Showing posts with label Amasaki Kouhei. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amasaki Kouhei. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Mononoke Chigiri - Review

Genre: VN.
Developer/publisher: Otomate.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://www.otomate.jp/mononoke/
Release date: 31-7-2025
 
Honestly I wasn't sure if I should get this but it did catch my attention
and I liked the setting so why the hell not? its also been a while that the
otome game lineup in japan has been so stacked like I wasn't even finished
with UtaChro FD, and this game came out! Sadly it seems barely anyone got this game
but it also didn't seem like it was going to be a heavy hitter with a lot of hype for it either. 
I had mostly a good time with Mononoke Chigiri so it wasn't a bad otome game at all.
 
 Pro's
- Decent but simple story that's not overly complicated with lots of funny situation.
- Great heroine and romance was with most LI was satisfying.
- Gorgeous art from sprites and backgrounds to CG's.
- BGM fits the setting and some have really nice relaxing vibe. 
 
Con's
-  Pretty long; the length can be a bit of a double edged sword.
- Some sub characters or enemies have no sprite, it would have more impact if they did.
- Not one but two attractive unromanceable side characters.
 
 I liked the OP, it had the right kind of tone for a game with this setting, really good jam.
The lyrics of the OP already kinda spoil what kind of story its gonna be.
The ED was okay, I didn't skip it this time unlike UtaChro FD
and the animations for it were absolute adorable and feel good. 
 
Art was gorgeous, it was done by Melo, I didn't even recognize it at first
but it really is them. The backgrounds were nice to look at too.
Music was alright it suited the scenes well, it certainly wasn't the worst i've heard.
I loved some of the BGM like one of those was so relaxing it made me melt. 
I'm more wondering where the hell did otomate pull some of these composers from
cuz they seem really randomly picked but it mostly worked out so it wasn't a bad idea.
The UI was clean and it was easy to read the text as well. 
 
Heroine/Plot.
The heroine Fujita Yuma is an onmyoji  and she took her role seriously even if she's just an
apprentice she is trying! Yuma had her own sprite in the corner, I really miss this in some games.
In terms of heroines she is definitely out there, if you like proactive heroines she'll not disappoint.
The story was pretty simple and she had the goal of sealing the bakeneko whom's seal
was weakening and she befriended a bunch of youkai to help her do just that.
Its not a plot-focused otome game but rather one that focuses on the journey
which is slightly different depending whom you go for, the solution to the problem
was never the same and routes were more or less character focused.
This game didn't suffer from copypasta but I can see it being kind of repetitive.
Needless to say I've found most if not all routes worth doing.  
 
This was not a serious otome game at all since it was a rom-com. 
There were times the story was hilarious, the heroine was sometimes wearing her clown
pants unintendedly in the beginning however the game did know when to be more serious.
There was a common route which sets the stage and introduces the setting and story
but it was quite long, I could see people drop the game because of it
so this might not be for people who prefer shorter or more serious otome's. 
I did love the overall vibe and I wanted to learn more about everything. So it wasn't off
to a bad start. I did think it was bit slow at times and took its sweet time
but it ended up being surprisingly well written in a way that suit the setting A LOT.
I also liked how the perspective would switch to the LI or Hayate&Satoru.
If you really like japanese folklore and youkai, this game is an easy recommendation.
Time for this local grandma to go back to bed!
 
The system was mostly standard VN stuff and each love interest had only two endings
a good end and bad ending which can be heartbreaking, i'm glad they made
the endings count so its quality over quantity.
 However there was was a minigame but you only have to press a few buttons in order.
This kind of interactive game play wasn't that complicated. At first I thought
it was too fast but its an easy to memorize pattern and by route 2 I had it down.
Also you don't have to do it perfectly, completing the minigame
is fine with 5/7 so you don't have to get all seven button presses correct. 
You can retry via the backlog and save before it, imo it wasn't a bad minigame.   
I actually expected this minigame to be used more but it wasn't used as much at all
which was a relief for people that don't like this sort of stuff.
 
Playtime might depend on your reading speed, I feel like my speed is normal
or slightly slower because I sometimes pause. If you're a fast reader
then this game could feel a bit shorter then I make it out to be.
This game took me a good two weeks to get through, I feel more satisfied with
Mononoke Chigiri than I did with Fuyuzono Sacrifice as well.
I didn't full focus on this game and took breaks, I think I could have finished it
sooner but there were times I wasn't ready to jump into the next route.
 
In terms of characters I didn't think I would like Akihito as much as I did
but I absolutely adored him by the end of his route! so that was a pleasant surprise.
I did Chiaki second but... I don't really like him. I got weird vibes and thought he was creepy
but I can't deny he was very much like a fox so it all checked out. He was just too much for me.💀
I generally liked Gaku but he was a bit stiff at times, you can see he means well
especially at the start of the route where he expressed some of his thoughts.
I think his route accomplished more with the setting and story overall.
Sakichi's route was downright hilarious and a true rom-com, I enjoyed it the most
and may have left the strongest impression on me cuz some stuff you don't see everyday.
I enjoyed Sousuke's route as well and I think it was one of the best routes in the game
next to Sakichi and Akihito, Due being locked its a good route to end the game with. 
 
I do have some complaints but not a lot. Some side characters have portraits, there's
nothing for really minor characters or enemies which made the game lack in impact
especially with their being some fight scenes so you had to use your imagination.
Its hilarious how Hayate and Satoru's were really handsome like
if Mononoke Chigiri got a FD they will definitely have routes. 
The bakaneko I didn't find very threatening except... near the end of a route
and overall the game can get a bit repetitive but the individual characters
were all great and the way the problem was solved each route was unique.
So I can't complain too much. I almost ran out of steam at the final route
but it managed to get its grip on me and I still progressed at a steady pace. 
 
TL;DR 
This game made me love the whole otome genre all over again.
Its had a decent enough plot but I thought it was more focused on SoL, interaction
with the LI which lead to all sorts of fun situations, sealing the bakeneko
was merely  goal but I think the journey with the LI mattered more here.
There wasn't any extreme content which could be disappointing for some but games
like this can be nice in their own way, there's enough shit happening in the world. 
It was quite long as well especially the first time through, had it been shorter
there would not nearly be enough time so I think the overall length is just right. 
At its core it may be quite a simple story... but it was still enjoyable
like sometimes you just want something that's not too complicated
while chasing 2d men and Mononoke Chigiri really delivered with this. 
I also really love animals and I liked how there were some cute scenes with the guys in
their youkai form, they kept it light and fun it reminded me of beastmaster & prince. 
 Overall pretty decent otome game that shined on building a connection with the LI! 
it takes its time with everything and it took its own setting serious, it had a potentially
bittersweet setup that became really obvious near the end of some route
but this wasn't a tear jerker, I think you're more likely to cry tears of joy
from laughing over something stupid that just transpired.
8.5/10 
I recommend it if you like more simple otome games focused on japanese folklore.
However if you prefer shorter otome games or don't like comedies, i'd probably
not recommend it since this is a rom-com of decent length.
 
I'm not sure how much chance this game will be brought over, but I don't see why not.
If aksys is gonna bring over lighthearted and comedic type of games now...
I see no reason they or others couldn't pick this up especially considering 
this is like the lovechild of Beastmaster&Prince and Radiant Tale.
Its worth a look if you like stuff such as Cupid Parasite as well. 
 
My Play order: Akihito > Chiaki > Gaku > Sakichi > Sousuke.
There was a lock on Sousuke's route so I did him last. None of the initial route
had any big spoilers except maybe Gaku they all hint a little at things
and my own play order flowed surprisingly well. There's apparently an official
order but I don't think it matters too much Akihito and Chiaki share a plot line
so doing one hints at the other. Same for Gaku and Sakichi. I think Sakichi
should be done before Sousuke though but that's my opinion. 
 
Character rambles after the jump so if you don't want spoilers just stop reading here.
I share a few of my fav CG's as well but not all of them.
 

Monday, September 11, 2023

Shuuen no Virche Epic Lycoris - Review

Genre: Visual Novel.
Developer/publisher: Otomate.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://www.otomate.jp/virche/fd/
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v38067
Release date: 07-09-2023.
 
Only reason I even got this FD was cuz I wanted more romance with Ceres and the guys
since... the original game was lacking a lot in that area. As well as not giving one major
character a route which was a great injustice which this game seems to want to remedy?
 
OP movie URL cuz they apparently disabled embedding...
 
Pro's.
- Side stories are nice.
- Nice after stories for Yvess, Scien and Adolph.
- Great for Ankou fans.
 
Con's 
- A giant 🖕 to Lukas fans.💀
- Some CG's are nice but they're spread across too many different scenarios... afters feel barren
some also have awkward angles or weird face shots and I am like what is this?!
- Some afters just plainly lack any fluff or fun content.
- With the exception of Ankou's route everything was pretty short.
---
 
There's side stories with all the main characters and then there's the usual after stories
as well as a new side end that takes a spin on the original route from the first game.
There's also a route for Ankou, however you can't do it till you complete the Drifter story.
 
Also it seems they took encore literally and it is not going the be the fun kind and more in line
of what the original game was like. Lukas's left me traumatized and I cannot handle it
so I skipped the other encores. What is even worse is the encores are like 3/4ish hours
with the same experience while the emotion/after stories are like like 1/2 hours at best.
I was quite disappointed with atleast 2 of the afters as well. Ankou's route is by
far the longest and i'm pretty sure it was 8-10 hours in length... hoo boy!
 
The writers apparently said no, you can't have nice things and some characters apparently haven't suffered enough, so here's more despair, Ankou included. Yea I know virche wasn't exactly
a normal otome game but come on, I thought this was a FD but it didn't seem like one, even less
than raditale's. Also while some cg's were beautiful they sometimes had awkward angles
and really nice moments between the characters were hard to find especially in the afters.
So I found it hard to find anything memorable in the after stories, the only ones
I even remotely liked was Scien Brofist's cuz hurrdurr and Adolph.
For Ankou's route they had a nice prequel story called Drifter which unlocked Ankou
and the route was pretty enjoyable albeit very long, this but this game is 
pretty much for him alone and everything else is there as a bonus. 😂
Now for the thing I am most disappointed about, it is the severe lack of fluff and/or fun
content in the afters... cuz unless you're Adolphe,Scien or Ankou they had to give that to us
via a side story and its just sad they couldn't do better for the actual afters.
 
I don't know if I should recommend this game unless you're a big Ankou fan
and are OK with some of the other guys not really getting much else but a few crumbs!
I'm sorry I really tried to like things in this game but I could barely find it...
most of the time I was just bored, missing even the interactions with Jinnia and Liyan.
All the fun stuff were put into side story -interlude- as well...
I guess that not everything has to be truly happy but I just found most of the afters lacking
if only they didn't bother with encore and focused more on the afters cuz it really
feels like they divided their attention too much leaving some other areas to be desired.
 
Idk what score to even give this FD on one hand an 8/10 just for Ankou seems a bit much
but a 5/10 or lower could make this seem like a kusoge... so I guess a 6.5 or 7/10???
cuz hey atleast half the guys had a nice after story! as wells as Ankou being a great addition.
 
My play order was: Lukas > Mathis > Science Brofist > Yvess > Adolphe >Drifter > Ankou.
The only good thing about this play order for the FD is that the afters will gradually get better.

Spoilers after the jump as I will be writing about the character/routes etc!
so you've been warned!!! if you don't want spoilers then don't proceed further!!!

**Ended up fixing some mistakes or adding some stuff but this post won't be edited anymore
and ain't no way I am touching encore more than I already did.
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Sunday, October 17, 2021

Shuuen no Virche ~Error Salvation~ - review

 Genre: Otome/simulation VN.
Developer/publisher: Otomate
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://www.otomate.jp/virche/
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v29661
Release date: 2021-10-07

Since there's not much choice in terms of otome games coming out
and Virche seems like it will be interesting I decided to get it
to have something to play/read while waiting for other games to come out.
I tried going in with relatively low expectations because that's what works best
if anything I think this games synopsis reminded me a little of tierblade.
Things I already knew its gonna be a dark fantasy with sci-fi elements
not to mention the art style gives off this edgy vibe! but that's all.
Like with Kimiyuki Seiyuu cast is a mix of familiar talent and new that I have not heard
before it seems this is becoming a trend and a welcome one at that.
 
Pro's
- Good worldbuilding and well written story & cast.
 - Gorgerous art and music to fit the mood.
 
Con's
- Not for the faint of heart/don't like depressing or high amount of blood.
-  What is a good ending is subjective but real happy ones are hard to find in this game.
- WHO TF HURT THE WRITERS OF THIS GAME MAN...
 
 Opening movie was pretty good, it set the mood of the game pretty well.
 
This game honestly started out pretty depressing, death really does seem to follow
the heroine Ceres no matter where she goes. Honestly I felt bad for her. :(
Ceres constantly blames herself for everything bad happening because of her curse...
this could get annoying but I had faith the writers would develop this and help her overcome it
and the main cast was pretty nice and supporting towards the heroine so all was well.
She meets Ankou who... honestly I was wary of his words cuz they were extremely honeyed
but if I was in Ceres's position I would probably trust him too but  still be ware.
Though if depressing themes and suicide triggers you I suppose to stay clear of this game.
Prologue/common route progression was good to get to know the cast and setting but there
is a bit of techno babbles from a certain character that did go into one ear and out the other.😂
To put simply there's elements of cloning and memory transfer to survive the death at 23 thing.
Most of the characters are interesting, Lukas whom's route is available to do right
from the start was an easy character to like. Anyway it wasn't dark/dreary and depressing all the time
but there was a decent amount of suspense unfortunately there's not much time for fluff or
funny scenes doesn't mean there was none it just wasn't the focus.
I have no strong opinion on Lukas but it has that one meme which made me howl for a good minute
or so. I did enjoy Mathis route in particular it was pretty peak fiction but Scien was just
well nothing against the guy but it honestly left me the most depressed.
Yvess was the poster boy but atleast his route wasn't that disappointing.
Art is gorgeous and music was pretty good too, I hardly complain about bgm's
they usually fit the mood in some way and Shuuen was no expection.
 Honestly this game attempts to put more effort into establishing its plot and cast than
a certain other moist depressing otome game from otomate I once played did.😅
This was interesting to say the least but the type of game is not for everyone
and there were parts where I zoned out, especially when Scien technobabbles.
Kimiyuki had comedy going for it but Shuuen not so much again not to say there wasn't
any funny moments cuz there were, it all was so depressing? this game also doesn't
seem to be very otome but that doesn't mean it doesn't deliver. This is one of those
games that prioritizes its scenario over romance which might make you feel wanting
or with strong feels at the end but it also for better or for worse still manage to deliver classic
otomate tropes my first route did not disappoint in that regard! The names in this game
can be kind of weird though there are some normal ones (Lukas/Mathis/Ceres)
but then there's Yves(Eve), Capucine(Cappuccino), Dahut(Daath) or Camyu(Camille).
Needless to say I just write them down as I spelled it and for some it became meme(Cappuccino).😂
Then there's Ankou i'm pretty sure they meant Ankh, well its made for japanese folks
and they're gonna spell it in engrish how they want but to me it makes perfect sense.
 
Now this may sound a bit ranty... so you're warned but I try to be honest here:
This is really one of those story driven otome games that one must see through to the end
or better put do all routes to get the most of it. By default a lot of things makes Shuuen worse
than Piofiore or other games because you could avoid bad ends if you wanted, here they're forced 
on you for the sake of the overall plot which might be good if you care about it scenario wise.
Well at that point i'd honestly would want to see something happier for once.
Anyway if you want happy ends right off the bat or  fluff, its not that type of game
also as listed in my pro's and con's good endings are subjective but you may not find much
in the way of the usual happy ends in this game. There are best ends for all the guys
but they're kind of like an extra or better put a bandaid after the final route
i'm not even sure why they really locked them, there is no reason for it to be so.
I wouldn't be surprised if the despair would get to a person at some point. 
I think Shuuen no Virche is great if you did enjoy stuff like black wolves saga or don't mind
going through the bad ends in piofiore as you play the game but even then
those games were nowhere like Shuuen is. If you can't stomach despair/blood 
and such better pass. I think this otome game is written by a bunch of sadists!😅
I do not mind characters having to suffer for development but this is on a whole new level
of how bad can it get? well that bad! I hate how it has you think well this isn't so bad
only for it to literally have baited you with a little otome element its like they wrote
the Adolphe route first but then remembered hey what about those guys?! oh yea about that.
The only route I enjoyed by default was Mathis...... I think that says a lot! I do have problems
with the final route and  I wish I had known before hand it was gonna be 10 hours instead of
the usual 6 that it took the other routes. In it we spend so much time with characters
we already know trying to get some true end effect but I was honestly a drag for me
but on the positive side I liked Adolphe, Ankh and the underlying plot! there's really nothing wrong
with the cast or plot as its well written enough but yea... this game really hates it heroine
and I got so tired of it like for once I just want her to be happy but every odd is against her
do you blame me for saying OH MY GOD I AM SO DONE WITH THIS WHO HURT YOU?!
Like I don't even mind depressing stuff but this was on a whole other level...
but despite everything it still somehow manages to deliver as an otome game.
At the end of the day I might just have to accept this wasn't fully for me....
because it was so emotionally draining I was just left like this image below when I fullcomp'd
even with the extra endings relieving some of the initial despair.
If this all sounds right up your alley that's good but I think you'll either love or hate this game
you'd have to see it for yourself but I can't guarantee anything at any rate
Shuuen no Virche gets and 8/10 from me, its pretty good if you don't mind despair. >_>;
This is what PEAK FICTION does to you.
 
 So my play order was like this:
Lukas > Mathis > Scien > Ives > Final act.
This game has an enforced play order the first 3 routes can be done in whatever
order you want but need to be done to unlock the fourth and final act.
 
Like with Kimiyuki I won't be posting too many CG's due to request of writers
to not spoil too much so again it'll be my favorites only. Anyway here I will give you
a double spoiler warning so that if you want to play the game then please read no further.
If you're interested, got money and know japanese I recommend to buy it. 
AGAIN I recommend to stop reading here cuz the spoiler-free zone ends here
with the jump break and the rest is just spoiler babbles
or more like SCREAMING? cuz I definitely did albeit internally.
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