Mistonia no Kibou the lost delight - Review

Eh... Edward's smile seems creepy on the cover but he ain't.

Genre: VN.

Developer/publisher: Otomate.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://www.otomate.jp/mistonia/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v47010

Release date: 18-7-2024.

 

This VN was delayed by like a month and is also slated for an english release by aksys.

At first I wasn't sure if I should bother getting it in JP but still went with it.

The heroine did seem cool & its been a long time since I played a VN with a maid as the protagonist

the last one was like crimson empire, I had a rather laidback/slow approach toward Mystonia

and so it took me longer to get through! i'm sure if I had pushed it then I could have been done

in a week or so but why the rush?  Otomate's september lineup may be stacked

but unfortunately half of their games don't interest me right now.

 

Pro's

- There's enough intrigue to get hooked.

- Length is comfy, not overly long or drags on.

- Gorgeous Art and fitting BGM.

 

Con's

- Boring common route, probably the least exciting part of the game.

- Overall story elements can feel repetitive the more routes you do.

- The content in the other ends needs an acquired taste, also it has NTR.

 

Storywise this game has revenge themes so if you're not comfortable with those it could

be a skip, for me I think it depends on how it is handled but am disappointed with how

Mistonia implented it, its like they chose to push petty revenge which did not sit well with me.

**Thankfully it is still an otome game and taking revenge isn't always the best outcome.

This game's characters are also intertwined with each other. Each set is between the heroine

and two guys such as Ascot/John, Edward/Linus and Lukas/Alfred which works

with one particular ending each route called Maze. This maze end was by far

the worst possible outcome in the game and more often than not I just regret doing it.

 

I'll say the cast of the game sure was a vibrant bunch! there's a mix of well known

and lesser known seiyuu's as well. If you've been playing otome's or watching anime

for a while you will definitely hear some old favorites.

Due to the huge cast of characters I did worry this game would be on the long side

but it wasn't that long at all the common route was roughly 3 hours. Its only long if you do all.

Perhaps this game had too many characters because it was hard trying to keep

track of them all and even then some barely had any screen time so if you

did not pay much attention something could have easily pass you by

which may or may not have happened to me. More on that later.

The art looked very distinct and unique, some charactter designs looked like

this was a serious game but then I looked at the CG's on the official site

and it seemed much lighter? needless to say the art looked gorgeous.

I think there was only one CG that looked derpy to me.

The music was pretty good at setting the mood and tone of the scenes.

I thought the beginning was pretty good & got me hooked, the story beats there were well executed

as you get a look at the heroine's life and hints about there being more to it all. Rose/Applause

doesn't work alone and there are other maids including a shy/clumsy one as well as butlers etc.

Its just chapters 1 through 3 can feel a bit repetitive which is likely my only complaint about it.

System is standard stuff but you'll be having to select where to go on a map quite a bit.

Most scenes after selecting where to go are relatively short, so with a guide it may seem

like a lot but its really not that long. You really do work as a maid at a mansion!

Eh as long as you watch every event with characters or go to a room with a gem u're good.

Those scenes can range from boring to mildly interesting and/or funny. There's three main endings

for each route as well but honestly the only endings I cared about were the happy ends.

 

The common route was pretty boring, Rose/Applause works as a maid

and will see other characters interact as she works, at the end of the day

the gem fragments you collect will form better information of what happened.

Due that I think the investigation part of the common route is the worst part of this game.

I did not fully understand the gemstone stuff but they're like memory fragments

and so Rose can get a better view of what transpired between characters which may or may not

help her own search for the truth. Its not like Rose was an onlooker, she was doing

her job the whole time! and quite well but honestly I don't think she could ever

be a favourite of mine mostly due to how she treats the guys in the maze ends, it completely

ruins the mood. Lucas nor Linus among others did not deserve any of that and in the case

of Linus his maze end was by far the worst written in every possible way.

Other maze ends ranged from mildly entertaining to wtf is this BS, looking at you Ascot.

I mean I am all for different outcomes but the heroine could be really manipulative

which can either work in her favor or against her. It never felt good to me.

 

Hmmm..........

Do you ever just play an otome game that you think had a pretty decent plot and characters

but you just couldn't enjoy certain aspects of it? to me Mistonia falls into that category.

I know full well that it is impossible to like everything but it seems this was done

by multiple writers as the shift in tone between endings and/or routes was just too much.

Next the characters; you got some like Lucas who're really interesting

but are just sleepers in other routes or there as support like Alfred tends to be

so when I got to the truth route it felt like what if all the tiny threads combined

and then throws a bunch of new stuff at you that's suddenly totally relevant, its so bad

that suddenly side characters have a much bigger role so sudden that my only reaction

to it was like oh okay!  Some of the overall plot across the 6 routes was also too repetitive

and there's another villain but... you never see much of them at all during said routes, only truth.

I can't remember this tiny foreshadowing and then barely any reference till 6+ route later.

Had this be one of my first otome games I think I would be much more forgiving but it is not.

Alright... Alright... ALRIGHT!

Mistonia definitely had a decent mystery and intrigue but just fell flat in the end

and I think its because too many different writers or one took care of the truth end

or this or that route and didn't touch jack else and worked with what they had.

**The length of the game may also be a problem because it can seem quite short

compared to other games and it can seem that a lot is crammed into a chapter

so while its not boring it can certainly seem like its rushed itself.

I do wonder who worked on Lucas route though because I really liked that one.

 

Doesn't help I had trouble to get into it because the heroine had a constant poker face, it wasn't

through halfway a route I could see any romance. Its basically full of serious tones but early on

it doesn't seem that serious yet and plays most of them out in a fairly light manner

so despite being revenge themed I myself am not even thinking of revenge half of the time.

It did get better when you get onto a route but the common route didn't do it any favors.

Simply put I was a bit mixed on the vibes and it could change depending on routes.

I did however really like the character interactions between main and sub

it kept it engaging when the plot wasn't really there yet. It took untill

midway of Lucas's route before I started to get invested in literally anything.

In said route the plot/romance was actually pretty good, idk if it was because

I did Lucas first but I had a good time which is what matters anyway.

Alfred's route was a bit of a sleeper, its honestly best to do him first or second.

Linus actually grabbed my attention and was interesting from his 1st chapter.

ASScot's route was an entertaining dumpster fire but I started losing interest at Edward

and thought most of his route was boring and wondered what he even add to the plot

because Ascot's route brought so many revelations I was like what else is there? 

Edward's route wasn't very exciting in comparison which isn't good tbh.

John's route was pretty great from the start and I was relieved since it was worth sitting

through 5 routes to get to him. Maybe your opinion could differ but I enjoyed John's route.

Fair warning this game does have NTR ending(s) needless to say if you hate that trope

don't do the ending related to it, its always the maze end so just stick with best end.

To be safe maybe don't do both of Asscot's Clown&Maze endings.

I know Rose is in it for revenge but I just don't like the idea or appeal of some guy even slightly 

disappointing you in some way to make everything worse for them or to switch to guy B

because A isn't useful. I know that this plays very well into a certain character but damn not for me.

I guess I am just not that petty of a person which may be why the best end was enough for me.

Atleast the choices make you have a say in the matter so that is good.

I definitely did love Lucas, there's actually a very good reason he is like that.

 Mistonia can be slow at first and it could seem not as interesting but it may pay off

to keep paying attention as you go through the common and individual.

NGL the common route investigation part reminds me of VN's from 10 years ago.

So is it good? well if you're looking for an otome with an active protagonist and a fun

cast of characters with some fluff despite serious tones it still gets my recommendation

especially if you're tired of longer otome games, you'll still get a solid package here but if

you hate NTR or the MC manipulating situations for her own ends this game is not for you.

Granted most of that stuff is reserved for the clown/maze ends but its still something to be wary of.

Even after everything I am still not sure how I feel about the MC, I only really liked her in the best

ends, mostly everything else just made me feel umcomfortable that I want to pretend I didn't do them.

I just am not able to vibe with this heroine when she pulled some of the stunts that she did.

6/10

I initially gave it an 8 but man those other ends just... NO.

**Even a day after beating it I am like is my score too high? oonly route I thought was

really good was Lucas, others don't compare so I dropped it by 1 point.

I will say Mistonia has some very high production values from sprites,CG's to the

background art and also the music. None of that was bad at all, neither was some of the story.

Also I can see why this was picked up for localization, being undercover as a maid

is a cool idea and could hook folks even if they're not into otome games.

However if you do end up playing this and the heroine doesn't vibe with you then that is okay

and then this game may not be for you! Rose is just written to appeal to certain angles.

As for playorder  I was mostly interested in Linus and Lucas as well as John

but unfortunately there are restrictions for Edward,Ascot and John.............

Edward needs Linus,Lucas and Alfred. Ascot can be done after Two/three good ends

of those initially availabe. John basically needs all so no choice with that one.

Recommended order: Lucas / Alfred /  Linus >  Asscot > Edward > John.

I recommed this because the initial three have no restrictions

but if you care about the story then its best to do Linus before Ascot

and with this you can have some free choice based on personal preference.

As per usual spoiler and route babbles after the jump, if you don't want those then stop reading here. Like always I will share some of my favorite CG's as well but not all of them.

Side note writing Applause is weird all the time so I refer to the heroine by her alias Rose.

Bustafellows - Review

Genre: VN.

Developer/publisher: Extend.
Platform: PC/Switch.
Official Site:https://pqube.co.uk/bustafellows/(ENG)

and https://joqrextend.co.jp/extend/bustafellows/(JP)

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v25197
Release date: 2021-07-30.

Bustafellows is an otome game that shares its setting with sidekicks! which I remember
as being alright sadly that game is PS Vita only and as of now hasn't been brought over or ported.

Good thing is you don't need to play that game to enjoy Bustafellows!
I am playing the ENG version as I bought it together with CupiPara but this has just been
backlogged till now. Due to the developers not wishing spoilers to be spread on the internet
which I am sure is only about livetweeting and preventing it being up on youtube/twitch in full
and TBH they have that right so I will be doing my best to try respecting that.

Pro's
- Interesting story, very easy to get hooked! great cast of chara's.
- Voiced heroine!
- Gorgeous artwork, outstanding visual scene direction.
- BGM fits the scenes/mood.

Con's
- At times there would be vocal lines but no text displayed, especially in movies.

- Some grammatical errors, text breaking out of the box.

- Not being able to save during non-timed choices.

 

 

The protagonist Teuta is a journalist who can for a short period of time
leap into the past of someone else. The story takes place in new sieg
and she tries to save a lawyer named Limbo.

Regarding the time-leap thing, I think it was well done and reminded me of harukanaru 3.

I liked how they actually went into some cause&effect & is it right to just go and  change things

at some point and it didn't turn into some gag or question chara's intelligence like in kuro no kiseki 2.

So imho Bustafellows did the time leaping thing right! it also doesn't happen too much either

so I think it sits on the fine line of yea its some kind of cheat ability but its not overused

which is why it was ten-times more bearable to me than in kuro 2.

As a heroine though, Teuta was a real treat! its rare to have such a proactive protagonist

that is already an adult but not quite have had a chance of romance untill now.

I think out of the older heroines she was surprisingly real so it was easy to relate to her!

Teuta didn't feel like she was immature or anything to me. She was well-written.

The only thing that is hilarious about her is the lack of cooking skills.......

I did like how Teuta had a sprite that showed her from the guys POV at times!

its even better than just a small icon next to the text, really makes her feel part of the story.

From the start I found it easy to get hooked and unable to put down the game!

the scenes were interesting and the pacing was pretty good and that was just chapter 1.

I think they had a very solid foundation here that you'd definitely be interested

to see what would happen next and honestly you probably don't want any spoilers either

with these type of games so like psychedelica its best to stay spoiler free and enjoy on your own!

 

I think my favourite character would be Crow, Limbo is okay and definitely husbando material

but Helvetica and Mozu kind of rubbed me the wrong way so i'd definitely had to

wait for their routes to get a better picture of their character(s) and well Shu.. uh maybe not?

To my surprise I ended up liking Shu a lot more than my initial impression as well as Mozu

its just Helvetica that ended up being my least liked! ah some things aren't meant to be. 

The characters all had nice chemistry with each other but romance was not really

the focus not at first atleast. Without the epilogues I definitly it was lacking.

The length was alright, its neither too short nor too long for me to get bored!

The system was pretty standard, text skipping is slow but there's a skip to the next choice option!

only problem is not being able to save during choices, like I'd understand during the few

timed ones but there were more non-timed choices where you should be able to save but can't.

 

Now for some of my dislikes...  I will be honest, for the majority of the common route this didn't

really feel much like an otome game but more like a crime drama with handsome guys.

At the very least it was interesting and I felt motivated to continue! The other thing

was how this game seems to have an obsession with the back of characters heads like

I'd prefer the face and see no reason to show the back of their heads. At first I thought

its part of some aesthetic and in some scenes I understood why they did it but there were

moments I was like idk why're they showing their back??? weird.

The UI while looking neat at a glance, was kind of clunky like i said above

you couldn't save during choices. Also I didn't understand why the epilogue just didn't

play normally I almost restarted the route and skipped out on some juicy epilogue romance.

Font was nice but I didn't understand why the text errors in Mozu and Crow's route hadn't

been fixed yet, sure human errors happen but a line breaking from text? that's pretty major

especially considering this game already had a patch. The localization is still pretty great 

but even after patches, there were a few misses and I think the final scene

in the game lacking subtitles is definitely a huge miss.

Let's not talk about the Fondue is a dessert incident... (its not, its a main-dish)

Still don't get me wrong with these few gripes I still think this was an excellent visual novel

and even if you don't usually play otome games I would still recommend it!

Granted I think this type of otome may still not be for everyone and it will depend

what you're in the mood for, this game wasn't exactly light-hearted as some routes especially

those recommended for later but I think the game as a whole, the themes do kind of lean on

the dark/heavy side and are definitely not seen in the run-of-the-mill otome game.

So if you don't mind that and want a mystery otome game/VN with a decent plot, fun

characters and good production values go for it!

 8.5/10

 

Since this is a mystery type otome game I will be following the recommended

play order of Limbo > Shu > Helvetica > Mozu > Scarecrow > True.

Even if all are self-contained and you can do whatever, this order does make

the most sense so I will recommend the same order of play.

There will be route babbles after the jump! there won't be any spoilers due to the developers wishes

and its just a small blurb of whether I liked their route or not without context.

The CG's shared in this post are also sample CG's from the official japanese/english websites.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Limbo.
CV: KENN.

  Ah Limbo, honestly I found him to be very likeable, perhaps the easiest to come to like out of 

the whole gang. The story in his route suited his position as a lawyer and there were some

nice twist and turns. Romance wise it was okay, the epilogue was a nice way to wrap it up too!

without the epilogue I would definitely be found wanting cuz the romance in the route itself

which was barely enough. Oh well it was still pretty good for being the poster boi!

I didn't find him particularly evil as he still has morals but I guess

he does fall into the if evil why sexy category.😅

Ido wonder why Limbo had like the most bad ends while the others all had like one...
~

Shu.
CV: Hosoya Yoshimasa.

 AT FIRST I wasn't really that interested in doing Shu's route but it was interesting to say the least!

maybe a little bit more mature? hmm idk romance wise there were some cute moments throughout.

Anyway I ended up liking the story AND the romance more than the one I did prior!

for some reason this route did feel a bit short but maybe that is because I no longer have to

sit through the whole common route which leads me to see how short the routes really are.

In so far I do think the pacing has been pretty good and honestly I had a hard time

putting the game down so it wasn't boring at all! How did I went from being

meh about Shu to oh no! he's cute?! I dig it. Nobody knows except my kokoro.
~

Helvetica.
CV: Yoshino Hiroyuki.

 Another guy I didn't exactly like, in fact most of the time he made me feel uncomfortable.

Helvetica is a plastic surgeon and a bit flirty, the part that is unlikable for me is

that despite being able to put himself in others shoes often just comes across as rude.

So I was atleast hoping the route would make me understand him better... and it did

its just that romance wise it wasn't my thing! like it was amusing to watch but I just

didn't like the constant teasing which just turned Teuta into a tsunderella.

I didn't mind Helvetica's teasing at times but I think they went overboard... which just turned me off.

I think the only thing which was great for me was his backstory and I can sympatize with him

cuz before this route I just wanted to spit fire at him and now i'm like oh no baby~

its just that despite i'm able to care, its not like Helvetica is my worst boy or anything? hmph!

The romance only really became bearable for me in the epilogue... its better late than never!

Idk if this even makes sense but I am just not really feeling the romance

in this game but I do enjoy seeing Teuta end up with them.

~

Mozu.
CV: Jun Fukuyama.

A coroner, he is pretty logical/theoretical... at times Mozu did really make me laugh

cuz his most of the jokes are unintended but I think Mozu knew at times what he was saying

its just that other people may be like uhm at his sense of humor. Mozu is oddly relatable.

Romance wise there wasn't much time for any and his route is pretty heavy from the get-go

buuuuuuut there was definitely chemistry between Mozu and Teuta so it was still nice to see

them grow closer! it did feel more slowburn compared to some of the others

but in the end I thought that the romance was a little lacking, yea its there but not by much!

The epilogue also had a reveal which literally made me go like oh my god?! why now...

at the very least it ended alright but it pretty much ruined the mood which is sad

and let me tell you, this route was already heavy, romance wise it was thin and stretched

which may have been appropiate? but idk I sure wanted some more time

with Mozu since the epilogue was just barely enough.
~

Scarecrow.
CV: Shirai Yuusuke.

 The boss of the underworld... who also just happens to be a complete clown

and is shy as a button. Crow was always fun to see tbh even when it not his route.

Overall Crow's route was interesting even if it started like are you guys seriously

going to do that? in terms of  story/romance it felt satisfying more so than other routes.

If I had to be super honest, despite me enjoying it, it did feel a bit all over the place...

also I was led to believe this route was heavy but idk that wasn't the case it actually felt

quite light in comparison to some of the stuff in Helvetica or Mozu.

The epilogue was icing on the cake and perfect way to finish it...

I do have some questions but eh if there was never a sequel or a FD i'd be satisfied with this one.
~ 

 

True end.

Well this was it, if you had any remaining questions about stuff this answers it all!

It was pretty fast paced and intense, saying anything else will ruin the suspense

so i'll just say it was a good way to wrap up the game.

There are also various side stories that add some more depth to side characters

or a little reference to sidekicks! as well as a another mini route which

are all a treat if you can't get enough of bustafellows.

TBH this route felt like being held at gunpoint while the reveals keep coming

with little time to actually process all that by the end I  was literally like ...MAN.

Also there was something that bothered me which has nothing to do with said plot, its

this game claiming fondue is a dessert??? i'm pretty sure fondue is a main-dish not a dessert.

A quick google search confirmed as much but yea that combined with a few remaining

errors basically sealed the deal and I wish this game had a little bit more care put into it.

I really dislike the final scene in the game doesn't even have subtitles... which just removed

any context from the last moments cuz I couldn't translate what was being said fast enough.

Oh I guess Teuta's powers were never really explained but I figured just like the heroine

from sidekicks! is that she is more or less just born with it and that's it.

~

 

Fav route:

Crow > Shu > Limbo > Mozu > Helvetica.

 

Fav character:

Crow > Mozu > Limbo > Shu > Helvetica.

Final thoughts!

Couldn't find a better picture of that artwork so have the limited edition cover instead!

 Honestly I thought Bustafellows was a pretty good otome game!

Teuta was amazing and she had spunk, was pro-active and voiced,  she is easily

among my list of favorite otome game heroines. Most of the guys were likeable

and if they weren't their routes sealed the deal, like for example in the case of Shu. I love

seeing the cast interact with each other too!  I also like the difference in swimsuits or the name

of the cat being different everytime, it all felt like flag checker to signal you are on this guy's route!

This game also had some pretty high production values and the cg's were all great.

Music was on point too and fit the mood/vibes. Story was interesting and I had

a hard time putting the game down at times. The only bad part is that the personal routes

are all self-contained to the guys own issues which lead to some plot threads being put

on-hold and forgotten till the truth route but eh plenty of otome games do this too

so this did not surprise me at all at this point. The localization was fine, font was easy to read

but there were some errors especially in Mozu's route and Crow had text breaking out

or the fondue incident like seriously that's a main-course not a dessert.

This game has been out for a year and i'm surprised they didn't even fix that...

 I get that its an oversight but this is stuff you'd expect from aksys

no amount of no spoilers past ch1 is going to save you from hiding this!

The final scene in the game has no subtitles... which IMO is a huge oversight.

Other gripes would be the not being able to save during a choice, there weren't 

enough timed choices that would make it valid not to be able to save during normal choices.

The obsessions with the back of the heads was lame, sure it made sense in some scenes

but there were plenty I was like why am I looking at the back of Teuta's head?????

I guess its more of a you are there as a reader or aesthetic kind of thing huh.

Finally I disliked how the capablanca stuff was copy&pasted in all of the routes, the plot thread

was never mentioned again there anyway, being forced to sit through it every route was tiresome.

8.5/10

Anyway gripes aside Bustafellows gets my recommendation if you're up for a mystery themed

otome game with a voiced heroine and don't mind it having some heavy topics

while it also not disrespects your time in terms of what it has to offer.

Sadly not all routes felt as well rounded and the heavy stuff outweighed it all 

like the case with Mozu, but that's just my opinion. Here's to the sequel!

Next game? idk yet but i'm not feeling otomates upcoming tsuitsui like don't get me wrong

but it feels generic as hell, from the plot outline to the CG's! which remind me of some PS2 era otome game. I hope to be proven wrong and that game actually turns out alright but hmm... not a good look.

Gensou Manège - Review

 Genre:VN.

Developer/publisher: love&art/mages.

Platform: Switch,mobile.

Official Site: https://gensomanege.com/  

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v25993 

Release date: 2020-01-30.

 

I saw this was on sale at the jpn eshop for 30$ and since I had considered playing it

a while back plus the fact these VN rarely go on sale especially otomate/koei let alone 

this low I was like why not? this is also by the folks who made meikoi which I really enjoyed.

This was also one of the first few new otome games on switch but back then I didn't have one yet

so I had to sit out on it till now as I took advantage of the golden week sale.

This game also has a soft/fluffy colour scheme which really helped anyway

I don't know much about this game and went in relatively blind.

Also the title of the game would be something like Carousel of dreams or Dream Carousel.

I am not a professional translator but that is what it simply what it would translate to.

 

Pro's

- Cute & Comfy with an okay plot! but need to do all to fully understand it.

- Interesting characters.

- Gorgeous art and the backgrounds are very well done.

- BGM fit the mood most of the time.

 

Con's

- Kiss CG's could leave to be desired (but still ok).

- Character design can be a bit colour-coded.

- Could've benefited from a slightly stricter play order.

 

OP is cute but not the stuff I felt like watching everytime I booted it up.

 

Gensou Manege ended up being more or less a light-mystery otome game hench why

I won't write too much here except some prologue bits below! this game seems perfect if you're

in the mood for cute and fluffy things but still want to enjoy a little bit of plot to go along with that.

--

The heroine Emma lost most of her childhood memories and she has some weird magic powers...

as well as a miniature carousal she inherited from her late father, she really treasures this.

One day she goes to the amusement park and meets Hugo someone who claims to know her.

Hugo asks Emma to work with him because the people who work at the park are stuck there

so he wants her to help release them with her magic. After thinking about it and acknowledging

her magic powers might be of help she ends up joining their troupe! most of the time

she's been teached to not let anyone know of her powers as well. What could come of this?

The setting is french themed, not sure when its supposed to take place but they had electricity

anyway it is entirely a work of fiction so its best not to think too hard about it.

--

 

This game does have a common route but its more of a get to know

everyone a little while getting used to working with them kind of thing. It didn't feel like

it was too long and its also there to decide which route you'll end up on.

Art is really good, the backgrounds are very detailed and sprite work is pretty good! once more 

I will say I really love the colour-scheme even the user interface...and most of the time

I don't really care about the latter so I think that says something.

Music is fitting enough... but it didn't stand out too much and its just okay.

 Seiyuu cast... they're all relatively well known maybe some a little less though some of

the voice actors I hadn't heard in a long time so it was good to hear them again.

 

System wise its just standard stuff, a little common route to check flags to get on

the preferred route! there's only two endings one good and one not so good.

It does have a minigame but its nothing too hard or annoying.

The weird part about this after the first minigame there is an option to skip it anyway

which gives you an auto A-rank(still need to fail it for the other end though).

After the first playthrough I decided to skip every minigame because while cute it got redundant.

 

As for play order... the guide I used said if you care for the story that its better to save

Hugo's route for later as it contains the most revelations and he unlocks Arnaud.

My order ended up being: Luciole > Crier > Lyon > Serge >  Hugo > Arnaud.

If I had to recommend any order it would probably be this:

Serge / Luciole / Crier > Lyon > Hugo > Arnaud.  Because Lyon is where some

revelations start rolling and it start making more sense, the way it works

is Serge/Luci/Crier do have hints about what's going on but you won't really get it 

till you do Hugo nor will it fully make sense till Arnaud's route. So the order of the first

three or four routes doesn't matter that much as its hard to see how it fits into the big picture.

This game has a certain bittersweet feel to it, there is still some comedy to be found

as expected from the dev's of meikoi but comedy is not really the focus.

All the backgrounds were so detailed and helped with the setting the game

and made it more immersive. The heroine Emma also had a sprite!

She's cute and was pretty pro-active as well I couldn't dislike her at all.

The music always helped to set the tone/mood of the scenes but like I already

said above its not that great either. Romance wise it was good it just that

some routes may seem to not have much going for them but still all connect to it in some way!

 

Now I am personally wondering... why does this one go so under the radar?

is it because its not from otomate? by some other dev and not in english?!

or maybe just bad marketing? idk... maybe most just weren't interested

cuz they didn't have a switch yet at the time it came out, I know I had to pass.

Anyway this was like such a feel-good otome game and I could tell they tried with it.

I definitely recommend checking this one out if you're in the mood 

for something cute and fun that still has an underlying plot to figure out!

even if its not on a sale and at full price I think its more than worth it

just be careful with your play order,there are routes that do have more revelations than others!

I think this game is also good for beginners just trying out the otome game genre as the plot

in most routes is not too heavy but its there and you're just mostly in for a good time!

 7,7/10

As for language difficulty its easy to follow its plot, it might be good as a test

if you think you have a good grip on your japanese.

 

Okay that ends the non-spoiler section and the rest is all just character rambles and CG

there's probably a better digest of it by now but I still wrote some stuff down I remembered.

 

Side Kicks! (otome game) - review

Cover is ok but could be better...

 Game: [Sidekicks.]

Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.

Developer/Publisher: Toybox inc, Extend.

Platform: PS Vita.

Official Site: http://joqrextend.co.jp/extend/sidekicks/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v19743

Release date: 2017-3-30

While I originally had no intention to play this because it reminds me of SA7 and lol

 even the heroine has precog... and well its not an excuse to fangasm this time so why not?

That aside side kicks reception was very positive so I ended up buying it...
and well it wasn't bad but I wouldn't call it a masterpiece either its just good at what it tried to do.

Also lol there wasn't any other otome I wanted to buy till June so this fit in the gap quite perfectly.
I don't really like modern setting otome but I still think the selection of guys is good
but to me there was only one that appealed from begin to end, I guess my sixth sense is at work here.
Sorta sad... because I couldn't fully enjoy the first four routes but that doesn't mean it was bad.

Pro's
 -Interesting story and characters.
- Setting.
-  Art&Music.

Con's
- Too many choices that amount to nothing.
- To get to the real truth you must do everything... but at what cost?
- They couldn't decide how to balance the mystery and otome parts.

The game takes place in sakrada in the USA, I have to admit this is refreshing

instead of taking place in japan like most do but they all speak in japanese!

Yeah OK it a JP game and well a lot of fiction have that problem so who care about that.
At first its also pretty hard to notice this is an otome... it has so many things
that make you say what am I playing again? also some parts are a bit too detailed
which make me wish the focused a little more on the otome part.

It also noticeable it had very high production values, the backgrounds move.
in certain screens when its evening there are pretty lights which is nice to watch

and the music was very fitting I never was inclined to mute unlike WoF.
While the audio quality was great certain characters were too loud so
I had to lower the voices of Chika, Rico, Kurumi and Tsubaki somewhat.

The art was pretty good too even there are some slight derps here and there but maybe it intended
but considering the artist mostly did bishoujo/hentai work its understandable still
he did a good job because everyone was charming, esp Nora!
System was comfy, ain't got issues and skip to the next choices saves lives but I found it
weird I couldn't use it in certain segments even tho there was nothing new
maybe it was because there was a movie segment coming up.

Unlike Oumagatoki ~kakuriyo no snoozefest~ Side kicks! actually managed to be
more interested but it still suffered from the same issues, characters I can't
care about and episodic side story problem with too many choices etc.
 Regarding romantic interest its an incompatibility problem with myself don't let it bother you
I still find them likeable but personally except one guy I am like nope.

Sadly the chapter one plot was a bit predictable to me... but still interesting, it took a bit of
 a dive in episode 2 but it was still good overall since it goes into the bonds of the team
and that being part of the gang isn't all sunshine and rainbows, they put their life on the line.

In the end it did turn out to be something like CSI oh well you know the stuff
they show how they work as a team and if someone ain't there it'll fall apart.
Everyone got properly introduced and it made me curious but at times it was really
hard to see any romance since they're just good partner with some romance at the end
its like they forgot to shove in the otome element in some route like Shishiba. -_-
 I feel extra sorry for him because he knew she may have liked him...

I honestly love detective stories but compared to say collar x malice it was a disappointment.

Sidekicks is like Eikoku Tantei Mysteria and has the same problem as
over half of the routes do not bring you closer to the actual truth, mind you this is fine
but I think CxM did a better job at crafting it together since everything made sense in the end there.
Either way unlike Ayaka(SA7), the heroine of Side Kicks! Inori was actually more mature
she's 20 and fit right in the precog dreams weren't immature like we won't  have Inori derp
and have fangasm dream about the guys but sadly she didn't really stand out that much and
well I guess she was great for being able to do stuff when it comes to it but in the end
those precog dreams are just you know dreams there's nothing else to it, she was born with it.
Unlike the boys Inori has no interesting past she's literally just a typical girl from the streets
and due to the team figuring out her ability is useful she gets to join but
what about her parents? friends?! previous job? the game doesn't go into it
so apparently it doesn't matter so why should I care? the writers sure didn't.
Due to the above Inori is perfect self-insert material... and no its not a spoiler
since not even the game goes into it, Inori's just lucky I guess.

Next the million choices of that amount to nothing... like is it really going to matter
of picking the same dish as Chika or Hibari are having to get on his route?!
Also why is bloodtype supposed to matter?! who even cares!
I gotta admit I did enjoy the banter about them trying to choose a name for the dog...
but I didn't exactly like that the name of the dog is determined by who's route your on
since some guy is terrible at making names, looking at you Rico come on kitty? oh god no.
Also Nora get out, I may love you lots but he came off as an ass in that scene but 
to be fair all of the names for the dog were terrible, IIRC Shishiba's was Jinja(shrine)
okay maybe I was too hard on Nora but like... seriously naming the dog after yourself GET OUT.
Anyway before I forget what was even the point of Shisui's character? 
like his entire purpose is just to narrate and be cool in general.
''Come with me if you want the truth'' oh lol... you go and say that but storywise your entire
character didn't matter! do they intend to follow up on this game? but what about ____ then?
Oh well whatever they do I don't really care in the end SK! was a decent game in my opinion.
I guess I could say nice try toybox/extend but... some route it could've been better and this game
 still has routes for the sake of having them aka Chika/Hibari/Shishiba but it wasn't bad or anything
if fan of detective drama this is going to appeal a lot more to you.
For me this was one of those otome games where I only really like one guy and felt
 incompatible with most others, I can recommend it if you like detective stuff such as 
Eikoku Tantei Mysteria or Collar x Malice.
7/10
No more and no less, if I was really harsh it would've been less but then again it wasn't bad.
Again its recommended for those who like crime solving or else this
game will just bore you away but don't expect too much.

 There was one fatal bug in chapter 2 when they show you the paper with Tatewaki's plans
the game will crash so I hope you saved frequently or else you'll have to force skip your way back.
Other than that there were no bugs but its funny how they never patched it
 but I heard they're working on it now so no worries but man its been almost 2 months.
Priorities what are they? Extend sure doesn't know them!

Typical ramblings after the jump, spoilers beware.

Eikoku Tantei Mysteria the Crown - Review

英国探偵ミステリア The Crown

Game: [Eikoku Tantei Mysteria the Crown]
English title: English Detective Mysteria.

Genre: Otome game Visual Novel.

Developer/Publisher: Karin entertainment.

Platform:  PSP, PS Vita.

Official Site: http://www.mysteria.jp/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v8243

Release date: 2016-02-11

So here we go, my 2nd Karin otomege, I have to say that I really like the setting and everything for this one.

 Apparently for the vita port's new content they replaced some seiyuus with newer ones.

Farewell Kimura Ryouhei.

 Honestly I have no clue why, but I do like that they give newer seiyuu's a chance.

TL;DR
8/10
I really liked Mysteria, but still no otomege is perfect also let me add that
this game is so unfinished its not even funny. 

Recommended play order:
Akechi > Kobayashi > Sara > Normal end > Watson > Holmes > Jack > Lupin > Truth.

 Pro's
 - Setting.
- The main cast is likeable.
- Interesting story even though its unfinished.
- humor.
- Character route is decent in length and does not overlap.
- Unique Seiyuu cast.
- Voiced heroine.
- Art and BGM.
- Holmes and Jack are moe as hell.

Con's
- Long common route.
- Kobayashi and Sara deserved a longer route or just a better ending.
- In most routes the romance and plot is not very well balanced.
- There might be some things you will go huh oh is that so at.
 - Pendleton.
- Not all of the choices are integrated into the mystery part of the plot which is a disappointment.
(For example like in Akechi's route and others, there aren't a lot of choices... I hope you get what I mean)
- Why was Lupin the only one who got a decent route, that is not fair.

Spoiler warning for the rest of the post.