Showing posts with label Kobayashi Chiaki. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kobayashi Chiaki. Show all posts

Thursday, August 6, 2026

Kimi Ni Madoi Kimi Ni Oboreru - Review

His and her circumstances.
 Genre: VN.
Developer/publisher: Otomate.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site:https://www.otomate.jp/kiminimadoi/
Release date: 30-07-2026
  
This otome game has omegaverse elements, I know not much of this
and ended up treating it like any other otome game. Which it actually is.
I like the aesthetics and one of my new favorite seiyuu's were in this.
As well as Joe being an assistant director/supervisor.
I'm not sure about the actual director as they seem new but... they may be okay. 
Another note is that some of the writers for 9.R.I.P and Honey Vibes worked on this game. 
 
Disclaimer: This is purely my own opinion and it could be different from yours
this is not meant to be some kind of all-truth, just an opinion that came from playing this.
If you don't like what you're reading then close the tab, move on and just idk play it yourself.
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Pro's
- Great cast of characters & group dynamic.
Gorgeous art and music worthy buying the OST for.
- Neither too short or too long.
- Proper use of flashbacks. 
 
Grey Area
- Light in tone but has heavy undertones.
- Mature, sensitive contents.
- Doing all routes could seem repetitive but is still relatively unique to that character.
- Omegaverse elements are beginner friendly, this could be disappointing if you expect more.
 
Con's
- If you dislike the childhood friend or brother trope this otome could be your new hell.
(Wait is this really a con?!)
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Heroine.
Well Sayo is an Omega, when this was announced I saw disappointment that
she wasn't an Alpha... not sure why but not everyone needs to be a Sophia from CC.
That aside I loved Sayo's design! She's so adorable, she seems nice too. I'd be her friend.
Sayo's relationship with her non-blood related brother and friends
was fun to watch as well. I'd say she was balanced.
While optimistic Sayo can be a bit clumsy which more
often than not lead to hilarious situations. She's very human.
In certain routes she can be surprising in how she deals with a situation.
I thought she would be meek but she put thought to things. 
There's some shit she just won't take... and she tended to compensate which ranged
from being reasonable to absolutely savage and slapping someone's koala ass.
If you like it when the heroine actually pursues LI's she's pretty good!
at times I found her extremely selfish. Which is kinda nice in a way
since she knows what she wants, this is very clear in Ritsu's route. 

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Art is gorgeous as always but when hasn't an otomate VN been?
other than them having helpers sometimes when an artist isn't available 
lately the art in their games has been pretty good and this game is no exception.
Sprites,Backgrounds and CG's all looked great.
Music was really good, I actually sat there for a minute just listening
to the title screen music. Its Cafe Enchante level. It generally fit the mood well.
This game also had more pleasant sound effects and I didn't have to mute them
because they were jarring or annoying. Kinda sad to compare to CC.
Seiyuu cast aren't goldies; I only recognize maybe three of them.
They all did their best and they sounded great especially my fav seiyuu!💖
System wise its nothing special, just normal VN stuff. 
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
This game has a relatively short common route or atleast I thought so.
You select someone right away and then go through a common route.
This also locks you onto whichever LI you choose since it changes who Sayo was closest to
during her highschool years before it goes into their individual route.
This is good since player choice matters.
The only LI's with a restriction were Ritsu and Akira but unlock after one playthrough. 
Other than that common route is a pretty standard introduction that eases you into it.
I kinda tuned out of it by route 5 but the first time through was fun in its own right.
Routes themselves were all unique with problems relevant to the LI so there was no overlap.
 ---
It didn't take me more than 4-5 hours to clear the common route. 
Routes are around 6-7 hours and my first play took about 10-11 hours.
I ended up clocking out at around 45-50 hours. It will of course depend
on your reading speed but so take this as an average, i'm not slow nor fast. 
There were few choices but nothing overstood its welcome. I do enjoy listening to the BGM
which probably slightly inflated my play time but it shouldn't be longer than 50 hours. 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Overall KimiMadoi was a breezy otome game, fitting for its summer theme.
This is generally a SoL, there's not much plot and its mostly focused
on romance and character drama. So its more of a chara-ge.
The omegaverse theme was very entry level so even those unfamiliar can understand it.
This could be disappointing if you expected more but let's be real here they
simply made an otome with the omegaverse elements. Nothing wrong with that.
---
My worry was the potential of the heroine going into heat or someone she was talking to. 
Sayo has no control over this, its like a natural phenomenon that just... happens.
They made it clear its better it happens with someone when the feelings are mutual
and Sayo didn't interact much with strangers so my worries were unfound! 
I was a little afraid of bad ends, thankfully there weren't many and just two endings per route.
The story generally explored its themes in a safe way.😄
Mate or die sounded way more intense than Olympia Soiree's go find a husband
but for the most part the atmosphere with LI's was generally nice and cozy.😌
Having two years left to live is not fun but having a circle of friends
that care about you makes it a whole lot better.😌
--- 
I enjoyed the modern setting, I didn't think the plot was too intense
its mostly character and romance driven with drama. 
The narrative shouldn't be underestimated as it has some heavy undertones. 
I often took breaks and I recommend the same if its too much.
Like I could say I'm gonna bust through Nagi's route tonight! but then stuff happened.💀
Haha... no I couldn't finish it then cuz it was heavy and I finished the route the next day. 
Sayo also only has two years left to live and her only chance to survive is to mate
she has her own doubts and the heat thing is actually a negative thing.
They developed a medicine to treat its symptoms but it has limited effectiveness.
Despite the stakes what surprised me was that it was very light and airy in
most SoL scenes which took a load from the high-stakes premise or drama.
I don't think it was that deep but... some aspects here or there touched me. 
Things weren't always fun i'd say it was a balanced otome, the chara intereactions were gold.😂
Sayo befriended most LI's during her highschool days. Yea all of them are her friends
so romancing them should be easier right? haha no! they all got their circumstances. 
They do spend time detailing the past so it didn't feel weird that they were friendly.
I liked everything was fleshed out, had they not done this it would be even shorter.
I actually like this since it gives further depth to their relationships.
I also love how we get the see the POV of the LI. I liked seeing what they thing and feel.
Some LI's were simply more difficult due to their backgrounds or not for me. 
I also loved the scenes Sayo had with her brother even if it were just
normal daily interactions, it showed their bond as family well. 
Though I did think there was an obvious bias for the brother...
making it all the more painful he is a beta among a bunch of alpha's.
Generally all LI's are likable in some way but I can see it being disappointing
they were already friends but tbh if you're in Sayo's position there's no place for toxic LI's.
I suppose they could've added one... but i'm glad they didn't. Ritsu would kill them.💖
They all had their reasons for being which was the interesting part.
The character interactions were a highlight for me and I liked getting
to know everyone despite some repetitive aspects. 
9/10
I generally did have a good time but really don't come in here for the plot
it just felt like its kinda there to back up the romance much like Honey Vibes.
Thematically its good too and so was 9rip. So it does make sense why I enjoyed it. 

TL;DR: There's a lot of love and care put into it from the art to the music.
Its not very plot focused but if one of your fav seiyuu's is in this it might
be worth it for a spin.  I'd recommend it to anyone that doesn't mind
an otome game with great group dynamics and starter pack omegaverse.
Or those tired of long plot-heavy otome games and want something
where the romance is the plot. Subsequent plays can feel repetitive but
if you want to understand every LI, its still worth doing all routes.
I liked how relaxing the SoL bits were it gave balance despite the stakes. 
I enjoyed the little moments and character interactions unique to each route
but yea... if you're not up for heavy undertones or dislike
childhood friends/brother trope, KimiMadoi may not be for you.
 
As for localization chances, I think the chance is low but not impossible.
I wish I knew which games will get picked up, sometimes they pick up well
received titles or something you probably forgot about. Nobody knows. 
The japanese level i'd say is beginner-intermediate level, its a relatively simple
work focused on SoL and romance with maybe some scientific terms.
It should be accessible to learners of the language that already have the basics down.
 
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 My play order was:
Kyoya > Kanata > Hinagi > Ritsu > Akira.
The initial three routes have no restrictions and can be interchanged as you like!
Ritsu and Akira can be played after one route is completed.
My own playorder kinda worked out since by the time I finished Hinagi
I was absolutely sold on Ritsu as a brother and wanted to do his route.
 
Recommended order:
Kanata > Kyouya > Hinagi > Ritsu > Akira.
 
Kanata; this route is rather normal, I think this is the best starter point.
Kyouya; It can be interchanged with Kanata, best before Hinagi.
Hinagi; Fairly balanced route but its better for midgame due to very heavy contents.
 Ritsu; Best for when you're the most invested into his character.
Akira; Aki... its fun to do him last almost as if you forgot, fairly cozy route.
I personally had no hard feelings after Aki's route, I did feel like they wanted to do more? 


 Character rambles after the jump, usual spoiler warning as well as some
of my fav CG's. So if you don't want any then don't read further.
Its mostly senile grandma rambles/commentary, not sure who's gonna
be interested in a wall o text of me talking about the routes.
I've pretty much said all there's to say so you're not missing much. 
 
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Friday, August 1, 2025

Utakata no Uchronia Trail - Review

Genre: VN.
Developer/publisher: Licobits.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://licobits-game.com/uchronia/fd/
Release date: 24-7-2025
 
You know back when I finished the original game I kinda wondered
if a FD or sequel was already planned since it felt like it was only half a story
and would you look at that? a FD was announced and released like a year later.
 
Pro's
- Afters were neither too short nor too long.
- Most afters wrapped up the story that the OG started well enough...
- Art was consistent overall.
 
Con's
- Overall plot in some routes is rather repetitive.
- Story can feel heavy, there's sugar content but not a lot.
- Some afters feel draggy and waste the majority of their runtime.
 
The OP was as good as the first game was, honestly I really like the singer as well.
The OP of both games Dawn & Deep Blue are so good, even the full versions. 
 

 
As it is a FD it has after stories for all the LI's routes from the original game.
There's both a normal and a best end... so choices seem to matter here. 
There are new routes as well for Hiiragi and Tsuwabuki
as well as another story which was set after the truth end last game.
You can get a mini ending with every LI from the previous game there as well
sadly this doesn't include the new LI from the FD. 
The menu where you select which story you'd like to view.
 
Art was gorgeous and sprites moved a little due live2d, I personally don't really
care about the latter but its a nice touch I guess. Whether a route had
good CG's though varied a lot, I think Tobari drew the short end of the stick.
Yashiro's route had a lot of new backgrounds which were all really good. 
 Most BGM's felt the same as the original nothing stood out to me except the OP.
The ED was just kind of there I actually skipped it after the 2nd time. 
 
TBH I thought the font was rather tiny, likely not optimized for switch lite.....
There's so many kanji too I was literally squeezing my eyes out.💀 Maybe it was like this
in the OG but I didn't have this problem with Toki no Kizuna's port so the whiplash was rough. 
 
I didn't list this as a con because its likely a me problem but I don't like how there is a start screen
then a separate screen for the logo before the actual main menu shows.
I mean why not just show the logo with the start screen? before the main menu???
its weird design that just makes it clunky to sit through everytime you boot up the game.
 
Average conversations in this game be like...
The pacing was OK but this game is really slow in general but I am glad
the afters weren't any longer than they were. It also felt more like a sequel than
a FD due to the contents being heavy. Like this just shows how open ended
the OG's endings were... and for some they were not ideal.
I was pretty much deceased by the time Tobari's after was over, thankfully
Yori revived me somewhat but he drove me mad by the end of his own route.💀
Each after/new route only had 5 chapters and it took maybe 5/6 hours to clear a route
individually. Due to that it was neither too short or too long, by the time I did the final route
I did feel a bit tired of it all. Let's be real this was a long FD so its not surprising.
 
Unfortunately there were bugs at release which slightly hindered my enjoyment of the game.
I am pretty sure the another story was meant to be done last but I couldn't do that
due to Awayuki,Tsuyukusa and Hiiragi's after being full of game crashing bugs.
By the time I did get to the bugged routes there was still no patch, so I decided to do
Awayuki's since his was only in chapter 1 unlike Tsuyukusa which had bugs in 2 chapters.
Experiencing wasn't fun but with the context of Awayuki's scene made me laugh somehow... 
I was sure it will be fixed sooner or later but it wasn't a good look to have these sort of bugs.
Also like clockwork when I am done with the game a patch appeared.......
okay everyone ya'll can enjoy it now without fear of it crashing.👍
 
Hmmmm....
Anyway I didn't really like Tobari's after but I liked the ending yet in Yori's after I liked
the majority of the after except the ending... Yashiro's after was generally good
and I loved Tsuwabuki's new route which was an alternative take on Yori's in the OG.
Awayuki's after was mostly good, it didn't leave me nearly deceased as someone else.😒
Tsuyukusa's after was a bit too slow-paced for me but that may've been due his personality. 
I suppose you win some and you lose some is how I sum up my experience with this FD.
--- 
I wasn't the biggest Uta-Chro fan but this FD did wrap up what the original game started, sadly
I just wasn't that invested in the general affairs of things but it was by no means a bad FD.
Uta-Chro likes to focus on the big picture and not just the romance, it really varied whether
or not a route balanced this. I suppose it depends on tastes but to me Tobari&Yori's after felt weak.
Though while I understand characters can't always be together there wasn't a whole lot of
romance scenes and what was there was woven into the plot. Hinagiku's just trying her best
which is good but it at times it would also focus on plot or side characters
who somehow still had their own little role to play in the story. 
The only characters that suffered with afters were the ones that never really went into the truth
so the story had to go out of its way to go into that... which wasn't all that fun. 
There's not a lot of CG's either so that didn't add to the experience either its only
been a year so the artist probably didn't have a lot of time to work on it. 
It wasn't a bad FD, even if it wasn't outstanding it was still good.
When I look back at the original... it just feels unfinished so this FD or sequel is much welcome.
 
TL;DR
Honestly for the most part its a good FD and there were definitely a bunch of route
that I thought were good and its okay if you don't like everything.
I'm walking away from this while liking atleast 3/4 routes, which is more than enough
though if you play FD's mainly for sugar content or more focus on romance this might
disappoint a little because there was still a heavy focus on the plot and slow-life.
It did further expand on the characters and it had moments
that were nice to see so it wasn't all bad if you like the pacing that is.
7/10
After finishing both games I realized UtaChro is actually pretty similar to trails in nature
so I recommend it to people that like slow-life and great worldbuilding
because at the end of the day that's what the UtaChro games are good at.
Also this isn't exactly beginner friendly you need a good grasp of japanese to enjoy it
fully, I saw aksys didn't have many upcoming games but they will likely localize this
and I will be disappointed if it doesn't because the OG really needs this FD. 
 
As for my playorder I started with Tobari but then heard there were bugs
so I adjusted my play order so the ones with the bugs were done later.
 Tobari > Yori > Yashiro > Tsuwabuki > ANOTHER > Awayuki> Tsuyukusa > Hiiragi.
 
Route babbles after the jump, I will share a few of my fav CG's as well
but no more than 3 per route, if you don't want any spoilers then just stop reading here. 
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Monday, April 22, 2024

Utakata no Uchronia - Review

Genre: VN.
Developer/publisher: Broccoli/Licobits.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://licobits-game.com/uchronia/ 
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v40519
Release date: 11-04-2024. 
 
I still decided to get this game but the price... why is this game so expensive?
I even bought it digital but 8000 yen? damn that is the price of a limited edition
from the PS Vita era. Idk if this is just broccoli or the economy tanking
but I can see why people just don't want to blind purchase these games nowadays.
 
I'll say it right off the bat, this game was definitely not another Piofiore yet
it could be its successor in spirit. Also while this is not an otomate game
you can definitely tell this was by former staff of theirs.
 
Pro's 
- Interesting story in the grand scheme of things...
- Most love interests were likable except one.
- Gorgeous art and fitting bgm.
 
Con's
- Needs a high level of japanese to fully understand the story.
- Length, focuses too much on the big picture that it cuts itself short.
- Overall plot/flow of the game gets a bit repetitive with every route.
- Yori, i'm not even going to say anything else here.

 
I really liked the OP movie back in the demo and they finally uploaded it on YT
seems like they waited till the actual release date instead of alongside the demo's release.
I hardly ever skipped the OP, it generally was nice to see everytime you boot up the game.


Like I said in my demo impression post, UtaChro is very scenario focused, I just
did not expect it to be on such a grandscale and the fact it was legit surprised me.
UtaChro is very focused on the world they live in and the relationships of the people
in Hinagiku's life etc. Utachro is rich in worldbuilding and interpersonal relationships
but due to all that makes for a pretty long game, no joke. Due to that the romance takes a
while to develop as well but I generally had no complaints because of the pace of it.
For some routes the resolution could seem rushed or good enough... oh well.
What I also like is the whole main cast is part of the plot and don't just
disappear off the map once you lock onto a route which is great.

System is same as piofiore, lots of choices; 2 main endings a best and bad end.
There's no affection/correct choice indicator so easy to hit a game over end.
It may be best to use a guide if you don't want any surprises. There's the switch the PoV
like in Piofiore but since this is from the same writer/director so its to be expected.
 
In terms of story I was hooked to some extent and wanted to see where it was going
but it was also a bit long-winded and the conversations were not always able to grab me.
In Utachro my attention often waned. I do not know if it was because of the level of
japanese or the dialogue just being... dry. Of course at times jokes were cracked
but comedy is not really the focus in this game and it was far and between.
The level of japanese UtaChro uses often betrayed me, because at times it is simple
but it also won't hesitate to throw some complicated kanji at you.
Haven't played Y7 yet but that's me whenever I encountered Kanji that tripped me up.

 UtaChro is also incredibly slowburn, I am glad I did Awayuki as my first route since it fit
really well and I liked their chemistry somewhat but it wasn't a route to bring out
the full potential of the story which was sad. Good starter but not much else.
I did Yori second because he was the resident trashbag and wanted him out of my hair
after the crap he pulled during Awayuki's route and at the end of the day
Yori just wasn't my cup of tea but it may be someone elses? Tobari on the other hand
was probably one of my favorite characters, the romance with him was just right as well!
It reminded me of non-toxic normal relationships, which after Yori was a breath of fresh air.
Idk what to say about Tsuyukusa without spoilers other than that I am kinda tired of the
friend-type routes but he was one of the more relevant routes in the game, he did take a while
to grow on me and like Tobari I couldn't really see it till like chapter 4/5. Got not much to say about
Yashiro tbh but throughout most routes he was sorta just there, I remember him saying
I'm just an amnesiac guy somewhere which sounds about right till you get
to his own route and he just fucks everything up literally.😨
 
Hinagiku as a heroine was pretty great, good natured and a bit pampered like a princess
but also fearless and not easily afraid of situations she is getting herself into
yet at times she is still a girl you know? don't expect too much of her and I think she was
at her best in Tobari's route! I did prefer her over Naaya from Matsurika.
 
I also made a low effort meme for fun.
Yashiro could be a bit more to the left but for the most part this fits.
 
Overall UtaChro is overly lengthy and complicated, I only really enjoyed&remember the
interactions with the love interest & other fun interactions but there wasn't much of that.
The conflict going on in the town..... sure I was intriguid by what was really going on
but I just was kinda bored with how it was presented. Maybe it really is the dialogue
since it just didn't grab me most of the time. Or I just wasn't interested in the big picture
which just makes it a me problem. Your opinion could differ from this so I will still encourage
this game to anyone that likes scenario driven visual novels of decent length & don't mind politics
but idk the routes are kind of a hit or a miss. The only guy I really liked was Tobari
so I don't know what that says either, probably not much(other than that I might like stupid guys).
 
I know Uta-Chro is scenario driven but it really surprised me that there was
enough romance along the way and this was for me the saving grace.
If I had to be harsh this was a 5/10 due its repetitiveness but it gave me Tobari so... its a 7/10.
Uta-chro was just a really weird game, I came here for the scenario but left with romance.....

I still hope Aksys or someone else still picks up Uta-Chro... I mean its not Piofiore
but it has some of its elements as well as Nicola&Yang's love child Yori
which I am sure people will either love or hate. Even if that person is not me. 
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There are route restrictions and Yashiro, Tsuyukusa and Yori are off limits at the start.
Yori is unlocked by doing Awayuki, Tsuyukusa unlocks after doing Tobari and finally
Yashiro needs like everyone so no choice but to do him last.
My play order ended up being:
Awayuki > Yori > Tobari > Tsuyukusa > Yashiro >Finale.
I'll just recommend the same except maybe switch Awayuki/Tobari based on preference, this order
may be good to be able to go from those who're available at the start to a more important route.
Whether or not you do Yori right after Awayuki just depends whether you'd like to or not.
This game is even more restrictive than Matsurika and its not even funny.

Route babbles after the jump however the only routes I really wrote about
were Tsuyukusa and Yashiro, but only note-worthy things. This game is too long
someone else can do it if they'd like to but it ain't gonna be me. I'm drowning.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Utakata no Uchronia - Demo Impressions

 Genre: VN.
Developer/publisher: Broccoli/Licobits.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://licobits-game.com/uchronia/
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v40519
Release date: 14-3-2024.(Demo) 11-04-2024. (Full Game)
 
Since I wasn't in the mood to play as Red and Barret in FF7 rebirth
I took a few hours to check out this demo!
I haven't really done a demo impressions/review post in ages and I didn't even know
UtaChro was going to get one! which is good because I was a little on the fence.
 
I only tried out UtaChro to see what it would be like! and also kinda as a vibecheck.
I know things could always turn out different in the full game but whatever
who cares if you only end up liking 1 love interest or route!

UtaChro is developed by a bunch of ex? otomate staff and broccoli/TIS creation.
I like RiRi's art but overall it reminded me more of Piofiore and not Yunohana.
Backgrounds were pretty detailed in showing the environments, art in general was good.
Music? no complaints. The OP definitely catched my attention more and I liked listening to it!
sadly I couldn't find the OP on youtube yet to link here.
 
The demo had the common route & was definitely good for introducing the setting and characters.
The heroine Hinagiku is an Ojou-sama who is good natured...maybe a bit pampered
she gets treated like a princess and earned that nickname, lol.
Yashiro seems to have amnesia and they go around trying to jog his memory for a bit, doesn't
really work out yet. Tsuyukusa bumped into them, he knows Hinagiku and thinks Yashiro
is too close already, oh jealous are we? Tsuyukusa was pretty chill so whatever I guess.
The demo ended after you meet Yori but for the most part its just too early to tell
where any of it was going, romance was definitely not a focus atleast not at this point!
not a lot of fluff yet as well, I figured out from my two-ish hour expedition that UtaChro
is a scenario driven kind of game with romance not really being a focus.
Interactions were good and  it had a decent sense of humor too. Overall it seems UtaChro
 is more or less something like Piofiore but with a bit of steampunk! I kind of liked it?

Not really route impressions but I wrote a little about the love interests?
not all seem to have a lot of screentime in the demo so there's not much after the jump.