tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82129741320172797552024-03-29T20:01:57.934+09:00嗚呼、素晴らしきエロゲー世界Asceaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12445843466951050426noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212974132017279755.post-88227820068226191812013-11-16T17:47:00.000+09:002013-11-16T18:32:54.554+09:00Rance 01 - Hikari wo MotometeRemaking old games or revitalising old franchises is an appealing prospect for developers, as amongst other reasons, to allow an old game to be playable by a new generation of players on modern hardware, and can be less work than starting a new game from scratch. However, not every old game can get by with a simple remake, and when large-scale changes are made to an existing product, there is also the danger of losing some of the merits of the original that warranted the remake. In some cases, the original gameplay and/or story is strong enough to stand without changes, and updates can be largely cosmetic, and in other instances, new content can be added to supplement the existing game. Rance 01 is a unique case, as none of the original game's features are good enough by the standards of modern eroges to stand on their own, but as the series that originated from this game has maintained a lasting popularity over 24 years, in order for a remake of Rance 1 to be successful, what was necessary, was a complete rewrite of the game from the ground up.<br />
<br />
Rance 01 is a remake of a 1989 eroge Rance - Hikari wo Motomete, commonly referred to as Rance 1. The game's package release was limited to pre-orders, but it is available for download purchase on various stores, including <a href="http://www.dlsite.com/pro/work/=/product_id/VJ007902.html">dlsite</a>. The original <a href="http://retropc.net/alice/04.html">Rance 1</a> has been released by Alice Soft for free download on the Alice Soft Archives.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgigyTPgBiES6jmifSl6vt3d-KTFG0tzzMIjrYndn5d_Ew0zEMLbaEPJPHiu1zF-MbR3vl0OU4YGJzkK0y3_BsBZHUXphvdKCGt1xxInv81sZXjLqyypmFQ6PT9c7tsGf4yoIan2pKJ_ck/s1600/%25E3%2583%25A9%25E3%2583%25B3%25E3%2582%25B901_title+screen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgigyTPgBiES6jmifSl6vt3d-KTFG0tzzMIjrYndn5d_Ew0zEMLbaEPJPHiu1zF-MbR3vl0OU4YGJzkK0y3_BsBZHUXphvdKCGt1xxInv81sZXjLqyypmFQ6PT9c7tsGf4yoIan2pKJ_ck/s1600/%25E3%2583%25A9%25E3%2583%25B3%25E3%2582%25B901_title+screen.jpg" /></a></div><a name='more'></a>
Before describing the story of Rance, it is necessary to describe the character of arguably the most iconic protagonist of all eroges. Rance's original 'antihero' concept was established in opposition to the typical traits of a standard fantasy RPG hero. Rance is selfish, has no hesitation or feels no guilt over killing (males), and above all, seeks sex in whatever way he can obtain it. Despite these 'negative' personality traits which disqualify Rance from being a typical 'hero', the setting and context for his actions is generally constructed in such a way that Rance still acts as a force for the relative 'good'. Rance is in some ways an honourable character, as he does keep to his word, but in return, will expect the same from other party, and will use any means necessary to obtain his promised reward.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUiLi8Q9bFldzAgGsmdXznzaO9NHrfTl6DPr9znOKGYOpX5hcVoyVdabSW3KLJBss7LlhSKMvSJVDmQlY_xbQiq4QN6tAUdmYjztO-1YqUDbtcTLeVatt2Du1BxxcNIHA2kr-W9TMepM/s1600/%25E3%2583%25A9%25E3%2583%25B3%25E3%2582%25B901_Hikari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUiLi8Q9bFldzAgGsmdXznzaO9NHrfTl6DPr9znOKGYOpX5hcVoyVdabSW3KLJBss7LlhSKMvSJVDmQlY_xbQiq4QN6tAUdmYjztO-1YqUDbtcTLeVatt2Du1BxxcNIHA2kr-W9TMepM/s1600/%25E3%2583%25A9%25E3%2583%25B3%25E3%2582%25B901_Hikari.jpg" /></a></div>
In Rance 01, Rance, being short of money seeks out a quest at the guild he attached to, The guildmaster Keys, offers him an investigation of Hikari's disappearance, and upon seeing a photo of Hikari and hearing about the unappealing nature of the other jobs available, accepts this quest. and journeys from his hometown to Ice to the capital of Leazus. Hikari is a student at the Paris Girls' Academy, an elite school, and was the most recent of several students to have disappeared from the school. Rance orders his slave Sill to enrol in the academy to investigate Hikari's disappearance from the inside, while Rance proceeds with an external investigation. The story is told almost entirely from Rance's perspective, as he freely moves around various maps, outdoor areas and dungeons between different locations. While the central story itself is relatively short, there are many optional events on it, which are required to clear certain characters. On the whole, the strength of the story lies in certain memorable scenes, rather than the relatively weak overall chain of events, which has to largely mirror those of the original Rance 1.<br />
<br />
The Rance series, and the formation of the brand Alice Soft 1989. There are two earlier Champion Soft which are connected to the Rance universe, Little Princess, and Little Vampire, featuring Kentarou and Miki as the main characters (who both feature prominently in Sengoku Rance). Rance 1 was released on the same day as Intruder in 1989, and these games were the two debut titles of Alice Soft. In terms of accessibility, Intruder is certainly an improvement over Little Vampire, and is a vast improvement over Little Princess, which is a strong contender for the hardest (and worst) eroge ever made. However, there's little reason to recommend playing Intruder now, as 24 years after the release date, it is just a primitive, very short eroge with no interesting features. Rance, on the other hand, offered far more in the way of variety and characters, and the series is still ongoing (Rance 9 is close to completion and will be released next year, and Rance 10, the final game of the series has already been planned out). The original Rance 1 is very simple to clear with a walkthrough, but is challenging without one, not due to the difficulty of the gameplay, which is straightforward, but because it's not always clear how to advance the story. Rance 01 smooths out the difficulty a lot, by providing an overview of the investigation, by giving the next action Rance should take to advance the story. However, in order to complete a 'full' clear of the game, a walkthrough is still recommended, as not all of the sub-events are easy to find, some secrets are easy to miss, and it's possible to clear the game without even meeting some of the heroines.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfqzTWrzeil0fbZr85GhupC4Av3A0BpnmNPCwbiD_veKPsb0BseCe-WqWkfmVilLdJrwdHxAz9HIHcE9btrc46hqYOyYqHhvEKjiUZesnf3If6v96FUeFv5Tfv8lgD9QlH02aIs0x74Y/s1600/%25E3%2583%25A9%25E3%2583%25B3%25E3%2582%25B901_gameplay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfqzTWrzeil0fbZr85GhupC4Av3A0BpnmNPCwbiD_veKPsb0BseCe-WqWkfmVilLdJrwdHxAz9HIHcE9btrc46hqYOyYqHhvEKjiUZesnf3If6v96FUeFv5Tfv8lgD9QlH02aIs0x74Y/s1600/%25E3%2583%25A9%25E3%2583%25B3%25E3%2582%25B901_gameplay.jpg" /></a></div>
A full description of the gameplay can be seen in the manual, but in rough terms, Rance navigates his way through areas which are represented as horizontal rows of five cards, with the player being able to move forward diagonally ahead left + right, or straight. Each card has a different event, which can include empty areas, monsters, traps or hazards that can inflict Rance with a harmful status, treasure and plot related characters, events or locations. The majority of the cards have their event depicted on their face, although some are left face down until Rance moves on them. With one exception, only a handful of cards in each area are randomised, so that with experience, dangerous areas of each map can be avoided. The system is fairly well laid out, and more importantly, the gameplay is fast-paced, and can be further sped up with the use of the Ctrl. key.<br />
<br />
The gameplay is well balanced for the majority of the story, with a steady scaling of difficulty of monsters and the level of equipment throughout the game. During each turn of combat the player can choose to 'bet' certain chips, which contain various items, that can be single use, unlimited use, or unlimited use with a cooldown of 1 or more turns, the length of which depends on the power of the item. Several monsters have special abilities, causing them to either be immune to, or to be damaged super-effectively by items with certain properties, although for me, the only two times this became an important factor was when protecting against experience drain, and collecting the CGs of girl monsters.<br />
<br />
Towards the end of the story, the balance becomes more skewed. The strongest shield in the game (which you can buy multiple copies of) is powerful enough to completely nullify all but a handful of attacks, but due to Rance's relatively low hit point total, any powerful attacks that aren't shielded against are likely to be able to OHKO him with a critical hit, or 2HKO him otherwise. Offensively, the game is quite straightforward, as due the possibility of attacking with multiple offensive chips on the same turn, the main defense most of the enemies have is a large number of hitpoints, and even this is not enough to prevent enemies (including the final boss on one attempt) from being OHKOed from a critical hit on an all-out attack. Hence, the main trick to the gameplay is to firstly have a steady rotation of shields, and after that, the most powerful weapons you have access to at a given point in the game.<br />
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcN5tI22OzGjwFa5CAElGizqY0fCtgN72X-1wJokKWYr0pYkDhJboWb_Zi4TYorh7c-gKTf0OO7Li-VX6ppozzcWGB0GDcvtd8F19z_ZduFwi_XSZeg8_moxWypCt5EWroZP2vfZzpLw/s1600/%25E3%2583%25A9%25E3%2583%25B3%25E3%2582%25B901_conversation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcN5tI22OzGjwFa5CAElGizqY0fCtgN72X-1wJokKWYr0pYkDhJboWb_Zi4TYorh7c-gKTf0OO7Li-VX6ppozzcWGB0GDcvtd8F19z_ZduFwi_XSZeg8_moxWypCt5EWroZP2vfZzpLw/s1600/%25E3%2583%25A9%25E3%2583%25B3%25E3%2582%25B901_conversation.jpg" /></a></div>
One of the less user-friendly features of all old eroges, is the use of a menu system for dialogue, along the lines of 'look', 'talk' and so on. In practice, this feature allowed a relatively small amount of text to be spun out into a longer game, but outside of the central plot related/advancement dialogue with each character, the majority of the options produced a banal, single line response. Rance 01 retains this basic system, while improving it through the use of better writing, along with adding some unique, irrational options to certain locations or characters that wouldn't be possible to achieve in a more conventional format, for example, repeatedly falling, and potentially killing yourself while attempting to climb the castle's walls . Despite this, I still think the game would have been better overall as a pure ADV. This is particularly the case for certain story-related scenes, which lose effective when told through the clumsy system (the game sometimes effectively prompts you to pick certain options), and could be more effectively dealt with in a purely textual manner.<br />
<br />
The art is perhaps the strongest overall element of Rance 01. The Rance Series' main artist, Orion, is currently working on Rance 9, and in his place, Gyokai, a relatively new employee of Alice Soft. He succeeded in providing high quality character redesigns of long established characters, along with good lineart and CGs. However, it is slightly disappointing the most of the characters only have a single tachie with no variance in facial expressions. On the other hand, the music, whilst of an adequate quality, is fairly disappointing. Alice Soft's long time composer Shade, who has worked on the music for all of the past Rance games, retired from the company fairly recently, and according to EGS, the new composer DJ C++'s only previous work was as a sub-composer on Pastel Chime 3. The drop in quality is particularly evident if the music is compared to that of Sengoku Rance. As always, there's an absence of voices, which is regrettable, but this is a common feature of all of the Rance games.<br />
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdMAJnWaOa9Q2rlZYsvSCFQkHytzIy6gbuFRF7OR1Pn6VvJKPbmMP_mpc1lEdCcnBvrKYxavd_GSt_mBSyEWK95zd9zX0Kjp4oshsRkZJr79pzWQMGD7C_82vGiKZQ3Y6j7fuyhs8CMs/s1600/%25E3%2583%25A9%25E3%2583%25B3%25E3%2582%25B901_Sill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdMAJnWaOa9Q2rlZYsvSCFQkHytzIy6gbuFRF7OR1Pn6VvJKPbmMP_mpc1lEdCcnBvrKYxavd_GSt_mBSyEWK95zd9zX0Kjp4oshsRkZJr79pzWQMGD7C_82vGiKZQ3Y6j7fuyhs8CMs/s1600/%25E3%2583%25A9%25E3%2583%25B3%25E3%2582%25B901_Sill.jpg" /></a></div>
Perhaps the main criticism that could be leveled at Rance 01, as it stands in relation to the more recent Rance titles, is that it just isn't all that interesting. I feel that there are two key factors for this. The first, and most important, is that this is essentially a solo adventure, and the game really misses the inter-party dynamics between the Rance and the colourful cast of characters, who to varying degrees love or loathe him. Even on occasions in Rance 01 when other characters (briefly) join the party in the form of 'chips', they have little to no interaction between scenes that don't directly involve them as the main character. The characterisation is also not helped by the majority of the heroines in Rance 01 being civilians who have little overall connection to the central plot, many of whom are unlikely to play a key role in future Rance games. The second is the scale of the game. While Rance 01 takes pains to improve on the original, so much of the plot is unrelated to the search for Hikari, with the villains getting a relatively small amount of screen-time, that the final scenes don't have much of an epic feel to them. The same can be said for the story in general. While the villains are certainly more threatening, and relatively evil that they were in the original Rance 1, there's no real epic feel to the game, nor is there a particularly strong climax.<br />
<br />
The question remains as to how Rance 01 should be evaluated, and who the game is likely to appeal to. Rance 01 was advertised along the lines of 'play the same eroge that your fathers did'. As a remake, it is in every way an improvement over the original game, and overall, it's a decent eroge. However, in comparison to other Rance games, it's just flat out inferior. Despite this game being the origin of the Rance series, and the first introduction, I wouldn't recommend it as an entry point into the games either (Sengoku Rance or Rance Quest with the expansion would be the best starting points), as there's generally enough background inform . For players who are willing to try older games, I'd recommend starting from <a href="http://retropc.net/alice/10.html">Rance 3</a>, the first large-scale, and epic game that Alice Soft made. Overall, while I think the game is worth the pricetag, I'd only recommend it to existing fans of the Rance series, who want something to tide them over before the planned release of Rance 9 in 2014.<br />
<br />
Overall Score: 70%Unknownnoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212974132017279755.post-18889582072965022732012-12-06T23:06:00.001+09:002012-12-06T23:08:00.778+09:00Sousei Kitan Aerials: Il Dort Dans le Grand BleuEroge typically covers similar genres to other Japanese popular culture media (such as animation, manga and light novels,) although some genres happen to appear more rarely in certain media than others. Mecha is probably one for eroge as there are relatively few titles that fit. Hence any mecha eroge is automatically going to attract a certain degree of attention simply due to novelty factor - but it's a double-edged sword as the genre also attracts certain expectations that may or may not be met.<br />
<br />
Sousei Kitan Aerials is a 2012 mecha eroge released by AkabeeSoft3. The sole scenario writer for the project was Inoue Keiji, who also wrote the scenarios for Elf's acclaimed Ashita no Yukinojou series and, more recently, Artemis Blue.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlT3P5NdiDeD0z_J3FKF6T2TfXeEikPAsMdTpRrNCBAz2Stp7UykpHoaqwXbz0UsYnoxHG9-JvjkIviOdwTVBNsgpGyB2xE9qBOaud2Aers9VdiAhj4C21WtRT32N9rT2BCMf5Qdk0BiE/s1600/aerial1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlT3P5NdiDeD0z_J3FKF6T2TfXeEikPAsMdTpRrNCBAz2Stp7UykpHoaqwXbz0UsYnoxHG9-JvjkIviOdwTVBNsgpGyB2xE9qBOaud2Aers9VdiAhj4C21WtRT32N9rT2BCMf5Qdk0BiE/s640/aerial1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
In the year 2040, a sudden increase in global temperatures caused the polar ice caps to melt, flooding Earth. With practically the entire planet, including all arable land submerged, humanity continues to eke out its survival on a giant floating arcology known as Aquapolis (actually 'AQUAPOLICE' in-game, but I'm pretty sure this was a mistake.)<br />
<br />
If this wasn't enough, the remaining 100,000 surviving people on Earth have to contend with more and more frequent attacks by SPOOKs (Space Phantom Of Organic Killer-instinct;) massive space-faring insects keen on wiping out humanity.<br />
<br />
Humanity's last line of defense, the ASDF (Aquapolis Self Defense Force) is stretched to its limit with little remaining in ammunition and missiles and with its fleet of irreplaceable fighter planes, AEW&C and aircraft carriers gradually shrinking.<br />
<br />
Deep beneath the surface of the vast ocean, a girl sleeps; dreaming of the day when she can meet her Elemental Driver.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OsGsjor2oho78iTZBFti2shzhkz2oK5uXfPfr8T3QdlxJZF8cLO7I1BN_QdMQzoQaR_xLXf5FcFLGySt4CaFkNHaJmetUyb5QmxOqDOrF_NSQuIv4DruolkeH4vBa4Wc4sfvPKob6lw/s1600/aerial2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OsGsjor2oho78iTZBFti2shzhkz2oK5uXfPfr8T3QdlxJZF8cLO7I1BN_QdMQzoQaR_xLXf5FcFLGySt4CaFkNHaJmetUyb5QmxOqDOrF_NSQuIv4DruolkeH4vBa4Wc4sfvPKob6lw/s640/aerial2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
First of all, a note about the title: you could call it 'Sousei Kitan Aerial' or 'Sousei Kitan Aerials' and you'd be able to justify your choice either way. The only sensible way of reading the original title (アエリアル) and the name of the titular mech is 'Aerial'; however, this is also the way it is read in-game, where it is rendered 'Aerials'. Hence the reason I have adopted this title for the review. It doesn't really matter.<br />
<br />
Sousei Kitan Aerials is a chapter-based eroge, although if you attempted to determine the modality by looking at walkthroughs etc. you might conclude instead that it was a route-based eroge. It is not, although at times it pretends to be. There is only one story and you can read one of three somewhat different variations on it with a different heroine. In practice, nothing much changes. There are eight chapters in all and the game is of considerable length- set aside 30 or so hours to clear it, depending on reading speed. All characters are voiced.<br />
<br />
The story is largely centered around two characters- the protagonist, Tougou Shin, and his older brother, Tougou Shuu; although the latter is more prominent early on in the story and less prominent later on as the perspective focuses on Shin.<br />
<br />
Tougou Shin is one of a number of students at Aquapolis' only school, which focuses on both academic and practical education, given the need to quickly introduce graduates as productive members of society. Students who pass a proficiency test train to become fighter pilots and join the ASDF while the other students receive education in other areas, such as agriculture.<br />
<br />
Shuu is a celebrated pilot in the ASDF, struggling to repulse the waves of increasingly powerful SPOOKs with limited resources. Shin struggles to live up to the expectations people have in him and the pressure to become a skilled pilot because of his brother.<br />
<br />
When Shin acquires the awesome power of the titular mech 'Aerials,' he is finally able to step up and protect humanity.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kNqpfc7IRB1qKf1JNshEd64tU6HKNi9mYLBQwTyZomTbCVZFmddGajsq8TlMGg-jlr_MbOHko0amuu6b3d4wRbSaUk1ROdN_r1HygTlldqneYYcMLOUgt7GqNxzmjD0CtCWDyPTbdqA/s1600/aerial3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kNqpfc7IRB1qKf1JNshEd64tU6HKNi9mYLBQwTyZomTbCVZFmddGajsq8TlMGg-jlr_MbOHko0amuu6b3d4wRbSaUk1ROdN_r1HygTlldqneYYcMLOUgt7GqNxzmjD0CtCWDyPTbdqA/s640/aerial3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Aerials contains most of the stuff you'd expect from an eroge like this - typical easy-going slice-of-life stuff on the Aquapolis, fast-paced air combat against SPOOKs - and a fair bit of stuff you don't, like high-octane mindfuckery.<br />
<br />
The latter is largely reserved for two chapters (4 and 6) that essentially amount to (although plenty of other stuff happens in chapter 6) the prolonged psychological torture of the protagonist and it pretty clearly leaves a mark.<br />
<br />
Your mileage may vary on whether you think this stuff is necessary or not- I personally thought the stuff in chapter 4 was great but that the stuff in chapter 6 was just outright bizarre and didn't really fit.<br />
<br />
I definitely thought the way Aerials solved the standard problem in works of this genre (of how, when you have a ridiculously powerful weapon/machine that can destroy anything, you still can create tension in the story) in a very plausible way.<br />
<br />
While you basically always know that the story is going to have a happy ending, there is never any question that there are going to be losses along the way. The counter showing the number of surviving humans in the inter-chapter sequences illustrates this all too well.<br />
<br />
The game even goes as far as killing off one of the main heroines (who has a route and everything) very early on to show you that it is serious. There is no way of avoiding this through choices.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88m0N7FBwONkHNDiMEIZHRIyiLYLbIsLlhVoKsefY9sfS42HSviGXXSskL1zDXYCOLJsH5piYWeT3FsQq7OzAPxgJgfuiPaHvcyESkwulVzDXPHPTlnecpEsVJzd499W2gVyI-Hsdl7o/s1600/aerial5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88m0N7FBwONkHNDiMEIZHRIyiLYLbIsLlhVoKsefY9sfS42HSviGXXSskL1zDXYCOLJsH5piYWeT3FsQq7OzAPxgJgfuiPaHvcyESkwulVzDXPHPTlnecpEsVJzd499W2gVyI-Hsdl7o/s640/aerial5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Air combat is the main source of action in Aerials, mostly involving the ADSF in the early parts of the story and the titular mech in the later parts of the story, but with a bit of a mix of both throughout.<br />
<br />
If you've played Light's Gunjyou no Sora wo Koete, the combat is pretty similar to that. Military jargon flows back and forth between the pilots and the AEW&C planes as they use missiles and bullets to take down SPOOKs.<br />
<br />
This military jargon comprises most - but by no means all - of the gratituous English present in Sousei Kitan Aerials. Aerials probably contains the most English out of any non-English eroge, from the heavy presence of English nouns to whole English phrases.<br />
<br />
There's numerous errors (like the aforementioned AQUAPOLICE) and the voice actors naturally mangle the phrases (with one exception- Ground Control NEPTUNE has excellent English language voice acting and I suspect the seiyuu might actually be a native speaker) but it somehow all works.<br />
<br />
That said, if you're not keen on hearing massive amounts (some of these battles are quite long) of US Air Force lingo tossed around by Japanese speakers I suggest you find a different eroge to play.<br />
<br />
You might also find fault with the writer's ridiculous overuse of exclamation marks, but that's just being picky.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkSewSwCS6UNBWt7m4DCWNvuAMQZDIXot9iAdwE1czwymuz1ufxNaXU3kTChyg92uttILwNxa1lmfg5msMqfh46i983doSGtLkYAqwhPct_E-4ZUZZNipLtNS66NNjI0os7G_Lt-NO1Q/s1600/aerial8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkSewSwCS6UNBWt7m4DCWNvuAMQZDIXot9iAdwE1czwymuz1ufxNaXU3kTChyg92uttILwNxa1lmfg5msMqfh46i983doSGtLkYAqwhPct_E-4ZUZZNipLtNS66NNjI0os7G_Lt-NO1Q/s640/aerial8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
As stated before, this is basically a one route story. My recommendation is to clear it once (probably either Risa or Miku's stories,) download a completed savedata and clear out the stuff you missed from the chapter select screen. The game is simply far too long otherwise, even with skipping enabled.<br />
<br />
The heroine is chosen based on a number of choices in the first couple of chapters and this affects the rest of the game, albeit in a limited fashion compared to typical eroges. The plot progression, all of the battles etc. and the eventual outcome of the story is largely identical regardless of heroine, with the occasional divergent scenes, epilogues and some other stuff.<br />
<br />
If you're thinking that this can't be particularly great for the typical heroine romance progression, you're absolutely right. The heroines get a pretty terrible treatment from this eroge. For a start, the main heroine does not have a route (although you could argue the entire story is her route, so it doesn't really matter) but the other heroines get treated even worse.<br />
<br />
As mentioned before, one of them dies early on, acting as a strong emotional catalyst for the protagonist (eventually driving him to Aerials.) Another heroine isn't even a real 'winnable' heroine in the typical eroge sense (she does have an actual H scene, but it's not with the protagonist!)<br />
<br />
My view is that this could probably have been consolidated into a choiceless title by making one character heroine for the first half and another character heroine for the second half, but the format they chose 'works', largely because of chapter 4. The protagonist essentially develops a personal link to the story's main antagonist, the SPOOK queen, which makes one of the near-final confrontations particularly striking.<br />
<br />
Half of the game's H scenes are protagonist delusions. Of the remainder, half of them don't even involve the protagonist. Pretty understandable given how the story is constructed but not necessarily something a typical eroge fan will appreciate.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXcmCOKIWsvpHKWxHU_l42YQSggxhl2aYxvJz-DBUlm8cMSdMTmpmkoDqjm8tnSFWCGJfFr3AcNIB1w1BVRLeRVy6eUHAaVs8ERPU3uhnQhY1oOUsr59XZ5E9iDv4JvF3nBqDTJjLEu80/s1600/aerial4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXcmCOKIWsvpHKWxHU_l42YQSggxhl2aYxvJz-DBUlm8cMSdMTmpmkoDqjm8tnSFWCGJfFr3AcNIB1w1BVRLeRVy6eUHAaVs8ERPU3uhnQhY1oOUsr59XZ5E9iDv4JvF3nBqDTJjLEu80/s640/aerial4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Now, you may or may not be aware that Sousei Kitan Aerial has been somewhat critically panned, especially compared to Inoue Keiji's previous works. This is largely due to flaws that have been described earlier in this review. It is very much up to the reader how important these are - for example, while a number of reviewers seem to have disliked the overuse of English, it may bother someone native (or skilled) in English a lot less.<br />
<br />
To enumerate the game's sins:<br />
<ul>
<li>Terrible treatment of heroines; arguably no-one gets a proper route</li>
<li>However you view the conclusion, it's a negative and pretty unfair ending for the main heroine</li>
<li>Overuse of English, sometimes quite bad English, especially in the combat scenes</li>
<li>Heavy copy-pasting in the combat scenes- you'll hear the same stock phrases said over and over, possibly hundreds of times</li>
<li>Inclusion of some seriously questionable elements (unappealing and unnecessary,) like the protagonist torture scenes in Chapter 6</li>
</ul>
I also suspect the game might take more than a few cues from the animation Evangelion, although I haven't seen this listed as a criticism. The protagonist of Aerials has a far more appealing personality, though.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YCzhLfQjnBxEby4gkn244GBMKSpo4r4E8X8RqzQpsGnAXbfDlYt_sZrkWtVXeAbFlwbHHMIskhl-0al0qw8BP5y4ASKgh4nvkZSF2KyI7gAp1KRBBfA4meWJFvaARvMUO9Z8X8KR9Q4/s1600/aerial7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YCzhLfQjnBxEby4gkn244GBMKSpo4r4E8X8RqzQpsGnAXbfDlYt_sZrkWtVXeAbFlwbHHMIskhl-0al0qw8BP5y4ASKgh4nvkZSF2KyI7gAp1KRBBfA4meWJFvaARvMUO9Z8X8KR9Q4/s640/aerial7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Despite these issues, there is still a great deal behind the story that is appealing. I personally found it to be a very well paced and appealing eroge that managed to plausibly up the stakes as the story progressed to keep the action thrilling. Most of the characters are excellent and overall it's just a very satisfying read.<br />
<br />
Production values are high, even for an eroge released in 2012. The art is top-notch, the soundtrack is awesome and fitting and battles are filled with great visual effect work. You're never concerned that there isn't enough happening on-screen. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceFrVNuQU6Xhrnp_8ViVk3zEPCcDwRn8oiC9SDFbqkAYWpFfyJuqDNBIygvVTd1WfKTQ6Ul3QOGtT6sRuxc2BwQPo6e-SHFUnkaoO4npLlLKR6eT0bLm4QQQndExRXiyJ5hvQe-fjZnU/s1600/aerial6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceFrVNuQU6Xhrnp_8ViVk3zEPCcDwRn8oiC9SDFbqkAYWpFfyJuqDNBIygvVTd1WfKTQ6Ul3QOGtT6sRuxc2BwQPo6e-SHFUnkaoO4npLlLKR6eT0bLm4QQQndExRXiyJ5hvQe-fjZnU/s640/aerial6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Sousei Kitan Aerials, despite being plagued by some somewhat dubious design decisions is overall a very well made and unique eroge. If you can get past the flaws, it's a very thrilling and satisfying eroge to play and I recommend that you at least try it out.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Overall Score: <span style="font-size: large;">8<span style="font-size: large;">6</span></span>%</span>Asceaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12445843466951050426noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212974132017279755.post-50711267450709701782011-10-26T01:19:00.084+09:002011-10-31T21:03:33.070+09:00Princess Lover!Although the scenario writer is almost always the most important determining factor in the overall success or failure of an eroge, in terms of the number of sales (particularly preorders), the artist has the biggest individual role. Many consumers will purchase an eroge solely because of the art style and/or one of their favourite artists is working on it. As a result, there's the temptation by some companies to avoid putting similar effort into recruiting a writer of equal ability to the artist and structuring an effective plan for the scenario, as it may have little effect on the sales. Often, these so-called 'art' games also feature an ordinary 'default' setting with a slight twist to set their game apart, without making a significant attempt to innovate or depart from a default 'school' setting. In the case of <a href="http://www.ricotta-soft.jp/products/prilover/index.html">Princess Lover</a>, the focus of this review, this is the high society setting and characters, whereas others might use a trap protagonist, unusual club activities or a few magical or supernatural elements/heroines.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5LRkJqUW6ksOOB1Mkhs4yMLkagN8llONEBr30YBeTeO8LJhuRE95IMaACOZFVnEZesnrCiOLqwAhy0vVTdOJ1_suHO7iWaeU2lRt7bbYdID-GBUZwb3WFLv6JV3sFqxf8PMRyofvH-s/s1600/pl+review+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5LRkJqUW6ksOOB1Mkhs4yMLkagN8llONEBr30YBeTeO8LJhuRE95IMaACOZFVnEZesnrCiOLqwAhy0vVTdOJ1_suHO7iWaeU2lRt7bbYdID-GBUZwb3WFLv6JV3sFqxf8PMRyofvH-s/s400/pl+review+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669568412409752818" /></a><a name='more'></a>Princess Lover! (hereafter without the exclamation mark), released in 2008 is the debut eroge of <a href="http://www.ricotta-soft.jp/index.html">Ricotta</a>. The company was in charge of the planning, and they enlisted they highly prolific writer Shouta Onoue to work on the scenario. While the bad writing is evident in the scenario, Ricotta didn't provide a good plan to work from, as will be highlighted later in the review. I should mention that although this review consists largely of nitpicking, I'm not sure how else I could write it, as Princess Lover is an eroge that's very inconsistent across the board, ranging from excellent art to an ill-conceived plan. As an aside, I haven't seen or read much about the anime adaptation, however given the thinness of the story in the game, the clear separation of content and the relatively high amount of ero content, I suspect that the anime is significantly different from the original.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrqRuJTonAi3-RtRv1Zau3qiXQqywP6EhuyGyD2wNYMqmc3niPwQvFdmT_FUSNGMWC7ErkgzFR7mdhTpGHwV64KmkCLwLSHkpnRw2-tdGJI2yK9sdfJFCOLPBZonmbM4z7xV1mqSWzhA/s1600/pl+review+2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrqRuJTonAi3-RtRv1Zau3qiXQqywP6EhuyGyD2wNYMqmc3niPwQvFdmT_FUSNGMWC7ErkgzFR7mdhTpGHwV64KmkCLwLSHkpnRw2-tdGJI2yK9sdfJFCOLPBZonmbM4z7xV1mqSWzhA/s400/pl+review+2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669573852131329682" /></a>The scenario of Princess Lover goes roughly as follows. After the death of his parents in a car accident, the protagonist Teppei Kobayashi is visited by his grandfather, Isshin Arima, an exceedingly wealthy and influential figure in Japan's economy who proposes to adopt Teppei as his successor. Teppei is suddenly transported from life as a commoner into the upper echelons of high society, moving into a vast mansion with many servants, including his own personal maid, attending the wealthiest school in Japan, and joining the elite social club, which only consists of a handful of select students. After this, the scenario splits off into four routes, each of which have very similar plot structures. Despite what the title implies, only two of the heroines are princesses, and there's not a particularly strong emphasis on romance.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvJS7XNFAEjM6L-feh2bmTIV4BixtclGZmzNL8oJyLfyjLhdTz3oyR0FUEMuncm3XgRzmVEYadAYn_TrNAD71M2PnBlS8_VPs_sf884yXKmwxwEx9twjlW1Zx3DkdwMOuV8PmvO7m_gE/s1600/pl+review+4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvJS7XNFAEjM6L-feh2bmTIV4BixtclGZmzNL8oJyLfyjLhdTz3oyR0FUEMuncm3XgRzmVEYadAYn_TrNAD71M2PnBlS8_VPs_sf884yXKmwxwEx9twjlW1Zx3DkdwMOuV8PmvO7m_gE/s400/pl+review+4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669575574713101522" /></a>While the winnable heroines are arguably the most important characters in an eroge (and I think Princess Lover succeeds resonably well here), the most difficult character to write well is generally the protagonist. Unfortunately most of the time, Teppei is one of the most useless eroge protagonists I've encountered, being slow, stupid and with a tendency to be overly passive but occasionally prone to rash actions. In spite of this, all the heroines are mysteriously attracted to him almost from the beginning of the story. Additionally, none of Teppei's actions have any lasting consequences, as the story resolves very coveniently on each route to lead to a good ending. While it's understandable that there are no bad endings, I'm not sure that Princess Lover succeeds as a feel-good eroge, as the resolutions on each storyline are often a bit too far-fetched.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtd7cMVrsgs1-UmKCU0c6cjeizp9tHNk8WuvW8XRovpTLJ3W_MPrKmb-lISBymYa7258VOIcUh5fAfrqKCFfaDk5xzsBQJbn0owRcgeDFjNDMtQj5LxDrfyGpXW2IdHxuPO3_oPGTKJcg/s1600/pl+review+6.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtd7cMVrsgs1-UmKCU0c6cjeizp9tHNk8WuvW8XRovpTLJ3W_MPrKmb-lISBymYa7258VOIcUh5fAfrqKCFfaDk5xzsBQJbn0owRcgeDFjNDMtQj5LxDrfyGpXW2IdHxuPO3_oPGTKJcg/s400/pl+review+6.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669578245164492978" /></a>For a character driven pure love eroge, secondary characters are likely to be less important, or to have a minimal connection to the overall story. This is not to suggest that the sub-characters should be omitted, but rather that they should serve to complement the 'winnable' characters, Vincent and Maria being good, well-written examples of this. Unfortunately, a majority of Princess Lover's sub-cast is unpleasant and suffer from poor repetitive dialogue. Alfred, Charlotte's butler is rude and does nothing but insult the protagonist; Seika's two flunkies, Ayano and Erika are cold towards all characters bar Seika, and show nothing but scorn and disdain for the protagonist; and Haruhiko, the self-proclaimed best friend only serves to annoy with his fixation on everyone's blood type (it's never made clear why the latter three are in the social club either). Ayano and Erika in particular are two of the worst and most pointless characters I've encountered in any eroge. Although much of the protagonist hate is richly deserved, the delivery of it is lacking. This would not be so much of a problem if the insults were witty and varied, but when characters constantly harp on about the protagonist being useless, a commoner and the like, they wear rather thin very quickly.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOK40Ns8Q_32PvpdZ-oI_rGqq_lhJbJ0fjXZtLhKcEyVn-6eltLqIihtkHqkWSXcFLMDWiI0CL_E9VN_MOHAQVeduzKkC7YFFUKIUyoad5TGRbP4sTmA8TJEgLEoJENhqFlkicSybEczE/s1600/pl+review+3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOK40Ns8Q_32PvpdZ-oI_rGqq_lhJbJ0fjXZtLhKcEyVn-6eltLqIihtkHqkWSXcFLMDWiI0CL_E9VN_MOHAQVeduzKkC7YFFUKIUyoad5TGRbP4sTmA8TJEgLEoJENhqFlkicSybEczE/s400/pl+review+3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669572161301950690" /></a><br />With regards to the setting, Princess Lover is certainly one of the most hypocritical eroges I've played. The social club (or high society club), is described repeatedly as something which all students aspire to join, but serves little practical function outside of organising events and is essentially more of a symbolic institution that the students of the most elite families belong to. On one hand, the club espouses morals/superior standards (on at least one occasion, it's mentioned that yawning in school is unacceptable, as the social club aspires to a higher standard of behaviour than the 'normal' students) and the story repeatedly emphasises that even minor mishaps may create a social scandal. Although several factors in the scenario undermine this, the main one is the are random ero scenes in inappropriate places that would create far more of a social 'disgrace'. On two routes, the protagonist and heroine briefly dance with each other at the annual ball (attended by numerous high society figures), and then disappear into a convenient room for the next few hours. Other scenes take place in the library, in the perennially empty nurse's office, in a restaurant,in a back alley, and in the dining room of Isshin's mansion. Of course, none of these scenes are ever noticed by other characters. While a lot of eroges use similarly unrealistic locations, in combination with the repeatedly emphasised tenets of the social club, this creates a fundamental disconnect between action and belief throughout the game, that's too jarring for me to overlook, as it makes some of the serious plot-related scenes on each route feel very odd.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79rWp9QqmEtQGyhuJhsThnbCniB7t5Kdwh9gUsJ0MHPh4J2aSq8YcI2-smAvbYQuEMSAqpGQsIjc1dJG0G0a2q_pFzXLEw5VCMG01byGmNOFyknr04-U7mWhNlEgqXrzZYSsQnrMPRdU/s1600/pl+review+5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79rWp9QqmEtQGyhuJhsThnbCniB7t5Kdwh9gUsJ0MHPh4J2aSq8YcI2-smAvbYQuEMSAqpGQsIjc1dJG0G0a2q_pFzXLEw5VCMG01byGmNOFyknr04-U7mWhNlEgqXrzZYSsQnrMPRdU/s400/pl+review+5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669577417324576962" /></a>Besides the art, the ero content is the other main selling point of Princess Lover. The scenes are generally long, the quality of the art is high, and if it's your thing, there's plenty of urination. It's also worth mentioning that the ero is one of the few occasions in the whole game where the protagonist switches from pacifism to sadism, making the scenes feel very out of character. There's a definite disconnect between the sex and story, not only because of this characterisation, but also as mentioned above, due to their often being no sense of reality to their placement within the scenario. There's not enough ero (27 scenes overall) for Princess Lover to be considered as a nukige or for it to be worth purchasing for the sex alone, but even so, a reasonable portion of the text on each character's route consists of ero-scenes. While one could easily delete all the ero from Princess Lover with only marginal changes to the scenario, that would leave very little of merit in the game.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppbVK9I0-fDAMDg3tBs5FhDwq7MvEjZ42BKqmLy30Dtu720xEBmPhdsFTDdHkbTluHVy-Z-VB_YGy0FZJGU9CG2_uV5GZvJCoZtFzPgLxqcdcg6AJv_nu_iQzOhnuN-fGG_XE8BURlXE/s1600/pl+review+7.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppbVK9I0-fDAMDg3tBs5FhDwq7MvEjZ42BKqmLy30Dtu720xEBmPhdsFTDdHkbTluHVy-Z-VB_YGy0FZJGU9CG2_uV5GZvJCoZtFzPgLxqcdcg6AJv_nu_iQzOhnuN-fGG_XE8BURlXE/s400/pl+review+7.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669579658834364210" /></a>While I enjoyed some parts of Princess Lover, these were almost without exception the ordinary character interactions that could easily have taken place independently of the game's setting. Although this review is quite negative, I'm not trying to suggest that Princess Lover is an outright landmine. Unlike a lot of other eroges that I've given a similar score to, which often meander through their story without any undulations, Princess Lover does manage to deliver a clear beginning, middle and end. However this game drops the ball so badly in some areas, that it makes it difficult to recommend even to people who are drawn to the game because of the art and ero. Ricotta's <a href="http://www.ricotta-soft.jp/products/walkure/index.html#top">Walkure Romance</a> was released a few days ago, and despite some criticism of the story and pacing, the early reviews suggest that it's superior to Princess Lover in all aspects. Thus, there's little reason to recommend Ricotta's first title.<br /><br />Overall Score: 57%Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212974132017279755.post-4019226416979491302011-07-05T19:59:00.001+09:002011-07-05T20:19:14.244+09:00RewriteExpectations are a funny thing. When something is announced so far in advance of its actual release date, you get a lot of time to anticipate what it will be like. The slow trickle of details only serves to further excite your curiosity and your mind automatically starts to fill in the gaps of the information you don't have. You end up imagining, in some detail, what the game will be like before it's even been released. Afterwards, the actual game is released and of course it's not what you imagined. It's funny what expectations can do to your impressions of a game.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSODhDmJLDN0BFwOpWNLnJKAeBuX82hjw43IGhlaDt8G0Lmh17lg0ccTESMbDCdVSjYUjV-ZAUxp1ffFsW4YoiL8l54oaxl3ZomAz3rgF40XuAKsbe9S96ozaCTe95buGrWczASjPpqs/s1600/r1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSODhDmJLDN0BFwOpWNLnJKAeBuX82hjw43IGhlaDt8G0Lmh17lg0ccTESMbDCdVSjYUjV-ZAUxp1ffFsW4YoiL8l54oaxl3ZomAz3rgF40XuAKsbe9S96ozaCTe95buGrWczASjPpqs/s400/r1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />
Rewrite is a 2011 all-ages adventure and visual novel by Key. The art and original concept are by Hinoue Itaru while the game was written by Tanaka Romeo (of Cross Channel and Saihate no IMA fame,) Ryukishi07 (of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and Umineko no Naku Koro ni fame) and Tonokawa Yuuto (of Little Busters!... err, well, he worked on it anyway.) It's Key's longest work, so if you couldn't get through Clannad or Little Busters!...<br />
<br />
The protagonist of the story, Tennouji Koutarou lives in the ecologically conscientious and sustainable city of Kazamatsuri. After accepting a part-time job at a local newspaper, he is plagued by mysterious paranormal phenomena during the night. Koutarou seeks out the director of his school's occult club, the mysterious 'witch' Senri Akane. Akane agrees to help him, conditional on him entering the occult club. During the investigations he and the occult club conduct, Koutarou starts to uncover hints that all may not be as it seems in the lush city of Kazamatsuri.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqbu0d_OKjUESJY1JP2OOwv1zQ9JTNvYoGiodvm34w8mzQGQ-SEcaHLjytO7EAHQbBGpFJTp4OOoFuTdgeWIMw9v2ll84KZPUMrNRMC7jut8i8vbh8nmTklU8PERgp7XOnk1iNoqCLwA/s1600/r2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqbu0d_OKjUESJY1JP2OOwv1zQ9JTNvYoGiodvm34w8mzQGQ-SEcaHLjytO7EAHQbBGpFJTp4OOoFuTdgeWIMw9v2ll84KZPUMrNRMC7jut8i8vbh8nmTklU8PERgp7XOnk1iNoqCLwA/s400/r2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Rewrite is a story based largely around themes of ecology, causality and eschatology; the first of which at least is relatively unusual in the medium; and consists of a main 'trunk', five heroine routes and two chapters that finalise the story. The game has, as is mentioned earlier, three different writers (two of which are famous for games they've written solo) and I do not know exactly how the work was broken up apart from the routes and final chapter – my assumption is that everyone had a hand in the game trunk and it's certainly long enough and varied enough to support the work of multiple writers, but this is only estimation.<br />
<br />
The trunk of the game carries most if not all of the game's slice of life, a good portion of the game's character development and most of the humour, along with a fair bit of foreshadowing for the routes to come. Rewrite adopts the fairly standard Key setup of a lighthearted trunk and more serious character routes. Nearly all of the interaction occurs in the trunk, which takes the place of standard choice selection screens and Mappy events, which are simple mouse-based exploration sections that you interact with through the protagonist's smartphone GPS app. The trunk is also punctuated by quests; many of which are acquired through the Mappy events; and range from rather silly side stories to interesting (and foreboding) globs of plot. The trunk branches off at roughly the same point regardless of the route you're on (with one exception, all of the routes branch off from the same event) although some of the stories do start a bit earlier on in the route. Depending on reading speed you'll probably be on the trunk for 8 hours or so before getting on to your first route (either Kotori's, Chihaya's or Luchia's) though it's generally quite a bit quicker on subsequent routes due to the fact that you can skip portions you've already seen.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPde6qRKQ_O4Ojfl12s5bn-8eQHXMFjUwJEa07L83A0OVQfYbOjxynBx3FJDf_U74pmpUe7eWhY4M2jliWqIMFSHXhaL8w-PX9RunTBvK29_DIwQrrFg_UcyHmS_BBWDOHONAB1juOSo/s1600/r3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="225" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPde6qRKQ_O4Ojfl12s5bn-8eQHXMFjUwJEa07L83A0OVQfYbOjxynBx3FJDf_U74pmpUe7eWhY4M2jliWqIMFSHXhaL8w-PX9RunTBvK29_DIwQrrFg_UcyHmS_BBWDOHONAB1juOSo/s400/r3.jpg" /></a></div><br />
On to the routes, in the order I cleared them (apart from needing to finish Kotori's route before you can start Shizuru's and needing to finish Chihaya's route before you can start Akane's, you can clear the routes in any order.) First up, Kotori's route, written by Tanaka Romeo. Now, this is an interesting route and probably a good one to start with. It doesn't reveal a great deal about Rewrite's story (unlike the other routes) although it does pass you a number of clues, it's more about the characters of Koutarou and Kotori. Probably the route with the most emotion behind it (although it's a pretty close contest between a few of the routes,) if you're a fan of the nakige, you're sure to love Kotori's route.<br />
<br />
Next, Chihaya's route, written by Tonokawa Yuuto. I think this is probably my least favourite route in Rewrite, although it is still quite an enjoyable read and certainly not one you're likely to snore through. People who enjoy a bit of action are in for a treat with this route as it has more fight scenes than any other route in Rewrite and I don't believe the action ever slows down for a considerable length of time. This is the first route that really started to reveal Rewrite's ultimate story, although the storytelling only gets what time it can steal from between the bountiful combat scenes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwDsaYiV06FRpDdjn6Kabz-J5QSS1NvDIpRj-7mILrh90LNKHQpw0jT9tJ_Flxd71yzLbP8UmqNtjK7oIey897L0LtAXWmZq9a2R6DEyB3dm42WfWLJiV49fWCh78tmDdvUdtTAzs6x4/s1600/r4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="225" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwDsaYiV06FRpDdjn6Kabz-J5QSS1NvDIpRj-7mILrh90LNKHQpw0jT9tJ_Flxd71yzLbP8UmqNtjK7oIey897L0LtAXWmZq9a2R6DEyB3dm42WfWLJiV49fWCh78tmDdvUdtTAzs6x4/s400/r4.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Up third came Shizuru's route, also written by Tonokawa Yuuto. While Tonokawa is easily the least notable of the three writers, he certainly pulled his weight on this route. After Luchia's route this is probably the route with the best character development for the heroine and it is probably the most balanced route in Rewrite, with equal attention on character development, emotion and story development, as it manages to cram considerably more story than Chihaya's route did. This route is also the one with arguably the saddest ending so if you love utsuge this should be your first port of call.<br />
<br />
Fourth, Luchia's route, written by Ryukishi07. Actually, it bears surprisingly few indications of Ryukishi's trademark style and almost none at all after the first few hours. It's a great route, though, and easily my personal favourite. You get to see another slice of the story Chihaya's route provided, just to destroy any illusions you had of one side being the good guys and the other side being the bad guys. While this route contains the fewest fight scenes out of all of the routes, the fight scene it does include is easily the prettiest and most entertaining. This story is very capable of being creepy when it wants to be creepy, sad when it wants to be sad and heart-pounding when it wants to be heart-pounding. Just great stuff.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1KX19w9CAN1pqw7tvQyXa2Kl9nsD5qX1-oYIfhsSDzn9f_2KuV9NgugzyhAnKzx3JxdW2xvt8Y3C8cpGy66T7tcDYLrltZJvTB1YwKuSHYKdddp3Hum61adk-zoCVRKuPyoL-ojBbrE/s1600/r5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="225" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1KX19w9CAN1pqw7tvQyXa2Kl9nsD5qX1-oYIfhsSDzn9f_2KuV9NgugzyhAnKzx3JxdW2xvt8Y3C8cpGy66T7tcDYLrltZJvTB1YwKuSHYKdddp3Hum61adk-zoCVRKuPyoL-ojBbrE/s400/r5.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Fifth, Akane's route, written by Tanaka Romeo. This route is interesting as it is probably closest thematically to the last two chapters than any of the other routes. It also contains the most storytelling, although this has the side effect of making the route somewhat dull in comparison to the others as the amount of exposition is quite heavy. It's also the most serious character route and an extremely sharp departure from the game's trunk and even the other routes, making it a good choice to finish last. The ending is beautiful and very well written, although possibly not quite as awesome as Kotori's.<br />
<br />
Following completion of the five character routes, the Moon chapter opens up and is available from the title menu. This chapter, as well as the final one, was written by Tanaka Romeo. Perhaps different to the unlockable 'after' chapters in most games, this one has the unusual characteristic of following on from all five character routes instead of just one. How it achieves this is something I won't spoil in this review – in any case, it works excellently. Moon is a 'revelation' chapter that essentially summarises the story and opens up the path to its conclusion. While this isn't something that appears in every visual novel, fans of Tanaka Romeo's works will definitely have seen it before. It's not a long chapter, especially compared to the routes and to the chapter that comes after it but it is entertaining and almost dizzying in how it synthesises the plot threads presented in the character routes into a cohesive story. After it completed, the final chapter, Terra, opens up and becomes available from the title menu.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2xMKOndggVMT7AwpAP7faG6ge2e4H_U3JaPdvEwr_hkSDKCK_0W8fhKoYXeoq1rb6CBIAqQuiM3Zlvk7H1btsUplgD1W-Td7D8keeH7dksgnz-1YCKgg-6PHS7s8TWHa5H5HkmiHYAM/s1600/r6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="225" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2xMKOndggVMT7AwpAP7faG6ge2e4H_U3JaPdvEwr_hkSDKCK_0W8fhKoYXeoq1rb6CBIAqQuiM3Zlvk7H1btsUplgD1W-Td7D8keeH7dksgnz-1YCKgg-6PHS7s8TWHa5H5HkmiHYAM/s400/r6.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Terra is Rewrite's denouement and carries a markedly different presentation style to the rest of the game. First of all, during Terra the protagonist is voiced, despite the fact that he is silent for the rest of the game (with the exception of the exposition scenes at the start of the game and at the start of Moon.) The other obvious clear change is the movement from a standard AVG (adventure game) interface with the text box at the bottom of the screen to a more prosaic NVL (novel) interface with a screen-covering text presentation layer. This is also associated with a heavy reduction in the amount of onscreen effects, characters and unique CGs. While Terra is as long as any of the routes (which means 6-8 hours, in effect) it contains far less visual splendour and adopts a far more serious mood – it's an even more dour scenario than Akane's route was.<br />
<br />
Terra contains plenty of choices just like the trunk does – the main difference being that the few choices you actually do get to make yourself largely have no effect on the outcome. It's difficult to really rank it alongside the routes as it's the end of the story and is pretty much a necessary part of Rewrite. Whether Terra is a satisfying conclusion to the game and something that managed to fulfill its obligation to wrap up all the threads created in the dizzying amount of setup time the chapter was given (that being the trunk and all the routes, or roughly 40 hours of reading) is left up to the reader to decide. I'm not entirely sure it was, personally.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMm6zRstOeuWeG37_k0xAmflqkFyHpEBE6hfQBPexJ-3u2SOzKL_rPfosMbOklJbmaGci5F3-EWYcZb8Qj-BU65ePCDE_rh7Po0PSakShwVBkQNCrUKGLFnM_lxAeLq89mYRi1JbcOrrw/s1600/r7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="225" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMm6zRstOeuWeG37_k0xAmflqkFyHpEBE6hfQBPexJ-3u2SOzKL_rPfosMbOklJbmaGci5F3-EWYcZb8Qj-BU65ePCDE_rh7Po0PSakShwVBkQNCrUKGLFnM_lxAeLq89mYRi1JbcOrrw/s400/r7.jpg" /></a></div><br />
All in all, Rewrite is a very solid game. I don't think it's missing anything in particular – in a lot of story-centric games you're often left wanting after the end of the routes, since they often seem to end a bit quickly. This is not the case in Rewrite – in fact, it feels unusually complete. Of course, it's not perfect and there are certainly problems.<br />
<br />
First of all, the trunk – the idyllic, slice of life portion of the game, the 'calm before the storm', so to speak, to set the scene for the more serious routes. Like the routes, the trunk is long and herein lies the problem: it might be too long. The aforementioned quests do take up a considerable amount of the trunk's script and there's a few hours of them to go through. I can't help but feel that the writers missed out on a good opportunity to do some much-needed foreshadowing and exposition here, rather than making the readers read something that ultimately doesn't matter.<br />
<br />
This 'making the readers read something that ultimately doesn't matter' issue also comes into play near the end. While it is difficult to explain how without spoilers, portions of Terra make me question the necessity or value of the protagonist's involvement in some scenes with respect to bringing about the necessary results foreshadowed in Moon.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_PtBtYl1rURAZJIXRBNcX3vEwNv1GjIKeZU8nn3Xc8eihZgEM93fL_WHgu_ZrBodSoIrXyF2Xd7eOLwotAsM83UlDVtSZEMSwzFwCLTSgQ43GxxLWBWtVjm6U2RO8HatR9o5HWJNxAY/s1600/r8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="225" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_PtBtYl1rURAZJIXRBNcX3vEwNv1GjIKeZU8nn3Xc8eihZgEM93fL_WHgu_ZrBodSoIrXyF2Xd7eOLwotAsM83UlDVtSZEMSwzFwCLTSgQ43GxxLWBWtVjm6U2RO8HatR9o5HWJNxAY/s400/r8.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The routes and the Moon chapter of Rewrite all play a part in setting up a really good story and positioning Terra to tie up all the remaining threads and present a satisfying and thrilling conclusion to the story and I am not sure Terra managed this. The problem is that Terra isn't really all that exciting; especially compared to some of the character routes; and it doesn't offer much in the way of moments that shock, startle or surprise the reader. It's also not nearly as strong on the emotional front and the end result is a story that, borrowing the words of T. S. Eliot, ends not with a bang but with a whimper.<br />
<br />
I don't know exactly how I would, excuse the pun, rewrite the last chapter of Rewrite, but I think a rewrite could make Rewrite something exceptional. On the other hand, it might just be a matter of expectations conjuring up an image of a hypothetical game that could never exist in reality, something it would be utterly unfair to compare Rewrite to. Nonetheless, in the end I am a little bit disappointed and I don't think this was entirely my fault.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQDGOr0YBaeNNZwCvDhxpY1i4mtAM5KnxcJWRNNWG4mbOUviPtJHERgpMx-lFIedcpqlowS7e1FUQjJrceEzkC7DCGTYJQ-jE8NyCmGovdz6owbLrq8-P7CniF0yUBZY-pP_aftJKiOA/s1600/r9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="225" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQDGOr0YBaeNNZwCvDhxpY1i4mtAM5KnxcJWRNNWG4mbOUviPtJHERgpMx-lFIedcpqlowS7e1FUQjJrceEzkC7DCGTYJQ-jE8NyCmGovdz6owbLrq8-P7CniF0yUBZY-pP_aftJKiOA/s400/r9.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Now, with all the analysis of the story, this review has barely even mentioned any of the other aspects of the game. The art is good. Yes, it's Hinoue Itaru and yes, some of the poses do look a little odd, but on the whole it's eye candy all the way. This is helped by generous use of very nice overlay effects – among the best I've seen in visual novels (and they do complement the battle scenes very effectively to save Itaru drawing a heap of combat CG) although they also jump the system requirements up a fair bit – and plenty of great backgrounds. The music is good, though not amazing; and I'm a little disappointed the instrumental version of Rewrite (the song) didn't get its volume pumped up a bit more and used in more battles, because the instrumental version makes for a great song in its own right. The game system is pretty excellent stuff and I can't fault the presentation at all. The Mappy stuff was novel and enjoyable enough in its own right, even if it did get a bit old having to go through the same scenes in the trunk when trying to get onto each subsequent route.<br />
<br />
So, there you have it, a pretty good, solid game and a proud addition to the Key lineup. Just with a few problems.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Overall Score: 90%</span>Asceaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12445843466951050426noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212974132017279755.post-25027028685653397542011-06-10T23:52:00.001+09:002011-06-10T23:56:01.466+09:00Mystic Quest: MQ ~時空の覇者~Kanno Yukihiro is largely famous for his C's Ware games like DESIRE and EVE, and for his later title, elf's highly regarded YU-NO. For the latter title especially, he has been regarded by many as one of the greatest eroge scenario writers ever, if not the greatest. Beyond those, he's also eked out a number of respected titles for Abel Software, like the Mystereet games. Going back to Abel Software, in 2009 they had been dormant for several years (minus a couple of spinoff games/rereleases), with Kanno's latest title, Mystic Quest, in the pipeline since 2005 (for reference, 4 years of development is an incredibly long time for eroge.) Mystic Quest was released, and it would surprise fans and non-fans alike as never before. And how.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrfL5xH4AcmL1-K2QZqq3Ali5PddEbomNSKAj_u60PmXdnjVzpDzzPK8mgnR-OZFxdzFrzdZiL6YdqCXBCOSLH5TS-l9euZLbyVoRbhOoA6yOkJWbR0l5DzV2CGwshmUGlGE0iI8NOXaM/s1600/mq_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="286" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrfL5xH4AcmL1-K2QZqq3Ali5PddEbomNSKAj_u60PmXdnjVzpDzzPK8mgnR-OZFxdzFrzdZiL6YdqCXBCOSLH5TS-l9euZLbyVoRbhOoA6yOkJWbR0l5DzV2CGwshmUGlGE0iI8NOXaM/s400/mq_1.jpg" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />
Tsukikage Shou is tormented every night by visages of a woman- a nun in dark clothes with two guns. She is the woman who killed his mother, who, in her dying breath, gave him an amulet and instructed him to gather 'fil.'<br />
<br />
Shou knows that, one day, this woman will come for him. To this end he practices every day with a knife.<br />
<br />
One day, he spots a woman, dressed in strange clothes, as he visited his old house and the site of his mother's death. Following her, he is drawn into a mystical journey of space and time.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMBB4hEyDq7WuxCa8kBm3_2XJpd67QIcZBNRRtWyAwj4KrSSkFxjBR8a3Q0GFWa_c6AblhIuIsFGp2qTQkDP4k236WnCuasz-oA3xyrcR6znr3iJYHg0O27JrHXLlCXlb43khyphenhypheno3HnAs/s1600/mq_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMBB4hEyDq7WuxCa8kBm3_2XJpd67QIcZBNRRtWyAwj4KrSSkFxjBR8a3Q0GFWa_c6AblhIuIsFGp2qTQkDP4k236WnCuasz-oA3xyrcR6znr3iJYHg0O27JrHXLlCXlb43khyphenhypheno3HnAs/s400/mq_2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Okay, Mystic Quest is a bad game. The extent to which it is a bad game is almost hard to grasp- there are so many dimensions that it fails to satisfy on. It feels like a doujin game and might have been excused as a doujin game, but it is not. It's a full-priced (9,240 yen after sales tax) eroge released in 2009, and that is the only thing it can be judged as.<br />
<br />
The game is completely unvoiced and is about 4-5 hours long, depending on reading speed. The story isn't particularly strong in the first place, but after the first 3-4 hours seriously deteriorates. The quality of the art, while possessing a certain charm to it, is certainly not up to scratch for a 2009 release. Despite the extensive amount of development time, there is ample evidence that the game was rushed, leading to an ending that bewilders as much as it disappoints.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkFKR9F2UWLkUG_a-uQoIRHhCg4fNlcQudRX6TbSb4buiMb9RopCIMSKU_l8QMfi8gpUtpxPO8GnSIEge5BM6VzAltZhPsy4ImhrWvGxEASV4joNEA5IeemtillzYiHg4ro3gwB5A1GA/s1600/mq_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkFKR9F2UWLkUG_a-uQoIRHhCg4fNlcQudRX6TbSb4buiMb9RopCIMSKU_l8QMfi8gpUtpxPO8GnSIEge5BM6VzAltZhPsy4ImhrWvGxEASV4joNEA5IeemtillzYiHg4ro3gwB5A1GA/s400/mq_3.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Mystic Quest has two distinct parts, the first part taking up approximately 3/4 of the game's length (and with 3/8 of the H scenes) and largely consists of the sort of dimension-trotting fun vaguely reminiscent of YU-NO, following the protagonist assuming his role as Avatar to gather 'fil' in order to stop the universe from collapsing. This is easily the best part of the game.<br />
<br />
The second part, which only covers about 1/4 of the game's length is where the protagonist decides to give up searching for 'fil', unable to take the strain this duty places on his soul any further, and the story begins to collapse. The game crams H scenes and fights into the story with at times very little justification and at the end everything falls apart as the story rushes to a conclusion that 'inadequate' doesn't even begin to describe. To watch something implode this quickly is pretty bewildering.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEP5T0JCNPjTEPHZSYows5eq1DbQeXpgF5XlupWJuDkUMNtex5MfqFZPUq9BNeF_ZuzPJE-9_DCpvSbMx87l9WQo7-GJ7t43BhL5zdFJo1sRFBcJ8_4Cf52d2cApiA6aAzV9SNfbQNew/s1600/mq_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEP5T0JCNPjTEPHZSYows5eq1DbQeXpgF5XlupWJuDkUMNtex5MfqFZPUq9BNeF_ZuzPJE-9_DCpvSbMx87l9WQo7-GJ7t43BhL5zdFJo1sRFBcJ8_4Cf52d2cApiA6aAzV9SNfbQNew/s400/mq_4.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The worst part is that there's some truly great ideas in this eroge, but they either don't get used at all or don't get used very well. Mystic Quest was plainly manifested concepts the author had developed over a sizable period of time- possibly ideas that didn't get used in his other eroges- but the rushed, broken design of this game prevents them from really shining.<br />
<br />
The story doesn't make sense and the character actions don't make sense; and it's unfortunate that, even after the extended development time this eroge took to make, the end result is something that simply can't be excused as a mere rushed game. There were fundamental problems in its development and they remain a mystery.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxN3nwP_c-wRS0JD47SzGn7o3KWRlUh_jaWfwhEvUILMxt0GpoYxsICBHffKJNW0PJy-nWLAXRTHMaaxTKRqde_biwTgZ_MUuWqgULv5z-0mo8ZXFhmspIkw6cTZV0z5iLXWlj7USgj0/s1600/mq_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxN3nwP_c-wRS0JD47SzGn7o3KWRlUh_jaWfwhEvUILMxt0GpoYxsICBHffKJNW0PJy-nWLAXRTHMaaxTKRqde_biwTgZ_MUuWqgULv5z-0mo8ZXFhmspIkw6cTZV0z5iLXWlj7USgj0/s400/mq_5.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The game contains 8 H scenes, some of which are reasonably placed, of a reasonable length and appropriate to the story, and the rest of which are most definitely not. They use a large quantity of the CGs allocated to the game, to the point where (given the somewhat low CG count overall) roughly half the CGs are probably HCG. It is difficult to tell if they were really worth it, especially given that most of the H scenes are short and take up an extremely small portion of the entire game's length.<br />
<br />
The action scenes, which the game contains a number of, are another interesting point. For the most part they are almost certainly not well written well and fail to embody the sort of hot-blooded excitement you normally expect from this sort of thing, especially when playing titles like Ayakashibito that thrive on their action scenes. They, too, use up a disproportionate number of CGs, although arguably to better effect than the H scenes.<br />
<br />
There are two 'choices' in this game, although it is hard to tell if they affect anything. Both of them require typing something in on a hiragana input panel. With the first one, the game tells you what to type in and won't let you continue until you get it right. With the second one, the response given by the character the protagonist is talking to differs slightly depending on whether you typed the right thing in or not, but this does not seem to affect the rest of the game. It is difficult to see what value these were supposed to add to the story, or if the creators had something else in mind for this particular input system but failed to realise it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBZVSO6A6jxNJwXSDnRBvdb488Z3_fMCpD_pKrIOQZsYlLYbXMcp7Un-E1uWmTiCCLjFvrCIyrJoMtDpbdjWdoIKVnZvZYoVYwzCWmTu5tOctpeXAxEhmsi5Es7bguLpVunkiP59B1FU/s1600/mq_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBZVSO6A6jxNJwXSDnRBvdb488Z3_fMCpD_pKrIOQZsYlLYbXMcp7Un-E1uWmTiCCLjFvrCIyrJoMtDpbdjWdoIKVnZvZYoVYwzCWmTu5tOctpeXAxEhmsi5Es7bguLpVunkiP59B1FU/s400/mq_6.jpg" /></a></div><br />
It is hard to imagine exactly what sort of game the creators were trying to make at the beginning- the finished product feels so incomplete, yet the foundations don't exist for a much greater story. It was certainly not a lack of time that destroyed this project, but it may have been a lack of budget- you don't accumulate a lot of money releasing nothing for several years.<br />
<br />
I went into Mystic Quest, not with the anticipation of someone looking forward to Kanno Yukihiro's next game (which would have most certainly disappointed me), but with a great deal of trepidation and curiosity, since I knew it was incredibly poorly regarded. It surprised me, at first by how it wasn't all that bad - and then again in the second part where it showed me how bad it really was. I managed to be disappointed by a title I was determined not to be disappointed by.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Overall Score: 24%</span>Asceaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12445843466951050426noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212974132017279755.post-85820811861539853442011-06-10T13:28:00.024+09:002011-06-10T15:35:31.984+09:00Mugen Kairou 1 + 2Although two eroges would generally warrant two separate reviews, even if the games are sequels of each other, <a href="http://www.cyc-soft.com/b-cyc/b-cyc-main.htm">Black Cyc's</a> <a href="http://www.cyc-soft.com/b-cyc-pro/mugen/index.htm">Mugen Kairou</a> (2005) and <a href="http://www.cyc-soft.com/b-cyc-pro/mugen2/index.html">Mugen Kairou 2 ~Rasen~</a> (2009) are so closely related that one cannot discuss one game without referring to the other. This review will not discuss <a href="http://www.cyc-soft.com/b-cyc/b-cyc-form-mugen1_5.htm">Mugen Kairou 1.5</a> (2009), as I have not played it due to it originally being a Cyc Members only product. It also received poor reviews, and was written by a different author, so I am still likely to ignore it if it is made available on dlsite or elsewhere.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-iftcjFcL75-aYgsff7lEEgRJr0IVrbfz-IzSiKld102f9sZpFN1eTkBW7ciG0E8qvgoRe7WAgZmvaMGNKA3GJ4jXuC5pBGF8U47VeHE3sdWa4AMeL8ewyKnRRoXW9l_zrmoB9i5vuA/s1600/mktitle.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-iftcjFcL75-aYgsff7lEEgRJr0IVrbfz-IzSiKld102f9sZpFN1eTkBW7ciG0E8qvgoRe7WAgZmvaMGNKA3GJ4jXuC5pBGF8U47VeHE3sdWa4AMeL8ewyKnRRoXW9l_zrmoB9i5vuA/s400/mktitle.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616471422764433394" /></a><a name='more'></a><br />As both Mugen Kairou's are loop games, it is difficult to give a description of either story, both because the perception of certain events will drastically change as more information is provided, and also because the stories of both games are closely intertwined. Both games involve a protagonist 'Taro', who comes to live in a mansion with four sisters (and 'Shiro' in 2, along with a few other characters) as a 'katoru', or pet of sorts. The sisters take responsibility for training 'Taro', in events known as 'ippu'. The player selects which sister to receive the 'ippu' from, as shown on the image below. At first, all of the days are 'red', but on later loops, many change to 'black' providing either different events, or darker versions of the same event. After an ending is reached, the game will loop back to the beginning, with their being 8 loops in total, almost all of which provide further information about the main story thread. The relationship between the two games is left unanswered, although notably, Black Cyc changed all of the seiyuu between Mugen Kairou 1 and 2, despite the games sharing a number of characters. I see 2 as an 'answer' of sorts to 1, both because 1 was made prior to 2, and the scenes that are common to both eroges generally have slightly more information provided about them in 2. As a result, despite 2 being the slightly better and newer eroge, I would strongly recommend playing 1, then 2.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-PhKq6-bj4arbXFWbv_aQ6vqbdeid20ugvdwTklU4-8lg3gQAN0IZQ1FdPQVpCMujZ51elpY9mlu1IcXiu7stT9Y10Pjj2K3jsjZg1dS1zDJ4hYv3OyE7MwPQQrocKWvQL5dGBrsSLU/s1600/mkreview.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-PhKq6-bj4arbXFWbv_aQ6vqbdeid20ugvdwTklU4-8lg3gQAN0IZQ1FdPQVpCMujZ51elpY9mlu1IcXiu7stT9Y10Pjj2K3jsjZg1dS1zDJ4hYv3OyE7MwPQQrocKWvQL5dGBrsSLU/s400/mkreview.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616468803259591474" /></a><br />Rather than provide a more detailed attempt to give a story outline, which is likely to lead to spoilers, I will instead focus on two elements, that for me, helped make both games some of my favourite eroges. The first is surprisingly, restraint. Although the content in both games is centred around extreme masochism, particularly in 2, the number of scenes that involve sexual depictions is relatively low. Both games do cross the line of realism at some point, particularly on the black events, although the extent to which they do is far less than most other Black Cyc games. For me, this made the scenes shocking, without being numbing and repetitive, and helped emphasise the horrifying, but fantastical setting. In addition, the masochism found in almost all of the ippu was not used solely for gratuitious purposes, but also had a justification within the setting that tied in with the overall story.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpPXio8NZC8956-VoeiEbZZgBie3FbMlNGotE1SiPq69zUX4Vl8_fsjFjpYZS-sGFzt0aixL5X-FK3AOonKitp6n4hfO-LcLA8C_p4eYGre6bQOiVjwfit6u2WKGIbEusdAZIMpEiIJc/s1600/mugen3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpPXio8NZC8956-VoeiEbZZgBie3FbMlNGotE1SiPq69zUX4Vl8_fsjFjpYZS-sGFzt0aixL5X-FK3AOonKitp6n4hfO-LcLA8C_p4eYGre6bQOiVjwfit6u2WKGIbEusdAZIMpEiIJc/s400/mugen3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616472434152014034" /></a><br />The second is presentation. Although both games have strong scenarios, have excellent characters, and are very well written, neither eroge would work without taking full advantage of the careful gradations that the loop mechanism provides. Certain scenes are omitted in earlier loops, and others may have slight changes to the visuals or dialogue that force a radically different evaluation of some situations. 2 takes this concept further than the original, by making heavy use of furigana, flashbacks and omitted words. This is done not only to increase the differences between the loops and to make the story slightly more obtuse, but also helps to highlight the themes of each eroge. The most obvious and frequently discussed of these is the contrast between the mansion and the outside world, although further into the eroge, others also come to the fore.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJWtXeR4AA6_3TUrP6SU6f2m4xiq-PEe9d4yADT2707lseTz5gvxbJ_Et5_Um8nMkIIJgYS6lIBk1DOe5zLf6nv3wHqhER2JyGFDFFYS42M9444TTT7i6DJ3p4P4-Z2y_Y3TD4-lDQtw/s1600/mk2i.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJWtXeR4AA6_3TUrP6SU6f2m4xiq-PEe9d4yADT2707lseTz5gvxbJ_Et5_Um8nMkIIJgYS6lIBk1DOe5zLf6nv3wHqhER2JyGFDFFYS42M9444TTT7i6DJ3p4P4-Z2y_Y3TD4-lDQtw/s400/mk2i.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616469506333292418" /></a><br />After working on Mugen Kairou 2, the writer and artist, along with another sub-writer released <a href="http://www.cyc-soft.com/b-cyc-pro/cthulhu/cthulhu_top.html">Cthulhu</a> in 2010, which like both Mugen Kairous, had an interesting and original concept. However, Cthulhu's story suffered badly from being rushed and inconsistent. This could have easily happened to either Mugen Kairou game, but thankfully it didn't.<br /><br />Briefly moving on to other elements, in every aspect the second game improves over the first. Although there are slightly fewer CGs in 2, the quality, accuracy of the lineart and detail is far higher. The BGM and songs in both are very strong, slightly better in 2, as is the game's engine, which is able to display furigana properly. Although the seiyuu in both games are generally not well known, they deliver strong, and in some cases outstanding performances in difficult roles.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDiEpygfeIBfTM_94GHqvGaPnFyfBAGLuUI174biPCRZVwwJgiD0PIFexhuBcIihMneI2m7PQ3Q9ub8JO-dyu0BMabQdpgppXA1DcPkH-reKIm5pINRzWLrx_A3MnLa3vUTjCT90kxEM/s1600/mk2h.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDiEpygfeIBfTM_94GHqvGaPnFyfBAGLuUI174biPCRZVwwJgiD0PIFexhuBcIihMneI2m7PQ3Q9ub8JO-dyu0BMabQdpgppXA1DcPkH-reKIm5pINRzWLrx_A3MnLa3vUTjCT90kxEM/s400/mk2h.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616470085975285842" /></a><br />Both Mugen Kairous are just about at the top of my list for eroges that I wouldn't recommend to an average person. However, for those that are open-minded, and wish to try two dark eroges that take full advantage of their setting to highlight external themes, both games are strongly recommended. Although my scores for both games are very high, and well above those that other reviewers have given them, I think those who are not put off by the extreme content will find that both titles provide much food for thought (particularly to those who enjoyed <a href="http://www.flyingshine.com/product/crosschannel/">CROSS†CHANNEL</a>).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5kmw6J3UEJUVM3og3Bx6aAOlxX2aJYDWotir8lPRuVLWl5XGDFma_kYuW6e0la6wjqpB7l3d3k2m5WYCI1PvO1N0St64qCPLRqG5Z7gOpTIGTOS9ISPDlPuCPQuTCGZW7tm4eiwbYbZ4/s1600/mugen6.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5kmw6J3UEJUVM3og3Bx6aAOlxX2aJYDWotir8lPRuVLWl5XGDFma_kYuW6e0la6wjqpB7l3d3k2m5WYCI1PvO1N0St64qCPLRqG5Z7gOpTIGTOS9ISPDlPuCPQuTCGZW7tm4eiwbYbZ4/s400/mugen6.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616472043921088274" /></a><br />Overall Score: Mugen Kairou 92%, Mugen Kairou 2 98%Unknownnoreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212974132017279755.post-78829810318702587502010-07-22T15:03:00.016+09:002010-07-22T17:23:25.893+09:00Gakuen Redux<span style="font-family:Times New Roman,serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><i>'In </i></span><strong><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Gakuen Redux</span></i></span></strong><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><i> the past, the present and the future come together. The only love, the only regret and the only second chance. This is really her. This is the awakening… to the final school story.'</i></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QVpnU-pEigFL7QFjkQwWfSUfk6t1Yq1uSgRM4-QwEj3iVLklrrVetwc1-vUQOtSKIp5Su6-VXt1fmYVT-m8FcKZLuOwA_MC9uDK4TARFvLSvQdVgKwfGSQ5hUGYl3DmNmpyb2PrHGkg/s1600/grtitle.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QVpnU-pEigFL7QFjkQwWfSUfk6t1Yq1uSgRM4-QwEj3iVLklrrVetwc1-vUQOtSKIp5Su6-VXt1fmYVT-m8FcKZLuOwA_MC9uDK4TARFvLSvQdVgKwfGSQ5hUGYl3DmNmpyb2PrHGkg/s400/grtitle.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496628563415499410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><a name='more'></a>In accordance with the title and tagline, ATP Projects' Gakuen Redux is the story of Azasuke, a 27, almost 28 year old man, who while not being unhappy with how his school life turned out, constantly dreams about those days, how he was unable to fully appreciate them at the time, and how he could have better taken advantage of certain opportunities. In particular, there is one regret he carries with him – that of his first love, Miyori, and the chance he missed with her in the past. One day, after going to sleep, he wakes up in the body of his younger self, from twelve to thirteen years ago, putting him in the second year of high school. No in-game explanation is provided for this redux phenomenon, and the writer, mikey, intended it to be a simple 'wish come true' event. In any case, how the redux occurred is not at all important for the story itself.</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0T7-taIzUvWDx3H3rVbjjUSWcynMBG6aooRYkxmzEEGqbxFUO4UqJK7Kk1bdFP9cW4q6lmy7ykbUdLrRVihIekUOm-OKSzkI6nklH0DwUMxCRIXTgh7gFZJbnoQD_wrfFv2FiURrUHkE/s1600/GR1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0T7-taIzUvWDx3H3rVbjjUSWcynMBG6aooRYkxmzEEGqbxFUO4UqJK7Kk1bdFP9cW4q6lmy7ykbUdLrRVihIekUOm-OKSzkI6nklH0DwUMxCRIXTgh7gFZJbnoQD_wrfFv2FiURrUHkE/s400/GR1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496623470595215346" border="0" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>There are a lot of details about the setting in the readme, which is modelled on an Eastern European high school. I'd strongly recommend reading them before playing, as even though certain events described in them are only briefly touched upon, or not mentioned at all in Gakuen Redux, they help to fill out the overall world view.</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><br /><br />In the average school eroge, it's common for protagonists in 'school' to skip classes, or even to sleep through all of them (while eagerly rushing to school to be on time for them). The actual contents of the classes are seldom depicted, and although events like exam cramming are quite common, it's hard to take them seriously, when in many cases the writer doesn't even describe what subjects the characters are having difficulties with. Indeed, almost all of the school eroges I've played have used the school mainly as a place where the characters gather together, as part of a larger plot.</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><br /><br />Perhaps creators have gone down this path because they're unable to see the appeal of school life. In one sense I'd have to agree – after all, not many people would want to reread/relearn calculus in an eroge, nor to mention that this would require the authors to be on top of their subject matter. However, what's fundamentally missing from most school eroges, and what Gakuen Redux does extremely well, by being able to contrast pre and post redux experiences, is conveying the impression of being a genuine teenage student, of being someone who is still under the sway of his parents and the school environment while wishing for what he had as an adult in his pre-redux years.</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBoQQaxmouZ8wYaI9SCJj8vfmK_QxHufO4QZzG6dUYw7IbYheKPv62uavilEYKeFw7DvCHF5i3Ck7TdaSNfdVxvWrhTJ54OgxapbvsP5FPK54TrNocO9HC3U5KFJYJrmRW8XXWw3OKLQ/s1600/GR2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBoQQaxmouZ8wYaI9SCJj8vfmK_QxHufO4QZzG6dUYw7IbYheKPv62uavilEYKeFw7DvCHF5i3Ck7TdaSNfdVxvWrhTJ54OgxapbvsP5FPK54TrNocO9HC3U5KFJYJrmRW8XXWw3OKLQ/s400/GR2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496626052151428706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">In the first half or so of the game, there is the contrast between the pre and post redux situations, as the protagonist recalls his past experiences, and tries to change the present for the better. In addition to the obvious benefits that come from increased age and knowledge of the past, such as the ability to make money based on knowledge of future events, what also stands out in these sections, is the protagonist's ability to understand his surroundings and relationships with other people. Azasuke is not just able to understand the difference between teenage and adult relationships, but as a result of his past experiences, can also appreciate what his parents and teachers were thinking at the time. That said, despite his self-justifications, at times his thinking patterns are likely to cause difficulties for the player, as even with his pre-redux knowledge, in many, many places he still lacks the courage to take the correct, or logical decision, and at times suffers because of that. I don't want to give anything away about the latter half of the story, but I will say that the last two chapters in particular were fantastic, and were a perfect conclusion to the game.</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFxo6T6RqGdoloqdtdi7xkhMJlpLZrTpeu_Fmd295KBBWx1q107ZzSps_F4aiPdIs08S7AofSM-VItQ3pjIfm7D0Gv2tLUyzxQwEO6uDsrfIXPQZVNAFjT6hphSKe5-tMMeSY5KUYVmJY/s1600/GR3.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFxo6T6RqGdoloqdtdi7xkhMJlpLZrTpeu_Fmd295KBBWx1q107ZzSps_F4aiPdIs08S7AofSM-VItQ3pjIfm7D0Gv2tLUyzxQwEO6uDsrfIXPQZVNAFjT6hphSKe5-tMMeSY5KUYVmJY/s400/GR3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496623934998170578" border="0" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">It needs to be said here that the game's writing may be problematic for some players. Firstly, there is no dialogue, and the story is entirely written in first person from Azasuke's perspective. Gakuen Redux is already a rather long story as it stands (well over 100000 words), and with the addition of dialogue could well have been half a million words or more. Conversations are generally described by highlighting the essential contents of the scene, interjected with Azasuke's own thoughts on the situation. I personally liked this approach, as it was quite easy to imagine what might have been in the gaps, and I wouldn't mind seeing other eroges take this approach. Additionally, Gakuen Redux began life as an English story, which was then translated into Slovak, before being retranslated into English for the final game. As a result, the sentences are often short, and sound relatively odd in a direct English translation – something which mikey wanted to preserve that feel in the final version of Gakuen Redux, as a reminder of the Slovak version. In addition to the sentence structure, which may put some players off the game, there are also a few too many noticeable spelling and grammatical errors. With everything else Gakuen Redux has to offer though, I found this to only be a minor issue.</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><br /><br />Although I've primarily focused on the unusual aspects of the story in this review, rest assured that the approach taken with the art and music is similarly unique. Due to the very large cast of characters, some compromises had to be made the amount of art, which results in an unusual minimalist, but highly effective approach. All of the art is black and white, as the added time Although the art uses a handful of CGs and tachie for important events and characters, most of the female sub-cast are represented by a small, circular facial portrait on the left of the screen instead of tachie. Out of necessity, the game uses a very large number of backgrounds, and it would again be impractical to draw them by hand. Although the use of filtered photographs is very common in free games, Gakuen Redux's reduction of them to black and white outlines creates an effect similar to lineart, and helps unify it with the overall artistic presentation. The music, composed by evo, is largely trance based, and the total length of the tracks is approximately an hour. For a game of this length, that's more than an adequate amount of music and the quality is also high – it remains one of my favourite eroge soundtracks, and it's possibly (with the possible exception of some of evo's other work for mikey's games) the best I've come across in a free game.</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjBWSVR3-x9YLwL4k92CUFGyumWbZyMuhBWPHTDvM-3tItAxejTIcMXY1vnSgVxQ2YLLhETGxiQmAF1f8bYC2LWPopYSWMS62JC5qIrVzTJOA3xMZ99GohjKq0mYYESs5-IbXjSYggR8/s1600/GR4.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjBWSVR3-x9YLwL4k92CUFGyumWbZyMuhBWPHTDvM-3tItAxejTIcMXY1vnSgVxQ2YLLhETGxiQmAF1f8bYC2LWPopYSWMS62JC5qIrVzTJOA3xMZ99GohjKq0mYYESs5-IbXjSYggR8/s400/GR4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496625312413059202" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">This is the only ADV/VN I've played that I'm not willing to attach a score to. My scores are all given relative to other games, but despite having played hundreds of eroges, I still haven't found anything remotely comparable to Gakuen Redux. When I initially finished Gakuen Redux, after it, I thought that I'd never want to read another school-based game, as it truly felt like 'the final school story'. This was prior to me learning Japanese, so obviously I've read numerous school-based games since then. However, none of them have been able to make me recall my own school years as vividly as Gakuen Redux, and for that reason alone I'd commend the game to others.<br /><br />Links:<a href="http://www.renai.us/game/gredux.shtml"></a> <a href="http://atpprojects.wordpress.com/">Homepage</a> </span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.renai.us/game/gredux.shtml">Ren'Ai Archives</a></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><a href="http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=656">Lemmasoft</a></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212974132017279755.post-39521467608857819952010-07-04T10:40:00.024+09:002010-07-04T18:35:26.471+09:00YumemishiWhile time loops, time travel and other time related themes are by no means standard methods of eroge storytelling, they are utilised far more frequently in eroges than in most other media. This format is well suited to eroges, as the combination of written and visual elements, allow the story to for example maintain the same visual elements, whilst alterting the text, emphasising the role of time without the need for outright repetition. Although Yumemishi's time device (experiencing one day twice, the first time as a dream, the second time as reality) is slightly less sophisticated both in scope and execution than some other eroges, the scenario writer Kimura Koroya's (Yumemi Hakusho, Tropical KISS, Choujikuu Bakuren Monogatari ~door☆pi☆chu~ and one of the writers for the upcoming Steal My Heart ~ Rhapsody of moonlight~) use of it is still highly effective, and despite the great characters and strong writing, Yumemishi isn't nearly as well known as it deserves to be.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnw_XAzT9AjqQQtv-vgFvjc2bwn-hPtxmQYgDsF4GAlmSe1YhAogPa6OVabP1w65kOvQnAOZH1JUxvkkPpP5wtaWmPgiRNMdOyAjeKdfkoPfvSsOscxyiZ8XwI24u7tVbRE43RwuzDMBw/s1600/YMStitle.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489968687022164050" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnw_XAzT9AjqQQtv-vgFvjc2bwn-hPtxmQYgDsF4GAlmSe1YhAogPa6OVabP1w65kOvQnAOZH1JUxvkkPpP5wtaWmPgiRNMdOyAjeKdfkoPfvSsOscxyiZ8XwI24u7tVbRE43RwuzDMBw/s400/YMStitle.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br /><a name='more'></a><br />Yumemishi (夢見師) is a 2006 ADV, originally released for PS2 by Princess Soft, and ported to the PC in 2007 later by H℃ (now no longer active) with the addition of a new sub-heroine (Seiya) in a past story, and ero-scenes. There is also a sequel/continuation of Yumemishi, Yumemi Hakusho, set within the same world, from the same writer and artist - unfortunately I haven't yet played that, so I can't draw any comparisons between the two. The story is centred around protagonist Yumemura Hirou, and his interactions with three heroines - the school's number one idol, Sanada Natsuko, a lively, energetic and somewhat free-spirited girl, Morita Nao, and a mysterious reticent girl from a different school, Sumiyoshi Sakura. Hirou lives with his sharp-tongued, and surprisingly lolified grandmother, Yumemura Tose, who is a renowned oneiromancer, and when the game beings, lives a seemingly normal life - overhearing another confession to Natsuko on the rooftop, being chased by a group of girls who want their fortunes told, and being coerced afterschool by Nao into buying her dessert. When the first day of the story repeats, Hirou takes a while to put the pieces together, as he assumes that the ordinary day to day events are so common, that they could have occured at any time. However, he gradually becomes more aware of his own ability, while his bonds with each heroine gradually grow beyond friendship. As each relationship deepens, and he learns more about the burden each carries and comes to understand the powers of a yumemishi (dream master), he may be forced to employ his foresight to prevent certain events from occuring.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxIa3R06jEOzFK8Z6vJO9-x2ba1Iz9XKNB3fgrM00NBju7jJDzmFsqvekvY0HUteqm2jS58mn2uINSFTgKGddZx_j_krBZC4pSCnGqygS16aNkaK-xr7LTQV7_iuQgLMPiudKKbUsE1g/s1600/YMS0.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489969308611407602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxIa3R06jEOzFK8Z6vJO9-x2ba1Iz9XKNB3fgrM00NBju7jJDzmFsqvekvY0HUteqm2jS58mn2uINSFTgKGddZx_j_krBZC4pSCnGqygS16aNkaK-xr7LTQV7_iuQgLMPiudKKbUsE1g/s400/YMS0.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />Each of the three chapters focuses on a different heroine(s), resulting in a fixed clear order. However, for reasons that become clear later in the story, all of the 'true' endings for each character are placed at the end of Chapter 3. The structure of each route, and the overall story is relatively simple in comparison to other 'time' eroges, meaning in 'conventional' terms that there's enough story and character depth provided for the more dramatic moments to be effective. Yumemishi also has some fantastic characters, and it's one of the few eroges where I found it virtually impossible to pick a favourite out of the four heroines - they all get equally good routes too so that doesn't help either. The two important sub-characters, Tose (loli-gran) and [spoiler] are relatively unusual, and also have an important role to play throughout the overall story. Although there are other sub-characters, none are given tachie, which is an understandable area to cut corners on, given that most only appear in one or two scenes.<br /><br />Perhaps the main criticism that can be levelled at the scenario are the occasional employment of convenient events in places to drive the story forward. There are a few moments (generally around the middle of each route) where certain somewhat convenient events occur, so that the repeat of each day will be different. Although these moments are necessary to establish Hirou's ability, the powers and consequences it has, and to build up to each ending, they sometimes feel purely like convenient plot devices, rather than legitimate story developments.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjc2DkFP_wkL1aMcYTkmYF0V7_QEiHpPQ-fc6vzxGQcu4_JOtkPCJNtYJHnaF898ShaJHjT7u43sN8VY-8Pg6ysP53iJT9z-xYqpYMV9fhvlUOd5vZzLD7Pis7o6Q5COhFof8LhIFNNA/s1600/YMS1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489969636019397410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjc2DkFP_wkL1aMcYTkmYF0V7_QEiHpPQ-fc6vzxGQcu4_JOtkPCJNtYJHnaF898ShaJHjT7u43sN8VY-8Pg6ysP53iJT9z-xYqpYMV9fhvlUOd5vZzLD7Pis7o6Q5COhFof8LhIFNNA/s400/YMS1.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a>Although Yumemishi's greatest strengths are all the work of the scenario writer Kimura Koroya, the other elements are by no means second-rate. Aside from a noticeable slip in one of Natsuko's HCGs and one or two other smaller errors, the quality of the lineart and colouring remains a bit above average for a 2006/7 release. The quantity is also more than sufficient for a game of this length, with over 100 base CGs, including 30 for each of the three main heroines. Although Yumemishi was originally released for the PS2, with the ero being added to the PC port, the 10 scenes (three for each chapter, with one in the omake story) do not feel as if they've been forced into the story. When I first played Yumemishi, I was unaware of the original all-ages version, and was surprised that certain chapters could have been executed without the ero-scenes at all. On the other hand, the placement of the scenes is somewhat unfortunate, as they generally occur towards the ends of each route, right before critical scenes. Four of the scenes are also animated, and although the animations are more than just single short loops and are quite high quality, the end results are still very unnatural and awkward.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbn5zb9Zdxxr2E3w_nXP-kagHqRWo_nad9qMN26nE6ySjtcKkiXtW1rGGeHvd1GfC5HUT2bbuYCxYrQVD9qe59YJBRpmN_FUg3NjHOTOoPBiOr6QBrjl5zuBVjVlmI1dWhMzFmmIAsoU/s1600/YMS2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489969820547443810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbn5zb9Zdxxr2E3w_nXP-kagHqRWo_nad9qMN26nE6ySjtcKkiXtW1rGGeHvd1GfC5HUT2bbuYCxYrQVD9qe59YJBRpmN_FUg3NjHOTOoPBiOr6QBrjl5zuBVjVlmI1dWhMzFmmIAsoU/s400/YMS2.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a>There are no lemons in the 19 tracks of background music, and most of them are at a very high level. In addition, all utilise similar instrumentation, allowing for smooth transitions between them. The OP and song are both fantastic, and make a perfect advertisement for Yumemishi - in fact, I'd go so far as to say that if the content in the OP piques your interest, then you'll almost certainly love the game itself. The three lead seiyuu, Fukai Haruka (Natsuko), Miru (Nao) and Kazane [under the pseudonym Shiina Ayu] (Sakuya + Seiya) are all veterans in the eroge industry, and each give strong performances that befit their experience.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhN9Z3Uym8Pwn7NXo4x3gPe6vedvpqHJGfp_IGn_GifQdCJvyjnpzhJvBMQyh5Z4kEwDbzw4-X_93a2LuXpS5UYgQCD80zK9tezye3R984ZEDLu4Q8YWTVWRTgnHmSnKfhm23hwFYXKU0/s1600/YMS3.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489970014112641810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhN9Z3Uym8Pwn7NXo4x3gPe6vedvpqHJGfp_IGn_GifQdCJvyjnpzhJvBMQyh5Z4kEwDbzw4-X_93a2LuXpS5UYgQCD80zK9tezye3R984ZEDLu4Q8YWTVWRTgnHmSnKfhm23hwFYXKU0/s400/YMS3.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a>Although Kimura Koroya describes this title as a 6-7 out of 10 on his 'dark' scale, in reality Yumemishi is probably best described as a light eroge with grey or dark moments in each route. Whilst Yumemishi avoids any extreme depictions, the game does have bad endings and several non-consensual scenes that do not involve the protagonist. By the same token, it's more of a game that has some utsuge (and nakige) elements, rather than being a pure example of either genre. At the end of each chapter, and also after clearing the whole game, I found that although the darker and more serious elements in each chapter were by no means lacking, it was the skillful writing and characterisation in the slice of life scenes that left a slightly stronger impression overall.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EVWqTK1SFRexLZklzT0xMNvg19QWqAY5XqWDIacpLuaEowApd6o_5bp9uR3pfT-FnYUltIZyOVkPTBCBOA-4RmLkb_-uJI3Rk1MckcPFBXLxkArUwvvj2k7NpE3wSh8hz4yUlMz7SnY/s1600/YMS4.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489968985604849810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EVWqTK1SFRexLZklzT0xMNvg19QWqAY5XqWDIacpLuaEowApd6o_5bp9uR3pfT-FnYUltIZyOVkPTBCBOA-4RmLkb_-uJI3Rk1MckcPFBXLxkArUwvvj2k7NpE3wSh8hz4yUlMz7SnY/s400/YMS4.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a>Although Yumemishi's scenario is somewhat uneven, it's still strong, and there's very little to fault with the characters, pacing, text and overall plot flow. Personally it's one of the most enjoyable eroges I've played.<br /><br />Overall Score: 91%<br />Links: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFa0JlqRd30">OP</a> <a href="http://pro2.dlsite.com/work/=/product_id/VJ002810.html">Dlsite</a> <a href="http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=386146">Getchu</a> <a href="http://gyutto.com/i/%E5%A4%A2%E8%A6%8B%E5%B8%AB/item10590">Gyutto</a> <a href="http://holyseal.net/cgi-bin/mlistview.cgi?word=%96%b2%8c%a9%8et">Holyseal</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212974132017279755.post-18594366636214571592010-04-12T21:00:00.003+09:002010-04-12T21:09:14.065+09:00Subarashiki Hibi ~Furenzoku Sonzai~I'm a little bothered by the idea of writing this review. The original idea of this site was to talk about eroge that has never really been in the limelight. Subarashiki Hibi does not seem to fit into that category by anyone's standards. On the other hand, as there has not been much reviewing activity on the English side about this game, it feels a bit off to just let it slip into obscurity in that fashion.<br />
<br />
It is difficult to review a game like this. There is a lot to say about it, certainly, but the trick is finding the balance between saying too little and saying too much, especially considering that a portion of the enjoyment derived from reading this title is owed to the mystery surrounding the story. For this reason I do not want to spoil the game for others who may read it, even if they have to wait five or ten years.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, I know that when a title I have been looking forward to comes out I completely avoid all media surrounding it just to avoid the slightest chance of tarnishing my experience of the game - because that's one of the things I love about a new eroge - the sheer process of discovery, because it almost feels as if the story could turn out to be anything. I assume that most people like me aren't even reading this review if they haven't yet played the game, so I will freely introduce characters and outline chapters. So, here we go!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGcBCP5OrrYKzM5cwmxR5rzImP6tMStQA47oG_sThMjX-cTZ6JhK4GVXiIJ-mJvMv8dCOHPR3Ld8ifqupWOHNaoE1PtmhvQP_sHHPYTs2_YyeMZ21dZlygamFRAAMNL0OF9JmPDF0Q3I/s1600/su_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGcBCP5OrrYKzM5cwmxR5rzImP6tMStQA47oG_sThMjX-cTZ6JhK4GVXiIJ-mJvMv8dCOHPR3Ld8ifqupWOHNaoE1PtmhvQP_sHHPYTs2_YyeMZ21dZlygamFRAAMNL0OF9JmPDF0Q3I/s640/su_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<blockquote>"The subject does not belong to the world: rather, it is a limit of the world. "<br />
- Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein</blockquote><br />
Subarashiki Hibi is a story told in six chapters. The chapters are of varying lengths and structure, but for the most part, they cover the month of July 2012 from a number of different perspectives.<br />
<br />
It is not a fully-voiced title, despite the above-average voice count - only the female characters and one male character are voiced.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmpmsdmiJ-C5zbBK1mnlSRlEdSgVaITap_tBV8qhiHqxxbSC03DEX01nlDd2ocBfVQPal3XIBuAuzsmfSfljHCd5fZxAqYiiB5yGJ_cpqTRHmBf-st2-dhH38sQ1QsA5FFHcwdansHIqs/s1600/su_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmpmsdmiJ-C5zbBK1mnlSRlEdSgVaITap_tBV8qhiHqxxbSC03DEX01nlDd2ocBfVQPal3XIBuAuzsmfSfljHCd5fZxAqYiiB5yGJ_cpqTRHmBf-st2-dhH38sQ1QsA5FFHcwdansHIqs/s320/su_2.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4t5zx345Ew_uMzHTz1gKE7KKNcuyNzPkZe8YfCGtuuPfVa2P_KhS0RSPZN45n8WAvFvQTcVpFit6MdAygJbFELQGe1LT7zvUrIjVuLrtHyTNXJ-gwJ_IhqTkyDQXKDTpeXcmAQBKaKRU/s1600/su_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4t5zx345Ew_uMzHTz1gKE7KKNcuyNzPkZe8YfCGtuuPfVa2P_KhS0RSPZN45n8WAvFvQTcVpFit6MdAygJbFELQGe1LT7zvUrIjVuLrtHyTNXJ-gwJ_IhqTkyDQXKDTpeXcmAQBKaKRU/s320/su_3.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Subarashiki Hibi means "Wonderful Everyday" and refers as much to a peaceful eternity as it does to the transient, ephemeral nature of mortality.<br />
<br />
The story begins in chapter #1, 'Down the Rabbit-Hole" on July 12, 2012. The protagonist is Minakami Yuki and the heroines are Wakatsuki Tsukasa and Wakatsuki Kagami (if those names seem familiar to you, it's not an accident. If they don't, don't think too much about it). Yuki lives an eternally peaceful, everyday life with Tsukasa and Kagami; her childhood friends; when she meets a girl named Takashima Zakuro throwing stuffed toys off of a rooftop. Zakuro, a mysterious girl who tells Yuki a story about God and aerodynamics, all the while apologising about involving her in a tragic story.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>"and if you're not good directly," she added, "I'll put you through into Looking-glass House. How would you like that?"<br />
<br />
"Now, if you'll only attend, Kitty, and not talk so much, I'll tell you all my ideas about Looking-glass House."</blockquote><br />
In a startling turn of events never before seen in eroge, all of a sudden both Zakuro and the Wakatsuki sisters are living in Yuki's apartment. It's a romantic love comedy with a yuri bent (and if you played Subarashiki Hibi for that you'd probably better stop around here). Later on, Yuki meets another girl, Otonashi Ayana, on the rooftop of one of the school buildings. Ayana seems to speak in riddles and has the annoying tendency to imply that she knows a lot more about what's going on than you do.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEill-2NtQK_27sif2zWGMt-KpOV0ZOI_Qqlrk2oPfNd9kqHatSyotalPpQRvHXkmQ258PVFXn6KSL75Gq0ES3mtesld5uVVNlCZ4FA7vNQlJhfFLM5eQfDC8NgcekaASEAEu67Ukz_MVK8/s1600/su_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEill-2NtQK_27sif2zWGMt-KpOV0ZOI_Qqlrk2oPfNd9kqHatSyotalPpQRvHXkmQ258PVFXn6KSL75Gq0ES3mtesld5uVVNlCZ4FA7vNQlJhfFLM5eQfDC8NgcekaASEAEu67Ukz_MVK8/s320/su_6.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Before long Yuki has to make a decision that, like many of the decision points in Subarashiki Hibi, brings about an outcome that can only be understood much later in the narrative; to keep living a wonderful everyday with the Wakatsuki sisters or to follow Zakuro's unusual words and stories and take a trip down the rabbit hole to see where it all leads.<br />
<br />
The inevitable decision is obvious.<br />
This is where the story begins.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFjzkq0dNf2V6WSDL6fHNw9bGp31lSF5tcXR11KAwRtkcefImRIMVWlZVN9mB8sdFrdkOEqgELbqQJOT1oHLD4LWdQZoabI_xfP7p8i9ZtDpjkWYuVzyfjcTbMkplmbqRa-Dl8bWXePY/s1600/su_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFjzkq0dNf2V6WSDL6fHNw9bGp31lSF5tcXR11KAwRtkcefImRIMVWlZVN9mB8sdFrdkOEqgELbqQJOT1oHLD4LWdQZoabI_xfP7p8i9ZtDpjkWYuVzyfjcTbMkplmbqRa-Dl8bWXePY/s320/su_4.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXWanoWzpzO7tiIA_cRvY5-RrlBPC0lMNOGsE7MlkgI2rppBroki9h4NpsX2NLBCkHzgHMUe_YpYO7gxsffzmPJa1nA4lumlG0Of7_zwWxvtpeqGbfAaAsgbdLMi-9LnG7egHrLTbwX4/s1600/su_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXWanoWzpzO7tiIA_cRvY5-RrlBPC0lMNOGsE7MlkgI2rppBroki9h4NpsX2NLBCkHzgHMUe_YpYO7gxsffzmPJa1nA4lumlG0Of7_zwWxvtpeqGbfAaAsgbdLMi-9LnG7egHrLTbwX4/s320/su_5.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote>"The sense of the world must lie outside the world. In the world everything is as it is, and everything happens as it does happen: in it no value exists - and if it did exist, it would have no value."<br />
- Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein</blockquote>The story begins in chapter #1, 'Down the Rabbit-Hole" on July 12, 2012. The protagonist; Minakami Yuki; lives a peaceful everyday life with Tsukasa and Kagami; her childhood friends; when one day she meets a mysterious girl, Takashima Zakuro (a girl in another class in Yuki's school, who seems to have met Yuki before but Yuki does not remember this).<br />
<br />
The next day, she learns that Takashima Zakuro has killed herself. Rumours in school are abuzz about predictions of the end of the world in 2012 - one of which is a Web site called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_Bot_Project">"Web Bot Project"</a>, a network of crawlers designed to harness the 'collective unconsciousness' to make predictions.<br />
<br />
A boy in Yuki's class named Mamiya Takuji stands up and makes an apocalyptic prediction, stating that the world will end on the 20th, that Zakuro's death was the first sign. He speaks of an event he dubs "the Last Sky", where the world will be destroyed and reborn.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1kUILaL1lTCi-Hfg-_SX5Ka1fJpTx19HtTLJNV_dCQVYtbDRkcN7nbG9YpmTJIIY4xffgy6GlWbK4zWMlBMvZ8FOOL6TNrPX2A9W_cFLk2mnO3DKq7FunclWOdc_JgV12INChl0frhpo/s1600/su_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1kUILaL1lTCi-Hfg-_SX5Ka1fJpTx19HtTLJNV_dCQVYtbDRkcN7nbG9YpmTJIIY4xffgy6GlWbK4zWMlBMvZ8FOOL6TNrPX2A9W_cFLk2mnO3DKq7FunclWOdc_JgV12INChl0frhpo/s320/su_7.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The clock is ticking and more people die as the prophesied date draws closer and closer while Yuki attempts to get to the bottom of the identity of Mamiya Takuji, the Web Bot Project and the Last Sky.<br />
<br />
The proceeding chapters then present the story from the perspectives of other characters involved in the event, including Mamiya Takuji and Takashima Zakuro. Subarashiki Hibi manages to avoid the traditional problems that plague games that tell the same story many times through extremely clever use of narrative, managing to keep the story interesting throughout.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjEYpnYEr_-cECMY51P-XpG-XVP0m8ueN5Ufz2ZPAeupKZBzhj7wx15HJSo9s6tzaIvlfM7-SLo5Oub1-J9WWz09ClSnuCZ_p_UJMPQKnZ5WR77fFOTIpIPftYsZMFI35RXSTBFNIAtI/s1600/su_8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjEYpnYEr_-cECMY51P-XpG-XVP0m8ueN5Ufz2ZPAeupKZBzhj7wx15HJSo9s6tzaIvlfM7-SLo5Oub1-J9WWz09ClSnuCZ_p_UJMPQKnZ5WR77fFOTIpIPftYsZMFI35RXSTBFNIAtI/s320/su_8.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9IRlHtIiKImSQe953Yvhgyj5mvuW_fki1oFMsVqOqmvn47E0oKAslQ2UV1_YVk7FdfSs8KutlDp6LSDUcaDMBRhtEU1xqhjg3AkHipLh43nXGGhKYRGHWG12A50vh1zlPLHv0vQTvpo/s1600/su_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9IRlHtIiKImSQe953Yvhgyj5mvuW_fki1oFMsVqOqmvn47E0oKAslQ2UV1_YVk7FdfSs8KutlDp6LSDUcaDMBRhtEU1xqhjg3AkHipLh43nXGGhKYRGHWG12A50vh1zlPLHv0vQTvpo/s320/su_9.jpg" /></a></div><br />
A number of the chapters (at least the first three) have two sides to them, typically featuring both a 'canon' side and an 'if' side. These are either encountered sequentially or through decision points. While not necessarily (although sometimes) useful to the overall plot, they do help to introduce more information about other characters and they do not contradict the rest of the story.<br />
<br />
Subarashiki Hibi has a number of endings that branch off at various points as well as three main endings that branch off after the final chapter and are unlocked sequentially. While the endings are quite different they do not contradict each other and the story will be known to the reader after completing them.<br />
<br />
The story will surprise you.. You will not see it coming. I don't care how perceptive you are or if you're an avid scholar of Wittgenstein and Carroll. The only way you'll pick it up sufficiently ahead of time is if you were spoiled.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcRRToYUlKWOl2vEqgrxnfOWdiQSvWNQFo3WJuw71isjn3YB-QEGEp5RnG06Mih_B8LNGOelFHyx62_4ZUOe0BYyGxbBIZAk4z_kgibouOgFgFCuNmrCW58YAZhy8pmwWHYUfj9cxuFE/s1600/su_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcRRToYUlKWOl2vEqgrxnfOWdiQSvWNQFo3WJuw71isjn3YB-QEGEp5RnG06Mih_B8LNGOelFHyx62_4ZUOe0BYyGxbBIZAk4z_kgibouOgFgFCuNmrCW58YAZhy8pmwWHYUfj9cxuFE/s320/su_10.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote>"Though a state of affairs that would contravene the laws of physics can be represented by us spatially, one that would contravene the laws of geometry cannot."<br />
- Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein</blockquote>There is a former work that was the initial cause for a lot of the buzz surrounding Subarashiki Hibi, a somewhat obscure game by the name of Tsui no Sora. Old and severely dated, production-wise the game did not age well by any stretch of the imagination. It did, however, sport a unique story that resulted in the game gaining a bit of a cult following. When the characters in Subarashiki Hibi were announced people noticed that three of them (Yuki, Kagami and Tsukasa) had surnames identical to those of characters in Tsui no Sora (Yukito and Kotomi) while a further three characters appeared to have been directly airlifted from Tsui no Sora into Subarashiki Hibi (Zakuro, Ayana and Takuji). There was much speculation as to whether Subarashiki Hibi was a sequel or prequel to Tsui no Sora, all of which were denied by SCA-自, the creator of both stories. The fact remains that there is clearly a link between them, so do you need to play Tsui no Sora before you play Subarashiki Hibi?<br />
<br />
Well, no, no you don't. I do, however, recommend it. If you can manage to scratch up Tsui no Sora you'll enjoy contrasting between the two titles. If you can't, don't beat yourself up about it too much, just play Subarashiki Hibi as is and you'll enjoy it just fine. What Subarashiki Hibi is is another story related to Tsui no Sora that conveniently also includes a rewritten version of Tsui no Sora cleanly and imperceptibly embedded into the story. This was, in fact, an excellent solution because it allows anyone to understand Subarashiki Hibi entirely while not making people who have read Tsui no Sora reread the same story again.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKDT_KRv9VbuTgJDXPkutcf2kf7sArrCM9QZWVvrOUKCODU8f_ccpG-jptob67ELXNgBA3EgD7dgiyqOrSW_eBEUsjeHhQ5f0Xh5WXt7C45nlSDgKSpi5OhS-pF_aWnWJDh4dxBFA76s/s1600/su_11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKDT_KRv9VbuTgJDXPkutcf2kf7sArrCM9QZWVvrOUKCODU8f_ccpG-jptob67ELXNgBA3EgD7dgiyqOrSW_eBEUsjeHhQ5f0Xh5WXt7C45nlSDgKSpi5OhS-pF_aWnWJDh4dxBFA76s/s320/su_11.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Subarashiki Hibi is a reasonably lengthy game, roughly 30 hours or so (the majority of which takes place in the first three chapters) but at the main time manages to stay interesting throughout. In terms of content it probably goes without saying that Subarashiki Hibi is an eroge to read for the story first and foremost.<br />
<br />
A couple of prerelease reviews of Subarashiki Hibi went <i>"So like there are six stories and they won’t make a whole lot of sense at first but I’M SURE it will once you read ALL of them. There is YURI in it. The pictures are pretty and the male characters look too shota. H20 did <b>not</b> rock my soul and I doubt this will. But it’s probable there will be a following because of the YURI and a <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">Fujibayashi twins</span> possible 3P twincest."</i> and <i>"I don't really like the art. Foreheads are too big. Yuri doesn't tempt me. Pass."</i> Something I feel it is important to bring up is that the content (in this case, yuri) that seems to be a concern is not, in fact, consequential to the story. Out of the six chapters, two half-chapters contain yuri content. The rest do not.<br />
<br />
I do, however, feel the need to make a note concerning content, particularly from the view that not everyone likes everything in eroge. In TakaJun's reviews, he likes to include at the end stuff like "Recommended for: people who like X and Y. Not recommended for: people who don't like Z" where X, Y and Z refers to the content of the game. While I generally like this approach as it lets people find games that contain things they like and avoid things they don't like, I'm extremely hesitant to include anything like that here. Simply put, I recommend Subarashiki Hibi to everyone. That includes Micchi and Reikon too. The fact is that it contains stuff that people will not like. In fact, I doubt there are many people who would not be 'turned off' by <i>something</i> in Subarashiki Hibi. It contains a decent number of rather horrifying scenes, a few of which you rarely see in eroge and may come as a shock to some. The point is, even if you don't like any of this stuff, I <i>still</i> recommend that you play Subarashiki Hibi because it is worth it. In fact, it's an essential part of an experience. One particularly horrifying scene in Chapter 2 is revealed to have been completely necessary - and not at all what you thought it would be - in a later chapter. A number of the scenes in Chapter 3 were essential for showing how Zakuro's state of mind changed over time. So keep with it; you'll find Subarashiki Hibi to be a rewarding experience and who knows, you may be tougher than you think.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqKUdvjrSkkmEn709lWm4k2pqrLXbKuvX7pHvRfBWsqFKVJnrv5XlAd7aQLbzvs_L0R6KDnQSPdh2fEHFKDMEPjHykVjH02gtY7W13D6or91Aik9-mxuJvwoJiGxNtC0BzY6W7bAdR-1o/s1600/su_12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqKUdvjrSkkmEn709lWm4k2pqrLXbKuvX7pHvRfBWsqFKVJnrv5XlAd7aQLbzvs_L0R6KDnQSPdh2fEHFKDMEPjHykVjH02gtY7W13D6or91Aik9-mxuJvwoJiGxNtC0BzY6W7bAdR-1o/s320/su_12.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote>"Even if all that we wish for were to happen, still this would only be a favour granted by fate, so to speak: for there is no logical connexion between the will and the world, which would guarantee it, and the supposed physical connexion itself is surely not something that we could will."<br />
- Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein</blockquote>Subarashiki Hibi is a denpa game. It's hard to actually define a denpa game, except by naming other denpa games and leaving the interpretation up to the player. But I'm no wimp so I'll give it a shot.<br />
<br />
Denpa games are a subgenre of horror eroge, popularised by the 1996 Leaf game 'Shizuku' which also lent the genre its name. The typical model is a horror story where the catalyst for the events that occur are based on familiar people acting in unfamiliar, yet seemingly orchestrated ways. Stories where the world seems to have gone mad; and the protagonist is not necessarily an exception. The name comes from the idea that electromagnetic waves (denpa) is causing people to act strangely (although it is rarely anything that mundane).<br />
<br />
While most denpa games thrive on confusion and generally seek to leave things unexplained, Subarashiki Hibi approaches the concept from a phenomenology perspective and in this regard makes everything in hindsight seem a lot less chaotic than it would initially seem. Whether this means it is less 'pure' a denpa game compared to Tsui no Sora, which explained little (but left the reader to his/her own conclusions) is something I'm not sure about but ultimately am not that concerned by. Subarashiki Hibi is in many ways its own kind of game and does not need to be forced into an inappropriate genre just because people feel the need need to categorise things.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxD2uR2LV6XT0j659jlA8nkTfunCptbHLAS8HrBrolO9PTYKu3EBBQ-uVeGsELqtqepC5YPEtuOevEc4iWC4mIAOtNFc8UKjTIqa4MhNNpi5uOpTifUCq1Wnnl4lRyL390cTiPFuOjmk/s1600/su_13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxD2uR2LV6XT0j659jlA8nkTfunCptbHLAS8HrBrolO9PTYKu3EBBQ-uVeGsELqtqepC5YPEtuOevEc4iWC4mIAOtNFc8UKjTIqa4MhNNpi5uOpTifUCq1Wnnl4lRyL390cTiPFuOjmk/s320/su_13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
There you have it. Subarashiki Hibi. A most interesting game.<br />
<br />
Now, when I review eroge, I like to come up with a nice, simple number (generally expressed as a percentage) to stick beside it. This isn't a number on an absolute scale (i.e. 100% = as good as possible, 0% = as bad as possible) because I think it is always possible to do better and always possible to do worse. Rather, it's just a number that pops into my head after I think about it enough and typically functions as a measure of how appealing I see the game as being. I like to create scores like this to allow me to concisely compare eroge with each other and to express how I feel about a game in a fashion somewhat close to being quantitative. That said, while I'm not going to give a game a score less than 0% or greater than 100%, I fear the scenario where I may be tempted to do so, which is why I had G-Senjou no Maou, which I've proclaimed pretty vocally as being a favourite eroge of mine, on 96% or so (which puts it far too close to a lot of titles), just in case something better did come out (because I could certainly imagine a better eroge, including the upcoming Taiyou no Ko, which could very well be a 97% or a 98%).<br />
<br />
The fact that my very top VNs were of a particular kind always made me frame the idea of a 'perfect eroge' in the same sort of light, where I would imagine an extremely linear story told in a rather Saihate no Ima-esque way with just one winnable heroine that was the epitome of both badassery and moe, and when that game came out I would award it the highest of honors. A game so different to my ideal getting the same accolade is something I never even considered. When I said Subarashiki Hibi could be the best eroge when I posted my subtitling of the opening video, I was actually sort of joking, or at the very least, using a decent amount of hyperbole.<br />
<br />
Subarashiki Hibi defied my expectations, and I hope you try it and find it defies yours.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Overall Score: 100%</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.keroq.co.jp/suba/index.html"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Subarashiki Hibi official webpage</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=644325"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Subarashiki Hibi @ getchu</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElxVUpqvbqo"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Subarashiki Hibi OP video</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.keroq.co.jp/product/sora/top.html">Tsui no Sora official webpage</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(at the time of writing Subarashiki Hibi was one of the highest scoring eroge on rating site EroGameScape, surpassing well-known titles like Muv-Luv Alternative, Baldr Force and Sengoku Rance. As a bit of a niche title it is hard to determine how long it will remain there for)</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVy-Cmmij_1qp0iYv0-NIH8cQUW_QnVXs8n_RAJxlgWouwJ4RzvPyiT7Dx0E5lloRLHcvbu4TNdKlH2b34hW9TS0oYHESVWg5Bdl3KxadbDks6TWbI1rRZt1vlI9gb-qBuJBjyy7YDrYE/s1600/su_14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVy-Cmmij_1qp0iYv0-NIH8cQUW_QnVXs8n_RAJxlgWouwJ4RzvPyiT7Dx0E5lloRLHcvbu4TNdKlH2b34hW9TS0oYHESVWg5Bdl3KxadbDks6TWbI1rRZt1vlI9gb-qBuJBjyy7YDrYE/s320/su_14.jpg" /></a></div><blockquote><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> "The world is independent of my will."<br />
- Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein</span></span></blockquote>Asceaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12445843466951050426noreply@blogger.com87tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212974132017279755.post-78855693578211647972010-02-06T10:23:00.001+09:002010-04-12T21:09:35.518+09:00Tsukisome no Kasa -the end of scarlet luna-To people like myself who follow scenario writers, one of the attractions to playing titles created by writers you know is that you typically have a good idea of the overall level of quality you're going to find in the story. A particularly good writer can even influence you to get an eroge that has a story that doesn't appeal to you, characters that don't really interest you and art that doesn't grab your attention. On the other hand, once you become familiar with a certain scenario writer's work, they tend to lose their ability to surprise you - you start expecting a certain level of quality, rather than hoping for it, and are disappointed if you don't get it.<br />
<br />
New writers, on the other hand, are a blank slate. On one hand, they probably don't have much experience in the eroge writing field (and most eroge writers do get better over time) and the quality of the story may suffer as a result. On the other hand, you have no idea how good (or bad) they are and can't help but be surprised if the story actually turns out to be good (or great!) This is why it's often exciting to play an eroge written by a new scenario writer, particularly if the story seems a bit unusual.<br />
<br />
Tsukisome no Kasa is an eroge released in January 2010 by new brand Hiyoko-soft. All three scenario writers are new to eroge scenario writing (the main one actually worked on the artwork for MOON STONE's Ashita Deatta Shoujo).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01l-E0xs0cgenrRqmSxCARQOq6IFkDhmObxO9dxuX8yXpeCHKr3-m5uAuxIpC0sQDNp-saCsWpCxGYUX4W-RDYqdDxWCTsU-2VCXKqr5CQR3PLmoZOetrZIRDO_J0h6P0OnU3Ng42OMc/s1600-h/tsukisome_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01l-E0xs0cgenrRqmSxCARQOq6IFkDhmObxO9dxuX8yXpeCHKr3-m5uAuxIpC0sQDNp-saCsWpCxGYUX4W-RDYqdDxWCTsU-2VCXKqr5CQR3PLmoZOetrZIRDO_J0h6P0OnU3Ng42OMc/s400/tsukisome_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The protagonist, Kagami Renka, moved to the remote country town of Hasumi-mura due to his stepfather's new job. Renka intends to find information about his real parents after hearing that Hasumi-mura was his mother's hometown. Renka's mother died when he was young, and he never knew who his true father was.<br />
<br />
While taking a stroll shortly after arriving in the village, Renka discovers a Shinto shrine partially submerged in the water. Since the first thing anyone does on finding a creepy shrine in an unfamiliar area is explore it, Renka enters the shrine. Poking around in the altar room, he finds a mysterious doll tied up with numerous chains. Feeling that something is not quite right, Renka attempts to leave the shrine as quickly as possible, but not before the appearance of a girl in a white dress. "Who are you?"<br />
<br />
Making friends at his new school, he gradually opens up to them about his intention to search for information about his true parents. The days pass, and when the full moon comes, he learns of a legend particular to Hasumi-mura: an event that takes place every 44 years. Again, he meets the girl in the white dress who calls herself 'Amane', while walking along the beach. She tells him that they should not meet, but agrees to tell him about the festival and the strange deity it honours if he meets her at the shrine after the festival.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPK5Hl3l0LX2DdjDiaQ4JhMt1B6NRlrpIUWDpJXgddepq2T0iSVUm2-NPhqbeqibUPKAc1ETj_UcWT9t3eYygS2X21-WKzHl3Y-N64EttPyhN5jEEuHu1SD60SQJLAxQYNmC1YQbRS6AA/s1600-h/tsukisome_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPK5Hl3l0LX2DdjDiaQ4JhMt1B6NRlrpIUWDpJXgddepq2T0iSVUm2-NPhqbeqibUPKAc1ETj_UcWT9t3eYygS2X21-WKzHl3Y-N64EttPyhN5jEEuHu1SD60SQJLAxQYNmC1YQbRS6AA/s400/tsukisome_7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
After the festival, Renka continues to search for information about his parents with his new friends. As the moon wanes, he learns more about the village, the legend and the mysterious 'Hasumi' family that historically presides over Hasumi-mura.<br />
<br />
The new moon approaches and Renka starts to uncover an insidious web of tradition and deceit involving many of the families that live in Hasumi-mura. His friends begin to disappear and, too late, Renka learns of the true nature behind the ritual the village practices every 44 years.<br />
<br />
When the moon disappears, everything comes to an end.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysFXsDZXk-v3r9k_-7uH33kEacJq8WbvsQ6gDX8TeVjdXB2QnzoiFbzZ7VXHbsDDGFUHGC88al2InGhKnC1aGgtG2hyphenhyphen84EgbvY3KJlegf5WRR0DkTl3mPaUFI1CYdiKWOvNj8Y8Kphbk/s1600-h/tsukisome_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysFXsDZXk-v3r9k_-7uH33kEacJq8WbvsQ6gDX8TeVjdXB2QnzoiFbzZ7VXHbsDDGFUHGC88al2InGhKnC1aGgtG2hyphenhyphen84EgbvY3KJlegf5WRR0DkTl3mPaUFI1CYdiKWOvNj8Y8Kphbk/s400/tsukisome_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Tsukisome no Kasa is a single-route story, told in four chapters, with no branching paths or choices. The story is dramatic and fairly dark, which may not be everyone's cup of tea. To the writers' credit, there is very little "slice of life" in Tsukisome no Kasa- generally, the bare minimum to introduce the characters. This results in a fairly concise read: you can clear the game in 15 hours or so.<br />
<br />
While the characters are pretty great, it should be stressed that if you're the kind of eroge player who decides on an eroge based on how attractive/cute the heroines are (and there is nothing wrong with that) Tsukisome no Kasa is not for you at all. The main heroine is 'unwinnable', for a start, and the story typically has a rather diminished focus on romance. This tends to bother some people so it's probably best they know from the start.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlz_avEaEORUUs1m5STEI-fdWs8_UOPAYbtTOgsIaNo0tjmmAbL_uv7KYEW9j2kZ1wy5iv7HyMpmeh_kTj2IPdDsczLrlyT7e8MW1E2kzHaob4Y5iAD08Vf1B1rubDD-B_D2NRmrWupo/s1600-h/tsukisome_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlz_avEaEORUUs1m5STEI-fdWs8_UOPAYbtTOgsIaNo0tjmmAbL_uv7KYEW9j2kZ1wy5iv7HyMpmeh_kTj2IPdDsczLrlyT7e8MW1E2kzHaob4Y5iAD08Vf1B1rubDD-B_D2NRmrWupo/s400/tsukisome_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
The story structure is a bit like that in 'Kitto, Sumiwataru Asairo yori mo' - it is a four chapter story, with each chapter a 'reboot' of the timeline, for reasons discovered towards the end of the game. It doesn't do this as cleanly as Asairo did, mind; each chapter takes you back to the events that took place after the festival, and while the story doesn't use repeated text, you tend to see a number of events a few times in the course of the story. As in Asairo, the protagonist does not realise or remember the former events immediately and often stumbles around rediscovering information for part of the story.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CymblYfOw5wlnZaLJ_zdcIrYcWPq8MF7PqG3DvcYduG0tyQbLsClEHu0-dOY7sb4nlB8JflWE3SgIUOXyUWgkMhLR3Br7M7ZAHBgLb8yB8f75g09VuGB229i8QLtpjzUrlyvfQQmNQ0/s1600-h/tsukisome_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CymblYfOw5wlnZaLJ_zdcIrYcWPq8MF7PqG3DvcYduG0tyQbLsClEHu0-dOY7sb4nlB8JflWE3SgIUOXyUWgkMhLR3Br7M7ZAHBgLb8yB8f75g09VuGB229i8QLtpjzUrlyvfQQmNQ0/s400/tsukisome_5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
The quality of the art is so-so; while the style is generally clean, it is not as polished as most modern eroges and a number of the CGs look rather awkward even when coloured well, with unusual body poses and perspectives. On the other hand, it makes up the lack of quality with quantity, boasting an above-average number of CGs (over 120), unusual for works light on the ero scenes. The backgrounds also vary; while generally good, some of the outdoor scenes are rather unusual. The graphics are generally well used and the important ones are drawn quite well, which is the important thing.<br />
<br />
Music-wise, the soundtrack is decent and fits Tsukisome no Kasa quite well. Unlike most of the other aspects of this title, the music is created by the well-known composer Blasterhead. My only complaint is that you end up hearing some tracks reused quite a bit because the soundtrack is not especially large; however, it's still larger than the soundtracks of many equivalently-lengthed titles so this is a fairly minor complaint.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxjXfgVx_y-36KGutqSaQT1Wmd_ZvdDaOm0bPiSzrir2GHcWfBWR4WC6w7SVwpRf4A882YIMKVp5GGPFw3OFUKfh9NBtMaCtIcX1Z2Q849xcejX6G9mVZN0mX1Z9HtdzeuibvfCQfS_w/s1600-h/tsukisome_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxjXfgVx_y-36KGutqSaQT1Wmd_ZvdDaOm0bPiSzrir2GHcWfBWR4WC6w7SVwpRf4A882YIMKVp5GGPFw3OFUKfh9NBtMaCtIcX1Z2Q849xcejX6G9mVZN0mX1Z9HtdzeuibvfCQfS_w/s400/tsukisome_6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
In terms of ero, Tsukisome no Kasa does not really deliver - it's not an eroge to read for that. The scene selection page lists 6 H scenes in the game; however, two of them are essentially two parts to the same scene (they take place directly one after another) and another two are fairly short.<br />
<br />
Only two of the game's four heroines are 'winnable' in that sense, and while they all have H scenes, protagonist participation in the scenes is limited. If you're the kind of person to complain because your favourite heroine didn't get a proper H scene, again, Tsukisome no Kasa is not for you. The HCG are fairly awkwardly drawn, too, but only make up a small fraction of the total # of CG in the game so this is a minor complaint.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOZF7udiMdpnYWs6-s8Emts5gqs5ovUb4Ywq5BFl6RmRLiw9390ejd6MPOPThaWV2HIOawNTFdZp6DNpNbg2pi-vWbP947IBPYo-n3LkE3X4xNxZ7f_5pLb40s71j2vr3pMOOS8ENDJA/s1600-h/tsukisome_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOZF7udiMdpnYWs6-s8Emts5gqs5ovUb4Ywq5BFl6RmRLiw9390ejd6MPOPThaWV2HIOawNTFdZp6DNpNbg2pi-vWbP947IBPYo-n3LkE3X4xNxZ7f_5pLb40s71j2vr3pMOOS8ENDJA/s400/tsukisome_4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I quite enjoyed Tsukisome no Kasa. It is not an especially amazing eroge but it is worth a read if you find utsuge (depressing games) appealing. More importantly, it also highlights Hiyoko-soft as a brand to watch in the future. If they can iron out some of the issues here, they'd be well set for producing some truly spectacular titles in the future.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Overall Score: 78%</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://hiyoko-soft.com/luna/index.html">Tsukisome no Kasa official webpage</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=597785">Tsukisome no Kasa @ getchu</a></span>Asceaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12445843466951050426noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212974132017279755.post-41996806669421822992010-01-24T12:00:00.002+09:002010-01-24T12:30:45.874+09:00sense off ~a sacred story in the wind~I am rather a fan of the eroge company Key (creators of ONE, Kanon and AIR), particularly for their distinctive style of story and atmosphere. Strangely enough, though, my favourite eroge that embodies what I see as the distinctive elements that make up a Key game is not a Key game at all. It's a little known science fiction title called 'sense off'.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IRLadY2jmD4dW8Lv8cGjNzdLPMgD0yc15GmzFy4i-pOqF4gpt2mTodOxQAC9JiqlE2blrlHO4zaxUnwNB4M9JHCNP-4UBr8tkV6vIUtOxZQsue4tG4-lonrdu2PLIL3M39waR65GT9A/s1600-h/so_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IRLadY2jmD4dW8Lv8cGjNzdLPMgD0yc15GmzFy4i-pOqF4gpt2mTodOxQAC9JiqlE2blrlHO4zaxUnwNB4M9JHCNP-4UBr8tkV6vIUtOxZQsue4tG4-lonrdu2PLIL3M39waR65GT9A/s640/so_1.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><a name='more'></a>The protagonist of the story, Naoya, was hospitalised after getting in a bicycle accident. During his treatment, it is found that he exhibits a number of unusual brain wave patterns, and he is asked to move into a particular Cognition Dynamics Research Laboratory to undergo further testing, along with a handful of other young people who exhibit similar characteristics.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSImO_gwLt0jOgXA588aNpOdB05KphwOFTKtbdJMGqI5TPKFxcgPFHNEK3kiYmrVrDH5t9bqX7TaGvjy2729lQ6GlEPE1sa12N-VM3UmlUrTRp-sK3437t7K4P_xocSyMl4aoVeqBtlg/s1600-h/so_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSImO_gwLt0jOgXA588aNpOdB05KphwOFTKtbdJMGqI5TPKFxcgPFHNEK3kiYmrVrDH5t9bqX7TaGvjy2729lQ6GlEPE1sa12N-VM3UmlUrTRp-sK3437t7K4P_xocSyMl4aoVeqBtlg/s640/so_2.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">With his newfound friends, Naoya takes classes, has fun and lives peacefully in blissful ignorance of the truth behind their gathering together. 'sense off' is an unvoiced 2000 eroge with seven winnable heroines and routes (two unlockable by completing other routes). Ambiguous endings, nakige and sickness/death are par for the course. While it is difficult to say much about the story without spoiling a good deal of the enjoyment, 'sense off' is not a title to underestimate, and in whichever route you end up going down, the story will quickly spiral into something far more intricate and detailed than you likely thought possible.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9foW010bzNdTyI5b4-eQWhKL5uwcJl9PYYDoqT_4V1hhfknhsdKtT_1atSdvt-z4LNuh7ryKxKVlF09d_FM7_L60pdSX1qZ-hMk8EJxIF4VkWADdbjTJ1LZG0kGqKDWAdQlqJvaHRQ8o/s1600-h/so_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9foW010bzNdTyI5b4-eQWhKL5uwcJl9PYYDoqT_4V1hhfknhsdKtT_1atSdvt-z4LNuh7ryKxKVlF09d_FM7_L60pdSX1qZ-hMk8EJxIF4VkWADdbjTJ1LZG0kGqKDWAdQlqJvaHRQ8o/s640/so_3.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The art, while not exactly fantastic even for 2000, is of a fairly unique style and fits the storytelling and atmosphere of 'sense off' perfectly. The artist (Iuro) later did miscellaneous work on titles such as Haru no Ashioto, ef and Fortune Arterial. While there is the occasional usual/low quality shot in the game, particularly some of the ero CGs, most of the art is pleasing to look at despite being rather simple. The game has 63 base CGs (not counting differentials), which while on the light side (5 fewer than CLANNAD) is enough for 'sense off' and it doesn't feel as though there are too many events lacking in CGs.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-BVtIM3yLQ3K1u1r7s67a7intSq0Ya_NhOn_gjevXtCoPIVrgNMpKxUv8YMXaSIzV27A9a7YG4yOrQ28mxfBC4q2ajOwZYdDolBEcLC1RAbHOpYNZBzNOzD-31SeBEIM8NwO-jdes240/s1600-h/so_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-BVtIM3yLQ3K1u1r7s67a7intSq0Ya_NhOn_gjevXtCoPIVrgNMpKxUv8YMXaSIzV27A9a7YG4yOrQ28mxfBC4q2ajOwZYdDolBEcLC1RAbHOpYNZBzNOzD-31SeBEIM8NwO-jdes240/s640/so_4.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The heroines are varied, and despite the above-average number, each enjoy sufficiently long and distinctive stories (with one exception, one of the two unlockable routes which was clearly an afterthought). The story follows a fairly basic general pattern quite similar to that of most of Key's titles - the trunk and the first part of each heroine's route is fairly lighthearted, the story becoming darker and more dramatic afterwards. Most of the endings are quite ambiguous, and it depends on your interpretation whether the majority of them are actually good ends or not. There is also an eighth generic end if you failed to get on a route.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG32J_uqFslXbueYProNfdyjNXbrmFXumw5MX7iVPA5urnSI3AO27-9QkLsxA958KCx_RlHsNK7t_Ysn9pdmgW3iYTqmx8WuxStUIVyWg21vduUaUtuXiwebgutykM6hPBrwx3gVxGTgs/s1600-h/so_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG32J_uqFslXbueYProNfdyjNXbrmFXumw5MX7iVPA5urnSI3AO27-9QkLsxA958KCx_RlHsNK7t_Ysn9pdmgW3iYTqmx8WuxStUIVyWg21vduUaUtuXiwebgutykM6hPBrwx3gVxGTgs/s640/so_6.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The routes themselves, while distinct and usually breaking away from the other heroines to focus on the current one, are nonetheless part of a larger story that can't be understood entirely until certain routes are read. The writing style is fairly simple and elegant at first and can be read by most who are used to playing eroge, but beware; it does get harder later on, especially in Shiiko's route which loves to hit you with walls of text. It is nonetheless helpful to have Wikipedia open while reading it for looking up some of the medical, scientific, mathematical and information theory jargon you may be unfamiliar with (there's no real need to understand FFT or know what a C-BUS is, though). The writing is generally smooth and concise - it is not unnecessarily embellished, detailed or unusual.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Z-5erNL6MZXckGnl3hyphenhyphenvneC3-dSjRqV0gN6kS07L6CoN9F_cRh8eQgcsYtDOi7mmrpALBszJmb7o_3VVtlbvpapwSFxEHB-Qfuy1_W3pHXycL0rnvY2wpBR4VzmUvH58pmcIOg5RfSo/s1600-h/so_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Z-5erNL6MZXckGnl3hyphenhyphenvneC3-dSjRqV0gN6kS07L6CoN9F_cRh8eQgcsYtDOi7mmrpALBszJmb7o_3VVtlbvpapwSFxEHB-Qfuy1_W3pHXycL0rnvY2wpBR4VzmUvH58pmcIOg5RfSo/s640/so_5.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As an eroge, it contains H scenes, a total of seven (one per heroine). The H scenes are without a doubt fairly unusual in their brevity and lack of detail. If you've played Kanon or AIR, the H scenes in 'sense off' are even more extreme in that regard. It's quite possibly the least 'eroi' out of any full-length eroge, including stuff like Sekien no Inganock and Shikkoku no Sharnoth. The H scenes have two HCG apiece, and they are entirely uncensored with mosaics, but only because there is literally nothing to censor. Nonetheless, the extreme brevity is a bit of a blessing here; if you are the kind of person to normally skip H scenes, you probably don't need to bother here - they will be over before you know it.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJ4z0qDTQXwz0M_EmyobWvNLsopHZNIQD15xTxjN1z1a9vADpgVQE4Gs3LYpnUsB8axlMce4uZ0qNnu_5VYORfEhRwvztQ3OrJQufrXTtDKSagEi2hWcGG4T1J4sRhMeiQsxqNf6HOOY/s1600-h/so_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJ4z0qDTQXwz0M_EmyobWvNLsopHZNIQD15xTxjN1z1a9vADpgVQE4Gs3LYpnUsB8axlMce4uZ0qNnu_5VYORfEhRwvztQ3OrJQufrXTtDKSagEi2hWcGG4T1J4sRhMeiQsxqNf6HOOY/s640/so_7.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">'sense off' was admittedly one of my earlier eroges, and from that I feel that I may treasure it a bit too highly - reviews of the game are generally positive but far from stunning. While it is one of my favourite eroges, you would probably be a bit disappointed if you played it expecting something spectacular like Cross Channel, Ever17 or Sharin no Kuni. Nonetheless, it is an unusual eroge and one most people should be able to enjoy whatever kind of story they like.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Overall score: 94%</span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: x-small;">(the official website for the game is dead and none of getchu, galge or any of the other catalogue sites have much to say about sense off)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiId8F77NUx27W_DtcKsddE_oV_Ts0cqURw-0BSsEepjLJxOA54Z19V6cMdU_z1wIeC4X2RhC9BtzxzythwpyRC-W-lGP7LaXDX_xy3cNxIKNIMo9KZdHrmD6STNOiRFDnU4HCyRa2XQtY/s1600-h/so_8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiId8F77NUx27W_DtcKsddE_oV_Ts0cqURw-0BSsEepjLJxOA54Z19V6cMdU_z1wIeC4X2RhC9BtzxzythwpyRC-W-lGP7LaXDX_xy3cNxIKNIMo9KZdHrmD6STNOiRFDnU4HCyRa2XQtY/s320/so_8.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><br />
</div>Asceaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12445843466951050426noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212974132017279755.post-31357531123512416372010-01-19T02:09:00.007+09:002010-04-19T08:20:51.363+09:00Saiminjutsu 2One of the prevailing factors when it comes to dedicated mind control or hypnotism eroges is that they almost all work from the 'asshole protagonist' perspective. Typically, the protagonist acquires a new power, be it hypnotism, the ability to stop time, the ability to turn invisible, and almost immediately puts it to use for the purpose of having his way with girls almost invariably without their consent. I suppose this is on some level necessary for the premise to work, and I suppose being able to live out one's fantasies is one of the things that draws people to the genre, but I can't help but wonder if there could be more potential to these stories, especially if they seem to be investing genuine effort into the characters and setting.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA85tJ2tYac7_MGdI3tRTC8tnwwVLMTL9_XIqufaYB7h2-wBzo9FjskCcJjl3_fFqfskVECUYQ4-w2Sq05gcIn4-D1FrxTMpNaY1TK5yW-Vo2fQtl_9E05ufQJAbTqvrTNF9JgRYBSliw/s1600-h/sj2_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA85tJ2tYac7_MGdI3tRTC8tnwwVLMTL9_XIqufaYB7h2-wBzo9FjskCcJjl3_fFqfskVECUYQ4-w2Sq05gcIn4-D1FrxTMpNaY1TK5yW-Vo2fQtl_9E05ufQJAbTqvrTNF9JgRYBSliw/s400/sj2_1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
One such title is Saiminjutsu 2 (Hypnotism 2), a 2007 eroge by BLACKRAINBOW. It is the sequel to Saiminjutsu, but the continuity between the two games is weak at best. In Saiminjutsu 2, down on his luck protagonist Sakurai Susumu, facing bullying at school, problems at home and severe dislike from his childhood friend gains a boon when a mysterious stranger, Murakushi Jinta moves into his apartment. Seeing our young protagonist's plight, he offers to teach Susumu the mysterious power of hypnotism.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7xXrJwgwQHdKGMRqZYOrOcJIcrtn4QSNVb3NDsbYfYbHJYvTFESj7AApJ0UKoaGyfV15KKF026WzRY7Aj9K74YzIMZPMEpo2GGumfaAceYEehrg-1f2OvmuWleJrloGBPq7b9MXGXko/s1600-h/sj2_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7xXrJwgwQHdKGMRqZYOrOcJIcrtn4QSNVb3NDsbYfYbHJYvTFESj7AApJ0UKoaGyfV15KKF026WzRY7Aj9K74YzIMZPMEpo2GGumfaAceYEehrg-1f2OvmuWleJrloGBPq7b9MXGXko/s400/sj2_2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Susumu, quickly realising what Jinta expects of him, announces his intention to gain control over half the human race (the female half, naturally) and Jinta sets him a task - in exchange for being taught to hypnotise others, he has a month to use this power to produce situations and reports to cure Jinta's ED (erectile dysfunction). Susumu accepts.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZR2Mj32RICqt43W8X3YE0MYvKLjWxxHqMkqHgbiwyuS9qEUVWzIGqQWpPISTyKwJQL_BDu9BxvYKfdDb_-8KyQRuSieWosm5zlwhuXWuGvYl61Xc6PurptATDqbxBwDNhWiz7KFbOubU/s1600-h/sj2_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZR2Mj32RICqt43W8X3YE0MYvKLjWxxHqMkqHgbiwyuS9qEUVWzIGqQWpPISTyKwJQL_BDu9BxvYKfdDb_-8KyQRuSieWosm5zlwhuXWuGvYl61Xc6PurptATDqbxBwDNhWiz7KFbOubU/s400/sj2_5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For a rather ridiculous story, it's pretty much as plausible as any other hypnotism eroge plot and a good deal more entertaining than most. I suppose one of the things that made me appreciate this more than the average eroge of this variety is how it actually attempts some legitimate protagonist development that doesn't feel unrealistic, misplaced or far too convenient. Susumu does not start off by immediately raping every woman he can see (possibly because his power is not as convenient as the average mind control eroge gimmick) unlike, for example, the protagonist of a number of ALL-TiME titles, but instead starts to explore it, going deeper and deeper. Youthful curiosity slowly turns into control, and control is eventually replaced with sadism, depending on how you progress through the story. On some endings the protagonist actually feels genuine regret for what he has done, but in general the game seems most focused in terms of storytelling where Susumu grows addicted to the power of hypnotism and relishes in the thought of performing crueller and crueller acts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfkHguAeMEIkYgr1bXnkGl9A3nrM_Jh3CO0-MjL2NzV3Ami9BgB1RgDjw0kmw9ca2aOGMOkODxRAnRbJn2BuCyjPLfnXbFKV2d9R9AnsZMsIwLEVuffGICnJGQj8yafCJEqD0mM35mME/s1600-h/sj2_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfkHguAeMEIkYgr1bXnkGl9A3nrM_Jh3CO0-MjL2NzV3Ami9BgB1RgDjw0kmw9ca2aOGMOkODxRAnRbJn2BuCyjPLfnXbFKV2d9R9AnsZMsIwLEVuffGICnJGQj8yafCJEqD0mM35mME/s400/sj2_3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Targets of Susumu's newly-found abilities include his (now rather caustic) childhood friend, her elder sister, Susumu's cousin, her mother and Susumu's own mother (yes, this game goes there). There is a fairly large variety of endings, especially as Jinta's own motivations start to come into play.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Back to Susumu's mother, the idea of the protagonist's own mother being a winnable heroine is something I may never become entirely comfortable with, but especially of note is that she is, in fact, the game's main heroine. She makes a solo appearance on the title screen, has the largest number of CGs and scenes and a great deal of the story revolves around her. It's an unusual choice for a heroine, to say the least.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZRZ9WpoE3lUaw2ykyvxTYMXKHfi68hD_Wr80NEui3sangR50q1UqcLtvSrfqADMK2vjgQ0lvc8L9d5IGMW0MlsFa1IiIAVoOl6ZsDVVG_VGgqT6SKw4yduNaZkyAtTr0B32imZmSCvpQ/s1600-h/sj2_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZRZ9WpoE3lUaw2ykyvxTYMXKHfi68hD_Wr80NEui3sangR50q1UqcLtvSrfqADMK2vjgQ0lvc8L9d5IGMW0MlsFa1IiIAVoOl6ZsDVVG_VGgqT6SKw4yduNaZkyAtTr0B32imZmSCvpQ/s400/sj2_4.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The production values are not especially notable. As you can tell from the screenshots, the art is not exactly going to win any prizes, especially for a title released in 2007. On the other hand, the CGs are plentiful and varied, with 112 base CGs, many with 4-5 or more different variations. The musical score is generally fitting, although with a paltry 14 tracks you'll be hearing some songs just a little too long for them to stay fresh. The quality of the writing is high and the characters are generally quite well developed. I feel the story could have done with more of a focus on the curiosity side of the hypnotism experimentation and less of a focus on the 'being a horrible person' side. I would have also liked more fleshed out diversions from the 'asshole protagonist' path that most of the endings come from. A good example is the childhood friend character who isn't speaking to the protagonist when the story starts - while she isn't particularly nice at that point in the game, I really would have preferred to have some other option beyond forcing her to do progressively more degrading and depraved acts. There could have been potential for a great pure-love (or at least something approaching it) route with her and the game never saw fit to explore that.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Overall, it's a decent enough title, and 'decent enough' probably puts it in the top five as far as hypnotism games go, but there was a lot of potential for awesome here that I felt it just dropped the ball on in favour of coming up with more hilarious things for the protagonist to make people do.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Overall score: 72%</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=416205">Saiminjutsu 2 @ getchu</a> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://pro.dlsite.com/work/=/product_id/VJ002536.html">Saiminjutsu 2 @ DLsite</a> </span></div>Asceaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12445843466951050426noreply@blogger.com20