Cupid Parasite - Review

 Genre:VN.

Developer/publisher: Otomate.

Platform: Switch.

Official Site: http://ideafintl.com/cupid-parasite/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v25912

Release date: 2021-11-02.

 

So after I beat xenoblade 3, which left me kind of depressed I wondered what game/vn

would be best to play next... which lead me to cupid parasite cuz honestly I was in the mood

for something that I know is light-hearted/fun and probably doesn't take it self too serious! I couldn't finish the game before kuro 2 so this kind of became a backburner game I played inbetween

other games. Due to this being out in english, I actually decided to play it and support 

instead of just buying it in JPN. The localization was fine and they even patched

any lingering issues that were found. Of course I did spot a few minor mistakes

anyone could make when typing, its nothing too big that would ruin it in the long run.

Pro's

- Cute and funny story with a pro-active heroine.

- Gorgeous Art and Catchy Tunes!

- Unique individual routes and a really good finale.

 

Con's

- UI is a little busy / too much random/usless text in menu's.

 

I don't got many complaints so let's get those out first!

The UI is a tad busy! which I think is more of a personal issue from my part.

So while the art is really good and I don't have much problems with the background art either

though it is stylish the backgrounds can look kind of flat at times as well.

I don't mind the vibrant colours in fact I like bright happy stuff but there's such a thing

as there being a lot on the screen. The other thing is that while the music is really good

I didn't like it when there were vocal tracks cuz it distracted me from reading

so I just lowered the volume to the point its just a nice background bgm.

The UI is just too busy for people like me and it overwhelmed me...

still I like the style of it all and it being hip and trendy even if its just not my thing.

System wise it was just basic stuff, there are bad/fail ends but it all was pretty simple and easy

to get the normal/best end which didn't have much difference except one being just better.

It does have bad ends but they're not too bad, if you play blind you could get them...

but its not too hard to get the good or best ends due to love catch! although

at times it will take a while before the love catch shows up.

 

Cupid Parasite does remind me of Variable Barricade in some ways yet they're nothing alike.

The only thing that is, is that the love interests are definitely not ready for marriage! yet.

Both games also have a confident/headstrong heroine. So if you're into that or tired

of the meeker ones Cupid Para is definitely something to look into.

For the most part it was a pretty light-hearted but fun read, this is not the game

to look for if you prefer darker stories as it really is like a love comedy.

Can't describe it in any other way! some of the love interests might not work  for everyone though

but really i've played plenty of otome games to know by now that sometimes you'll just

find some character that you just cannot like or leaves the most terrible of first impressions

and Ryuki sorta hit that spot for me, I was like any other love interest please and thank you!

I swear I looked over all the initially available love interests and was like hmm they're all

a better choice than him. I still wanted to do his route of course, just not right of the bat.

All in all Cupid Parasite is a fun and cute otome game, it is also a game that can lift your mood

like if you have a bad day or want to think about something better/fun.

There's not much otome games like it but I think it is one of the better ones out in english

because it doesn't try too hard with its story and manages to keep it light and fun

without it ever trying too hard to be something it isn't.

The heroine Lynette also was an absolute queen I enjoyed seeing her interact with the guys etc.

One thing I will be honest about is that the love interests could definitely be a hit or miss

but don't let that stop you from trying it out. I didn't like any of the guys that much based

on the common route but their route did make things better or put perspective on things!

so characters like Shelby became much more likable and even Gill became bearable.

Ryuki however will remain the king of terrible expressions, even so his route was still 

surprisingly entertaining, even if I don't like him that much he got the OK from me by the end.

The true route this time was one of the better kind but I can understand if some say it needed

just a little more romance as it did focus on the plot and any questions the player could have had.

 However if you're not looking for a rom-com or don't like that genre, Cupid Parasite should be a pass!

but if you're up for that or just for something silly then by all means it gets my recommendation

cuz it is a good time. This game is also great to just play in short bursts/a little at a time

or do a route every now and then! for me it was like that and just did a route inbetween other games.

For the most part it all turned out okay cuz there's no real overarching plot so I wasn't

too confused when I picked it back up cuz every route is mostly self-contained.

There was definitely a plot beneath it all but by the time I got to the routes that delved into it more

I also stopped taking breaks and just did the final three routes one after the other.

Allan's route is really good tho and i'd even recommend the whole game just cuz of him.

I also think due to the love interests being diverse there may be something for everyone

in this game which is good. Honestly I think Cupid-Para was pretty well-rounded!

all things considered this was a good otome game maybe not the best ever but it was pretty good

at what it tried; being a rom-com. The final route does feel more like a fanservicey what if

rather than a typical true route but it does a good job of giving the player another perspective.

9,5/10

Biased score I know! but I did enjoy it and will look back fondly on it.

My play order was Shelby > Gill > Raul > Allan > True.

Raul's route is locked till 2nd play and Allan's locked by him...

dunno if there was a recommended order but I think the following is alright to recommend

due to the restrictions on Raul/Allan the first three routes listed can be done as you like.

If Ryuki really irks you due to his habits then you could skip him... 

or if you want to get to Allan just do Gill and Raul to unlock Allan.

Recommended: Shelby / Ryuki / Gill > Raul > Allan > True.

I'll stop rambling here and there is some more character focused babbles after the jump.

The route babbles they will just be some likes/dislikes, along with fav CG.

    There won't much spoilers except for me rambling of all routes including the hidden one.

Star Ocean 6 the Divine Force - review

Genre: RPG
Developer/publisher: Tri-Ace/Square Enix.
Platform: PS4/PS5.
Official Site: N/A

Release date: 2022-10-27. 

Never did I expect there to be another main-line star ocean game after SO5...

but here we are and honestly it makes be so happy.

Not even 4 hours in and... sigh this make really remember why I love RPG's

this game really made me nostalgic for the old days cuz this it has the vibes

well at the very least I was off to a good start!😄 regardless of what was to come.

Sadly I did not like the OP that much, it was pretty much a mashup of scenes

from the game with some screamo rock music which definitely was not to my tastes.😓

I played the PS4 ver on normal difficulty and it was just the right amount of balance, no annoyance 

of the plot made me consider lowering it this time! I am mostly positive with this game

but I have a few gripes.

 

Pro's

- Charming cast of characters and lot's of shipping fuel between some chara's.

- Story pacing was good and when the going gets good it keeps going.

- Slight graphic dip but smooth gameplay in battles thanks to FPS mode.

- Replay value; two different side + 1 optional character and endings for each side.

 

Con's

- While trying to fast travel, the message of being able to miss dialogue is unnecessary.

- Private actions despite not that missable should be more easier to spot as they are a

boon to be better able to understand the chara's. Sad to see its easy to miss.

- If you played many a rpg it might not do much new.

 

 This game has you pick sides much like Star Ocean 2 so you can play with

Laeticia or Raymond's POV. Most of the game is the same but there are moments that differ

and even unique party member that join depending on whatever side which is nice.

There's mostly some POV differences and certain angles being unique to each side.

 Story wise I won't be posting much in terms of spoilers but the pacing's alright

you slowly get to know characters and the world they live in.

The story was a slowburn, but it was kind of nice? I didn't think it was terrible or anything...

well not everything can happen like a magician snaps a finger and viola! Basically the outline

 is like Ray's ship gets attacked and his escape pod crashes on an underdeveloped planet.

Laeticia and Albaird find him and decide to help him out find his comrades.

Some stuff happens along the way which they have to deal with too

and its a underdeveloped planet yet there is some folk trying to mess around.

This game in quite similar to older games isn't it? 

The story does end up peaking at some point and I liked that part a lot... it really shows

just how much everyone has come to trust one another! I could tell it was leading up to the finale

and it did really well or atleast tried to keep its momentum till the end.

I didn't really like the stuff before the final boss who is kind of like a cockroach at that point

but it fits with what the story was trying to do. There's a post game available as well

for those who really love the combat and character speciific endings. 

Good thing is viewing PA's is not required for those and just spam aphrodite tears

on whoever you'd like to see the ending of and beat mr: final boss .

 

TL;DR for people who don't want to read the whole post:

Honestly I enjoyed this game for the most part, it didn't try to hard with its story

and the cast ended up being better when we got to know them more.

Star Ocean has always been fantasy meets sci-fi and this game did it pretty well!

Combat was fun even tho I didn't fully understand it, at times in boss fights it felt impossible

to get more AP except if you did a well-timed dodge still it was great that bosses were susceptible

to status ailments like freeze! They could definitely touch this game up with some QoL features

like better being able to tell if there are new PA's in the towns plus getting rid of the message

when trying to fast travel literally anywhere. There were some moments during the story

where I was like huh I wonder what happened on their side and there's a character

unique to each side that definitely adds replay value as well as endings. I can definitely understand

why J.J doesn't have an ending with Laeticia or Theo with Ray... if anything I can see

Ray asking Theo out for a drink.😅 but J.J and Laeticia uh... no compatibility detected.

It was a pretty good game with a fun battle system and decent AI that I don't need to babysit

yet the AI still had its moments of dropping its brain but you'll get used to it.

This game isn't perfect but its good at what it tried, a brand new story set in the star ocean universe

that doesn't force you to play other entries to understand its plot. Its a nice scifi adventure

that let's you explore an underdeveloped planet while uncovering a greater plot going on.

There may be a treat for fans who've followed the series so its mostly a win-win situation...

Unfortunately this game does not boldy go where no rpg has gone before

and it doesn't need to! it was still an interesting journey but if it was any longer

i'd probably get really annoyed. So take that as you will.

I'll be blunt, if the series dies with this game then atleast I am glad that it ended up

being like some of the older titles while giving it a nice fast paced battle system

and all the playable's having their own unique movesets.

 Playing RPG's to constantly expect them to do mindblowing or things most don't do

will just set one up for disappointment! even if they don't it can still be good.

IMO this game wasn't terrible but its not perfect either.

 

I don't have any tips except for the following:

I recommend trying to play as albaird if the melee's feel too weird, he is around almost always

on Laeticia's side and is pretty busted in trying to make his bimbo spells stronger

thus being able to melt most enemies and being able to revive any AI that get hit too much. 

Determined princess skill will make lvling up a breeze.

My last advice is to ignore the fast travel dialogue and act  as if the message isn't there

and to just have fun exploring the games contents!

 

No plot spoilers in this post but like always there will be more babbles

with some random screenshots of moments that I liked.