem with too many choices etc.
 Regarding romantic interest its an incompatibility problem with myself don't let it bother you
I still find them likeable but personally except one guy I am like nope.

Sadly the chapter one plot was a bit predictable to me... but still interesting, it took a bit of
 a dive in episode 2 but it was still good overall since it goes into the bonds of the team
and that being part of the gang isn't all sunshine and rainbows, they put their life on the line.

In the end it did turn out to be something like CSI oh well you know the stuff
they show how they work as a team and if someone ain't there it'll fall apart.
Everyone got properly introduced and it made me curious but at times it was really
hard to see any romance since they're just good partner with some romance at the end
its like they forgot to shove in the otome element in some route like Shishiba. -_-
 I feel extra sorry for him because he knew she may have liked him...

I honestly love detective stories but compared to say collar x malice it was a disappointment.

Sidekicks is like Eikoku Tantei Mysteria and has the same problem as
over half of the routes do not bring you closer to the actual truth, mind you this is fine
but I think CxM did a better job at crafting it together since everything made sense in the end there.
Either way unlike Ayaka(SA7), the heroine of Side Kicks! Inori was actually more mature
she's 20 and fit right in the precog dreams weren't immature like we won't  have Inori derp
and have fangasm dream about the guys but sadly she didn't really stand out that much and
well I guess she was great for being able to do stuff when it comes to it but in the end
those precog dreams are just you know dreams there's nothing else to it, she was born with it.
Unlike the boys Inori has no interesting past she's literally just a typical girl from the streets
and due to the team figuring out her ability is useful she gets to join but
what about her parents? friends?! previous job? the game doesn't go into it
so apparently it doesn't matter so why should I care? the writers sure didn't.
Due to the above Inori is perfect self-insert material... and no its not a spoiler
since not even the game goes into it, Inori's just lucky I guess.

Next the million choices of that amount to nothing... like is it really going to matter
of picking the same dish as Chika or Hibari are having to get on his route?!
Also why is bloodtype supposed to matter?! who even cares!
I gotta admit I did enjoy the banter about them trying to choose a name for the dog...
but I didn't exactly like that the name of the dog is determined by who's route your on
since some guy is terrible at making names, looking at you Rico come on kitty? oh god no.
Also Nora get out, I may love you lots but he came off as an ass in that scene but 
to be fair all of the names for the dog were terrible, IIRC Shishiba's was Jinja(shrine)
okay maybe I was too hard on Nora but like... seriously naming the dog after yourself GET OUT.
Anyway before I forget what was even the point of Shisui's character? 
like his entire purpose is just to narrate and be cool in general.
''Come with me if you want the truth'' oh lol... you go and say that but storywise your entire
character didn't matter! do they intend to follow up on this game? but what about ____ then?
Oh well whatever they do I don't really care in the end SK! was a decent game in my opinion.
I guess I could say nice try toybox/extend but... some route it could've been better and this game
 still has routes for the sake of having them aka Chika/Hibari/Shishiba but it wasn't bad or anything
if fan of detective drama this is going to appeal a lot more to you.
For me this was one of those otome games where I only really like one guy and felt
 incompatible with most others, I can recommend it if you like detective stuff such as 
Eikoku Tantei Mysteria or Collar x Malice.
7/10
No more and no less, if I was really harsh it would've been less but then again it wasn't bad.
Again its recommended for those who like crime solving or else this
game will just bore you away but don't expect too much.

 There was one fatal bug in chapter 2 when they show you the paper with Tatewaki's plans
the game will crash so I hope you saved frequently or else you'll have to force skip your way back.
Other than that there were no bugs but its funny how they never patched it
 but I heard they're working on it now so no worries but man its been almost 2 months.
Priorities what are they? Extend sure doesn't know them!

Typical ramblings after the jump, spoilers beware.

Black Wolves Saga Weib und Schwarz - Review

Game: [Black Wolves Saga Bloody Nightmare and Last Hope.]

Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.

Developer/Publisher: Otomate.

Platform: PC. PSP, PS Vita.

Official Site: http://www.otomate.jp/bws/wus/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v8095

Release date: 2017-1-26

Vita port of BWS contains both games, they're relatively the same in terms of content.
This will be a general review and i'll try to cover both games
so don't expect synopsis or summaries since you should be able to read that elsewhere
I'll try to write more for others but eh I wasn't very motivated for some.
For the sake of all that is unholy I decided to start with BN because it was the first
to be released back then, may as well keep it consistent shall we? and well all I can say is that
I am glad I got this out of my backlog since I got it out of sheer curiosity.
TBH for BN all I remember is nazi cats and an angry wolf fighting each other
over a woman called Elvira they once liked but met an unfortunate end and the hatred
went on for a couple of years, how unlucky for Fiona to be the split image? \(⌒‿⌒)/
Sadly Fiona was engaged to Mejojo since she was little, he's way older than her too! what a pedo.
The main focus of BN is the cats... while LH focus on the wolves
 so it obvious the others sorta get the shaft in the game they're not the focus of.

Unlike the previous game I played this game was better in its overall presentation?
BN had a powerful opening, LH was slower and more otome-ish either way
this game is like a rollercoaster it starts off great then slows down and before you know
 shit went down because come on you knew it was gonna happen it just a matter of when.
Without spoiling that basically how the rest went down too... 😅
People weren't kidding when they said this game had an overall decent plot but uh
I had a hard time categorizing BN as an otome game untill I got to Julian, lol.

Pro's
- Interesting world and story.
- Most characters are interesting but some...
- Art.
- Bgm.

Con's
- Long common route, skip fest on 2nd+ play.
- Read skip was 2slow...
- The otome game bit may leave to be desired, felt more like straight-forward vn at times
and romance wasn't the focus I guess the twistedness was.
- If you don't like abuse stay away from Bloody Nightmare.
- Auger.

The OP is great, but oh boy that bias...

Well the bgm was stellar, A++voice acting and distinct art style, the narrative
at BN was quite brutal and shocking, most characters all seemed to be pretty twisted
but I can't help but be interested in them, sasuga rejet.
There's not much hope of romance with some of them? but I could already tell
this was not the main focus of the game, the intriguing story and dark fantasy theme was.
Heroine is ok considering her upbringing little did she know her peaceful life would turn
 into hell after all of that, can't help but feel bad for her not being able to do much.
 That said I liked how Fiona was in Mejojo's bad end at LH she was able to end him
since he was schizo and she didn't want to pretend to be someone she is not.
whoops did I just spoil something.. oh I guess I did glad it wasn't full context.
Moving on the story seems to ride on past events and there were a lot of flashbacks
which made for a very long common route, BN took me like 3/4 days to get through
also don't get me started on the switching of POV at times it felt like a regular VN but it seemed
LH had more unique content for each chara except the twins borrowing from each other.

I guess Zara was my fav next to Julian but he felt out of place.

No annoying system to rage about this time unlike the last otomege I played
its just the same old VN stuff, BWS may seem long the first time and yes it is long
 but sadly the BWS games are mostly common route so on 2nd+ play it'll just fly by
with a few pit stops here and there, just pay attention during your first play...
the political intrigue and zodivia bits were pretty interesting and so was
Mejojo,Auger's, Rath's and Arles past but I thought it was paced badly at times.
I think the common was way too long, you know I can stand common routes like in KgK
with a decent route after it but BWS was literally 90% common 10% individual...
and it wasn't that romance oriented and at times I had a hard time questioning
why Fiona fell for certain characters coughMejojo&Augercough.
Most of the torture scenes in BN were on automode and couldn't help but laugh...
at how crazy they were, yeah its shocking but it didn't faze me much.

TL;DR Fans of dark fantasy & twisted characters do not want to miss out on this
even if the otome part of the game may leave to be desired, some routes or end
may just be too much and I had a hard time to categorize this as full otome but
I think its still worth it if one wants something different from the usual stuff.
Whatever floats yer boat I suppose... 
I'm actually glad I finished it so fast because I couldn't care about half of the dudes because some
were completely unlikeable and when they did become bearable hint Guillan it was too late for me to care.
7/10