Showing posts with label Kondou Takashi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kondou Takashi. 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.
 

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Radiant Tale ~Fanfare~ - Review

 Genre: Visual Novel.
Developer/publisher: Otomate.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://www.otomate.jp/radiant_tale/fanfare/
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v42433
Release date: 31-08-2023.
 
Okay so Otomate decided Radiant Tale needed a FD and since I sort of liked the game
and they added a Liyan route I decided to get it! also it seems like Raditale FD releases
really close to Virche's FD, not even a week apart! 😱😱😱 I didn't realize this
till I was in the middle of Vilio's after and was like no rush right?! 😅
Good thing is this game wasn't that long... phew.
 
Pro's
- Enjoyable FD to compliment the original game!
- Gorgeous art and fitting music.
 
Con's
- After stories have choices but they don't actually matter.
 
 
As this is a fandisc it will have after stories for the main guys and 2 new routes for Liyan and Jinnia
which take place after the common route normal ending of the original Radiant Tale.
After and IF stories are roughly 3-4 hours in length, which honestly was enough as it never
did drag on long enough to overstay its welcome and most of them remained short&sweet.
I did set a good pace for myself and got through an after in a day so I spend
a good week on this which is pretty good value if you ask me but it all depends
how much time you have to want to set aside to sit back and read a little.
 
System is pretty standard as per usual, however I didn't understand why there were choices
in the after stories, said choices seemed to be there for the sake of it. Like congratulation Ion
or telling Ion that he was cool. I'm like... why bother at this point? there's no need for choices
if the outcome doesn't change or there is no dictionary or different scene to collect.
There being choices made much more sense in the new routes...
since there are normal ends but those give no CG.

Art is as gorgeous as ever and Usaba Kagerou and Miko have returned to grace us with more of
their insanely pretty art! Music is fitting enough and I did not have any complaints.

Honestly with most of the after stories I was pretty satisfied and I even ended up
liking certain characters more than I did in the original game which was really nice.
The after stories also further went into matters so yes if you loved the world view and lore
you'll be in for a treat for sure. So I can definitely recommend Radiant Tale to fans of the original
who can't get enough of it! The new routes may depend on tastes of who you were more
interested in. Its good they got routes because I sure was thirsting after one of them back then.
 
However I do think the afters could be either a hit or a miss... in my opinion it felt that
some of them didn't really had a good enough plot, I liked Ion,Zafora and Radie's...
but I had some issues with Paschalia and Vilio's afters and didn't enjoy them as much.
Both IF stories with Jinnia and Liyan were very enjoyable to me so there's that!
Anyway that is just my two cents and I still recommend Raditale FD if you really liked the original
since this is an amazing FD to compliment a good otome game!
9/10

For play order I mostly followed the same order I did in the original with the new routes last!
since this is a fd the order doesn't even matter I just decided this for myself
you could only do your fav's and skip any you don't like too...
Ion > Paschalia > Zafora > Radie > Vilio > Jinnia > Liyan.
 
The non-spoiler babbles end here and from here on i'll be writing about the afters etc!
and sharing my favourite cg's. So be warned there will be spoilers after the jump.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, April 11, 2022

Birushana Senki ~Ichijuu no Kaze~ - review

 Genre:VN.
Developer/publisher: Otomate.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://www.otomate.jp/birushana/fd/
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v32229
Release date: 2022-03-31.
 
Well its here! the FD to Birushana or Bilshana (depending on how you spell it).
I'm surprised it got a FD but it did do pretty well so its only natural.
I kinda did wonder if it was really needed or not... as release draw close but its better
than something never getting a FD... like Hana Oboro for example.

 Aside from the usual after stories the fd also has routes for some of
the side characters that only had mini routes in the original.
 
Pro's
- After stories are diverse and suit the characters.
- New routes give those characters plenty of substance.
- Gorgeous artwork.
 
Con's
- After's get less Cg's than the new routes...
 
The OP movie is pretty good, definitely the type i'd just let play.

Its just a standard VN, After stories don't have any choices and its mostly just chill
and fluff as you get to enjoy some time with your husbando.
New routes do have choices but cuz of the love catch its easy to tell which is the
best choice and thus making it easier to get both endings.

Right after I downloaded the game from the jpn eshop I dived into Benkei's route
and well I already was satisfied in the romance department! even if he was not my fav.
 
After's aren't that long either... I think the length was about two hours depending
on your reading speed. There's not much to work with so don't expect too much
except some fluff and wrapping up some loose ends, as well as some horniness?
some had it on the lvl of oh god just fuck already?!
As for the new routes... they do a pretty good job of giving those guys more substance!
they are like a full route in the original game so we get to spend plenty of time with them.
Before starting on this I wasn't that hyped for the new routes cuz I was fine with 
what we got in the original and there wasn't much to them except
Shigehira but Tsugunobu really grew on me and ugh he's now my best boi!
With this I think the content value of this game is pretty good and will last a bit unless you binge...

The new routes get more cg's than the afters which could be disappointing! for afters 
there were only 3/4 cg's (with variation) and one bonus with the guy in present day clothing.
The new routes also follow some of the general plot of the original because again its about
the genpei war, you can't expect them to suddenly make it about something else
which is good because it was consistent in making room for the new-old friends.
I think that in general something Birushana is good at is concistency, there's minimum holes
in its plot they might be there but once you did all it really did make sense.
Of course its not perfect... and there's definitely some problems but I really do love
this series and its cast, it was great to spend more time with them.

If I had to be really honest neither of the Satou brothers were particularly interesting
in terms of plot, Takatsuna was slightly more interesting cuz he's Yoritomo's retainer but don't do
these routes expected new and exciting plot revelations cuz that's not what they're here for.
They're basically here for another romance option... someone for Shana to be happy with
which was nice in its own way, personally I did enjoy spending time with Tsugunobu.

For play order I did want to try to alternate the afters with the new routes which was: 
Benkei >  Shungen > Tsugunobu > Tadanobu > Noritsune > Takatsuna >Yoritomo>Tomomori >Shigehira.
Anyway Birushana FD is a great treat for fans that want a little something extra
I wasn't disappointed with the additional romance for some of the guys cuz some of them needed it.
The stories are diverse and suit the characters, in that sense Birushana doesn't disappoint.
Maybe I am being too positive but if I like it, I like it. There's not much to complain about either
except maybe the CG count for the after stories but it seems they wanted to focus more on the
side characters new routes anyway its better to have quality over quantity and its not like
the after's were bad... I mean the guys getting hornier is a good thing no?
 
I could understand some people not giving two fucks about those guys having new routes but maybe
it will surprise you & you'll end up with a new best boi, i'm speaking from experience here.
So overall me thinks depending on what you're here for that this
is a pretty good FD to compliment the original!
 
PLEASE NOTE that from here on there will be spoilers both for the original game and this FD
as I will write a little about the after stories/new routes from this point onward, so if you plan
to play either the original game in english/jpn or this FD I recommend to stop reading here!!!
 
 
 

Sunday, March 20, 2022

Buddy Mission Bond - review

 Genre: interactive VN.
Developer/publisher: Ruby Party/Koei and Nintendo.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/switch/aq2fa/index.html
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v30145
Release date: 2021-01-29.

I heard about this game last year but didn't get to it, now that otomate decided to try to dive into
the no romance but friendship genre I was reminded of this and I thought huh why not?
from what I found it doesn't seem to be that bad and its reception in japan were mostly positive!
Honestly the title of the game is a bit generic so I wouldn't be surprised if many glossed over it.😅
I was once again reminded to not judge a book by its cove- err title.
Side note, this game is a collab between Koei and nintendo.
There aren't really any major plot spoilers in this post, please enjoy the game for yourself
cuz this is one of those games like psychedelica that you just can't say too much about its plot.

Pro's
- Decent enough plot with some twist and turns.
- Amazing cast of characters.
- Great art and BGM to fit the mood.
- Quite long but pacing okay, has replay value/reason to redo a chapter.

Con's
- No touch screen support, a bummer for switch lite users.
- Some aspects of the mystery might be a bit too obvious...
- It might be overwhelming to unlock and/or see the side events alongside progressing the main plot.
^^Its okay to do it later to not burn yourself out.
 
OP Movie; I watched maybe once or twice.
 
 
Buddy Mission Bond is a mystery visual novel but honestly what I really liked the most
was the chara's. This may be a VN but it is more like an animated comic/manga!
The protagonist Luke is voiced by Kimura Ryohei and it has many other high profile seiyuu as well
such as Namidai, kondo takashi and morikawa toshiyuki. Kouki Uchiyama also
voices someone and he's easily my favorite besides the main gang.
 The story was easy to follow, its about Luke who was an orphan but then he met
Edward who became his role model and adoptive father. Luke eventually followed
in his footsteps by becoming a detective, he always dreamed of being a hero.
Luke ends up on a case about a diamond thief which leads to him investigating
a case on his own and ends up teaming up with allies which lead to one thing and another!
I'd love to talk more of the story/side episodes but I think this game really is best
to be experienced when knowing as little as possible of its plot i'll still be sharing some screenshots
but most of these won't give away the main story/are without context of whatever is going on.
 
 Main cast:
Luke: Cinnamon roll too good for this world too pure... who wouldn't protect his smile?
Aaron: Best bro! despite his attitude this fact is undeniable by the end of this game. 
Though he does need a stress ball or just take walks with doggie Luke....
I like how he never gets a new shirt... or maybe it just rips naturally.😅
Mokuma: Moe oyaji??? laidback guy for the most part he also has a ''real shit'' mood.
Chesley: Didn't like him much at first, he's a bit twisted but his past made me sad
actually twisted is putting it mildly he's a megalomaniac with varying lvls of moods
and also has a hateboner for Mokuma.😨 Idk this guy was just 2weird5me?
all the BL themes in this game is basically Chesley's fault and to some extend Mokuma too.
 
None of them are perfect or anything but I learned to love them for better or for worse.¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I liked how their alias/codenames formed BOND...
 
There's a lot of QTE and aside the usual choice you sometimes have to solve puzzles
and there's a 3d adventure element. So if you're up for that it is definitely
worth looking into it, it has a trial version on the jpn eshop if you're curious.
More rambles after the jump break.
 

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

S.Y.K Shinsetsu Saiyuki Portable - review

 Game: [S.Y.K Shinsetsu Saiyuki]
Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Otomate.
Platform: PS2, PSP
Release date: 2010-07-29

Like I promised I finally finished up the last route in the game a couple of days ago.
I don't think anyone even cares for this anymore and I don't see otomate bringing it back and port...😅

This game is based on journey to the west and basically this is Otomate's version of it
so even if you're not familiar and here for the bishies and lolz you're still good
but some familiarity would be better to appreciate points others would find annoying.
Like I am not a saiyuki fan I was interested in the shinsetsu series
so I found myself a copy on ebay for about 20$(each) along with its FD and L.G.S
because why not have some otome with chinese folklore?
So this became my backburner when I didn't have anything better to do.
Let's just say it was nice to kill some time with it because it was mostly fun but some aspects
are a pain in the ass, not wand of fortune bad but I never look forward to common route here.
Most of my thoughts are just me raging about the boring ass common route.
The story in most route was average and it only shined in Gokuu's, also due to me
 taking breaks and play over longer period of time I do sort of become attached, I don't usually
 play two games at once but this game is perfect for it, its not really that long either there's just
 a lot of content that adds up, in total there are 26 endings 6 are good ends other are
gag and bad ends, atleast the way this game is designed often makes me say ok enough for today. 😓
Also just so you know this is NOT an easy visual novel language wise.
If you want to invest in this I highly suggest getting the FD as well, without it the original game
may feel lacking in terms of romance because some routes just weren't well rounded.

Pro's
 - Likeable characters.
- Comedy.
- Art, its on psp...everything is smaller but still fine.

Con's
- Takes too long to get started with episodic common route filler even then
it focuses on story/chara/lore with romance as bonus.
- Game pretends to have a serious plot then it drops some deus ex machina and all is well. >_>
- Music, ye olde idea factory bgm... it was below average at best.
-

The first OP well... I didn't like it that much at first but it sorta grew on me like
 its surprisingly cool and fits with the first half of the game.
Also yes it did sound like crap the first time I heard it and the 2nd OP by Mao is much better.
Honestly speaking the first OP to some extent sounded like something from a 90's anime
to the point the 2nd OP was a blessing to my ears.

System is typical visual novel stuff and its mostly the comfy type so no issues h o w e v e r!
During the first half of the game you have to select a location on a map to go to and choose
which guy to help the peasant, this is actually the worst part because its boring as hell.
The guy will tell you in the baloon if this job is for them or not but still recommend a guide
for the endings atleast because getting them all is cumbersome.
The name of the heroine is fixed for obvious reasons, so you're gonna
have to deal with getting used to the role of Genjou Sanzou.
The common route is told in episodic story like an anime and imo its fun since it really feels
like you are on a journey to somewhere but not much of note really happens. >_>
They also love to shove an OP and ED in for the complete anime-like experience!
I found the post credit previews of what's not going to happen for the next chapter to be hilarious
atleast the first time through after that its just skip it.
~

I shouldn't even need to write this but...
The heroine Genjou Sanzou is a monk, she'll know when to put her hetare companions
into place when they are unwilling to get shit done or fighting with each other.
She's apparently the reincarnation of this Konzanshi person... ow well that all u hear out of me here.
It would be so much better if she had a sprite next to the text box but alas...
As you know its based on Journey to the west, the heroine is destined to go to Tenjiku
 and save mankind, a lot of shenanigans happen along the way some fun and some bad
her only flaw is that she wants to help everyone she meets along the way...
thus making the game longer than its supposed to be that aside I think Genjou is the only
sane one and that putting up with her companions is half the journey...

Without the side tracking each chapter is actually pretty short? if it gets on your nerves
just skip the dialogue when helping peasants... Otomate's really knew how to add
quality padding that adds nothing to the plot so yeah its a call-back to that one anime.
Even if it seems useless and adds nothing to the actual plot the only
thing that is important about it is if you don't help people you'll just get a bad end
because the peasants will give you some magical rock piece as a thank you which you need.
Nice design right? they should've made the dialogue more interesting and not the typical
Anatatachi wa tsuyoi watashi o TASUKETE onegaishimasu, cue Genjou forcing her harem
to do just that. Helping people with random shit that isn't even interesting to watch/read
because on 2nd+ play I did more skipping than reading. ( ´_ゝ`)
Well atleast if you finish the game once with normal end you get a handy dandy 
skip chapter1/2 option but I wish we could've skipped helping those peasants cuz its 
been there done that once is enough but no you need to do it like six times to get to the routes
not to mention each chapter plays an op/ed ad near infinitum for fullcomp.
This games length is average and the above made it seem annoying but atleast I had a few good
laughs here and there in the more boring parts so I can't really complain that much. 😌
This otome game is best played in short burst, the chapters itself aren't long and like I said
before they have their own OP and ED, its easy to take breaks and do something else. Just so
you know I never had that much fun skipping through the common route cuz there's too much fodder.
Once you latch on the route the OP changes like for example the common route
 is season 1, a character route is season 2, the latter is actually the good part of this game.

 I just recommend that your first play is a clean up fest consisting of getting random endings
since some CG's of the guys only unlock on a second play so may as well try and get the most out of
what this game has to offer, then on 2nd play you can do routes without fear of missing something.
Unless you're absolutely dying to romance someone I guess just do as you please then...
but in all honestly I found the romance to be lacking in most routes because it focus more on plot/lore
which wasn't bad or anything just a little boring but I figure this is because its an old game.
There are also many endings but over half of them are gag/bad ends.
 I don't think I can explain how this game works any better than this lol.

One of the many bonus CG's you get for clearing their routes, too bad you have to survive a massive text dump first.
Overall its a fun otome game but can't really recommend it if you aren't interested 
 to re-enact the journey to the west in otome fashion, or don't like chinese fairy tales
it has a certain charm to it that makes it even more worth it if you are familair.
Some people may even be put off by the character designs or genderbend Sanzou
so S.Y.K really ain't for everyone, that I can say with certainty.
I wouldn't say the plot was fantastic but its there and its decent but it only really shined in Gokuu's
and Ranfan's routes. At the very least most of the story in everyones route was unique
but some things will never change and like I said most of the good stuff might be in the FD.😓
 This isn't really popular and I can see why... its a pain in the ass to play
like I only did so when I had nothing better to do but if not, lol.
I mean the characters are likeable but after one play you have the common route... to skip through
its great to come back to every once in a while and see everyone again but I just never looked
forward to the first half point and click adventure of saving peasants.😅
At the end of the day I can only recommend to fans familiar with the themes and/or are interested enough.
Its 2017 and I am sure you can find better otome games worth the investment...
I can't say this was all that good at all and well just look at my pro's and con's again to see why
if you don't want to sit through more of my ramblings, lol.

Any play order is good except don't do the latter other end's 2 such as Kanro no Yume
 that are knee deep in Gokuu's till you are actually ready to do Gokuu right after it.
Not recommened to do Gokuu's route too soon or you'll be spoiled making most route look
 self contained that said the order of Gojou/Hakkai/Gyokuryuu by itself do not matter.
Therefor I recommend this guide and the same order I used:
Other ends 1 > Gojou > Hakkai > Gyokuruu > Other ends 2 > Gokuu > Ranfan.

More babbles after the jump, I doubt anyones interested but here goes nothing, lol.
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Monday, October 3, 2016

Yuukyuu no Tierblade -Lost Chronicle- - Review

 悠久のティアブレイド -Lost Chronicle-
 Game: [Yuukyuu no Tierblade].
Genre: Otome game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Otomate
Platform: PS Vita.
Release date: 2016-09-08 

Yuukyuu no Tierblade -Lost Chronicle- is a sci-fi otome game from yours truly, otomate.
 Did I have doubts about this otomege? sure for one its premise is similair to Code:Realize.
Okay its not entirely similair but you get the comparison right?
A heroine named ''Eve'' lives alone for 3000 years in a secluded space and her world 
slowly starts to move again when one day she meets Shudo, Atalva and later on Yajur and Lowe.
Luckily for Eve they're all handsome guys! even if Eve herself may not be quite human.
(Oh come on that much is obvious okay?)
I like how otomate's trying to explore into mecha territory because you sure don't see that often
 but to be fair one can make an otomege with any theme, sometimes it just doesn't work out.
 
Playorder:
 Shudo > Atharva > Yajur > Roh/Lowe > Cradle > True.
No choice but to do Yajur and Lowe later because their route unlock
 after you've done Shudo or Atalva and this really makes sense in terms of story.
Anyway do the order of Shudo/Altava in whichever boy you favor but honestly its not going to matter much. 
I recommend doing Shudo's route first then Atharva > Yajur and finally Lowe.
Lowe's route contains major spoilers and would only ruin the overall enjoyment if done too soon.
Dunno about Cradle but just do him before the true end I guess or before Lowe's.

Pro's
- Interesting story and characters.
- Pretty Art.
- Relaxing BGM.
- Common and Individual route while shared is nicely balanced.

Con's
- Junk system, while nice for collection purpose seems pointless storywise.
- Not many choices, less than 10 per route.
- Repeat content (mech battles can get draggy on 2nd+ play).


Overall this otomege is a romantic sci-fi adventure with as seen above well executed action scenes
I wasn't bored of them which is good!
A lot of the typical otome scenes are really relaxing and the BGM sure help a lot with this.
The story develops well, even if its ''peaceful'' at times its usually not for long and the game makes
this very clear by swifting the POV for a short scene with the ''villains''.

If you were worried that Yuukyuu no Tearblade was going to have an annoying system
like Wand of Fortune 2 you can rest assured. because its nothing more than a simple
select the area, find junk and move on, there is no RNG involved or anything.

After the last otomege I played(which was Oumagatoki), Yuukyuu no Tierrblade was pleasant.
As its quick to the point, good story, easy to like characters and a likeable heroine.
I expected tierblade to be the typical short&sweet with a fluff of tragic otomate game
and I wasn't disappointed on that note because this otomege sure was interesting.
There were lots of twists and turns along the way and the action scenes were cool
and to get the whole story you have to do every route, sadly after
only one playthrough it was pain stackingly obvious who the OTP was but that
 has never stopped me from finding my own biases a long the way.
I get why people could say the some battles are boring, especially repeat stuff
and honestly I only liked  sitting through the first battles with Sud,Atharva... Yajur just
happened too late and it was literally the same as if it were say Sud except now its Yajur.
I felt the Moujuutsukai team worked on it and I was right on that... no way could I not
recognize how the repeat content played out but atleast story wise it was surprisingly well written.
Forgot to mention this and you may have guessed it but the heroine
can be compared to Code:Realize's Cardia aka clueless at first but gets a grip
on the situation quickly and becomes badass esp in the true end.
  The only bad part may be the copypasta/repeat content, it was much
like Moujuutsukai to Ouji-sama but imo was less annoying maybe by the time I got to Yajur
so I can't complain except the part about Cradle's route but they were probably
were like y not both and just went with it, I don't even mind the whole all-saving
nanomachine-son trope, it works miracles yes but I don't think it was annoying.
9/10

Okay you know the drill by now, more ramblings and spoilers after the jump.
Just skip to the end of the post to avoid and see my fav route/chara with minimum spoils
because this game is best experienced without knowing what is going to happen.
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Thursday, May 19, 2016

Scared Rider Xechs Rev - Review

スカーレッドライダーゼクス
Game: [Scared Rider Xechs]
Genre: Otome Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Rejet and Red entertainment
Platform: PS2, PSP, PS Vita.
Official Site: http://scared-rider-xechs.jp/
Release date: 2015-11-19


Since Scared Rider Xech's is getting an anime soon I decided now is a good time to read the game!
I bought the digital version cuz I don't want to wait and besides missed the tokuton's already.
The vita port does not contain the FD, I heard that the fandisc for his game was kind of bad anyway. 
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started but I heard SRX was still fun despite its issues.
So hear goes nothing!
This is a six year old game by now and if you still haven't played it you may want to get to it.
Either way you ever wanted an otome game about a bunch of Rockstar Kamen Riders?
Well you got it! as usual rejet and red entertainment deliver us this crazy tale that is scared rider xechs!

First CG in the game, just who is our heroine Akira?
 Pro's
Interesting setting & overall story.
- Characters.
 Art, Pako's art is suberb.
 Music, great usually music in otomege its forgettable but SRX? nope it is awesome.

Con's
  - Plot holes and many unanswered questions.
- Long common route not much of an individual route + repetitive shit makes this game not all that appealing.
 - First time through this game is long but on repeat playthrough its quite short.
 - The guys don't say the default heroine's name, always dem Kimi's, Anata's and Omae's
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Saturday, September 5, 2015

Reine Des Fleurs - impressions/Review


レンドフルール
Game: [Reine des Fleurs/Queen of Flowers]
Genre: Otome Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Otomate/Idea factory.
Platform: PS Vita.
Release date: 2015-08-20

This is the general outline of the story:
Violette has to leave her sheltered life behind since she is the candidate
 to become substitute Reine aka french word for Queen because the world
needs grace and she's the only one who can do so.
The knights don't want to go along and don't trust her cuz of the absence of a Reine/Queen
all this time so Violette has to come to their countries and have a fabulous talk with them
 like the ye olde french nobels did as it the only way to get grace so she can give it to the world
which is already quite drained so it won't perish, all in all this sounds promising right?


TL;DR this is a Kusotoge (maybe that is too harse) with way too much dramatique
and mystical mumbo jumbo, theres not many characters for a story set on such a grand stage.
If you want to get it don't fall for the synopsis or the pretty art, keep your expectations low
if anything the characters might save it for you and well I did like atleast two routes.
It doesn't fail being at what it tries to do, the gothic style and despairing plot is good
but most happy endings aren't satisfying for what you have to sit through which was pretty boring.
This game did not at all feel like it was an otome game to me, infact it feels more like a theatrical play.
I kid you not, this is all I can remember no... want to remember from this game.
Sorry if this sounds like a complaint/rage post but I just have to put it out there.

Anyway here are the pro's and con's if you don't care about my rant.

 Pro's
 - The setting and story is interesting at first sight.
- Art and Music
- The guys/characters are still likeable despite the weak story.
- Seiyuu did a wonderful job.
- Setting.
- Heroine, I liked that Vio is selfish... enough to know what she wants and takes it.
- Leon was moe.

 Did I push it with the pro's? lol.

Con's
- Story is rather weak and fails to keep the reader interested at times.
- Most love endings are not satisfying.
 - Ravir system.
- Too many bad ends.
- The locked route was not satisfying. 
(It also didn't have the true end revelation I was hoping for.)

My expectations were too high for this game, I didn't enjoy most of it at all, I'd love to
someday replay it because sometimes I think its better than what people make it out to be
and its not that bad but yeah... I agree there's too much ''negativity'' which believe it or not infects others. I ended up ranting about things I usually do not care about out of shear
frustration that is the game system, feel free to ignore the rest of the review.
Gothic fantasy can be an interesting genre but only if they don't make the story a complete mess.

Too much drama, a paper-thin plot to waste your time away, the prologue specifically
while it had this nice feel of introduction  I couldn't keep my attention to it at all, I mean
Leon was cute and most guys were charming but the introduction went on for far too long
and not much was even going on till the end of the prologue.
Later all the talk of glass made my eyes glaze over... pun intended.
Honestly I never expected this to a 3rd rate gothic fantasy, I was expecting this to be
a fun yet serious story but sadly the plot never took itself serious in my eyes.
The Ravir system was draining me of my energy too... probably one of the worst systems
ever next to wand of fortune! hey its also the same dev team.
I know they try to emulate what french nobles used to but in a VN this is just boring...
ATLEAST the art was good, despite me raging about this game
I would love a FD that make the endings in this game more worthwhile or an AU FD would be nice.
Violette as a heroine is great she knows what she wants and takes it but
the way the plot was told made me shake my head way too many times.
Still she was a cool heroine who kept her head high  and I sorta
appreciated her being selfish but it felt like such a waste in the end...

I don't hate dramatic games but Ravir was such a drag and most of the endings weren't satisfying
or like Orpheus for example it end in such a way to only make you wonder wtf is even  next.
Also I don't mind if people die in games but the way it happened in some routes! sigh...

Characters ★★★☆☆
Art  ★★★★★(A saving grace.)
Scenario/plot. ★★☆☆☆(Too much mystical mumbo jumbo... and drama)
Music★★★★☆ (Good.)
System  ★☆☆☆☆ (Stressful and too many bad ends...)
Enjoyment overall ★★☆☆☆(What did I expect? too much that's what.)

 So you may like this game if:
Gothic fantasy is your jam and like the insanely pretty art.
Do not mind the game being a mine field of bad endings.
 Like the utsuge type of visual novels where the outcome may not be perfectly happy.
Do not mind certain things just not making any sense.