2021 in review

 Probably not going to be much here but i've played 5 otome games atleast and a few rpgs.

In terms of otome its not a lot... maybe my interest is dwindling and the recent pandemic

probably didn't help the industry much either but I enjoyed what I could

and in times like these I think that's enough so nowadays I only bother with the ones I really want.

1, Lover Pretend.

 Well it probably wasn't the best otome game ever but I liked the heroine, setting and had

a good time getting to know the characters. It also wasn't too heavy or dark so that's nice

if you want something light. The flow of the common route did make me

a little nostalgic for some reason. Personally my favorite routes was Yukito this is probably

because its the only one that truly felt well rounded, other than that I liked Riku too

though the one I liked the least was Kaz maybe cuz the tone was drastically different from the rest.

Its also not that emotionally draining like Virche or Sweet Clown so once again

if you want something light without worrying of dark bad ends, lover pretend is a good pick.

2, Angelique Luminarise.

  Not the most interesting otome game but this is more of a romance simulator than anything else

unfortunately the system was a reskin of Ange retour albeit improved and the only saving grace

are the characters themselves cuz despite a strong start IMO it fell a little flat in the end.

Though i'm glad for getting to experience this thing called brainrot because of Vergil.😂😂😂

I think this was the game that got hit by the pandemic the most... its been a long time

since I have seen a company reuse CG's 3 times. I think Ange retour had it better in that area

but if you like simulation games or have a short attention span this can be something to look into.

 

3, Kimi wa yukima ni koinegau.

 Probably the funniest one, I played and here I expected it to be sad? it kinda was in a way

unfortunately despite the great production values the pacing wasn't the best so even if the worldview/lore and characters were great and the plot behind it all was like decent/OK at best also

this kinda did drag itself out. I did laugh a lot and most if not all the guys were likable

so I can't complain too much when it has plenty of funny/cute moments throughout the game.

But yea once again if this is otome game number 150... it might not be that interesting.

4, Shuuen no Virche.

 Oh boy... was this the epitome of a dark and edgy otome game! but I have to admit

story and character wise this game was good nevermind the despair! but who hurt

those writers man they really had it in for the heroine, i'm pretty sure this is as worst as it gets.

Even then this game managed to deliver as an otome game so it wasn't all bad

and I will believe people who say they think this game was the best in 2021 cuz 

in terms of story it was peak fiction. Though it might not be for everyone, that's for sure

the only bad part is the best ends for all the guys didn't actually need to be locked

which is probably what could have made all that despair a little less mentally draining

its just a questionable design choice cuz everything else was pretty great.

5, Sweet Clown.

 Well, this otome game had an interesting story, cast of characters and it was pretty well rounded

but it was pretty long and dreary, it also wasn't that fun of a read all the time

(not that there was no comedy mind you... just not that type of game)

still if you value story+characterization over romance then this is solid! most of the routes

were well-rounded and probably won't be disappointing in terms of romance.

Its hard to recommend due to the art style though and maybe if you have fear of clowns/masks

but still its pretty good overall! there's not much else to say really other than that

if you like complex characters it might be something? that is if you don't mind an espresso depresso.

~

 

Other games played:

Ryza 2,  xenoblade DE,  Utaware zan 2, Nayuta kai, Tales of Arise, Kuro no Kiseki, FFXIV:EW.

I also tried TMS#fe encore but I couldn't finish it for some reason I just lost interest

after this Yashiro guy joined? maybe i'll pick it up again... maybe not we'll see!

I already played Nayuta no Kiseki years ago but the ps4 rerelease was a nice refresher

& for a kiseki game its short but it knows where to end without overstaying its welcome.

Well all of these were pretty good my fav's being Arise, Kuro and FFXIV 

but I have a bone to pick with ryza 2 so i'll have some final words on it here:

While I could somewhat understand what it tried to do it kinda rushed the last part of the game

and well Ryza herself just doesn't act like the typical atelier protagonsit would she knows much 

but doesn't use her knowledge that well, some parts of the whole felt off as well. If I learned

anything from its ending maybe sometimes you need to let things go no matter how hard it is.

~

 

Well that is all for my year end post, as for next year its wait and see!

The only one I am sure I will give a try is the hamefura one even though

i'm wary of games based on anime/LN but here's hoping its enjoyable.

If nothing else interesting comes out i'll probably pick up a game i've passed on...

Sweet clown ~Gozen San-ji no Okashi na Doukeshi~ - review

 Genre: Otome/simulation VN.
Developer/publisher: Takuyo.
Platform: PSV, Switch.
Official Site: http://www.takuyo.co.jp/products/sweetclown/
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v16460
Release date: 2021-07-22.

 

What lead me to Sweet Clown? I started to look for something to kill time with

but not exactly in any hurry to finish it as a whole so this kinda became like a backburner game.

The japanese subtitle of this game is long (Gozen Sanji...) so I won't type it out

anywhere else in ENG it means: 3AM candy clown.

Considering the themes of this game this was for the better, its not as depressing as say Getsuei no Kusari nor is there too much despair like Virche but it isn't exactly light-hearted either.

Perhaps I wanted something not from otomate and since I feel like i'm a clown lately...

so I ended up picking up sweet clown after I had initially passed on the vita version

honestly how or why is Takuyo still around?! I wonder what there secret is...😂😂😂

 

Pro's

- Interesting story and cast of characters.

- Well-rounded routes.

- Art is pretty good but can vary.

- Music fits the mood/tone of the game.

 

Con's

- The routes do have a bit of a slow start... it takes a bit to get going.

- Sometimes it can seem that whatever choice you made doesn't matter also there are a lot.

- Le espresso depresso... wait this could be a pro.

 

A little bit on the plot... but it might be better to read the VNDB

description if you want to know what's it about!

Our protagonist Zakuro received an invitation for a 3am tea party, which leads her

to a castle owned by the sweet clown. There... she meets a bunch of other people

and the story slowly unfolds from there. It quickly becomes obvious Zakuro carries a secret.

She lost her brother when she was young and is extremely lonely and has some issues with guilt

over it... after meeting this sweet clown she ends up being selected to take over the role

unfortunately due to her issues things go far from smoothly.

The OP was pretty nice but apparently they changed it for the switch version.

I looked up the PSV version and uh i'm not sure why they changed

but it was most likely a licensing issue or they lost the file/was damaged

anyway this is the switch one.

 Oh well back on track, this game is probably not for people with fear of clowns and stuff

this is also a fairly mystery-oriented otome game more and play order is important.

What's recommended is Seisuke > Kuze or Takeru > Ouchirou > Manai.

There are also a bunch of endings 4 per route which are all toned differently

some more depressing than others, i'll be using the same order the guide recommended

and this order is very good because it makes the most sense with the overall plot.

 

I honestly found myself hooked right from the start and interested to find out more

and come back to it so I thought the flow of the story was pretty good

but it was kinda glum and so this is not something to look into if you want something light-hearted

its also not too dark! but if you want there's a more twisted end waiting for you.

The art and backgrounds were pretty nice and the music was appropiate so there's that

though I might have to say that while the art is gorgeous and there are nice cg's it did vary a little.

The system was pretty basic? there's a gazillion of choices so it might be better to use a guide...

what bothered me about the choice system is often there isn't even much of a difference

characters would often react the same as if the other choice was chosen which made me go

like thank god for the blue/red rose animation for affection which determines the endings.

Also you could literally make one wrong choice and be locked out of the best end... which

happened with me in Kobashi's route.... this combined with the mass amount of choices

makes me really want to tell people to use a guide unless you want to figure it all out yourself.

I did wonder why I passed on this game initially and it was probably because of some of the designs

and setting, even now some of those don't really vibe with me but still glad I did give it a try

because the story and characterization was honestly really good and in terms of despair

it might not be as extreme as Virche but when it hits, it hits.

 The prologue was a good setup albeit a bit long? it was ok cuz you slowly got

a better picture while also getting to know the guys if only a little.

I like it more than Shinigami to Shoujo cuz of the overall flow but this is by no means a simple

game like himehibi since  there are some layers of complexity in regards of the plot and char's

 so now you know why I won't be writing too much about the plot but i'll comment

a little on the character routes cuz I think this game is best experienced when you know very little like

psychedelica for example, the route which was most complicated was probably Takeru.

 

Most of the common route focuses on the heroine Zakuro and her internal struggles+the guys

trying to help her so they can go home each in their own way.

This isn't one of those otome games that has the heroine only help the guys its the other way around which honestly lead to an interesting experience. I do have to point out the routes

do start out fairly slow and once more that play order is VERY important, I did Seisuke first and

godbless I did because this guy completely became unlikeable in Souma's route! (atleast for me)

so for a moment I thought if I had done Souma first, I didn't want to bother with Seisuke anymore.😞

 

Overall this was a pretty good otome game with a well written story and heroine/cast

it might seem dark and dreary but it is definitely one that I can recommend.

The routes here are well-rounded in terms of plot and romance while developing both

the heroine and love interest. If anything some of the guys are just clowns really

but even then with 2 different endings per route+bad there's bound to be one outcome

that could suit your taste whether that's a happy outcome or a twisted version of it.

Weird thing was by the time I finished Souma's route I didn't even want to do the others... 😅

since the ending of it was so satisfying I felt no need to continue cuz he was also my best boi

but alas for the sake of the truth I continued on! if there was anything that I thought was a downside

is that routes take a bit to get going and it might seem same-ish how Zakuro had to overcome

her problems but every route added a new flavor its just that it might get a tad repetitive?

but as long as you're invested I don't think its a big deal! do have to be honest that if

you found your best boy the rest of the game could feel like a slog.

 

So all in all, Sweet clown is a pretty solid pick if you want something with a good story and cast!

but if you're not in the mood for a long and dreary read then it might be better to pass, there's

not much fluff either and its very character driven, the humor was a bit weird but it was there

if it wasn't I think this game would be plain depressing.

That's all I can say without spoilers really...

Sweet Clown is interesting but requires patience and perhaps an acquired taste?

I think I want to play something lighter next but this was still a good time killer

its definitely something to look into if you value character development..

8.2/10

That ends the spoiler-free section! there will be some route commentary below as this game

much like getsuei was far too long to digest and someone already summarized it anyway

so there'll only be commentary with a few of my fav CG's.

Shuuen no Virche ~Error Salvation~ - review

 Genre: Otome/simulation VN.
Developer/publisher: Otomate
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://www.otomate.jp/virche/
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v29661
Release date: 2021-10-07. 

Since there's not much choice in terms of otome games coming out

and Virche seems like it will be interesting I decided to get it

to have something to play/read while waiting for other games to come out.

I tried going in with relatively low expectations because that's what works best

if anything I think this games synopsis reminded me a little of tierblade.

Things I already knew its gonna be a dark fantasy with sci-fi elements

not to mention the art style gives off this edgy vibe! but that's all.

Like with Kimiyuki Seiyuu cast is a mix of familiar talent and new that I have not heard

before it seems this is becoming a trend and a welcome one at that.

 

Pro's

- Good worldbuilding and well written story & cast.

 - Gorgerous art and music to fit the mood.

 

Con's

- Not for the faint of heart/don't like depressing or high amount of blood.

-  What is a good ending is subjective but real happy ones are hard to find in this game.

- WHO TF HURT THE WRITERS OF THIS GAME MAN...

 

 Opening movie was pretty good, it set the mood of the game pretty well.

 

This game honestly started out pretty depressing, death really does seem to follow

the heroine Ceres no matter where she goes. Honestly I felt bad for her. :(

Ceres constantly blames herself for everything bad happening because of her curse...

this could get annoying but I had faith the writers would develop this and help her overcome it

and the main cast was pretty nice and supporting towards the heroine so all was well.

She meets Ankou who... honestly I was wary of his words cuz they were extremely honeyed

but if I was in Ceres's position I would probably trust him too but  still be ware.

Though if depressing themes and suicide triggers you I suppose to stay clear of this game.

Prologue/common route progression was good to get to know the cast and setting but there

is a bit of techno babbles from a certain character that did go into one ear and out the other.😂

To put simply there's elements of cloning and memory transfer to survive the death at 23 thing.

Most of the characters are interesting, Lukas whom's route is available to do right

from the start was an easy character to like. Anyway it wasn't dark/dreary and depressing all the time

but there was a decent amount of suspense unfortunately there's not much time for fluff or

funny scenes doesn't mean there was none it just wasn't the focus.

I have no strong opinion on Lukas but it has that one meme which made me howl for a good minute

or so. I did enjoy Mathis route in particular it was pretty peak fiction but Scien was just

well nothing against the guy but it honestly left me the most depressed.

Yvess was the poster boy but atleast his route wasn't that disappointing.

Art is gorgeous and music was pretty good too, I hardly complain about bgm's

they usually fit the mood in some way and Shuuen was no expection.

 Honestly this game attempts to put more effort into establishing its plot and cast than

a certain other moist depressing otome game from otomate I once played did.😅

This was interesting to say the least but the type of game is not for everyone

and there were parts where I zoned out, especially when Scien technobabbles.

Kimiyuki had comedy going for it but Shuuen not so much again not to say there wasn't

any funny moments cuz there were, it all was so depressing? this game also doesn't

seem to be very otome but that doesn't mean it doesn't deliver. This is one of those

games that prioritizes its scenario over romance which might make you feel wanting

or with strong feels at the end but it also for better or for worse still manage to deliver classic

otomate tropes my first route did not disappoint in that regard! The names in this game

can be kind of weird though there are some normal ones (Lukas/Mathis/Ceres)

but then there's Yves(Eve), Capucine(Cappuccino), Dahut(Daath) or Camyu(Camille).

Needless to say I just write them down as I spelled it and for some it became meme(Cappuccino).😂

Then there's Ankou i'm pretty sure they meant Ankh, well its made for japanese folks

and they're gonna spell it in engrish how they want but to me it makes perfect sense.

 

Now this may sound a bit ranty... so you're warned but I try to be honest here:

This is really one of those story driven otome games that one must see through to the end

or better put do all routes to get the most of it. By default a lot of things makes Shuuen worse

than Piofiore or other games because you could avoid bad ends if you wanted, here they're forced 

on you for the sake of the overall plot which might be good if you care about it scenario wise.

Well at that point i'd honestly would want to see something happier for once.

Anyway if you want happy ends right off the bat or  fluff, its not that type of game

also as listed in my pro's and con's good endings are subjective but you may not find much

in the way of the usual happy ends in this game. There are best ends for all the guys

but they're kind of like an extra or better put a bandaid after the final route

i'm not even sure why they really locked them, there is no reason for it to be so.

I wouldn't be surprised if the despair would get to a person at some point. 

I think Shuuen no Virche is great if you did enjoy stuff like black wolves saga or don't mind

going through the bad ends in piofiore as you play the game but even then

those games were nowhere like Shuuen is. If you can't stomach despair/blood 

and such better pass. I think this otome game is written by a bunch of sadists!😅

I do not mind characters having to suffer for development but this is on a whole new level

of how bad can it get? well that bad! I hate how it has you think well this isn't so bad

only for it to literally have baited you with a little otome element its like they wrote

the Adolphe route first but then remembered hey what about those guys?! oh yea about that.

The only route I enjoyed by default was Mathis...... I think that says a lot! I do have problems

with the final route and  I wish I had known before hand it was gonna be 10 hours instead of

the usual 6 that it took the other routes. In it we spend so much time with characters

we already know trying to get some true end effect but I was honestly a drag for me

but on the positive side I liked Adolphe, Ankh and the underlying plot! there's really nothing wrong

with the cast or plot as its well written enough but yea... this game really hates it heroine

and I got so tired of it like for once I just want her to be happy but every odd is against her

do you blame me for saying OH MY GOD I AM SO DONE WITH THIS WHO HURT YOU?!

Like I don't even mind depressing stuff but this was on a whole other level...

but despite everything it still somehow manages to deliver as an otome game.

At the end of the day I might just have to accept this wasn't fully for me....

because it was so emotionally draining I was just left like this image below when I fullcomp'd

even with the extra endings relieving some of the initial despair.

If this all sounds right up your alley that's good but I think you'll either love or hate this game

you'd have to see it for yourself but I can't guarantee anything at any rate

Shuuen no Virche gets and 8/10 from me, its pretty good if you don't mind despair. >_>;

This is what PEAK FICTION does to you.

 

 So my play order was like this:

Lukas > Mathis > Scien > Ives > Final act.

This game has an enforced play order the first 3 routes can be done in whatever

order you want but need to be done to unlock the fourth and final act.

 

Like with Kimiyuki I won't be posting too many CG's due to request of writers

to not spoil too much so again it'll be my favorites only. Anyway here I will give you

a double spoiler warning so that if you want to play the game then please read no further.

If you're interested, got money and know japanese I recommend to buy it. 

AGAIN I recommend to stop reading here cuz the spoiler-free zone ends here

with the jump break and the rest is just spoiler babbles

or more like SCREAMING? cuz I definitely did albeit internally.

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

Kuro no Kiseki - Review

Box art is kinda lame so have one of the title screens(they change every chapter)

 Genre: RPG
Developer/publisher: Falcom
Platform: PS4.
Official Site: https://www.falcom.co.jp/kuro/

Release date: 2021-09-29.  

I wasn't sure if I should write a post about this game as I usually avoid falcom games.

Kuro no Kiseki is the latest installment in falcom's trails series

its a series famous for its over-arching story, characters and worldbuilding.

I'll try to refrain from touching any main plot points and when I do there's a huge warning

though there are some screenshots but without any context! I don't think the ones i've posted

ruin any aspect of the game that hasn't already been touched upon in prerelease info.

So if you want to go into this game blind with only basic info

then I do suggest to not read past the jump break.

Edit: apparantly falcom has released a patch exactly 1 month after release

that fixes some of the many problems at release(why do I feel like a beta-tester now?)

as well as make Van's scraft better and add some art work with Shizuna during final chapter!

I think its nice and shows they care about the game in the long run before moving to the next project.

So keep in mind my issues with say performance may not exist anymore...

 

Pro's/What I liked:

- Main cast+side.

- Overall plot and decent ending.

- BGM.

Con's/What I disliked:

- Most of the villains.

- Performance issues.

- A part of the last chapter.

 

 

OP movie, I think I watched it everytime I boot up the game

but you gotta wait a little on the title screen before it plays.

Kuro takes place in the Calvard republic, with a new MC and cast.

There are some returning characters as per usual but there role was minimal not to say 

they don't do anything, depending on L.G.C alignment a certain returnee or other character

at some point might even help you. This game can be pretty dark, focuses a lot on grey areas...

anyway its an alright start to a new arc but perhaps might have been better if it was a little shorter

overall I still liked it though! 7.5 out of 10.

 

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Some thoughts on Blue Reflection Ray

I don't usually write about anime, for some reason I just wanted to write a few words on it

mostly to take my mind away from other things and because this anime is kind of underrated

no one really talks about it anyway because what is a blue reflection?🤔

Keep in mind this post is written as of episode 22 I think I have seen more than enough to write

a post about it, funny thing last week I was playing Arise and for a moment I was like hey a new

episode is out but my mind instantly went nah and then I had to watch two eps the next week.💀

This actually worked in my favor but you know that feel when you can't be arsed to watch it weekly.

They truly got me though cuz I was interested in how it would tie to the games... sigh

 

Pro's

- The characters.

 

Con's

- Literally everything else.

Needless to say since i'm discussing the series as a whole so there are some light spoilers.