Final Roadtrip Fantasy XV - review

 Genre:RPG.

Developer/publisher: Square Enix.

Platform: PS4/PC.

Official Site: https://finalfantasyxv.square-enix-games.com/

Release date: 2016-11-29.

 

With not much else to play I decided to look at games I once started but never finished...

which lead me to FF15! I did remember where I stopped it was after arriving in galdin quay

and met some suspicious guy. Knowing this I saw no reason to replay from scratch

and it was actually easy enough to get the hang of things again!

Casually adds even more screenshots... after making posts.

My reasons for dropping the ball on this before was simple, my old ps4 had a bug

where it would try to eject discs sometimes even when there's no disc inside as well 

as annoying beeping sounds when it tried to do exactly that (even when turned off).

It was not just me that had it but yea I couldn't really play disc based games cuz of this.

A shame really because this game was quite fun and I don't understand the hate it got.

I suppose I could have bought it digitally when royal came out but I didn't

and it just ended up being dropped till now.😅 (The old model was replaced by a slim)

Pro's

- Exploring and doing quests/hunts is fun.

- Cast has great chemistry and most of the time the vibes are chill...

- Story is straight-forward but this is not a character game.

- Scenery is beautiful and the OST is really good.

Con's

- Story can be pretty peak fiction but terrible execution and full of holes so if you want

to fill those gaps, you need the movie(sets the stage), dlc ep's and read the novel(epilogue).

- Magic system is a hassle.

 

 

More ramblings after the jump break.

Otome Game no Hametsu Flag Shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei Shite Shimatta... ~Haran o Yobu Kaizoku~ - Review

Usually I'll post the box art but... I liked this title screen and i've been doing it for rpg's too.

 Genre: Otome VN.
Developer/publisher: Otomate.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://www.otomate.jp/hamehura-kaizoku/
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v29251
Release date: 2022-02-10.

 

Long title aside hench forth it shall be known as Hamefura ~Haran o Yobu Kaizoku~!

Otomate decided to make otome game for hamefura a lightnovel which had an anime adaptation.

Unfortunately they decided to not give the girls full routes and only the guys are romanceable

this is something I didn't mind but I could see some might do. As it kinda felt subtexty/comedic

and to turn it into full harem; basically who doesn't love Bakarina? 😅

I also tend to be kind of wary of games that are based on an anime because they tend to exist

solely for fans and the quality of said game tends to vary greatly but hamefura turned out alright.

The art quality was very high and the style stays true to the anime and in terms of plot it was decent. 

 

OP movie; for some reason they have disabled the embedded version so here's the link.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eljl92KUUgg

 

Anyway this game/VN is like a side story in the hamefura universe it doesn't exist in the canon

if you ever wanted to spend more time with some of the guys now's your chance I guess?!

I'm not sure when this takes place but it acts as an extension of the first season... you could

probably play it without watching but this game doesn't go into who the chara's are

they briefly go over it in the prologue but that's it. The anime is pretty fun and s1 is only 12 eps

which isn't very long so why not give it a watch to get to know the series?

The characters unique to this game are locked though so if you don't know who to choose

i'd say Alan or Geordo first but honestly I really do recommend checking out the anime first

cuz this game really is more for fans, the general premise is even so

that the story in this game is a fandisc to fortune lover.

 

Pro's

- While not much to work with, each route was unique/self-contained.

- Characters are consistent and not OOC.

-Art is gorgeous.

 

Con's

- If you were hoping for fluff and only comedy/romance... this might be disappointing

as they actually tried to have a plot and characters to take part in it.

- Its better if you watch atleast S1 of the hamefura anime as the game does very little

to establish its cast,existing relationships or explain the world.

 

 Bakarina is voiced except some of her thought/monologue!

the art is pretty nice the style is like the anime and it doesn't seem to suffer from tracers.

Music is fitting nothing to complain about, the plot kinda felt like it was another

episode/OVA or something and depending on your choices you'll end up investigating an incident

that happens on the ship they're staying on with whoever you like.

The story isn't much but it can be interesting, all the side npc have sprites too

so its easy to tell them apart, voice acting was excellent as well.

 

System is just standard VN stuff, during the bakarina meetings where you have to select a choice

you can't save so you have to do it before it comes up. There is also a bug if you skip

too fast through the ideafactory/otomate/criware/OPmovie stuff when booting up the game

where the software just closes. So its better to just let all that play and if you do want

to skip the op movie just let it play 5-10 seconds.

Compared to recent otome I played it finally felt like I was playing a proper one again

uh what is a proper one is subjective of course but I think this one had some classic stuff.

I say that cuz Hamefura wasn't depressing, more fun and romance focused

its exactly what I wanted even though my expectations were low.

It was pretty enjoyable from start to finish and that's coming from someone that's not

that big of a fan as I liked the anime enough to check out this game.😅

It might be sad that the girls don't have full routes but personally I don't even want to think about

romancing Mary except as in a joke ending. Maybe there really are Mary fans out there

or Maria/Sophia so the fact there is 1 joke ending and the normal end is well... better than nothing.

 

That aside the game does feel kinda short but the pacing is okay and it doesn't seem

like it overstayed its welcome, any longer and I would have been bored tbh. Like I'd love it if games

took their time but you also don't want to get bored! Hamefura doesn't have that problem.

Its entertaining enough but it doesn't focus completely on the couple at all times

and I could see how some find that disappointing! they did try to have a plot that

made sense in the world of hamefura so I am not sure why this would be a bad thing

cuz if this game didn't have the plot it has then the routes would be super short and they average

at 6 hours or so which I think for what we got out of it was more than enough

either way I didn't have many complaints I was happy with Alan's route!

While this was an enjoyable side dish after the anime, if you don't like the novel/anime

or don't like any of the guys enough to want to romance them its probably better to pass

cuz this is nothing but fluff with a slighly entertaining story full of cute romance

so if you were here for some deep plot uhm look elsewhere cuz the hamefura game ain't it.

 It does have bad/death ends but only one or two per route and they're not long.

Most of this game still keeps the charm I got to know this series with! depending on how much

you like the other guys beside your favourite it might be a bit of a chore to do multiple

playthroughs as the general plot does kind of remain the same however each time

you do a new playthrough you unlock new scenes to understand the overall plot better

though some of these scenes only seem to exist to make it more obvious.

Unfortunately despite this game not being canon one route in particular has so much lore

and world building it felt kind of like a waste if this was only one game

I applaud them for the effort but it did take away from anything else.

Most of the characters in this game don't get much personal focus except Rozy/Silva

that's because they got that in the anime so they're not gonna waste time, for some it means

their routes were less interesting, I thought the main guy of this game would be Geordo but eh

classic poster boy curse with that one, Silva would like a word with him.

All in all ~Hamefura ~Haran o Yobu Kaizoku~ is mostly an enjoyable otome game

for fans of the series that want to actually romance the guy(s)! So if that's what you're looking for

or just another hamefura adventure in general it gets my recommendation.😄👍

But yea if you don't want bakarina to end up with anyone stay away from this game and pretend

it doesn't exist or something, as its jpn only at time of writing so it shouldn't be too hard.

8.5/10

My play order was Alan > Geordo > Keith > Nicol > Rozy > Silva.

Imo it doesn't really matter but I suggest to do your fav first which in my case was Alan!

Doing Alan first might not be the best, I do think Nicol flows well into Rozy's route.

If I had to recommend anything its probably Geordo/Keith > Alan > Nicol > Rozy > Silva.

Anyway the non-spoiler sections end here! some route comments along

with my fav cg's after the jump break.

Lover pretend (otome game) - review

Genre: Otome/VN.
Developer/publisher: Otomate.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://www.otomate.jp/lp/
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v22986
Release date: 25/03/21.

 

After the disappointment that was Ryza 2 and not much otome games coming out

I decided to get one of their newest release lover pretend a shot because

the premise seemed interesting and the art is gorgeous... AND it has an all-star seiyuu cast.

Other than that I had no real expectations...

Pro's

- Interesting story, unique character-focused routes.

- Likeable heroine.

- Art.

- Catchy BGM. 

- Light-hearted nothing too serious.

Con's

- Too many bad ends that don't add much of value.

- Some routes have loose ends that do not properly get resolved.

- The common route can get a tad repetitive by route 4.

 

Plot/characters

Chiyuki our heroine has two dreams on is to fulfill her deceased mom's dream to be a writer

the other to find her biological father whom she never met. The clues to him

seem to be in some script her mom wrote before she have birth.

Chiyuki thinks hmm maybe the people involved with my moms work may know something!

by some string of events beyond her control she finds herself cast in a drama herself

and has to pretend to fall in love while never really having done so.😅

Actually this sounds like a recipe for disaster...

Most of the guys are all popular too so Chiyuki has to deal with some of their admirers/fans

oh well atleast there was some conflict so it wasn't boring at all.

I did like Chiyuki a lot though she her personality was great whether it was telling

Yukito to go buzz off or trying to keep her act together... she had off moments

but all in all she was pretty human! which might be why I liked her so much

she knew what she wanted and went for it, the poster boy Kazuma was great too

the best friend Chiyuki could have or maybe as a lover too? who knows... but his route

I wasn't a fan of it. Yukito was ok but his route was full of general idol bullshittery with him being

a massive flirt  but I gotta admit I was trash for him by the time it was over. (wait what...? yeah.)

TFW I find out i'm trash for yet another 2d man...

Harumi is gonna be a no from me as he's more like a little bro. UwU

Riku was fine in more ways than one... his route was quite entertaining

and out of all for me he was an easy favorite. Asagi is well okay I guess?

he's the only one I don't have a strong opinion of might've been cuz his route was rather short.

System

The director of WoF,Reine and VB gave us his newest masterpiece 'pretend time'

but atleast this system actually somewhat works with the story flow and whenever there's some

problematic situation Chiyuki has to pretend to get out of it or something like that.

This system is basically just an excuse for plot development and only a handful

actually involve pretending. In the routes of Riku and Yukito it was good. For Harumi it was

okay at best, in Kazuma it wasn't really necessary and in Asagi it was like pretending? what's that.

Like in the beginning Chiyuki pretending to know how to be a girlfriend to having to explain

she has a reason to be around Harumi was good or Riku trying to pretend to be lovers

for personal reasons. Well this is miles better than the RNG in WoF

or that weird barricade breaking system in variable barricade.

With it being similar to reine des fleur also means each guy has like 4 bad ends...😱

most are just fail ends and don't add much but atleast you get prompted to save

before it starts so its actually very forgiving, thank you otomate.

It does get tiring having to do all endings but good news! there's no need for CG completion

maybe personal satisfaction........ so you can always do it, I gave up after Yukito's.

Atleast there's the option to skip pretend times you've already done and min/max affection you gain from it which made it even much more bearable, wow otomate really learned from reine huh? (maybe)

 

This was MOSTLY a light-hearted otome game about the ups and downs in the acting world

without it being too deep it still managed to tell a decent but entertaining story

and with the exception of one route whatever drama there was in the routes

didn't feel like it was dragging it down too much. The heroine was proactive and sassy

which lead to some hilarious scenes, overall she was pretty great.

Depending on the route the title of the script she writes changes as well.

I want to add... that this games theme really is more or less about COMMUNICATION

the characters are not perfect they have flaws and it might require some understanding

Harumi is literally just a kid with a less than ideal family situation but was willing

to IMPROVE and GROW despite that, the heroine being understanding definitely helped

if you truly want a healthy relationship with anyone romantic or not it is important

to be there for someone even if they said mean things and IMO this otome game did really well

which out of all routes I had to pick Harumi as the example but they all pretty much came down to it.

I mean you could dump someone for it too and sometimes you'll have to throw in the towel

and someone might be beyond your help but that's not what a game should be about

even if something looks bad there is still hope. Afterall if you give up its all over.

 

The common route served its purpose in setting up the potential pair

it was neither too long or too short. It made it feel like this game was from years ago.😂

Story was good at slowly revealing more information and her fulfilling her dreams but of course

some was halted based on who you go for as the guys problems were more important.

This is one of those where certain information is locked into the hidden route.

Which leads to routes being more or less self-contained, Yukito, Harumi being the biggest

offenders and to some extend Riku but it felt they kinda blue balled that one.  Don't get me

started on Kazuma... Kaz... oh you cute but dumb boy! the route was cute and all but then

you get hit with PAIN that is like when a truck hits you that came out of nowhere😓

idk it felt like the writer had a block and struggled trying to make something of it

because unlike the other routes the whole mood did a 180.

Either way none of the characters were terrible but the routes sure were... unique!

if any route managed to surprise me it was Harumi, his is the one that truly stands apart

from say Yukito or Riku. Kaz doesn't compare to any route if you do his you'll know why.

There were also a bunch of bonus scenarios you can read after you finish the routes

some with a extra cg others which was nice.

I think this otome is perfect if you're in the mood for something that has a solid cast with

a decent enough plot going on to keep you invested in it as a whole while you chase bishies.

Though that didn't stop it from some routes being less interesting as a whole

but i've played enough VN to know by now this is all too common.

Atleast the routes never bored me if anything I was a little lost at the direction of Harumi's route

both him and Yukito are probably the safest picks 1st play but it shouldn't matter much.

Lover Pretend had a better plot and more interesting routes than the last otome game I had played

which when looking back was quite barebones when compared to this game

it may have been more dramatic as well but hey its about acting? and much like

variable barricade these boys are far from perfect... all have their own issues.

The only thing that I think might be bad is the high amount of bad ends that don't have much of value

and making one important plot thread into a loose end that do not properly get resolved

till the final route which kinda makes sense buuut yeah a FD could fix this

but you can't always bet on that happening. At the very least all routes were enjoyable enough

that I could turn a blind eye to this. To be fair games like code:realize also did this...

so I do not make a big deal of it any more than needed.

All things considered, I didn't expect much and almost passed on it but managed to enjoy it anyway.

For what its worth this was a pretty okay otome game!

8,5/10

My play order: Yukito > Harumi > Riku > Kazuma > Asagi.

Which I thought was fine and the order doesn't matter that much might say Yukito or Harumi first

and no choice but to do Asagi last as he's locked till you do all.

 

That ends the non spoiler section, usual spoiler babbles after the jump.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dairoku Ayakashimori - review

Genre: Otome Visual Novel.
Developer/publisher: Otomate
Platform: Nintendo Switch.
Official Site:
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v25911
Release date: 2020-05-28

So since my thirst for some sakurai takahiro was real and I haven't heard him in forever

I decided this will be my first switch otome game! \o/ albeit digitally.
Went into it almost blind, only knowing that protag Shino was some government official
but when they found out she can see youkai she was transfered and ends up
working with Ayakashimori who deals with supernatural stuff in Sakuratani
to prevent folks from causing too much mischief, you basically pick one of the dudes
to keep an eye on and/or help them because who knows what might happen?
Shino also gets a pet ayakashi named Kouya to help her out.
The common route did a good job of introducing everything and wasn't too long to bore me
atleast with a little joke or two which after the last otome I played was much welcomed
and all the char's were great the only problem this is a really slice of life-ish game
but that doesn't make it bad or anything.

System is just standard VN stuff, map movement stalk-a-bishi and a press the correct button
in this order minigame like in Utsusemi no meguri but you only do this minigame
like once in the prologue so I am not sure why they even bothered in the first place?
you only get to do that if you go out of your way on the map, while ignoring character or
for the grand ending or scenario completion dunno why it was there tbh.


Pro's
- Likeable characters.
- character design, same artist as bad apple wars and alice=alice.
- Seiyuu performance was great.

Con's
- Backgrounds are plain.
- Overall plot is a little disappointing.

- Lot's of no-face side characters including antagonist.

I liked the setting and general atmosphere, the comedy was alright it didn't try too hard
neither did the story which was decent atleast but nothing too deep either
but it also wasn't that great in using the scenario to its full potential.
The art was great except for some of the background stuff which were simple and bland so meh.
Music was pretty good and fit the setting, the rock theme grew on me and before I knew it
I was rocking my head back and forth everytime it played. 😂
The heroine's was also great, despite insecurities of her new position I absolutely
loved her positive attitude to chara's such as Hira. Though the overall story is kind of
simple, each route tried to go about it in their own way and some characters were more
helpful to Shino than others. The route length is not too long or too short
but overall this game is kinda short? sad it might be a one-off game :(
A lot of side characters had no sprite/face to remember them by so that
didn't make that much better I suppose they ran out of budget, i'd be find with it
if it was just townsfolk but apparently the villains got the treatment as well
which was really irritating and made it hard to remember them but I guess they were so
significant otomate couldn't give a damn so why should we?
Playorder shouldn't matter just go for whoever you are interested in doing, the three endings
for every character makes you understand them more which was another plus
though I am gonna recommend to save Shuu and Tokitsugu for later.
The main cast,heroine and seiyuu being superb made it easier for me
to overlook some of the flaws and since it was enjoyable I think this was an alright
otome just don't expect it to go and do new things or be deep because it won't, there weren't
any landmines or wtfbbq twists so it was nice to have a more normal otome game for once.

Overall it might be meh but still fun, hard to recommend unless you're a beginner in the genre
atleast the otome part didn't disappoint me unlike the last game I played
still I can't rate it that high so it kinda ended up shifting between 6 and 7/10
kinda weird how I played two games back to back where one had a stellar story
but bad otome part and the other a bit of lacklustre plot but good otome part.😅


That ends spoiler free section.

Shinigami to shoujo - review

 Genre: Otome Visual Novel. 

Developer/publisher: TAKUYO

Platform: PSP, PSV.

Official Site:

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v6656

Release date: 2019-07-25

I finally decided to get started on this while getting into the otome mood again
after a hiatus, this was also the last vita otome game that I had ordered.

I've always wanted to check this one out and am glad I got it before i couldn't like with psp ver
unfortunately the otome game part of this game while its there is rather disappointing.

The seiyuu are unknowns except for Suzuki, Nojima and Kanna though the latter you

don't hear often anymore either. That aside the play order is kind of
forced on you there's not much free choice but to listen to Takuyo.
The heroine was voiced but only in the prologue, ending and Touya/Ao route
which was jarring but I guess budget? so I can't complain for doing it that way.
 I personally love the art style, the music is also amazing so there's that.

Pro's

- Interesting char's/story which is what kept me going tbh.
- Beautiful art and music was really good.
- No annoying minigames like in Himehibi.

Con's
- Length, slight copy pasta and takes too long to get to the heart of the matter.
- The otome part of the game is lacking.

Our heroine Sayo loves stories especially her brothers who's an author. Sayo's bro
tells her about one of his works shinigami to shoujo which was pretty sad.
Sayo is a pretty rich girl, loves books especially her bro's and has an ojou-sama air about her
and she has only one friend Kaho, whom is Sayo's only friend cuz no one puts up with her.
Sayo lives with her bro due to family issues  and not only does her brother like her
Sayo also has a brocon for him......

Every chapter so far basically deals with someone having a problem, chapter two was
Louis claiming to be the protag of one of Toya's stories... as if the Tomoe's episode
in ch1 wasn't enough now we have a fanboy? oh well at this point it was kind of
hard to see how all this was important to the story in the long run
but apparently these stories run paralel to those in the books and did foreshadow
a little about another problem regarding the protagonist Sayo.
Chapter 4 is where it gets messy, the first route that you're recommended
to do, wasn't even resolved properly till you continue ch4 common.
:Pikachuface:
TBH the common route was pretty boring, just slice of life and dealing with
random peoples problems that untill you do the latter two routes
don't really seem to amount to anything or make sense.
The writer is the same as taishou x alice but even that managed to be a lil better
in the otome game department, atleast the story was still good so it evens out a little.

If you enjoy a good story and char's then I can recommend Shinigami to Shoujo
but if not and just want an otome with a some-what decent story and romance
then I suggest to pass on this game, as its just not going to pass for one.
I didn't have much expectations for this but as an otome? a let down.
Not having much else to do lately I was able to enjoy it either way
cuz the story was pretty interesting to keep playing even if otome/romance was lacking a lot.

While I don't mind Sayo's constant uwu'ing over Toya at the early hours, it doesn't make it much better as some could find it annoying even. Atleast all the chara's were likeable in someway.
Trying not to spoil but while the strong points are that its overall story and characters

are still very well written the otome game part can be disappointing/confusing
especially the first route it felt like there was only a route because it is an otome game afterall.
I don't want to discourage anyone from trying it out as the story was enjoyable/interesting
but it is quite messy as an otome game and confusing till you get to the bottom of it
and even then... unless you like thought provoking psychological stories I suggest to pass on this
I think the writer definitely improved or had better direction with the recent Taishou x Alice.

 

 7/10

This is a good visual novel if you enjoy thought-provoking stories with romance second.

That ends the spoiler-free section.

Usotsuki Shangri-la - review

 Game: [嘘月シャングリラ] 

Genre: Otome Visual Novel. 

Developer/publisher: Rejet.

Platform: PS Vita.

Official Site: http://rejetweb.jp/usotsuki/

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.

Shinobi, Koi Utsutsu Kanmitsu hana emaki - Review

 

忍び、恋うつつ ― 甘蜜花絵巻 ―
Game: [Ninkoi FD]

Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.

Developer/Publisher: Otomate.

Platform: PS Vita.

Official Site: http://www.otomate.jp/nin_koi/kanmitsu/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v19847

Release date: 2017-9-28

Yep... its time for another fandisk but in all honestly I don't consider myself being that
much of a ninkoi fan anymore and sincerly questioned why I even bothered.😅
 Like I expected more fanservice but got an actual story about them maturing...

I tried not to be too negative and my final score reflects this, this FD is just fine for what it is.

I had mostly a great time with the original but I am sort of eh at coming back to it after so long...
because after like a month or two I wrote off its vita port as a one off game.
The original was far from perfect as well like it having copypasta problems with Takaie all being like you got no chance make your time! and their being meromero shenanigans with Kaede
slowly falling for her partner of her choice said partners all following a trope too.
I still liked it because of it was brainless fun stuff...
Honestly speaking this FD feels more like a sequel there's fanservice but honestly I found the
graduation story for everyone lacklustre some nice moments here and there but it wasn't worth it
overall. Well I shouldn't complain atleast it got a FD right? i'll just do a general review like the original.

Pro's
- Everyones getting married... yeehaw.
- More shinobi action if thats your thang, (honestly in a FD I do not want this).
- Music, its nothing memorable but it fits the scene most of the time.

Con's
 Art, its still gorgeous but there's a noticeable difference... did the original artist really work on this?
- This is subjective but the overall writing, fluff, comedy all could've been better, overall its meh.
- Too many characters... basically only do your favorite(s).

Most of my rage/discomfort comes from the facts that originally Ninkoi is a very fanservicey game
with the plot sort of just being there, with the FD I expected more fanservice but got
more plot instead to the point this doesn't classify as a FD but a sequel instead.
They did it backwards usually its story centric game > fluffy FD afterwards...
At this point I just feel Ninkoi was one of those one time experiences there was little need
for more but we got it anyway albeit a bit too late for some.

Regarding the OP theme... its okay but I don't like it that much and they should've
 gotten the old singer back. I got nothing against Hisano but her voice just does not fit
with the background music, I liked her work for shirotokuro but here? not really.

The theme of this installment is graduation... honestly speaking I barely remember

much about the original cept some small details and I did not replay it either
because other games have been taking up my time and honestly I didn't find a reason.

Not that plot was ninkoi's strong point yes it has one, the original story(psp) all seemed
 like a light-hearted fluffy otome game to me never taking itself too seriously.

Length? about the same as the original we got fanservice and ''plot'' both of which are
fine but compared to say KBO FD the times I really laughed out loud could be count on a single
hand. The plot varies depending on character but I didn't find the writing to be exciting
because redundancy re: exams/graduating and marriage, its good to see them mature
but I expected more fanservice and was let down.
Disclaimer: no not everything is the same, every guy has their own story
of maturing/problems etc its just some stuff gets predictable to me.
System wise its just select after story... standard VN stuff if you do well in that
mero-mero practice thingy you unlock bonus stories for one of them I am annoyed
because one of them is a flashback scenario which would be better before their after stories.
The shenanigans is why I liked ninkoi to begin with but ever since setsugekka koi emaki
it feels like otomate is trying to make this series take itself more seriously like expand
on the setting in detail but stuff I came here for like fanservice felt dry and/or watered down
compared to the original which is just such a shame.
I expected a fandisc but got a sequel with more plot/lore instead of fanservice.
That aside everyone gets marriage ends! wow thanks no not really, suddenly I appreciate
it when only one or two/three characters gets one, I guess I first realized
this with Geten no Hana but happy endings come in all sorts of variations like marriage
would be icing on the cake sure but when there's 10 characters some difference in the end would be nice.
Sometimes I was just like they're just gonna get married in the end... maybe its better to skip lol. 
It is sad if your fav doesn't get one but isn't it nicer to fantasize a little...?

I think each after story is about 3-5 hours, most of which is spend with them graduating
and working together on a mission, marrying and sexy times(maybe).
Every character basically still has their charm and the comedy's decent
but I feel that's lacking overall it may still be nice to wrap things up though.😅
Its funny there's indeed a story to ninkoi but here I am... drawn to the humor, shameless stuff
and the colorful cast of characters, I don't think the core story is bad I just never expected
otomate to get serious about setting and stuff with setsugekka koi emaki's additional ninjas.
 I mostly did one after story a day for some such as Ukita or Tadehito it took me two days
because simple put I lost motivation and they were a drag in general.
Had there never been a FD err I mean sequel I probably wouldn't have cared... I feel like the past
one and a half week have mostly been an exquisite waste of time except for a few characters.
Going to add this right here and I feel its going to be my trademark line for everything 
otome now its impossible to like every character especially in a character game like this.
Sooo I came here for a fandisk with fluff not a sequel with more plot, its like otomate doesn't know
the difference and whatever plot there was felt stretched out to me, completely uninteresting like
I couldn't even keep focused and just let it auto play and I still understood it if I zoned out.
Of course there's a few nice moments but yeah that's it almost not worth to write about.
 Atleast Garaiya's as adorable and chuuni as ever even outside of his own after story. =w=
 Sadly the seal on Kaede's jutsu breaking was just an excuse to give us this poor excuse of a FD... haha round two? why not! except this time with actual character development.
This is why I can still rate it a 6 out of 10 because even if not what I come here for THEY TRIED.

Depending on how much of a ninkoi fan you are... you may enjoy this or you may not
if you're like me and its been too long its better to pass on it, its hard to write
my thoughts on this, the content in this FD(sequel) is just okay I enjoyed what I could, the end.
6/10
Its fine... might have been better if it came out sooner rather than later.

 More ramblings after the jump.

Sangoku Rensenki Sakigake - Trial version Review

 三国恋戦記 魁

Game: [Sangoku Rensenki Sakigake]

Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.

Developer/Publisher: Daisy2.

Platform: PC.

Official Site: http://www.daisy-daisy.in/products/sangoku2/special.html

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v18293

Release date: 2017-08-25

Long awaited new sangoku rensenki game with new heroine and cast

with some old ones making an appearance.

Since it is very likely to get a vita port I just decided to check out the trial now
also I know its bad to judge the full game on a demo but from what I saw I liked.
Also I will write the name as spoken and english equivalent.
You should know that if you aren't into chinese history you'd probably have to give this a pass

buut you might learn a thing or two it would depend on your love for bishonen?!

Tomoe is a highschool girl coming from old fashioned family and talented with the bow

 but has no experience with romance.

The way the story starts gives us a good look at Tomoe's normal life 

but she's really dense and her best friend Nana has to play shipper on the deck

because she can't stand how Tomoe and Kouta are right now.

As in they're friends but its awkward, so Nana figures Tomoe is in love with him

and says they'd should just go out already but Tomoe is like what should I do?

So when she goes to the library Tomoe isn't there and she finds a book

related to the sangoku period and well you guessed it she gets swept away to a world

resembling ancient china in the early three kingdoms period, sadly this time
the protagonist does not choose those who saw victories she chose those who lost. 
Due to choices in the prologue it may differ where you end up
I like this because you get to the route you want right away.
Those who played the original may not sit well with some stuff...
and there's a little false advertisement of fighting heroine often she is forced
to do nothing this I felt in Yuan Shao route that is why I recommend the route of Lu Bu first
because you will see that despite being capable she's a girl and killing is not what she wants.
Its best not to compare too much with previous work but see with open mind.

System: typical VN stuff and daisy2's easy mode is there

so you can see which choice relates to what character and get on a route faster.
I think the demo itself is about 2 maybe 3 hours considering to try all route.

I found a recommended play order in a JP review so I will relay it for you its:
Lu Bu / Dong Zhuo > Yuan Shao > Sun Ce > Hua Tuo.
I think Lu Bu is a good start but according to them Dong Zhuo's not bad either.

Everything written down is what happen early on in the route
if you do not want spoiler just skip character section,  I only saw Yuan shao and Sun Ce
 to the end of demo but everything else is only a little, it probably ended shortly where I stopped.

Suuran Digit Review

数乱digit
Game: [Suran Digit].

Genre: Otome game Visual Novel.

Developer/Publisher: Otomate

Platform: PS Vita.

Official Site: http://www.otomate.jp/suran/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v18161

Release date: 2016-10-20

Suuran digit, its basically a modern wafuu(old japanese style) otome game.
School settings usually put me off but this seemed interesting enough to give it a shot.
Sadly I think not many are interested in it or better put they were but Collar x Malice
and Yuukyuu no Tierblade took all the hype so this otomege went under the rader
well its sorta good it did because it wasn't that amazing or anything
it could've been much better, sure heroine can fight but she's lazy as f**k
and she only really puts effort into it like twice or so.

As much as I love the OP for some reason the full version isn't as good to me, this
is totally normal that the full ver doesn't live up to the TV/Game version.

 For play order I recommend startng with Takagi, this is due to his pacifistic deadpan personality
which can make for a boring route because of his I won't fight or protect you for that matter, lol.
Also for the love of Kuro do Yuuhi's route last since his route has the most spoilers of all
so basically you'll end up with this going from least to most spoilers.
For Meguru its really best to do him ASAP to save what likeability is left in him... 
Takagi > Meguru > Keitarou > Mitsu > Ousuke > Yuuhi.

Pro's
Most if not all charcters was likeable.
- Diverse seiyuu cast(A few popular but not the usual bunch)
- Art and BGM.

Con's
- Short and not enough choices, tbh it feels like mobile game at times.
- Meguru, you are either gonna love or hate him...
- At first it doesn't feel like an otome game.
- copypasta

The prologue, chapter one and two is just the introduction.
Too bad there isn't a lot of choices... and not much happens in the prologue + chapter 1/2
to the point its a long prologue and you'll skip over it everytime since nothing new.
In chapter 3 you get to choose between the rich kids aka the student council
or the poor kids(lol not really) which are part of a club called Suuken.
The common route isn't that long and the routes aren't either, in the first few hours
suran digit doesn't feel like an otome game which is fine the only character that
actively pursues Hiroka is Ousuke but Hiroka will have none of his advances in other routes.
Other than that the system is nothing to write home about, standard VN stuff.

Each route takes about 5 hours to clear(give or take)
If you're fluent japanese and a fast reader maybe even shorter.

Sadly there is copy pasta, some general scenes during the route are almost identical to others
and in some parts exactly the same but the game classify it as new so haha no read skipping.
The best example is the sports festival but good thing is depending who you go for some things
are different like who's side you're on but still it can get annoying some share the same event.

I liked the heroine's personality in general and her lazing around. lol
Also she isn't afraid of picking fights with people! Too bad they made her so unstable
now we have a both cool and lazy heroine at the same time!
But... when I really think about it this is good because no one is perfect and one
who is confident/courageous should be allowed to be overwhelmed and show weakness
but yeah what is consistency! surely there was another way...

The CG scenes are pretty short, they're like how to put it? Fleeting moments.
This is fine with me but a little more dialogue would've been better.
The general scenes are also quick to the point, there isn't any TL;DR but its wasteful.

Overall I wouldn't say its a bad, sure you'll skip like 1/2 hours of common stuff
on 2nd+ play but thats bound to happen, some of the routes are less exciting than others
and speaking of romance in some routes there is not enough of it, the sweet scenes
are too short for me to appreciate them and the ending esp Takagi's makes me wish for more
and I am glad the short stories delivered for once but other than that meh, just the beginning.
As much as I like a diverse cast of characters and their interactions in the case of Suuran Digit its
really a curse rather than a blessing because the first half of the route is a drag in most route
 except all of the routes in the student council arc(Ousuke,Keitarou and Yuuhi)

6.5/10
Is my final verdict, its not outright terrible but it leaves much to be desired.
My personal experience made it a lot better than it may seem but its not that good.
The original score was higher but before the end of the year I decided to look over
 what I played and reduced it by two points because it really wasn't all that great
nor did it leave a memorable impression on me, imho you're better of spending
 your money on Collar x Malice or Yuukyuu no Tierblade if you haven't already
that's not to say Suuran is that bad but... yeah its just doesn't stand out much.

Stop reading hear if you do not want any spoilers, I still avoid mentioning the big topics
and you now my digest are shit and full of my own thoughts sometimes.

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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jyuzaengi ~Engetsu Sangokuden~ 1+2 - Review

十三支演義~偃月三国伝~
Game: [Juuza engi ~Engetsu Sangokuden~ 1+2 ]
Genre: Otome Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Otomate and Red entertainment.
Platform: PSP, PS Vita.
Official Site: http://www.otomate.jp/jyuzaengi/vita/
VNDB:https://vndb.org/v10289
Release date: 2015-08-27


Basically its Dynasty warriors with an otome spin to it, haha...
I can't say my original expectations were particularly high but I was pleasantly surprised
 it turned out to be mostly decent! (the first game atleast can't say the same about the second).
Thankfully the system wasn't annoying... it was decent, I liked the journey system.
RoTK with furries(as in cute animal ear and/or tail)... TBH out of all of them
Ryuubi is the cutest, maybe not romantically but you get the picture?
Not much plot spoilers for the first game atleast just quick thoughts and tbh
you can read elsewhere... I ended up writing more about part 2 because it was a step down
and I love complaining when I don't like things, it good to have opinion though.

This is by no means a loyal otome adaptation of ROTK and if you expect one you will be sorely
disappointed, I actually prefer Sangoku rensenki over this but that might be just me liking its tropes.
The writing is decent but it has issues at times, especially the 2nd game and I do not mind if
its not historically accurate but they make so many changes to turn it into an otome game this is one
of those you want everyone to be happy type of games... and thats what you get esp in the sequel.
This game isn't that bad but if you hate the I want everyone to be happy trope
and considering the setting expect something more serious give it a pass.

Jyuza engi 1, 8/10
I thought this was pretty solid, story is pretty good and great setup even tho they take too many liberties. The war scenes in this game are boring and drag the game on longer than it should
which makes me sleepy, cuz 70% of the time its just boring ossans talking about war tactics
but everything else was A++ and playing Jyuuza2 right after this was a bad idea and I regret
doing so since I loved every route and the continuety of the ends is not there except 1.
Jyuuzaengi 2, 5/10
Story is so-so but once again they take many liberties to change it into an otome game, I didn't
like Chounn & Chouryuu's route this time, plot there was pretty bad, compared to the other route.
 I only really ended up liking 3/4 routes out of 8 at the sequel so I am really disappointed.
The major problem with Jyuza2 is that they want you to forget all of the endings in
th first game cuz it continues from Ryuubi's route, yeah thats right and fine.
Ryuubi's route was still decent and finishes up the overall story nicely in my opinion.
But most of the other routes like Chounn, Chouryuu, Sousou and Kakouton were a drag
since it was a pain seeing Kanu fall in love again, still Chouhi's route was a huge improvement
over what he had in the first game though and Kakouton wasn't that bad.
Shokatsuryou ended up being my favorite in the sequel and Shuyu was eh.
S-e-r-i-o-u-s-l-y don't play these two games back to back, its my one and only mistake.
Though if I had to give it a rating overall it gets a 6.5/10 rating from me
which is a seven at best which is not bad at all.

Pro's
- Overall it has an interesting story and setting.
- Kanu was a pretty awesome heroine.
- Most if not all the guys are likeable (depend on taste tho).
Art and Bgm.
- Seiyuu's A++.
- Kakouton was moe the best boy, even in the sequel which I disliked in general.
- Shokatsuryou.
- Chouhi redeemed himself in the sequel, he was such a cutie pie there.
(I'm just glad it did one thing right at this point.)

Con's
- Ossans talking about boring war tactics, this is just sleep inducing, I can handle stuff like
dynasty warriors and history do interests me but in a visual novel esp otome its just a big no.
(atleast the sequel had less ossans).
- Enshou and Guo Jia are T R A S H.
- Bacho should have had more presence.
- In the 2nd game became too much of a damnsel in some of the routes.
(Huehue CHOUNN, she was still cool but she just wasn't as awesome as before...)
- In the 2nd game some of the routes, no the whole sequel had a weaker plot in general.
(In the case of Chouryuu, I was like I didn't ask for this did I? and for Chounn I was like wtf is this?)
- Sonken and the new guys should have had a route of his own instead of the old one.
(I was okay with Ryuubi's route since he was the OTP but the rest of returning cast are back 
to square one, why not turn them into sub chara and give Sonken and others a chance?).

 So basically TL;DR the sequel was kinda poor with the exception of Shokatsuryou, Shuyu and
Ryuubi's route. I didn't even like Shuyu but his route was OK compared to others.
Tbh I don't hate Jyuza Engi 2, I just feel that some routes like Chounn,Chouryuu,Sousou
aren't worth my time after playing the first game, ESPECIALLY RIGHT AFTER PART ONE
but don't worry I still like this series its great and the protag kicked ass where she could.
Overall I am biased for Ryuubi, Kakouton and Shokatsuryou, I liked Chouryuu route more in the 1st game though in p.2 they turned the fantasy elements up 9000% and I regret doing him last in the sequel. 

-

Playorder... for the first it doesn't matter except Ryuubi should be done either first or last cuz continuity why first? he doesn't have much romance and the thing he has could be jarring.
For part 2 some routes unlock on 2nd play so may as well do Shokatsuryou first, the rest
don't matter much and if you want to end the sequel in a good yet bittersweet way
 I recommend doing Sousou last, definitely not Chouryuu. -_-
Sure it was sweet but... it left a bitter taste in my mouth considering some stuff, seriously
i'd rather have Sousou to end the game with than... whatever the fuck even was Chouryuu's best end.

FAQ
Q: Is the PS Vita port worth it? if I played the PSP versions?
A: Do you like replaying or should I say rereading VN in better resolution? and do you like trophies?
Q: I only played the first game years ago, should I buy this port?
A: Do you remember liking it? by all means go for it if you want the complete experience.
Q: Are there any new additions to the PS Vita version?
A:There are new additions, there is a new epilogue for every character in the first game but
its really short, its hard to say if a 5-10 Minute scene with a CG is worth your time
it may be good for die-hard jyuuza fans but if not... its a pass?
I don't think it is worth it especially if said epilogues are retconned om the sequel.
If you agree like/agree with most of those answers then I say yes go for it.
(I can by no means guarantee you'll like this as a whole, maybe you will, maybe you won't...)
TL;DR/end

Characters ★★★★☆
Art  ★★★★☆(Great.)
Scenario/plot. ★★★★☆(First game 4 star... 3 star for sequel.)
Music★★★☆☆ (Average but no complaints.)
System  ★★★★☆ (Comfy...)
Enjoyment overall ★★★★☆(Good but do not think too hard about it.)

 More ramblings after the jump.