Sunday, February 19, 2017

Hana Oboro ~Sengoku Den Ranki~ - Review

 
花朧 ~戦国伝乱奇~ Game: [Hana Oboro ~Sengoku Denranki~]
Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Otomate.
genre: Historic Fantasy.
Platform: PS Vita.
Release date: 2017-1-19

Otomate first otome game released in 2017, I ended up buying it
 because it has a rich cast of characters and the story intrigued me. 
Sorta expected stuff like boring war scenes also fighting + onii-sama huehuehue which is
all well and good, I love history but i'm not a religious nerd so I do not mind a bit of fantasy
 in these type of games and as expected I wasn't disappointed in that, some parts were
fateful yes but there's a lot of originality which is I guess what most people complained about.
You may even think why pick this up? well... I was interested in it and that's usually enough.

The common route in hana oboro is maybe about 4~5 hours, I did not keep track
and with the character route you may end up at 8-10  hours at most including all ends and stuff.
I do not recommend doing routes in one sitting though, its not that long 
 but it all depends how motivated you are and some draggy scenes with war may even demotivate you.

The system is the same standard VN stuff except that it has a sort of bumrush timed flag system
in which you have to press L or R when it blinks, the blinking part is actual the hint so you can
pretty much do this without a guide, it needs to be in the right order or else you will go for a bad end.
You also get the choice to skip this minigame but what is the point if you need
to do all of them in a single run to get the bonus cg's, otomate y u do this..

Opening song is by ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D which is awesome I can not skip it not once, also
one of the members(U) voices one of the sub characters, Sanada Masayuki and for what its worth
he does a ok job but you can tell the guy is no seiyuu and otomate should have hired someone else.
Good thing is outside of say Shingen's route he barely get any lines...!

 Pro's
- Interesting story.
- Likeable cast of characters.
- Art, its beautiful also everyone had the same amount of CG's.
- Every route is unique/character focused.
- Decent in length.

Con's
- Inconsistent Heroine.
- Story feels unfinished, hint at a bigger picture.
- 長い and at times a drag, sometimes it felt like its been ages since the last choice.
-  There was maybe one music track that  iffed me also some SFX really eh... esp doki sound.
- No lip sync/moving mouths.

For play order, I started with Nagamasa-sama since it was recommended on the official blog
and let's just say it feels like most natural choice but honestly it was most boring.
Nagamasa > Shingen > Hanbei > Nobunaga > Katsuie.
Note,Nobunaga route won't unlock till after Hanbei whom is locked till 2nd+ play
Just use the same playorder I used... and you'll be fine if not I recommend Shingen for whenever
you want to relax and Katsuie for last...  because his route is overall balanced and dat twist!
which was a fun way to end the game even tho its very self-contained.
また 少し 強く なれる。。。
If I had to sum up how the routes were without spoilers it'd be like this:
Nagamasa - as dry as a desert but he can be surprisingly sweet.
Shingen - a refreshing oasis resort that heals your soul.
Hanbei - a cold summer breeze in a surprisingly あつい summer which turned into a typhoon.
Nobunaga - Spoils you in the beginning, still have to sit through a dry lecture
but  hey atleast you're rewarded with something cute in the end.
Katsuie - The rollercoaster ride you never knew you wanted but got anyway.

In short, a lot of time and money was put in to this game, even side characters got their own CG's
and everyone had an even amount of CG's too, some parts may leave a lot to be desired, sadly
to me the two poster boys routes (Nagamasa and Nobunaga) were the least satisfying of all.
I thought the heroine was alright she's no doormat and will stand up and fight
 against her brother but she does have her own personal insecurities considering
the time period some things may be laughable but whatever its fantasy, its not a kusoge.
Even if this game started out ok it was quite long compared to recent otomege I played, the text
is never ending and I feel spoiled by Koei's otomege in which scenes are short and to the point
but its not that long really, the length is about average.
 I say I prefer longer games but this really stretches itself and Nagamasa route was especially
difficult, as expected it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine which considering
the genre is good but could you make it a tad shorter? or more fluff kthnx.
Add fuel to the fire that Nagamasa and Nobunaga suffer from the just when it got good it already the end.
At times it was hard to see where the plot was going in the first few hours since it was so peaceful.
I'm all for a well thought out plot but at times I was just sitting there ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°) ok get on with it
like yeah thanks for going into hideyoshi and nene's love life which got nothing to do with plot. >_>

Sadly some parts feel unfinished to me... also what was the point of introducing that shota Hon
in Yukimura's ato gatari? did I miss something, now I am curious and after thinking about other things. I thought this is only the first part in a greater story also the ending of Alan's ato gatari...
Sigh... its just total sequel bait its not even funny! if there will actually be a sequel who knows
they may have as well have been baiting us, or give us some sort of confirmation he's OK.
However they did an excellent job in creating a unique otomege based on the sengoku period.
 I recommend it to those who like the genre of old timey fantasy games and do not mind
fantasy elements intruding the historical part however if you prefer shorter games
and dislike historic fantasy this may not be for you, its not that long though.
TBH I like it more than Juuzaengi because certain characters cannot be saved
but if you liked Juuza I think you'd still enjoy this since both aren't serious historic adaptations.
Also if you thought Onii-sama would be a crazy yandere I am sorry to disappoint because he was relatively tame.
Again I recommend it if you have the patience for ye olde style games...
7/10
Loses points for dull poster boy routes, but the other 3 were enjoyable. 
この願い届けなら。。。?
Okay usual spoilers after the jump, this game was long and for some routes such as Nagamasa
 I couldn't be bothered to write much... so thats more of a general opinion.
Just so you know Hanbei and Katsuie's part had the most spoilers I try to summarize but
the game is much more detailed so it'll look like crap cuz I still left a shit ton out.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Favorite Otome Game Openings

Okay I decided to do one of these, they are not in a particular order but these are my favorites.
Its more of the type I can't skip because A, the song is good  and B, the visual flow goes nicely with the song.
Though just saying do not judge a visual novel as a whole by its opening cinematic...
 There are some which I liked such as Clock Zero or Norn9 but they just don't give me
 that feeling... so I did not include them most of them are recent games, its a pain to find
good quality of older otomege sometimes especially ps2/psp ones.
 ~
 
Yuukyuu no Tierblade Lost Chronicle.
Should be obvious why this is included... simply beautiful.

Moujuutsukai to Ouji-sama.
Again another that should explain itself...

Wand of Fortune R.
This is such a warm opening...so fluffy and cute.

  Ken ga Kimi.
 I think the vita port OP is good too but something just feels more right about the original.

Meiji Tokyo Renka.
Personally I prefer this version of the OP but the others aren't so bad either
 its even included in the movie section for the vita port.

Kenka Bancho Otome.
I mean come on doesn't this get you pumped? 😁

 Period cube.
 I may not have liked this game that much but I never skipped the OP, the full ver is pretty good too.

 Collar x Malice.
Should speak for itself... 

Suuran Digit.
I never skipped the OP for this either, I liked the flow of it all.
Gotta admit I prefer the OP version of the song... the full version just isn't the same.

Hana Oboro ~Sengoku Den Ranki~,
Need I say more? really I can't bring myself to skip it once.

Geten no Hana.
This one is a bit weird but I like it... the song is the same for both games.

 Oumagatoki Kakuriyo no Enishi.
The game may have been a snoozefest with only two worthwhile routes but I could never bring myself to skip the OP... maybe its the magic of hosoyan.

Eikoku Tantei Mysteria the Crown.
 I'm a bit indifferent about it but I don't remember skipping it a lot maybe once or twice.

Amnesia.
I do not like the game that much but it has an excellent OP.


Moshikami.
Uh the game may not have been what I'd like it to be but I never skipped the OP even once if anything it kept me sane but the whole vibe is misleading considering what goes on in it.

Sangoku Rensenki.
After the last trainwreck I had to give you something immensely cute to balance it out.

Code:Realize
Not the biggest MAO fan but its not bad or anything.

 Senjou no Waltz.
I almost forgot but I love Akino+bless4 the OP was pretty good but the actual game not so much,
and I have to add it even if I do not like the game that much it was worth it for Tifalet atleast...
or so I like to believe.


 Scared Rider Xechs rev.
Its a good OP, even if SRX as an otome leaves much to be desired.

Black Wolves Saga.
The moment I saw this in the game I was like wow I couldn't even pull my eyes from the screen.


Getsuei no Kusari Sakuran Paranoia.
This is one of those odd OP's that grows on you while you play the game.
I remember being meh the first time but after going deeper into it I just... welp.

Re:vice[D]
Catchy OP by Nano.

 
Mahoutsukai to Goshujin-sama.
I liked the OP sadly this was my second and last Quinrose game before they went bankrupt.
These OP's tend to be long so... well it makes sense why they only play once
I liked the overall feel of it though and barely skipped it.

 
Beyond the Future.
Dat KENN, I'm sorry but the next two are going to be a blast from the past.

Kami Naru Kimi to.
Didn't play this but the OP is so good pretty much makes it clear its a tear jerker. 

Desert Kingdom.
I like it but ur probably better off looking at the OP on the official site.
~

As for the last, I am an immense Akiko Shikata fan and well while I have not yet played
Haitaka no Psychelica or Kokuchou for that matter I just had to include both Kokuchou is not by her btw... just Haitaka the former is just really something else.

(Kokuchou)

 (Haitaka)


Saturday, February 4, 2017

Geten no Hana with Yume Akari - Review (2)

下天の華 夢灯り
 Game: [Geten no Hana with Yume Akari Aizouban].
Genre: Otome game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Ruby Party / Koei Tecmo
Platform: PSP, PS Vita.
Release date: 2016-09-08

 I won't be bother to write much since I already said a lot in my review for the first game.
Yume Akari is the sequel to Geten no Hana which continues from the grand finale and since
 the individual endings didn't matter I decided to let it rest before going into this
but after four months and a depressing FD I decided its time to finish this! 
Like the prequel its not accurate to history to make it an otome game 
but they did a good job of sticking to some parts atleast.
 Anyway...
Hotaru continues to serve Mitsuhide and protect Nobunaga from outside threats as the shield of Azuchi.
 What is Hotaru's dream? she will surely have one more chance to find it closeby to her.

Pro's
- Plot is okay...
- Every guy is still likeable.
- Art.
- Individual ED themes (though only Hanbei and Kanbei are new)

Con's
- Short, after one play the rest of the routes will fly by.
- Some of the previous guys routes feel like new/alternative versions.
- Annoying card minigame to replace 50% of the battles.

Yume Akari adds two new love interests Hanbei and Kanbei since the new story is centered on them
and here comes the hard truth, without them there would be no sequel.
The two come to investigate the shield of Azuchi while crashing at Hideyoshi's place...
Ok since this is the spoiler free zone that all you will get out of me, this game plot is better found out on your own.
Everyone else gets a route as well but like I explained before everything is reset till a certain point
so for the old guys basically becomes an alternative take...a second chance or so to speak.

 There's also this card game thing and well you win by get matching cards...
this is actually to break the mold of having to only do the fighting minigame, its the only way 
to get flowers and incense now also unless you want challenge just play on easy
I doubt anyone wants to bother doing it on higher difficulty and waste even more time on it. 
Especially on Momoji's route, lol.
The old fighting minigame is still there for story fights but I can't help but question why
 the new one is needed for the kusumono(intruder) fights? oh well no use thinking about it. 
You can lvl up 3 stats, precog,kunai(more hits) and one that heals your health 
by using them in the new minigame, max lvl is 10 but there isn't much use for it unless you
 want to play it on higher difficulty which is not difficult just more annoying/time consuming.
The sequel like its prequel is a fairly short game, first play should take anywhere from
 8 ~ 10 hours at most which is roughly the same as its prequel, 2nd+ will be done in 4~5 hours.
 You can also use incense during conversations with characters, which leads to some 🔥 scenes.

Too be honest I wasn't sure whom's route to do first so I just followed the same playorder as before.
You can't do Nobuyuki on first play not sure about Hanbei but I do not recommend because spoilers.
For first play just go with normal end or someone you're familair with other than that order does not matter. 
Personally it would be better to save the new routes for last... unless you are really curious 
and can't wait that long till you've done everyone if I had to recommed anything at all please do
Momoji before Hanbei and Mitsuhide before Kanbei this'll be no problem if you save Hanbei and Kanbei for later.

  My play order:
Mitsuhide > Momojiji > Nobuyuki > Hashiba > Ranmaru > Ieyashu > Nobunaga > Hanbei > Kanbei.

For a guide just us Syrup26 and Choro for whatever Keywords you are missing.

In short for those not wanting to scroll down below, I recommend the sequel to Geten no Hana fans
but do not expect a true sequel but an extension of a story that couldn't be told back then.
Most of the original chara are just alternative routes anyway, the new after stories for them were nice though.
The sequel's story is okay but has some hilariously obvious things at times, I mean
who could that bamboo hat man be? he looks awfully familiar. 😕
This game has a lot of common scenes and like I mentioned 2nd+ play will fly by even quicker
than its prequel since there is less to do and stuff, regarding common scenes its honestly
not that different from the average visual novel since somethings will never change.
I still love how most Koei games have their own solution to the predicament at the end
even at Harutoki6 Gentou Rondo I enjoyed that(despite me headdesking at times).
Also remember how I said no one ever actively pursues the heroine in the prequel?
Haha... that didn't last long as it was obv Kanbei was interested in Kikyou(Hotaru)
but don't worry there's a plot reason for this to explain his behavior still while
Kanbei shows his interest, he atleast knows when to back off, so yeah its not bad.
Moving on I thoroughly enjoyed the new characters routes and sadly I think they were the most
worthwhile content? sure it was nice to help Nobuyuki or Ieyashu again or spend time with Ranmaru
but I'd honestly wish for a fandisk and get to see them under more relaxed circumstances.
Its really sad the stars of this game are Hashiba, Hanbei and Kanbei though everyone else did have
 an enjoyable route but to me it felt like most of the effort went into the new routes.
For score it gets an  9/10 from me, it gets less points from me due to me getting nostalgic of some
of the routes characters had in the prequel and the new route feeling like an alternative.
Maybe I nagged a little but I really did enjoy it overall... and still recommend this port
because no matter how you look at it the characters and plot are well written.
I'm a little sad its over though, Yume Akari is probably the last entry... and did a good job of making it feel complete.

There's spoilers below, some sections more than others but i'm sure you've
realized you can read the full summary and character background in detail at koei wiki
and so I won't bother to be detailed and will drop things out/ summarize it in my own way if at all.

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Getsuei no Kusari -Kyouran Moratorium- - Review

月影の鎖 ―狂爛モラトリアム―
Game: [Getsuei no Kusari -Kyouran Moratorium-]
Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Takuyo.
Platform: PS Vita.
Release date: 2016-12-21

 The FD of Getsuei no Kusari Sakuran Paranoia, since the original game was
anything but the typical otome game don't expect a lot of fluff from this.
Its still keeps the serious theme the original had so if you're in the mood
for something realistc/mature these games are an excellent choice but
I do not recommend playing this without the original since its a fandisk.
Nor can I recommend playing both right after the other even if this is short it still can give you
much despair, it didn't bother me but it may others to the point they might drop it.

I didn't particularly care for the OP movie this time, I only like watched it once or twice and then skipped it.
But yeah if you still don't get it, this FD mainly exists for Mamoru and the newly added
scenario for the Toudou brothers you may need new glasses. 😥

This vita port of Kyouran Moratorium really is what you'd call a definitive version
as it adds a new scenario with two guys Toudou Itsuki and Toudou Miyabi, they're brothers
and this made it a bit more worthwhile than the PSP version because of that.
Especially for the price and Takuyo's games tend to be slighly more expensive...
Sadly these two are completely new and don't appear anywhere outside of their own scenario
yeah you read that right they do not even appear in the other newly added IF scenario.
Anyway... the original features of the FD make it seem pretty short, the another stories are 
slightly longer than the good afters which are around 30 minutes at most. 
Mamoru's route was maybe 5-6 hours so together thats give or take 10 hours.
But if you add in Hanayagi IF story and the Toudou brothers routes....
that would make the length at around 25-30 hours, btw tour of koukashi is just a side dish.
If you have a lot of free time in the weekend you may just finish it very fast but if you
spread it out due to the despair getting to you then yeah it may take you a week or more.
Personally I finished this within 2-4 days... 
Also if you actually got this game I really recommend you to end this game with
the tour of koukashi as its the most fun and entertaining thing this fandisc has to offer.
 The part where Hibiki went on about the Dango got to me... 😂😂😂


Despite the added content it was still a short FD but after Ken ga Kimi Momoyo Tsuzuri
any other fandisk in general is short.😂
The seiyuu did a good job especially Naruse Makoto, thats one you do not hear often
and also Kanna Nobutoshi and Satou Takuya... they also had such a good performance!

TL;DR
I recommend this if you enjoyed the original, don't bother if you didn't since its more of the same.
It gets an 8/10 from me, same score as I gave the original, all of the good afters
 were great and the another stories weren't bad except maybe Satoya's.
The rest of the content was worth it too except Hanayagi IF story... which I personally didn't care for but that my own opinion.

My play order of the content was decided by personal preference which is:
Mamoru > Nozomu > Hibiki >Satoya > Wataru  > Hanayagi IF > Itsuki > Miyabi > Tour of Koukashi.

Saturday, January 21, 2017

Harukanaru Toki no Naka De 6 Gentou Rondo of Deus Ex Machina - Review

遙かなる時空の中で6 幻燈ロンド
Game: [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De 6 Gentou Rondo]
Genre: Otome game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Ruby party, Koei Tecmo.
Platform: PS Vita.
Release date: 2016-12-22

The sequel to Harukanaru Toki no Naka De 6, given how I really enjoyed the original
I couldn't help but be surprised we got a sequel instead of a Fandisk because of that this game
takes place after the grand finale and now I have a sequel I never asked for but got anyway.
 Since this is a sequel, if you haven't played the prequel maybe skip this game
since it relies on past events and one can't begin to understand why there is this wall
between Darius and Azusa, sure they'll recap general knowledge and expect
you to be able to remember on your own.

Sadly this game hasn't had the greatest of receptions which made me scared...so after
I finished KgK momoyo tsuzuri I went into this right away because I had to know for myself
and in the end I sorta agree with the japanese impressions this is a very flawed sequel
an unnecessary one even, pretty sure they rushed some parts of it
in short; its just an average sequel to please fans but it wasn't at all a necessary one.

The game plays just like its prequel, you still have mission/goal from time to time
and you must balance the visits to the guy which end you're going for once again.
Also for those playing without a guide be careful with your choices
you could very well mess up and make it impossible to get the guys next event.
The battle system is improved but still easy, you're rewarded for finishing battles fast
and evolving talismans is a pain in the neck but once you're done with everyone said
 items to evolve talismans will be useless, also this time you get to choose which location to use
as a home base, like the demon-clans mansion or the cafe Haikara which Murasame frequently visits.
If you pick one that isn't tied to the character which route you're going for
 you can miss a few sub events during that playthrough.

Pro's
 - Arima/Shuhei route is better, tbh most if anything the indivual event/route is only worthwhile thing.
- Wan-chan is Totez Adorbs.

Con's
 - Story seems interesting at first but turns into a convoluted mess...
 - System, its like an rpg with a bit of time managment, So if you're not up for that avoid.
- Long common route not much individual, overall its a short game.
- Deus ex machina.
- Unvoiced sugar-content scenarios as paid DLC.  (눈_눈)

 There's also a demo available on JP PSN so if you have second thoughts
about the sequel please try it out, it contains the entire first chapter.

My play order:
Darius > Arima &> Shuhei > Tora &> Kohak > Ludo &> Kudan > Murasame > Man
 & Normal > Toudou & Grand end.
I mostly focus on two characters per playthrough making the total number of runs 6 or 7.
Because its easier to do than the prequel... and you have too much time on your hands anyway.
For a guide/walkthrough I recommend: http://neoromance.info/haruka/rondo or Half-adder.
I recommend going for only one character and the normal end first play, try viewing some
of Man's events till you hit a wall and don't forget to focus on upgrading your talismans.
If you were to only do one per play you just have more free time to focus on upgrading
and or capturing every onryou summon so its not bad either way.
There's no trophy for capturing pokedemons this time but I did it anyway.
You get some new scenes during the prologue on 2nd play from Man's point of view as a sign that his
route has unlocked, however I do not recommend doing it till you're done with everyone else.
Preferably do Man before the toudou/grand finale the order of the rest doesn't really matter
may as well get Darius out of the way early(no offense to mai husbando but it wasn't that great).

As for expectations for the routes themselves, I didn't have much of that and I'm glad
Arima and Shuhei got better routes than in the prequel because they deserved it
though I still think Darius had a more well rounded route back then than here. :(
The game is much shorter than its prequel and I went through the routes without
needing to say meh I don't feel like it now and go do something else.
Also
For those wondering if you need to do every character combination technique in one play no you don't.
The list resets, but rest assured you can get them all over multiple play so best to keep notes!
The most I got was 20... but I was glad to realize you don't need to go that far.

This wasn't that bad  but was it a necessary? Hmm... I honestly can't answer that.
Was saving Chiyo back then really such a good idea? maybe there was a consequence
somewhere someplace in a distant time that the two miko's and the hachiyou isn't aware of.
You'll find that answer in this sequel, warning that there are full spoilers further down below.
In short I give it a 5.2/10, I had a great time in most routes and most of them were enjoyable -event
wise- but it isn't all that great to sit through multiple times, the routes are essentially new versions, to
give us another opportunity, yeah some route brought up legit issues but I honestly wanted a continuation of the love ends but everything was reset to them being friends in this game, for some character it worked out for others it was a drag, you know I could put the prequel down
for a few weeks and continue later but since this is shorter and easier to play through
I couldn't and I am sorta glad for that. Also the plot wasn't engaging enough its like
they forcible created a problem when there was none which lead to one thing and the other.
The missions were less, too easy and not rewarding at all basically the first half
of the game is spend in the most boring ways like i said atleast the chara events made up for that.

The DLC controversy makes me roll my eyes and it makes me sad
Koei has taken such steps and one thing is for certain I won't support any of it.
This is a visual novel with some light simulation that shouldn't be the victim of addon content.
That aside I enjoyed most if not all the routes, except the grand finale as Kudan's end was much
better, it was pretty underwhelming this time yeah I am sure it worked out but it was a mess
I prefer Kudan's end over it which felt like it was the most complete ending in the whole game.
5.2/10
PS: Wan-chan is a maji tenshi.
---
more spoiler babbles after the jump








Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Ken ga Kimi Momoyo Tsuzuri - Review

剣が君を守る
Game: [Ken ga Kimi Momoyo Tsuzuri]
Genre: Otome game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Rejet.
Platform: PS Vita.
Release date: 2016-12-22

Sometimes a FD you didn't ask for is better than no FD at all.
Yes that's how I original felt when Ken ga Kimi Momoyo Tsuzuri was announced.
 KgK may not have needed a FD per se, the vita port additions were perfect but I guess
 that port sold well enough for rejet to give this game as a thank you for supporting. :)
I can say this game was worth my money thats for sure, Rejet mostly used
their budget correctly and otomate could learn a thing or two from this!

  That aside I loved the original, the vita port of KgK may not have been the best
but its definitely the definite version because of added scenes with cg's
and after stories not in the original PC version, however I can't really recommend KgK
to anyone but people with a decent grasp of the language because there is a lot of kanji
If you just started learning you aren't gonna be able to understand it much.
So I can only recommend if you have a high lvl understanding of japanese
and like old timey wafuu settings plus do not mind a slow and long visual novel.
I guess fans of hakuouki or similair otomege could enjoy Ken ga Kimi as well, because samurai boys.


Pro's
- Fills in some gaps in story the original game couldn't explain.
- Art/music.
- Seiyuu did an amazing job.
 - Lengthy compared to the average FD, it will last a while.

Con's
- Not every side story was as interesting as another was.
- Long winded.
 -  101 CG's yet no actual Kiss CG's. (눈_눈)

Like the original, Rejet still has this little fortune thing when you boot up the game and you can also
get side characters this time which sadly makes it even harder to see the character you like the most.
*Whale sound*
In short KgK Momoyo Tsuzuri is basically a collection of side stories, book 1 takes place right after
the common route when the boys have parted with Kayo and are on their way back to edo from Sunpu.
Book 2 and 3 both takes place some time before the gozenjiai(sword competition).
Those two are basically AU's side stories and doesn't really fit into the canon that well.
The individual scenario books for each character are great, some even go further
into certain matters of the original like for example Kei's and Enishi's first chapter.
Each chapter takes roughly one hour to complete give or take depening on your own reading speed.

You also collect bills during the first three books by viewing scenes
from the guys POV they unlock omakes which are really cute.

There is no recommended order for the FD but I feel like its best to start with Book 1 then 2 and
finally 3 since even if AU, its a common story and it just makes more sense this way.
After that feel free to jump into the individual books and from personal experience
its best to do Enishi's book before Saneaki's and Suzukake's before Tsuzuramaru.

Honestly I can't really recommend this FD if you don't want to go deeper into the world of KgK
or didn't like every character since it will take up a lot of time to read everything.
If you do want that then by all means please do because it is worth the investment
but still I have to say the sheer content of this FD is really overwhelming.

Personally Kgk momoyo Tsuzuri gets an 8.5/10 from me, its a great FD but part of me
feels like some of it wasn't really necessary and there are a few forgettable side stories.
Taking in the annoyance of not being able to access the menu where you select the books
you want to read from the main menu is also reflected in the score there's a quick workaround though.
Not everything stood out to me but honestly over half of it did, after playing this
I really understand every character that much better so yes it was a worthwhile investment.

There's more thought at the bottom of the post but in short i'm mostly positive and I recommend
this FD to any Ken ga Kimi fan who doesn't mind investing time into every character's story.
Rating

Plot  ★★★☆☆3.5 (Writing of some side stories varies some are better than others)
Overall enjoyment ★★★★★ (TL;DR a FD with content that is more than I ever ask for)

Saturday, December 31, 2016

Best and Worst Otome Games of 2016


Welcome to another yearly issue of best and worse otome games I played during the year.
Yes even if they aren't technically released in 2016, these are the ones I played this year.
I will be using three categories, Terrible, Neutral and Best.
Once again this is all in my personal opinion.

1, Angelique Retour.
2, Norn9 Var Commons and Ozmafia. *English*
3, Zettai Meikyuu Himitsu no Oyayubi-hime.
4, Yunohana Spring.
5, Getsuei no Kusari Sakuran Paranoia.
6, Sangoku Rensenki ~Otome no heihou~ Omoide Gaeshi.
7, Eikoku Tantei Mysteria the Crown.
8, Moshi, Kono Sekai Kami-sama ga iru to suru naraba.
9, Wand of Fortune R.
10, Scared Rider Xechs Rev.
11, Kenka Bancho Otome.
12, Period Cube ~Torikago no Amdeus~.
13, Taishou x Alice -All in One-.
14, SA7 Silent Ability Seven.
15, Moujuutachi to Ohime-sama.
16, Collar x Malice.
17, Oumagatoki ~Kakuriyo no Enishi~.
18, Yuukyuu no Tierblade -Lost Chronicle-.
19, Geten no Hana.
20, Suuran Digit.
21, Meiji Tokyo Renka Full Moon.
22, Code: Realize FD.
--------------------------------
Trial / Demo
These won't be put into any categories.
 
 Koezaru wa Akai Hana.
Torikago no Marriage ~Hatsukoi no Tsubasa~.
Orfleurs ~Koufuku no Hanataba~.
---

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Poll results

Yuukyuu no Tierblade -Lost Chronicle- 12%
Bara ni Kakusareshi Verite 0%
Meiji Tokyo Renka Full Moon 9%
Oumagatoki ~Kakuriyo no Enishi~ 2%
Geten no Hana with Yume Akari 8%
Hana Oboro Sengoku den Ranki 8%
Haitaka no Psychedelica 9%
Suran Digit 6 %
Code:Realize ~Shukufuku no Mirai~ 26%
Norn9 Act tune 11%

1 Code:Realize FD.
Pretty much a given considering its coming out in english and the prequel was pretty popular.
2 Yuukyuu no Tierblade.
Sorta expected since its well received and a ton of people love it, here's hoping for a localization.
  3 Norn9 Act tune.
 Not sure, but this maybe partly due to this being the 3rd game and due to the recent anime...
Norn9 Act tune wasn't well received at all and doesn't even have the same writer as the prequels
so sorta waste of hype? I guess if you're that desperate for a FD of something it could still be good either way.
4 Meiji Tokyo Renka Full Moon and Haitaka no Psychedelica
 Didn't expect Meikoi to get many votes but considering its an all around fun otomege(despite lack of plot) it makes sense.
As for Haitaka, psychedelica is a beloved story driven series and many love it to bits, I 
sorta expected people would be interested in its sequel.
5 Geten no Hana with Yume Akari and Hana Oboro.
Never expected Geten no hana to rank this high, but I am glad maybe its also because of the manga?
If only Koei would localize... I wouldn't mind if it was the mobile version even tho I'd prefer a steam port.
Hana Oboro.... never though people would pay attention to this one, guess old timey japanese games are still of interest.
6 Suran digit.
Glad to see some people take interest in it but this seems to have flown under everyones radar.
7 Oumagatoki ~Kakuriyo no Enishi~
 Given that its from a new dev and that half of the game was a snoozefest, this is understandable.
8 Bara ni Kakusareshi Verite
Welp no one seems to be into this despite being able to romance historical bishies!
I guess its because of the system? oh well... priorities.

There's not a whole lot announced for next year yet but I'll try to put up
some of the new titles in the next poll.

Sunday, December 25, 2016

Orfleurs ~Koufuku no Hanataba~ - Demo Review

Game: [Orfleurs ~Koufuku no Hanataba~]
Genre: Otome game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: A's Ring/Dramatic Create.
Platform: PS Vita.
Release date: 2017-1-26

 Okay let's go over one more otomege demo/trial before the end of the year
and once again god bless dramatic create for releasing demo's of their ports!
Honestly I'm just biding my time till ''christmas'' order comes in. 😂

I knew before hand that the PC version of Orfleurs originally was all about dat porn
 so here I am wondering why this even got an all ages port for PS Vita...
 The story doesn't seem bad to me and even has potential, I like the fantasy setting and stuff.

It all starts out pretty relaxing ah dat remote village life but then some bandits attack the village and
the noble Reed family shows up just in time to save the heroine Claire, apparently she's one of the only survivors.
The Reed brothers are all knights except for the youngest, Noah who doesn't show up untill the end of the demo.
 They end up taking her with them and eventually becomes a maid for the Reed family
because she doesn't have anywhere to go and wants to repay them somehow.

 Since this is a demo there really isn't much to write about and honestly I learned more
about the guys from the official site and/or VNDB descriptions than the entirety of the demo
which was short and didn't get anywhere remotely interesting which unlike
 the Torikago no marriage demo was a disappointment.
 I didn't really get a good look at this game and no I am not lying nothing interesting happened
other than Claire learning the ropes of being a maid and seeing a slightly different side of her saviours.
What's in a demo? not much atleast for this one!

Cain Cohen.
 CV: Amekanmuri Rui
 The heroine's obligatory childhood friend, luckily he was out of town when the bandits attacked.
I gotta be honest though I never heard of his seiyuu before., also I dunno if this guy has a route but I hope he does...

Adel Reed.
CV: Satou Takuya.
  The second-oldest brother of the Reed family, he's kind but other than that
he didn't leave much of an impression on me.

Phil Carter.
 CV: Nakazawa Masatomo.
 His family is close to the Reed's and also Adel's friend.
Taking Claire back with them was actually his idea lmao

 Louis Reed.
CV: Majima Junji.
  The serious and intelligent eldest brother and was first in line to succeed
 the Reed family but apparently he end up passing that to Adel.

Zack Reed.
CV: Abe Atsushi.
  The third-oldest brother of the Reed family, he's friendly, cheerful and a bit lazy.

Noah Reed.
 CV: Suzuki Yuuto.
This CG is so pretty but thats not enough reason for me to buy the game...
  The youngest brother of the Reed family, he keeps to himself and barely shows any emotion
there wasn't much to be seen in the demo as it ends b4 it got good.

As you can see the demo was too short for me to judge this or any of the characters.
Tthere weren't even that many cg's or memorable events so as you can see
 I used some of the samples from the official site, I bet you can even tell which ones.

Final thoughts
This may be the only port of an R18 otome that I seriously question why the hell it got one.
I know that Orfleurs was no innocent game 😂 and the plot was already quite average...
Now they go and remove the porn for the port and you know what's left? not much at all
and despite me liking the setting and all I found it to be quite boring in general.
I doubt dramatic create can work miracles and somehow give me a decent otomege...
That being said I am in no rush to get this and I doubt I will get it down the line
because honestly there are much better games to choose from instead.
 If you are thinking of getting this please do go with the PC version
since you will atleast get a version as it was originally intended.
5/10
 I'm thankful for the demo but sometimes I think they do more harm than good.
  I guess Dramatic Create got money to burn by porting this nukige? well...

Friday, December 9, 2016

Torikago no Marriage ~Hatsukoi no Tsubasa~ - Demo Review

Game: [Torikago no Marriage ~Hatsukoi no Tsubasa~]
Genre: Otome game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Kalmia8 & Dramatic Create.
Platform: PC, PS Vita.
Release date: 2016-11-24

 This was Kalmia8's first game and originally an R18 one before getting an 15+ port
Once more I am grateful that dramatic create makes demos of their ports
and I only tried it on a whim to see if it was worthwhile.
The story sure seems interesting but I did not like the story set up though, it seems so familiar.
Anyway the demo gave me a good look at the two main guys for better or for worse.
System is nothing to write home about, standard VN stuff.
I think this is one of the few R18 games that would be better off without an console ports
because the theme here works a lot better when it can go all out.

Pro's
- Characters are interesting.
- Voiced Heroine.
- Varied Seiyuu cast.
- Art, Bgm is fine.

Con's
- Story premise.
- yanderes