Trouble Magia - Review

Genre: VN.

Developer/publisher: Otomate.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://www.otomate.jp/trouble-magia/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v47011

Release date: 12-9-2024.

 

I wasn't originally going to get this but while on my second route of Hanakare I did crave

something with a little bit of story to it as Hanakare wasn't able to give that itch.

Either that or I would be playing the kaito files... but I wanted a break from RGG studios

so I decided to get otomate's newest game, the decision was mostly based on the fact

Trouble Magia seemed funny and not as heavy which is what I wanted anyways.

 

Trouble Magia also has a long subtitle which I am not even going to bother typing itout

i'll just be referring to it as trouble magia, I mean no disrespect but its simply too long.

I kinda felt bad for the seiyuu's having to say it aloud cuz aside the first time starting

up the game I never waiting for them to finish whenever I booted it up again. 

 

Pro's

- Interesting fun story & characters.

- Enough volume that there's enough time for plot,shenanigans & romance.

- Art, doesn't have a unique style but its good.

 

Grey area

-  Final route is significantly longer due to reasons but it did make sense of everything.

 

Con's

- Can seem a bit cliche.

- The length of this game can be a bit of a double edged sword as well.

- The long arse subtitle.

 

Honestly I don't think a lot of people got this game? I won't lie my first impressions

when I looked it up weren't positive... but that did change as I played it

and it was actually quite fun & interesting albeit very cliche at times.

I didn't really watch the OP a lot either like maybe a handful its not one of those

that I watch religiously everytime I boot it up.

 

Basic plot be like: Lucia wants to be a magic knight and gets to attend a school

however she also has a curse which makes her transform into a random animal

and it causes all sorts of problems in her life. She seeks to break it...

but also can't just tell anyone about it due to it happening abruptly.

Eir was the one who suggested attending the academy because there might be a way

there plus she could get some experience to pursue her own dreams. Two birds with one stone!

Speaking of stones Eir gave Lucia one since she can't go with her it could protect her if need be.

Due to a minor incident Lucia gets placed under supervision of the student council

and it gets even harder to hide the fact she's cursed. Luckily onii-chan lends a hand as well.

The game really follows Lucia's everyday life, it was quite entertaining.

She didn't get along with everyone at first but I really liked to see her fit into her new life

and grow closer to certain characters. Lucia is the type of heroine you wanna cheer on.

The writing was for the most part pretty good, it may not look it in the common route 

but its a good setup for everything that happens after.

I liked how in individual routes certain things that happen earlier

are still relevant chapters later. I really liked this, Matsurika did this as well.😄

On another note while it was not as repetitive as Mistonia, with each route you do

the more you will know of the overall plot which is introduced in small bits

hinting at something more, every route was interesting even if some

focused more on the characters individual problem.

I'd say each route still was relevant in some way but there naturally are ones that explained more.

I played in the order of: Lars > Rick > Alexei > Isaiah > Sion and this flowed pretty well

that I can recommend the same, Isaiah is locked and there's not much choice but to do Shion last.

Certain things will become obvious over time. This is neither good nor bad IMO

but even then it still managed to surprise me in routes 4 and 5.

 

As for the heroine, I liked Lucia's optimistic attitude she didn't seem the type to let things get to her.

 I also liked how proactive Lucia was, there was mutual trust and she was being relied upon.

Her design, specifically her hairstyle made her stand out, I liked it. She also had multiple outfits

as did most of the other cast so this game did seem like it had a bit of a budget.

At a glance it reminded me of Wand of Fortune except that the curse felt like they took

Lagi's problem and gave it to the heroine as she turns into an animal.😂

Art was decent, it wasn't amazing but its not awful or anything, I liked the colouring.

I got used to the style & the sprites were all great, what I really liked is that at times

the POV would switch to the guys and Lucia would have her own sprite too.

Music fits the setting and mood, definitely feels like you're attending some royal acadamy

and Ricardo's theme was pretty good, I banged my head to it.

System is standard stuff and nothing to write home about, its plain and simple

imagine wand of fortune but without the scheduling or rng stuff. Bless.

 

 I'll admit the game did start out a bit randomly with Lucia entering the student council

only for us to go back to the very beginning before she enrolled and getting the how's & why.

Granted they did point out her own forgetfulness so something must have happened.

I did really like the setting in this game and the backgrounds really added to it!

the vibes were pretty great too but as you're introduced to Lucia's new life at the school

I was never really were sure what would happen or if the curse would go off

so I suppose there was an element of excitement so the common route didn't bore me

but there were a few boring moments but I think any VN or game has that really.

 Some parts were actually kind of funny! I didn't really have any problems with the

pacing of the story due to this but it did slow down a little to focus on teamwork

because the teamspirit of the student council members was not the best...

especially Lars who just sleeps whenever he wants and tends to be like whatever

and then there's Ricardo with this cocky arse the comedy writes itself.

At times the interactions could also feel very down-to-earth which imo was a plus.

 

    The common route was on the long side,  a total of 12 chapters including individual route.

I wasn't really sure what they were trying to do, there's a heavy focus on school life and

character interaction. I mostly enjoyed it. There was so much time they spend with eachother

you could see how  they grew etc. There were enough hints dropped and by chapter 3 I already

was like some of seems related to the curse. So it wasn't half bad and it kept my attention.

With the way it was written it felt like an anime, it had a structure to focus on

the characters and problems that ensued. You slowly get to find out what the curse is as well

as figure out some deeper plot while getting to know the chosen love interest.

Also god bless there's a skip to the next choice option, you use it by swiping the screen!

 

The length of the chapters varied but it was a good common route simply for the fact

I was actually able to remember events that happened in it. Really the length is no joke

there's enough time for introduction, character development, fun and romance.

Its actually refreshing for it to be so well rounded but real talk I think the final chapter

especially Sion's was a little too long? maybe its just me...

==================================================================

I suppose part of trouble magia can seem like its very cliche but I think this

was a part that made it fun, its like the writers didn't care about that and just went with it.

Trouble magia made me realize writers can make a story as cliche as they want

its how you use those cliche's is what makes an otherwise boring story interesting.

The first route I did Lars was very interesting but then I moved to Ricardo

and realized I am unable to look at certain side characters the same way again.

Certain things just caught my attention more quickly than before as well... still each route

was unique in the way it did things and brought new things to the table so I can't complain.

---

My take-away is basically even if something seems cliche and overdone

it can still turn out pretty good! I mostly looked back fondly on the routes so all in all

it was a pleasant experience! I can't gaurantee you'll the same level of enjoyment as I did .

Most of the routes were unique, you got the obvious not as relevant to the bigger picture routes

and then there's some which go into it deeper, mostly the last two routes.

Like XYZ isn't as relevant as A & B but they're still a treat, you don't want every route

to be much of the same, I have sat through games like that and it gets old fast & that sucks.

After a dozen or so VN the way Trouble Magia does it obviously feels better to me

and I quite enjoyed the more character focused routes as well as the more involved ones.

I'm glad there was no secret route in this game and for that I am glad since

I did feel a lil tired by route 5.  Also I only did the best ends and merry bad ends, I ignored the other 

bad ends except for the one in Sion's route due to Mistonia PTSD, Sion's was kinda cute

but it felt like a joke end....... merry bad could range from sad to funny as well.

No fullcomp CG but the title screen is nice for a groupshot.

I'd recommend Trouble Magia to those that like their otome mostly lighthearted and don't mind

school settings or potential cliche's. This was honestly a fun otome if you let it be!

If you expect the most stellar writing and be blown away by it, or prefer it to be short&Sweet

then this game may not be for you. Let's be real; the plot was still pretty decent

and the writer really tried. Trouble Magia also felt similar to wand of fortune to me except

without the RNG bs. TBH while it won't replace WoF, trouble magia is like its little sister!

8/10

Its easy to follow the story, characters interact a lot and not a lot of monologues

which adds to the fun factor to me. The japanese didn't seem to be of high level

nor did the dialogue ever felt like it was dry  so that makes this game perfect as something

to test your japanese on but honestly I hope trouble magia gets localized. Its easy to overlook

due to a number of things but never judge a book by its cover you may just enjoy it anyway.

 

More rambles after the jump but I will be talking about the characters+digest the plot

so if you don't want spoilers don't read further. TBH its more like I am narrating some

of the events here and there with some commentary+share my fav CG's.

Not sure who would enjoy any of it because this game is pretty long and its a text dump

and I didn't write everything down either... why did I bother lmao. Enjoy that wall O text.

==================================================================

Yakuza 3 remastered - Review

On the biography of Kiryu Kazuma episode 3.

Genre: Brawler/adventure.

Developer/publisher: Sega.
Platform: PS4.
Official Site: N/A.

Release date: 20-8-2019.

 

Uh yea I decided to get started on the next entry in the yakuza series and it is an

experience alright, it was step down from 0 and the kiwami's in almost every way

but in terms of Kiryu's character and some parts of the plot its actually pretty decent still.

I do think the last bit of the game just wrecked itself like a train going off the rails.

**I feel like I need some permanent disclaimer that this is just a blog where I ramble

about games I play, a place to write some thoughts on the wall.  If you don't like it

then close the tab, you can always play it yourself and form your own opinion.**

 

Pro's

- Kiryu's character in general.

- The stuff with the orphanage was pretty wholesome.

 

Con's

- The pacing, mostly in chapter 3/4/10.

- Massive infodump in ch9 of 40+ min in length.👎

- Combat is pretty basic, high encount rate for no reason.

 - Substories be quantity over quality more stinkers than goldies.

 

Kiryu trying to catch a break mission impossible.

 

Graphics, okay here is where I am fairly chill as this was a PS3 game.

The scene direction is still good but... it can be a bit lacking coming from the kiwami's.

Movement doesn't feel too good either... its kinda janky now but grew on me.

The last scene of the game were poorly remastered or carried over

from the original, mostly everything else was pretty well done.

Like it was not HD at all, I could see the bitrate/jitter which is not good.

Do you love 40 minute+ infodumps? and a random fight for absolutely no reason?

 

You know its bad when you gotta step away from the game in the first chapter

to assess the situation and change your mindset to continue... but since I was bored

and was in the mood for late night yakuza drama I said sure why not? or more like

I had to set my expectations straight because we be back in ps3 era guys.

 

Y3 gets a pass(as in it okay) from me if you're here to see more of Kiryu's life, his character positively

improved in this game and to me he's no longer this deadpan grunt I thought he was in Y0.

As a game it has its fair share of faults and I could see some people dropping it esp in ch4. If you

can power through that it shouldn't be too bad, the game is about the same length as yakuza 1 or 2.

I think if they ever remake this game they should do away with the stupid golf minigame

or remake it so that its no longer clunky and its just some QTE stuff at that part in the story

while also fixing the cabaret stuff because hooboy its complicated here.

 

 More ramblings after the jump, I try to be mostly spoiler free but I had to vent

so if you want to play this game and want no spoilers at all do not read further.

Mistonia no Kibou the lost delight - Review

Eh... Edward's smile seems creepy on the cover but he ain't.

Genre: VN.

Developer/publisher: Otomate.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://www.otomate.jp/mistonia/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v47010

Release date: 18-7-2024.

 

This VN was delayed by like a month and is also slated for an english release by aksys.

At first I wasn't sure if I should bother getting it in JP but still went with it.

The heroine did seem cool & its been a long time since I played a VN with a maid as the protagonist

the last one was like crimson empire, I had a rather laidback/slow approach toward Mystonia

and so it took me longer to get through! i'm sure if I had pushed it then I could have been done

in a week or so but why the rush?  Otomate's september lineup may be stacked

but unfortunately half of their games don't interest me right now.

 

Pro's

- There's enough intrigue to get hooked.

- Length is comfy, not overly long or drags on.

- Gorgeous Art and fitting BGM.

 

Con's

- Boring common route, probably the least exciting part of the game.

- Overall story elements can feel repetitive the more routes you do.

- The content in the other ends needs an acquired taste, also it has NTR.

 

Storywise this game has revenge themes so if you're not comfortable with those it could

be a skip, for me I think it depends on how it is handled but am disappointed with how

Mistonia implented it, its like they chose to push petty revenge which did not sit well with me.

**Thankfully it is still an otome game and taking revenge isn't always the best outcome.

This game's characters are also intertwined with each other. Each set is between the heroine

and two guys such as Ascot/John, Edward/Linus and Lukas/Alfred which works

with one particular ending each route called Maze. This maze end was by far

the worst possible outcome in the game and more often than not I just regret doing it.

 

I'll say the cast of the game sure was a vibrant bunch! there's a mix of well known

and lesser known seiyuu's as well. If you've been playing otome's or watching anime

for a while you will definitely hear some old favorites.

Due to the huge cast of characters I did worry this game would be on the long side

but it wasn't that long at all the common route was roughly 3 hours. Its only long if you do all.

Perhaps this game had too many characters because it was hard trying to keep

track of them all and even then some barely had any screen time so if you

did not pay much attention something could have easily pass you by

which may or may not have happened to me. More on that later.

The art looked very distinct and unique, some charactter designs looked like

this was a serious game but then I looked at the CG's on the official site

and it seemed much lighter? needless to say the art looked gorgeous.

I think there was only one CG that looked derpy to me.

The music was pretty good at setting the mood and tone of the scenes.

I thought the beginning was pretty good & got me hooked, the story beats there were well executed

as you get a look at the heroine's life and hints about there being more to it all. Rose/Applause

doesn't work alone and there are other maids including a shy/clumsy one as well as butlers etc.

Its just chapters 1 through 3 can feel a bit repetitive which is likely my only complaint about it.

System is standard stuff but you'll be having to select where to go on a map quite a bit.

Most scenes after selecting where to go are relatively short, so with a guide it may seem

like a lot but its really not that long. You really do work as a maid at a mansion!

Eh as long as you watch every event with characters or go to a room with a gem u're good.

Those scenes can range from boring to mildly interesting and/or funny. There's three main endings

for each route as well but honestly the only endings I cared about were the happy ends.

 

The common route was pretty boring, Rose/Applause works as a maid

and will see other characters interact as she works, at the end of the day

the gem fragments you collect will form better information of what happened.

Due that I think the investigation part of the common route is the worst part of this game.

I did not fully understand the gemstone stuff but they're like memory fragments

and so Rose can get a better view of what transpired between characters which may or may not

help her own search for the truth. Its not like Rose was an onlooker, she was doing

her job the whole time! and quite well but honestly I don't think she could ever

be a favourite of mine mostly due to how she treats the guys in the maze ends, it completely

ruins the mood. Lucas nor Linus among others did not deserve any of that and in the case

of Linus his maze end was by far the worst written in every possible way.

Other maze ends ranged from mildly entertaining to wtf is this BS, looking at you Ascot.

I mean I am all for different outcomes but the heroine could be really manipulative

which can either work in her favor or against her. It never felt good to me.

 

Hmmm..........

Do you ever just play an otome game that you think had a pretty decent plot and characters

but you just couldn't enjoy certain aspects of it? to me Mistonia falls into that category.

I know full well that it is impossible to like everything but it seems this was done

by multiple writers as the shift in tone between endings and/or routes was just too much.

Next the characters; you got some like Lucas who're really interesting

but are just sleepers in other routes or there as support like Alfred tends to be

so when I got to the truth route it felt like what if all the tiny threads combined

and then throws a bunch of new stuff at you that's suddenly totally relevant, its so bad

that suddenly side characters have a much bigger role so sudden that my only reaction

to it was like oh okay!  Some of the overall plot across the 6 routes was also too repetitive

and there's another villain but... you never see much of them at all during said routes, only truth.

I can't remember this tiny foreshadowing and then barely any reference till 6+ route later.

Had this be one of my first otome games I think I would be much more forgiving but it is not.

Alright... Alright... ALRIGHT!

Mistonia definitely had a decent mystery and intrigue but just fell flat in the end

and I think its because too many different writers or one took care of the truth end

or this or that route and didn't touch jack else and worked with what they had.

**The length of the game may also be a problem because it can seem quite short

compared to other games and it can seem that a lot is crammed into a chapter

so while its not boring it can certainly seem like its rushed itself.

I do wonder who worked on Lucas route though because I really liked that one.

 

Doesn't help I had trouble to get into it because the heroine had a constant poker face, it wasn't

through halfway a route I could see any romance. Its basically full of serious tones but early on

it doesn't seem that serious yet and plays most of them out in a fairly light manner

so despite being revenge themed I myself am not even thinking of revenge half of the time.

It did get better when you get onto a route but the common route didn't do it any favors.

Simply put I was a bit mixed on the vibes and it could change depending on routes.

I did however really like the character interactions between main and sub

it kept it engaging when the plot wasn't really there yet. It took untill

midway of Lucas's route before I started to get invested in literally anything.

In said route the plot/romance was actually pretty good, idk if it was because

I did Lucas first but I had a good time which is what matters anyway.

Alfred's route was a bit of a sleeper, its honestly best to do him first or second.

Linus actually grabbed my attention and was interesting from his 1st chapter.

ASScot's route was an entertaining dumpster fire but I started losing interest at Edward

and thought most of his route was boring and wondered what he even add to the plot

because Ascot's route brought so many revelations I was like what else is there? 

Edward's route wasn't very exciting in comparison which isn't good tbh.

John's route was pretty great from the start and I was relieved since it was worth sitting

through 5 routes to get to him. Maybe your opinion could differ but I enjoyed John's route.

Fair warning this game does have NTR ending(s) needless to say if you hate that trope

don't do the ending related to it, its always the maze end so just stick with best end.

To be safe maybe don't do both of Asscot's Clown&Maze endings.

I know Rose is in it for revenge but I just don't like the idea or appeal of some guy even slightly 

disappointing you in some way to make everything worse for them or to switch to guy B

because A isn't useful. I know that this plays very well into a certain character but damn not for me.

I guess I am just not that petty of a person which may be why the best end was enough for me.

Atleast the choices make you have a say in the matter so that is good.

I definitely did love Lucas, there's actually a very good reason he is like that.

 Mistonia can be slow at first and it could seem not as interesting but it may pay off

to keep paying attention as you go through the common and individual.

NGL the common route investigation part reminds me of VN's from 10 years ago.

So is it good? well if you're looking for an otome with an active protagonist and a fun

cast of characters with some fluff despite serious tones it still gets my recommendation

especially if you're tired of longer otome games, you'll still get a solid package here but if

you hate NTR or the MC manipulating situations for her own ends this game is not for you.

Granted most of that stuff is reserved for the clown/maze ends but its still something to be wary of.

Even after everything I am still not sure how I feel about the MC, I only really liked her in the best

ends, mostly everything else just made me feel uncomfortable that I want to pretend I didn't do them.

I just am not able to vibe with this heroine when she pulled some of the stunts that she did.

6/10

I initially gave it an 8 but man those other ends just... NO.

**Even a day after beating it I am like is my score too high? only route I thought was

really good was Lucas, others don't compare so I dropped it again by 1 point.

I will say Mistonia has some very high production values from sprites,CG's to the

background art and also the music. None of that was bad at all, neither was some of the story.

Also I can see why this was picked up for localization, being undercover as a maid

is a cool idea and could hook folks even if they're not into otome games.

However if you do end up playing this and the heroine doesn't vibe with you then that is okay

and then this game may not be for you! Rose is just written to appeal to certain angles.

As for playorder  I was mostly interested in Linus and Lucas as well as John

but unfortunately there are restrictions for Edward,Ascot and John.............

Edward needs Linus,Lucas and Alfred. Ascot can be done after Two/three good ends

of those initially availabe. John basically needs all so no choice with that one.

Recommended order: Lucas / Alfred /  Linus >  Asscot > Edward > John.

I recommed this because the initial three have no restrictions

but if you care about the story then its best to do Linus before Ascot

and with this you can have some free choice based on personal preference.

As per usual spoiler and route babbles after the jump, if you don't want those then stop reading here. Like always I will share some of my favorite CG's as well but not all of them.

Side note writing Applause is weird all the time so I refer to the heroine by her alias Rose.

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail - review

Couldn't take a screenshot of the title screen so uh have the keyart!

Genre: RPG.

Developer/publisher: Square Enix.
Platform: PS4/5, PC, xbone.
Official Site: N/A.

Release date: 27-6-2024.

 

I have been playing FFXIV for quite some time but never wrote a review on it.

This post is mostly about the new expansion dawntrail and it isn't much about the previous.

There aren't any major plot spoilers in this post but anything could count as

a spoiler to some so whatever I guess this is just a blog post and I am writing my own

personal thoughts as a review of a game I played, if you don't like it then close the tab/browser.

Pro's

- Decent enough plot.

- Great character development for Krile and Erenville.

- The first four zones are beautiful.

Con's

- Levels are simply given to you and I personally don't feel like I earned the lvl 100.

- Recycles too much old tunes and enemy models as well, its like i've seen/heard this before.

- I get Wuk Lamat is a main character but she steals too much of the spotlight...

 

 The expansions features a slight graphic update with better textures and models

gotta admit I was a little nervous, my WoL turned out okay but there may have

been those the update wasn't too kind of. The developers were kind enough to

give players a free fantasia to edit the character again. Which is a good thing.

Not really great at taking screenshots but thought this was a nice spot in the game.

 

More rambles after the jump but if you want the short of it, I think Dawntrail is decent

however don't expect too much out of the story and just enjoy it for what it is not for what it is not.

 

Ys Memoire The Oath in Felghana - Review

Title screen not much so have one of these images you unlock for clearing the game?

Genre: RPG.

Developer/publisher: Falcom
Platform: PS4/5,witch.
Official Site: https://www.falcom.co.jp/ysf/.

Release date: 22-5-2024.

 

With not much games of interest coming out and to take a break from otome games

I decided to get this game instead. Ys Felghana is also another ys games I never played

so now only VI and Seven remain unplayed.

V does not count and/or doesn't exist, remake it falcom... it deserves better. 

 

Pro's

- Fun boss fights (some annoying ones). 

- Exploring is rewarding, plenty of goodies to find in each area.

- Great OST.

 

Con's

- Ending feels a bit rushed.

- Short, its replayable but lacks an optional boss or reason to grind to lvl 60.

 

More rambles after the jump there's not really any plot spoilers in this post

but I did write somethings that bothered me, its all pretty minor.