Bustafellows - Review

Genre: VN.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

in the game lacking subtitles is definitely a huge miss.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

characters and good production values go for it!

 8.5/10

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Limbo.
CV: KENN.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shu.
CV: Hosoya Yoshimasa.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Helvetica.
CV: Yoshino Hiroyuki.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~

Mozu.
CV: Jun Fukuyama.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

with Mozu since the epilogue was just barely enough.
~

Scarecrow.
CV: Shirai Yuusuke.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

True end.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~

 

Fav route:

Crow > Shu > Limbo > Mozu > Helvetica.

 

Fav character:

Crow > Mozu > Limbo > Shu > Helvetica.

Final thoughts!

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

 Honestly I thought Bustafellows was a pretty good otome game!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8.5/10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Majestic☆Majolical - review

 Genre: VN.

Developer/publisher: Dazkarat.

Platform: PC/Switch.

Official Site: http://dazkarat.jp/majemajo_sw/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v21895

Release date: 22/12/2022.

 

This originally was a segmented release much like taisho x alice on PC

but they have made an all in one switch port which collects them.

It took them like four years but it happened, and i'm actually kind of glad they did!

I never heard from this developer before but I was still excited to try out their game

maybe cuz it reminds me of wand of fortune if only a little! and with not much

new otome game releases I was like why not? why should I not support this game?

Also for the switch version there is a new route; Jasper Beryl so they have definitely tried

to make it worth to pick up the port if you hadn't played it before cuz there's something new.. 

The protagonist Lapis is an apprentice magician who is tasked dealing with some troublesome

humans and collect gems for science! by getting close to them. Regardless she remains optimistic

and tries her best! she also had a little spunk. She wasn't useless and could definitely hold her own!

 Though the part of collecting gems reminded me a little of Clamp's Kobato as well

but other than that the two series are not similar at all, just the bottle part.

Pro's

- A confident heroine atleast I found her to be so.

- Interesting characters in each volume that contrast each other well.

- Mostly light-hearted, doesn't shy away from bad ends.

- Amazing art and backgrounds, Music fit the mood.

Con's

- A bit on the short side...

- Playing it blind can be difficult because of not knowing how much or little gems are needed.

- NTR ends but really there were only two I consider being such.

 

The art style looked really cute and the backgrounds seemed pretty well done too.

I really loved the fantasy setting! is that the right way to describe it? hmm if I had to look

at the world design it reminded me of europe but not very modern.

The voice cast of this game had a lot of popular seiyuu that I went like OMG its Kaji Yuuki!

or Shimono Hiro as some of them I haven't heard in quite a while.

*If one of your fav seiyuu is in this game it could be worth a spin*

The pacing was alright, this vn wasn't slowpaced that it took hours for anything to happen

and I am really glad for that as otomate's VN's tired me out lately.

Nothing seemed to drag on for too long while still delivering cute moments etc.

This with some exceptions kept it light and fun! At times it did feel like it went a little fast but...

they were going to school and interacting like every day, falling in love can happen like this so its

not totally unbelievable. Honestly I found it heartwarming to see Lapis and Mitsuki grow closer...

 This game is more romance oriented, which is great if you're tired of games where

the romance is but an after thought! or get to dating right at the end.

 

System; There are four different endings and as well as a sort of petting minigame

this is how the protagonist is able to get gems; how many gems you get determine the end.

Its not annoying; especially if you use a guide telling you how much to pet the bishie

it might get a bit more difficult if you don't use a guide but hey if you're stuck they exist!

Playing it blind could be fun too! honestly after a bunch of otomate games

that only had happy and good ends, I very well prefer otome games or VN in general

that like actually make it so my choices can change what happens.

MajeMajo is one of those VN where depending on your choices things

could turn out a little different!

 

I did encounter a bug at the end of Ruu's route that caused my game to lag and crash

but with force skipping I managed to get to the ending... not sure why but it seems

that there is an extra graphical effect that just slows down the game to an extend it can

no longer function. I play on a switch lite so cannot tell if it is present on the other model...

but if it is, just force skip the text or wait out a patch? if there is any.

 

I thought it was great was how the guys of the volumes are different in contrast to each other.

MajeMajo can look a bit deceiving though like if you see the cover of the game

and think oh this looks like it'll be dark full of toxic love interests then i'm here to tell you

a flat out no its not like that at all, most of the game outside of  Shiki or Ruu's route was fairly light.

All of the characters did have their own set of problems yet this game is no diabolik lovers

but even then if you like to live dangerously those two routes exist.

I loved all the cg's! they were gorgeous. The music is like, at its best it adds to the vibe

and at its worst its just there. One may think this game is short but hmm is that a bad thing?

I think if you're tired of games that are long winded or just seem to keep going MajeMajo is

actually kind of nice because you get all the same things just that it knows to not let it drag on.

The love interests are diverse and you'd probably find someone that catches your eye or

are totally like oh hell no! despite it being short it was still fun to me.

Things to keep in mind is that MajeMajo focuses more on romance than its overall plot!

Vol1&2 are very character specific and its not untill vol.3 that it tries to focus on story and lore.

The addition of the Jasper route makes its story more well-rounded than its original PC release

you may as well ask why they didn't include it to begin with since it further

added to the picture+his character . So I think this switch port is pretty good

in value despite that 1 bug I encountered which is actually pretty game-breaking.😥

9/10

*Edit: Without the Jasper route it would be a 7/10 so I guess that shows...*

An enjoyable otome game that I will most likely remember for having extremely cute and heartwarming scenes as well as some whackos(not all of the guys are like that I swear!).

I could recommend this game if you have a good grip on your japanese!

as sadly it isn't out in english at the moment but that might change.

Since this game was segmented by volume I will be going by release order so my play order

will be like: Mitsuki > Shiki  > Shinnosuke > Shoutaro > Shell > Ruu > Jasper.

You can't do volume 3 till atleast one route is complete, Jasper unlocks after Ruu

but it is recommended to do Ruu later due to him having the most story spoilers.

So well there you have it! there's not too much choice due to how it works!

More character rambles after the jump! there will be spoilers + my fav cg's.

 

2022 in review

 Well its time for the regular year end post! in which I always go over whatever

games I had played during the year with a short write up.

I probably won't be able to finish any other games this year anyway!

Blue Reflection tie/second light.😑

 Idk about this game tbh... it is definitely nice they did more for the blue reflection IP

but I didn't really like it that much either, I didn't mind the yuri shipping but this game

tried to hard to turn the protagonist into a harem mc even tho some of the other characters

already had a potential partner. Yea I actually shipped Hiori/Ruka from the anime

and Hinako/Yuri from the first game  so seeing Hiori and Ao hold hands was like eh

don't get me started on two other characters who actually confessed to each other.

Didn't like the combat that much either... due to having to watch the turns bar like a hawk!

don't get me started on the stealth missions.  Overall it might be a nice game if you like

magical girls while learning more about them and the wtf is even going on.

This doesn't really get my recommendation unless you don't have much else to do

but just want something with chill vibes cuz if anything it was good at that.

~

 

Hamefura ~Haran o Yobu Kaizoku~.😄

 A fun otome game for fans of hamefura, though sadly I can't recommend it that much unless

you really want to romance the love interests in this series. It also has a nice self-contained

little plot which basically puts this game into its own bubble of the hamefura universe

so if you're up for a hamefura adventure then maybe? I will say that its recommended to atleast

watch season 1 of the anime since this game does very little to introduce its cast and such.

~

Buddy Mission Bond.😂

  Honestly this game/vn was pretty nice and I can recommend it to anyone who enjoys visual novels!

it gets kind of obvious this game was aimed at those who like otome and/or BL but it didn't

really focus on those things and more on the mystery. As for BL just undertones or a few jokes

it really doesn't go further except for comedy so even if you don't like BL it could still be okay

as this game doesn't really focus on romance. I do like how you could unlock optional

side stories that give different PoV on things, sadly its not that difficult and most people

will probably do it with ease. There's definitely an audience for this and ruby party knew this

but overall it was a pretty fun visual novel with lots of funny moments too.

~

 

 Birushana Senki ~Ichijuu no Kaze~.😊

 A nice FD to compliment the original! sadly they did focus more on the new guys routes

but the afters were still pretty good, it wasn't longer than needed and honestly I like that!

there's not much else to say about it either, Birushana fans will like it i'm sure!

Unfortunately if you don't really like those side chara's who got routes

or don't want to do them then this game can feel a bit on the short side.

I still ended up liking some of them but yea if there is anything I wish

that there was maybe a bit more content with the guys we all know and love.

It doesn't even need to be a lot.. but its clear they focused more on

the other guys than the main love interests.

~

Gensou Manege.😊

 This was such a cute otome game and definitely revitalized some of my love for the genre!

its not that popular but it has a decent enough plot in a nice fantasy setting

without having to worry too much of bad ends as well. The tone of the endings was also

 different so for one you could end up with something sweet and the other a bit bitter.

It was a nice game, not much more is needed to be said!

~

Radiant Tale.😌

 Another cute fantasy-like otome game... in some ways similar to Gensou Manege as the atmosphere

for the most part was pretty relaxing, it felt longer so you might need more attention span.

It doesn't have any bad endings so if you just want something nice with a good enough

plot to figure out then much like Gensou it gets my recommendation.

I said that if this was the last otome game I ever played then it was a good one

and even now I won't go back on that word! its also by the WoF team and you

can definitely tell it was by them since it did remind me of WoF's fantasy-like setting.

~

 

Final Roadtrip Fantasy XV.😅

 While this game hasn't had the best of receptions, I still managed to enjoy it

mostly due to the roadtrip vibes and doing many a quest/hunt

even making me almost forget we had to go somewhere right what was it... lestallum?

The story while, it could have been better I think its fault lies with the execution

but i'll look back on it as a fun adventure that... could have been a little better.

~

 

Trials of Mana.😖

 This was a nice traditional rpg... it does have some problems like being fairly straight-forward

and terrible AI for your team mates who you literally have to babysit but still it was pretty nice?

Maybe i'll go and do the other routes one day too... it can be a nice game

if you let it, I just don't have much to say of it.

~

Xenoblade 3.😌

 I really loved the characters and finding out why the story was the way it is...

sadly I didn't like the ending that much and thought that most bosses where too spongy!

though if you did every side quest ever then that shouldn't be much of an issue as then

they become rather trivial... so me thinks the games balance is kinda off and there's only like

two ways to play meaning one of the ways will make it too easy and the other... a slog.

Still not a bad game if you like exploring and taking your time to do everything it has to offer

but I tend to quickly feel overwhelmed with these games and the ending being the way it is

didn't really make me excited to go back and do things even if there were extra additions to the roster.

Perhaps I am really overwhelmed by just how much there is to do in these games that

I ultimately just went exit-stage at the earliest convinience which is after the credits.

The ending sequence did not entice me to dwell in the world of XB3 much longer

but it was still a nice journey nonetheless.

~

Kuro no Kiseki 2.😥

 Probably the biggest disappointment for me this year, cuz this game despite good at following

up on kuro 1 and finishing the collecting the genesis saga, it ended up being more of an addon

than a full sequel. Story has its ups and downs, the downside being mostly chapter 3

and it ends on a good enough note! but still i'm not sure why this game was a thing cuz most of

the story felt dragged out and they put most of the main cast's development in connect events much

like in older days, still not much since they already had most of their development in kuro1.

Was definitely nice to play as Rion and Celis and Nadia and Swin were cute as always...

I didn't spend much time in marchen garten cuz i'm not a gacha fan but still

this game has some nice optional content, if you can be bothered to do it.

 Basically this game is everything Kuro 1 isn't... and doesn't do more than needed!

its basically an add-on/fandisc in the middle of an arc. I get why this game turned out

the way it did, Falcom probably wanted to get some things like collecting the genesis

to be over with but at the same time it didn't end up feeling like a true sequel but instead half of it

since they probably couldn't really do much else with it than turn it into a character game.

If there ever is a kuro 3 i'd be more than willing to see how Van's tale ends... or what's up next

but at the same time I am also okay to bid the series adieu for a while so there's a possibility

that unless some of my fav chara's return next game I could be less interested in it.

~

Star Ocean 6😃

 While this game was definitely a little rough around the edges, it still

managed to be a pretty good sci-fi fantasy adventure!

Every character also has a unique moveset which could make things fun

whether you want to make bimbo spells stronger with Albaird or have array

of spells with Midas... you could also just Kirito your way through with Laeticia.

Most of my complaints are that Private Actions while plenty are hard to find

and should be better marked on the maps. Same with following subquests

its easy to find them but that's where the guidance stops which in todays age is a little eh.

By the point of the final dungeon they were actually dragging it out slightly

so I was glad that it ended when it did cuz they had no more budget/time for unique bosses.

This game also has more replay value than other games I recently played

due to each side having splits/difference of POV and unique endings with Ray or Letty.

All in all, it was good but could be better due to lacking some obvious QoL features.

All in all, it was a nice sci-fi adventure that needed a bit more polish...

~

 

Cupid Parasite.😄

  A cute and fun otome game! most of the love interests didn't really grab me from

the common route but atleast their personal route convinced me! that was surprisingly well-rounded.

Good art and very good BGM as well... its also in english and despite it having issues at launch

those were all fixed, so it definitely gets my recommendation if you want a rom-com

with a pro-active protagonist since all in all it was a good time.

~

Monochrome Mobius Rights and Wrongs Forgotten.😣

 Aquaplus latest game, a sort of mid-prequel in the utawarerumono series that takes place

before the second game and has Oshtor as the protagonist. Instead of being a VN it is

a full 3d RPG but still you could tell they couldn't let go of the VN roots cuz sometimes

scenes could be quite lengthy. For an RPG it also felt fairly old school. This ultimately

could alienate some utaware fans since I thought the VN was quite casual

but monochrome mobius is like hold my beer! even on normal mode.

The graphics aren't anything to write home about but it is decent at best, the worst

really is the lowpoly townfolk and the best? a 3d open world

surrounding the capital of yamato to Izumo and a bit beyond there.

I'm not a graphics whore or anything but I do think they tried really hard, there are even some

costumes that are used at select times.(Sadly we can't change into them manually.)

The story is gucchi and provides some nice backstory for certain characters

but unfortunately it gets cut short... for a reason I do not get other than they may 

already have a sequel planned? Still if you're in the mood for an old school rpg

and are not bothered by graphics then it this game still gets my recommendation!

OH apparently they patched the lowpoly npc's and actually gave them faces... as well

as allowing you to save anywhere, welp that is sure helpful in some of the longer dungeons!

Sadly this does mean it is not as unforgiving but I guess mp management is still a thing...

~

Secret of Mana.😫

 Well this was a game! one that didn't age all that well and due to its fast pacing and leaving

things to open to interpretation it just felt kind of flat to the point I prefer trials of mana!

Secret's only saving grace for me being the skits you can see at the inn

these actually sparked some life into the characters.

I felt like such a masochist for sitting throug this but for 18$ it can be a nice game

if you want to take your mind away from other things, perhaps? and are tired of games

where the cutscenes never seem to end cuz this Mana games are very straight to the point

and I'm just glad it wasn't any longer than needed or overstayed its welcome.

I finished it within 12-13 hours while the average was like 22-30, whoops did I accidentally

do a speed run? well I did use a guide to get past the fact that at times they don't tell you were to go

so I didn't waste time figuring it out nor did I waste time lvling up spells I didn't use!

I'm sure the guide maker was happy knowing that someone in 2022 was using their 2000s era guide.

I do recommend lvling Popoi's magic since that will make the game a lot easier, the

evasion rate is pretty high so most of your attacks will miss anyway and there

are very few bosses that are immune to melee. Due to the fact my tastes in story telling

has standards, this game didn't do much for me but to people new to rpgs it may be nice.

I guess I can see why it can be great if its someones first ever RPG but idk I prefer it

when the story/characters have a little more meat to it.

~

Genshin Impact.

Yes... I have tried it and it can be pretty fun, its even to the point I do not care

if I can never have some of the awesome character cuz the ones that do join

are more than enough to adventure with. I did notice fairly early on that the game

does not actually have that much story and being ongoing plus also a gacha I can see why.

Many times the story is gated behind an adventure rank, the worst was when you are like A10?

and you have to get to A18? suffice it to say it took me a few days due to not playing that much.

Basically its the games way of saying don't rush and actually go out into the wilds & explore or do a sub quest. Sadly I severly limit my play time of this game each day and due there being

daillies to get gems to roll the awesome characters and loot to upgrade them

its for the better to not get to invested and for now i'm just slowly going through it

and enjoying the world/story and its characters. Honestly for being a free game it is pretty good

in short bursts! glad I gave it a try and can recommend it to anyone who likes RPG's.

~

This year had a few duds or games I was disappointed with but then again

in regards to Kuro 2 I think its for the better the game turned out the way it did

and the next game can actually make some steps forward again but maybe that is me being hopeful.

Kiseki/trails is a weird series and at times much like an MMO it may seem like a life commitment

and it being a video game i'm just going to say games should be a hobby not a job!

so if you're no longer having fun its okay to take a break from a specific game or leave it behind.

I also rarely watch anime anymore because everything is gated behind a paywall and I don't

want to watch it on some shady site, so unless its on netflix or I manage to get

the homevideo release then I probably won't be watching anime at all these days.

I do enjoy Kdrama's and to some extend Jdrama's lately so there's that and

that i've been reading more manga/lightnovels instead of anime. Times change huh?

As for new otome games, I'm currently playing Majestic☆Majolical as it seems

like a classic otome adventure and reminds me a bit of wand of fortune...

None of otomate's upcoming releases interest me yet... so its better than nothing. 

I did never pick up atelier sophie 2 but I'm more than willing to pick up Ryza 3 though!

perhaps due to attachment to the cast and there actually being hints/teases of them all

meeting up again back in the second game. There's also Harvestella and Bustafellows so

I won't be bored waiting for the next FFXIV patch...

Secret of Mana - Review

Atleast the ps4 ''splash page art'' when you boot the game up was nice...

Genre: RPG.

Developer/publisher: Square Enix.

Platform: PS4/PS5/PC

Official Site: N/A

Release date: 02/15/18.

 

I only bought this game cuz I saw it for 18$ after I had finished trials of mana

and thought well maybe if I want another traditional rpg adventure? well seems like this game

suits that price just fine, cuz after only 2 hours of play I could only see myself playing this

if I was that bored! turns out it wasn't even that long to finish the main story either as

I clocked out at 12 hours. No I did not finish this game in a single sitting... i'm not that hardcore.

This game was basically another don't judge it by its cover cuz it ain't as cute as it looks...

maybe Monochrome Mobius has turned me into a masochist.😂

Pro's

- Oldschool traditional rpg with a charming cast.

- Skits at the inn were fun to watch!

Con's

- Story is simplistic and leaves a lot open to interpretation.

- Extremely grind oriented but it isn't necessary at all to grind to beat the game.

(It just makes it even easier if you lvl up sprite's magic skills)

This game's only charm point were the skits at the inn...

Character; Randi is the main character and then there's Primm and Popoi/Sprite!

They're all kind of basic personality and story wise. At inns there may be some fun interactions

before they go to sleep so at the very least this was something that was better than trials of mana.

By the time the game ended, I felt like I only had just become to know them...

and the way it ends doesn't help either so much is hinted but nothing is explained.

Much like trials of mana a lot of things just happen and its so&so do this or go there while

being pretty fast paced but they didn't always give clear direction so a guide is very nice to have. 

The gameplay/world design and such definitely had its charms its just... everything else

didn't age well!  If you barely saw any skits at the inn its even worse! All in all I am just glad

this game wasn't too long and I got this game out of my backlog!

For the price of 18$ I can recommend it to anyone who wants another oldschool rpg

but keep in mind this game in terms of gameplay did not age well at all.

 

More rambles after the jump. 

Monochrome Mobius ~Rights and Wrongs Forgotton~ - Review

Title screen is random; more variations as story progresses.

 Genre: RPG.

Developer/publisher: Aquaplus.

Platform: PS4/PS5/PC

Official Site: https://aquaplus.jp/mm/index_en.html

VNDB: n/a

Release date: 2022-11-17.

 

Okay so Aquaplus has decided to make a new game, that is set before utawarerumono 2.

This game ended up being harder than I expected, it really is quite in line with

old school rpg's, so I want to say this game probably isn't it if you want something casual. 

I won't be detailing any plot spoilers and there'll just be some screens/cg's without context.

I forgot to add that this game is available in english on PC, but the ps4/5 versions are japanese only.

OP movie

Pro's

- Interesting story that is part of a greater whole.

- Decent graphics/world design and BGM.

- Combat may be simplistic yet it can still be satisfying to win against odds.

 

Con's

- Can be unforgiven at times...

- Mobs a plenty! but EXP scaling is pretty bad.

- Npc/townsfolk models can leave to be desired.(This has been patched)

- Game locks basic QoL features behind Halu upgrades... want shrines

to give both hp/mp? short out of luck till you have the mats.

Story/characters:

It stars Oshtor in his younger days who met a young girl named Shunya and together they

end up trying to meet back up with his father who apparently send her to Oshtor for help.

Personally when this game was announced I was like huh? a midquel? will this turn out okay...

good thing, at first sight this game isn't too heavy on relying on the rest of the series but

despite it trying to tell a story of its own it is without a doubt this is a prequel to utawarerumono 2!

its just not going to be about Haku or Kuon, because it is about Oshtor and the history of yamato.

Honestly if you like Oshtor, Munechika or Mikazuchi who are the main characters

along with Shunya and want to enjoy an RPG adventure with those three in their younger years

then I think its an easy recommendation but ultimately this game is more or less

a coming of age story mostly centered on Oshtor and Miikazuchi of how they became generals!

There are only four party members in this game which makes it pretty compact...

err did I say four? actually there's a fifth if we count the robot that Shunya can summon.

They all get unique weapon designs too! sad there was no glamour system i'd definitely

want to keep using a specific look at times.

Their backstories were also the most interesting to me and well I never really understood

Mikazuchi in the original games but turns out he was really a tsundere ore-sama.😂

Munechika more or less felt like she was there for comic relief but she too

had her backstory fleshed out a little! As for Shunya... I do not know and I can not

say much without spoilers so I just say that I don't really understand her or that

this game ended up cutting itself short? yes that is right while the story mostly

seems wrapped up and sets Osthor to the path of general... Shunya is left up in the air.

I was very disappointed... and I do not understand the end at all.

I am not sure if I should recommend it if you're completely new to the utawarerumono series though... but I think this game can be played either before or after Uta2&3. I don't want to be

too strict especially when this game really tries to stand on its own and introduce its

own elements while still knowing its part of a greater story and world.

In terms of story pacing/length of the game, it is pretty long? it took me 50ish hours

I think the overall pacing was okay however it did kind of slow down once you got

to the capital and it took a bit before the story picked up again.

It did leave us with some fun scenes and fetch quests... atleast those gave good money!

is this what it means to finally land a good job? probably!

More after the jump.

Cupid Parasite - Review

 Genre:VN.

Developer/publisher: Otomate.

Platform: Switch.

Official Site: http://ideafintl.com/cupid-parasite/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v25912

Release date: 2021-11-02.

 

So after I beat xenoblade 3, which left me kind of depressed I wondered what game/vn

would be best to play next... which lead me to cupid parasite cuz honestly I was in the mood

for something that I know is light-hearted/fun and probably doesn't take it self too serious! I couldn't finish the game before kuro 2 so this kind of became a backburner game I played inbetween

other games. Due to this being out in english, I actually decided to play it and support 

instead of just buying it in JPN. The localization was fine and they even patched

any lingering issues that were found. Of course I did spot a few minor mistakes

anyone could make when typing, its nothing too big that would ruin it in the long run.

Pro's

- Cute and funny story with a pro-active heroine.

- Gorgeous Art and Catchy Tunes!

- Unique individual routes and a really good finale.

 

Con's

- UI is a little busy / too much random/usless text in menu's.

 

I don't got many complaints so let's get those out first!

The UI is a tad busy! which I think is more of a personal issue from my part.

So while the art is really good and I don't have much problems with the background art either

though it is stylish the backgrounds can look kind of flat at times as well.

I don't mind the vibrant colours in fact I like bright happy stuff but there's such a thing

as there being a lot on the screen. The other thing is that while the music is really good

I didn't like it when there were vocal tracks cuz it distracted me from reading

so I just lowered the volume to the point its just a nice background bgm.

The UI is just too busy for people like me and it overwhelmed me...

still I like the style of it all and it being hip and trendy even if its just not my thing.

System wise it was just basic stuff, there are bad/fail ends but it all was pretty simple and easy

to get the normal/best end which didn't have much difference except one being just better.

It does have bad ends but they're not too bad, if you play blind you could get them...

but its not too hard to get the good or best ends due to love catch! although

at times it will take a while before the love catch shows up.

 

Cupid Parasite does remind me of Variable Barricade in some ways yet they're nothing alike.

The only thing that is, is that the love interests are definitely not ready for marriage! yet.

Both games also have a confident/headstrong heroine. So if you're into that or tired

of the meeker ones Cupid Para is definitely something to look into.

For the most part it was a pretty light-hearted but fun read, this is not the game

to look for if you prefer darker stories as it really is like a love comedy.

Can't describe it in any other way! some of the love interests might not work  for everyone though

but really i've played plenty of otome games to know by now that sometimes you'll just

find some character that you just cannot like or leaves the most terrible of first impressions

and Ryuki sorta hit that spot for me, I was like any other love interest please and thank you!

I swear I looked over all the initially available love interests and was like hmm they're all

a better choice than him. I still wanted to do his route of course, just not right of the bat.

All in all Cupid Parasite is a fun and cute otome game, it is also a game that can lift your mood

like if you have a bad day or want to think about something better/fun.

There's not much otome games like it but I think it is one of the better ones out in english

because it doesn't try too hard with its story and manages to keep it light and fun

without it ever trying too hard to be something it isn't.

The heroine Lynette also was an absolute queen I enjoyed seeing her interact with the guys etc.

One thing I will be honest about is that the love interests could definitely be a hit or miss

but don't let that stop you from trying it out. I didn't like any of the guys that much based

on the common route but their route did make things better or put perspective on things!

so characters like Shelby became much more likable and even Gill became bearable.

Ryuki however will remain the king of terrible expressions, even so his route was still 

surprisingly entertaining, even if I don't like him that much he got the OK from me by the end.

The true route this time was one of the better kind but I can understand if some say it needed

just a little more romance as it did focus on the plot and any questions the player could have had.

 However if you're not looking for a rom-com or don't like that genre, Cupid Parasite should be a pass!

but if you're up for that or just for something silly then by all means it gets my recommendation

cuz it is a good time. This game is also great to just play in short bursts/a little at a time

or do a route every now and then! for me it was like that and just did a route inbetween other games.

For the most part it all turned out okay cuz there's no real overarching plot so I wasn't

too confused when I picked it back up cuz every route is mostly self-contained.

There was definitely a plot beneath it all but by the time I got to the routes that delved into it more

I also stopped taking breaks and just did the final three routes one after the other.

Allan's route is really good tho and i'd even recommend the whole game just cuz of him.

I also think due to the love interests being diverse there may be something for everyone

in this game which is good. Honestly I think Cupid-Para was pretty well-rounded!

all things considered this was a good otome game maybe not the best ever but it was pretty good

at what it tried; being a rom-com. The final route does feel more like a fanservicey what if

rather than a typical true route but it does a good job of giving the player another perspective.

9,5/10

Biased score I know! but I did enjoy it and will look back fondly on it.

My play order was Shelby > Gill > Raul > Allan > True.

Raul's route is locked till 2nd play and Allan's locked by him...

dunno if there was a recommended order but I think the following is alright to recommend

due to the restrictions on Raul/Allan the first three routes listed can be done as you like.

If Ryuki really irks you due to his habits then you could skip him... 

or if you want to get to Allan just do Gill and Raul to unlock Allan.

Recommended: Shelby / Ryuki / Gill > Raul > Allan > True.

I'll stop rambling here and there is some more character focused babbles after the jump.

The route babbles they will just be some likes/dislikes, along with fav CG.

    There won't much spoilers except for me rambling of all routes including the hidden one.

Star Ocean 6 the Divine Force - review

Genre: RPG
Developer/publisher: Tri-Ace/Square Enix.
Platform: PS4/PS5.
Official Site: N/A

Release date: 2022-10-27. 

Never did I expect there to be another main-line star ocean game after SO5...

but here we are and honestly it makes be so happy.

Not even 4 hours in and... sigh this make really remember why I love RPG's

this game really made me nostalgic for the old days cuz this it has the vibes

well at the very least I was off to a good start!😄 regardless of what was to come.

Sadly I did not like the OP that much, it was pretty much a mashup of scenes

from the game with some screamo rock music which definitely was not to my tastes.😓

I played the PS4 ver on normal difficulty and it was just the right amount of balance, no annoyance 

of the plot made me consider lowering it this time! I am mostly positive with this game

but I have a few gripes.

 

Pro's

- Charming cast of characters and lot's of shipping fuel between some chara's.

- Story pacing was good and when the going gets good it keeps going.

- Slight graphic dip but smooth gameplay in battles thanks to FPS mode.

- Replay value; two different side + 1 optional character and endings for each side.

 

Con's

- While trying to fast travel, the message of being able to miss dialogue is unnecessary.

- Private actions despite not that missable should be more easier to spot as they are a

boon to be better able to understand the chara's. Sad to see its easy to miss.

- If you played many a rpg it might not do much new.

 

 This game has you pick sides much like Star Ocean 2 so you can play with

Laeticia or Raymond's POV. Most of the game is the same but there are moments that differ

and even unique party member that join depending on whatever side which is nice.

There's mostly some POV differences and certain angles being unique to each side.

 Story wise I won't be posting much in terms of spoilers but the pacing's alright

you slowly get to know characters and the world they live in.

The story was a slowburn, but it was kind of nice? I didn't think it was terrible or anything...

well not everything can happen like a magician snaps a finger and viola! Basically the outline

 is like Ray's ship gets attacked and his escape pod crashes on an underdeveloped planet.

Laeticia and Albaird find him and decide to help him out find his comrades.

Some stuff happens along the way which they have to deal with too

and its a underdeveloped planet yet there is some folk trying to mess around.

This game in quite similar to older games isn't it? 

The story does end up peaking at some point and I liked that part a lot... it really shows

just how much everyone has come to trust one another! I could tell it was leading up to the finale

and it did really well or atleast tried to keep its momentum till the end.

I didn't really like the stuff before the final boss who is kind of like a cockroach at that point

but it fits with what the story was trying to do. There's a post game available as well

for those who really love the combat and character speciific endings. 

Good thing is viewing PA's is not required for those and just spam aphrodite tears

on whoever you'd like to see the ending of and beat mr: final boss .

 

TL;DR for people who don't want to read the whole post:

Honestly I enjoyed this game for the most part, it didn't try to hard with its story

and the cast ended up being better when we got to know them more.

Star Ocean has always been fantasy meets sci-fi and this game did it pretty well!

Combat was fun even tho I didn't fully understand it, at times in boss fights it felt impossible

to get more AP except if you did a well-timed dodge still it was great that bosses were susceptible

to status ailments like freeze! They could definitely touch this game up with some QoL features

like better being able to tell if there are new PA's in the towns plus getting rid of the message

when trying to fast travel literally anywhere. There were some moments during the story

where I was like huh I wonder what happened on their side and there's a character

unique to each side that definitely adds replay value as well as endings. I can definitely understand

why J.J doesn't have an ending with Laeticia or Theo with Ray... if anything I can see

Ray asking Theo out for a drink.😅 but J.J and Laeticia uh... no compatibility detected.

It was a pretty good game with a fun battle system and decent AI that I don't need to babysit

yet the AI still had its moments of dropping its brain but you'll get used to it.

This game isn't perfect but its good at what it tried, a brand new story set in the star ocean universe

that doesn't force you to play other entries to understand its plot. Its a nice scifi adventure

that let's you explore an underdeveloped planet while uncovering a greater plot going on.

There may be a treat for fans who've followed the series so its mostly a win-win situation...

Unfortunately this game does not boldy go where no rpg has gone before

and it doesn't need to! it was still an interesting journey but if it was any longer

i'd probably get really annoyed. So take that as you will.

I'll be blunt, if the series dies with this game then atleast I am glad that it ended up

being like some of the older titles while giving it a nice fast paced battle system

and all the playable's having their own unique movesets.

 Playing RPG's to constantly expect them to do mindblowing or things most don't do

will just set one up for disappointment! even if they don't it can still be good.

IMO this game wasn't terrible but its not perfect either.

 

I don't have any tips except for the following:

I recommend trying to play as albaird if the melee's feel too weird, he is around almost always

on Laeticia's side and is pretty busted in trying to make his bimbo spells stronger

thus being able to melt most enemies and being able to revive any AI that get hit too much. 

Determined princess skill will make lvling up a breeze.

My last advice is to ignore the fast travel dialogue and act  as if the message isn't there

and to just have fun exploring the games contents!

 

No plot spoilers in this post but like always there will be more babbles

with some random screenshots of moments that I liked.