Monday, May 29, 2017

Tsumikui ~Sen no Noroi, Sen no Inori~ for V - Demo Review

Game: [Tsumikui]
Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher:Operetta, Dramatic Create.
Platform: PC, PS Vita.
Release date: 2017-06-29

Well time for another demo because its still a while before the games I am interested
 actually come out and me is bored... so let's try this and well it wasn't so bad at all.

The theme of Tsumikui is sin and reincarnation... and naturally
I was more interested in the past than the present.
Kaoru is a cute heroine but her past self way back in the heian-like period did something 
terrible and its come to haunt her in 20XX aka present time.
Kaoru is quite like a typical shoujo manga heroine... the daily life parts are nice
but honestly they are surprisingly draggy and TL;DR as the game did not pick up untill 
like an hour of highschool chitchat that barely had any importance to the plot except some moment
halfway through when bad people get brought up and Kaoru almost has a heart attack.
Atleast Souta was cute and I get they did it to show that Kaoru's life 
is not going to be the same but it could've been shorter?
It seems that this game mixed some things I like and things I do not like
and executes it in such a way that early on I was basically meh half of the time
but I admit when things picked up it did get better, even if Ren was a little
abrupt in that one scene, he did eventually explain what was going on
and eventually Kaoru is like please help me get out of this mess and well 
Ren is more than happy to help her cannabalize the souls of 1000 criminals
to undo a curse thats been running for generations, if she doesn't do this she'll die.
Of course its not going to go smoothly but that is expected, Kaoru's normal life is shattered
after finding out she's the reincarnation of Sera-hime and she's now being led 
on a cursed path she may or may not find happiness on.
Even then Kaoru needs a little time... because killing people even if they did bad things
doesn't feel right to an average highschool girl like herself but Kaoru is no doormat
she just needed some time to take it all in and is willing to fight for her life.

Either way the demo is of fairly decent length, you'll get to see all of the main guys
but early on you're only spending time with Ren plus they have the nerf to cockblock 
Ren's route behind SIX other guys! sweet mother of Operetta why you do this?!

Pro's
- Interesting story.
- Voiced heroine, her voice is ok, if you don't like it you can turn it off.
- Art, there's moving CG's too.
- Music, fits most of the scenes.

Con's.
- Pacing, TL;DR.
- Two main characters are completely ignored and treated like side characters.
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Gakuen Club ~Houkago no Himitsu~ - Review

Game: [Gakuen Club]
Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Operahouse/Dogenzaka Lab.
Platform: Mobile, PC, PS Vita.
Release date: 2017-2-19 (English)

No one cares about this... but whatever since there is no otome game that's on my list to import
till june I decided to pick up Opera house's other otomege in english and well I mostly
expected another so-so experience since it used to be a mobage afterall and I wasn't far off.
This was originally called Campus Nightlife but they changed the title back to the original and I agree
its much better but if they wanted a proper english title Academy Club would've been enough.

Pro's
- Characters, do it for them as most stories are worth it.
- Art, Melo's art is as beautiful as always.

Con's
- Overall plot is bland but it works I guess.
- Music's meh, definitely not a selling point.
- Copy Pasta.
- Not many choices and they don't matter much.

While I find Gakuen Club to be much better than Charming Empire because the characters
atleast exist outside of their own route and get properly introduced in the prologue
which overall made a much better introduction but other than that it wasn't much better.
 The heroine Akane Koizumi is a goody two shoes, she enrolls at a school after her father got a
promotion and somehow has to be that woman to stay in the kitched after finding out about the secret club.
Here it comes... all the guys are in this secret after school club to get to first place for their personal
wish granted, they need to be popular and cuz they so handsome all the girls squee at them.
If you were expected fun stuff like ouran highschool host club you'd be disappointed, there's
really not much comedy but I liked a scene in Renji's route were Wataru scolds him
 and the heroine, either way from the first route I did I figured all the guys have a dark secret
of why they're doing this, which you'll only find out in their own route and that is perfectly fine.
Either way I found myself slogging myself through the first route I did in this game(Sakai)
 to the point it took me 3 days when its really not that long maybe its because
I don't like school settings or maybe it was the annoying setting and screaming fangirls
but I am glad said fangirls are relatively tame in all of the routes.

Overall I think Charming Empire was still more enjoyable to me, Gakuen Club did some things
better as all characters actually exist outside of their own route but that's where it end.
Charming Empire had choices every chapter... Gakuen Club only had a few
and well they don't matter much story wise they only determine the end as it works
on some kind of point system, not getting enough will get you a normal end
but it not hard to get them right, so its a comfy system nothing rage worthy.
It took me two routes before I found one I could fully enjoy... maybe its
good that I got the bad ones out of the way without realizing, lol.

TL;DR
 I only recommend Gakuen Club if you're dying for another otome game with a decent translation.
Granted I saw a few errors but I didn't find any issues and compared to the dumpster fire
that was taiali's so called localization atleast Charming Empire and Gakuen Club are definitely
more worth your money!(on a sale) also you really shouldn't think about buying taiali in english
not even as a joke, the whole thing was a scam from the start so many warning flags
yet that company took advantage of the one chance we gave them.
Either way the route I liked the most here was Saku's. it was also imo the most well rounded.

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.

Monday, May 1, 2017

Black Wolves Saga Weib und Schwarz - Review

Game: [Black Wolves Saga Bloody Nightmare and Last Hope.]
Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Otomate.
Platform: PC. PSP, PS Vita.
Release date: 2017-1-26

Vita port of BWS contains both games, they're relatively the same in terms of content.
This will be a general review and i'll try to cover both games
so don't expect synopsis or summaries since you should be able to read that elsewhere
I'll try to write more for others but eh I wasn't very motivated for some.
For the sake of all that is unholy I decided to start with BN because it was the first
to be released back then, may as well keep it consistent shall we? and well all I can say is that
I am glad I got this out of my backlog since I got it out of sheer curiosity.
TBH for BN all I remember is nazi cats and an angry wolf fighting each other
over a woman called Elvira they once liked but met an unfortunate end and the hatred
went on for a couple of years, how unlucky for Fiona to be the split image? \(⌒‿⌒)/
Sadly Fiona was engaged to Mejojo since she was little, he's way older than her too! what a pedo.
The main focus of BN is the cats... while LH focus on the wolves
 so it obvious the others sorta get the shaft in the game they're not the focus of.

Unlike the previous game I played this game was better in its overall presentation?
BN had a powerful opening, LH was slower and more otome-ish either way
this game is like a rollercoaster it starts off great then slows down and before you know
 shit went down because come on you knew it was gonna happen it just a matter of when.
Without spoiling that basically how the rest went down too... 😅
People weren't kidding when they said this game had an overall decent plot but uh
I had a hard time categorizing BN as an otome game untill I got to Julian, lol.

Pro's
- Interesting world and story.
- Most characters are interesting but some...
- Art.
- Bgm.

Con's
- Long common route, skip fest on 2nd+ play.
- Read skip was 2slow...
- The otome game bit may leave to be desired, felt more like straight-forward vn at times
and romance wasn't the focus I guess the twistedness was.
- If you don't like abuse stay away from Bloody Nightmare.
- Auger.

The OP is great, but oh boy that bias...

Well the bgm was stellar, A++voice acting and distinct art style, the narrative
at BN was quite brutal and shocking, most characters all seemed to be pretty twisted
but I can't help but be interested in them, sasuga rejet.
There's not much hope of romance with some of them? but I could already tell
this was not the main focus of the game, the intriguing story and dark fantasy theme was.
Heroine is ok considering her upbringing little did she know her peaceful life would turn
 into hell after all of that, can't help but feel bad for her not being able to do much.
 That said I liked how Fiona was in Mejojo's bad end at LH she was able to end him
since he was schizo and she didn't want to pretend to be someone she is not.
whoops did I just spoil something.. oh I guess I did glad it wasn't full context.
Moving on the story seems to ride on past events and there were a lot of flashbacks
which made for a very long common route, BN took me like 3/4 days to get through
also don't get me started on the switching of POV at times it felt like a regular VN but it seemed
LH had more unique content for each chara except the twins borrowing from each other.


I guess Zara was my fav next to Julian but he felt out of place.

No annoying system to rage about this time unlike the last otomege I played
its just the same old VN stuff, BWS may seem long the first time and yes it is long
 but sadly the BWS games are mostly common route so on 2nd+ play it'll just fly by
with a few pit stops here and there, just pay attention during your first play...
the political intrigue and zodivia bits were pretty interesting and so was
Mejojo,Auger's, Rath's and Arles past but I thought it was paced badly at times.
I think the common was way too long, you know I can stand common routes like in KgK
with a decent route after it but BWS was literally 90% common 10% individual...
and it wasn't that romance oriented and at times I had a hard time questioning
why Fiona fell for certain characters coughMejojo&Augercough.
Most of the torture scenes in BN were on automode and couldn't help but laugh...
at how crazy they were, yeah its shocking but it didn't faze me much.

TL;DR Fans of dark fantasy & twisted characters do not want to miss out on this
even if the otome part of the game may leave to be desired, some routes or end
may just be too much and I had a hard time to categorize this as full otome but
I think its still worth it if one wants something different from the usual stuff.
Whatever floats yer boat I suppose... 
I'm actually glad I finished it so fast because I couldn't care about half of the dudes because some
were completely unlikeable and when they did become bearable hint Guillan it was too late for me to care.
7/10

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Teikoku Kaleido -Banka no Kakumei- - Review

Game: [The Charming Empire]
Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Operahouse/Dogenzaka Lab.
Platform: Mobile, PC, PS Vita.
Release date: 2017-2-19 (English)

I got this game on steam because it seemed interesting and to take a break 
from a more heavy VN, something lighter seemed appropiate and so I bought this even though
I usually do not bother with english games and well I also supported Nightshade.
It had good art and the translation seemed decent oh and its fully voiced!
The music is a bit eh though... and the system was so standard
I could figure out the right choices without using a guide(if there was one)
and if I guessed the wrong one i'd reload usually but I still got the happy end first
the opposite choice led me to a normal end overall it was an easy ride no guide needed.
Well sometimes a simple otome game is good...
The whole theme of this is... what if I fell in love with a rebel leader?

Pro's
- Simple but decent plot and heroine was more proactive than i'd thought she'd be.
- Enjoyable routes, atleast imho.
- Art.
- Voiced

Con's
- Decent in length but its not that long really.
- Three of the romanceable characters don't have presence outside of their own route.
- Music, its sorta average and just there.

Though I found it weird how we suddenly got an introduction of the guys in the prologue
in a fashion thats totally out of place they even show random CG's but turns out this is intended.
It probably was for the mobage part to get you to buy the individual route and was
 too much of a hassle to change it for the steam version which comes with all.
 The prologue just serves as an introduction to the general story it'll change based on route.

The heroine Amane lives and ordinairy life with her grandparents in the countryside
 till she is summoned to the capital by her older brother who's also the ruler of the country.
Overall I think the heroine's okay, she's not a blank slate and will say what's on her mind or
atleast try and knowing this was a mobage I honestly was surprised at how proactive she is.
You start the routes right away after Soushi tells you why your here and I unfortunately 
picked Sera first and they just shove him into the scenario and pretend he was sitting
 in the car the whole time, quality writing amiright but overall it got a little better.
I know mobage stories are usually meh but it turned out ok... atleast make your story 
and characters consistent don't give me a prologue and suddenly go back to it
because hey, this guy was here the whole time! (lol Sera.)
The only flaw is that except Soushi,Kagemitsu and the guy whom's route your on disappear from
the face of the earth, I learned from Sera's route Kagemitsu's apparently a childhood friend
and Soushi's advisor but Sera a bodyguard and Kei another tutor don't exist outside their own route.
I never saw Tanba outside of his own route either oh well its good to see them focus on
 the individual but don't make it look like they come crawling from under some rock, lmao.

Playorder won't matter that much, Kei's route is the most self contained
so he may be best done first so in the end  I recommend this order:
Kei > Kagemitsu > Seras > Soushi > Tanba

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Wand of Fortune R2 ~Jikuu ni Shizumu Mokushiroku~ review

The R still stands for RNG.
ワンド オブ フォーチュン 2 ~時空に沈む黙示録~
Game: Wand of Fortune R2.
Alternative titles: Wand of Emofest 2.
 Genre: Otome Visual Noel
Developer/Publisher: Otomate.
Platform: PSP, PS Vita.
Release date: 2017-3-09

Sequel to Wand of Fortune, continues from the true end, the guys are friendzone and Lulu
obtained all da elements and starts to see the world in pretty colors like she's high or something
anyway Lulu continues working hard with her newly obtained magic she loves so much but
Bilal has to move back to his country so Lulu gets sad, Edgar decides to take a memorial picture...
however something weird happens they get send to the past right sometime before the great latinum war.
-Yeah that right it no longer present time otome hogwarts and casually dating boys
 while studying magic since for better or for worse they tried to give WoF actual plot...
WoF was never about story but they didn't really try to make the overall interesting
the characters are what make it a whole lot better than its premise is.
That's not to say it wasn't interesting but the past is none of the characters concern
it only created a situation for them to mature (by angst n shit)-
 
When Lulu wakes up she meets some dude called Solomon, I know they spell it out as
Salo-mon but screw their romanization so give me a break please, I don't hear an ''a'' in there.😙
She find the others rather quickly and they realize they've been send into the past
sadly Lulu's wand breaks but gets a new trinket that will help them all return and Solo will fix her
wand but she has  to go through a lot of trouble first to get with her man of choice, cue tedious system!
The system is a little less annoying not once was I like uh I'm going to do something else...
I was more than motivated to start on the next dude's route and make a little progress.
 Anyway the whole prologue made me realize how much I love the boys of Wand of Fortune and
I loved seeing them adjust to their new situation.. some of it was absolutely hilarious to the point
the prologue took me forever to go through but all fun things must come to an end
and it was also hilarious seeing the guys react to Lulu's new clothes.

Sadly unlike WoF R containing its fandisc Mirai no Prologue, WoF R2 does not include its
respective fandisc I do not know why maybe both games were too much content or otomate just
want to milk the Wand of Fortune series for a little while longer whatever the case I was disappoint
but I think they did it because they want to put some time between it just as when they first released
and the only reason WoFR came with the FD was because WoFR2 retconned the romance anyway.
Also if you're gonna play this for the love of Julius do Solomon last, it won't even make sense if
you did him first or midway not sure if there was a lock on his route since no one mention that
and imo his route was the most interesting anyway.

Pro's
- Character development.
- Art, should be obvious no?
- System is more straight-forward but sigh rng.

Con's
- Boring linear plot. To be fair, WoF never had an amazing overall story.
- Copy pasta, some common route key events are the same just with different character.
- BGM its meh and sorta grating to the point I had to lower it.
- If I have to sit through the whole dragon RNG for ~extra~ one more time...

Here's the opening, its not as charming as WoF R was but its still good.
Sadly it only plays during the prologue, we get a boring monologue when starting the game up
instead, sigh otomate  you had one job one! I do not need to hear  welcome to the world 
of 350 years ago everytime I start up the game, let me relax with a nice song FFS.


Its not like I want to help you baka.
Like the prequel for the port they made the system slightly less tedious but it still tedious
and you can now make many stones at a time instead of one by one.
You pick a partner and have to go around picking up garbage so Lulu can make element stones
from them and you need atleast 50 stone to get the best ending of each character and you need
 not worry of having to match elements, if you go for Lagi its ok to have lots of earth too
since it all add up ofc you need to make like 80 stones for the grand finale but that's really it.
For story reasons some characters are also paired up with each other like Bilal/Lagi, Noel/Julius,
Est/Solomon and well Alvaro is the only one who's solo since no one wants to deal with him.😂
Certain common events also happen if you pick a different partner like Bilal getting his spirit
or Solo removing the seal from Est so that his tattoo shows, these aren't even spoilers because it
happen around turn 7 which is really early on in the game, this also shows how linear it is.
You also collect all these items from chest after scavenging through the same area multiple times
you can combine them for new items which you need for key events, even on vita playing
this game without a guide is definitely not recommended dunno how different
it was from the PSP ver but I doubt there was much difference in some cases
 like Lily's feather you need it to gather in an area to avoid frogs and you need a mirror
to reflect the cockatrice's stare of death right back at it but that's it really.
I think the system is okay but too repettive, all I can recommend is save often
sadly you can't save on the MAP screen but you can before selecting an action for the day
and well due to certain aspects I am about to go into reloading is still a prime feature in WoF!
My sincere condolences if you played this on PSP.
  It didn't take me long to realize this game suffers from the same terrible RNG the first
game has, past turn 10 enemies keep showing up RANDOMLY and as turns out
you need to save after every turn or use backlog jump to prevent you from running
into one unneededly, its really random if one show up or not so here I sat reloading 10~ times
to avoid or get one to show up, the guide I used has you fight one dragon atleast once during route
which is more than enough, btw its not actually fight you just use one element stone and bam. ~_~
I also went off the turn order because I was like hmm lets fight enemy if one show up...
but turns out then you can't get treasure chest on the exact turn as in the guide
cuz you didn't ~search~ because some RNG monster show up to cockblock.
 Enemy encount is random and dragons are super rare...
Also you can only do 1 action every turn, so people saying fight every dragon u see and I am like
no, not if you want those treasure chest since you can't make stones AND search/take holiday.

So when you take a holiday to get the feather from Lily do Mira's events alongside it as you get a
trophy for it, the guide I used never mentioned you can visit more than one chara at a time so please do if you want.You actually get to do Mira's event later down the line in Est/Solo routes but there's
no reason aside from Lily and Mira to actually meet the other characters on holiday.
PS: One needs to waste 5 days to visit Lily before she gives you the feather, Y is she so bitchy?
TFW the 4koma's drop from a bunch of random dragon more rage on that down below.
Anyway holy shit RNG was no doubt the most annoying thing, the gathering part itself wasn't
even a problem but hey otomate had to add RNG factor to it to still make it hell! the whole
RNG give me war flashback of WoF1 when chara refusing to hang out forcing one to use
backlog or quickload and try again wand of fortune? more like wand of misfortune. -_-
Even if the wof games gets an eng release I do not want to go through this twice
nor really recommend anyone to suffer it even though the chara's and stuff make up for it.
Same Noel same..  this is how I feel about the system after doing all the routes in the game.
To complete extra section you need to get item drop, every character has a specific area
where you could get an item drop from a rare dragon luckily the guide I used has you save
at the end when you have a few day left so just reload and search the area
 that is the same as their element as say Lagi's whom's drop is at Nebula road
but here it comes you need to fight a rare dragon who is RANDOM.
 OTOMATE Y YOU DO THIS?! so here I sat after finishing their routes revisiting a certain area
wondering wtf am I even doing because RNG wasn't going in my favor and for some character
 the dragon took its sweet time to show up while for other it just popped instantly.
After u did all that u unlock 4koma honestly Julius, Lagi and Bilal's were the only funny ones...
 Solo's was ok but Est's one was stupid and Noel's tried too hard to be funny. ~_~
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Despite my rage above it should be obvious by now that if you haven't played WOF before these ps vita
ports are better than the originals because the system has been relaxed and also there are new CG's.
If you don't feel like suffering through part one you could start with this since it gives you a
digest, please note that you will still miss out on teases in the prequel even if individual route don't matter.
The digest won't cover everything, I agree that the system is too much work though but hearing
Edgar fill you in on the details is just not the same in fact it was boring, WoF is definitely one of
those otome games where you have to work hard to get your happy ends, you should take the
journey with Lulu from the very beginning to get the full experience not jump in half way.😗
Except if the original WoF already satisfied you but I guess you wouldn't be here
 if that was the case or would you? oh well whatever if you like gameplay in your VN's
you shouldn't pass up on the WoF series even if said gameplay is terribad.

Without spoilers WoF2 was decent and the emofest that you could call character development was
worth it despite the overall plot being meh, it was linear the war stuff they get caught up in
is only a plot device to get them to mature in some route it was good in other it was bad the
 character shine the most but it ok TBH the overall plot in the prequel wasn't any better
which was actually just hang with a guy and snatch an element magic to be able to stay at school.
The system has been relaxed a great deal and despite RNG it shouldn't be that annoying...
Anyway most of the plot just exists to go deeper into the characters, hmm how to put it?
Like the game makes clear the future and the past are connected in more ways than one!
I only really liked a few events here and there plus the ending for most character, most of
the route itself was decent except, Bilal or Noel. Julius was the most balanced/actual fun
to me and sadly during most of the routes boring/slow paced moments I kept
zoning out except Julius, Solo, Est and Alvaro.
I AM SO SAD the sequel doesn't come with the FD but perhaps it understandable it was too much
work and they want to put a little space between it but I need the happy epilogues. Q_Q
Common route could take up to 2~ hours maybe shorter depending on new events, 3/4 hour for
individual so overall that decent in length, also I wish they'd just fully voice Lulu none of this
only a line here and there like before going out adventuring or like with casting magic
its such a waste of Horie Yui's lovely voice and its just weird to suddenly hear her speak. -_-
 Anyway some parts were great other parts not so great... but overall it was decent.
Atleast otomate understands we like our memories so unlike another company doesn't
remove old cg just because they may or may not be derpy and otomate still added new ones.
I don't really care for the tragic end only Bilal's was appropiate, but usually I force skip those.
There's an imbalance of romance in some route due to some focusing more on character issues
but overall it was ok, routes like Bilal just made me drowsy and with Noel its like I like you
but they made poor Noel look so pathetic I was like what now? I almost can't bear this...
On the other hand Lagi, Est and Solo were totally fine especially the latter.
Julius had the most balanced route in the game and thats a little sad
I'd love to say it was Alvaro but he's just a troll so lol nope (Atleast Lulu owns the shit outta him)
which is probably why everyone loves Alvaro's route.
I finished this much sooner than expected since the system never tired me, ok it partly 
annoyed me but it was much better, so if you love the first game don't miss out on this.
7/10
I recommend it to fans of the original but if you already played these games before you are better off
buying the artbooks, the new cg's are great and all but not sure if worth two times the suffering.
You can brush that it aside if you are just that of a hardcore WoF fan and need to buy every port it gets though.
Now if you'll excuse me I'll go sit in a corner and play other otomege while
waiting for the eventual port of the WoF2FD, adios amigos.

More rambles after the jump if u care about that.

Saturday, April 8, 2017

Harukanaru toki no naka de 3 Ultimate - Fujiwara no Yasuhira DLC review

Putting this route seperate because its DLC... also it wasn't that long so I am glad
I got it out of the way and I ended up buying after all because
even if this dude is an uptight asshole he still deserves a happy end.
Also let me be clear this is the only DLC I bought for this game.
Not like anyone cares... it must suck if you don't have a jpn psn on your vita...

Fujiwara no Yasuhira is voiced by Toriumi Kousuke.
You must atleast do Kurou's shinsenen event in chapter 2 and sit through 
the Izayoiki normal end first... to watch Yasuhira meet a pitiful end because 
some of his events require Nozomi to have prior knowledge to know what's up.
 (This CG isn't from his route... but from Shirogane's side story sometime before his ending
and well the decision of Nozomi to see Yasuhira made Shirogane very sad, kinda stupid.)

His events take place when the party after being betrayed decided to go to Hiraizumi.
Yep you have to play the game normally to access his route, which makes the
decision for it to be DLC even more questionable than ever before. 
 It basically Nozomi putting her nose where it doesn't belong like the first time she makes
food for him together with Saku he's like bitch get out I didn't ask for this did I?
Wow rude! even Nozomi is like you ungrategful bastard how dare you!
Nozomi runs into him later in the mountains near Hiraizumi and when
she doesn't go back as told he just grabs her arm and drags her back with him
because he can't have a little kitten get lost in his backyard, he's like what a cute face 
you're making, never been touched by a man like this or sth but as soon as they 
get back to town he let's go of her arm and excuses himself.
Yasuhira disappears in a flash of light and Benkei wonders why Nozomi is spacing out like that
and so he explains that she was merely looking at Yasuhira's shiki cue benkei teasing her.
They meet again later after Nozomi plays around with Kugane, who jumped into the pond.😅
Kugane is Kurou's dog  that Yasuhira is looking after because he's not that mean, he's glad
 she looked after this mendokusai dog till he came to fetch it but there's no need to thank him
and well Kugane gets all excited and even if Yasuhira tells him not to jump on him
when he's wet it lead to a hilarious scene sigh look at what you've gone and done now?
Yasuhira is wondering why she's staring so much while he's all wet...
well anyone would stare when a hot bishie is drenched, he tells her to fuck off as usual.
Shirogane comes around and wonders what's up... Yasuhira tells him not to go into it further
and they leave, Nozomi goes for a walk in the mountains she asks Kurou some stuff 
before she goes off on her own and finds some secret hideout cavern
oh and none other than Yasuhira is there telling her what a no good miko she is.
He tells her about some stuff that happen between Kanazawa and Oushu a hundred years ago
 then Nozomi's gekirin tries to send her off somewhere she doesn't want to go, Yasuhira pulls
 her back somehow and tells her if she values her life to not go near this mountain again.
When she gets back to the residence after purifying all those weird ass stones and Hinoe rejoins the
group but before going to Taisha Saku tells her Shirogane was looking for her so she goes to
Yasuhira's place who is all like the fuck you doing here i'm in the middle of a meeting!
Shirogane politely explains he's the one who asked her to come or more accurately fo Saku to pass
the message, Yasuhira is like how annoying and Shirogane immediately apologizes anyway
 he has Shirogane and Nozomi help him on a trip near Kanazawa for some banquet
 and when the day came Yasuhira cannot believe she actually showed up! 
He later just ups and grabs her and pulls her up on his horse stays her to put up with it
Nozomi tells him of the time in the mountains when he took her hand and he immediately
goes ugh don't bring that up and before you know it they've arrived at their destination.
Finally there and when the talks are over he gives her a fan...  and has her dance 
at the banquet to entertain the guests, Yasuhira compliments her.
 Oh well they fight some onryou at Taisha and Kagetoki shows up near Hiraizumi
Hidehira/Mitachi gets injured and winter comes, signaling a fight 
is about to break out between Hiraizumi and the genji.
Nozomi will act on it and the whole Taisha construction was so Yasuhira
can perform some Mahakala ritual...
Yasuhira is like its no use talking to me get out let me do what I think is correct to save Hiraizumi.
 Plot proceeds as normal and there's not much Nozomi can do... she remembers the fond moments
Yasuhira tells her this is Hiraizumi's problem ever since a 100 years ago and tells her to get lost.
 The soul devouring witch Masako shows up and the others head to Taisha
Yasuhira ends up sealing her using the Mahakala ritual and all is well that ends well?
Hakuryuu gets ready to send Nozomi back to her world and everyone sees her off however
 one person isn't coming because he got gangbanged by some goons when out in the countryside
because he ordered Shirogane to stay with the miko, those goons were out for revenge
 against Hidehira? or whoever since Yasuhira was behind that plot and used Shirogane to do it
however this time Nozomi finds him lying there half dead, he wanted her to just go back to 
her world knowing nothing since he knows all too well this is the path he has chosen.
 It sorta makes him happy that she was worried and cried for him...so now Nozomi
uses her scale of the white dragon to go back in time and change his fate.
Back when she made the bento she takes a different approach and so he wonders what is up with her.
Oh and realizing it was his shiki when he walked her back to town she couldn't but feel him up
making him ??? it wasn't as lewd as I made it sound so forgive me, she goes to the cavern that 
would surely mean her death but tells her she knows what it is he's trying  to do now with those
shiki's and also tells him of the future in which he dies because he tried to stop Masako with the
mahakala ritual,  anyway you should know by now who Masako is... she is a manipulative witch
who's also a god(荼吉尼天) who's been around for some time by eating peoples souls 
anyway this is his fight  not hers she shouldn't meddle in it, also don't come here ever again 
if you do not wish to be warped to times unknown to you, Nozomi decides help Yasuhira out 
and that she will change his fate that was decided a 100 years ago, yasuhira is like lol what
I will defeat dakiniden with the ritual there's no way for you to risk your life for mine.
Nozomi goes to the mountain cavern alone determined to change Yasuhira's fate in the distant past.
Yasuhira decides to come with her too he can't quite believe it either but yeah...
They find what appears to be Masako in a different form, that of a fox 
or more likely her original form, Nozomi decides to defeat it but Yasuhira ends up protecting 
Nozomi from one of her attacks not to worry it was just one of his shiki's but Yasuhira 
in the present ends up feeling some of its pain and says that he is living for her sake now.
Meanwhile Nozomi faces Masako aka the dakiniten alone and lives to tell the tale
after that Yasuhira shows up and seals it. (anticlimatic isn't it?)
In the ending its revealed that in the present he was able to sneak away from his duties...
oh well Yasuhira's fate has been changed and the two live happily ever after not that we get
to see that in detail, the writers didn't care so I won't either and no I didn't leave anything out.
Let's greet a new dawn together.
I'm indifferent about Yasuhira, he appeals to me but romantically IDK... the route didn't
do much to make me like him more... the story was okay I guess but a little disappointing?
Yasuhira doesn't even get a side story like all the other guys(let alone a decent epilogue)
I can see why some are just disappointed its been over a decade and this is what we get...
I'm sorry to sound ungrateful but when characters such as Hinoe, Yuzuru, Ridvan or Masaomi
get decent side story epilogues why can't the rest of the guys? the others just get some bridge the gap
or reminisce story and I just sigh deeply it can't be that hard to keep it consistent.
Not that all of that matters because Yasuhira still gets the short end of the stick.
My summary prolly isn't accurate enough but I don't care since who cares about half of the
plot of Yasuhira doing stuff because of shit that's been brewing since 100 years ago.
The romance was very subtle and the ending is only the beginning of their relationship
but that's the case with most ending in the original game so I shouldn't complain.
I just wish there was a side story like all the other characters have...
In the end even if he has a route now and has become 'romanceable' I can't help but
say its a waste because KOEI didn't put all of their effort into it.
You know its bad when the average fanfiction writer will be able to come up with something
better ever since the izayoiki game came out on ps2 including a decent epilogue.
Even otomate usually delivers on that. -_-
TL;DR its not worth it especially when KOEI already overprice this game
you can't tell me its gonna cost more just cuz u fully voice it while removing cg for new ones
all while the content people buy it for like yasuhira has to be bought seperately for 25$
if you didn't preorder had they just include it then yes it would be more passable.

Its also sad that half of his cg's are a vertical bar that doesn't even get recorded in the
gallery so lol it obv KOEI is cheapening out they even used a variation of Nozomi's dance CG 
all they did was change the color of the fan, i'm not shitposting just posting the cold hard truth.
Do I recommend this piece of DLC? only if you want to romance Yasuhira that badly, I do not think
this is worth 2500yen and firmly believe it should've been in the game in the first place.
KOEI goes and gives their vita port an ultimate subtitle well if it was the ultimate 
experience you wouldn't have to sell this route as DLC.  (눈_눈)
Okay I admit that was harsh, though they should have put this in the game to begin with.
 Romance ★★☆☆☆
Plot ★★☆☆☆
Enjoyment overall ★★☆☆☆
~
Maybe you'll see me with a post on haruka3unmei no labyrinth soon that is if they port it
but it is sure tempting to buy a psp copy for 35$... hmmm what to do?
Anyway it won't be soon give me a few months or so, also tfw blogger think it made
a duplicate of a concept post and overwrite one in the process, sigh.

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Blue Reflection Sword of the girl who dances in illusions - Review

Game: [Blue Reflection: Sword of the girl who dances in illusions.]
Genre: JRPG.
Developer/Publisher: Gust and Koei Tecmo.
Platform: PS Vita, PS4.
Release date: 2016-11-02

Well another JRPG game review because after Haruka 3 I felt like actually playing an actual JRPG
and not one that only has gameplay to drag out the VN parts anyway I enjoyed playing Blue
Reflection despite it being rather short and far from perfect, I see no reason to dislike it.
If you think this is another waifu simulator think again its about girls growth etc.
I'm sure most people are like wait another highschool RPG like persona but this time
its highschool girls by day and magical girls fighting evil in the moonlight? (lol)
I admit it sorta was like that too but I still played it and enjoyed it for what it is.
I am not good at writing these sorts of reviews but sometimes I just do em.


Pro's
- Likeable Heroine/Protag.
- Most if not all characters are likeable.
- Art.
- Music.
- Distinct style, this game really stands out.
- Magical girls.

Con's
- Short & no replay value, once you are done(platinum) you are really done.
- Part voiced, only main events, sub events are mute.
- Weird camera angles catering to fetishes.
- Can get a tad repetitive.
- Battles are too easy no matter the difficulty.

Hinako cosplaying as Rorona.
Blue reflection is gusts newest JRPG, the heroine Hinako injured her foot
 and thus can no longer pursue her hobby ballet with joy which depresses her.
She goes back to school after absence its already summer... she missed a whole season
but starts to notice something weird and in a surprise turn of events becomes a magical girl
thanks to Lime and Yuzu who encouraged her oh and they are also classmates?
Together they go help students at their school overcome their depression, doubt or simply put first world problems.
Everyone once in a while a giant boss pops up because it was attracted to people flipping their shit.
That's actually a good way to summarize it.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Harukanaru Toki no Naka De 3 Ultimate - Review

Original PS2 cover art because its pretty.
 遙かなる時空の中で3
 Game: [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De 3 Ultimate]
English title: Haruka beyond the stream of time 3.
Genre: Otome Game RPG.
Developer/Publisher: Ruby Party, Koei Tecmo.
Platform: PS2. PSP, PS Vita.
Release date: 2017-2-23

Even tho I was bummed by gentou rondo I decided to give this game a chance and
I wish I found this game a lot sooner... but I alas, when I finally didI had a lot to write
about it and since almost no one did, justice will be served!

Anyway there's a demo on the japanese PSN for you to try if you have doubts
but I think anyone who plays RPG's can enjoy it regardless, the heroine isn't weak and won't hesitate
to take to the battlefield; she's involved in everything, the scenario is interesting
 what more do you want? but it relies on historic fact so it might still be difficult
if you don't know a lick about japanese history.

Pro's
- Good story if you're into history.
- Capable heroine, starts out average but becomes too perfect.(can't decide if bad)
- There will be someone that strikes your interest more than others but every character is likeable .
- Art, this speaks for itself but I love the original character designs/artworks.

Con's
- If you do not like RPG-like gameplay in your VN's avoid.
- Not every route is well balanced with plot and romance at times it depends.
- Characters have interesting motivations in their own route, yet in another their objective cease to matter, I know this is normal but it could've become super interesting.
- The heroine is going to make or break this game for you.
- Its annoying to learn all combination attacks and some CG's are gotten outside of routes
ala sub event style.

So Koei decided to port Haruka 3 and Izayoiki to the vita, fully voicing it and adding new CG's.
No its not a remake but more like a full voice special with Izayoiki included.
Being full voiced does make it a better experience and make scenes that much more worthwhile.
They also added a DLC route for Fujiwara no Yasuhira... since he was a popular sub chara
in Izayoiki, the reason for a DLC route is because its an obvious quick cash grab to insert
a new route for yet another port of a game that was first made and released in 2004
yet you still need to pay up to get it also you need to play the game normally
up untill a certain point which further proves it should have just been in the game from the start
 as this isn't a mobage but KOEI is greedy and most fans just bought the LE for the code.
Sucks to be one of those who didn't eh? anyway let's stop taling about DLC...
Moving on, one animated scene was removed the first one is still in but the second one isn't.
Also some CG's have been completely replaced with  new ones and/or close ups.
Which I think is a shame... granted some of them did look derpy but a lot are still there so who cares?
I see a lot of japanese review complaining about slight changes such as the above but
I've been mostly enjoying myself, I think its a nostalgia factor but its such a hassle
 to do everything in this game I did just wanted to do something else at one point
and take my mind of off it and well I did!(it was like a one week break more or less)
Uh that's it for nonsensical rambles about why this got a port I guess.

Anime OVA
On the topic of the anime OVA's I do not recommed them...
I only watched it again because KOEI put it up on their ruby party channel but I wish I ignored it.
Not only is it a waste of time it also spoils important parts besides it doesn't do
the game justice as its extremely rushed like it drops you in the middle of a story.
Certain stuff don't even make sense and are completely original, like for example
 Benkei never leaves the party and does jack shit outside of his own route
still he's thee type of chara you will be watching out for regardless.
 Its only nice as fanservice when you've completed the game already and want to see the
boys''animated'' sadly Benkei without his cloak just looks weird to me but they
 probably didn't have funds to draw the casual outfits so they had to do it like that.
Also I like how they just spoiled an important detail of Saku's route like its nothing. -_-
Honestly I dislike the OVA's because they're so confusing as it has no beginning and no proper
ending, something you'll only find in the game, OVA felt like spoiler collection
or better put an advertisement to get people interested if anything.

''So what is the difference between the original haruka 3 and izayoiki? LET'S GET INTO THIS!
None, back then izayoiki was an alternative version on ps2 you could ''mix joy'' if you had both disc
and unlock additional elements, the story is the same and Izayoiki had new endings for everyone
plus new scenario for Shirogane and Tomomori route(Tomomori mixjoy only) never mind that since
everything is included in ultimate sorry for the wall o text and if it sounds confusing but no one will
probably bother writing up about this game in detail, in ultimate you no longer need that mixjoy crap
and everything is included except Yasuhira being DLC which I couldn't be bothered to get at first.''

Story
The story of Haruka 3 is set during the Heian period and is based on the tale of the heike.
The heroine Kasuga Nozomi gets summoned by a shota!Hakuryuu, Masaomi and Yuzuru get dragged
along with her to an alternate world that is similair to Kyoto at the end of the heian period.
Sadly I know almost nothing about the heian period so most of the lore is lost on me...
but hey atleast there is wikipedia... or maybe your local library has japanese history books
Still I felt that I did learn a few facts from this... even if its ofcourse not accurate KOEI did their best.
Not needed but kinda recommended to read up on a tale of the heike a little
before playing this so you know some facts, skimming the wikipedia is fine.
Also if you do not like stories about war and all the drama that comes with it give this
 game a pass because you will have to partly be ok with that sort of stuff
i'm not saying to not give it a chance but if you're unsure there is a demo, the heroine is pretty
involved though and compared to other games I played I enjoyed this a lot more.
Anyway Taira no Kiyomori was reincarnated as a kid and tries to use zombies to take over japan
so it up to the miko to save us all, luckily she has eight beautiful men at her disposal, that all you need to know.
After obtaining the scale of the white dragon Nozomi... is literally stuck on groundhog day
trying to change everyones fate while learning their darkest secrets even after ending up with
one of the guys and knowing they're fine now she happily goes to chase another. ~_~
If this was a shoujo manga the main couple would obviously be Masaomi 
with Yuzuru cringing in the background. lmao don't hurt me for this. 😂😂😂
I honestly love the idea of this... so many times I liked a character in game/anime
whom's fate was not desirable and now you can save them! again I wish I found this sooner.

I enjoyed playing through the demo when it came out a few week before the game did
 and it only solidified my purchase, I love RPG's and this game was much better developed than
Haruka6's system.
On repeat play Affections/bonds carry over since its continues, routes are basically self contained whoever you pursue will alter events because priority and sometimes even the last boss changes. 
The way this was done makes haruka 6 gentou rondo look like it tried too hard to be like this game.😅
The overall story in every route is mostly the same beat the Heike! like I said depending on route
things change in favor of the guy because his motivation take priority over others whom fall into 
the background, its honestly pretty sad because it could've gotten more interesting sometimes
the story takes an unexpected turn and in my opinion Shirogane's route was the best at that
all of the routes were more or less selfcontained, Kurou and Kagetoki's
 routes were related but other than that no route spoils anothers issues. 
It may seem like a really long game but it not that long as it seems, all you need is
motivation & after I got everyones love end I was like? let's take a short break since
 I was so done at that point hench why this took me like a whole month.

~Gameplay~
The game plays like a traditional RPG, however since this came out in 2004 it hasn't aged well
anyway you move Nozomi around on an overworld map and the big shiny light is your next objective
the small multi colored dots are places battles may or may not occur, the encounter rate was pretty
high and battles are pretty slow, I never noticed which dude had the lower encounter
rate skill but not that it matters since wiki said he's almost never in the party. -_-
There's no time limit so there is no rush, some character events may disappear
after story progresses so becareful I suppose, just look at the hints or use a good guide.
While the battle system is pretty slow you can atleast skip animations, you also upgrade
your characters by using element points so they become stronger, battles are mostly fought
using magic techniques and when the guy is out of MP you cheer them so they recover some.
There's combination attack between hachiyou members too but you have to raise the bond between
them to 2 at most and grinding takes time, if one barely use both chara at the same time
just by playing normally you'd prolly never get all of them unless
you like fighting battles for no reason and often switch the party around.
I recommend to spend time fighting battles since combi's do increase their usability
sadly without a good guide you will miss them the easiest one for me was Hinoe x Atsumori?
but since you need to make certain choice along the way the rest was a pain in the neck because the
bond only increase by buffing, guarding and the one need to be raised has to be put in the center. 
Honestly by the time you get all of them you'll be more than done with it all... there's little use 
for half of the combinations other than be able to mix it up when things get monotonous.
Kumamo boys~
There's also ailments and the like but yeah its an rpg so you should expect that sort of stuff!
Benkei is your healer, Saku can cure ailment, Ridvan, Kurou and Masaomi are fighters
but some of the rest are sorta just there doing stuff like Kagetoki and Yuzuru's are rangers
but to me they are just like any other unit like Atsumori or Hinoe.
I just make my party based on their usability and whom's route I was on and so character
 like Benkei was always around and seriously who wouldn't put him in their party?
Thankfully there was no trophy for learning all skills, thank god for that because some
require you to be hit by ailments in order to learn them and that requires RNG bullshit.
 Honestly I did enjoy the battle system and general gameplay more than harutoki 6 because Harutoki 3 really is an RPG and not with a little bit of tactical gameplay/time management.
The RPG fan in me wasn't disappointed that's for sure... also you can switch 8 hot men on the fly
so if you didn't have the right party to counter the enemy of a specific element it'd be no problem.😄
Not everyone is always around but most are... I just wish it was better developed
and give Nozomi skills to use as whenever she has to fight alone its just mash attack & rng to dodge.
Sadly the gameplay is too easy i'm always one or two shotting mobs, there is barely challenge
even on hard mode and to someone who plays RPGs often I can't help but still think its
underdeveloped but still this or real rode is as close as we get to a decent otome rpg.
I didn't get tired of it... nor was fighting that annoying except for the high encounter rate.

Yeah the graphics do not look pretty... but honestly who cares?

Every guy has two endings, normal and izayoi... so you must play atleast twice...
 8+8=16... yeah that right! luckily it will fly by once all the common stuff is over with but
there is new text after you finish routes sometimes cuz Nozomi been there done that
and she will point it out because she knows, she remembers what happens in a previous loop.
 Izayoiki end is basically going through common route again but few side events along the way...
its nice if you want to replay it at a later date but it wasn't that special in most cases I liked the
regular route except Masaomi because Izayoiki just felt right for him yet with Atsumori
and a few others I can't choose but I think for most  regular end was better.
There's also bad ends or more like you fail ends but they aren't necessary for completion at all.

 My Playorder: (normal love end)
 Benkei > Saku  > Yuzuru > Kurou > Hinoe > Ridvan > Kagetoki > Masaomi  > Atsumori > Hakuryuu > Grand Finale.
Honestly there's TOO MANY I just put some characters of interest all over to motivate me....
On first play untill you obtain the scale you cannot trigger the true character events, some
of the first events for Benkei, Saku or Yuzuru's trigger along the way but it won't get far
you're meant to play it more than once, its not all about romance its about the journey
and caring for your comrades whatever their personal issues may be.
 I do not think there was a recommended order and since this is one of those type of games its best 
to go for a character you are actually interested in, Saku's the easiest but Ridvan and Hakuryuu's
 route is apparently the hardest to get onto but easier once you have done more routes.
Why isn't Yasuhira in the play order? well because he's a DLC and has no trophy.
If I had to recommend anything at all do Masaomi before or after Yuzuru but not too late
into your playthrough, the rest of the order do not matter, to me Hakuryuu last since 
everything is possible thanks to him so why not? but honestly order doesn't matter
it depends on personal taste or where your interest lies the first time around.

My Izayoiki end play order:
Hinoe > Yuzuru > Masaomi > Atsumori > Ridvan > Benkei > Shirogane > Kagetoki > Kurou >Tomomori.
 Kurou and Kagetoki are tied to additional scenario which includes Shirogane this order makes 
more sense as Shirogane is obviously the core character of the new scenario.
Tomomori can only be done after Shirogane and everyone else since his end is tied  into grand finale.

The system of going back to a certain chapter to change fate is confusing at first
and without a guide you will scratch your head atleast on your first route but it easy when you
get the hang of it trust me, the game gives you so much hints when and how to get their events.
Oh and there's automode for VN part but since vertical text box and read from
 top to bottom right to left I was like lol nope, this take me twice as long to read.

Like most KOEI games events are straight to the point which I like but if you wanted a real VN this isn't the place to look for one and for some route romantic development is not balanced
but whatever there was I can say was nice just understand its not all about romance
but about changing fate of someone you care about!
KOEI... they just love to keep the relationship open ended and allow us
to fantasize of what next now that they acknowledged each other and live together in peace, if
anything they know where to end it, we don't need marriage ends if they're happy they're happy!
There are many different paths you can take but the core of some story arcs is the same even if
different there are multiple variation of the same events mostly in chapter 4 like if you have
Hinoe with you and go straight to the river it'll be SLIGHTLY different if he wasn't with you then.
Certain things will not change even if your destination is different such as encounters
with villains(post scale) but uh that's all I'll say i'm getting off topic. After that most of
the character route start but there's a few where things are a lot different, won't say who.
Most of the guys don't kiss up to the heroine except maybe Hinoe/benkei, they have their own
opinions and will say it given the situation like for example Nozomi literally has to prove herself to Kurou.
All characters do follow stereotypes, Benkei is mr tease you lots aka a haraguro, Kagetoki is carefree
on the surface atleast, Atsumori is the resident kuudere and Hinoe is the typical flirty guy
but they all have their own secrets they won't easily share, the deeper you get into
the guys events you'll start to see their true self, I was honestly surprised by some.
I like Nozomi she is average at first, buut at the end she does become
 little miss perfect...well uh who wouldn't if you went through so many ''loops''.
Take that as you will, I honestly think she's just fine nor was she annoying, she's just capable.
At first like she sucked at dancing but after a few loops she does it perfectly, that just an example mind u.
I only recommend Haruka 3 if you desperately want an otome RPG, its not long
but there is a lot of content to explore preferable go take a break from it when this game
 is getting too much of a hassle, its really not all that great to do try to do all at once.
Haruka 3 is not a bad otome game perhaps a little out dated compared to what we have now
its far from perfect but whats important is that it has things that one may like such as Nozomi
being more than capable and won't always need to be saved, tho occasional girl problems do arise.
To me all of the guys are likeable in some way even if Tomomori gave me a terrible first impression.
I couldn't help but feel bad for him down the line.😅
There is always something new to learn in every route and its mostly fun sadly characters such as
Hinoe do not have much substance and are just there while Benkei's motivations are intriguing yet he's also just there in other route, there's potential but they never get it in other routes that aren't their own. aand Yuzuru is 5ever the kind kouhai that likes you but won't ever say so because he thinks
Nozomi likes his bro eventually he was like fuck this shit imma tell you and hope you get it.😓
I do not think one can truly dislike the characters if anything it depends on taste.
The heroine is cool she can hold her ground, they made her too self concious of all her actions
but I don't think I like her that much and in Yuzuru's words she is as kind as she is cruel.
Its all that what makes her hard to relate, she can fight on a battlefield for crying out loud and is proactive in general but that doesn't mean much... I would definitely be a coward and wouldn't be able to fight on a battlefield but tbh some otome heroines just aren't meant 
to be self insert material and imo Nozomi definitely ain't one of those.
Overall I still had a good time, its a decent otomege that'll last a while its also fun
to learn amore about japanese history, the otome parts may or may not be to your liking
Hinoe aside its not typical stuff, personally I think haruka6 is better at it overall.
The vita port being fully voiced adds a lot to the scenes and the seiyuu did an amazing job
but I do not like that some CG's been replaced for close ups but whatever some old cg did look derp.
I give this game a 7.6/10 some stuff leave to be desired but it was mostly a fun experience
I don't think this game was as good as haruka fans make it out to be though...
 but you can say the same thing with a lot of games its really a personal opinion.
I do not regret playing, I feel it has a place in my heart due to doing things I wish you could do
like saving your favorite characters for once, I don't care if some parts don't make sense even.
Some routes definitely would have benefited from actual epilogues but they didn't and
got side story instead some were nice tho, sigh but hey atleast a handful of them did!
Before I forget have to make it clear these harukanaru games are very character focused
romance is placed last some routes are better with that then others, you must
 be willing to learn more about them and give them a chance also these games are very pure
the lewdest character in the game was perhaps Tomomori and you have to work hard to get to him
but trust me despite lack of plot and being a short route in general it was worth it.👌👌👌
I liked every character in some way but I think Atsumori, Ridvan, Benkei, Shirogane
and Tomomori are my real favorites, I feel bad for Yuzuru yes but IDK about him.

As for the rest down below is all spoilers thoughts so if you want to play I recommend
to stop reading here and just go straight to the end of the post for my final thoughts
and to see which route/character I liked the most without spoilers.
Maybe I wrote down too much but eh I don't think anyone else
 bothered to post that much about this game so it OK. :)