I guess its that time of the year again to do one of those posts that covers
what I played this year along with some mini summaries of them!
Forgot the jump break so here it is.💀
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Yakuza 6.
Didn't have much problems with the pacing and the humor was just right.
What I didn't like was that they wrote out certain characters from Y4 and Y5
yet have the plot revolve around little asia and have an entire substory about baseball
without even a reference to the man the myth the legend(s) Tanimura and Shinada.💀
The pacing was like Y4 and doesn't padd itself out like I felt Y5 did.
Also what I really like about the series at this point is Kiryu's characterization
and found family aspects with the orphanage as well as the fun substories along the way.
The plot?! well politics is not my thing, never has been but its not bad or anything.
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Fuyuzono Sacrifice.
 |
| My honest reaction when I realize how short this game was... |
It felt like it ended when it had only just begun! and definitely
think otomate could have done better to make it worth the price.
While I loved the setting and LI's were nice, a 20 hour game wasn't worth 8k yen.
I guess it might be nice if you're a busy person and still would like to play an otome game
but if you prefer your otome games with a bit more meat to it this wasn't it.
I still think had their been a little common route and every guy had one more chapter
it would've been better but there was not enough time to have anything of substance
which is honestly a shame. Probably would only recommend Fuyuzono sacrifice
to those that prefer shorter otome games or are new to the genre.
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God Eater Resurrection.
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| Only best bois blush like this. |
The original version mind you not rageburst. Anyway the prequel did nothing
but make me a Soma fan and while it was fun to hack away and defeat aragami
the game was just too repetitive and ended up overstaying its welcome.
Because the missions were many and the plot was few. I guess when Rindow said:
Don't run away from living it meant to not waste away playing games like this. 💀
I mean just doing the story is fine but don't let that grinding get out of hand...
it might be even better with friends but its not impossible to clear with NPC's at all.
---
Tsukihime a piece of blue glass moon.
I disliked the protagonist and Arcueid just carried most of this game
the routes were way too long and padded out. There were only 2 routes
but I don't like it when they're 30 hours long, even worse while Arc's route was short
Ciel's route ended up being even longer and the second ending was longer than the first.💀
I also realize I disliked how the game makes it seem very little time had passed but
in actuality what had been minutes in game took hours to read through.
Yea no... if the sequel ever comes out I am not sure if I will even get that.
I do like the fate series so I won't write it off completely of me
never playing a typemoon game again.
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Atelier Yumia.
and that this wasn't even an atelier game anymore but an RPG with atelier elements.
The open world stuff was overwhelming and a lot of things you could find or do was
just too repetitive to be called fun. Unless you enjoy finding the same things at ''?'' marks
for 50 hours. I see this game inspired itself from genshin with the exploration part
but gust, there's a reason why I don't fully explore those maps. Its just too repetitive.
The only good things I find about Atelier Yumia were the characters and to some extent its plot.
---
Over RequiemZ.
otome needs. The dark side's fall into darkness was pretty well done but its so obvious
this is for a certain audience. I remember saying you could pretty much skip Dorothy's
dark side and nothing of value would be lost because it added nothing for the story
and its really there to show just how bad it could get. The fact routes tended to have
the better plot and romance. However I did like Claude and Kaize's dark side.
Molly's was too much for me and Noil was kinda nice for a different turn of events.
So the dark sides were hit or miss for me.
My favorite fact route was Noil's and I liked Kaize's too. Dorothy had the best story no contest
but its kind of sad he had no lock since it does act like a true route. Imagine doing him first
and you just... spoil the entire plot that no other route goes into. There was also definitely
a pattern to the flow of the routes but overall it was a pretty good otome game.
I see some people recommend to do dark sides first but its okay to skip them
if you get turned off by what happens in them, the fact routes have none of that.
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Lunar Remastered.
being one of the most hilarious RPG I've ever played.
I also played Lunar 1. first of course and it wasn't too bad just nothing exceptional.
All in all they really did have the spirit of the 90's and also reminded me
of older FF games with the spirit of Tales of. After playing I understood
why they're seen as classics but Lunar 1 felt flatter to me than its sequel.
I also liked Hiro and Lucia more as a couple than Luna and Alex though the latter's romance
I only liked at the end that I shipped the Jess and Kyle more because Luna and Alex
relied more on mental intimacy due their childhood which we never see.
Hiro and Lucia flowed more naturally and I liked how Lucia grew during their travels too.
Overall two pretty good games that I recommend to anyone who likes old school RPG's.
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Honkai Star Rail.
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| Crying pretty boi tangled up in vines isn't even my thing but why does this appeal to me? |
which is just too simplistic and repetitive. It had a particularly strong beginning
with the space station and Jarilo VI but I didn't really like the Luofu storyline
which sort of felt all over the place. Penacony was interesting but I don't like the way
the story was told as it was way too indirect. At first I didn't like Sunday
but by the end I actually loved him because I am a big sucker for redemption arcs.
As for Amphoreus I generally like it and most characters introduced here were
quite likable.With the way the patches ended I wanted the next one right now.
3.8 added a section that seemed to clear up a lot of story beats in Penacony which is nice
but at the same time it also felt like an intermission kind of thing.
Anyway I don't do endgame, just do the story and maybe some event
but just doing my dailies made me miserable so I take breaks.
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The town of Nie.
TBH this game was not on my mind after I finished.
I remember generally liking getting to know various characters but thought
it was a bit half baked. It had some horror elements but I found reading the text
not that scary the scariest part was in the beginning and some parts of Koko's route
but for the most part it was more unsettling than scary. It lacked visual reference
so some things sounded more comical rather than scary.
They also would half-censor the pron but do it in a stupid way you could just
figure out what really transpired, why even bother then?!
I remember there being some copy pasta near the end of every route
that you couldn't skip but I suppose it makes every route sort of canon
and it resolves the protagonist issue always. Overall it was just okay
but I don't think I will be playing many BL games in the future.
It also has a FD but idk if I will ever get it...
~
Toki no Kizuna Switch port.
fine but it wasn't really satisfying in terms of romance. Thankfully the switch port included
the FD which added much needed epilogues and ugh I still fondly remember Kazuya's after.
Overall i'd say it is good and the FD really showed the potential of the heroine
and she was pretty much a girlboss by the time the extra scenario was over.
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Utakata no Uchronia Trail.
I didn't find all afters to be great, I struggled with Tobari and Tsuyukusa.
but oddly enough Awayuki and Yashiro were fine. Yori? I don't wanna talk about him.
New routes; Tsuwabuki was great and Hiiragi was decent too but I felt bad for his brother.
I find the world of uta-chro fascinating but at the same time I also get bored...
maybe its the level of japanese or its just not that interesting to me.
Another story was pretty good as well but I could have done without the mini ends
as it was too repetitive to do them all and it just felt like breadcrumbing romance into it.
I thought Shinsou end should've been the default one.
Grumbling aside it'll likely satisfy UtaChro fans or people that like slow life stuff.
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Mononoke Chigiri
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| Everyone probably has that one; Why do I like this?! game and this is mine. |
was just a really cute and funny otome game with a chill atmosphere.
I think the problem with this is how the bakeneko is presented as a big issue but its not at all.
Feels like if the humor isn't in-line with your own then welp.
The main antagonist was a pathetic wet cat with jessie&james to help him out.
For me the characters and their interactions were still great so if you don't like any of
them this could be bad. I liked the heroine Yuma, she tried her best and did what she wanted
or thought was right. I suppose this is what made her irresponsible but I didn't mind it.
I ended up liking 4 out of 5 routes and my fav was Sakichi because I like stupid guys.
Sousuke wasn't far behind and I liked Gaku & Akihito too! Chiaki's wasn't for me.
I'm not sure why japan hates this game but I think its just because its really average
and it may depend on your type of humor but I don't really see the problem?
I saw people complaining about the heroine but she still got shit done? or was it
not dark enough? well not every otome needs to have heads rolling. 💀
I mean if you go into MonoChi expecting Virche,Collar x malice or Over requiemz
that might be setting the bar too high. I did love the story of Sousuke cuz it still
warms my heart but yea if you expected this to be the next big hit, it wasn't it.
I would only recommend it at a discount or those new to the genre.
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AI Somnium Files.
I thought the first route I did was mostly irrelevant but by the end of
the resolution route everything fell neatly into place.
The game had a good dose of humor as well and the only thing I didn't really like were
the somnium sequences because it most of it relied on trial and error and random BS go!
other than that it was just good and will likely check out its sequel sometime as well.
Not sure if I will play other Uchikoshi games but one thing at a time!
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Cafe Enchante.
I did end up liking the characters but it wasn't very satisfying in terms of romance.
It still left me with a feeling of well I am glad I got to know everyone so it wasn't bad
but it just tried a bit too hard with it coming across as a cozy game despite
it having a hefty dose of angst. I mean wtf was Misyr's route? pure misery.
So this was basically a misery porn game in disguise, compared to something
like Virche or Over RequiemZ... Enchante is child's play or rather it tries
to be cute about what it really is and tbh I think that's worse.💀
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9 R.i.P Sequel.
 |
| Looking back after a few months the only god after that really stuck to mind was Koharu... |
9rip sequel definitely added some finishing touches and it had content but I can't help
but think they should just have focused their efforts in one place instead of giving us
a heaven and god after and the latter being... lacking in substance.
They showed with Touka that they can do it, as its just one after for him.
Doing it all took me 50ish hours but individually it felt like I had a different
boyfriend almost everyday.💀I just wish it had a bit more substance.
The god afters were just too short so the meat of the game is in the heaven after.
I would probably only recommend this to 9rip fans that need new contents injected
into their veins, like right now.😅I wasn't equally invested into every LI but even then
I liked routes from LI that weren't my fav such as Minami and Seiya's heaven side.
Even with grievances I didn't think it was too bad.
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Digimon Story Time Stranger.
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| Honestly I loved running around in my Gatomon cosplay...😅 |
except a few gripes here or there like the final boss being way too scripted.
Definitely a treat if you're familiar with the series and want to play a game
or just like monster collecting type of games like SMT/pokemon etc.
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Olympia Soiree
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| Riku bby. |
It does have some discriminating stuff but I didn't hate it. Like Matsurika it has problems
stuff happens but I enjoyed slowly crawling thru it, I did think there were a lot of loose ends
but the routes do end in satisfying manner. The heroine was about as great as Cardia
and I enjoyed watching her throughout the game. All LI were good too...
some side characters(not all) however were insufferable. I've played a lot of
otomate games but this is definitely one of their stronger entries, at first I wasn't completely
sure about the upcoming sequel but I kinda want to see more content with Riku so I got it anyway.
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Yakuza: Like A Dragon 7.
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| Was about to say the Yakuza SEVEN but the seventh wasn't story relevent to make it into this.💀 |
Well I only ended up playing this due to it being in my backlog already
and it had been several months since Y6 so this was my last rpg of the year.
I do think LAD7 was a fun game but it has pacing issues and if you want a relatively
easy time despite difficulty spikes there's no avoiding side contents.
I generally did like most of the main cast and their interactions with eachother were gold.
There's room for improvement sure, but this wasn't a bad game.
However this may be my last yakuza game for a while and will be going on a break from them.
I figure if I want to go on another whack adventure with Ichibum then I will get LAD8.
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Neon Clash.
 |
| Feels like I just wrote about this but lemme try and sum it up again. |
Sadly I am a little mixed on it but I don't think it was a bad otome game
especially if you're looking for more badass heroines and don't mind it if they live&learn.
The structure didn't make it like a traditional otome game but its better than those
that would give you a giant common route and make you replay it 5 times while skipping.
This is mostly due to its linear plot and it focusing on a different LI every chapter.
Its also rather story focused and there just wasn't much time for romance
but it did reward me for my patience. Playing through it was kinda exciting
and the lack of romance actually made sense considering its setting.
When I look back it was a fun ride and the epilogues were rather satisfying
so I forgave mostly everything else since the plot was mostly solid.
I'd recommend it to those who like darker otome's with romance as the after thought.
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Well if I had to give an award for the best new otome game of 2025
it would go to Over RequiemZ!🏆 nothing else really stood out to me and stuff
like Fuyuzono might be better for newbies or beginners of the genre.
The runner up is definitely Neon Clash Echoes of the Lost! but... I think that
it might not be too otome for some people due its structure and setting.
I do feel like an oddball for enjoying Mononoke Chigiri but it definitely was not
one of otomate's stronger entries. Although I didn't play it Byakko would
likely be otomate's 2nd best new entry this year. 3rd would be 9rip sequel.
---
Best heroine? Lui Kroa gets the award for most badass heroine for sure. 😄
Yukina from Toki no Kizuna was also cool but... it needed its FD to fully realize it.
Honorable mention for Byakuya from Olympia Soiree for being able to breath fire.
Best LI? probably Noil from over requiemz! followed by Sousuke from MonoChi!
Kazuya from Toki no Kizuna gets a special mention for being the sweetest thing in the FD.
My bias of 2025 would be Riku from Olympia Soiree.
Runner up would be Gante Lowd from Neon Clash.
---
Other than that I have pretty much closed the comments on a lot of older posts.
I completely understand why a certain other reviewer completely closed the comments altogether.
My reviews are simply my own opinions of what I experienced. This blog is afterall a personal
space for me to ramble about games I play. Ultimately what is a good game is
subjective to the player, since I could play something what is generally considered good
(Tsukihime RE) and still dislike it or end up liking what others dislike(Mononoke Chigiri).
---
I'm currently playing Olympia Soiree Catharsis but I don't think i'll be
able to finish it this year, not quite the short and sweet type of sequel hahah.
Riku's route already took me the whole weekend. When I finished Tokisada's
I was quite pooped so I'm going to keep it cozy with this one.
---
There's not many upcoming otome games I am looking forward to
except Matsurika's sequel. I was kinda eyeing un:logical but idk yet
so if the demo doesn't wow me then I won't get that.
I was surprised Glass Heart Princess got ported to switch... I may get it.
---
Bunnies high school sounds a bit too juvenile for me but I hope it works out
for them, maybe it'll be a hidden gem like trouble magia! ATM there's
too little info on this game that I can't even consider getting it. I tend to avoid
high school otome's nowadays with exception of fantasy settings so there's that.
Crazy Chain seems to be where most of the hype is but I am not sure if its for me...I might bite or I may not, the writer is the same as Virche and I don't think
I was too fond of their games as most of them tend to end up being misery porn.
---
In terms of RPG's there's not many I want to play right now, Resleriana is in my backlog
getting moldy but I had already played an atelier this year and I just saved it for later.
After finishing LAD7 it basically put me into a VN mood so that's why I am back in otome land.
I thought about Sky 1st remake or Xenoblade X but the mood's not there
and the interest level is low so perhaps a break is the best.
Obscured Clair and her 33 expeditions has me curious but I am not sure if it for me.
Same reason why I never got Metaphor Refantazio, i'm just not vibing with it.
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