Showing posts with label Sugita Tomokazu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sugita Tomokazu. Show all posts

Friday, July 29, 2022

Trials of Mana - review


Genre:RPG.
Developer/publisher: Square Enix.
Platform: PS4,switch,PC,mobile.
Official Site: N/A
Release date: 2020-04-25.
 
This game is a remake, its apparently pretty faithful...
Gonna be honest here, I have never played a mana game but this
was a nice game to just casually play, it is linear  and little to worry
about missing anything except maybe the cactus thingies.
Most of them are easy to spot but there are a few easy to miss!
I wish I could be completely positive about my experience with this game but I can't.
Anyway...
I got into this while waiting for xenoblade 3 to come out... I decided to continue playing this
from the demo I tried a while ago, it was easy to pick up the pace and/or understand
what's going on plus when chara's mentioned this or that also please be warned
this game is fairly straight-forward in terms of plot, there's not a whole lot of talking
and its pretty on point nor does it ever drag itself out more than needed.
Sadly it seems this game has dropped tremendously in value, I bought it for 30$
and it is now even 20ish euros. After playing I can definitely see why... it is not long
so unless you really love action rpg's most people would give up cuz certain things.
 
Pro's
- A simple, yet traditional story with some replay value.
- Good music, the ability to switch to the original bgm is nice too.
- The ability to choose your protagonist and those who tag along.
- Most of the bosses are all unique and fun in design maybe a lil frustrating too.
 
Con's
- Over two hundred chests but most contents are healing or revive items....
- Class change items shouldn't be locked behind RNG, nor be able to get duplicates of.
^^(Maybe actually put nice things in treasure chests?)^^
- Terrible AI is terrible.
 
The quick and dirty  would be that this is something to look into if you want something traditional unfortunately this games pitfalls are the god awful AI, I think its even worse than ff15!
it also has a nice class system but I found it to be such a hassle when it came to the
second class changes which involves unknown item seeds... it is never guaranteed whether
you get a light or dark class item??? so unless you want to farm and put up with stupid RNG s
 you'll probably have to take what you can get. If you can get past all this it could be a fun game.
 
I am well aware that you can't always get what you want and I already sucked it up and rolled
with classes I didn't want, so I'd like to believe i'm mentally strong enough in that regard.
Anyway bullshit RNG is still bullshit RNG no matter how you slice it. Even worse
if it is determined from the moment you get the item from the chest. REEEEEE~
Anyways I adored the characters and even made a start to the second playthrough but it seems
aside from the prologue and personal motivations most will be the same, a guide said some
of the end game will be different so that is nice. Sadly the AI is horrendously bad
and I was frustrated at watching my team mates die over and over and over again
to the stupidest things. Good news though the only difficulty specific trophy you can
just switch to before the boss itself! so no need to suffer on hard the entire game unless
you want all the challenge! you can just play on normal till then.
 
Sometimes I wonder why I put up with BS like in this game... I must've been really bored
to plow through this game but hmm I guess what was nice was nice even if somethings weren't nice.
Hah... I don't think Chawlotte's UwU speech was ever a problem... IMO there were worse things.
I wouldn't be surprised if people gave up on this game... the beginning might seem
like this is gonna be super stress-free but the AI will end up testing you.
 
For what its worth a nice, fun game but it has noticeble setbacks!
I do want to play the other mana games someday, they do have its charm
but as you can see, you must be willing to get past some setbacks.
Now for all my screeching, another good thing is despite them recycling three bosses
the main game isn't any longer than it should be. If you're still up for more there is a post-game
scenario but I am not sure why they had to split it from the main game. Maybe because
due to the extra classes making MP no longer an issue thus breaking the game.
Anyway if I had to score it this game it might get an 6.7/10 from me which translates to
 well its fine really but could be a little better? it might be even better if you want
a game with not much talking cuz there really wasn't. At the end of the day this was a classic.
 
More rambles after the jump, its more or less just my own experience
with this game and some parts may be a little ranty.
 

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Usotsuki Shangri-la - review

 Game: [嘘月シャングリラ] 
Genre: Otome Visual Novel. 
Developer/publisher: Rejet.
Platform: PS Vita.
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v20634
Release date: 2017-11-30

Rejet's latest game... and I shall be your guinea pig in trying to figure out
if it was worth it, UsoTsuki is Lie and Moon together it means liar. (lol lying moon.)
Well uh that's all for crappy lessons in japanese you get from me.
Shangri-la is a name of a fictional paradise...

Pro's
-A good mix of sweet&serious scene.
- I'd say the story was ok like there is drive to get to the locked route.
 - Slow skip but there's jump to the next choice.

Con's
- Did they really need to have to force everyone to call Akari Usotsuki-chan a l l  t h e  t i m e.
- The characters are plain, cliche, I find unable to attach myself to most of them.
- Its actually pretty short when you think about it.
- Would be better if there are actual epilogues.

Art, looks a bit weird but not bad or anything infact the background art was fine.
Music, its decent, OP... some BGM could be better because the castle-like theme drove me crazy.
As for seiyuu choice... meh its the popular boys.

System... typical stuff, you select the route of your choice right after the prologue.
 I had no preference so I just went with one of initial ones. Ende is locked till you do the other four.
Now this is a bit of a minor complaint but the text was pretty blurry while everything else
 was crisp IDK but it bothered me, it also small but uhm the font in himihibi was pretty big
so maybe thats why it bothers me now. xD

I like the OP and all... atleast they're honest at to what expect even if the context was different.

As you've figured this game is about lies... with the usual rejet spin but lighter?!
it has a pretty generic setup of girl ends up in another world not like her own.
The protagonist is typical, she seems good natured but no experience with guys
this is okay but I sort of laughed when Akari said how well everything else is going
to a relative on the phone in the beginning. I was like girl if you know what you're in for!
 The prologue/common route was an introduction, they explained how the protagonist
Akari is the usotsuki who might save the world and Fenrir, Hel and Jorm are the brothers
of calamity who are believed to cause misfortune and are scorned for it...  they seem
normal enough, like they saved Akari but there seems to be more to them than meets the eye.
Smartphone? what is that? why thank you for this gem...
Who thought this whole usotsuki concept was okay? I can't take it seriously.
At first I thought this whole game is a pun on the word ''Usotsuki'', I joke about it
 but in the beginning it was actually really cringe worthy. Constantly hearing the protag called
usotsuki-chan or liar-chan in plain english is so incredible off-putting...
but as I did more routes I eventually stopped caring.😅

Can't say the transition from Akari's world to shangri-la was very good in fact it confused me.
That aside there is a bit of mystery to it all... and Usotsuki-chan >_> frequently has these
visions/dreams when she touches water so I still found drive to continue, since its
like the way she learns more about the chara's the happiest
ends aren't necessary the best for sake of world which is sad.

The romance and plot developed side by side so it was good mix of sweet/serious moment
the pacing and sense of mystery was nice too bad some routes are just disappointing
story wise since there's only one where all makes sense. As for the protagonist
Akari wasn't that annoying just a bit too nice for her own good I guess...
the guys however are pretty bland they don't have much personality and felt plain to me.
So on the topic of lying, if you lie at certain points you change the ending...
dunno if it was the guide i used but in certain routes you dont need to lie to get best end.
I do think it has its place in the game... Its nice that each route had something new
to reveal, atleast the turn of events was never the same which was nice.
 
 I thought Usotsuki was so-so... its pretty tame for a rejet game atleast NO VERY TAME
in the first half of the routes(not counting bad ends). Each route focuses on that
character, its unique enough just doing one route won't get you to the truth of the story.
They all have something they don't want others to see and its also very realistic, not everyone
is nice even if at a glance they appear to be. I suppose Usotsuki shangri-la
is like an apology after the disaster that was Moshikami because I believe they went too far
with that one, you might know what I am talking about.
Well if you don't want to read more, I'd say it Usotsuki gets the OK from me...there's no
creepy oniichans or extreme yanderes here so if you expect that then you'd be disappointed.
Might be better for newbies... since veterans may notice how lacking certain aspect are.
So-so otome game but Nice Try Rejet.

If I had to recommend any play order it'd be:
Fenrir / Hati >  Jorm > Hell > Ende.
I do not think it matters when you do Hati he might be nice first, midway or right before Ende
idk it was pretty much the most otome-like route so just do it when you feel like.

Thursday, May 11, 2017

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.
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.

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Sangoku Rensenki ~Otome no Heihou!~ Omoide Gaeshi - Review

Spoiler warning just incase.


三国恋戦記 ~思いでがえし~ CS Edition -
Game: [Sangoku Rensenki ~Otome no Heihou!~ Omoide Gaeshi].
Genre: Otome game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Daisy2
Platform: PC,PSP, PS Vita.
Release date: 2016-02-04

This is the fandisc of Sangoku Rensenki, with after stories, minigames and such...
Wait minigames? I didn't find any in the Vita port though? maybe thats a PC exclusive?
I played vita port the original game last year, sadly I had to settle for the digital download via jp psn.
However for the FD I was able to secure a physical copy. :D
~
I greatly enjoyed the original Sangoku Rensenki, it was a fun otome game adaption of the 
sangoku period, which made me really excited after hearing the FD would also get a vita port.
Sangoku Rensenki is kind of like fushigi yuugi but it only borrows the book theme
everything else is basically unique, there are of reviews for the first
game available and none of them say its bad so if you're interested go pick it up.
I think the only flaw is too many characters but there should be atleast one that suits your taste
I really recommend to play the original sangoku rensenki, its really fun!
its quite light-hearted but does take itself serious in some moments.
If you end up liking that alot it you should really pick up the FD! 

TL;DR

 Pro's
- Fun after stories, though one of them was a bit depressing.
 - This FD makes me want even more, which is a good thing I suppose? T_T

Con's
- Its rather short, only get this if you want more and absolutely loved Sangoku Rensenki.
- The gag scenario while funny the first time is a waste of time on repeated playthrough's.

9/10
If you really liked the original Sangoku Rensenki the FD is definitely worth your time.
Especially if you also like Fushigi Yuugi as it borrows the book theme, between this game
and Jyuuza Engi I have to say I prefer Sangoku Rensenki much more, I'm all for
 heroines who can kick ass like Kanu but Hana still manages to be a A++ heroine 
despite being a little generic.
However if you've never played the original game don't even bother, but if Sanren
strikes your interest and you love the swept away to a distant land type of plot device
and chinese history by all means please do give the original Sangoku Rensenki a chance.

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.