tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685950547895393092024-03-14T18:20:08.583+01:00EVN ChroniclesReviews, news and commentary on the Western-produced visual novels and the OELVN market.Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-78258117987114866112021-02-13T20:12:00.001+01:002021-02-13T20:20:41.396+01:00The short post-mortem of EVN Chronicles + new content on Fuwanovel <p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1153" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKaGM7R1tEe9aPyaIgP0KHEc8CQCCCNurAN3muo-zvJx4ostmGFSDbUs-8X3QONSzqSO7jj0u9k_DwVa7oqpBBmaofYy7QnuHIKqOd7RXWamJOca1wtfSRUxMArTXR1wL0w7RK57S1p8H/w640-h368/Fuwa.jpg" width="640" /></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">EVN Chronicles is in many ways a huge source of pride for me – a project that I was able to keep running for more than two years, producing an impressive library of content. I've learned a lot about VNs and about writing while working on it, trading the early passion for talking about the medium I've then recently fell in love with for decent amounts of knowledge and somewhat-justified confidence in my work. While my burnout effectively put a stop to me using that in any meaningful way for many months, I never doubted that my hiatus for writing won't be permanent, even if the hiatus of the blog itself is.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, this is enough rambling, I'll get to the point. Staying in this weird position of ex-blogger that doesn't do anything useful wasn't exactly inspiring or comfortable, so I want to close this chapter officially. EVN Chronicles as a project is over. I will continue the Steam Curator, as it is something I just organically do while reading VNs on Steam, but other than that, the blog won't receive any new updates.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">That doesn't mean I gave up on writing. From now on, any projects and reviews that I find interesting enough to work on will find their way to the Fuwanovel frontpage. The newest piece of content I've published there is <a href="https://fuwanovel.net/">an interview with one of my favourite upstart VN devs, PunishedHag</a>, but I hope to throw game jam coverage and an occasional review to the mix. It won't be very frequent, but I want every post I put there to feel worthwhile. Fuwa is a very dear place to me and at this point, I feel it's way more meaningful to apply myself there than to struggle to keep this personal project alive. I'll post about everything I post there on Twitter, so if you want to know about my future projects, please consider following me there. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Once more, thank you all for following this blog and, hopefully, see you on Fuwanovel!<br /></p>Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-88100876471820154072020-10-04T20:30:00.007+02:002021-02-03T19:21:00.629+01:00Thank you all for coming along for this ride! (Indefinite Hiatus)<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Hey there all!<br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">I will start with saying that I really treasure my time spent writing this blog and interacting with various people involved in the EVN community. You guys were awesome company in this journey and despite the obscurity of this project, I feel like it benefited me personally in many ways and maybe even helped people appreciate the value within the non-JP visual novel scene. I'm really thankful to all the people that read my blog, the devs that offered me their time and gave me their games for review – they all made these 2+ years into something special.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">When I started this project, there were two main things that motivated me. The first one was the frustration over dismissal of EVNs which is still common sense in the large parts of the VN fan community – belittling of the very games that made me fall in love with the visual novel formula. I wanted to create a space that is fully dedicated to discussion and promotion of EVNs as worthwhile and significant part of the genre. The second part was even more personal – my personal struggles with video game addiction and other issues, my ambition to shift my focus into a more challenging and creative activity. In many ways, I consider both my goals relative successes. While slowly, the perception of EVNs is changing and the scene evolving in interesting ways – while it shares pretty much all the suffering of other indie niches, with PC gaming in general being oversaturated and hard to navigate, I feel that it at least established itself as a significant formula that is attractive for story-oriented devs and appreciated by a significant audience. In other words, EVNs are here to stay and in time fewer and fewer people will be able to easily dismiss them as poor imitations of Japanese games. Whether my work had any impact in this regard? Apart from a bunch of people on Fuwanovel that I know I influenced in personal interactions, I honestly have no idea. I want to think there was some minor impact, but I had enough fun in the process and learned enough that I don't mind either way. I did my best and changed a few things about myself, which was the most important part for me.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Of course, I'm in no way saying that I'm putting the blog on hiatus because my job here is done. The real reason is much more prosaic – I just can't keep up with it. The last month was particularly devastating in this regard, with very little time for me to either read or write. And while an obvious answer would be to just work at my own pace and publish stuff whenever I'm able to, it's not really something that would work out for me. Missing deadlines, thinking about future projects, it all became a source of stress rather than a source of fun, and I feel it would only get worse with time. While I really wanted to keep the project alive, I don't want to do so at any cost. I feel burned out. I barely read VNs for fun. I don't watch anime for a few months now. I need a change of pace and ability to rediscover my love for these hobbies. The blog, sadly, became a prime obstacle in this.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">So, what's going to happen now? The blog will cease to get updates, unless something special happens. I might still do game jam summaries, as those are something I massively enjoy. I might also publish something on Fuwanovel from time to time – I'm theoretically still an editor there. <b><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32980295/">The one part of the project that's definitely here to stay is the Steam Curator account</a></b>. The devs that sent me their games deserve to at least get a Steam review and, generally, an evaluation of their work. I will also use my Twitter to publish updates about new games listed on the Curator account. The Steam reviews themselves will likely be a bit more polished – not that much though, I don't want to jump straight into the same burnout-inducing rabbit hole.<br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">So, once more, thank you for sticking around and I hope my project gave you some amusement. And, of course, see you around – I'm not giving up on EVNs and the community around them any time soon. :)</span></span></p>Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-73191551096498091222020-09-12T21:00:00.066+02:002021-02-13T20:29:32.534+01:00The Fairy's Song Review (Yuri Visual Novel)<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="1280" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncWl_RJhwLd1hd7NzpQXjSHFfkI1IqJzZ_lKLk2TxCumtqZDSl2Z3OSnb05-nK_aTJq9BvB8pJRft5Axr6LpzDgbQjuDbshesRtxXvPEswqRGt-fBum1ZaQVqG2i5r3wcKVfVzaRttZiI/w640-h224/tfs+header.jpg" width="640" /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">The last time we talked about a “modern fairy tale” VN with a yuri spin to it, it was a very special one – Studio Elan’s <i>Heart of the Woods</i>, <a data-cke-saved-href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2019/03/hearts-of-woods-review-yuri-visual-novel.html" href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2019/03/hearts-of-woods-review-yuri-visual-novel.html" rel="external nofollow">which I confidently gave my first and, so far, only 5/5 rating</a>. The way it mixed relatable, modern characters with an emotional fantastical plot resulted in an experience in many ways unmatched within the EVN scene. It also showed the huge potential of this formula, handling the clash between mundane and supernatural in a different way than typical fantasy or horror stories. Today we’ll be looking at a game that took similar themes and utilized them a more low-key, light-hearted way – ebi hime’s newest yuri VN, <i><b>The Fairy’s Song</b></i>.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Released on Steam and Itch.io early August 2020, this project is a slight departure from ebi’s usual, angst-filled storytelling, focusing more on cute romance and comedy. Fairly similar in tone to 2016’s <i>Strawberry Vinegar</i>, which also combined modern-day slice of life story and supernatural elements, it plays on classic themes of knights, monsters, magic and sleeping beauties, but puts them in a configuration that gives the whole setup a very different meaning… Which doesn’t necessarily mean <i>The Fairy’s Song</i> manages to offer many surprises or that it feels particularly fresh in how it utilizes those tropes and story elements. But why is that exactly, and is it really a bad thing?</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="979" data-original-width="1740" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNaxgzZ_5aMXxOySz5SgoP6KHAGrtjO7o1iuczzyBiv9arN64Ug5DcXUKHVAT7xZYmgY6-NCNM1bDbdg0dqL49ylQInphAj1sKLBaSFamTA3gmwE4Wh31RqnNbav4gilxGtfLk6FL3pF3/w640-h360/TFS+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">But have they really…? There is certain sloppiness to <i>The Fairy’s Song's</i> lore and the overarching fantasy plot, but thankfully it can’t overshadow the charm of the characters and the yuri romance</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>The Fairy’s Song's</i> protagonist is Marnie, a goth teenager who tries to make up for her small stature and naturally cute looks with dark clothes and a (slightly) mean attitude. We meet her when she’s being dropped to her grandmother’s house in a small, remote village, quite unhappy with the time she’ll have to spend there while her parents travel abroad. Her grumpiness is only strengthened by the fact her grandmother, struggling after the death of her husband a year earlier, is a shadow of her former self – not just frail and weighted by her loss, but also disturbing her family with frequent talk of fairies and other magical phenomena supposedly present in the surrounding forests. However, what was meant to be a boring and depressing stay is turned on its head when Marnie ignores her grandmother’s warnings and walks deep into the forest. There, she is confronted with several inexplicable events, but most importantly, she discovers an unconscious girl dressed like a knight – Leofe, who apparently spent centuries sleeping in the enchanted grove and is now determined to repay Marnie for waking her up.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> The story from this point is slightly messy and strangely-paced but also has quite a lot of charm. The fantasy subplot suffers from a few inconsistencies (like Leofe claiming her magic comes from the forest’s fairies and later describing them as untrustworthy and hostile to humans) and rather predictable mystery elements. Its interplay with the slice-of-life moments also leave a little bit to be desired – the premise would make you expect the main couple spending quite a lot of time in the enchanted forest encountering various magical phenomena, but those moments were few and far between and felt a bit disjointed from the mundane drama. This mild sloppiness and lack of dedication to the theme felt uncharacteristic for ebi’s writing, but thankfully the story worked much better in the most crucial departments: the characters and the relationship between Marnie and Leofe.</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="1733" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBt4z6duyuDG7Nwkpy_9T3FCvmyML_7TNvK5_sDQPee9V1LMn0zOtffi0NPnr5gfjy1kh-AS1bYuBt0AsJy1gxoUinkTbrCsDpgmHAOzYa9a5RGfz2aYEqQ-kOGQrf2Ar3A3Gr3NYTsRq/w640-h360/TFS+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">…also,
at no point fairies show up on screen and there’s no trace of the
titular fairy songs, but there’s enough fay magic and enchanted woods in
the story that you’re unlikely to feel cheated</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Marnie represents the angsty teenager archetype that can easily become irritating, but she is actually a nicely balanced character, with enough self-awareness and compassion to never become off-putting. Her fierce attitude also makes her adapt pretty quickly even in extreme circumstances, which comes in handy a few times when she encounters supernatural dangers. She does not change much during the story, her attitude softening rather in response to specific circumstances than due to some internal epiphany, but she’s compelling enough as a character for that not to be a problem. Leofe, even outside of a few secrets and plot twists she’s involved in, is an interesting character that only over time I fully appreciated. Her over-the-top, knightly persona and constantly-declared devotion to Marnie might feel absurd at first, but the role of that facade becomes more understandable later on. Stranded in an unfamiliar world, one in which she has no place to call her own, falling back to her ambition of being a knight is a defence mechanism that she initially relies on to keep on going. As her relationship with Marnie deepens, we can see her attitude and mannerisms becoming more natural – this aspect of both girls gradually lowering their defences and becoming honest with each other is one of the most compelling aspects of the whole VN. A lot of good can also be said about the supporting cast, particularly Marnie’s family. Her parents have fun personality quirks that make them believable and fairly defined despite their limited screentime. Her grandmother is a little bit more one-note (same can be said to characters connected to Leofe/the enchanted forest), but full of warmth and she supports Marnie in crucial moments of the story, which makes her plenty likeable.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Then, there’s the yuri relationship itself, which includes choices that may or may not be to your taste. While the game is fully kinetic and ends on a very positive note, it doesn’t go very far in developing the love story, as the girls end up still slightly uncertain about their feelings and what their future will look like. There’s also no epilogue that shows them being together, which is a bit of a wasted opportunity in a story that is in large part about finding a place for oneself in an alien world. Just a little glimpse to how Leofe was going to adapt would be very satisfying. Overall, there are enough cute moments and kisses to satisfy most yuri fans, but I hoped for something a bit more conclusive. The game also mostly avoids explicit LGBT themes – while Leofe’s past as a girl going against social norms and striving to become a knight has a clear feminist/empowerment angle to it, neither hers nor Marnie’s attraction to women is ever elaborated upon. While I know some readers prefer things to be this way, for me at least acknowledging the issue makes the story more immersive, so I wish the game was at least a little bit less vague.</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="1733" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IIXfEutJEXYWB6rgJI9IEIGISnnIbUPvWzx0l65b8hNOkkJ35QeyOT3aJtGqU3kHgtcfoFT33GXHu25_CD-Hosl7JDZGpXM6uF-n3bWDLSpzsPolfnLyBwrcFKZJo9UlyA_FXWIdAPog/w640-h360/TFS+3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">In a major way, <i>The Fairy’s Song</i>
is also a tale of waking up in an unfamiliar world and trying to find a
place for oneself – with all the troubling and ultimately-heartwarming
implications</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">The game’s visuals are kept relatively close to standard anime art and they are overall very cute and colourful, setting an appropriately light tone. The level of detail didn’t amaze me at any point, but the character art, backgrounds and UI are all nicely stylized and fit together very well, creating an overall very pleasing effect. Music caught my interests a bit more, as it mixed typical slice-of-life VN ambient tunes with more dynamic ones reminiscent of JRPG soundtracks. The switches in style complemented the transitions between more mundane and more adventure-filled segments of the story – a choice that felt well thought out and deliberate, which is not necessarily true with most EVN soundtracks. Generally, the VN left nothing to complain about from the technical standpoint, a few typos scattered throughout the story being the biggest issue I can think of – and even those were relatively few and far between.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> So, do I recommend buying and reading<i> The Fairy's Song</i>? Generally speaking, yes, but it's also not an offering that will completely satisfy fans of ebi's usual storytelling, or those seeking for a cohesive and engaging plot. With how casual the flow of this VN was and with some of the quirks in its art reminding me of Winged Cloud's Inma Ruiz's work, I sometimes couldn't suppress the feeling like I'm reading clean, better written fragments of a <i>Sakura</i> game. Personally, I'm all for that kind of low-brow fun, as I can easily get past some messy plotlines and enjoy cheesy romantic moments, but you need to adjust your expectations properly to not feel at least a bit disappointed approaching such a game. <i>The Fairy's Song</i> will occasionally ask you to embrace its silliness and go along with a few overly-convenient plotpoints, but if you're able to do that much and if you enjoy cute yuri romance, you'll have tons of fun with it.</span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Final Rating: 3,5/5</span></span></b></p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Pros:</span></span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Fun main couple with good chemistry</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Lovely visuals</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Good soundtrack</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Cons:</span></span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Mild inconsistencies in the game’s writing</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Very standard plot that adds nothing fresh to the formula</span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><u><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://vndb.org/v28259" href="https://vndb.org/v28259" rel="external nofollow">VNDB Page</a></span></span></b></u></p><p><u><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Buy <i>The Fairy’s Song</i> <a data-cke-saved-href="https://vndb.org/v28259" href="https://vndb.org/v28259" rel="external nofollow">on Steam</a> or <a data-cke-saved-href="https://ebihime.itch.io/fairysong" href="https://ebihime.itch.io/fairysong" rel="external nofollow">Itch.io</a></span></span></b></u></p>Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-8544279450904530532020-08-29T20:30:00.001+02:002020-08-29T21:14:56.889+02:00Synergia Review (Yuri Visual Novel)<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOwRwkz9juh0Pt-c10XZ_xQZp2j-BB68crYbcGla2sLi_mdrWO92omvNQGaA3j3KituOCNr2uT9T5HE78ktE_-DzArZk95P4lnk4QlYM2kt1PO1V1sk9_A5mj6OmzA8jBzveol7jeFb92/s1438/snrg+0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1438" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOwRwkz9juh0Pt-c10XZ_xQZp2j-BB68crYbcGla2sLi_mdrWO92omvNQGaA3j3KituOCNr2uT9T5HE78ktE_-DzArZk95P4lnk4QlYM2kt1PO1V1sk9_A5mj6OmzA8jBzveol7jeFb92/w640-h362/snrg+0.png" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Have you seen <i>Blade Runner 2049</i>? The cyberpunk epic that charms the viewer with its climate and polished visuals, but is probably a bit too convoluted for its own good and offers relatively little payoff for its massive, multi-layered plot? Now, imagine watching that movie without the context of original <i>Blade Runner </i>and accompanying shorts, all offering crucial pieces of worldbuilding and linking the main entries in the franchise together. How much meaning the sequel would lose and how hard to follow some of its subplots would be?</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> This “<i>Blade Runner 2049</i> without context” metaphor is the best way to explain my feelings about <i><b>Synergia</b></i>, the long-anticipated cyberpunk EVN by Radi Art. First announced in mid-2017, the project gathered a lot of attention with its well-defined, gloomy aesthetic and an appealing story outline. After that, it went through a number of hiatuses, with the creator behind it often going silent for long months and many assuming the project was dead. In mid-2019, however, the full development of the game was resumed and after a successful Kickstarter campaign (and another series of delays), we finally received a finished product in August 2020 – one that, in my opinion, proved way less mystery-filled and more flawed than the promotional materials made us hope for. But why is that exactly and to is this game actually bad, or just not living up to the hype?</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilk4IMdt4IrWvnXGiovNRVJvsuvsMGd7cIVi24aIZBRdBfjQKyhW0WRLtsOvZvB35E26DcJoYE5ROPRYloi-B_aAfdcJv99ffNJrQnVwLipDwJ8WdPMrkCPdYEdEy3Q72cErbmbRhAy634/s1920/snrg+01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilk4IMdt4IrWvnXGiovNRVJvsuvsMGd7cIVi24aIZBRdBfjQKyhW0WRLtsOvZvB35E26DcJoYE5ROPRYloi-B_aAfdcJv99ffNJrQnVwLipDwJ8WdPMrkCPdYEdEy3Q72cErbmbRhAy634/w640-h360/snrg+01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The few characters central to the <i>Synergia</i>’s plot showed great promise, however, most of them remained relatively unexplored and their stories left without closure</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Synergia</i> tells the story of Cila, a police operative and negotiator specialized in dealing with androids, living on a far-future, desert-covered colony planet. Serving as a private contractor to the oppressive imperial government, the dominant polity of the unnamed world, she’s depressed and demotivated, barely managing to fulfil her duties despite being highly-trained and skilful in dealing with both AI and augmented humans. Soon after the game's start, however, her apathetic routine is broken when her best friend Yoko, a shady android merchant and gang leader, gifts her a replacement to her recently-defunct companion android. The new robot, Mara, seems incredibly advanced and human-like – arguably more human than the repressed and corrupt population of the imperial capital – and astonished Cila with her unpredictable and independent behaviour. Soon her unclear origins and level of intelligence, suggesting the use of illegal forms of AI, become signs of trouble, which Cila is unsure how to deal with. However, even she does not expect the real depth of the conspiracy and the significance the android might have to the future of her country (and, possibly, the whole colony).</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> While this setup sounds both fairly typical for cyberpunk fiction and decently complex, the way the VN approaches exploring its story is pretty unique and depending on your interpretation can be considered either minimalistic or plain lacklustre. With just a bunch of characters dominating the plot, extremely limited use of exposition and very few opportunities to explore the setting in any significant fashion, we get a core story that is largely suspended in a narrative void. Crucial elements of the plot like Cila’s past traumas and broken career within imperial special forces are very shallowly explored, while other central characters, like Yoko, barely get any development at all. I’m all for subtle storytelling and natural presentation of background information, but <i>Synergia</i> just gives the reader way too little to work with. The way the world is presented is even more cryptic, with some contextual information present (like web articles and messages occasionally showing up when you use computer interfaces), but not enough to get a cohesive sense of the setting. The Empire in particular, while its presence is talked about a lot in the game, is never showed much or interacted with in a manner that would justify its menacing reputation. This might be less of a problem to some readers, but for me exploring interesting visions of the future is a huge part of the appeal of cyberpunk as a genre and <i>Synergia</i> underdelivers heavily in this regard.</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTOHTSu4AvWHv8vj5OIhatKgzN0et4IAC125HzrAzEy-EJtyjykmpBvOEN6qtLoPj0n_BetzZV4MwpjpOpXujKfCT8aLWmKvvzS2QZ_kWclqV4JY-5-S4CO26JRyQWJwvDfRSYGC-76mA/s1920/snrg+02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTOHTSu4AvWHv8vj5OIhatKgzN0et4IAC125HzrAzEy-EJtyjykmpBvOEN6qtLoPj0n_BetzZV4MwpjpOpXujKfCT8aLWmKvvzS2QZ_kWclqV4JY-5-S4CO26JRyQWJwvDfRSYGC-76mA/s640/snrg+02.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The
game’s red and blue-tinted, neon aesthetic was one of its major draws
and the final art do not disappoint – that is unless you find the
heavily-skewed color pallet jarring</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Then there’s the pacing and overarching intrigue related to Mara which are not bad, but also not spectacular. The game is relatively lacking when it goes to tension and sense of danger. Fights or confrontations are few and far between and Cila is barely ever put in real danger, which is kind of out-of-place considering her perilous line of work and the powers she’s working against in the latter half of the story. There’s also a very real lack of story development around the midpoint of the plot, before the game branches out to “good” and “bad” route (the difference in tone between them is not as huge as those labels would suggest, with “bad” ending being more of a “neutral” one). Particularly, this is the portion when the romance between Mara and Cila should be given time to grow and gain meaning, but that’s simply impossible within the brief segment between the main intrigue being established and the final act kicking in. This makes even the yuri aspect of the game feel underdeveloped – also because we learn very little about the “mechanophilia” incident from Cila’s past, one that could give more depth to her character, her feeling for Mara and even the overall setting, as her tragic "love affair" with an adroid had serious repercussions for the whole Empire.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> The resolution of the mystery plot, involving Mara’s origins and the significance of her existence, was quite imaginative, but some parts of it were also pretty contrived and unconvincing. <i>Synergia</i>’s promotional materials were giving a vibe of outlandish conspiracies and, possibly, deeper transhumanist themes, while the game itself was trying to build tension with a mysterious countdown to the “Synergia incident”. The real resolution of the plot was hardly that spectacular and Cila’s role in it somewhat irrelevant – whenever she has significance for the overarching story, it’s because of what other characters want from her or because of something she did in the past (and the game never shows those events, just briefly references them). While her initial apathy is explained in the plot, she’s the kind of protagonist I really don’t like in VNs – it’s fine for MC’s influence and agency to be realistically limited, but here they’re not only being tagged along by greater powers, their most interesting moments are also delegated to the vague backstory. This doesn’t make Cila a bad or unappealing character, but a poorly-utilized one – exactly because she’s a genuine badass that should get more than two or three scenes taking lead.</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuB3NYHXKYDY4frgbqbnb81i_jSU23BWfdpQUWmsCAceLMGdQNhuqJ5Qt0barGDNmScHGdy_oH2bFH8uhGQmBoaPCBIPk17sbDFYjIBYaFR-cDrxHJ37Izn-7aFD5Flcrabu4q51RrLvoY/s1920/snrg+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuB3NYHXKYDY4frgbqbnb81i_jSU23BWfdpQUWmsCAceLMGdQNhuqJ5Qt0barGDNmScHGdy_oH2bFH8uhGQmBoaPCBIPk17sbDFYjIBYaFR-cDrxHJ37Izn-7aFD5Flcrabu4q51RrLvoY/s640/snrg+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The
game’s red and blue-tinted, neon aesthetic was one of its major draws
and the final art do not disappoint – that is unless you find the
heavily-skewed color pallet jarring</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">From this you could probably get the feeling that I disliked <i>Synergia </i>or that it’s an overall poor experience, but that’s not the case. The major elements boosting its enjoyment factor are definitely the art and music. Visuals are highly-stylized, with a dark and distinct colour pallet that boosts the gloomy and oppressive feeling of the setting. While sprites and CGs are relatively simple when it goes to the level of details, they look appealing and very in-line with the cyberpunk formula. The soundtrack is exactly the kind of electronic ambience music you would hope for in a game like this and I enjoyed it a lot. At the same time, it always stayed comfortably in the background, without even threatening to distract me from the reading (which is exactly how I like things to work). Before I conclude the review, however, I also have to mention another important problem of <i>Synergia</i>: the English script is weighted down by spelling mistakes and occasional awkward phrasing. These issues weren’t massive, but visible enough even for a non-native speaker such as me, so take them into consideration.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> So, what’s my ultimate take on <i>Synergia</i>? Despite all the complaining I did, the issues I write about were not something that could ruin my experience, but rather areas where I saw clear wasted potential. The game tried to tell a complex story but did not take the time (it's 6-7 hours of content) and attention to detail necessary to fully immerse the reader. I could much more easily look past the main intrigue not blowing me away if the game’s world and main characters felt alive and decently fleshed out, but they always fell short of that threshold. The result is a game that is fun enough to follow for fans of the genre, but one that never manages to rise above purely average levels. Maybe the free story DLC promised by the author will do something to give the experience some real depth, but for now, I can only recommend <i>Synergia</i> to people who’re particularly fond of the cyberpunk aesthetic and themes – while it hardly adds something new to the formula, it’s a decent enough iteration of it, especially on the relatively-barren landscape of cyberpunk VNs. And if the author decides to expand this universe, it can still hold a lot of promise – the foundation is solid, it just needs a lot more substance on top of it to truly shine.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Final Rating: 2,5/5</span></span></b><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Pros:</span></span></b><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Great cyberpunk aesthetic</span></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Climatic soundtrack</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Cons:</span></span></b><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Weak worldbuilding</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Underdeveloped/underexplored characters</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Average-at-best main intrigue and mysteries</span></span><br /></p><p><u><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></b></u></p><p><u><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://vndb.org/v21681">VNDB Page</a></span></span></b></u><br /></p><p><u><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Buy <i>Synergia</i> <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1047010/Synergia/">on Steam</a> or <a href="https://tophatstudios.itch.io/synergia">Itch.io</a></span></span></b></u></p>Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-32872429641226561332020-08-08T21:30:00.005+02:002020-08-09T10:52:08.312+02:00Stellaren II Review (English Original Visual Novel)<p style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="header.jpg?t=1595524444" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1365490/header.jpg?t=1595524444" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1365490/header.jpg?t=1595524444" /><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Stellaren</i>, released exclusively to mobile devices in 2017 was an important game in my engagement with VNs. A dark sci-fi adventure with a captivating setting and a tense, at times brutal story stood out significantly from most other visual novels available for smartphones and I think to this day is one of the best dedicated Android/iOS games of its kind [you can find my <a data-cke-saved-href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2018/07/stellaren-review-mobile-exclusive.html" href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2018/07/stellaren-review-mobile-exclusive.html" rel="external nofollow">detailed review of it here</a>]. It also cemented my love for VNs as a storytelling formula and while some of that infatuation was definitely connected to me being a fairly inexperienced reader, many elements of <i>Stellaren</i>’s worldbuilding and character development are genuinely bold and interesting – and to the point where I wasn't even bothered by its rough edges and clunky gameplay elements.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Because of all this, it is an understatement to say I was excited to hear about the release of <i>Stellaren II</i> July this year, coming out not only for mobile devices but also on Steam. Promising heavily updated visuals, a set of better-polished gameplay elements and a substantial, conclusive story (its predecessors had a tendency to end on cliffhangers), it seemed like a massive treat for someone like myself, already in love with this universe. What I found was both different and more complex than I expected – but did it capture the charm and stomach-gripping qualities of the original?</span></span><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="screen-1.jpg?fakeurl=1&type=.jpg" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://image.winudf.com/v2/image1/Y29tLm5pbmVkdXguU3RlbGxhcmVuMl9zY3JlZW5fMV8xNTc1OTQ0OTYyXzA0Ng/screen-1.jpg?fakeurl=1&type=.jpg" height="358" src="https://image.winudf.com/v2/image1/Y29tLm5pbmVkdXguU3RlbGxhcmVuMl9zY3JlZW5fMV8xNTc1OTQ0OTYyXzA0Ng/screen-1.jpg?fakeurl=1&type=.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><i>Stellaren II</i> minigames are a massive step up in quality over the first game, and mostly skippable if they turn out not to your taste</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Stellaren</i> series is set in far future, where humanity is a space-faring civilisation mostly united under the Neo Galactic Conglomerate – an Earth-based government that manages numerous colonies with an authoritarian and exploitative approach, treating its inhabitants like second-class citizens. A few centuries back this injustice led to a civil war, ultimately won by Earth, while the breakaway faction, the Colonial Rebel Forces, established a ragtag domain composed of most remote human colonies. Over this background, the original game tells the story of M., a junk merchant scraping by on an impoverished planet by scamming NGC pilots. A sequence of unpredictable events gets him trapped on an NGC warship and involved in what would soon become a massive galactic conflict, with the stakes being the survival of mankind as a whole. I don’t want to go any deeper into the lore of the games, as I strongly recommend checking out the first <i>Stellaren</i> – something not necessary to enjoy the sequel (it recounts the most important plot points and most of the crucial lore), but worthwhile by the original game’s own merit.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> <i> Stellaren II</i> is set in the aftermath of the aforementioned conflict, on a remote and relatively isolated mining colony of Horus. It follows a blank-slate protagonist whose neural implants were hacked, forcing him to take part in a brutal rampage in the colony’s starport and wiping out all his memories. With few clues on his identity and past, he ends up working with two detectives investigating the murders: Lana and Rene, private contractors for the Weber Corporation, a powerful conglomerate that is the de-facto ruling power of the colony. Similarly to M’s story, during the 10+ hours experience this initial intrigue gradually escalates to galaxy-altering proportions, eventually linking with the plot of the prequels and giving conclusion to the overarching storyline of the series.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> All that being said, here comes my first issue with <i>Stellaren II</i> – while it works heavily to be a worthy conclusion for the main story of the whole saga, its most enjoyable moments are still connected to the initial 2/5 of the experience, happening on Horus. The two heroines that define this portion, aforementioned Lana and Rene, are interesting and well-developed, and after the game moves to space to pursue its grand narrative, they mostly move to the background, while other characters become the focus – particularly Len, the mysterious ex-NCG operative who appears in the colony following her own agenda and forms an alliance of convenience with the protagonist and his companions. At this point, the game also opens up with a space-travelling interface and several interesting locales, but in my opinion it never manages to recapture the good pacing and emotional impact of the initial chapters.</span></span><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="stlrn_1_by_szafalesiaka_de2r7rm-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD03MjAiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC9hOGI4ODM1NS1jOGM3LTRiMTYtOGE3YS00YWE5ZmMxYjA0ZmZcL2RlMnI3cm0tNmJhYmQ0ODUtZjQ5Mi00ODNhLWI5MGQtZWNjZmE4MDhhZGQ2LnBuZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMjgwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.NZHW3AF-IE79Adk0h_YvzuZ2XOZknO14v9fJXk0Tt0Q" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/de2r7rm-6babd485-f492-483a-b90d-eccfa808add6.png/v1/fill/w_1192,h_670,q_70,strp/stlrn_1_by_szafalesiaka_de2r7rm-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD03MjAiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC9hOGI4ODM1NS1jOGM3LTRiMTYtOGE3YS00YWE5ZmMxYjA0ZmZcL2RlMnI3cm0tNmJhYmQ0ODUtZjQ5Mi00ODNhLWI5MGQtZWNjZmE4MDhhZGQ2LnBuZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMjgwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.NZHW3AF-IE79Adk0h_YvzuZ2XOZknO14v9fJXk0Tt0Q" height="360" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/de2r7rm-6babd485-f492-483a-b90d-eccfa808add6.png/v1/fill/w_1192,h_670,q_70,strp/stlrn_1_by_szafalesiaka_de2r7rm-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD03MjAiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC9hOGI4ODM1NS1jOGM3LTRiMTYtOGE3YS00YWE5ZmMxYjA0ZmZcL2RlMnI3cm0tNmJhYmQ0ODUtZjQ5Mi00ODNhLWI5MGQtZWNjZmE4MDhhZGQ2LnBuZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMjgwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.NZHW3AF-IE79Adk0h_YvzuZ2XOZknO14v9fJXk0Tt0Q" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Who
the protagonist is to one of the heroines… While the general tone of
the story is dark and often brutal, the game offers enough humour and
colourful personalities to never feel overly depressing</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">The next problem of <i>Stellaren II</i> is the sheer complexity of its story, combined with an unusual structure of the experience (at least partially connected to it being a Unity game, rather than one using a dedicated VN engine). With saving only possible at the beginning of every (often substantial) scene, a massive number of choices and an extensive affection system tracking your relationship with over 10 characters, it’s easy to get lost in all the options available to you. What makes it even worse is that the actual goals and consequences for affection building are obscured and nearly impossible to get right on your first playthrough. Often one slip-up can cost you the life of your preferred heroine and deprive you of the ending you wanted, with little to no indication on what you did wrong, or whether an alternative outcome was even possible (there are only two endings currently implemented, but more are being developed). In practice, you’ll likely have to finish the game once getting a default (Len’s) ending and then study the game’s wiki to get any other result – a problem not unheard of in VNs, but hardly an optimal situation.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> All those issues, however, can’t nullify the main strength of the game, that is its writing and worldbuilding. The post-war galaxy it presents is a brutal and chaotic place, with suffering and death ever-present. More importantly, <i>Stellaren II</i> is not afraid to make even its most important characters vulnerable and always handles their (either potential or inevitable) demise in meaningful ways. Every tragedy visibly impacts the protagonist and those around him, but at the same time they cannot give up on their mission, with stakes only rising as the time goes on. The occasional game over screens add to the feeling of vulnerability – the protagonist and his allies are routinely confronted with enemies they have very limited means of fighting against and the game makes it explicit that every bad move might be their last. At the same time, this dark picture is being offset by cleverly-written character interactions and humour, showing that the cast is making the best of their circumstances and adapt to the harshness of their world. Even in my initial playthrough, when I failed to avoid any of the “optional” character deaths, the ultimate message of the story felt hopeful rather than depressing.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Two areas of the game’s story I found fairly weak are the protagonist and the villains. The lead character is explicitly a blank slate and while we later learn a few things about his past, he does not have the backstory and compelling character arc of M. from the first game. It’s even something of a recurring joke that characters question the reasons for him being included in some events and his connection to the heroines, even though he eventually proves himself as a valuable member of the team. The one positive is that he’s not a harem protagonist who wins every girl’s heart for no reason – the romantic tension in the game is very low-key and mostly shows up if you really push for it with your choices. The antagonists, while properly menacing, lack depth. The main threat throughout the story, a homicidal clone called X2, is simply pure evil, murdering and torturing people without remorse and with somewhat unclear motivations. What’s worse, this is in stark contrast with the character she was created from, the rebel commander X. who served as the initial antagonist of the original <i>Stellaren</i> – someone who might’ve, at first, seemed like a sadistic monster, but showed a lot of nuance and conviction later down the line. The pirate lord Roto, on whom the mid-section of the game is focused, is hardly better, for the most part just feeling cartoonishly vile. Even the broader antagonistic factions, like the Horus' terrorist group called the Butchers could've easily been more compelling, instead of just serving as cannon fodder for battle minigames – particularly because the Weber Corporation they fight against is hardly a benevolent, moral institution.</span></span><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="stlrn_2_by_szafalesiaka_de2r7rc-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD03MTYiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC9hOGI4ODM1NS1jOGM3LTRiMTYtOGE3YS00YWE5ZmMxYjA0ZmZcL2RlMnI3cmMtMDU4YjMwYjgtYzhlOC00YTJjLWJlODYtODBkOWUxODg5ZTQyLnBuZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMjgwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.7sEp8YwqZzo6pNb2R9rP2-yCIu9u09Ui8plKK5qKrcM" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/de2r7rc-058b30b8-c8e8-4a2c-be86-80d9e1889e42.png/v1/fill/w_1195,h_668,q_70,strp/stlrn_2_by_szafalesiaka_de2r7rc-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD03MTYiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC9hOGI4ODM1NS1jOGM3LTRiMTYtOGE3YS00YWE5ZmMxYjA0ZmZcL2RlMnI3cmMtMDU4YjMwYjgtYzhlOC00YTJjLWJlODYtODBkOWUxODg5ZTQyLnBuZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMjgwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.7sEp8YwqZzo6pNb2R9rP2-yCIu9u09Ui8plKK5qKrcM" height="357" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/de2r7rc-058b30b8-c8e8-4a2c-be86-80d9e1889e42.png/v1/fill/w_1195,h_668,q_70,strp/stlrn_2_by_szafalesiaka_de2r7rc-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD03MTYiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC9hOGI4ODM1NS1jOGM3LTRiMTYtOGE3YS00YWE5ZmMxYjA0ZmZcL2RlMnI3cmMtMDU4YjMwYjgtYzhlOC00YTJjLWJlODYtODBkOWUxODg5ZTQyLnBuZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMjgwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.7sEp8YwqZzo6pNb2R9rP2-yCIu9u09Ui8plKK5qKrcM" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Their returning characters and conclusion to the <i>Stellaren</i>’s
overarching story should satisfy fans of the series, although the
initial chapters on the planet Horus are still the best parts of the
sequel... And yeah, we still don't know what those one-letter names are
about</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Minigames were always a crucial part of the <i>Stellaren</i> experience, particularly with space battles thematically integrated into story segments. Outside of the starfighter sections (this time in the form of a shoot 'em up), the sequel includes tactical ground battles and a real-time infiltration minigame. When it comes to the level of polish they definitely go above the clunky dogfighting from the original, but are still fairly simple. They are also, outside of the infiltrations, fully skippable, making the experience of replaying the game for alternative story paths, or simply for those only interested in the VN content, less painful than it could've otherwise been. At the same time, the one unskippable minigame still gets in the way on new playthroughs, while the ground battles felt very dull to me, with stiff mechanics and snail-paced combat. Even the power-ups bought with credits awarded for winning encounters are simply passive bonuses, offering little in terms of customisation and giving a weak sense of progression. Generally, the minigames were neither a negative nor a major positive in my experience, but I also generally prefer my VNs keeping their focus on the story. One other mechanic worth mentioning is timed choices, showing up in more dramatic portions of the story and often associated with game-overs. My feelings are often mixed on such gimmicks, but here they never overstayed their welcome or became frustrating with their difficulty, while also conveying pretty well the dynamism of some scenes.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> When it goes to the visuals, the game is a major step up in comparison to its prequel, with detailed sprites (including some poses and clothing variants) and a good number of dedicated illustrations, both full CGs and simpler lineart spicing up the crucial moments of the story. Backgrounds are still a mix of 2D art and edited photos, but their quality and tone feels a lot more consistent than in the first game – the original <i>Stellaren</i> took many shortcuts which were possible to ignore when playing on a smartphone, but the sequel avoids such jarring dips in quality or mismatched assets, giving a solid impression even on a large PC monitor. The soundtrack, while mostly composed of stock music, is very consistent with dark sci-fi theme and generally supports the tone of the story very well.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> So, what is my conclusion on <i>Stellaren II</i>? Among mobile-oriented VNs it's still among the best things available, with a compelling story, good production quality and none of the exploitative business model you usually find on smartphone apps (and mobile VNs, curiously enough, are often among the most despicable examples of unethical monetisation and bastardisation of the source formula into a money extortion scheme, with things like CGs, choices or even progressing the story being routinely paywalled). Particularly for fans of the dark sci-fi stories it should be a treat on whatever platform they choose to play it (at least when the paid "pro" version hits the mobile stores – the free one include adds and doens't let you skip combat). On the other hand, some of the elements that made me fall in love with the original <i>Stellaren</i>, like the moral ambiguity of major factions, compelling growth for the protagonist and surprising character development are less present this time around. As a result, the game was both more and less than I hoped for. Despite that, I feel no hesitation to recommend this series to anyone who isn't allergic to gameplay elements and various quirks typical for VNs created in not-dedicated game engines (i.e. missing options and quality of life features). Particularly for the low price of $4, it's a great value proposition and if any of the themes and storytelling techniques I've described in my review appeal to you, you should consider giving <i>Stellaren II</i> a chance. Hopefully, we'll get more smartphone VNs of this quality in the future.</span></span><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Final Rating: 3,5/5</span></span></b><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Pros:</span></span></b><br /></p><p><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Interesting, dark sci-fi setting</span></span></p><p><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Well-paced, tense main story</span></span></p><p><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Large cast of memorable characters</span></span></p><p><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></span></p><p><b><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Cons:</span></span></b></p><p><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Fairly weak minigames</span></span></p><p><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Confusing affection system</span></span></p><p><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Weak antagonists</span></span><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><u><b><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://vndb.org/v27186" href="https://vndb.org/v27186" rel="external nofollow">VNDB Page</a></span></span></b></u></p><p><u><b><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Buy<i> Stellaren II </i><a data-cke-saved-href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1365490/Stellaren_II/" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1365490/Stellaren_II/" rel="external nofollow">on Steam</a> or play it <a data-cke-saved-href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ninedux.Stellaren2" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ninedux.Stellaren2" rel="external nofollow">on Android</a> and <a data-cke-saved-href="https://apps.apple.com/pe/app/stellaren-ii/id1520267710?l=en" href="https://apps.apple.com/pe/app/stellaren-ii/id1520267710?l=en" rel="external nofollow">iOS</a></span></span></b></u></p>Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-67573390575061192112020-07-17T22:00:00.009+02:002020-07-18T12:41:10.969+02:00NaNoRenO 2020 Highlights, Pt 3: Romance VNs (Non-otome Edition)<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Dl7719.png" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UyL2phbS8xMzM1NC8yOTg5MzYzLnBuZw==/original/Dl7719.png" height="179" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UyL2phbS8xMzM1NC8yOTg5MzYzLnBuZw==/original/Dl7719.png" width="640" /><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Hello there and welcome to the third and final part of my NaNoRenO 2020 highlights! While in the first two posts I focused, respectively, <a data-cke-saved-href="http://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2020/05/nanoreno-2020-highlights-pt-1-otomegxb.html" href="http://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2020/05/nanoreno-2020-highlights-pt-1-otomegxb.html" rel="external nofollow">on otome</a> and <a data-cke-saved-href="http://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2020/06/nanoreno-2020-highlights-pt-2-horror.html" href="http://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2020/06/nanoreno-2020-highlights-pt-2-horror.html" rel="external nofollow">horror VNs</a>, this last batch of recommendations will be about other romance stories submitted to the event. I have to admit upfront that this is likely the least exciting list of the three, with no game standing out to me in a similar way as <i>Enamoured Risks</i> did among otome entries or <i>Eislyn's Apocalypse</i> did among horror ones. However, there's still a bunch of solid and interesting titles in this category, my favourite being probably <i>Café in the Clouds</i>, with its lovely visuals and memorable dreamworld sequences. Also, the jam has something to offer for fans of all typical romantic configurations, with BxG, BL and Yuri couples strongly represented.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></span>As always, all the games I'm writing about are completely free to download, and clicking their titles below will get you straight to their Itch.io pages. Also, I've skipped projects that were submitted to the event but proved low quality or did not offer a complete experience (meaning I exclude all demos and prototypes by default). So, please join me as I wrap up this insane, months-long project of thoroughly covering the biggest NaNoRenO in history – hopefully, you'll find something interesting among my recommendations. </span></span></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://omelette.itch.io/love-rewind" href="https://omelette.itch.io/love-rewind" rel="external nofollow">Love Rewind: A Magical Time Travel Romance</a> (BxG/BxB)</span></span></b></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZeENICiN_ALdvtDHpBMILtA0cTHzLgLRMXDM5dEXdqUUplXzK3c76Xh-iCpGHJFKmMHXn3P3Tz-P1ryKANowf5G45C2VCn-TRgYRG17OCbaUVTclWVAid9JeeFRZOpHMmZRRGisMw1UzU/s865/1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="865" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZeENICiN_ALdvtDHpBMILtA0cTHzLgLRMXDM5dEXdqUUplXzK3c76Xh-iCpGHJFKmMHXn3P3Tz-P1ryKANowf5G45C2VCn-TRgYRG17OCbaUVTclWVAid9JeeFRZOpHMmZRRGisMw1UzU/w400-h318/1.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Love Rewind</i> is a short romance story with one male and one female love interest, themed around regret and desire to change the past. Yuki, the protagonist and young mage-in-training, loses everything in a futile attempt at saving his terminally ill mother. Broken by this failure and the destroyed relationship with his fiancée Quinn, he isolates himself from the world – an empty, depressing existence that would likely last for the rest of his life if not for the appearance of a spirit, taking form of a cat. This powerful creature forces on him an opportunity to relive and change the events that led him to ruin, and regain the love he lost – or maybe forge a different path altogether…</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> This VN, while a bit rushed and lacking the proper buildup particularly for the BxB arc (Quinn’s route at least have the background of protagonist’s relationship from the original timeline), has a few things going for it. Yuki is a decent protagonist, whose desperation and pain are easy to emphasize with, and the core story has all the satisfaction inherent to plots where you avert a looming disaster. The love interests simply don’t have enough time to develop as characters and truly shine, but they work well enough as incentives for the protagonist to not repeat his past mistakes. The end result is not a great romance VN, but a nice short story in its own right – and one that looks and sounds very solid for a game jam entry.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://atpprojects.itch.io/weekendfever" href="https://atpprojects.itch.io/weekendfever" rel="external nofollow">Weekend Fever</a> (BxG)</span></b></u></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVLUSDBTtr4VFNLcHeXbksLdel5kSDV5yWCKhjLQq3mO4nVp64zZbQanoCu8IJjav9gOpHKGOuYaM-14Lybs89OfpmXgFizq_lqi1neUDgDsR-wdPEma6m4jj11aVql1hNgBgHy2pXaK5f/s1184/2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1184" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVLUSDBTtr4VFNLcHeXbksLdel5kSDV5yWCKhjLQq3mO4nVp64zZbQanoCu8IJjav9gOpHKGOuYaM-14Lybs89OfpmXgFizq_lqi1neUDgDsR-wdPEma6m4jj11aVql1hNgBgHy2pXaK5f/w500-h281/2.png" width="500" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Weekend Fever</i> is a minimalistic, but emotional story about a writer struggling with burnout, unable to create stories or even find the passion for the line of work switched to after his endeavours as an author died down. While on a short business trip to his hometown, his mind filled with a mix of nostalgia and discouragement from his current circumstances, he meets a stranger – a woman who inexplicably rekindles his passion for writing…</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> While the core plot of this VN might not sound very inspired, its value lies in the atmosphere it creates and psychological depth of the main character. Passages of his unfinished book are mixed with rather excellent descriptions of his emotional distress and obsessive drive to create that shows up immediately after he finds inspiration. The visuals and sound are simple, but the colour pallet and distortion effects used in backgrounds create a surreal effect, adding to the slightly detached, nostalgic feel of the narrative. The romance is basic, but full of emotional impact thanks to the fact how connected it is to protagonist’s struggles – all this makes for a satisfying short story, worth experiencing regardless of whether you’re looking for romantic content.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://sayumi101.itch.io/flour-hour" href="https://sayumi101.itch.io/flour-hour" rel="external nofollow">Flour Hour</a> (BxB)</span></b></u></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgt9GDi5JLwtbqKSrv0Fyu6e8N-17iuStEznJybbOpXApZV3Cefpyg3ezltplqSR-YbtJ5yzHoBCL3Y6pnj3x84rBdx8qHyLWaqc11deahuYwsZdIB3eMYsMt-PezT9LOtwtISuQcn2PI3/s630/3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="630" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgt9GDi5JLwtbqKSrv0Fyu6e8N-17iuStEznJybbOpXApZV3Cefpyg3ezltplqSR-YbtJ5yzHoBCL3Y6pnj3x84rBdx8qHyLWaqc11deahuYwsZdIB3eMYsMt-PezT9LOtwtISuQcn2PI3/w400-h318/3.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Flour Hour </i>is a well-though-out BL romance story weighted down by one massive issue – its prose. The English script is not only full of errors and awkward phrasing typical for non-native writers, but also uses Japanese honorifics in a particularly pointless way, making the whole thing feel like a poor fan translation. Which is a shame, because the underlying story has quite a lot of merit. The main intrigue features Yuki, an owner of a bakery created in place of his grandmother’s flower shop, being approached by a lawyer with claims of massive debt his business owns to a powerful corporation. The desperate struggle to save the titular Flour Hour coincides with a reappearance of Souma, a former boyfriend Yuki never really got over, and increasingly suspicious behaviour from his sole employee, Izumi.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> <i> Flour Hour</i>’s drama and intrigue prove surprisingly in-depth when you get further into the story. While some developments are pretty silly and the choice system maybe a bit too unforgiving, the characters offered more nuance and development than I expected. Souma was probably the most interesting in this regard, as his abrasive and borderline-abusive behaviour becomes much easier to understand when he finally opens to Yuki about his feelings and his experiences after they broke up. At the same time, the story is simply hard to get into with the clunky writing, strangely-stylized visuals and poor-quality CGs. If you can look past those issues, however, the VN might be worth reading not just from the perspective of BL fans – to me, its core plot and the way romance was handled felt very universal.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Cautiously Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://foleso.itch.io/demonkiss" href="https://foleso.itch.io/demonkiss" rel="external nofollow">Demon Kiss</a> (BxB)</span></span></b></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gPpjK9Tf4VRAyOu7uBv9djMwDVt8C8ca68RFTWa9Ihq7UWen0v1gs5a1Kyr_j7dfMDiBiF5oC7he7N1X-7e0eOnlaqjOOIsiMRRfZwoW7dTq7ecKqqBC-xioQ-VAqAwVgZjoq9swvhe5/s630/4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="630" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gPpjK9Tf4VRAyOu7uBv9djMwDVt8C8ca68RFTWa9Ihq7UWen0v1gs5a1Kyr_j7dfMDiBiF5oC7he7N1X-7e0eOnlaqjOOIsiMRRfZwoW7dTq7ecKqqBC-xioQ-VAqAwVgZjoq9swvhe5/w400-h318/4.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Demon Kiss</i> is quite likely the best-looking and most polished game on today's list, featuring a really cute BxB romantic plot between a socially-anxious computer technician, Felix, and Trisetar, a demon noble that accidentally kidnaps him to hell. Shocked by the human's strange attitude and non-fearful reaction to his presence, the demon gradually lowers his defences as the two are stuck together for a few months (time necessary to recreate the spell for travelling to the human world). </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Despite the pleasing art and generally fun, lighthearted storyline the game is not without some issues, the main being its pacing. There is an overarching plot connected to Trisetar's initial appearance in the human world, but it's basic at best and generally stays in the background of the developing romantic tension... Which also doesn't develop as much as it probably should. With no bad endings or really tense moments, the story has a pleasant flow to it, but fails to get the reader engaged other than on a very superficial level. As the result, I would only truly recommend reading this one to dedicated BL fans – while the humour and the final plot twist are fun enough even for an average reader, the main focus is the fluffy BxB love story that should mostly satisfy people who are explicitly after that kind of content.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Cautiously Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://bobcgames.itch.io/afs" href="https://bobcgames.itch.io/afs" rel="external nofollow">At First Sight</a> (BxB)</span></span></b></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5noQe-BBVZLD58oA4Um9C357QLUPGnAdv1P2zAOumhyphenhyphenkkuiK_gmIzCM3Qos2A84Doj8bVsHAZRzqa9SUnHNJtLycIbYGwaf79baWh56SiUeIaCMpewinG8Lbuuj8jruotB-xqGB9UOKN/s1500/5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1500" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5noQe-BBVZLD58oA4Um9C357QLUPGnAdv1P2zAOumhyphenhyphenkkuiK_gmIzCM3Qos2A84Doj8bVsHAZRzqa9SUnHNJtLycIbYGwaf79baWh56SiUeIaCMpewinG8Lbuuj8jruotB-xqGB9UOKN/w500-h168/5.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>At First Sight</i> is an unusual story utilizing a very interesting concept – in a world where everyone has a destined soulmate with whom they spend their whole life, the protagonist, Grimes, approaches his forties without finding one. When Dreams – a rare form of premonition happening to the Unsouled and hinting at the identity of their future partner or the circumstances they’ll meet under – start appearing to him every night, he’s more terrified of the uncertainty of following the visions and possible disappointment than he is encouraged. And when he finally decides to act on his premonitions, what he finds is detached from his expectations way more than he ever feared…</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> <i> At First Sight</i> is technically a BL game and gay romance is present in it in some ways, but above all, it’s a story putting various romance clichés on their head. Grimes is an unpleasant and frustrated person, and in the world where everyone receives a happy ending by default, he ends up with something that even in the best possible interpretation can hardly be called a love story. His reactions are often nasty, even beyond what is justified by his depressing position, making his a relatively unlikeable protagonist. However, the way the game explores the idea of soulmates, and the strange situations and tensions it creates in its world is genuinely interesting – for that element alone <i>At First Sight</i> might be worth investing around 30 minutes necessary to complete it.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://heiden.itch.io/kill-the-prince" href="https://heiden.itch.io/kill-the-prince" rel="external nofollow">Kill the prince!?</a> (BxB)</span></span></b></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvFHElLnWN8B05FKPluoVKEXAl7CCjWcWlYYe3qMWJaBM5Q-st-z40pAmRyVZLZ0ZiNXSqg6QNjz_-AGzL5lS-te5-otXITWqcE0swsQEEdaCNFLws_XOMMI-EmMrCuY0ivJwRf_4MUOi/s630/6.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="630" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvFHElLnWN8B05FKPluoVKEXAl7CCjWcWlYYe3qMWJaBM5Q-st-z40pAmRyVZLZ0ZiNXSqg6QNjz_-AGzL5lS-te5-otXITWqcE0swsQEEdaCNFLws_XOMMI-EmMrCuY0ivJwRf_4MUOi/w400-h318/6.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Kill the Prince!?</i> is a tiny story about a thief hired to assassinate a prince kidnapped by a rival kingdom and forced to marry their princess. Cute and very humouristic, the game gradually reveals the connection between the protagonist and his target, while also delivering amusing dialogue, a cast of exaggerated characters and silly puzzles centered around switching disguises.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> The game’s art is in decent part composed of simple lineart or rough sketches and the whole experience is very brief (20-25 minutes to fully read through), but it has enough charm and wit to justify its existence. The love story in it is also lovely to the point where even someone like me, who usually struggles to get into BL games, genuinely enjoyed it. If you’re looking for a short, fun distraction rather than a deep story, this one is definitely worth it.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Cautiously Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a href="https://cafe-nemo.itch.io/cafe-in-the-clouds" rel="external nofollow">Café in The Clouds</a> (GxG)</span></span></b></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtT6NXku-or_t061jIKG4NsoLpM_q6MkW0tGnxLPZUDq1w7-UJIPo15d41EZnIxpojIg6p8xG8kXojREz001suQWdxF0f2fw5By9LB3WproCQ-HTMYW6dOVj7scOdpf_2mERWKScCS3cN6/s630/7.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="630" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtT6NXku-or_t061jIKG4NsoLpM_q6MkW0tGnxLPZUDq1w7-UJIPo15d41EZnIxpojIg6p8xG8kXojREz001suQWdxF0f2fw5By9LB3WproCQ-HTMYW6dOVj7scOdpf_2mERWKScCS3cN6/w400-h318/7.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Café in the Clouds</i> is a short yuri VN with point-and-click adventure game elements. It tells a story of two women running a very unusual café in a modern-fantasy setting. Outside of simply serving food and coffee, they possess magical powers that enable them to enter their client’s dreams and help them deal with nightmares, or even deep-rooted problems disturbing their nightly rest. The game’s plot focuses mostly on one such case – a client that visits the café (or rather passes out at the entrance) to ask for help with their severe insomnia.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> The romantic elements in this VN come in the form of relationship between the owners of the café, Remerie and Somnia. The interactions and banter between them are very cute and a near-constant feature of the brief story, accentuated by pleasant, pastel-painting-style visuals. Other than that, the player has to deal with a few simple puzzles (and a single unnecessarily cryptic one at the very end) to navigate the client’s dream and find a way to clear out the issues preventing them from resting at nights. The game also teases a larger story, connected to the couple’s mentor and original owner of the café – a story I would be quite interested in reading, considering what a genuinely nice experience <i>Café in the Clouds</i> proved to be.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Highly Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://4noki.itch.io/tender-feelings-like-water" href="https://4noki.itch.io/tender-feelings-like-water" rel="external nofollow">Tender Feelings Like Water</a> (GxG)</span></b></u></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRsMHvhAb1oPT3tNAPcEJxJzYbCOrtK6Ajya3B2pne_g9JQwYPrdH5EbVv9l4oR4a0KzeWqRMX8HnswhR8kqhpl1qgy_AcfEU0yturkM20bVXuoPnDwkD0K11QGvJ9y2lh70FwNJXajrZ/s1280/8.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRsMHvhAb1oPT3tNAPcEJxJzYbCOrtK6Ajya3B2pne_g9JQwYPrdH5EbVv9l4oR4a0KzeWqRMX8HnswhR8kqhpl1qgy_AcfEU0yturkM20bVXuoPnDwkD0K11QGvJ9y2lh70FwNJXajrZ/w400-h225/8.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Tender Feelings Like Water</i> is a short, supernatural love story about a water spirit that gains a sense of self and after long years, maybe centuries of loneliness falls in love with an unsuspecting human girl. Disguising themselves as another woman, the spirit starts interacting with the mysterious "girl in red", wary to not reveal their true identity – not just due to possibility of scaring her away, but also because the river, the personification of which they are, took away a lot from both the girl and her village in general...</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> As simple as this VN was (also when it comes to the visuals and the soundtrack, which are both not unpleasant, but basic), I couldn't help but enjoy its nostalgic storytelling and emotional conclusions (there are two endings, similar to each other, but different in subtle and meaningful ways). It's a yuri romance in a very loose understanding of the term, but should satisfy most fans of the genre with its climate and interesting dynamic between the main characters – and maybe other readers too, if they adjust their expectations properly.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Cautiously Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://madocallie.itch.io/inpeacefuldays" href="https://madocallie.itch.io/inpeacefuldays" rel="external nofollow">In Peaceful Days</a> (GxG)</span></span></b></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbk8FfqoXqHdyfNkAkEtGqPoZatCFdEIT0xXEFNzIOYs59q-Ru9ELf0KrydovbIWPoHDAg0AoWIcdLxogPqM5ppFvtjiCR6Qp44Hcv6rdHn_jy1hUnJr8z90Lz_BPkQ3K9rsZN5s9VAYU/s1179/10.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="1179" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbk8FfqoXqHdyfNkAkEtGqPoZatCFdEIT0xXEFNzIOYs59q-Ru9ELf0KrydovbIWPoHDAg0AoWIcdLxogPqM5ppFvtjiCR6Qp44Hcv6rdHn_jy1hUnJr8z90Lz_BPkQ3K9rsZN5s9VAYU/w400-h249/10.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>In Peaceful Days</i> is a <i>Fire Emblem: Three Houses</i> fan fiction VN expanding on the Empire route and Edelgard romance (with female Byleth). It focuses on a rare day off, when both the protagonist and the Empress have some time to spend together, away from political intrigues and military conflicts. Byleth sets to prepare a perfect evening, interacting with other characters from the source game and visiting important locations within Garreg Mach. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> A short, cute piece of (non-sexual) fanservice, this VN has enough visual polish and humour to satisfy the fans of the original, but even for someone like me, who never played <i>Three Houses</i> and only did short research to know the context of the story, it was pretty fun to read. It also has the advantage over many projects of this kind that it's not going outside of the canon with its main pairing and character interactions, but elaborates on one of the possible endings of <i>Three Houses</i> in a believable way. Recommended primarily for Byleth/Edelgard fans, but not necessarily just for them.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Cautiously Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Honourable Mention:</span></b></u></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://alexisroyce.itch.io/full-service-shop" href="https://alexisroyce.itch.io/full-service-shop" rel="external nofollow">Full Service Shop</a> (GxG/Non-Binary)</span></b></u></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dSgC2H1rZN4zMBYIL9bHpUy9Pfnnik6mYpiDMJkK4vK2YxSYaDAriCoe-ZMMpirEGnYBTla3q6WEum1hJ3FSIDv2MB0REcFoY5noCwJnY9N5FcmpqAtQpzmjvr-IirbYGciPSQMFj0r-/s1000/9.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="1000" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dSgC2H1rZN4zMBYIL9bHpUy9Pfnnik6mYpiDMJkK4vK2YxSYaDAriCoe-ZMMpirEGnYBTla3q6WEum1hJ3FSIDv2MB0REcFoY5noCwJnY9N5FcmpqAtQpzmjvr-IirbYGciPSQMFj0r-/w500-h194/9.png" width="500" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Full Service Shop</i> is less </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">a romance story and more a lesbian/non-binary erotic game using its sci-fi setting to create a number of really interesting, softcore scenarios for the player to go through. It features a nameable protagonist in the late 21st century, where advanced cybernetic implants are widely available. This includes the ability to enhance or replace one’s genitals and our main character is on their way to such a procedure, choosing a small, peculiar workshop – the titular Full Service Shop. There they’ll be able to not only choose their new implant (which changes how the scenes play out in minor ways) but also one of the four technicians who will not only install the new implant but give them a thorough “test drive”.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> As trashy as this premise might sound, it’s handled in a quite interesting way, with each technician offering a unique backstory and sex scene, the latter ranging from short and vanilla to complex and kinky. Visuals are tame, majority of the time stopping at partial nudity, so most of the work is done by the genuinely high-quality writing. The stories revealed in the conversations with the technicians and the erotic content itself utilize the futuristic setting, for example by discussing digitalizing the human mind and spicing things up by manipulation of neural implants, providing the much-needed variety when compared to your typical erotic VN. The one complaint I have about the game is arguably a major one – with average visuals and choices that don’t add too much to the experience (apart from initial choices of implant and technician, they mostly can just cut the scenes short), to the point the whole package would work just as well, or maybe even better as a short story. Still, if you’re looking for an unusual, wholesome erotic VN to read, this issue hardly makes it less of a valid choice.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Recommended</span></span></b></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">And this is all for today's list and, by extension, my coverage of the <span>NaNoRenO 2020. The non-otome romances that showed up this year mostly failed to truly impress me, but games like <i>Cafe in the Cloud</i> still managed to provide fun experiences while a few other proved memorable by escaping the usual tropes and story structures. There are also a few slice-of-life titles that I might add to this post as further honourable mentions – the enormousness of this year's event makes my work of covering it constantly feel incomplete, but for the most part, it's done. I hope you enjoyed what I provided here and will consider giving a chance to VNs I've recommended – I'll do my best to repeat this process next year with NaNoRenO 2021 and this fall with Yuri Game Jam 2020. But for now, thank you very much for your time and I hope to see you again!</span></span></span></p>Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-45635113652634699932020-07-04T19:50:00.000+02:002020-07-04T19:57:26.050+02:00Eldritch University Review (Yuri Visual Novel)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJH00VDWHvV4K7i-BW3YzG24qGwW2zRiarcQjkHxXJAboDjf_vvWPIBtmatXzgTHizLlSamngWLyX-4RrjGY816NQpAMOsVqQlmCnmJIC9r70Boqtqeov_YLQt7BM7Vo9VJ0nHGV2JM3c/s2048/EU1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJH00VDWHvV4K7i-BW3YzG24qGwW2zRiarcQjkHxXJAboDjf_vvWPIBtmatXzgTHizLlSamngWLyX-4RrjGY816NQpAMOsVqQlmCnmJIC9r70Boqtqeov_YLQt7BM7Vo9VJ0nHGV2JM3c/w640-h200/EU1.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Note: I was provided with a free review copy of the game by the developer. All opinions are solely my own.</span></span></u><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Sequels to obscure, low budget EVNs are always a slightly awkward topic to tackle. They are inevitably tied to games which few people are familiar with and which can be, at least in some aspects, of subpar quality simply due to their indie nature. This makes giving a meaningful rating and recommendation for potential readers tricky – at the very least, any kind of conclusion about them will be served with a good number of caveats, related to the interplay between titles in the particular series and the value proposition they represent both together and on their own. The latest title to create such a conundrum for me is <strong><em>Eldritch University </em></strong>by Jackkel Dragon.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Released on Steam in June 2020, this game is a sequel to <a href="http://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2019/03/eldritch-academy-review-yuri-visual.html">early 2019’s <em>Eldritch Academy</em></a>, a supernatural horror VN combined with a fair dosage of high-school yuri romance. While amusing in its romantic arcs, the prequel had several issues: unlikeable protagonist, repetitive routes, below-average visual and, in my opinion, an unreasonably high price for the level of quality it represented. <em>University</em>, while borrowing the setting and tying itself loosely to the core intrigue of that game, represents a major improvement in most aspects – a better-looking, more focused experience with a price tag way more representative of its entertainment value. Is it, however, good enough to make the whole series worth it, or to be a viable read as a standalone experience? Well, it depends on what you want from it…</span></span><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIUnOxYx4Mb3IzgXNPvfYFm7P3szaabhNJBsSVrMcghFswbZueI2MQ4rBYtyOipAwbBhxqI7XsZs7QkmqkTQvNO8qum7x36OtIFuiF62w4yDq2sxijCMkg-rFGml0Cf2fBmuu-vzHv7cr/s1280/EU2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIUnOxYx4Mb3IzgXNPvfYFm7P3szaabhNJBsSVrMcghFswbZueI2MQ4rBYtyOipAwbBhxqI7XsZs7QkmqkTQvNO8qum7x36OtIFuiF62w4yDq2sxijCMkg-rFGml0Cf2fBmuu-vzHv7cr/w640-h360/EU2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The
troubled relationship between the protagonist and her girlfriend is the
most interesting part of the game – and the most satisfying, when you
finally see them succeed</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><em>Eldritch University</em> follows the story of Kasumi, a college freshman that was recently reconnected with Misaki, the girlfriend she was separated from three years earlier. A secondary character from <em>Eldritch Academy</em>, Kasumi was the person who unwittingly unleashed the supernatural threat that game's story revolved around and nearly got killed in the process. Still bearing some emotional scars from the incident, she was mostly able to regain her easy-going attitude and is happy to work on rebuilding her relationship with Misaki. However, when the wound she sustained back then starts giving off strange symptoms, and creepy stories of apparitions begin popping out around the campus and the surrounding town, it becomes clear that the horror is far from being over.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> I won’t try to hide it: if there’s one thing I deeply enjoyed about <em>Eldritch University </em>it is the love story between Kasumi and Misaki and the way it is tied with the overarching supernatural intrigue. Initially, Kasumi herself is a bit of a bubbly airhead, while Misaki is more timid, but also kind and friendly. As, in the prequel, we briefly observe the couple in their high school days, they are outgoing and over-the-top affectionate to each other. However, the circumstances of their separation (forced by Misaki’s conservative mother) and the time they spend apart change that significantly. Misaki’s is weighed down by the social stigma and rejection she suffered due to being a lesbian, while Kasumi struggles to adapt to her changed behaviour and the doubt on whether the connection they once had can be fully rebuilt. In both of the non-dead-end endings, this dynamic gets resolved in a satisfying and heart-warming fashion, while never overdoing the drama and keeping the emotional and psychological profiles of both girls very believable. Coupled with a romantic, non-explicit sex scene, this makes <em>Eldritch University</em> a real treat for yuri fans such as myself – I was genuinely surprised and impressed with how impactful it was.</span></span><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIpd6lfWP3Akg5KbNl4I_DJcckqCtiY-YwEeXZsPxMNjauJkLwb5r2KIu6Ic0ZJLiHP3s19bm7CkoOQGaKpDVjxzO0Q5u2CqlaT6MevkiBukBYPS88J9i9GkdqhtaQU2hvhRrgwYE5HgW/s1600/EU3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIpd6lfWP3Akg5KbNl4I_DJcckqCtiY-YwEeXZsPxMNjauJkLwb5r2KIu6Ic0ZJLiHP3s19bm7CkoOQGaKpDVjxzO0Q5u2CqlaT6MevkiBukBYPS88J9i9GkdqhtaQU2hvhRrgwYE5HgW/w640-h360/EU3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The
game’s supernatural story feels somewhat rushed and underdeveloped, but
also avoids repetition and filler content that plagued <em>Eldritch Academy</em></span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">The horror intrigue is less developed and is probably the only aspect of the game which I would consider weaker than it was in <em>Academy</em>, which focused a lot on stress and desperation of fighting against a supernatural threat. It ties directly to the events of the first game and creates a few genuinely tense scenes, but its main value is, once more, in the well-executed interplay with the love story. The character most important for the horror arc, Kasumi’s friend Hinata, plays into her insecurities and confusion about Misaki’s behaviour – this leads to a few interesting choices influencing the main couple’s relationship. On the other hand, the are also blind choices with unpredictable consequences in horror scenes and the pacing of the whole mystery plot feels rushed. With frequent time skips and rapid story developments, the sense of looming danger and despair, for which the game was definitely aiming, is only half-there. Also, surprisingly little was added to the series' overall lore and worldbuilding – it neither showed anything truly new about its supernatural elements nor opened interesting story threads for possible continuation. </span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Then we get to the issue of secondary characters, who can be hardly described as anything more than plot devices. Two girls helping the protagonist and Misaki, Yuri and Shizuka, are a tie-in from the author’s book, <em>Shireishi</em>, but without the extra context someone who read that would probably have, they’re simply exposition props. Other minor characters barely show any personality either – Kasumi’s other friend, Hiroshi, is probably the only meaningful one among them. And at last, there’s the issue of actual relevance of knowing <em>Eldritch Academy</em>, as the really important parts lay not in the main plot of that game, but in the unlockable bonus content – short episodes showing the circumstances of Kasumi and Misaki getting separated and the way they adapted to their new situation. They add weight to the drama of <em>University</em>, but hardly justify investing time (8-10 hours) and money ($12) in the prequel. Honestly, I would just prefer to see a recap of <em>Eldritch Academy</em> and the scenes expanding on Kasumi’s and Misaki’s stories in <em>University</em>, as a skippable prologue – it would make it much easier to recommend it not only to people familiar with the first game (or interested in reading it), but also those that want to jump straight into the sequel.</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRTJO0eqGxgZVa-qK44nfyEzNY7hUm2-d0JZXzCdywRVk6l1L0JvV59SOqHNifDGYdn04NurPXzCr7_NuWkw6sWlShnonNChKweuygC790yM8RqR85ksRVY09G0y9hTb59pKdgXoKqJ6A/s1280/EU4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRTJO0eqGxgZVa-qK44nfyEzNY7hUm2-d0JZXzCdywRVk6l1L0JvV59SOqHNifDGYdn04NurPXzCr7_NuWkw6sWlShnonNChKweuygC790yM8RqR85ksRVY09G0y9hTb59pKdgXoKqJ6A/w640-h360/EU4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Outside
of Kasumi’s two friends, Hinata and Hiroshi, the secondary characters
in the game are more plot devices than anything else – and even these
two receive relatively little development</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">The visuals are a clear improvement over<em> Academy</em>, but are still pretty basic. While the sprite designs look more clean and expressive than they did in the prequel, the low amount of detail and simple shading are still very much visible. CGs look solid most of the time, but are ultimately on the same level as the sprites and occasionally even struggle with perspective. The end effect is hardly an eye candy, but very serviceable. The same can be said about music, which… Exists. It’s a very generic set of background tunes, but never gets in the way or fails to match the climate of the scene, which is good enough in my mind.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> So, what’s my conclusion on <em>Eldritch University</em>? It’s a game that struggles a bit with its identity, stylising itself as a horror story but hardly committing to this theme. However, for yuri fans that enjoy a more grounded approach to LGBT+ issues, it has enough to offer to easily justify the $6 price tag (for 3-4 hours of content). Also, for people that enjoyed <em>Eldritch Academy</em> or specifically look for the combination of supernatural thriller and GxG romance, it should prove satisfying. For anyone else, it might be a much harder sell… But if anything I wrote here sounded interesting to you, I still suggest giving it a chance – if not for the full price, then at least grabbing it on sale. And if this dev’s work continues improving in this manner, their next game might be very easy to recommend, even to a broader audience.</span></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Final Rating: 3/5</span></span></strong><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Pros:</span></span></strong><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Excellent romantic subplot</span></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Likeable and well-developed main cast</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"></span></span><br /></p><p><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Cons:</span></span></strong><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Average-at-best visuals</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Rushed/underdeveloped supernatural horror storyline</span></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Underdeveloped secondary characters</span></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><u><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://vndb.org/v25731">VNDB Page</a></span></span><br /></strong></u></p><p><u><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Buy <em>Eldritch University</em> on <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1132290/Eldritch_University/">Steam</a> or <a href="https://jackkel-dragon.itch.io/eldritch-university">Itch.io</a></span></span></strong></u></p>Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-34775632754268401662020-06-19T22:00:00.025+02:002020-06-20T00:42:55.895+02:00Nothing & Nowhere Review (English Original Visual Novel)<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1166730/capsule_616x353.jpg?t=1589833277" height="229" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1166730/capsule_616x353.jpg?t=1589833277" width="400" /><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"></span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><u>Note: I was provided with a review copy of the game by the developer.</u><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">To talk about the latest slice-of-life VN by ebi-hime, <i>nothing & nowhere</i>, we have to start in a less-than-obvious place. Nearly two years ago I made <a href="http://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2018/09/ebi-himes-free-visual-novels-mini_28.html">an overview ebi’s freeware games</a> and one of the most memorable and unique of them was <i>Lynne</i>: a heavily stylized, pixelart horror game about a teenager crumbling under pressure from her dysfunctional family and societal expectations she's unable to truly meet. Full of suffocating atmosphere and visceral dream sequences, it is to this day one of the most effective horror experiences I’ve seen in the medium and one that ends on an abrupt, but appropriately disturbing note. <i><b>Nothing & nowhere</b></i>, while representing a completely different climate and stylistic, is basically an alternative timeline spin-off of that game, offering something probably every person that read <i>Lynne</i> wished for – some form of respite and hope for the future to the game’s tortured protagonist.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Interestingly enough, after being released in mid-May 2020, <i>nothing & nowhere</i> was not marketed directly as a sequel or spin-off of <i>Lynne</i>. Even the Steam page only mentioned the connection at the very end of game’s description, suggesting it’s above all a standalone story, despite sharing the central character with its horror predecessor. In my experience, however, it was exactly that link, and the extra context being familiar with <i>Lynne </i>provided me with, that made the new game a truly worthwhile. More than that, I’m willing to argue it's likely be the same for most potential readers, for a few crucial reasons.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"></span></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFg5-pZ4hYd_YZU2rmtqZUfmBjnCD1aTPuwNHdlonUeCiyhRFGo0mbH3Kg8KY4mVEfjCAUdkvJ2ORL1F-dczh6m-EQFQ5KGRGXWWnV5ALu2xLVpK2MJwunmG_IuxQBwFghptpzXramowm/s1733/n%2526n+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="1733" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFg5-pZ4hYd_YZU2rmtqZUfmBjnCD1aTPuwNHdlonUeCiyhRFGo0mbH3Kg8KY4mVEfjCAUdkvJ2ORL1F-dczh6m-EQFQ5KGRGXWWnV5ALu2xLVpK2MJwunmG_IuxQBwFghptpzXramowm/w640-h360/n%2526n+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;">The mystery behind the main character’s appearance near Cora’s village is not particularly compelling (and nearly turned void if you read <i>Lynne</i>), but the real appeal of the story is her path to overcoming the persistent issues that made her escape her previous life<br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">The core story of <i>nothing & nowhere</i> is a very slow-paced, nostalgic slice-of-life story, similar in feel and scope to one of <a href="http://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2020/02/rituals-in-dark-review-yuri-visual-novel.html">the other recent titles by ebi, <i>Rituals in the Dark</i></a>. Through third-person narration, it presents the story of Cora, an eccentric writer living in a small village in rural England, and a mysterious girl she finds one morning on a local beach, exhausted and drenched from the cold, autumn rain. Assuming the Girl (that’s the only way she’s referred to for most of the game’s story) run from home, she decides to give her shelter, opening the story of their unusual and slightly strenuous cohabitation. The main axis of the story is about the Girl and her path to overcoming the depression and anxiety that drove her into running away from her previous life – however, her specific circumstances and motivation are not the only, and not the most interesting mystery. That honour undeniably goes to Cora – an extravagant and successful young woman, living a reclusive life in an old-fashioned cottage in the middle of nowhere. Always perfect in her appearance and borderline-boastful about her achievements, she gives few hints on what drove her to this lonely way of life. Even while her relationship with the Girl grows deeper, she reveals very little about her past and wittingly diverts any attempts at prying into it.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Here, however, we’re already landing on the biggest issue I have with the game – the reveals, when they happen, are not as impactful as I hoped for and the path that leads to them have too few memorable moments. The dynamic between Cora and the Girl is pretty amusing, with Cora using her rhetorical skills and life experience to not only solve the “mystery” of the Girl’s presence in the remote village, but also steer her in a direction of overcoming her deep-seeded problems. Her patient and considerate attitude, hidden under a layer of teasing and caricatural self-confidence, is heartwarming and makes a great basis for a believable story of healing and finding a new path in life. However, especially combined with the Girl’s depressive passivity, it does not create many impactful scenes or spark genuinely interesting tension between the two women. This results in an experience most appropriate for people with a really high tolerance for relaxed slice-of-life content, with no real twists of shifts in pacing involved.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtKiYrfRONslyQjFYRSLSagJ02vPgjacdANkwanZO9dOsvTMzk59FPzKOqDavdrSZPcqIsA56JhC4ZYmTpY2NbTOhOaITG5hKBiNpYGqK_DR0H9XqduF9b-BlP-YobHm-_hyaiJ_MOq1y/s1733/n%2526n+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="1733" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtKiYrfRONslyQjFYRSLSagJ02vPgjacdANkwanZO9dOsvTMzk59FPzKOqDavdrSZPcqIsA56JhC4ZYmTpY2NbTOhOaITG5hKBiNpYGqK_DR0H9XqduF9b-BlP-YobHm-_hyaiJ_MOq1y/w640-h360/n%2526n+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;">While the context of <i>Lynne </i>adds a lot of meaning to<i> nothing & nowhere</i>’s story, it also exposes its biggest weakness – lack of tension and few emotionally impactful moments</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Here we come to the aforementioned connection with <i>Lynne </i>and its significance. The main reason I think it’s important, is because it gives a much deeper look into the Girl’s backstory and the suffering she went through, making her recovery way more meaningful and satisfying to see. Also, the epilogue is filled to brim with references that will mean relatively little to people not familiar with the previous game. At the same time, I can’t shake off the feeling that deeper crossover from <i>Lynne</i>’s storytelling devices and unsettling climate would make <i>nothing & nowhere</i> a more compelling experience. Referencing more directly the girl’s traumatic nightmares and intense suffering we saw in that game would make the process of overcoming them and Cora’s involvement a lot more engaging to follow. I respect the fact that was not the kind of story ebi wanted to tell and that’s at least one of the reasons she didn’t tie this game to <i>Lynne</i> so explicitly, but it makes me particularly worried about its viability as a standalone experience. Without the appeal of an alternative take on an already-known story, there’s not that much here to hook the average reader with – even romance, the most obvious magnet for a broader audience, is relegated to brief backstory section for Cora.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> On the other hand, what might draw people in, outside of the story details, is the art, high in quality and utilizing a distinct, non-anime artstyle. As usual with this kind of stylistic, I needed a bit of an adjustment period after approaching the VN and I’m still not sure how I feel about the eerie, doll-like look of Cora’s sprite. However, the general impression from the game’s visuals was definitely positive. The backgrounds were nicely detailed and all assets felt very consistent in style and level of detail. The CGs were few, less than 10 in total, but the minimalistic story hardly demanded more custom illustrations to fully get the message across… Although just the fact I can’t think of another scene I would like to see illustrated, other than maybe the last sequence of the epilogue, reinforces my point about the (relative) lack of memorable moments.</span></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhay94F1B9MYeNtrclR8PlJbsPaGl7YtcMlMbvb68j0qAgLj3gE7Gs3trKS5gwB8M3sJKU0oH0jOtNeLO0HVBeU-RY5z2zJKo4ZfXYpEdr5TjBSOipiQ63PUvZoJMywXqNzfVOlk0wCSvLo/s1733/n%2526n+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="1733" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhay94F1B9MYeNtrclR8PlJbsPaGl7YtcMlMbvb68j0qAgLj3gE7Gs3trKS5gwB8M3sJKU0oH0jOtNeLO0HVBeU-RY5z2zJKo4ZfXYpEdr5TjBSOipiQ63PUvZoJMywXqNzfVOlk0wCSvLo/w640-h360/n%2526n+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;">The non-anime art in <i>nothing & nowhere</i> has a peculiar, doll-like feel to it, but all the assets are unquestionably high-quality and very consistent in style</span></span><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">The last thing that has to be mentioned is the music – very relaxed and rather minimalistic, which puts it perfectly in-synch with the overall tone of the story. Generally, the cohesion between all layers of the experience in<i> nothing & nowhere </i>– story, art, GIU and music – was extremely high, which is something I deeply appreciate. I still, however, wished that the substance of it all was a bit more dynamic and hard-hitting. I’m tempted to say that the soul-crushing experience such as <i>Lynne </i>deserved a just as deeply uplifting sequel, but even disregarding that point, I simply feel this story idea demanded execution either longer and more in-depth, or more vivid and dramatic. Some will surely disagree with me, but this is the only honest assessment I can give. At the same time though, if you enjoyed <i>Lynne </i>or if you’re willing to read it before buying this game, it should be very much worth experiencing – and with the prequel being free and this game costing just $5, there are few reasons to not give them a try.</span></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;">Final Rating: 3/5</span></span></b><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Pros:</span></span></b><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ High-quality, stylistically consistent visuals</span></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Pleasant music</span></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Satisfying, uplifting alternative scenario for fans of <i>Lynne</i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"></span></span><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Cons:</span></span></b><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Pretty forgettable as a standalone story</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Very slow-paced and minimalistic storytelling</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><u><b><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://vndb.org/v26624">VNDB Page</a></span></span><br /></b></u></p><p><u><b><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Buy<i> nothing & nowhere</i> on <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1166730/nothing__nowhere/">Steam</a> or <a href="https://ebihime.itch.io/nothing-and-nowhere">Itch.io</a></span></span></b></u></p>Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-90669603536929298692020-06-06T20:05:00.060+02:002020-06-23T20:57:53.278+02:00NaNoRenO 2020 Highlights, Pt 2: Horror (Updated)<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Dl7719.png" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UyL2phbS8xMzM1NC8yOTg5MzYzLnBuZw==/original/Dl7719.png" height="179" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UyL2phbS8xMzM1NC8yOTg5MzYzLnBuZw==/original/Dl7719.png" width="640" /><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Hello and welcome to the second part of my NaNoRenO 2020 coverage, where I’ll be going through the most noteworthy games submitted to the most recent edition of the biggest EVN game jam. While <a href="http://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2020/05/nanoreno-2020-highlights-pt-1-otomegxb.html" rel="external nofollow">in the first part I focused on otome and other GxB romantic VNs</a>, this time I’ll tackle the niche that, in my opinion, contained some of the best projects in the whole event – horror. Once more, I’ll be focusing on complete projects, rather than many demos and prototypes that get submitted to NaNoRenO – and thanks to the extended deadline devs worked with this year, that’s still a lot of interesting content.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> One game from the previous post,<i> Dream Dilemma</i>, also fits into this week’s theme besides featuring GxB romance – however, it was a rather unremarkable, simplistic game and most of those I’ll be writing about today are anything but that. So, please join me in this quick overview of NaNoRenO 2020 horror VNs – and as always, whenever one of them catches your attention, clicking its title in the list will get you straight to its Itch.io games. Of course, all the titles I’m covering are completely free to play. Let’s have some scary (and slightly messed up) fun!</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"></span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a href="https://nemlei.itch.io/divilethion" rel="external nofollow">Divilethion</a><br /></span></span></b></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIishj9xG6uMHxnUg2wyeTf0X8Xv0b7Iezhqv9zVUD2PQL8VVYtFly1LxSWiPiW1DbpTcNBYMbP3x1MfNVgo9BJddDlMEpy3L_0op8fiNbNn06luXr-g20POH8aGU5S0eIKcSMnglCgUWs/s630/dvl.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="630" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIishj9xG6uMHxnUg2wyeTf0X8Xv0b7Iezhqv9zVUD2PQL8VVYtFly1LxSWiPiW1DbpTcNBYMbP3x1MfNVgo9BJddDlMEpy3L_0op8fiNbNn06luXr-g20POH8aGU5S0eIKcSMnglCgUWs/w400-h318/dvl.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"></span></span></b></u></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Divilethion</i> is far from your typical scary VN, tilting more to the side of grotesque horror-comedy, with visuals and writing style that contrast heavily with the grim essence of its story – and do so in a brilliant, at times hilarious way. The game follows Lynn, a young high priest in an isolated village “protected” by a monstrous god named Divilethion. While the entity is the only guarantee of survival for the community surrounded by monster-infested swamps and regularly plagues by disasters, the price for its “miracles” is steep – every time, a villager has to be sacrificed and his heart fed to Devilethion. Lynn, cynical and disturbingly diligent about his duties, is soon put to the greatest test yet by the apparently bored deity, asked to sacrifice one thing he might not be willing to give up…</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> As serious as this story setup might sound, what sets its tone as primarily a dark comedy is Lynn’s warped perception of the reality around him and the grotesque enthusiasm Divilethion requires from his worshippers. This combined with an unrelenting writing style, never shying away from harsh language and disturbing story developments, creates a striking experience that will likely keep you engaged all the way through, to either a relatively-positive or deeply unsettling conclusion. While overall the game is relatively short, it’s just so full of personality and meaningful story developments it’s hard to not be satisfied with it. I deeply recommend checking it out – very few hour-long VNs left me with such a strong impression.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Highly Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a href="https://peanutworm.itch.io/my-bunny" rel="external nofollow">My Bunny</a><br /></span></span></b></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamCoiLRK439IBQQmkRIAQyOrEk9iNUsFvBoWDYDXh_3vGB07aLNRe2h8sKcbKhQ1xPOZ7uL6XrxskJPr4iiI21zoW2DstT4dq6ancsMBFXs3aDg3pUZV2UXl8-FmlIB0O64gFpO4n3ucp/s650/mbn.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="650" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamCoiLRK439IBQQmkRIAQyOrEk9iNUsFvBoWDYDXh_3vGB07aLNRe2h8sKcbKhQ1xPOZ7uL6XrxskJPr4iiI21zoW2DstT4dq6ancsMBFXs3aDg3pUZV2UXl8-FmlIB0O64gFpO4n3ucp/w400-h308/mbn.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"></span></span></b></u></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>My Bunny</i> is well-stylized horror VN about a troubled girl accompanied by a sinister imaginary-friend character in the form of an anthropomorphic bunny. Isolated and bullied in school, with hints on traumatic past on top of it, the protagonist is fighting desperately to improve her life against all odds, while her every failure results in the stronger presence of the bunny, always whispering depreciating and violent thoughts. A chance meeting with a local graffiti artists finally offers her some respite and hope for the future, but a tragedy so long in the making is not easily averted…</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> A solid premise and presentation of <i>My Bunny</i> is sadly at least partially wasted due to a rushed and poorly written ending – while I understand what the devs were going for, the behaviour of certain characters and options offered to the player at the end of the game are underwhelming. The bunny himself is also strangely underutilized, not influencing the plot as much as you would expect and rarely receiving genuinely interesting dialogue. Ultimately, while not bad, <i>My Bunny</i> is another one of those NaNoRenO VNs that leave you pondering its lost potential at least as much as its actual story – which is a shame, but maybe shows the possibility for its authors to produce something truly memorable in the future.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Cautiously Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a href="https://jennemk.itch.io/eislyns-apocalypse" rel="external nofollow">Eislyn’s Apocalypse</a></span></span></b></u></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyoIVvVYXkaf8ln_euot9b148W5xaUQix5clv70ceX-EHAcIItJriBXu6vXJIi_sII2XLOek6yf_7uOhm6xrKphS0nbNR1HbSZUzwg-pJEt0behMvONFgwxpkmZ_y6GZWO_VZdQjpsnrZ/s630/eisln.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="630" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyoIVvVYXkaf8ln_euot9b148W5xaUQix5clv70ceX-EHAcIItJriBXu6vXJIi_sII2XLOek6yf_7uOhm6xrKphS0nbNR1HbSZUzwg-pJEt0behMvONFgwxpkmZ_y6GZWO_VZdQjpsnrZ/w400-h318/eisln.png" width="400" /></a></div><i></i><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Eislyn’s Apocalypse</i> is arguably the most narratively-involved and complex games in this year’s NaNoRenO, and my personal highlight of the event. While similar stories of a secret conflict between cosmic beings over the future of humanity, along with the quasi-Lovecraftian stylistics have been done in VNs countless times, this one is noteworthy for its uncompromising approach to horror – confronting the reader with disturbing, genuinely apocalyptic scenarios, unavoidable outside of the unlockable true ending. Each of the four bad routes shows something crucial about the game’s world and characters, giving context and emotional buildup for a deeply satisfying “real” conclusion. This structure by itself, of course, is also not new, but it’s a while since I’ve seen it done in a game jam project in such a deliberate and effective way.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> What is it exactly about, though? The VN follows a few protagonists, often switching perspectives, although the central character is always Adrianne – a strange young girl with an inexplicable connection to the monsters lurking the dark corners of the once-idyllic city of Memora. While the whole intrigue starts with an investigation to a series of murders, performed by a private detective recruited by concerned citizens, it escalates rapidly in every route, reaching often truly epic proportions. All the major characters, whether supernatural or average people, will be involved in an ancient battle between good and evil – and one in which the balance of power is definitely skewed in favour of the evil, while its corrupting influence makes the distinction between friend or foe less than clear. Outside of very average visuals and a pretty limited set of CGs, there’s little to complain about here – characters are compelling, the world-building fascinating and the plot emotionally involving with constantly-rising stakes. I won't write anything more to avoid spoilers, but if you wanted to read just one VN from this year’s NaNoRenO, this one would be a good choice.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Highly Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a href="https://pilot-star.itch.io/influenced" rel="external nofollow">#Influenced</a><br /></span></span></b></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpAWil3O2JApTx8dcEwmcfv4OAMSEfXkTRNWmwgo110fimMC4WBOvVaSdeaKazomVr5po6QpHWPheIJrR0DMkg_fjulKNb5euBwBF2FeQdPhZMlnSbCBWrxhVTpjHgdojeTdw0SphIXjf/s630/influenced.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="630" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpAWil3O2JApTx8dcEwmcfv4OAMSEfXkTRNWmwgo110fimMC4WBOvVaSdeaKazomVr5po6QpHWPheIJrR0DMkg_fjulKNb5euBwBF2FeQdPhZMlnSbCBWrxhVTpjHgdojeTdw0SphIXjf/w400-h318/influenced.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"></span></span></b></u></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Once more touching on the recurrent NaNoRenO theme of great ideas with half-assed execution, <i>#Influenced</i> is a short horror story about an aspiring social media influencer frustrated with her lack of progress. After meeting with a trending Instagram model that recently moved to her area, the protagonist is given the contact to the girl's mysterious manager – one that can deliver near-miraculous results, but every time asks his client to sacrifice something... Honestly, I find this topic extremely compelling, as not only those looking for fame and money on the web, but even small creators such as myself are often exposed to similar pressures – the drive to find recognition and reach an audience, with techniques most effective in this regard not always being in line with personal integrity and self-respect. I still remember the grossed out feeling when the owner of a site I wrote an article for showed me a search-engine-optimized version of my work, and that's hardly the biggest compromise one can make to get traction as an internet personality or creator...</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> However, there are few things in #influenced that prevented the cathartic feeling I was hoping to get from it. The first is the protagonist herself, as I think she is unnecessarily shallow and envious of other people's success. It would be a lot more interesting to see someone more sympathetic and hard-working fall into the same traps, as the social media sphere in its current, oversaturated state is not exactly fair or easy to break through even with good ideas and genuine effort. The second and most damning issue is the pacing – then the game starts being truly unsettling and tense, it doesn't build up the atmosphere and properly represent protagonist's descent into madness, but simply rushes to the conclusion in a rather unsatisfying fashion. That part left me deeply disappointed, as even the slightly preachy feel of the story didn't prevent it from becoming genuinely interesting at certain points. So, while I don't necessarily discourage giving this one a chance, set your expectation appropriately low if you decide to read it.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Cautiously Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a href="https://slightlysimple.itch.io/epistle-in-a-bottle" rel="external nofollow">Epistle in a Bottle</a><br /></span></span></b></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVV4NmBVCsChtBpNRUkVcW1BUo7HVOMGYzl_B6VJ3WcbiTbu61imXSxx_k89pLRUkbhbO8cP_q2evUTc3rVKEfy1hNFPuD6fNiVsYP-Rfz3fx6pYKb70YMWHCqrONTst3Fa1GgXeRFyHS/s1260/epstl.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1260" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVV4NmBVCsChtBpNRUkVcW1BUo7HVOMGYzl_B6VJ3WcbiTbu61imXSxx_k89pLRUkbhbO8cP_q2evUTc3rVKEfy1hNFPuD6fNiVsYP-Rfz3fx6pYKb70YMWHCqrONTst3Fa1GgXeRFyHS/w400-h318/epstl.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"></span></span></b></u></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">No NaNoRenO since <i>Digital: A Love Story</i> can be complete without an OS-simulation-style VN, and <i>Epistle in a Bottle</i> fills this obligation in a pretty standard, retro-stylized fashion. The protagonist is an office worker handling communication in what seems to be the early 90s. Handling company email and distributing information between his co-workers, he starts his day doing mundane tasks, until a strange, unsigned message launches a chain of increasingly disturbing events.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> While this game does not always do a great job when it goes to building a narrative, I can't help but appreciate the feel it has and the way it approaches the user interface – you switch between your computer, the telephone and physical messages that end on your desk in a pretty immersive way. As you control the main line of communication between your company's boss and various parts of the office, you have a central role in both the mundane workflow the game starts with and the emergencies that soon follow. Eventually, things get way too over-the-top and the game sadly lacks genuine ways of influencing the plot, which kind of goes against its highly-interactive storytelling formula and various ways in which it could accommodate player choice. Still, for me, it was a fun little experience and if the aforementioned interface gimmicks are something up you alley, it should be the same for you.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Cautiously Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Honourable Mentions:</span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a href="https://punishedhag.itch.io/spellbroken" rel="external nofollow">Spellbroken</a></span></span></b></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEKv5zgwnOf1n8uW6OErSbCvWOXr3aSCbr4o3S8XkL4wZadi0PYifuWUPj2QDg69jAGagQ1JyJWyqqBI_Fvqt-h4Xvr8w0PutEtPc9GNRyfDMkHyqwwBNLe2mmNN950d4iAmLS2SrCc-G/s2033/splbkn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1546" data-original-width="2033" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEKv5zgwnOf1n8uW6OErSbCvWOXr3aSCbr4o3S8XkL4wZadi0PYifuWUPj2QDg69jAGagQ1JyJWyqqBI_Fvqt-h4Xvr8w0PutEtPc9GNRyfDMkHyqwwBNLe2mmNN950d4iAmLS2SrCc-G/w400-h304/splbkn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Spellbroken</i> is more a supernatural thriller than a straight-up horror story, but it’s something that should be satisfying to fans of the genre due to its themes and effective writing. The game is set in a modern fantasy world where the society was deeply transformed by the appearance of witches – women born with powerful magic abilities, often hard to control and extremely destructive. The protagonist is a handler – a member of a militarized formation dedicated to subduing witches. Working under the Church, the de-facto ruling organisation of her city-state, she’s convinced that she’s performing grim, but necessary work for the good of her people. However, her next mission into the wilderness will shake that conviction in several different ways…</span></span></div></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Like this developer’s first project, <i>Package Chat</i>, <i>Spellbroken</i> is above all an excellent piece of mature writing, full of uncompromisingly-crafted characters and minimalistic, but effective worldbuilding. Without excess exposition, it manages to construct a complex and original fantasy setting, along with some compelling axes of conflict for the main story and a few arguably brilliant twists. The crude personalities and motivations of Collie’s handler companions sometimes balance dangerously on the line of becoming caricatures, but for the most part, they’re refreshing in their naturalism. The art, while simple, is nicely stylized and enhances the isolating, desolate feeling of the “Wild”, where the vast majority of the story happens. On top of all this, <i>Spellbroken</i> offers some yuri romantic elements, which were a bonus for me, but they were also pretty minor and I recommend checking it out to everyone regardless whether or not they care about w/w romance plots – it’s just that good of a (short) story.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Highly Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><strong><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><a href="https://ilyilaice.itch.io/limbokin">Limbokin</a><br /></span></span></strong></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdSQbYYAMlxcybYerkcBCyArJWYQ943pKx5eZYF0-Krjo_TLY8Kv_FaWdiO79NCeyMQ3Nu4Mu7L_dI9ohXWLLjK7gAyvZBUKkbSi4Bb3uO0meHZB4_SLcE1mLme-s-sfKKgipmFZMusjQ/s630/lmbkn.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="630" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdSQbYYAMlxcybYerkcBCyArJWYQ943pKx5eZYF0-Krjo_TLY8Kv_FaWdiO79NCeyMQ3Nu4Mu7L_dI9ohXWLLjK7gAyvZBUKkbSi4Bb3uO0meHZB4_SLcE1mLme-s-sfKKgipmFZMusjQ/w400-h318/lmbkn.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The last game on today's list is also not "true" horror, but something the visuals and narrative choices of which should appeal to many fans of the genre.<em> Limbokin</em> is an interesting short VN telling a story of a boy who dies with a lingering regret and ends up in purgatory. There, with help of another “limbokin”, as the inhabitants of this realm refer to themselves, he sets to connect to the living world for the last time and reconcile with his beloved older sister, an argument with whom let to him his untimely death.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">While utilizing horror-like, creepy imagery and a somewhat disturbing premise, <em>Limbokin</em> is above all a bittersweet slice of life tale, including some really wholesome and uplifting moments. Despite having just an hour of content (with three paths/endings), the game explores in an interesting way the relationship between the protagonist and his sister – an older teenager struggling with her identity and first serious love. On top of that, it briefly touches on the backstories of other inhabitants of the purgatory and offers a particularly amusing twist for Rafa, the girl that acts as protagonist’s guide in the world of the dead. The end effect is quite unorthodox and compelling – with the strong presence of LGBT+ themes, it reminds of the more original, high-quality Yuri Game Jam VNs. And if that sounds like something that you might enjoy, you should definitely check this one out.</span></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><strong>Final Rating: Recommended</strong><br /></span></span></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">And this is it when it goes to horror VNs in this year's NaNoRenO – there are a few ones which I purposefully skipped on listing, mostly due to them being too simplistic or low quality, although there are two I still owe a shoutout. The first one is <a data-cke-saved-href="https://sleepyagents.itch.io/unfamiliar-work" href="https://sleepyagents.itch.io/unfamiliar-work" rel="external nofollow">Sleepy Agent's <em>Unfamiliar Work</em></a>, which kind of overwhelmed me with its abstract visuals and confusing storytelling, to the point I'm not sure what to make of it – still, it's definitely very different and I encourage anyone curious about it to try it out and maker their own mind. The second one, the <a data-cke-saved-href="https://arcanecity.itch.io/saya-no-jenerikku-anime-gemu" href="https://arcanecity.itch.io/saya-no-jenerikku-anime-gemu" rel="external nofollow"><em>Saya no Uta</em> fan game by Arcane City</a>, I didn't touch, as I simply haven't read the original game yet and thus wouldn't be able to assess it properly. I'm still pretty convinced though that the three games I did cover and most strongly recommend in this post are among the very best projects in this year's NaNoRenO. Also, in the cases of <i>Divilethion</i> and <i>Spellbroken</i>, they come from authors with highly developed styles, who I'm pretty sure will deliver more of such excellent stories in the future – apart from checking out their current work, I strongly suggest following their future endeavours.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> For the time being, I'll be taking a short break from NaNoRenO coverage, while I tackle the latest slice-of-life VN by ebi-hime: <em>nothing & nowhere</em>. However, you can expect at least one more post in a few weeks, where I'll be focusing on non-otome romantic stories. I hope you've enjoyed this overview so far – for me, NaNoRenO is a celebration of the creativity within the EVN scene and it's hard to overstate its value, both as a training ground and promotional space for devs, and a gathering place for the fans of the genre. Sharing the message about the exceptional games that show in it every year and engaging with their authors is deeply satisfying to me and even if a fraction of that enjoyment passes onto you guys, it makes all this work worth it. Thank you for reading and, hopefully, see you next time around!</span></span></p>Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-30522011854805779062020-05-23T21:50:00.013+02:002020-07-28T15:20:49.239+02:00NaNoRenO 2020 Highlights, Pt 1: Otome/GxB Romance<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UyL2phbS8xMzM1NC8yOTg5MzYzLnBuZw==/original/Dl7719.png" height="179" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UyL2phbS8xMzM1NC8yOTg5MzYzLnBuZw==/original/Dl7719.png" width="640" /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><b><a href="http://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2020/06/nanoreno-2020-highlights-pt-2-horror.html"><u>Check out the second part of the overview, NaNoRenO 2020 horror VNs, here!</u></a></b><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">NaNoRenO, the Ren’Py visual novel jam, is for many years now the biggest community event for EVNs, always bringing dozens of upstart developers, amateurs and veterans of the visual novel scene to share their work, ranging from demos and prototypes to complete (and often substantial) games. Since I’ve started the blog I’m always looking forwards to the opportunity to <a href="http://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2019/05/evn-chronicles-nanoreno-2019-highlights.html" rel="external nofollow">go through the projects submitted to the jam and present to you my personal highlights</a> – games that are worth checking out not only from the perspective of a VN-obsessed weirdo such as myself, but also the average reader.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> What set this year’s NaNoRenO apart from the usual routine were, quite predictably, the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. However, while one could expect them to interfere with the development cycles and result in fewer games, the organizers’ decision to extend the traditional one-month deadline by two weeks resulted in more projects than usual getting submitted (105 to last year’s 89 and 2018’s 73). This included dozens of complete games that I was interested in, clearly signalizing a need to change the formula in which I shared my impressions – listing them in one place, even when after relatively rigorous filtering, would be both unwieldy for the readers and tedious to work on. Thus, I’ve decided to split my coverage by genres, starting with the niche that proved very compelling this time around – otome and other GxB romance VNs. So, please join me while I go through six games in this formula that showed up in NaNoRenO 2020 – and if you find any of them interesting, clicking the titles will bring you straight to their Itch.io pages. As always, all NaNoRenO releases are fully free-to-play, so the only thing they’ll demand is a few hours of your time. Let’s get this started!</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"></span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a href="https://elowan.itch.io/criminally-overdue" rel="external nofollow">Criminally Overdue</a></span></span></b></u><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img class="ipsImage" height="317" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddxwj4o-0e20a7ec-8839-4848-91dd-f0f8b0628d43.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3sicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHh3ajRvLTBlMjBhN2VjLTg4MzktNDg0OC05MWRkLWYwZjhiMDYyOGQ0My5wbmcifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6ZmlsZS5kb3dubG9hZCJdfQ.ZHlAUXeojidwVbp7m5P49NszfxUa6uMWCuBmmm7rCx0" width="400" /><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Criminally Overdue</i> is the newest project by Elowan, the author of <i><a href="https://vndb.org/v25701" rel="external nofollow">Alloys over Flowers</a></i>, one of my personal favourites from last year’s NaNoRenO. This time, instead of being a period drama, the game tells an unusual story in a modern setting: the protagonist is a librarian who after hours helps police in tracking down and arresting drug dealers – a part of a personal vendetta of sorts for the death of her mother, who passed away from an overdose after years of addiction. During one of her investigations, she targets a local university student, which leads her to listening in on the girl’s conversation with a teacher who accidentally learned about her involvement with drugs. Hearing the girl’s motivation for drug dealing and teacher’s attempt to steer her on a better path causes the protagonist to doubt her actions, something she didn’t feel for years and as the teacher in question becomes a frequent patron in her library, she has to reevaluate her choices and think about a path forward – either overcoming her obsession with drug dealers or doubling down on the crusade against them.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> <i>Criminally Overdue</i> stands out with its conflicted, bitter protagonist and moral quandaries connected to her fight with drug dealers, and although I can’t say I find it as compelling as <i>Alloys over Flowers</i>, particularly the path where the heroine steps away from her unhealthy “hobby” has a lot going for it. The game’s love interest, the young university teacher I’ve mentioned earlier, is a believable catalyst for the protagonist’s change and a pretty cool character in his own right – caring and eloquent, but also somewhat shy and occasionally awkward. The scenario where their romance blooms is genuinely cute and heartwarming. I just wished the alternative conclusion was at least a bit less of a bad end – Elowan’s previous game made a good job of making alternative endings interesting, while here I kind of wished for the whole experience to be kinetic and focus even more on the protagonist's transformation and her troubled path to romance. At least for the “right” path, though, this VN is definitely worth checking out, also because it looks and sounds very solid for a game jam project.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a href="https://crystalgameworks.itch.io/enamored-risks" rel="external nofollow">Enamored Risks</a></span></span></b></u></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzMyNDUxMDcucG5n/original/z3X0Sa.png" height="317" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzMyNDUxMDcucG5n/original/z3X0Sa.png" width="400" /><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Enamored Risks</i> by Crystal Game Works, the studio of NaNoRenO and Yuri Game Jam veteran Mikomi Kisomi, is one of the most traditional otome games I’m writing about today. Despite being very by-the-numbers, however, it’s possibly my favourite VN so far from this developer and the easiest one on this list to recommend. It follows the story of a nursing student living a dull life filled by schoolwork and constantly being pestered about her academic performance by her controlling parents. One day, she gets fascinated by a blog exploring urban ruins and abandoned buildings in her city and soon after discovers that one of her university friends is involved in it. This kicks off a story of friendship and romance with three possible love interests, two male and one female one, all of them with their own themes/problems to overcome and really good chemistry with the protagonist.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Trying to explain the appeal of <i>Enamored Risks </i>is a bit tricky, as describing its story details will ultimately sound mundane, with the theme of urban exploration being the only unusual element. What truly makes it work is the solid design of the love interests and the writing (which is, to be brutally honest, significantly above what I’ve seen in other game jam projects by Mikomi). By the end of it, I was deeply fond of each of the main characters and the romantic conclusions of each route were appropriately satisfying. My only criticism is connected to the CG art, which wasn’t always by the same artist as the excellent character sprites and whenever that happened, the contrast in quality was impossible to miss. Still, it could hardly ruin the overall impression – sometimes simply getting the basics right to this degree is enough for a compelling experience. And with 3-4 hours of content, it’s an excellent way to fill one or two evenings – if you’re a fan of otome, yuri (the GxG route is arguably the best one in the game) or romance stories in general, you’ll likely enjoy this one a lot.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Highly Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a href="https://amesyflo.itch.io/dream-dilemma" rel="external nofollow">Dream Dilemma!</a></span></b></u></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzMxNjI4NjUucG5n/original/ffSAp3.png" height="317" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzMxNjI4NjUucG5n/original/ffSAp3.png" width="400" /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Dream Dilemma </i>is less of a romance game and more of a short horror story, although the main pairing between the female protagonist and her “destined” soulmate, who shows up in her dreams since her childhood, is central to the plot. Sadly, what is a rather excellent concept is brought down rather significantly by rushed execution. The protagonist’s recurring dream, always featuring the same person who seems to age alongside her and interact with her (although without the ability to speak with each other or otherwise exchange complex information), is disturbed by the appearance of a nefarious being that introduces himself as Phebetor. Our lead, being on the demon’s mercy, has to solve his three riddles to avoid death (or, possibly worse than that, endless torment), and learn the truth about the boy that accompanied her in her sleep nearly every night.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> The promising setup, mixing some very modern VN horror tricks with themes from Greek mythology is not completely wasted here, but simply does not receive the buildup and genuine tension it needed to be truly effective. Especially the connection between the protagonist and the boy she sees in her dreams just screamed for more elaboration and romantic tension, which would make their eventual meeting in the real world more meaningful to the reader. Still, the framework of the story is rather solid and with how short the game is, it doesn’t cost much to check it out and reach all the possible endings – just don’t expect anything more than a quick distraction.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Cautiously Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a href="https://elseth.itch.io/the-punniest-pun-messter" rel="external nofollow">The Punniest Pun Messter</a><br /></span></b></u></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"></span></span></p><i></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"></span></span></p><i></i><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ABJh-8ttQ5VEko_LF_TGBV07uMoQit_mmhQ0wL-rC3O3t0PkD4OrNxBTvfaEUMzxeWKsCQA_Wy21sY05cMv97U2UzGxsm6IzteagsGERVp_KNEkh1y3ktB8LwCfgLI85XMoIrbIu39dZ/s943/ppm.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="943" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ABJh-8ttQ5VEko_LF_TGBV07uMoQit_mmhQ0wL-rC3O3t0PkD4OrNxBTvfaEUMzxeWKsCQA_Wy21sY05cMv97U2UzGxsm6IzteagsGERVp_KNEkh1y3ktB8LwCfgLI85XMoIrbIu39dZ/w400-h316/ppm.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Punniest Pun Messter</i><b> </b>is the most amateurish of the games on this list, with very simple visuals and absurd writing, but it’s not necessarily without its charm… And not without quite a lot of content, as it offers a script of over 80k words and three fully-fledged routes. This story of a female protagonist who’s been cursed by the mysterious “Jester” to constantly spew puns, and her similarly quirky high school friends, do not shy away from some painfully dry humour and old internet memes. However, it also involves wild plot twists and general silliness that you might associate with amateur projects made purely for fun – and if you approach it with an appropriate attitude, a lot of that enjoyment will be preserved in the reading experience.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Obviously, the production quality is not the selling point here and while the crude sprites and simple photographic backgrounds could be seen part of the semi-parodistic formula, the choice of stock music is arguably abysmal and I highly recommend bringing your own soundtrack if you want to read this one. Also, to be completely clear, despite its meme’y nature, the game is highly inoffensive and generally kind-spirited. It’s also not completely random or self-indulgent – there is a genuine story in there, buried under the mountain of dad-jokes and purposefully-awkward references to internet folklore. While I won’t recommend everyone to check it out, if you’re looking for some silly entertainment, it’s not as bad of a choice as the crooked character designs could suggest and I imagine that in the future, if they have such ambition, this VN's author could create something genuinely interesting.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Cautiously Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a href="https://hitormissy.itch.io/red-handed-robin" rel="external nofollow">Red-Handed Robin</a></span></span></b></u></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="3R+E7R.png" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzMyNDIzNjEucG5n/original/3R+E7R.png" height="317" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzMyNDIzNjEucG5n/original/3R+E7R.png" width="400" /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Including <i>Red-Handed Robin</i> on this list goes against my usual policy of only covering finished projects, as for the time being only the first half of it is available, but it’s a game that is already shaping up quite well and a full version of which I’m heavily anticipating. This story of Robin, a con-woman involved in the murder of a wealthy jeweller (with a passion for imprisoning and murdering his lovers) is plenty-twisted, but also does a pretty great job of referencing and subverting classic themes from detective stories. While trying to flee the country on a luxury train, along with the aforementioned jeweller’s servant (who helped her escape captivity and kill him), Robin meets her childhood friend – a former servant in her house that vanished suddenly, but now is revealed to be a police investigator. This provokes a battle of wits – and affection – that will decide whether, and in what way, Robin might get away with her crimes and how she will reconcile with the troubled history of her family.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> While I can’t say for sure how compelling the resolution of the story is going to be, particularly with the first chapter being rather short and apparently containing most of the choices important for the plot’s resolution, the setup that is already here is genuinely brilliant. The fun dialogue and moral ambiguity of the central characters, combined with the complex relationships they share have tons of potential and even if this won’t be used to the fullest, it’s very likely to offer a fun and satisfying experience. While I don’t necessarily recommend to read this game in its incomplete state, I will suggest checking it out as soon as the complete story is released – particularly because it looks and sounds just as good as it reads.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="line-height: 1.15; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.15;"><u style="line-height: 1.15;"><b style="line-height: 1.15;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif; line-height: 1.15;"><a href="https://katy133.itch.io/dear-devere" rel="external nofollow" style="line-height: 1.15;">Dear Devere</a></span></b></u></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.15; text-align: center;"><img class="ipsImage" height="400" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddxwl5d-6bf6f712-7bb3-4599-bbeb-c3282ea4c9b5.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3sicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHh3bDVkLTZiZjZmNzEyLTdiYjMtNDU5OS1iYmViLWMzMjgyZWE0YzliNS5qcGcifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6ZmlsZS5kb3dubG9hZCJdfQ.uWp8vf-xdvohDjMdV931YXNY9bedr46YbkOiGDCB7Gw" width="400" /><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Katy133’s <i>Dear Devere</i> is not a traditional VN, but more of an epistolary novel, telling a supernatural love story through letters exchanged between a lonely young woman and a mysterious Mr Devere, all in a small town in the WW2-era Britain. While it’s a short game, and maybe a tiny bit rushed when it goes to romance, it offers some very nice artistic qualities. Most letters are elaborately (and beautifully) illustrated, making the game’s mode of storytelling surprisingly compelling in its visuals. Also, the letters between the protagonist and Devere are fully voice acted, giving the experience additional personality and relaxed pacing (the latter being, in a way, quite appropriate for a story told through correspondence). Another interesting touch is the perspective from which we learn the story – that of a police detective investigating the protagonist’s fate.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> If I had to summarize <i>Dear Devere </i>with one word, it would be “charming” – it’s a lovely little experience that is more about style and composition than it is about the plot, but isn’t truly devoid of substance either. With how short it is, there are really few reasons to not give it a try and appreciate all the amusing details and unique illustrations it includes – and if you also get charmed by its slightly mystical romance, all the better.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Recommended</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><a href="https://tofu-sheets-visual.itch.io/since-when-did-i-have-a-combat-butler">Since When Did I Have a Combat Butler?!</a></span><br /></span></b></u></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"></span></span></p><i></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAk3DNSMA5gyNsw7kAYI5zOM5vOyTqgPhAVvUHLJKLQqYdzbmdCKT2Br7CF0BpXqWGi9aRSRiL5S7OVgjrfc4t3eQDV8miN7X_Zfs3AGApqnhLB5Sh5KdTZDJjSPVRn9_sg5khJCYFEZSV/s640/swdihacb.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAk3DNSMA5gyNsw7kAYI5zOM5vOyTqgPhAVvUHLJKLQqYdzbmdCKT2Br7CF0BpXqWGi9aRSRiL5S7OVgjrfc4t3eQDV8miN7X_Zfs3AGApqnhLB5Sh5KdTZDJjSPVRn9_sg5khJCYFEZSV/w400-h300/swdihacb.png" width="400" /></a></div><i></i><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>SWDIHaCB?!</i> is a project unusually ambitious for a game jam and while it has a fair share of problems which make me hesitant to truly recommend reading it, it’s also not without interesting elements. The main one worth mentioning is the voice acting – the game is fully voiced, which with over 16k words in its script (and very little silent narration) means a lot of spoken dialogue. The voicework itself, while quite obviously amateur, is far from being the worst I’ve heard in an EVN – maybe not good enough for me to consider it a clear net-positive for the experience, but I’m pretty picky in this regard and there’s also a non-voiced version available. The plot itself, as unpolished and confusing it can be at times, has some pretty imaginative elements – ultimately, there was a bit more depth than I expected beneath the silly premise of a magical combat butler suddenly appearing in the average high school girl’s life.<br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> When it goes to execution of the story and the production quality, things become slightly harder to defend, pretty much placing the whole game in the same category as <i>The Punniest Pun Messter</i> – an amusing mess. The main sin of <i>SWDIHaCB?!</i>'s authors was trying to do way too many things at once, with none of the many characters and story threads getting enough development and the romance lacking buildup. The CG art has a very peculiar style, very different from the simple, but decent sprites, effectively murdering the impact of the few romantic moments that actually show up in the VN. Combined with the non-professional VA, all this creates a feel of a game in which nothing really works as well as it should – and while it’s not truly bad, I only suggest checking it out to those looking for a particularly silly/whimsical experience. </span></span><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Cautiously Recommended</span></span></b></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">So, that’s it for today’s summary – I hope you enjoyed it and will consider giving some (or all) of these games a chance. While only a few projects in this year’s event truly impressed or surprised me, there are many which are simply very solid and enjoyable, making them deeply attractive offerings as freeware games.<i> Enamored Risks</i> proved to be the highlight among otome ones just through the virtue of keeping things simple and executing the standard romance formula is a very consistent and effective fashion. Someone who reviews pieces of media by the hundreds, like I do, often feels the need to demand innovation and fresh takes on the classic story templates, but simply creating relatable characters and heartwarming romance will never lose its value, and Mikomi’s team really succeeded in this regard. If you’re looking for something different, games like <i>Dear Devere</i> and <i>Red-Handed Robin </i>offer interesting spins on either the mode of storytelling or the usual tropes of VNs.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> As always, there’s a lot of enjoyment to find among NaNoRenO entries – and when it comes to my coverage of it, it’s just the beginning. I hope you’ll be willing to join me in two weeks for the second part of my highlights, this time themed around horror. Thank you for your time!</span></span></p>Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-16487976795203517892020-05-01T22:00:00.000+02:002020-05-02T12:15:36.120+02:00Mizuchi 白蛇心傳 Review (Yuri Visual Novel)<div class="ipsType_richText ipsType_break ipsContained">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="4291fff43d7244f0848fa762908ef652_original.png?ixlib=rb-2.1.0&crop=faces&w=1552&h=873&fit=crop&v=1531028835&auto=format&frame=1&q=92&s=8c2f2962549e7bb3f63d54f757fb7b4c" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="360" src="https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/021/829/984/4291fff43d7244f0848fa762908ef652_original.png?ixlib=rb-2.1.0&crop=faces&w=1552&h=873&fit=crop&v=1531028835&auto=format&frame=1&q=92&s=8c2f2962549e7bb3f63d54f757fb7b4c" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Anyone
observing the EVN scene should know well that yuri, besides being my personal
obsession, is one of the most vibrant niches for non-JP visual
novels, with many studios and creators dedicated to this theme and a
very active fanbase. This seems to be particularly clear nowadays, as
even companies like Winged Cloud, the infamous producers of low-effort
VN smut, capitalized majorly on the trend, producing mostly GxG games
for the past few years. On the other side of the spectrum, Studio Elan recently <a href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2019/03/hearts-of-woods-review-yuri-visual-novel.html">pushed the standard of quality for EVNs in general with their modern fairy tale, Heart of the Woods</a>. As a result, yuri fans have a lot to choose from, both when it goes to quality work and amusing trash.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> The game I’ll be writing about today, Aikawa Collective’s <b><i>Mizuchi 白蛇心傳</i></b>,
definitely aimed for the “quality” side of the spectrum and seemed like
something that could rival Studio Elan’s hit with its climate and
visual spectacle. This yuri-themed retelling of the famous Chinese folk
tale, the Legend of the White Serpent, looked spectacular in its
promotional material and easily reached its Kickstarter goal of $8500 in
September 2018. While the development cycle for it proved long, going 9
months beyond its initial target of August 2019, it never lost its
place as a promising and highly-anticipated yuri EVN. Releasing on
Steam and Itch.io in mid-April 2020, it gathered overwhelmingly positive
feedback – but, did it truly live up to the hype?</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="ddw6xgp-6f641483-fcef-4f3e-9968-0ffa4af4d913.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3sicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHc2eGdwLTZmNjQxNDgzLWZjZWYtNGYzZS05OTY4LTBmZmE0YWY0ZDkxMy5wbmcifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6ZmlsZS5kb3dubG9hZCJdfQ.w8yXhejt5iLSqCFcdOLKcYP-spL8XmOb5x3oLDVL9ro" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="359" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddw6xgp-6f641483-fcef-4f3e-9968-0ffa4af4d913.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3sicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHc2eGdwLTZmNjQxNDgzLWZjZWYtNGYzZS05OTY4LTBmZmE0YWY0ZDkxMy5wbmcifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6ZmlsZS5kb3dubG9hZCJdfQ.w8yXhejt5iLSqCFcdOLKcYP-spL8XmOb5x3oLDVL9ro" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Don’t
worry, for those like me not blessed with proper knowledge of Japanese,
these scenes get explained later on, but not knowing what is said is
actually pretty important for the game’s mystery and climate-building</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Mizuchi</i>
is a story of a young, poor peasant girl from the game’s equivalent of
medieval China (her default name is Linh, but it can be changed). After
years of living a harsh, but simple live as youngest daughter of the
family, she’s unexpectedly proposed to by her childhood friend, who just
came back from serving in a war. Just a few days later, after
discovering something unexpected about her fiancée, she’s falsely
accused of adultery and as a “trial” thrown into a pit of snakes. Left for certain death,
she’s miraculously saved by an entity she assumes to be the serpent god
revered by her community and wakes up in an unfamiliar house, whose
only other inhabitant seems to be the said deity, now using a monstrous,
half-serpent, half-human form. Terrified and confused, she has to
navigate this new situation, made even more complex by the arrival of
Jinhai – a strange, but kind female monk with a deep-running and turbulent
relationship with the serpent goddess.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">
</span></span>While <i>Mizuchi</i> incorporates many fantastical elements, particularly with
the serpent goddess, Ai, being a major focus, at its core it’s a
slice-of-life VN, spending most of its time on the backstories and
personal development of the three main characters. This is often done
with slow-paced, casual interactions and depictions of daily life in the
estate, near-perfectly isolated from the outside world. For those
expecting a more dynamic story, or even a primarily romantic one, this
might be a disappointment, as you’ll find in it at least just as many
discussions about cooking and the local variety of mushroom as you might
scenes that contribute to the romance or plot progression. This
casual-feeling routine is only occasionally broken up by more dramatic
events or tension, with the main axis of conflict being what Jinhai
perceives as Linh’s imprisonment or forced servitude to Ai. Things
change significantly in the final act of each route, with a lot more
stress on supernatural phenomena and higher stakes, but this part might be
slightly hard to get to for anyone not tolerant to slow pacing and very
subtle character development.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="135038.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="360" src="https://s2.vndb.org/sf/38/135038.jpg" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The amount of ultra-casual moments and “pointless” trivia sometimes threaten to devolve into genuine boredom, particularly in some of the scenes in Jinhai’s route</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">The
reason I nearly never had a problem with the game’s relaxed approach to
storytelling is that the setting and characters it builds are excellent
enough to justify it. Linh starts overwhelmed and hurt, limited
in her understanding of the world and striving to come back to her
familiar home despite the struggle and possible danger that awaits her
there. Her journey is mostly one of understanding her full potential and
the injustice of the position she held in her village, which she
previously considered as natural and inescapable. She’s believable in
her reactions and the game delves pretty deep into emotional mechanisms
of trauma, with which she has to deal with over time. All this
definitely has a touch of female empowerment in it, as Linh has to break
free of the constraints and common sense thinking of her extremely
patriarchal and conservative community, with Ai offering her broader
perspective on the world and promising new opportunities. Thankfully,
it’s done well enough to never feel like pandering and is not exactly
detached from the historical realities of medieval China the game takes
inspiration from.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">
Ai’s and Jinhai’s arcs are harder to talk about without spoilers, but
the goddess in particular make for a really interesting character. As a
powerful, shape-shifting spirit often moving between the worlds of
nature and that of people, she has an attitude that combines a form of
misanthropy with curiosity about humans and appreciation of specific
individuals. Her arc is mostly themed around fully understanding humans
and being able to grasp the love and devotion they often show to each
other – a wish clearly signified by her adopted name. Jinhai is arguably
a lesser character, as she’s defined mostly by her
relationship with Ai and the responsibility she feels to keep her in
check. The development she receives is definitely not as deep as that of
the other two main characters and her route, by extension, is less
captivating – which doesn't mean she isn't plenty likeable and doesn't have her own inner conflicts to resolve.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> I previously mentioned that <i>Mizuchi</i>’s
romance arcs are not its central focus and I’m willing to stand by this
claim, although I have some conflicted feelings in this regard. The
game does some really excellent things when it goes to showing intimacy
between the characters when the romance finally blossoms, with a set of
mature, but not explicit scenes for both routes (inexplicably delegated
to a patch on Steam, while they definitely should be a part of the core package and can hardly be considered "adult-only").
The road to those scenes is, however, kind of cliched and pale in
comparison with how interesting the backstories of the characters and
the core intrigue are. The positive part is that each route adds
something to the understanding of the overall story and lore of the
game’s world. Still, the non-romantic “harem” ending felt most
satisfying to me, which is really weird for a yuri fanatic such as
myself. My only explanation is that seeing all the characters staying
together and overcoming traumas of their pasts simply feels like the
best possible outcome, so this friendship scenario ends up being more satisfying than
romance that naturally pushes someone out of the equation.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="135034.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="360" src="https://s2.vndb.org/sf/34/135034.jpg" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The game does a good job of including some nudity and intimacy without explicit visuals – all mild and tasteful enough that the inclusion of Steam content patch for much of it feels pretty uncalled for</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Now,
for genuine complaints, I have very few, but my biggest one is probably
the choice structure. It relies on an invisible affection system, with
some choices contributing to it in a less-than-intuitive manner. This
means that reaching some of the 5 endings, particularly the true ending
for each heroine, can be really frustrating without a guide – while the
number of choices is not massive, the sequence you need for those is
really specific. Also, the execution of some of the endings was somewhat
lacklustre, as they not always managed to explain well-enough what was
going on and maintain reasonable pacing. Also, it’s clear that even
among the “true endings” Ai’s felt a lot more robust and satisfying,
showing where most of the team’s focus actually went.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Visually, <i>Mizuchi </i>is
absolutely beautiful, although it definitely prioritizes quality over
quantity. Because the action of the VN is limited to less than a dozen
locales, all the illustrations are really high-quality and do a great
job of projecting the far-eastern-legend feel of the story. Sprites do
not have much variety when it goes to poses and clothes, but once more
make up for it with being highly-detailed and gorgeous – and to be fair,
the sheer amount of forms Ai shapeshifts into required quite a lot of work to portray properly, in practice creating a significantly higher character count. CGs are relatively few and the high quality of other
art kind of prevents them from having as much impact as they would in an average EVN, but that latter part is something I wish I could complain
about more often. The music is fairly tranquil in its feel, matching the
overall climate of the story – it was very pleasant and never got in
the way of reading, which is just what I want from a VN soundtrack.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> In summary,<i> Mizuch</i>i
is a game with a slightly niche appeal, due to its heavy focus on
slice-of-life content and one that occasionally doesn’t seem to rise to
its authors’ ambitions (particularly with the impact of the romance
subplots). Despite all that, though, I found it to be a rather excellent
experience, with charming characters and story that should satisfy not
only yuri fans – while it doesn’t shy away from delving into the GxG
love stories, its most important parts are much more universal. Its
climate and unique approach to the far-eastern setting are something
that should appeal to a broad audience and I recommend every VN fan that
wasn’t scared off by my earlier criticism to give <i>Mizuchi </i>a chance. Also, as Aikawa’s debut, it’s a very promising achievement – hopefully, they won’t stop there.</span></span>
</div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Final Rating: 4/5</span></span></b>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Pros:</span></span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Beautiful visuals</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Well-constructed, unusual fantasy setting</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Likeable heroines</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Good psychological depth of the main characters</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></span>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Cons:</span></span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Uneven pacing and occasionally dull slice-of-life content</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Unintuitive choice system</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Romance subplots lack impact</span></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://vndb.org/v23853" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">VNDB Page</a></span></span></b></u>
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Buy <i>Mizuchi</i> on <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1121300/Mizuchi/" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Steam</a> or <a href="https://aikasacolle.itch.io/mizuchi" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Itch.io</a></span></span></b></u>
</div>
Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-5668305930080126222020-04-11T22:00:00.000+02:002020-04-12T20:00:46.387+02:00Rainbow Dreams Review (English Original Visual Novel)<div class="ipsType_richText ipsType_break ipsContained">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="68b365d27bde1e47ea63fd2be020bb02_original.jpg?ixlib=rb-2.1.0&crop=faces&w=1552&h=873&fit=crop&v=1550643900&auto=format&frame=1&q=92&s=d3a50907f78d0a15eedfbb445cd29d1e" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="360" src="https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/024/151/021/68b365d27bde1e47ea63fd2be020bb02_original.jpg?ixlib=rb-2.1.0&crop=faces&w=1552&h=873&fit=crop&v=1550643900&auto=format&frame=1&q=92&s=d3a50907f78d0a15eedfbb445cd29d1e" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Epic
Works is a pretty unique phenomenon in the EVN scene: an African studio, developing games openly inspired by Type-Moon's visual novels and other classic chuunige. <a href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2018/11/episicava-vol-1-review-western-visual.html" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Their first release, <i>Episicava</i>, was something of a glorious trainwreck</a>,
launching with multiple technical problems and borderline-unbearable,
edgy storytelling replicating most of the worst tropes of the chuuni game subgenre. The follow-ups included an unholy abomination of a nukige known as<i> <a href="https://vndb.org/v21520" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Analistica Academy</a></i>, and a clunky and inconsistently written, but occasionally appealing RPG VN <i><a href="https://vndb.org/v26189" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Adventurer’s Tale</a></i>.
None of them proved genuinely impressive, but each showed some forms of
progress, particularly in the visual department, which by the time of <i>The Adventurer’s Tale</i>’s release got both appealing and consistent in style and quality.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">
As unhealthy curiosity is one of the driving forces behind my blogging endeavours, I couldn’t stop myself from being attracted by the studio’s latest Kickstarter campaign, aimed at creating another chuunige-style VN
in the <i>Episicava </i>universe (although with no direct connection
to the latter’s main plot). Despite my disappointment with their debut titles, I was very interested whether this new project, <b><i>Rainbow Dreams</i></b>,
would represent an improvement for the studio and correct the massive
issues with the tone and writing quality those earlier games suffered from.
And despite apparent development issues and heavy delays, resulting in a January 2020 Steam release (7 months after the initial goal), I’m happy to
say that while not all problems were remedied to an appropriate degree, when it comes to the sheer entertainment factor, <i>Rainbow Dreams</i> is a major step in the right direction.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="rd1_by_szafalesiaka_ddug6lk-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzIwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHVnNmxrLTMxYjBiMGFiLWU2YzAtNDk2NC05YzgyLTE4ODg4ZmY2MWFlMi5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.pkyBbvJs3Oi80rzomH4A1D8Lhqxk-rzHgkenhOhPKYw" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="359" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddug6lk-31b0b0ab-e6c0-4964-9c82-18888ff61ae2.jpg/v1/fill/w_1192,h_670,q_70,strp/rd1_by_szafalesiaka_ddug6lk-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzIwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHVnNmxrLTMxYjBiMGFiLWU2YzAtNDk2NC05YzgyLTE4ODg4ZmY2MWFlMi5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.pkyBbvJs3Oi80rzomH4A1D8Lhqxk-rzHgkenhOhPKYw" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">As
usual, the Epic Works newest protagonist is not exactly balanced, but
at least his attitude is a lot more bearable than that of his
predecessors</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">The story of <i>Rainbow Dreams</i>
is the most straightforward power and romantic fantasy imaginable: an immensely talented, but troubled teen, Luka, is suddenly approached by a girl claiming to be the god of his universe. Nearly as soon as they
meet, she reveals that the protagonist is her soulmate and fellow god,
created by an accident millennia ago, and that she left the heavens to
become his partner. And while you can’t go much higher when it goes to
power levels and convenience for the main character, there’s also a
problem: while the goddess, Myra, is benevolent and don’t waste time
showing her power by changing the protagonist’s life for the better, the
most powerful of her servants, Lara, hate the mortal races and will do
anything to eliminate him and keep her influence over the goddess. To
prevent that from happening, Luka will have to open his heart, learn to
use his newfound powers and understand the link that binds his and
Myra’s souls together.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">
The fact the story is straightforward doesn’t mean that its execution was done without hiccups, mostly drawing from the fact the game was too
short for some of its ideas to be fully fleshed out. This means that
some of the secondary story elements and characters show up and they
aren’t utilized in a meaningful way or don’t get explored beyond the
bare minimum. The most striking example is the witch that shows for
literally one scene, subtly aiding the protagonist and leaving him with a
vague warning that doesn’t match anything happening later in the story.
These problems make the universe of <i>Rainbow Dreams </i>feel a lot less robust than that of<i> Epicisava</i>
and underline the general impression that the game was downscaled from
the team's original ambitions. There’s also the issue of “meaningful
choices” promised in the Kickstarter campaign, which also very likely
got scrapped during the development process: the three choices that made
it to the game are so pointless that it would seriously be better off
being a kinetic novel.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="rd2_by_szafalesiaka_ddug6l2-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzE5IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHVnNmwyLWQxNTY3ZmZjLWVlOTgtNDQ5NC1hODA4LTU1OGE2YzdmMjAwZi5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.D0ntceq349QKdZxyQiCN-LSAfrwT-t90A975Nsyj1yw" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="359" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddug6l2-d1567ffc-ee98-4494-a808-558a6c7f200f.jpg/v1/fill/w_1193,h_670,q_70,strp/rd2_by_szafalesiaka_ddug6l2-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzE5IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHVnNmwyLWQxNTY3ZmZjLWVlOTgtNDQ5NC1hODA4LTU1OGE2YzdmMjAwZi5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.D0ntceq349QKdZxyQiCN-LSAfrwT-t90A975Nsyj1yw" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">As many lines in this game will show you, the quality control it received was not exactly “fine(/i)”</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Characters
are a mixed bag: while the main couple has some things going for them,
the supporting cast differentiates between paper-thin and obnoxious,
with pretty much two exceptions. The protagonist, Luka, represents a
similar misanthropic, overconfident asshole archetype as the <i>Episicava</i>'s
MC, but thankfully toned down to bearable levels: as jaded and arrogant
as he might be, he cares a lot about those close to him and avoids
pointless violence. He also warms up to Myra pretty quickly, masking his thoughts with a nasty attitude, but never truly ignoring her feelings
and taking things around him with proper consideration. Myra herself
poses for a spoiled, naïve princess that left her divine realm on a
reckless adventure, but shows a lot more depth when the perspective
switches to her, or when the stakes get high. Both of these could become
truly compelling characters if the game took more time developing them
and its writing was more consistent, but they’re serviceable nonetheless
and their bickering makes for some fun slice-of-life moments. Whether
the cartoonishly-vile villain, Lara, works for you is probably up to
personal taste, but I found her at least properly menacing – an insane
demigod terrorizing the mortal races by manipulating the goddess is a pretty compelling idea, even if the “mad” part is showed in the game a
lot more than brilliant scheming. Also, most of her screentime is
connected with another decent character – demon Cardea, who combines an
aloof, carefree Façade with a lot of wit and battle prowess gathered
over her centuries-long life.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">
Those that are familiar with Epic Works games will probably know that they’re not free of some weird, questionable elements and in this respect, I have a few, probably most important warnings for those interested in buying<i> Rainbow Dreams</i>. While the game suffers from an unpolished script, with fairly frequent typos and often awkward
English, some storytelling choices also made me scratch my head. Maybe
the most glaring one is Trica, Luka’s best friend who half-jokingly
flirts with him in every interaction, spewing heavy-handed gay "jokes" and
receiving similarly uncomfortable (that is, borderline-bigoted)
responses. Whether you’re sensitive to such stuff might decide whether you’re going to have an enjoyable time with this VN in general.
Thankfully, the actual romance subplot between Luka and Myra is much
more balanced, with a decent amount of agency and respect on both sides.
This also extends to the game’s two sex scenes, which are pretty
vanilla and strongly connected to the romance progression, rather than
showing up as random fanservice (also unlike <i>Episicava</i>, where at least one scene was a pretty awful insert, pointlessly disrespecting one of that game’s strongest female characters).</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="ss_e015b5f4879d46a57ea1482660690c6e0f257aa9.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="360" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/590800/ss_e015b5f4879d46a57ea1482660690c6e0f257aa9.jpg" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The
game’s fighting sequences aren’t necessarily thrilling, but they also
never overstate their welcome or show up without a proper reason</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Rainbow Dream</i>’s
biggest strength, however, lies in its visuals – the general artstyle
is gorgeous and while most of the story is showed through sprites, the
CGs that are present have enough variants and look good enough to create
a relatively dynamic experience. The weakest part of it all is
probably fighting scenes, which mostly rely on a small set of
frequently-reused illustrations, but they aren’t an as big part of the
experience as they’re in an average chuunige, and the flow of the
battles (as it is presented through text) is pretty unique each time.
The music is pretty upbeat most of the time, matching the relatively lighthearted tone of the story, although it can get intense in the
dramatic moments – none of it is particularly memorable, but it does its
job.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> In summary, <i>Rainbow Dreams </i>is
a serviceable VN – it does not rise to excellence in any department and
has a good number of issues big and small, but also manages to be just
enjoyable enough to justify its existence. With 5-6 hours of content and
already mentioned lack of polish, one could argue whether it’s worth
the $10 price tag, but I’d have no issues to recommend giving it a
chance when it goes on sale. And despite not being that impressed with
it, I’d still be happy to see it get some recognition and encourage Epic
Works to continue working on their VN formula and their skills as
developers – more diversity is never a bad thing and the chuunige niche
in EVNs is distinctly underdeveloped. Whether the relative lack of
interest for their latest releases prevents that, only time will tell…</span></span>
</div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Final Rating: 2,5/5</span></span></b>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Pros:</span></span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ High-quality visuals</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Fun, straightforward main plot</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></span>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Cons:</span></span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Unpolished script</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Underdeveloped/forgotten story threads</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Weird/questionable moments</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Choices are not just meaningless, but pointless</span></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://vndb.org/v20128" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">VNDB Page</a></span></span></b></u>
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Buy <i>Rainbow Dreams</i> on <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/590800/Rainbow_Dreams/" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Steam</a> or <a href="https://tophatstudios.itch.io/rainbow-dreams" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Itch.io</a></span></span></b></u>
</div>
Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-58204191239573504082020-03-27T20:00:00.001+01:002020-06-19T12:04:33.947+02:00The End of an Actress Review (English Original Visual Novel)<div class="ipsType_richText ipsType_break ipsContained">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="ddtcv59-bff7a86b-0272-4529-86ef-12fa137d14cf.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2E4Yjg4MzU1LWM4YzctNGIxNi04YTdhLTRhYTlmYzFiMDRmZlwvZGR0Y3Y1OS1iZmY3YTg2Yi0wMjcyLTQ1MjktODZlZi0xMmZhMTM3ZDE0Y2YucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.0Squsb_uWzlST1UyXs7lo23tgujMj7PGvJ4vjS3GQ2U" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="275" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddtcv59-bff7a86b-0272-4529-86ef-12fa137d14cf.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2E4Yjg4MzU1LWM4YzctNGIxNi04YTdhLTRhYTlmYzFiMDRmZlwvZGR0Y3Y1OS1iZmY3YTg2Yi0wMjcyLTQ1MjktODZlZi0xMmZhMTM3ZDE0Y2YucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.0Squsb_uWzlST1UyXs7lo23tgujMj7PGvJ4vjS3GQ2U" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Disclaimer: I was provided with a review copy of the game by the developer. All opinions presented are my own.</span></span></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Human
beings are contradictory creatures, whose behaviour is rarely as
consistent as we would like to see and whose motivations are often
complex, to the point they’re not fully understood even by the specific
person themselves. This fact is often minimized in fiction, which
instinctively strives for clear narratives and characters that are
ultimately possible to fully understand and assess according to some
kind of moral standards. At the same time, there’s undeniable value in
exploring the ambiguity of the human condition and ebi-hime is one of
the EVN authors that do it with a borderline-painful consistency, often
creating harsh or melancholic plots and populating her stories with
deeply flawed, realistic-feeling characters. And her latest release, <i><b>The End of an Actress</b></i>, definitely do not break this trend.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">
Released on Steam in late February 2020, this new title by ebi is
loosely based on the last years of Marie Antoinette’s life, where she
was imprisoned by the revolutionaries and eventually executed for her
perceived crimes against the French people. It transfers these core
events and many features of the queen’s biography into a fictional setting, closely resembling 18th-century France, but without any
pretences for full historical accuracy. However, instead of a grant
political tale, what plays out on this stage is a very intimate drama
involving the deposed queen, Liliane, and Marcus, a revolutionary who
led the assault on her palace and unwittingly became her jailor. In
isolation and hopelessness, the relationship between the two will be
redefined in a few possible directions, fluctuating between naïve
fascination, hate and, possibly, mutual understanding and affection,
making for a rather captivating literary experience and one of my new
favourites in ebi’s catalogue. But what makes it this special?</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-ipslightbox-group="g98026" data-ipslightbox="" href="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1147760/ss_67191df504013f0fd528a9122f329be1cbc88f25.1920x1080.jpg?t=1582320596" title="Enlarge image"><img alt="ss_67191df504013f0fd528a9122f329be1cbc88f25.1920x1080.jpg?t=1582320596" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="562" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1147760/ss_67191df504013f0fd528a9122f329be1cbc88f25.1920x1080.jpg?t=1582320596" style="height: auto; width: 800px;" width="1000" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Considering
its inspiration, the game’s plot leads to some predictably grim
conclusions – however, it’s hardly a full-on utsuge, featuring many
ambivalent, and even hopeful moments</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Me calling <i>The End of an Actress</i>
“intimate” is connected less to its romantic elements and more to its
storytelling formula, focused very heavily on interactions between
Liliane and Marcus, with other characters present in a purely episodic
manner, usually without even having sprites. After capturing the queen,
Marcus is tasked with keeping her imprisoned in her palace until she can
be tried for her crimes – a process that is constantly prolonged by the
legal and political disputes between the revolutionaries. With Liliane
permanently confined to her bedroom and Marcus, as the most trusted
agent of the revolution’s leadership, unable to leave his post as her
jailor, the two become the only meaningful sources of human interaction
for each other for months-on-end. In this time they have many
opportunities to rework their preconceptions about each other and the
peculiar “relationship” they shared – a hopeless fascination of a poor
orphan, sparked by the queen that once embodied hope and national pride,
but became the reviled symbol of monarchy’s corruption, turning all
that love into disappointment and hate.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">
While we observe the story primarily from Marcus’ perspective, the most
interesting part of it is probably still the queen. Proud and arrogant,
she never allows herself to show fear or weakness, even when her life
is threatened by the revolutionaries. She also seems to show little
remorse for the disastrous reign, despite being confronted with her
failings by Marcus on multiple occasions. Over time, however, she shows
more of her true thoughts, as fatigue and new tragedies striking her
family make her persona crumble. Her relationship with Markus evolves
accordingly, although how far this change will go depends on the
player’s choices. There’s even an option in which Markus kills Liliane
immediately after storming the palace, which is more or less the outcome
she hoped for, allowing her to escape the humiliation of being
imprisoned and executed like a criminal. Other endings, while also
tragic in their own ways, involve Marcus and Liliane getting closer to
understanding each other and forming a genuine bond – with the “best”
ending blooming into a short, hopeless romance.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-ipslightbox-group="g98026" data-ipslightbox="" href="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1147760/ss_c899d48d0c38500f3cc092e6d2dcd5baf7869fbb.1920x1080.jpg?t=1582320596" title="Enlarge image"><img alt="ss_c899d48d0c38500f3cc092e6d2dcd5baf7869fbb.1920x1080.jpg?t=1582320596" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="562" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1147760/ss_c899d48d0c38500f3cc092e6d2dcd5baf7869fbb.1920x1080.jpg?t=1582320596" style="height: auto; width: 800px;" width="1000" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">The
game’s art, with its level of detail and otome-feeling character
designs, does a good job of presenting the quasi-historical setting and
building appropriate climate</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">While
the game definitely has an utsuge vibe, with no “happy ending” that
could fully circumvent the characters’ hopeless circumstances, I
wouldn’t necessarily call it depressing. It focuses less on the
impending death that is awaiting Liliane, and more on the paths that led
her and Markus to this point, along with their clashing personalities
and ideals. The true strength of the VN lies exactly with how compelling
they are as characters – both are essentially wearing masks, playing
roles they think they’re obliged to perform while hiding their true
feeling and the pain the current situation brings them. The more their
façades crack, the more complex things become, with internal conflict,
regrets and vulnerabilities showing up on each side. Particularly the
character of Liliane is, even at her most sympathetic moments, highly
ambiguous, quite like her historical counterpart. Her unhappiness and
limited influence in no way absolving her selfishness and careless
pursuit of pleasure at the time when her kingdom was crumbling, but lets
the reader understand her better. At the point they’re at, neither
Liliane nor Markus can hope for redemption, but they can achieve some
kind of closure and the endings in which this happens are, in my
opinion, more touching than plain sad.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">
In the “best” route, the romance between the queen and Marcus leads to
the game’s sole sex scene, which is quite like the one <a href="https://fuwanovel.net/reviews/2019/08/10/the-language-of-love/" rel="">I complimented last year in ebi's <i>The Language of Love</i></a>
– not overly explicit and very much story-relevant. I was quite worried
it would feel out of place considering the dire circumstances the
characters are at, particularly in the later parts of the story, but it
felt like an appropriate and believable conclusion to the troubled
romance, exploring the characters in new ways. I find this “softcore”
formula a lot more meaningful than the typical h-scenes and I’m glad
that’s how the erotic content was dealt with in this case. And speaking
more broadly, I have a hard time pointing out something I didn’t like
about the story in<i> The End of an Actress</i>. The biggest one I can
think of is that between the 5 different endings, not all of them are
very distinct. Also, not everyone will be satisfied with its
small-scale, melodramatic approach to topic, resembling a minimalistic
stage play rather than an epic political drama, but I think that it was
excellent in what it was trying to achieve. Even the way the queen’s
character has been modified, being younger and less politically involved
than her historical inspiration, shows that this was meant to be, above
all, the story of her and Markus as people, very much succeeding in
this task.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-ipslightbox-group="g98026" data-ipslightbox="" href="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddsr7g3-92e60ad0-f9e5-4c03-ad3f-40078901223d.jpg/v1/fill/w_1195,h_668,q_70,strp/doaa_by_szafalesiaka_ddsr7g3-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzE2IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHNyN2czLTkyZTYwYWQwLWY5ZTUtNGMwMy1hZDNmLTQwMDc4OTAxMjIzZC5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.rrrOkvHHqjP5zJHavKP__jQoTeQ4pyUTPz78BeEnqsA" title="Enlarge image"><img alt="doaa_by_szafalesiaka_ddsr7g3-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzE2IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHNyN2czLTkyZTYwYWQwLWY5ZTUtNGMwMy1hZDNmLTQwMDc4OTAxMjIzZC5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.rrrOkvHHqjP5zJHavKP__jQoTeQ4pyUTPz78BeEnqsA" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="558" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddsr7g3-92e60ad0-f9e5-4c03-ad3f-40078901223d.jpg/v1/fill/w_1195,h_668,q_70,strp/doaa_by_szafalesiaka_ddsr7g3-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzE2IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHNyN2czLTkyZTYwYWQwLWY5ZTUtNGMwMy1hZDNmLTQwMDc4OTAxMjIzZC5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.rrrOkvHHqjP5zJHavKP__jQoTeQ4pyUTPz78BeEnqsA" style="height: auto; width: 800px;" width="1000" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">The
typos in the initial release often showed up in most unfortunate
moments, but in my experience, such details are pretty much as far as
this game’s flaws go</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Visually,
the game uses a rather detailed artstyle somewhat resembling otome
games, which are also quite often period dramas – this also applies to
Markus’ design, as he could easily pass as an ikemen in an Otomate
title. The setting, while fictionalized, represents XVIII-century France
in a rather believable manner, with environments and various details of
daily life seeming decently-researched and consistent. For history
buffs, the highly-simplified version of the French Revolution, starting
with the abolition of monarchy and imprisonment of the royal family,
might be something of a disappointment, but it's believable-enough as
its own story and gives all the necessary context for the core
narrative, that is one about the relationship between Lilian and Markus.
The minimalism of the story also made it possible for the few
backgrounds and CGs being decently-detailed and while the game does not
linger on the extravagance of the royal palace or show much of Liliane’s
life before imprisonment, it gives a good-enough impression of its
lavishness. And finally, the music consisting mostly of classical tunes,
would not be out of place in a good TV drama set in the same period –
it's nice to listen to, despite the overall sad tone and enhances the
climate of the whole experience. There's even an original song that
kicks in during some of the most touching moments of the story and
although I usually prefer instrumental background music in VNs, this one
blended in very well without taking me out of the experience.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Ultimately, <i>The End of an Actress</i>
was a highly refreshing and satisfying experience for me, using a
formula heavily under-utilized in VNs other than otome and telling a
genuinely emotional, impactful story. While its clear focus on personal
drama and romance will not appeal to everyone, it delivered on its
promises and kept good pacing and climate all the way through. While I
had a somewhat <a href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2018/10/blackberry-honey-review-yuri-visual.html">ambivalent experience reading ebi's previous period drama, <i>Blackberry Honey</i></a>, being tired of the persecution the
protagonist constantly suffered through and the extremely slow story
progression, here I was kept engaged by the consistent character development and
thought-provoking ambiguity of the events. It wasn't perfect, as the
romance didn't avoid a few cheesy moments and the first bad ending CG
got a clearly-unintended chuckle out of me, but such details could not
really undermine my overall, extremely positive impression. If this kind
of story is even remotely within your preference, I deeply recommend
giving this VN a try – in its category, there are few better ones. </span></span>
</div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Final Rating: 4,5/5</span></span></b>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Pros:</span></span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ An interesting, complex relationship between the main characters</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Well-constructed quasi-historical setting</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ High-quality art</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Climatic soundtrack</span></span>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Cons:</span></span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Some endings feel similar to each other/repetitive</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">The political context is only vaguely portrayed, as a background for the personal/romance drama</span></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://vndb.org/v24666" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">VNDB Page</a></span></span></b></u>
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Buy <i>The End of an Actress</i> <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1147760/The_End_of_an_Actress/" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">on Steam</a> or <a href="https://ebihime.itch.io/actress" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Itch.io</a></span></span></b></u>
</div>
Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-87350467327044586692020-03-06T23:00:00.000+01:002020-03-06T23:00:04.686+01:00EVN Chronicles' Steam Curator Wrap-Up – Winter 2020 (Legend of Everything; Weeping Willow; Usagiri; Revenant March; Tell a Demon)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Hello and welcome to EVN Chronicles' seasonal Steam Curator Wrap-up, where I cover the VNs sent to me for review through Steam's Curator Connect functionality. Lately, I’ve come to a sad realisation that I’m unlikely to keep up with all the games I’m receiving, with the appropriate tab in my Steam library growing more and more intimidating over time. However, I’ll be still working to give a chance to as many of them as possible, and assess them for all of you.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> This time around, I've been able to check out five titles, the main highlight being the newest VN by the Indonesian studio Kidalang, <i><a data-cke-saved-href="https://vndb.org/v26895" href="https://vndb.org/v26895" rel="external nofollow">Legend of Everything</a></i>, with its deeply unique spin on the isekai formula. This is, however, not where the interesting stuff ends, as the climatic <i><a data-cke-saved-href="https://vndb.org/v27702" href="https://vndb.org/v27702" rel="external nofollow">Revenant March</a></i> and wonderfully-stylized <i><a data-cke-saved-href="https://vndb.org/v19044" href="https://vndb.org/v19044" rel="external nofollow">Tell a Demon</a></i> also proved to be strong contenders, making this one of the most compelling lists I've worked on in this series. So, please join me in this brief overview and if any of the games catch your interest, you can go straight to their Steam pages by clicking their titles. Enjoy!</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1165020/Legend_of_Everything/" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1165020/Legend_of_Everything/" rel="external nofollow">Legend of Everything</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="header.jpg?t=1573275145" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1165020/header.jpg?t=1573275145" height="215" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1165020/header.jpg?t=1573275145" width="460" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Legend of Everything</i> is definitely the most unusual visual novel in today’s post, particularly because of its subject matter. At first glance, it might look like a simple spin on the isekai formula, with an inhabitant of a fantasy-themed, video game world being the protagonist and interacting with a particularly chaotic person transported there from our reality. However, pretty soon it transforms into a giant thought experiment, and basically a lecture on the simulation hypothesis – the idea that our universe is actually a simulation created by some advanced intelligence. This notion might seem absurd at first glance, but is made less so the more you learn about modern physics theory and strangely arbitral rules that govern various phenomena it describes. While never fully abandoning the formula of comedic fantasy adventure, <i>Legend of Everything</i> thoroughly explores this idea and conveys tons of legitimate science knowledge, basically becoming the most moe course on modern science you're likely to can find, presented in a highly accessible, but genuinely educational way. If you’re at least marginally interested in this kind of topics, the game should be quite enjoyable to you.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> What’s less impressive, in my opinion, is the visual side of the experience, dependent on subpar-quality 3D sprites and environments. It’s particularly disappointing in contrast with the rather-stylish art in this studio's previous titles, <i><a data-cke-saved-href="https://vndb.org/v17094" href="https://vndb.org/v17094" rel="external nofollow">An Octave Higher</a></i> and <i><a data-cke-saved-href="https://vndb.org/v19167" href="https://vndb.org/v19167" rel="external nofollow">One Small Fire at a Time</a></i>. However, I was pretty quickly able to look past it thanks to how enjoyable the writing was, consistently combining well-constructed science discussions with quirky characters and humour, and even some epic and heartfelt moments worthy of a “proper” fantasy story. Saying anything more would inevitably involve spoilers, so I’ll simply recommend everyone to check this game out – it offers a lot more than you’d expect at first glance.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final rating: Highly Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1128570/Weeping_Willow__Detective_Visual_Novel/" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1128570/Weeping_Willow__Detective_Visual_Novel/" rel="external nofollow">Weeping Willow</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="header.jpg?t=1574342324" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1128570/header.jpg?t=1574342324" height="215" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1128570/header.jpg?t=1574342324" width="460" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Weeping Willow</i> is a short (2-3 hours of reading, no choices) detective story observed from the perspective of Sophie, a young demi-human woman whose recently-wed husband, a wealthy noble, disappeared mysteriously during a plague. After she starts working with the local investigator to learn what happened, a man claiming to be the missing Baron von Wolf enters her house. Desperate to expose the impostor before she’s removed as an obstacle, but without appropriate proof, she has to cooperate with the investigator, who's also suspicious of the Baron’s sudden “return”. This creates a tense, high-stakes story with a decent amount of twists, while Sophie fights to preserve both her life and her sanity amid a conspiracy that proves even more complex and hard to break than she could imagine.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Once more, saying anything more would inevitably involve spoilers, as the story relies very heavily on mystery and subverting reader’s expectations. While the plot involves some minor contrivances if you analyse it closely enough, I have to say that I deeply enjoyed the writing and production quality the game offered. The art and music were maybe not exceptional, but fully serviceable and the intrigue never stopped being suspenseful. Also, for the low price of $2, it’s an amazing value proposition. If murder mystery and detective stories are your things, you should definitely check this one out.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final rating: Highly Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1165020/Legend_of_Everything/" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1165020/Legend_of_Everything/" rel="external nofollow">Usagiri</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="header.jpg?t=1580127714" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1153950/header.jpg?t=1580127714" height="215" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1153950/header.jpg?t=1580127714" width="460" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">The newest game by a veteran of this section, Mikołaj Spychał, is something of a disappointment even by the humble standards of his usual output. It tells a story of a person (you can choose the protagonist’s name and gender) who becomes a patron for two bunnygirls – humanoids that appeared on modern Earth in mysterious circumstances and were all placed under an assimilation program, where they receive education and get acclimated to human society under volunteer caretakers. The protagonist is one such volunteer, anxiously awaiting their first assignment</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">.</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> What follows this brief setup is an extremely fluffy and by-the-numbers slice of life story without any real twists, or even romantic elements one would usually expect. </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">While this is not a huge issue by itself, when coupled with relatively low production values, just around 3 hours of linear story and the relatively steep $10 price tag, there’s really no way to recommend buying this game. The author’s previous titles at least let you derive some entertainment from their unusual approach to romance and the ability to utterly ruin it with irresponsible decisions. This time around, even this hook is absent, which alongside purely-meaningless choices condemned the game into being utterly generic and forgettable. You can feel free to skip this one.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final rating: Not Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1118000/Revenant_March/" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1118000/Revenant_March/" rel="external nofollow">Revenant March</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="header.jpg?t=1579583063" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1118000/header.jpg?t=1579583063" height="215" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1118000/header.jpg?t=1579583063" width="460" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Revenant March</i> is another one of those low-budget EVNs that might look very unassuming, but compensate for that with strong climate and imaginative setting. This short mystery game follows the story of Olenine, a young exorcist who gets hired by a powerful merchant to save his daughter from a town beset by a curse. After travelling through magical mist, she finds her target kidnapped by a powerful spirit and the town’s community extremely hard to cooperate with, despite being besieged by an army of undead. To succeed, she’ll have to uncover the many secrets hidden in the town, including the one directly connected to the spirit’s presence – and not die while doing so. Quite appropriately to this theme, progressing through the game involves navigating a massive maze of choices (including many dead ends) through which Olenine attempts to gather information and build alliances with people crucial for her goals. At the same time, we’re learning details from her own, disturbing past, and the path that led her to the craft of dealing with the dead.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> The game, at first, seems pretty simple visually, but includes a lot of assets which are all stylized in a way that reinforces the suffocating, gloomy tone of the story. There’s a good number of major characters that are important for uncovering the town’s secrets, pretty much all of them very decently designed, and well fleshed out when it goes to personalities and motivations. Despite the rather brief main story (3-4 hours), <i>Revenant March</i> managed to be just as multi-layered and full of twists as I'd expect from a good mystery game, and even the sub-optimal ending I've reached on my first playthrough was pretty satisfying. The only real negative might be the choice-maze which makes it really hard to identify the path leading to the best ending, which also unlocks an epilogue expanding on Olenine's story. Even with this small caveat though, it's a worthwhile experience for anyone liking the mystery/investigation genre – if you're even remotely interested in those, I highly recommend checking out this VN.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final rating: Highly Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/679230/Tell_a_Demon/" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/679230/Tell_a_Demon/" rel="external nofollow">Tell a Demon</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="header.jpg?t=1575762720" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/679230/header.jpg?t=1575762720" height="215" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/679230/header.jpg?t=1575762720" width="460" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Tell a Demon</i>, the sequel to a freeware VN <i><a data-cke-saved-href="http://vndb.org/v14816" href="http://vndb.org/v14816" rel="external nofollow">Asher</a></i>, is not a new release, first appearing on Steam in mid-2017. It is, however, obscure enough that it completely escaped my attention before being sent to me through Curator Connect – and I’m glad it was, as this small series, despite some issues I have with its mechanics, has many interesting things to offer. It utilizes a unique Urban Fantasy setting, taking place in a city on a secluded continent, once ruled by the universally despised, immortal Empress. While the tyrannical monarch was killed by one of the nobles from her court, the blood-drinking demons she created, as both servants and enforcers, still roam the land, despite being considered a mere legend by the general public. Both games involve the same set of central characters, demons and those whose lives are influenced by them in the shadowy corners of the Asher city, stylized after 1920’s US but full of magic and hidden, ancient artefacts.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> <i> Tell a Demon</i> combines this setting with a striking, painting-like artstyle and a complex intrigue with three protagonists, the fate of whom will be decided by the player’s choices. Those choices, however, might be the single biggest issues I have with the game – with the number of them present and the ability to either pick a dialogue option or let it time out, they create a maze-like structure that only the most dedicated readers should approach without a guide. This is more of a personal preference though and other than that, the game’s complex world, eerie climate and atmospheric music are deeply enjoyable. I’d recommend<i> Tell a Demon </i>to anyone interested in mystery VNs that escape the usual tropes – although if you’re not sure it’ll be to your liking, it’s anyway highly advisable to read <i>Asher</i> first and familiarize yourself with the setting, some of the main characters and the visual style of the series.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Highly Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Like I’ve mentioned, today's list was rather exceptional when it goes to the quality of games that got sent to me and it’s always very satisfying when I can compliment the developers that decided to share their work with me. With the sad, but somewhat expected exception of <i>Usagiri</i>, all these VNs impressed me with their creativity and interesting concepts. In this, they’re showcasing the best features of the EVN niche, able to overcome its small budgets and often tiny development teams through creativity and ability to escape overused tropes. I hope you’ll consider giving at least some of them a chance.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Have a great weekend everyone, and until next time!</span></span></div>
Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-46670635876562956462020-02-21T19:30:00.000+01:002020-02-21T21:48:00.083+01:00VenusBlood FRONTIER International Steam Version Review (Japanese Visual Novel/SRPG)<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="MHDDX3XanN8iq1isPpVJ6IQ91FonDL01AAtfBd3xJsU.jpg?width=680&height=356.020942408&auto=webp&s=41d04473c39a2c3f9509bb594e8e94978aa5d68e" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://external-preview.redd.it/MHDDX3XanN8iq1isPpVJ6IQ91FonDL01AAtfBd3xJsU.jpg?width=680&height=356.020942408&auto=webp&s=41d04473c39a2c3f9509bb594e8e94978aa5d68e" height="335" src="https://external-preview.redd.it/MHDDX3XanN8iq1isPpVJ6IQ91FonDL01AAtfBd3xJsU.jpg?width=680&height=356.020942408&auto=webp&s=41d04473c39a2c3f9509bb594e8e94978aa5d68e" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">When it goes to the Western market for Japanese eroge,<i style="font-weight: bold;"> VenusBlood FRONTIER</i> is one of the most interesting marketing phenomena in the recent past. Belonging to a series that is most known for its corruption theme and related sexual content, it was rather brilliantly rebranded with a focus on its in-depth gameplay mechanics and the morality system which allows players to shape the fate of its fantasy world in various drastic ways. It is also a game I was highly anticipating because of its rare premise – the ability to play as an anti-hero protagonist who can either become a ruthless oppressor, or a benevolent tyrant protecting the world from destruction and terror. All this coupled with a set of goddess heroines that can be either corrupted into obedient tools, or allied with for the goal of protecting the innocent people trapped in the apocalyptic conflict, and destroying those responsible for starting it.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> The international version of <i>FRONTIER</i> is also a bit more than just a Western release of a classic SRPG – it is, by most measures, the definitive version of the game, with significant improvements and new content added thanks to the localisation project's Kickstarter funding. Its goal was very clearly to attract both English-speaking and Japanese players, which at the same time it makes it even more of a notable treat for the non-JP audience. High-budget games of this type very rarely appear outside of Japan, and even less often reach Steam, but the Western release involving significant improvements rather than just cuts and localisation-related glitches is borderline unheard of. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></span>This doesn’t mean that the road onto the biggest PC distribution platform was without hurdles: the final version, released in late January 2020, had to make some concessions when it goes to suggestive content and language, deviating from the initial “all ages” version the studio created. However, the full 18+ version is, in the old-school fashion, available for Steam players through a free patch, and what's worth pointing out, even that version gives a convenient option for opting out of all explicit content. Just by selecting the “skip extra scenes” option in the settings you can avoid h-scenes completely, making the whole game pretty approachable to players that would rather skip the porn and focus on the core story. And in my experience, even the most “compromised” Steam version is a complete-feeling and satisfying experience. But, what exactly it has on offer and can Ninetail really hope for it to get the attention of more "normie" crowds?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="vbf1_by_szafalesiaka_ddqf9vi-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzIwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHFmOXZpLWY4ZmQwNjJmLTk2ZGUtNGQ4My04OTg3LTgyYjVlMzJiODU5Yy5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.E8MBVzmRWsPAxF8n1OvrJQOK3I210kC1c7YbE8CkarI" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddqf9vi-f8fd062f-96de-4d83-8987-82b5e32b859c.jpg/v1/fill/w_1192,h_670,q_70,strp/vbf1_by_szafalesiaka_ddqf9vi-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzIwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHFmOXZpLWY4ZmQwNjJmLTk2ZGUtNGQ4My04OTg3LTgyYjVlMzJiODU5Yy5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.E8MBVzmRWsPAxF8n1OvrJQOK3I210kC1c7YbE8CkarI" height="359" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddqf9vi-f8fd062f-96de-4d83-8987-82b5e32b859c.jpg/v1/fill/w_1192,h_670,q_70,strp/vbf1_by_szafalesiaka_ddqf9vi-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzIwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHFmOXZpLWY4ZmQwNjJmLTk2ZGUtNGQ4My04OTg3LTgyYjVlMzJiODU5Yy5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.E8MBVzmRWsPAxF8n1OvrJQOK3I210kC1c7YbE8CkarI" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Loki’s character includes the features of a dangerous villain and a sympathetic underdog, making him an interesting and morally ambiguous lead character</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>VenusBlood FRONTIER</i> follows the story of Loki, a contender to the throne of the Demon Empire coming from a shunned line of the royal family. As the son of a person branded as a traitor, he lived an insignificant life full of humiliation. Thus, when the Demon Lord announces a competition to determine his successor, Loki is the least likely person to win it. Especially because the task in hand – retrieving the Heart of Yggdrasil from the floating continent of the same name, the last land of humans defended by five powerful goddesses – would be an extremely difficult one even for the greatest of demons. For Loki, armed only with his wits, a small band of loyal servants and one barely-functioning airship, it seemed impossible. And that's even without mentioning that he would be competing directly with his four cousins, all of them commanding large armies and possessing massive demonic powers. For Loki, however, this sole occasion to reclaim his family’s status and take vengeance on those that wronged him and his parents was not something he could let slip by.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> The protagonist, in my opinion, is one of the greatest strengths of <i>FRONTIER</i> and perfectly plays into its themes and morality system. Loki is a person full of contradiction, having a strong sense of justice, but also being shaped both by his childhood full of resentment and the brutal realities of the demon realm, where only strength or treachery can let one survive. In the desperate quest for power, he’s willing to do almost anything as long as it serves his goals, using layers upon layers of schemes and deception to best enemies who, at first glance, would seem completely out of his league. His main scheme is by itself deeply immoral, as it involves violating and corrupting the goddesses, effectively stripping them of their free will, to create powerful servants that will let him challenge the Demon Lord. At the same time, he does not employ cruelty or violence just for the sake of it, and his ambitions are in some ways noble – he wants power not as a goal in itself, but to save his mother and claim the vengeance for his father’s death. While you can steer him either towards working for stability and prosperity of the world (under his rule) or towards ruthless conquest, his rational and cunning nature stays mostly the same: it’s simply the question of which part of his personality wins in driving his actions in the end.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="vbf2_by_szafalesiaka_ddqf9v2-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzIwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHFmOXYyLTU0YTQ0YTgzLWNjMWMtNGEwNy04OTFmLTIxN2E0NzE1YmNmNS5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.sC0OqAJYbwSQSRRO8rpeibuxDgEz6TRAj-EjrGMzIjs" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddqf9v2-54a44a83-cc1c-4a07-891f-217a4715bcf5.jpg/v1/fill/w_1192,h_670,q_70,strp/vbf2_by_szafalesiaka_ddqf9v2-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzIwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHFmOXYyLTU0YTQ0YTgzLWNjMWMtNGEwNy04OTFmLTIxN2E0NzE1YmNmNS5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.sC0OqAJYbwSQSRRO8rpeibuxDgEz6TRAj-EjrGMzIjs" height="359" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddqf9v2-54a44a83-cc1c-4a07-891f-217a4715bcf5.jpg/v1/fill/w_1192,h_670,q_70,strp/vbf2_by_szafalesiaka_ddqf9v2-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzIwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHFmOXYyLTU0YTQ0YTgzLWNjMWMtNGEwNy04OTFmLTIxN2E0NzE1YmNmNS5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.sC0OqAJYbwSQSRRO8rpeibuxDgEz6TRAj-EjrGMzIjs" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The game’s morality system and well-paced story create a good degree of emotional impact and player agency, worthy of a high-budget VN, despite the strong focus on gameplay and (originally) h-scenes</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Loki is surrounded by some similarly colourful individuals, such as his personal maid and secretary Fena (who to a large extent raised him after the fall of his family and serves as his most trusted advisor), or the wolfman field commander of his army, Garm. Pretty early in the game, you also start capturing goddesses, who Loki coerces into working for him, and establishing relationships with his three female cousins, Hel, Fenrir and Jorm, that compete with him for the throne. There are several ways in which you can deal with the heroines, using the game’s interaction system. The goddesses can be corrupted and after a certain threshold, they’ll transform into evil versions of themselves, completely loyal to Loki regardless of his actions. They can also be “mingled” with and convinced to place their hopes with Loki as the only person capable of defeating the Dark Lord and preventing the world from falling into ruin.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> What is very unintuitive, to unlock romance endings for the "good" versions of the goddesses and experience the full extent of their stories, you actually have to bring them on the brink of corruption and properly resolve the interactions that result from this – otherwise, you’ll just miss most of it. Similarly, you have to quickly get on the good side of the cousins by "mingling" with them after you recruit them, otherwise, they’ll just leave your army for good and you’ll miss their (quite interesting) arcs, along with the unique story developments that are connected to their presence in the late game.<i> FRONTIER</i> do not really communicate these requirements properly and I’ve missed a lot of content on my first paythrough because of that. Going back to corruption, it’s, interestingly enough, sperate from the karma system that determines the ending you get. Most choices give you either “reign” (good) or “conquest” (evil) points, but all corruption and romance options are compatible with either route if you manage things carefully enough. Some combinations create clear narrative dissonance (like the vile actions committed by the corrupted goddesses in their romance endings, which can clash with your otherwise benevolent rule in “Law” ending), but the ability to create a highly-personalized path through the story is something I hoped from this game and enjoyed a lot.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="vbf3_by_szafalesiaka_ddqf9ut-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzIwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHFmOXV0LTY3Mzk3ZDYzLTY1OTQtNGM3Yy04MDMzLWQxYjJkOTkwYjAyNy5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.66gmz5pke8ncb1Q7B8NUlyDYWknJ0qMOMlREknGoT94" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddqf9ut-67397d63-6594-4c7c-8033-d1b2d990b027.jpg/v1/fill/w_1192,h_670,q_70,strp/vbf3_by_szafalesiaka_ddqf9ut-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzIwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHFmOXV0LTY3Mzk3ZDYzLTY1OTQtNGM3Yy04MDMzLWQxYjJkOTkwYjAyNy5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.66gmz5pke8ncb1Q7B8NUlyDYWknJ0qMOMlREknGoT94" height="359" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddqf9ut-67397d63-6594-4c7c-8033-d1b2d990b027.jpg/v1/fill/w_1192,h_670,q_70,strp/vbf3_by_szafalesiaka_ddqf9ut-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzIwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHFmOXV0LTY3Mzk3ZDYzLTY1OTQtNGM3Yy04MDMzLWQxYjJkOTkwYjAyNy5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.66gmz5pke8ncb1Q7B8NUlyDYWknJ0qMOMlREknGoT94" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The massive number of available units, skills and mechanics influencing your armies’ performance makes place for some incredibly in-depth strategic gameplay</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Gameplay-wise, <i>FRONTIER</i> is a little hard to get into, but offers a lot of depth in its "Strategy RPG" mechanics. This formula, fairly uncommon in Western games, involves training a whole army of units that can level up and be equipped with gear in a fashion similar to JRPGs. These units can then be organized into squads and engage in tactical, turn-based battles. There are dozens of units you can recruit during your play, including commanders such as Loki or the goddesses, who possess powerful active skills, and common soldiers and monsters that form the bulk of your squads. All of them can belong to one of 5 classes and multiple unit types (ex. human, demon, undead, flying), each variation significantly altering their ability to fight in specific positions and against particular enemies. Similarly important are their passive skills, offering often extremely powerful effects, from armor penetration to healing your party at the end of every turn. With additional factors such as terrain types, week cycle with elemental bonuses and gear further complicating things, and with lack of tooltips or easily-accessible help screens, it’s extremely easy to get confused during your early attempts to beat <i>FRONTIER</i>. Thoroughly studying the tutorial available form the main menu is an absolute prerequisite to playing the game with any level of competence, as it doesn’t hold your hand at all if you go straight into the campaign.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Appropriately to the complexity of its mechanics, the game is able to offer an extreme challenge for those interested in it. Playing on medium, I was mostly able to brute-force my way through the battles without switching formations or adjusting my tactics too often. Paradoxically, my laziness at times made the game tedious, as I relied mostly on grinding levels and gear to overcome challenges. On hard, however, that kind of simplistic approach would quickly end in disaster, and the same applies to both New Game+ difficulties. Playing on easy, on the other hand, lets you experience the whole game with no pressure from the enemies and basically no danger of defeat, so it’s the perfect mode to explore alternative story routes. Going back to New Game+, it allows you to not only look for the additional challenge using your well-trained and well-geared army, but unlocks interesting modifiers and the ability to obtain gear and units you can't find on your first playthrough. This gives <i>FRONTIER</i> particularly high replayability for a game of this kind, despite the fairly linear structure of its campaign (outside of the order in which you initially conquer various regions of Ygdrassil and capture the goddesses). Ultimately, it can easily provide dozens of hours of quality content and I’ve personally spent more time with it than I did with any strategy game in a while.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="vbf4_by_szafalesiaka_ddqf9u7-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzIwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHFmOXU3LTA1OGJjYzNjLTlkNjgtNDJiMy1hZjRiLWYzNTQxOTU5OTRmOC5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.VC7vkzy73W5XkjnRR8rjtc8_70R3rNfU2p7M1yW9qS8" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddqf9u7-058bcc3c-9d68-42b3-af4b-f354195994f8.jpg/v1/fill/w_1192,h_670,q_70,strp/vbf4_by_szafalesiaka_ddqf9u7-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzIwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHFmOXU3LTA1OGJjYzNjLTlkNjgtNDJiMy1hZjRiLWYzNTQxOTU5OTRmOC5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.VC7vkzy73W5XkjnRR8rjtc8_70R3rNfU2p7M1yW9qS8" height="359" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddqf9u7-058bcc3c-9d68-42b3-af4b-f354195994f8.jpg/v1/fill/w_1192,h_670,q_70,strp/vbf4_by_szafalesiaka_ddqf9u7-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzIwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZHFmOXU3LTA1OGJjYzNjLTlkNjgtNDJiMy1hZjRiLWYzNTQxOTU5OTRmOC5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.VC7vkzy73W5XkjnRR8rjtc8_70R3rNfU2p7M1yW9qS8" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The overworld UI feels clunky and the infrastructure management is basic, but that lets you focus on dealing with your army and (often very demanding) battles without overwhelming micromanagement</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">From the point of view of production quality, <i>FRONTIER</i> do not stand out very much from other high-budget eroge, but it all-around solid. The biggest complaints I have are connected to the user interface and the overworld map – both look archaic and, even beyond the already-mentioned lack of info on what various stats and mechanics do, are simply not very intuitive to use. The battle screens also look a bit simplistic, with units kind of floating on the screen and, once more, some of the stats are displayed in a way that is not particularly easy to decipher. VN side of things looks much better, and even in the version skipping the vast amount of hentai CGs, the art is plenty and nice to look at. Heroine designs are pretty elaborate, sprites properly expressive, fighting scenes reasonable dynamic and flashy… Generally, everything I’d hope for from a game like this was there, the only surprise being maybe the 4:3 aspect ratio, giving the game an even more archaic feel than the 2012 original release date would justify. Also, it’s probably worth mentioning that despite its relatively-extreme erotic content, the game is not particularly bloody, with occasional macabre being mostly limited to descriptions and not visuals. The soundtrack, for better and worse, is also a rather typical affair for this type of games: quite dynamic, including full songs with lyrics that kick in during the more dramatic moments of the story and which I find near-universally distracting. It’s mostly a matter of taste though and by no definition I'd consider the music bad. The sound design and voice acting left me absolutely nothing to complain about, but that is kind of expected from a Japanese eroge on this level. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Before I wrap up, it’d be appropriate to once more touch upon the issue of the Steam version and the modifications it includes in relation with the game’s "uncut" release. Outside of missing h-scenes, Ninetail was forced to remove some non-explicit story fragments and language that refers to sexual violence – for example, “Train” button in the interaction menu for goddesses was replaced with “Mesmerise” and some dialogue options were stripped of sexually-explicit phrases. The changes aren’t massive and honestly, in some aspects, I preferred how Steam version dealt with things, but for anyone that is sensitive about censorship, downloading the free patch from the developer’s page will restore it to full 18+ version. And ultimately, it’s something I really enjoy about this game’s release – it’s a treat to both eroge fans and those interested solely in its strategy content and the mature-themed story of conquest and politics, without leaving anyone deprived of a version appropriate for their needs. This ability to choose is often lost in the turbulent and underfunded reality of Western VN publishing, and I see what Ninetail did here as a really positive example of what you can achieve if you’re willing to cater to not just one audience group, either all-ages or 18+ oriented. And outside of my personal agenda,<i> FRONTIER</i> defends itself simply as a splendid piece of entertainment and I hope it won’t be the last game from this series that we’ll see published in English. Because of all these things I’ve mentioned, and to make sure<i> VenusBlood </i>has future on the Western market, this one is definitely worth picking up.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Final Rating: 4/5</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Pros:</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Compelling anti-hero protagonist</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Well-paced story full of enjoyable twists</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Decently fleshed-out karma and heroine-interaction systems</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ In-depth gameplay mechanics with high replayability</span></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Cons:</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Dated UI with a painful lack of tooltips</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Gameplay can get grindy/tedious</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://vndb.org/v9409" href="https://vndb.org/v9409" rel="external nofollow">VNDB Page</a></span></span></b></u><br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Buy <i>VenusBlood FRONTIER</i> on <a data-cke-saved-href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1189440/VenusBlood_FRONTIER_International/" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1189440/VenusBlood_FRONTIER_International/" rel="external nofollow">Steam</a> or <a data-cke-saved-href="https://jastusa.com/venusblood-frontier-international" href="https://jastusa.com/venusblood-frontier-international" rel="external nofollow">JAST USA Store</a></span></span></b></u>Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-6430796071239069342020-02-07T18:08:00.000+01:002020-02-25T13:21:59.955+01:00Rituals in the Dark Review (Yuri Visual Novel)<div class="ipsType_richText ipsType_break ipsContained">
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><img height="364" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1118880/capsule_616x353.jpg?t=1574279893" width="640" /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u><span style="font-size: 16px;">Note: I was provided a review copy of<i> Rituals in the Dark</i> by Marantana, author of the game's German translation.</span></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><b><i>Rituals in the Dark</i></b>,
published on Steam November last year, is the latest yuri release by ebi-hime, one of the most highly-regarded EVN developers. Those familiar with
ebi’s work probably know that her history with yuri is as long as it is unique. Most of her games add unusual spins to the formula, or at the very least showcase her distinct writing style, very introspective and painfully realistic in its portrayal of human nature. This makes even the more
conventional of her w/w love stories, such as<i> Blackberry Honey</i> (check out my review of it <a href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2018/10/blackberry-honey-review-yuri-visual.html" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>)
stand out through their pacing and often uncompromisingly painful plotlines. All this is usually coupled with strong attention to quality and general
writing prowess, making her EVNs some of the best on the market when it
goes to literary qualities.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">
This newest project shares many staple elements of ebi’s style. Mixing long sections of NVL-style narration and retrospection with more typical segments of character interactions, it creates a slow-paced experience, focused a lot on the protagonist’s thoughts and feelings. At the same time, it might be one of the first cases where, in my experience, some parts of ebi's formula felt a bit bothersome, particularly because what kind of people the major characters turned out to be. It’s also the shortest and most minimalistic commercial game ebi has released since 2017's <i>Sweetest Monster</i>, in a way bridging the gap between her larger projects and the freeware games she was creating in the past. So, what are <i>Ritual in the Dark</i>’s main problems and do they fully spoil the compelling experience you’d expect from a VN by ebi?</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="qQckyw.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="359" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvNTIwMzM5LzI3MDIwMDMucG5n/original/qQckyw.png" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The
protagonist Aspen and her friends, Lakhi and Pippa, are very much
ebi-hime characters – believable, but flawed to the point of frustration</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Rituals in the Dark </i>is
the story of Aspen, a shy and unassuming teenager who finds herself at the
center of unwanted attention after she finds the dead body of her
elderly neighbour, Ms Leigh. A few months later, she’s coerced to enter
the abandoned and mostly ruined house where she made the disturbing
discovery, pushed into it by a game of truth or dare. There, she meets a
strange girl that introduces herself as Althea. Borderline-otherworldly
in her appearance and behaviour, she quickly dominates Aspen’s thoughts
and soon after, a strange romantic tension appears between the two. All
this leading to… not much, to be honest, at least in terms of romance
progression, or plot in general. The game focuses a lot on building a
slightly-unsettling atmosphere and exploring the protagonist’s
personality, but if you expect a full-on, conclusive love story, you’ll
probably be somewhat disappointed.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">
While I personally didn’t find this minimalistic storyline to be a problem,
there are things in its setup that I think are genuine issues. While
ebi’s protagonists are quite often brooding individuals with low
self-esteem, Aspen might be the most depressing one out of all of them,
letting others push her around and constantly expressing how average and
uninteresting she is. While her attitude might not be unrelatable or
hard to believe, it doesn’t make for a very satisfying focus of the story.
Also, her behaviour and way of thinking only changes a bit during the
game – once more, fully realistic, but not exactly enthralling. What’s
worse, I’d place Aspen’s friends, Pippa and Lakhi, in the same category
of characters – realistically unappealing – with their obvious personality flaws and poor attitude towards the protagonist making them neither likeable nor particularly intriguing. While they show themselves
from a better side later on, they are mostly plot devices that initiate
the story and consistently spoil Aspen’s mood.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="EJrI107UYAAhASR?format=jpg&name=large" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="359" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EJrI107UYAAhASR?format=jpg&name=large" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">While<i> Rituals in the Night</i> is undoubtedly a yuri VN, you shouldn’t approach it expecting a full-on romance story – it’s quite vague and open-ended in that regard</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Althea,
as an eccentric “wild card” character, is definitely more interesting
and has an aura of mystery to her, even after her true identity is pretty
clearly hinted at around the midpoint of the story. Ultimately, though,
there’s not that much of her in the game, considering how short it is
(around 3 hours of reading) and what portion of it is taken by the
prologue and Aspen’s internal monologues/things she does between the two
girls’ nighttime meetings. We actually learn very little about her and
the romance subplot, while definitely present, is in a way cut short before it
can bloom into something really substantial. The rather open-ended
conclusion leaves us with a few reasons to assume things will work out
for Aspen and Althea, but none of that is actually shown to the reader.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> As a final story-related nitpick, I struggle to pinpoint a theme that would define <i>Rituals in the Dark</i> beyond its slightly-unsettling atmosphere and the creepiness of the
abandoned house, excellently conveyed through both the detailed descriptions and
the game’s visuals. The events it presented were pretty interesting on a
moment-to-moment basis, but failed to leave me with a strong
impression, or a message to think about. It’s kind of whimsical,
existing for its own sake and while that’s not necessarily a negative,
it sets this game slightly below most other VNs from ebi that I’ve read.
The prose and dialogue are just as polished as effective as ever, just
without the substance to make it all truly engaging and memorable.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="ss_64cab2f16627bca24d50af7f5d65f33e16981354.1920x1080.jpg?t=1574279893" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="359" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1118880/ss_64cab2f16627bca24d50af7f5d65f33e16981354.1920x1080.jpg?t=1574279893" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">DarkSin’s
art and character designs make the game stand out and are undoubtedly
high-quality, although they might not be to everyone’s taste</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">From
the visual standpoint, the game is a bit of a mixed bag, although the
main assets are very solid. Character art by DarkSin, the same person
responsible for sprites in the aforementioned <i>Sweetest Monster</i>, is very stylish
and has a mesmerizing quality to it, very fitting for the unsettling motif of the game. It maybe doesn’t work as well here as it did in the
aforementioned title, a full-fledged horror story, and I imagine it might
even need some adjustment from the reader if they’re used to typical anime art, but it’s
definitely well-done, giving the character a lot of personality and a decent amount of expressiveness. CGs are not very numerous, but show up
consistently-enough for a story this short. My main gripe in this area is the UI,
because both the main menu screen and various elements of the interface simply look low-res and use an unappealing color pallet, more like
something I’d see in a free game jam title than a proper commercial VN.
It’s a minor thing, but one that managed to bother me through the sheer
contrast with the other visuals, and the typical level of polish in ebi's projects.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">
The music is appropriately climatic and used conservatively, often
fading out in the more tense moments to give space for creepy sounds or
similarly unsettling silence. This is a major positive for a game that relies this heavily on ambience and I see nothing to complain about in this regard. And in the end, nearly everything bad that I’d be able to
say about <i>Ritual of the Dark</i>’s production quality are more or less nitpicks, while
the problems with its narrative are more ways in which it failed to
truly impress me, than crippling flaws. Many of the ebi’s VNs are still
very fresh in my mind and will quite likely stay with me for years to come, as they showed me stories and characters that genuinely added to my understanding of
human nature and the world we live in. As pompous as this might sound,
it’s something that good literature is able to do and standard that VNs
only rarely are able to achieve. <i>Rituals in the Dark</i> is a very
solid game, but not something on that level – which is absolutely fine
and considering the very reasonable, $7 price tag, I recommend everyone
to give it a chance. After all, by any reasonable metric, ebi’s lower
moments are still pretty damn good.</span></span>
</div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Final Rating: 3/5</span></span></b>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Pros:</span></span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Unique art</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Believable characters</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Well-crafted, mildly unsettling climate</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></span>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Cons:</span></span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Somewhat unappealing protagonist and secondary characters</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Aesthetically below-average UI</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Minimal plot and story progression</span></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://vndb.org/v24665" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">VNDB Page</a></span></span></b></u>
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1118880/Rituals_in_the_Dark/" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Buy <i>Rituals in the Dark</i> on Steam</a></span></span></b></u>
</div>
Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-2648793917077074072020-01-24T20:00:00.000+01:002020-01-24T20:27:11.013+01:00Fallstreak Review (Free Visual Novel)<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="933989c59e8e1d8043fdda534dfeb468a689_192" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://img.gg.deals/ed/f9/933989c59e8e1d8043fdda534dfeb468a689_1920xt1080_Q100.jpg" src="https://img.gg.deals/ed/f9/933989c59e8e1d8043fdda534dfeb468a689_1920xt1080_Q100.jpg" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">You probably saw many cataclysms in stories you’ve read or watched in the past. Disasters that were natural, technological or magical in nature, limited in scale or apocalyptic, resulting in short-lived crises or civilisation-ending. From<i> Muv-Luv </i>through <i>Swan Song</i> to <i>I Walk Among Zombies</i>, plot-oriented visual novels never shied away from presenting these kinds of scenarios, and along with literature, they’re uniquely positioned to explore deeper consequences they could have for both individuals and whole societies. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></span>Fallstreak</b></i>, a free game released on Steam on October 2018 as a debut title of a small studio under the name Centicerise Productions, is one less-common EVNs tackling this topic. It does so by focusing heavily on a group of people affected by such a catastrophic event – mostly average folk, crippled physically and emotionally by the mysterious Fire of Collapse that ravaged their isolated country without a warning or identifiable source. It’s also, generally speaking, a wonderfully-produced piece of VN that I’m wary of recommending to people due to its surprisingly extreme content and open-ended story, quite clearly meant as an introduction to its world and a prologue to future games utilizing the same setting. So, what are the main reasons to check it out, or to skip on visiting the fantasy realm of Socotrine at least until <i>Fallstreak</i>’s continuation shows up?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="ss_9ab09241b9fea9547ffaf9a185fb91ce75ed6d98.1920x1080.jpg?t=1551302744" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/935920/ss_9ab09241b9fea9547ffaf9a185fb91ce75ed6d98.1920x1080.jpg?t=1551302744" height="360" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/935920/ss_9ab09241b9fea9547ffaf9a185fb91ce75ed6d98.1920x1080.jpg?t=1551302744" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The amount of stories-within-a-story and subplots that are never elaborated upon makes <i>Fallstreak</i> feel more like a prologue leading to a proper story than a standalone experience</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Fallstreak</i>’s Steam page claims that the game’s protagonist is Adelise Cotard, the daughter of Socotrine’s ruler and a little girl with a mind of an adult. Atypically mature due to the time she spends in the Golden Dream, a lucid dreamworld full of knowledge which she enters nearly every night, Ade is indeed the character through which we initially experience the story. These introductory chapters, rather relaxed and light-hearted, mostly follow her and her group of friends through some everyday situations – a normal life in which only physical scars some of them bear and occasional reminiscence hint at the dramatic past. However, she’s neither sole focus nor the only protagonist of the game. In its second half, when we start learning about other characters’ backstories and the details of Fire of Collapse though flashbacks, she’s not only pushed to the background but mostly absent, with crucial events taking place before she was even born. At this point, the game switches perspectives on a regular basis, focusing mostly on various members of the Lirit family, whose children are Adelise’s classmates in a private school for those orphaned or otherwise affected by the cataclysm.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> In the meantime, we’re also introduced to a ton of interesting information about Socotrine itself, a land isolated from the outside world by the apparently impassable, magical mist. Its impoverished, but stable history was shaken up by the arrival of a refugee convoy from beyond the barrier, around 20 years before the game’s main events. Bringing with them advanced technology and knowledge of the outside world, refugees affected drastically both the land’s political balance and the way of life of its people. Eventually, the convoy’s “Lost Children” revolted against the ruling aristocracy of Socotrine and brought in an era of prosperity. At the same time, the game opens many questions about their origins, actions after traversing the mist and their connection to the Fire of Collapse which nearly destroyed the whole realm. Adelise’s personal story is also apparently related to much of this, with the Golden Dream, her father’s dethronement of the Lost Children’s leader and her mother’s death all signalized as mysteries crucial to understanding Socotrine’s predicaments, although without many hints on how they’re actually significant.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="maxresdefault.jpg" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2DLEuSw7a5s/maxresdefault.jpg" height="360" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2DLEuSw7a5s/maxresdefault.jpg" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Fallstreak</i>’s story turns bleak without much warning and introduces scenes that wouldn’t be out of place in the darkest of horror stories – it’s not a VN for those faint of heart</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">If this sounds like a lot to fit into a relatively short, 80k-word VN, it definitely is. I also skipped a number of lore details and subplots that could be considered spoilers, and as you can imagine, very few of those receive any kind of answer or satisfying conclusion. The game does not shy away from extensive infodumps and introducing character after character, many of them either signalizing stories that might be told in the future or being little more than exposition props. It also includes allegorical stories-within-the-story, told by various characters, which further draw the readers attention away from its actual plot-points and protagonists. At times the memorable, high-quality visual design and solid characterisation are main things preventing it from devolving into an incomprehensible mess. The unique characters and the sheer beauty of all visual assets make it easier to get immersed in the world and look past the absolute overload of story threads the game bombards you with, without ever tying most of them together. It's also impossible to deny that the setting itself and the mysteries associated with it are well-thought-out and rather imaginative, making you want to know more.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> While the pacing is definitely an issue in Fallstreak, the most problematic part might still be its tone: it often jumps from rather relaxing slice-of-life moments to unsettling mysteries, and then to over-the-top tragedy and absolutely grotesque violence. The aforementioned backstory of the Lirits is full of gut-wrenching moments, drastic enough to disturb even a relatively experienced and desensitized reader like me. I’m not sure all of them belonged in this story – some very much balanced on the border of absurdity and if they had a real narrative function beyond the sheer shock factor, it’s not clear at this point. It’s not a massive problem if you can handle that kind of content, but it definitely makes <i>Fallstreak</i> not an experience for everyone, especially because the intensity of these segments was not properly signalized by previous events and very much caught me by surprise.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="117880.jpg" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://s2.vndb.org/sf/80/117880.jpg" height="359" src="https://s2.vndb.org/sf/80/117880.jpg" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The visual design of <i>Fallstreak</i> is impeccable and helps a lot in fleshing out its characters and world, making them surprisingly memorable</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">If what I wrote so far paints a pretty bleak picture, it’s because <i>Fallstreak</i>’s problems could’ve been fatal if not for how just this polished and well-put-together it is. The prose and dialogue, despite the heavy exposition and anachronistic jokes that I’m not sure make sense in the setting, are very solid. Elements such as character’s speech patterns and personality quirks save them from being forgettable in the overcrowded storyline. And in the end, it’s the beautiful visuals and music that really make it stand out. The characters look distinct and expressive, while backgrounds and CGs are hard to take your eyes off. The assets are also pretty abundant for a free VN, with just enough environments, sprite variants and full illustrations to consistently keep things fresh. The original soundtrack is very climatic, with mostly sombre piano tunes underlining the sad reality of the game’s world. It all comes together in a way that I’m not sure I’ve seen in another free VN.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> So, ultimately, what do I make out of <i>Fallstreak</i>? It’s definitely not a bad game and the main problems it suffers from came rather from the developers being overly ambitious than a lack of effort. They definitely tried to fit too much into one package and didn’t follow up properly with new chapters. If I read it right and it is a starting point for a commercial franchise, we should already be seeing much more concrete signals about its continuation than the sporadic teasers present on the developer's social media. It’s not an abandoned project, considering I was directly approached by the studio behind it not a long time ago and the latest updates on the continuation are fairly recent, but whether you should read it depends mostly on whether you’re ok with reading a story that is essentially unfinished (and is going stay like that for a while), and whether you're willing to deal with its grimdark elements. For me, it was definitely worth the time I’ve spent reading it and as a free VN, that time is all it will ever ask from you.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Final Score: 3/5</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Pros:</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Beautiful visuals</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Climatic soundtrack</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Memorable main characters</span></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Cons:</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Frequent infodumps and clunky exposition</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Gets over-the-top with the brutality of the backstories</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">– Feels more like a prologue than a full story</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://vndb.org/v24559" href="https://vndb.org/v24559" rel="external nofollow">VNDB Page</a></span></span></u></b><br />
<b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/935920/Fallstreak/" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/935920/Fallstreak/" rel="external nofollow">Play <i>Fallstreak</i> for free on Steam</a></span></span></u></b>Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-57787618920122501682020-01-17T20:00:00.000+01:002020-01-17T20:25:51.918+01:00Chemically Bonded Review (English Original Visual Novel)<div class="ipsType_richText ipsType_break ipsContained">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="chemically-bonded-review-cover.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" src="http://keengamer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/chemically-bonded-review-cover.png" height="359" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Ds-sans
is a British VN developer whose work I've been following since the
times I started writing my blog, first being charmed by his free romance
game <i>Sounds of Her Love</i>, (<a href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2018/12/sounds-of-her-love-review-free-visual.html" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">check out my review of it here</a>).
Released on Steam March 2017, this very tame and heartwarming, small
love story was extremely by-the-numbers and rather cliched, but stood
out through its solid execution and likeable heroine. Later, I’ve
checked out this author’s first VN,<i> Lost Impressions</i>, which
also proved enjoyable despite being something of a mess visually and
including edgy story elements typical for many beginner VN writers – a
rather standard amateur project, but showing traces of genuine talent.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> As you can imagine, I was quite interested in reading ds-sans’ first commercial VN, <b><i>Chemically Bonded</i></b>, announced and successfully crowdfunded in late 2017. It promised to continue the wholesome, romantic climate of <i>Sounds of Her Love</i>,
but with a more in-depth, branching story and better production values –
pretty much a product catered exactly to someone like me, who enjoys
fluffy slice-of-life content in VNs over pretty much everything else.
After a full year of delays, the game finally came out on November 2019,
proving to be… Very much a mixed bag. But, what could go wrong with a project this straightforward and one with such a promising background?</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="cb1_by_szafalesiaka_ddo5blx-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzIwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZG81Ymx4LTQyN2JmYjM0LTFhYmQtNDcyZS05NzdjLTQwMjBlYzNiMDgxZi5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.kQc2Ys0pOVkK7RPOPLHvqsfeQqtESCxGO1OoNqvHpsc" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="359" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddo5blx-427bfb34-1abd-472e-977c-4020ec3b081f.jpg/v1/fill/w_1192,h_670,q_70,strp/cb1_by_szafalesiaka_ddo5blx-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzIwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZG81Ymx4LTQyN2JmYjM0LTFhYmQtNDcyZS05NzdjLTQwMjBlYzNiMDgxZi5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.kQc2Ys0pOVkK7RPOPLHvqsfeQqtESCxGO1OoNqvHpsc" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The
game is full to the brim with trivial internal monologues from the
protagonist, narrating mundane events and expressing the same exact
sentiments towards the heroines over and over again</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Chemically Bonded</i>
is a story of an unassuming Japanese high-schooler, whose boring
routine is turned upside down when he’s invited by Kiyoko, the best
student in his school, to join the science club. With her being the only
other member, the protagonist is pretty much guilt-tripped into accompanying her in
the various “club activities”, and by this is thrown right into the
center of a conflict between Kiyoko and Naomi, the captain of the track
team and quite likely the most popular girl in her year. The two
heroines, formerly friends, fell apart in a dramatic manner, and our
lead takes it upon himself to bring them back together. Here we encounter
the first of the game’s major issues: the (nameable) protagonist is the
blankest of blank slates, with less background information and
personality than the average male lead in a <i>Sakura</i> game. He
apparently also doesn’t have anything going on in his life apart from
dealing with Kiyoko and Naomi, as we never observe him interacting with
his family or other people in school in a meaningful manner. This really
detracts from the experience, as even the <i>Sounds of Her Love</i>
protagonist, still arguably a self-insert, had a decently-defined family
that played into the story and provoked fun dialogue, making him feel
like an actual person. His characterisation also made it somewhat clear
why he connected so well with the heroine – here, there’s pretty much
nothing meaningful that can be said about the lead and it’s hard to tell
why the girls are even into him.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">
There’s one more, deeply problematic thing about the protagonist, which
is also the biggest issue the whole game suffers from – his monologues.
While visual novels strive on dialogue and meaningful interactions
between the key characters, <i>Chemically Bonded</i>’s idea of core VN
content is overly-colourful narration of trivial, everyday occurrences,
and constant repetition of a few uninspired statements about the
heroines’ emotional state and the protagonist’s intention to help them.
It’s very hard to fully communicate just how broken the game’s writing
is in the first two acts (first 3-4 hours of the game) and how much it
damages the pacing of the story. Moments that push the plot forward are
drowned in countless lined about dust particles dancing in the sun or
descriptions of how deeply heartbroken either Kiyoko or Naomi is. It
also borderline-ignores the visual input of the game’s assets, often describing
things that are in plain sight or obvious from the scene’s context. The situation improves significantly after the breakthrough is achieved in
the conflict between the girls and they start interacting with each
other a lot more, but the experience of getting to that point is generally not that
great.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="screenshot04.png?ssl=1" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="360" src="https://i0.wp.com/jotaku.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/screenshot04.png?ssl=1" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Naomi’s
tsundere persona wouldn’t be a problem if it wasn’t this exaggerated
and inconsistent – even with all the explanations for her behaviour,
she’s just not relatable or endearing</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Another
thing that starts broken and gets (slightly) better over time is the
tsundere heroine, Naomi – in the opening segments, she’s juggling at
least three different personas in a completely incoherent manner,
switching between abusive, boastful and flustered modes in a way that is
neither believable nor amusing to watch. The game makes a point of her
initial behaviour being fake, but this doesn’t help it feel any more
fluid or cleverly-written, and even the overall very talented Amber
Barile, who voices the character, couldn’t make the confusing, stuttered
dialogue sound right. This also changes after the second act, when
Naomi mostly drops the pretences and only playfully re-enacts elements of her
“tsun” persona, but it’s a bit too little, too late to make her arc
truly satisfying. Kiyoko, on the other hand, is a fine heroine – the
science theme in her story is paper-thin, rarely going beyond chemistry
puns, but her cheerful personality and her relationship with the
protagonist are fairly believable. As someone heartbroken and isolated
from her former friends, I can see her falling for someone who treated
her without judgment and offered his support. At the same time Naomi,
essentially a school celebrity, have very few reasons to show her “dere”
side so quickly (it’s there nearly from the beginning), especially if
we consider that the game’s plot plays out literally within a few
weeks. If I have any problem with Kiyoko, it would sadly be her VA – at
the beginning, she sounds more like a small child than a high-schooler,
and even later her tone and mannerisms hardly match the sharp, energetic
personality the game is trying to communicate. Voices of the secondary
characters (all dialogue in the game is voiced), by the way, are just
fine – nothing more and nothing less.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">
If you’re waiting for me to stop complaining, we’re nearly there, but… I
have to say a few things about secondary characters and cameos. While the <i>Sounds of Her Love</i> heroine Ceri showing up is pretty fun (also because she’s simply an endearing and well-designed character), other supporting characters which received sprites (three in total, random schoolmates/teenagers Ken & Sae and a
teacher, Mr Kabeer) didn’t seem to serve a real function in the story.
They were sometimes used for humour, but most of the jokes didn’t land
well enough to by themselves justify their presence – all three feel more
like artefacts of the development process that planned for their
inclusion early on and then failed to find a proper role for them to
play. In a way, this is also the feeling the whole Naomi route gives out –
because of how the game was conceptualized her romance arc was necessary
to make, but I haven’t seen in it an actual idea on how to execute it
in an effective and cohesive manner. The supposed feelings between her
and the protagonist show up practically out of nowhere and most scenes
with her are narratively empty, adding nothing to the story. In result,
it simply doesn’t work as a romance plot, in contrast to the reasonably
satisfying Kiyoko’s arc, which is maybe still a bit rushed, but goes
through all the steps necessary to get you emotionally invested in the
relationship. Starting with Naomi’s scenario was both a curse and a
blessing for me, as it initially soured me towards the whole game, but also let me skip
a lot of repeated narration while reading Kiyoko’s arc and fully enjoy
its genuinely good moments, which are basically the best narrative elements of <i>Chemically Bonded</i>.
Naomi is also much more tolerable as a secondary character and honestly, she
should’ve stayed as such, with Kiyoko’s story getting more development.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="chemically-bonded-1.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="360" src="https://vgalmanac.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/chemically-bonded-1.jpg" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The one thing <i>Chemically Bonded</i> definitely got right is the visual quality and aesthetic – if only the story was this consistent...</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Reminding me slightly of PixelFade’s <i>Crystalline</i>, the thing that works the most in <i>Chemically Bonded</i> is its visual quality – being something of ds-sans' speciality, the level of detail and visual cohesion of all the assets are pretty great. The heroine sprites have a very good degree of variation, with clothes and hairstyles
changing depending on the situation, along with a proper set of facial expressions. It’s clear a lot of effort went into this aspect of the VN
and it all helps to offset the very limited number of dedicated CGs (11 in the whole game), mostly
present in the introductory scenes and crucial romantic moments. I think a few of the more casual scenes also could've gained a lot from some additional illustrations, but the quality of what’s already there is hard to argue with. Many immersive details, like a believable smartphone interface showing up for texting and calls, are also present in the game, even
though I feel they weren’t used to their full potential. For example,
it’s a shame that text messages the characters exchange aren’t more
involved, as it would be a great method to expand on their relationships without using the expensive, voiced dialogue – these, however, are nitpicks rather than serious complaints. The game’s original
soundtrack is overall very good, although at times misused: while I
fully enjoyed the ambient themes in more relaxed parts of the game, when
the heavier moments kicked in the music tended to go overly-dramatic, to the point of distracting me a bit.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> What are my final thoughts on <i>Chemically Bonded </i>then?
When I started reading it, I was genuinely afraid it will prove to be a
complete waste of time, but Kiyoko’s arc ultimately proved satisfying and I’m willing to recommend the game just so you can experience it.
Naomi’s romance is better left ignored and because that means skipping
quite a lot of content, it’s probably a good idea to wait for a
significant discount before buying this VN. At the same time, I’m pretty
sure that ds-sans himself is very much aware of the problems CB
suffered from and he’ll be able to correct his mistakes in his future
project – despite this one definitely being a disappointment, I’m very
curious what he’ll come up with next.</span></span>
</div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Final Rating: 2,5/5</span></span></b>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Pros:</span></span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ High-quality, stylistically consistent visuals</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Good soundtrack</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Kiyoko’s arc</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></span>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Cons:</span></span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">- Poorly-written and bloated narration</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">- Weak pacing in the first half of the story</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">- Weak and inconsistent characterisation of Naomi</span></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://vndb.org/v21845" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">VNDB Page</a></span></span></b></u>
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/734900/" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Buy <i>Chemically Bonded</i> on Steam</a></span></span></b></u>
</div>
Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-33852284154287580842020-01-10T22:30:00.000+01:002020-01-12T00:19:56.674+01:00Bewitched – that visual novel I've helped proofreading & other games by Graven Visual Novels<div class="ipsType_richText ipsType_break ipsContained">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="maxresdefault.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="360" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zyk-NrxTPZk/maxresdefault.jpg" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Today
I wanted to talk a bit about an interesting project, and one that
provided me with a unique opportunity to, for the first time, act as a
proof-reader and do minor editing for a sizeable VN. Because of this
personal involvement, this won’t be a full-on review, but more of a
loose rant, highlighting both the worthwhile aspects of the game and my
somewhat-peculiar experience with it. The VN in question, <b><i>Bewitched </i></b>is
indeed a rather interesting one, as all games by Graven Visual Novels
are – just as they are weighted down by extremely awkward translations
from Russian and inherent flaws of their author’s prose. This time,
however, the developer made their first attempt to work on properly
polishing the game’s English script with the help of a few volunteers
(including my gloriously dyslectic person). This move was quite likely
inspired by the discussions I had with them regarding their previous
projects and the problems with their English versions. If my involvement
in the EVN scene ever made a tangible difference, this is the most
concrete example of it, and I hope you’ll be willing to join me as I
briefly explore what that difference actually is…</span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="martin-amputee.png?w=720" class="ipsImage" height="355" src="https://guardianacorn.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/martin-amputee.png?w=720" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Gruesome and featuring a memorably grim story, <i>Silenced </i>had a lot of potential that was never fully realized, mostly due to its writing and poor translation</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">I’ll be very blunt: Graven’s first game, <i><a href="https://vndb.org/v22653" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Silenced: The House</a></i>
was something of an amusing trainwreck. Its interesting artstyle and
effective gore were combined with edgy, needlessly flowery writing and
rather awful English, creating an experience that was nowhere as fun to
read as it was to look at. The general idea, with a villainous
protagonist luring a group of obnoxious teenagers to meet their doom in a
haunted house, is the kind of cheesy fun I genuinely enjoy, while the
amazing amount of well-stylized art could easily make it an absolute
treat. The clunky user interface, most quality-of-life features typical
for visual novels missing or broken, underlined the fact that its ideas
and efforts of the visual artists were simply squandered by poor
execution of all other aspects of the game. The end effect was something
I didn’t hate, but still had a hard time recommending to anyone.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> The studio’s second project, <i><a href="https://graven-visual-novels.itch.io/still-alive" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Still Alive</a></i>, was more competent from the technical standpoint, but repeated all the other issues that plagued <i>Silenced</i>:
occasionally confusing script and English that was well below
acceptable levels. This time, the consequences were more significant: as
it tried to catch people’s attention on Kickstarter, neither the
project page nor the demo could gather the confidence of
English-speaking crowd and despite the unique premise and once more
decent art, the game barely reached half of its funding goal. This was
something I was personally a bit sad about, as the sci-fi horror and
yuri elements were very in-line with my taste and I expected to enjoy
the end product quite a lot if the game hasn’t been cancelled.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="GyvPk1.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="360" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMzc3MDA0LzE4ODY5MTIucG5n/original/GyvPk1.png" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Terminator-like, post-apocalyptic setting of <i>Still Alive </i>showed
quite a lot of promise, especially because Graven were never afraid to
go really dark and grotesque with their games – even in the demo, some
events and enemy designs were genuinely unsettling</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">It wasn’t that long after the <i>Still Alive</i>’s
Kickstarter failure that I was surprised with a proposition to help
edit the script for Graven’s newest project, a game named <i>Bewitched</i>
– a story about a young boy becoming an apprentice of his Aunt, a
powerful witch and potion maker. It was by most measures a stark
departure from the studio’s grim horror stories and while working on the
game’s text, I couldn’t help but enjoy the change in stylistics. The
English script, however, was once more a giant mess, with me and another
volunteer editor (who I had no contact with) tasked to make it readable
within a pretty short timeframe. The effects were, as you can imagine,
pretty ambivalent – a major improvement on the original draft that was
still not fully up to standards I would usually like to see from a VN.
While I’m really satisfied with some of the things I’ve done while
polishing the text, a lot of awkward sentences and even occasional typos
slipped through. Ultimately though, after seeing the final game, I
think we managed to make it reasonably enjoyable to read, at least not
less than the Russian original likely is, which makes the game something
I’m willing to recommend. Maybe if I wasn’t involved, someone else
would step in to do the proofreading, but there’s also a chance I’ve
saved this game from being more or less lost for the English-speaking
audience, and that is honestly quite a good feeling.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> And speaking about the game proper, <i>Bewitched </i>getting
destroyed by a bad translation would be a genuine shame. While working
on the text, I wondered how certain things would be portrayed in the
final product, but I didn’t expect the art to be this detailed and
vibrant. Some of the CGs and backgrounds are honestly stunning for a
tiny indie game like this – visual quality was always Graven’s strongest
side, but <i>Bewitched </i>still managed to be a major improvement in
this regard. While from the technical point of view it’s still not
perfect, mostly because of not being made in a dedicated visual novel
engine, its story is fairly linear, without much reason to fully replay
the game and really feel the absence of some quality-of-live features,
such as a precise skip-read option. While some branching is present,
it’s fairly minimal and mostly related to how you approach certain
puzzles in the point-and-click adventure game sections. The
interactivity, by the way, is pretty significant, so the game might not
be a good pick if you’re not into exploring environments and completing
tasks through various interactions – while there are many “pure” story
sections, especially dominating its later chapters, you’ll spend a
good portion of the 4-5 hour playtime collecting ingredients and
exploring the protagonist’s aunt’s house.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="ss_620fafaa6a7cb1d8a40186071eacb9b910dd7bda.1920x1080.jpg?t=1573394882" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="360" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1160820/ss_620fafaa6a7cb1d8a40186071eacb9b910dd7bda.1920x1080.jpg?t=1573394882" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Bewitched</i>
created an effective vision of a wacky, danger-filled magical world –
one colourful and cheerful at first look, but featuring plenty of dark
undertones</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">While I stressed the stylistically change between <i>Bewitched</i>
and Graven’s previous projects, it doesn’t mean the game is all
sunshine and rainbows. Like in the studio’s previous titles, there’s a
plenty of ways to get the protagonist killed and there are intensely
dark moments to its story and setting, along with some disturbingly grim
humour. You can easily feel that the story was ultimately created by
the same team, still holding very similar sensibilities and whether
intentional clashes between the colourful visuals and edgy plot elements
will bother you is very much up to personal taste. For me, it’s still
quite enjoyable, especially when presented through more-readable English
than <i>Silenced </i>and <i>Still Alive</i>. It’s also not a deep
experience, with neither the story nor characters being particularly
complex or meaningful, but it’s fully functional as a silly adventure
tale and at times genuinely imaginative.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> In the end, while I’ll refrain from giving <i>Bewitched</i>
a rating, I think it’s definitely the best title Graven produced so far
and something well-worth the 5$ asking price. It will also always hold a
special place in my heart, as I’ve learned some valuable things through
my involvement with it. So, give it a chance – and if you ever think
editors did a questionable job polishing certain VN’s text, remember
that you don’t know what they were starting with. 😉</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://vndb.org/v26535" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">VNDB Page</a></span></span></b>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1160820/Bewitched/" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Buy <i>Bewitched</i> on Steam</a></span></span></b>
</div>
Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-81808019414179312722019-12-28T20:30:00.000+01:002020-01-15T13:56:39.102+01:00EVN Developer Spotlight: ds-sans (interview)<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u>This interview was originally published on Fuwanovel Forums on May 4th 2018.</u></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<section class="ipsType_normal ipsType_richText ipsType_break ipsSpacer_both ipsTruncate" data-ipstruncate-size="7 lines" data-ipstruncate="" style="height: auto; position: static;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">In March I've brought you two interviews with notable yuri and otome OELVN developers, talking with <a href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2018/10/vn-developer-spotlight-nami.html" rel="">Nami</a> and <a href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2018/10/vn-developer-spotlight-reine-works.html" rel="">Reine Works' founder, Jackie M.</a> Today, however, we're venturing into the world of very, very traditional romance (with equally high levels of cuteness), as my guest is <b>ds-sans</b>, the author of a lovely freeware VN <i>Sounds of Her Love</i> (<a href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2018/11/sounds-of-her-love-free-vn-review.html" rel="">be sure to check my review of that game</a>) and the upcoming commercial title <i>Chemically Bonded</i>. I encourage you to join us as we discuss the place of all-ages romance in the VN scene, the role of voice acting in OELVNs and more.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><img alt="logo_PNG.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="200" src="https://s9.postimg.cc/s7oymgm19/logo_PNG.png" width="400" /></span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b>Plk_Lesiak: Welcome and thank you for accepting my invitation! While many people in the VN community might recognize your nick, they probably don’t know much beyond that. Could you tell us a bit about yourself?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b> </b></span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">ds-sans: I wouldn't really say that I'm that interesting. I'm currently an undergraduate student at university in the UK studying geography, with an interest in anime and related media in my spare time. (Although, that's died down in recent years.) If I were to describe my current background, it'd be fairly cliché, just like the stories of my VNs.</span></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> I started developing VNs in 2015, while I was 16, but really showed an interest in January 2014. I didn't make it that far though and only really came back to it to prove that I could do something if I tried.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b>PL: Sooo... Where did the "ds-sans" label come from?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b> </b></span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">ds: In all honesty, I don't think the name really means anything. From what I remember, I think I honestly scrambled a few letters together from a car's registration plate, but this was a good 4 years ago. To clarify though, it has nothing to do with Japanese honorifics at least. I'd only started getting into anime a few months prior and still had no clue as to their usage.</span></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The story itself isn't that special, but the name stuck and at this point, I feel that it's too late to change it.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b>PL: You create rather tame, cute romances in a market that seem to reward <i>ecchi</i> and h-content over anything else. Why this formula?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b> </b></span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">ds: Pure romance novels have always been very diverse in the EVN industry, in my opinion. From what I've personally seen, many of the tamer romance titles are either a lot more Western in style or are low-scale non-commercial in nature and target a<i> </i>different audience. As far as I'm aware, there are relatively few commercial B x G titles with no 18+ content which take significant influence from Japanese VNs.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Reading <i>Clannad</i> was really influential in my decision to focus on cute romance stories as I wanted to emphasize emotional connections between people over physical. If I were to add scenes like that into the stories, they'd need to supplement that motive as opposed to attracting more sales or getting people off. <i>Katawa Shoujo</i> is a good example of a VN which does h-scenes in this way. It's the formula which my inspiration is driven from, but it's not as if I'm not open to expanding into different genres for different audiences in the future.</span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><img alt="screenshot0148.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="359" src="https://s9.postimg.cc/o14474mfj/screenshot0148.png" width="640" /></span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Lost Impressions</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i> </i></span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">PL: Your first VN, <i>Lost Impressions</i>, used some pretty heavy themes and drastic plot developments. What inspired that project and what do you think about it today? </span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span></b>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">ds: <i>Lost Impressions </i>is definitely the 'black sheep' of my VNs, but I feel that's because it was the first. At that point, I didn't really have much of an idea as to what I was doing and a lot of the inspiration came from the early animes I was watching. A fusion between the cutesy romance shows and series such as <i>Higurashi </i>and <i>Mirai Nikki</i>. I just wanted to get something out there.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">I can't say whether I hate it or love it, really, it just sticks there in my past as an obscure title. There are definitely parts of it I think could be better conveyed, looking back. It's something I'd like to do one day. 36,000 words wasn't nearly enough for what I was trying to convey, especially when it's split between three routes. The development process too is just as confusing as the plot itself. Most of the resources that were original to the game were sourced through work/art trades or volunteer work. A lot of that depended on just sticking with what was done, which is why there's about 5 different art styles.</span></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> Still, I'd never say that I regret making it.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">PL: You consistently use Japan as the setting for your VNs. Why set a Western-made game – and a one with English voice acting on top of that – in Japan?</span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span></b>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">ds: One of the main reasons I take Japan as the setting for the stories comes down to the freeware nature of my first two VNs. Finding backgrounds for the games which would fit into a global range of scenarios was a challenging task at the time, with many having Japanese itself somewhere visible in the image. It's not something I minded, since at the time it aligned with my anime interests, but now that I'm starting out in the commercial market, getting custom assets is a lot easier. Even though everything in <i>Chemically Bonded</i> is unique, I still felt that setting the story in Japan would be appropriate to get the interest of my target audience. Writing stories set there accurately is the biggest problem about it though, which is why with <i>Sounds of Her Love </i>I took the approach of setting the story in an international school to avoid cultural discrepancies.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">With the voice acting, it really comes down to my reasoning behind having it in the games in the first place.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b>PL: Staying on that topic then, you're one of the relatively few OELVN developers who seem to consistently rely on voice acting. What's your rationale behind including VA in your projects?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b> </b></span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">ds: Hiring voice actors is honestly one of the most ignored gems of making a visual novel, at least for projects with an emphasis on the story. Having an idea of how a character might sound or react in your head is one thing, but guaranteeing that each reader will think the same is another. It's one thing to add a s-s-stutter to the dialogue, but hearing the nervousness and embarrassment in a VAs voice really sells the emotions and feelings of a character and adds to the situation.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">It's also easier to add personality to the characters too. In <i>Chemically Bonded</i>, Kiyoko is a lot more upbeat and cute whereas Naomi is blunt and insulting. Writing the lines for that is easy enough, but connecting a voice to them that suits the characters I feel allows readers to really grasp their personalities quicker than with just plain text. With voice acting, selling the scene is a lot easier and really helps to convey the story to the reader. You also get to work with really great people too, which is always wonderful to be able to do as it not just builds a community of players around the VN but a community of different people working on the project (in a way, a temporary studio of freelancers?).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">I don't think <i>Sounds of Her Love</i> or <i>Chemically Bonded</i> would have done as well as they might without the use of voice acting in them.</span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><img alt="screenshot0144.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="360" src="https://s9.postimg.cc/6zba4qph9/screenshot0144.png" width="640" /></span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Chemically Bonded</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i> </i></span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b>PL: How would you describe your experience with implementing VA in a larger project such as <i>Chemically Bonded</i>? Have you struggled with any aspect of it?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b> </b></span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">ds: There haven't really been any major problems in having VA in <i>Chemically Bonded</i> so fa</span></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">r. You have to account for the rate of people's work and your own ability to describe clearly how each character should sound. Most of the struggles just come from implementing that many lines into the game, especially when there's an increased focus on the conversation between the characters. Ensuring that each line is clear too is another minor thing. It's not something that usually happens, but it's always something you have to consider when having VA in a project. So far, working with the voice actresses in the project has been a wonderful experience.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b>PL:<i> Sounds of Her Love</i>, your second freeware game, had pretty high production quality and gathered quite a lot of attention. Did you make it with the switch to commercial VN projects in mind?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b> </b></span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">ds: <i>Sounds of Her Love </i>was really intended to be my last project at the time of starting development. After releasing <i>Lost Impressions</i>, I felt the need to produce something of a higher quality before really giving up on producing VNs. I never really intended to go commercial until after SoHL was released, since I didn't expect it to get that much attention.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The budget for the entire project was around $300, allowing me some leeway with hiring artists with the style I was after (the sprite artist for SoHL now working with us on <i>Chemically Bonded</i> as both the sprite and CG artist). The real reason I decided upon producing a commercial VN was after working for DEVGRU-P on their game <i>Stay Stay DPRK</i> and using the funds from their payment to invest into a Kickstarter campaign.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b>PL: Speaking of DEVGRU-P, they act as a publisher for both SoHL and <i>Chemically Bonded</i> and you seem to have a close relationship with them – in the era where self-publishing on Steam and other platforms is an easily accessible option for VN creators, do you think there's any major benefit to such cooperation?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b> </b></span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">ds: Publishing is probably one of the harder aspects of developing a commercial title. I wouldn't call our relationship that 'close', since I've really have had complete independence in creating and managing my projects, but it really is 'ideal' for a developer-publisher relationship. They're really great to work with and have picked up a few other EVN groups which I believe them to help out considerably more with certain aspects.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The only real downside to having a publisher are some limitations with managing the sales and figures of the title. I have considered self-publishing, but right now having the support of a larger entity is a real benefit and I would recommend it for people starting out with commercial game development. I can't speak for all publishers, but working with a group with an ability to provide support and additional marketing truly helps.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b>PL: Coming back to <i>Chemically Bonded</i>. Even though you reached the first stretch goal, your Kickstarter was a pretty close call, being funded less than 48 hours before the deadline – did it teach you anything about crowdfunding and would you do anything differently when attempting another campaign?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b> </b></span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">ds: Social media and the importance of reaching out and spreading awareness was definitely something I took out of running <i>Chemically Bonded</i>'s Kickstarter campaign. The work doesn't end after you launch, a lot of effort had to be put int</span></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">o marketing the campaign, you can't just rely on the hope that people will come across it through Kickstarter itself. Twitter was one of our biggest platforms for spreading awareness, but it reached a point where it stopped being useful in gathering interest. Contacting game/anime/VN journalism outlets was a key help in getting us past the funding goal. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">One real regret is not releasing a demo for the project to go alongside the campaign. At that point, there weren't enough assets to really create one and even then I was against the idea, but having gone through most of the latter half of the campaign with the assumption that it'd fail to meet the goal, I changed my mind about the idea. I think it'd definitely help when crowdfunding another title.</span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="screenshot0146.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="360" src="https://s9.postimg.cc/uet7ae6r1/screenshot0146.png" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Sounds of Her Love</span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span></i>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b>PL: For those who know your style of storytelling from SoHL, should they expect a very similar experience from your new game or is there something that might surprise them?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b> </b></span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">ds: People can hope to expect something similar in execution, but with <i>Chemically Bonded </i>a lot of the key parts have been done differently, which should hopefully surprise people and prove to be more enjoyable than what SoHL was. Looking back on it, there were plenty of issues with the story and the way it was written. I wanted to address these within <i>Chemically Bonded</i> as I didn't feel that they'd work out in a longer VN whereas they seemed to work given SoHL's short nature. Having two love interests too really changes the way the story has to be written, at least to include both girls into the main story without keeping their routes entirely separate.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Chemically Bonded</i> is a lot more grounded in reality, I've tried to make the events that happen a lot more likely than what occurred in SoHL and <i>Lost Impressions</i>. There are no car accidents or tragic backstories, the romance isn't cliched as hell and the characters are a lot deeper than my previous works. The choices are a more vague too, rather than being predictable, so the routes and endings achieved should hopefully reflect the reader's instincts. I could go into a lot more detail, but to summarise I'd say people can expect a rather captivating romantic story like SoHL had, but will give people a chance to connect with more fledged characters and themes. That and the production quality is a lot better now we have the funding to do it, so, all in all, I think people who liked SoHL will appreciate <i>Chemically Bonded </i>much more. The story doesn't just end after a confession either, so I think people will appreciate that too.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">PL: Assuming that <i>Chemically Bonded</i> meets your expectations when it goes to sales and general reception, do you have any specific plans for future VN projects?</span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span></b>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">ds: If it does, I'd like to continue making VNs at some point. I don't have any specific plans yet, and I feel like I'd need the time to really recoup interest in developing another project. I've always had on and off ideas for future VNs throughout developing all three, but when it comes down to creating something new I usually come up with a fresh idea and discard the old.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">For a while, I promised a full sequel to <i>Sounds of Her Love</i>, and I did create plans for it, but I don't feel the need to rush into it after <i>Chemically Bonded </i>releases. I'd hope to branch out into different story genres, but even then I'd find it hard to escape producing romantic stories since that's what I've really become accustomed to at this point. Who knows? I might try developing two at once and see how that goes, or I might leave it at <i>Chemically Bonded</i>. I know for a fact that I won't be producing a sequel to it though. At the moment I stick to what I like to work on, which I think is what people should really follow when making any kind of creative project, not what the market expects.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">PL: Thank you for your time!</span></span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span></b> <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">I hope you all enjoyed the interview – it was definitely the most detail-heavy one so far and I've had some </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">great</span><span style="font-size: 16px;"> time working on it. As always, all feedback will be highly appreciated. What more would you want to know about the devs I invite here? Are there any specific ones whose thoughts on certain topics you would like to hear? Let me know what you think and, once again, have a great weekend!</span></span>
</div>
</section>Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-76070679230033433272019-12-13T21:30:00.001+01:002020-05-23T20:47:53.263+02:00Yuri Game Jam 2019 – Visual Novels Overview (Updated)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">The Yuri Game Jam is a yearly event celebrating my favourite romantic setup in visual novels in all configurations imaginable. Each edition attracts both newcomer and experienced developers, flocking to share their work of various sizes and various states of completion, and while it's not a purely VN-oriented event, in practice it was always dominated by those. From the early days of my interest in VNs as a medium, it held a very special place in my heart, spawning both celebrated classics, such as </span><i style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns</i><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">, and dozens of overlooked, but lovely games I’ve mentioned in my past </span><a data-cke-saved-href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2018/11/yuri-game-jam-2018-visual-novels-part-1.html" href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2018/11/yuri-game-jam-2018-visual-novels-part-1.html" rel="external nofollow" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">coverage</a><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"> and </span><a data-cke-saved-href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2018/11/yuri-game-jam-2015-2017-visual-novels.html" href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2018/11/yuri-game-jam-2015-2017-visual-novels.html" rel="external nofollow" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">retrospectives</a><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> At the same time, like most Itch.io events, Yuri Game Jam is fairly crowded and full of demos and prototypes that can be interesting only to the most dedicated yuri fanatics – for this reason, I once more took upon myself to search out complete VNs submitted to the event and assess them for all of you, making it easy to find out which games are truly worth your attention. As always, I’ll be skipping the in-development titles in my coverage, also because unfinished projects can very easily stay that way forever in the world of indie VNs. And if a game I’m writing about catches your attention, you can go straight to its Itch.io page by clicking its title – all Yuri Game Jam entries are free to download.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Yuri Game Jam 2019 was the smallest YGJ edition to date, with even fewer entries than the first event in 2015 and less than two-thirds of last year’s submissions, a drop from 60 games to just 39. It’s also pretty objectively the weakest one yet, with very few titles standing out and the overall production quality of the games being particularly low. Same applies to the length of the visual novel entries, as none of them was much longer than an hour. This is a sad thing to see, but also made my work a bit easier his year, with 9 complete projects to go through, all of them pretty short and straightforward. The highlights of the event were several sci-fi dramas, with<b><i> Remeniscience Overwrite </i></b>interestingly touching on topics of memory and communicational barriers, and <b><i>Package Chat </i></b>surprising the reader with its fresh ideas and uncompromising narration. My pick for the best game of the event, however, have to unquestionably go to Crescendo’s<i><b> Café Bouvardie</b></i>, which combined lovely art direction with a unique setting and greatly-written characters, turning out to be the most feature-complete and satisfying experience this time around. I still encourage you to read through the whole list though, as depending on your preferences, there might be more games worth your attention – so, let’s get started!</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 20px;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://npckc.itch.io/spring-leaves-no-flowers" href="https://npckc.itch.io/spring-leaves-no-flowers" rel="external nofollow">Spring Leaves No Flowers</a></span></b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="YX0kOe.png" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzI3MTc5OTQucG5n/original/YX0kOe.png" height="312" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzI3MTc5OTQucG5n/original/YX0kOe.png" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Npckc is an author of cute, small VNs about being different, and the prejudice and discrimination that comes with standing out from the “normal” society.<i> Spring Leaves No Flowers</i> is the third game of a trilogy focused on Haru, a young transgender woman living in Japan and her two friends, Manani and Erika. The first two entries in the series, <i>One Night, Hot Springs</i> and <i>The Last day of Spring</i>, mostly explored the exclusion and misunderstanding transgender people experience in everyday situations, by the example of a visit to hot springs. The third one switches things a bit, focusing on Manami and her struggle to understand her own feelings, after she discovered that she might also be different in the way she experiences relationships and her attraction to other people...</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Those that are familiar with this author’s work, will know exactly what to expect – <i>Spring Leaves No Flowers</i> is minimalistic, straight-to-the-point and offers a believable glimpse at experiences connected to its subject matter, which this time is being asexual and/or aromantic. It avoids pandering or being overly moralistic, but simply shows typical situations members of sexual minorities find themselves in and different ways of coping with them – both negative and positive ones. If you’re looking to learn a bit about these issues, or they’re already part of your experience and you’re seeking a relatable story in a different cultural context, you should be satisfied with what you find here.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://drazillion.itch.io/a-matter-of-dosage" href="https://drazillion.itch.io/a-matter-of-dosage" rel="external nofollow">A Matter of Dosage</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="j4oHQp.png" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzI2NDg0NTgucG5n/original/j4oHQp.png" height="100" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzI2NDg0NTgucG5n/original/j4oHQp.png" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">If I had to pinpoint a leading theme in this year’s Yuri Game Jam, it would be games with no soundtrack (which is always kind of baffling, considering the amount of quality, royalty-free music available online). <i>A Matter of Dosage</i> is the first among the disturbingly-silent entries, telling the story of Eliza, a young woman who, because of her boyfriend’s indiscretion, becomes trapped as a guinea pig of a powerful medical corporation. As part of experiments that give people superhuman abilities, she has to find a way to regain her freedom and bring down the company that essentially robbed her of her life. And to do that, she has to recruit the help of other test subjects, none of whom really seem that interested in cooperating…</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> While this setup sounds pretty cool, everything else about this game… Just isn’t. I could probably look past the fact it’s short, or the not-very-appealing art, but the core writing is consistently weak and full of plotholes, which is much harder to ignore. While I was being bombarded with unusual romantic setups of the characters and the accompanying terminology, the intrigue stayed paper-thin and unconvincing all the way through. The twists were boring, character’s powers barely saw any real use and the conclusion, no matter what route I've chosen, always felt deeply anticlimactic. Some of the game’s core ideas, like the basic characteristics and backstories of the main characters, weren’t bad, but were put together in a way that never proved very enjoyable and never me truly care about what’s happening (also because the protagonist is simply unlikeable). In the end, I simply have no reason to recommend reading this VN – everything it attempted to do it did so mediocrely that there are no high points that’d make it worth your time.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Not Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 20px;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://dungeon-rocker-games.itch.io/anww" href="https://dungeon-rocker-games.itch.io/anww" rel="external nofollow">And Nothing Was Wrong</a></span></b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="ddli4k3-d0ded741-f488-43ee-9306-0fc1dede" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddli4k3-d0ded741-f488-43ee-9306-0fc1dedeae99.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2E4Yjg4MzU1LWM4YzctNGIxNi04YTdhLTRhYTlmYzFiMDRmZlwvZGRsaTRrMy1kMGRlZDc0MS1mNDg4LTQzZWUtOTMwNi0wZmMxZGVkZWFlOTkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.vBXrfCbE5UDc3An1gfAKai_XB_zacy8UPmRNVY4rtPk" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddli4k3-d0ded741-f488-43ee-9306-0fc1dedeae99.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2E4Yjg4MzU1LWM4YzctNGIxNi04YTdhLTRhYTlmYzFiMDRmZlwvZGRsaTRrMy1kMGRlZDc0MS1mNDg4LTQzZWUtOTMwNi0wZmMxZGVkZWFlOTkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.vBXrfCbE5UDc3An1gfAKai_XB_zacy8UPmRNVY4rtPk" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">It’s definitely a bad habit to spoil a game’s story, and visual novel’s story in particular, as it’s usually the main point of the experience. However, I think I’m justified in this specific case.<b> </b><i>And Nothing Was Wrong </i>is a very short VN about isolating oneself and being crippled by self-doubt – one that starts intriguing, but ends with a strange and disturbing suicide sequence which ultimately felt out of place and pointlessly depressing. While I was confused in the past by this particular author’s strange, borderline-trolling games, this one tackles a topic of transgender person destroying the bonds they build in the past and being crushed by loneliness due to their own insecurity – something that definitely happens in real life and can lead to similarly tragic consequences. Exactly for this reason, it should be handled with the utmost care and careful consideration of its possible consequences, and this game, despite apparently being inspired by author’s own struggles, did a poor job at warning the readers of its content, or properly building up to the drastic turn of events. While its minimalistic presentation and core writing are pretty interesting and solid, approach it only if you’re prepared to read something deeply depressing and strange.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Cautiously Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://juunishi-master.itch.io/reminiscience-overwrite" href="https://juunishi-master.itch.io/reminiscience-overwrite" rel="external nofollow">Reminiscience Overwrite</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="ro_by_szafalesiaka_ddli4rn-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NDUyIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZGxpNHJuLWM4NmEwNmU0LWViZDktNDgzNi05Y2ZjLWRkODZkZGVlY2ZiZS5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.PTs3jETF94lVgATjnh43tAKVed3IWvJsOZdHsniVh4I" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddli4rn-c86a06e4-ebd9-4836-9cfc-dd86ddeecfbe.png/v1/fill/w_1280,h_452,q_80,strp/ro_by_szafalesiaka_ddli4rn-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NDUyIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZGxpNHJuLWM4NmEwNmU0LWViZDktNDgzNi05Y2ZjLWRkODZkZGVlY2ZiZS5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.PTs3jETF94lVgATjnh43tAKVed3IWvJsOZdHsniVh4I" height="226" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddli4rn-c86a06e4-ebd9-4836-9cfc-dd86ddeecfbe.png/v1/fill/w_1280,h_452,q_80,strp/ro_by_szafalesiaka_ddli4rn-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NDUyIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZGxpNHJuLWM4NmEwNmU0LWViZDktNDgzNi05Y2ZjLWRkODZkZGVlY2ZiZS5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.PTs3jETF94lVgATjnh43tAKVed3IWvJsOZdHsniVh4I" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Going back to silent VNs, <i>Reminiscience Overwrite</i> is maybe a particularly sad example of that problem, as everything else about it is very solid and the omission of proper background music hurts the consistently-positive impression I’ve got from it. The game features a (mostly blank-stale) female protagonist who is kidnapped by aliens and gets experimented on with some kind of memory-altering device. While trying to understand what’s going on and find her way out of captivity, she develops a peculiar bond with one of the alien scientists participating in the tests, gradually finding shared emotions and experiences between them – a connection that might prove to be her only chance of salvation.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> While very brief,<i> Reminiscience Overwrite</i>’s story managed to present a few interesting themes and provide a satisfying payoff to its intrigue. Unlike in <i>A Matter of Dosage</i>, pretty much every scene and piece of information in it had meaning for the plot, while the story progression was tied to the slowly-removed language and cultural barrier between the protagonist and her captors. The art direction is also among the strongest ones in this year's YGJ, with an aesthetic and consistent look, even though it's not in any way spectacular. With a bit more content and polish, it could’ve been quite an exceptional VN, but even now it’s fully worth experiencing, particularly if you enjoy the mix of sci-fi and light romance.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Highly Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://tangledvirus.itch.io/the-start-of-something-amazing" href="https://tangledvirus.itch.io/the-start-of-something-amazing" rel="external nofollow">The Start of Something Amazing</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="ddli4y5-bdf066fa-64b9-415a-9f58-e2d62b4f1ae0.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2E4Yjg4MzU1LWM4YzctNGIxNi04YTdhLTRhYTlmYzFiMDRmZlwvZGRsaTR5NS1iZGYwNjZmYS02NGI5LTQxNWEtOWY1OC1lMmQ2MmI0ZjFhZTAucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.MO5BeOaTs06tniPLeLZiSSn3sfLDBThDDjjYRfW36Zg" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddli4y5-bdf066fa-64b9-415a-9f58-e2d62b4f1ae0.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2E4Yjg4MzU1LWM4YzctNGIxNi04YTdhLTRhYTlmYzFiMDRmZlwvZGRsaTR5NS1iZGYwNjZmYS02NGI5LTQxNWEtOWY1OC1lMmQ2MmI0ZjFhZTAucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.MO5BeOaTs06tniPLeLZiSSn3sfLDBThDDjjYRfW36Zg" height="207" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddli4y5-bdf066fa-64b9-415a-9f58-e2d62b4f1ae0.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2E4Yjg4MzU1LWM4YzctNGIxNi04YTdhLTRhYTlmYzFiMDRmZlwvZGRsaTR5NS1iZGYwNjZmYS02NGI5LTQxNWEtOWY1OC1lMmQ2MmI0ZjFhZTAucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.MO5BeOaTs06tniPLeLZiSSn3sfLDBThDDjjYRfW36Zg" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>The Start of Something Amazing</i> is the most by-the-numbers love story among the games on this list, featuring two childhood friends who finally recognize their feelings for each other during a sleepover. While it’s not the greatest VN of this type when it goes to art direction, it’s so full of wholesome warmth and chemistry between the heroines that it’s hard to truly dislike it. If I really had to seriously complain about something, it would be that it also fell victim to the no-soundtrack epidemy, openly asking the reader to run their own music in the background. It also, quite predictably, relies a lot on the typical “I can’t be in love with my best friend” clichés, with the protagonist being confused about things that seem absolutely obvious. In the end, however, it’s all done in a rather charming and enjoyable way. For those looking for traditional yuri wholesomeness, it’s worth giving a try.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://cucumbird.itch.io/a-walk-with-a-cloud" href="https://cucumbird.itch.io/a-walk-with-a-cloud" rel="external nofollow">A Walk With a Cloud</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="PwjQwC.png" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzI3MzIxNzUucG5n/original/PwjQwC.png" height="109" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzI3MzIxNzUucG5n/original/PwjQwC.png" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>A Walk With a Cloud</i> is a cute, short VN about Eddie, a birdgirl who can’t fly. While she’s stuck on the ground during the day of a sky festival, alone and sulking, she meets a strange figure – a cloudperson, visiting the world below for the first time. While they explore the local area together, they’ll discover an unlikely connection between them, along with pieces of history the cloudgirl’s family has with Eddie’s town. That is, only if Eddie decides to open up to the visitor and visit some places she’s not fully comfortable with... With the presentation stylized to look a bit like a child’s drawing, the game has a really cute and comforting atmosphere, tackling the fairly-typical Yuri Game Jam themes of being different and self-acceptance in a subtle manner. It’s not particularly groundbreaking in any of it, but just pleasant enough to justify giving an hour of your time to read through it.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://maxenau.itch.io/aletterforyou" href="https://maxenau.itch.io/aletterforyou" rel="external nofollow">A Letter For You</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="ddli5qb-3294b4e3-4f02-485a-a197-1fefaf13be3d.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2E4Yjg4MzU1LWM4YzctNGIxNi04YTdhLTRhYTlmYzFiMDRmZlwvZGRsaTVxYi0zMjk0YjRlMy00ZjAyLTQ4NWEtYTE5Ny0xZmVmYWYxM2JlM2QucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.ll-HHv2y8VSowOZfjpp4u8yaNfLq5tssJH3MuRkmwKU" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddli5qb-3294b4e3-4f02-485a-a197-1fefaf13be3d.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2E4Yjg4MzU1LWM4YzctNGIxNi04YTdhLTRhYTlmYzFiMDRmZlwvZGRsaTVxYi0zMjk0YjRlMy00ZjAyLTQ4NWEtYTE5Ny0xZmVmYWYxM2JlM2QucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.ll-HHv2y8VSowOZfjpp4u8yaNfLq5tssJH3MuRkmwKU" height="203" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddli5qb-3294b4e3-4f02-485a-a197-1fefaf13be3d.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2E4Yjg4MzU1LWM4YzctNGIxNi04YTdhLTRhYTlmYzFiMDRmZlwvZGRsaTVxYi0zMjk0YjRlMy00ZjAyLTQ4NWEtYTE5Ny0xZmVmYWYxM2JlM2QucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.ll-HHv2y8VSowOZfjpp4u8yaNfLq5tssJH3MuRkmwKU" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">There’s a pretty popular dating sim template followed by many Yuri Game Jam VNs, one that involves a festival or event of sorts and a short amount of time to choose between a few heroines that could be invited to it, with selectable interactions along the way. <i>A Latter For You</i> basically took that framework and filled it only with the bare-minimum amount of content to create a comprehensible story. One portrayed in large part through rough sketches that are often genuinely hard to decipher and monster-girl theme the game pretty much does nothing with. While I don’t like to complain about such games, clearly made for fun and usually having its amusing moments, there’s simply not enough of either substance or eye candy in this one to make it worth picking up – while it’s ultimately inoffensive, I still recommend skipping it.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Not Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://punishedhag.itch.io/package-chat" href="https://punishedhag.itch.io/package-chat" rel="external nofollow">Package Chat</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Yi.jpg" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzI3MzgxNzcuanBn/original/3Vf/Yi.jpg" height="360" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzI3MzgxNzcuanBn/original/3Vf/Yi.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 600px;" width="625" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">One of the most interesting games of the jam, despite its technical simplicity and relative lack of polish, <i>Package Chat</i> is a sci-fi story about a girl stuck in a deeply-uncomfortable space journey from the dying Earth to a remote colony. Consciously trapped for months in a life-support pod, with only virtual reality to distract her from the misery of it and little motivation to interact with other people in the ship’s network, she can barely stand her situation. Breaking this depressing tedium, a crew member – one of the small team of people operating the ship and thus not stuck in the containers – starts talking to her… Opening with something that sounds like a very bad pickup line.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> The awkward interactions between the two women give the opportunity to present the background of the perilous journey on an unfinished spaceship, forced by the deteriorating situation on Earth. At the same time, we learn some elements of the girls’ personal backstories. All of this is conveyed in a very crude, naturalistic style that doesn’t shy away from gross details of travelling through space as living cargo, crude comment from the characters... And a lot of swearing. It provides worldbuilding through the protagonist’s obviously-biased and cynical perspective, but offers enough details and original ideas to engross you in the game’s world. As a piece of interactive fiction, with no sprites or elaborate CGs, but just simple backgrounds and music, it’s not the most visually impressive game in this year’s YGJ, to say the least. However, it turned out to be one of the most through-provoking and most satisfying reads among them, and I recommend both checking it out and keeping a closer look at its author – which a debut like this, they might create something really spectacular in the future.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Highly Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://crescendo.itch.io/cafe-bouvardie" href="https://crescendo.itch.io/cafe-bouvardie" rel="external nofollow">Café Bouvardie</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="rZs6ck.png" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzI3MzE4ODMucG5n/original/rZs6ck.png" height="253" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzI3MzE4ODMucG5n/original/rZs6ck.png" width="659" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">My favourite game from this year’s Jam is an unusual one, with an imaginative story somewhere on the cross between fantasy and science fiction. It features an unnamed protagonist, a time-travelling agent living in the immortal dimension known as the End of Time. After finishing a mission and solving a time paradox she feels a “pull” – a warning sign indicating her next travel into past or future would likely kill her, which means the end of her career. Unexpectedly, she’s faced with an eternity of retirement in the End of Time, needing to find a new purpose and place for herself after completely devoting herself to her work. Looking for answers, she visits the titular Café Bouvardie, a place which is said to give respite to agents in her position. There, she meets the two owners of the café, Clementine and Lotus, who share their stories with her…</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> <i> Café Bouvardie </i>has a clear theme of finding one’s place in the world, with time travel and the unusual setting being, more or less, devices to ask some very universal questions. This, however, doesn’t mean that background isn’t worth attention – it introduces a lot of interesting questions and ideas, ones which I have a suspicion will be used by the game's authors for other projects. And, honestly, it would be a waste not to do that, because the End of Time provides more or less unlimited possibilities, with its immortal characters from different ages, arcane machinery and the organisation fighting to keep the world’s history undisrupted. The game’s story is also quite enjoyable to follow, with Clementine and Lotus being instantly likeable and the conversation between them and the protagonist leaving a good impression. At times I had a feeling it tried a bit too hard to be profound, but it mostly works as a coming-of-age metaphor, with the quality of writing and presentation being enjoyable enough on their own – even if you don’t fully embrace its message, it shouldn’t spoil the experience for you. Also, the romantic angle is so light that the story is definitely not something directed only to yuri fans – I’m willing to recommend it to pretty much anyone and really, there’s no reason to not give it a chance.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Highly Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">And this ends my summary of the Yuri Game Jam 2019 – a little underwhelming considering the really great titles I was discovering in its past editions, but still offering some worthwhile VNs to read through. I’m really interested whether this slowdown is a sign of things to come, with generally fewer hobbyist/freeware projects the visual novel scene, or just a one-time anomaly. While we’ll have to wait a while to find out, I’ll be looking forward to the chance to cover future events: make sure to look out for my NaNoRen0 and Yuri game Jam summaries next year. And for now, thank you for reading this one. Have a great weekend everyone!</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: 20px;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Post-deadline update</span></b></span></u></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 20px;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"></span></b></span><span style="font-size: 20px;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Two full weeks after the end-of-December deadline two games arrived to change the gloomy picture I’ve described above, at least a little bit: the cheesy romance VN by the event veterans Team ANPIM, with a title too long to cite more than once, and my new “winner” of the YGJ 2019 – the stylish and intense short drama story by the name of <i>Double Exposure</i>. So, stay with me a little longer, while I explore what these Jam latecomers have to offer!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a href="https://teamanpim.itch.io/i-can%27t-believe-the-most-popular-girl-in-school-is-a-lesbian-just-like-me">I Can’t Believe the Most Popular Girl in School is a Lesbian, Just Like Me!</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzI3ODgwMjIucG5n/original/LtHMeh.png" height="228" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzI3ODgwMjIucG5n/original/LtHMeh.png" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Team ANPIM does practically one thing – short, cheesy romance dramas that are purposefully embracing typical yuri tropes, but are also written and put together well enough to be genuinely satisfying – at least if this kind of fluff is your thing. Their newest game, with its light-novel-spoof title, is not any different and despite feeling a bit unpolished, not any less lovely than their previous work. It focuses on Hinata, a closeted lesbian high schooler maintaining a cold, aloof persona to keep people at distance and don’t get found out for her sexual orientation. One day, she slips up by checking out the most popular girl in class during a boring lesson and getting noticed by her. This leads to a somewhat unpredictable chain of events ending with a very predictable, but still charming, romantic resolution. The presentation is a bit stiff, with sprites being stuck in one position and having just a few expressions, while CGs are also very few, but the chemistry between the main girls and fun slice-of-life content are definitely there. Personally, I never get bored of this kind of awkward love stories and f/f kissing scenes, so if you’re like me, this is probably the best treat in Yuri Game Jam 2019.</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a href="https://hewhoyawns.itch.io/double-exposure">Double Exposure</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddmgu5f-a7ca7678-a334-4d8e-b15d-b2ce7021dcb3.jpg/v1/fill/w_1280,h_370,q_75,strp/de_by_szafalesiaka_ddmgu5f-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MzcwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZG1ndTVmLWE3Y2E3Njc4LWEzMzQtNGQ4ZS1iMTVkLWIyY2U3MDIxZGNiMy5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.9Zu6FvCiQMiglraZ8zjeuwJRzKy7hE0TcM6YA2VhOlI" height="185" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddmgu5f-a7ca7678-a334-4d8e-b15d-b2ce7021dcb3.jpg/v1/fill/w_1280,h_370,q_75,strp/de_by_szafalesiaka_ddmgu5f-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MzcwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZG1ndTVmLWE3Y2E3Njc4LWEzMzQtNGQ4ZS1iMTVkLWIyY2U3MDIxZGNiMy5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.9Zu6FvCiQMiglraZ8zjeuwJRzKy7hE0TcM6YA2VhOlI" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Double Exposure</i> was a major surprise and nearly slipped past my attention due to its really late arrival. At the same time, it’s a game that I’d hate to see overlooked, as it’s simply the best story in this year’s Jam. The protagonist, Selena, is a young and accomplished fashion photographer, who doesn't seem to care about anything outside of her job. Her attitude changes when a mysterious phenomenon from her past reoccurs – after having a session with a talented young model, Lizzie, she sees a mark on one of the photos. The mark, invisible to anyone but Selene, appeared once in the past and turned out to be a premonition of death for that person – a tragedy that traumatized Selene and made her into a career-obsessed recluse she is now. Deeply shocked and unsure on how to approach the situation, she ultimately decides to do everything in her power to not let the history repeat itself, particularly because she quickly starts to care about Lizzie as more than just random person in danger...</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> While<i> Double Exposure</i> is short and maybe even a bit rushed in the later portions of the story, there’s a lot to love about it. The mental strain and neurotic reactions of Selene are really well portrayed and while she might come out as unlikeable at first, the game quickly explains why she acts the way she does. Lizzie is nearly a polar opposite of her stiff, overly-professional personality and the interactions between them are really fun. On the other hand, with Selene progressively more on edge, believing Lizzie is in mortal danger without knowing the source of it, the tension gets very intense pretty fast. There’s only one choice in the game, with one option probably leading to a bad ending, but I honestly didn’t have the courage to check what it is, considering how invested I was in the story and how much I didn’t want to see a negative resolution to the plot. The presentation is another strong point, with really nice-looking sprites and consistent visual style – while there’s a near-lack of CGs that could make the story even more impactful, the assets that are there are still solid enough to carry the plot. For me it was a genuine gem among this year’s YGJ submissions – one that I hope won't stay hidden, as it's really worth checking out, and not just as a yuri game, but simply a great short story.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Highly Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">And with this update, my Yuri Game Jam 2019 coverage is truly over – any game appearing after this kind of forgo any reasonable right to be included. I’m, however, really happy this update happened, showing that there’s still a lot of potential in events like this – hopefully, the next one will prove satisfying without the need to wait for latecomers. Thank you for reading!</span></span></div>
</div>
Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-77239450544423533392019-11-29T21:00:00.000+01:002019-11-29T23:07:14.009+01:00EVN Chronicles' Steam Curator Wrap-up – Fall 2019 (Summer Meetings; Omnimus; Knife Sisters; The Far Rings; 4 Alice: Lorange Journey)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Hello and welcome to my seasonal Steam Curator Connect Wrap-up, where I’ll be looking at games sent to me for review through <a data-cke-saved-href="https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32980295/" href="https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32980295/" rel="external nofollow">my Steam Curator profile</a> during the last few months – particularly the shorter/simpler among them, for which I couldn’t make dedicated posts. This time, the quality of the VNs I’ve received was a positive surprise, with each title offering something interesting and most of them exceeding my expectations in some ways. The highlights of today’s list are definitely the virtual reality-themed thriller <b><i>Omnimus </i></b>and the uniquely-stylized, mildly-erotic queer VN <b><i>Knife Sisters</i></b>. However, all of the games I’ll be writing about are arguably worth your attention, so please stay with me while I explore their main perks and issues. As usual, links in each title will lead you straight to the Steam store page, so you can quickly check the games out at their source. Enjoy!</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1140140/Summer_Meetings/" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1140140/Summer_Meetings/" rel="external nofollow">Summer Meetings</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="header.jpg?t=1568834995" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1140140/header.jpg?t=1568834995" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1140140/header.jpg?t=1568834995" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">The growth of Mikołaj Spychał’s lineup of perfectly-generic romance VNs quite likely isn’t stopping any time soon, and his fourth game, <i>Summer Meetings</i>, is another incremental improvement to the previously-established formula. Much of the fun in his VNs come not from the very standard love stories, or especially from the minimalistic visuals (nearly no CGs and simple sprites), but from the ability to mess up the romance in an impressive number of ways. Dating a few girls at once without them knowing, cheating, randomly kissing the wrong girl at the concert you went to as a group… For people that just want to see the world burn, this might be the best opportunity since <i>School Days</i> (although without that significant bonus of hentai and/or gore).</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> At the same time, the core story is solid enough for what it tries to be and the writing feels like a step up from all the author’s previous titles: it has a nice flow to it and the English script feels pretty much devoid of translation issues I’ve noticed in his earlier games. The five heroines are decently fleshed-out and even can surprise you in some ways – like the step-sister's willingness to keep the romance non-committal and even tolerating other girl being the protagonist’s primary focus. The main thing stopping me from fully recommending it is the price: for a VN this simple visually and with 5-6 hours of content, 10 dollars feels like an overkill. If you find it for half of that price, however, it’s a surprisingly fun way of burning one or two evenings.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Cautiously Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1108640/OMNIMUS/" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1108640/OMNIMUS/" rel="external nofollow">Omnimus</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="header.jpg?t=1572547543" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1108640/header.jpg?t=1572547543" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1108640/header.jpg?t=1572547543" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Omnimus</i> is probably the biggest positive surprise of today’s list: a cheap visual novel by a low-profile Russian studio that at first looked rather unassuming, but quickly managed to capture my attention with a high-quality intro. After that, it simply never stopped being well-produced and immersive. The opening segment efficiently introduces you to the setting: a near-future Earth on which, after a series of natural disasters and conflicts, the nation-states started decaying, making space for the rise of corporate power. From this broad picture we're immediately transitioning to our protagonist waking up from a coma, apparently paralyzed, only to find out that he’s been “volunteered” for a highly-ambitious virtual reality experiment. He then meets three other test subjects, with whom he’ll get involved in a highly-unpredictable intrigue with strong flavours of capitalist dystopia and transhumanism.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> While short and ultimately pretty simple (the plot is mostly linear and your choices have only a very limited impact on the major events), <i>Omnimus</i> do a few things very well. First, it effectively sustains a sense of tension while you’re navigating the virtual world, without knowing its real purpose or true intentions of the crucial actors involved in the story. Second, it makes the mystery plot rather complex and ambiguous – each reveal both clarifies certain things and makes you question the sincerity of those providing you with the information. Each of the two main forces driving the plot has their own agenda, not necessarily aligning with your best interest and you have to play knowing you’re your own best, and possibly only ally. There’s also a very minimalistic romance subplot for each of the two female characters you meet in the virtual reality – this is the source of one of my only complaints about the game, as getting the romance scenes requires making a perfect sequence of 9, very not-obvious choices, which is a major overkill. Other than that, though, <i>Omnimus </i>is just a very cool experience, which reads, looks and sounds very solid despite costing just 2 dollars. This is exactly the kind of quality and value proposition I like to see in EVNs by small studios, and I strongly encourage all of you to check it out and support the devs behind it.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Highly Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/944910/Knife_Sisters/" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/944910/Knife_Sisters/" rel="external nofollow">Knife Sisters</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="header.jpg?t=1570370422" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/944910/header.jpg?t=1570370422" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/944910/header.jpg?t=1570370422" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Knife Sisters </i>is a deeply unique VN experience for a variety of reasons. Its pencil-drawn, monochrome art is very distinct, but also surprisingly detailed and expressive. Its choice system, with the ability to respond immediately, stall to see different dialogue options or just wait out decisions altogether, represents real-life dialogue way better and more in-depth than most of the typical visual novel mechanics. Its approach to romance is unapologetically queer and polygamous, and full of eroticism, but never crosses the line into plain porn. The effecting mix is quite unlike anything I’ve read before, while it also isn’t extravagant or extreme in its context to the point it couldn’t be enjoyed by more or less anyone who isn’t allergic to LGBT+ themes.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> The game focuses on Leo, a non-binary individual whose life is turned upside-down by the arrival of their new roommate, a strange girl known as Dagger. Trying to pull Leo in strange occult rituals and apparent personal vendettas, she opens a horror plot going alongside a much more relaxed story of protagonist’s relationships and hook-ups. All this leaves quite a lot of space for player agency, both with the usual dialogue choices and decisions on what to do/who to meet at many point in the story, while always staying true to the main character’s core personality traits – general lack of interest in long-term relationships and laid-back nature, meaning they’ll always prioritize fun over building deep bonds. It’s not your usual love story, but is very believable and consistent in what it shows, and even wholesome in its own peculiar way, as it rewards being mindful of other people’s feelings and needs, despite the kinky and non-committal nature of what is happening between them and the protagonist.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> While I have some minor gripes with <i>Knife Sisters</i>, like the lack of certain quality-of-life features (the game is made in Unity and not a dedicated VN engine) and lack of control over certain events (for example, you can’t outright avoid many romantic interactions even when you want to), they are mostly irrelevant in comparison to sheer enjoyment factor it offers. It simply looks, sounds and reads to well for those issues to have a major impact and if it sounds like something you might enjoy, I wholeheartedly recommend giving it a chance.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Highly Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1100270/The_Far_Rings_A_Space_Opera_Visual_Novella/" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1100270/The_Far_Rings_A_Space_Opera_Visual_Novella/" rel="external nofollow">The Far Rings</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="header.jpg?t=1570683442" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1100270/header.jpg?t=1570683442" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1100270/header.jpg?t=1570683442" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Getting a review copy of a free game is always a bit ironic, but in the case of<i> The Far Rings</i>, I can’t say I regret getting the curation request and the opportunity to share this game with others. This small sci-fi otome, co-authored by the game jam veteran Heiden (responsible for the semi-famous <i>Helena’s Flowers</i>, among other titles) offers a brief, but well-written and well-paced story about war and prejudice, with a totalitarian state in the background. The protagonist, Athena, is a doctor who went on a humanitarian aid mission to a planet invaded without provocation by her homeworld. There, her organisation’s camp is attacked by the local resistance and she is the only one to survive the resulting massacre. The story proper starts with Athena on a small spaceship, carrying both her and a prisoner – alien supposedly responsible for orchestrating the attack – back to her home platen, piloted by a young naval officer acting as the ship’s only crew. Before they can reach their destination, the player can discover the connections between Athena and those accompanying her on her journey, and maybe find an escape from the cycle of conflict and oppression forced upon then by her planet’s progressively more authoritarian and warmongering government.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> <i>The Far Rings</i>, while very short (around two hours of content), does many things well. The quickly-stablished setting and the reveals, both those related to heroes and Athena herself, are genuinely interesting. The protagonist is well fleshed out and her idealism clashes constantly with the attitudes of those around her, shaped by the pressure to conform and the atrocities of war. The aesthetic and sound, while not particularly flashy, are really well-done. Ignoring one naively-positive resolution to the story (I’m pretty sure that shouting at a homicidal warlord could have many results, but him backing down is the least probable one), it’s a thoroughly enjoyable experience, with the authors promising to expand on it further with a definitive version featuring an extra (true) ending. You might want to wait until that kicks in, but even now, for the generous price of nothing, it’s a visual novel absolutely worth trying out.</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/904940/Les_4_Alice_Lorange_Journey/" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/904940/Les_4_Alice_Lorange_Journey/" rel="external nofollow">4 Alice: Lorange Journey</a> & <a data-cke-saved-href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1064930/Divine_DIVA/" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1064930/Divine_DIVA/" rel="external nofollow">Divine D.I.V.A</a></span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="header.jpg?t=1573436883" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/904940/header.jpg?t=1573436883" height="215" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/904940/header.jpg?t=1573436883" width="460" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">It’s arguably pretty futile to write here about games that were delisted since I’ve received my review copies, but in the case the author decides to restore them, I’ve decided to give them some coverage – also because they are something of a unique affair and this applies particularly to the first game in question, <i>4 Alice</i>. That short story is written from the perspective of an autistic person interacting with other people like her, but whose disorders show different symptoms and levels of severity. It offers a very rare opportunity for to experience the thought process and perception of the world by someone on the autism spectrum without being overly focused on the attempts to educate people – its brief fantasy/horror plot about a group of girls stuck in a magical house could work without the quirks of its cast, but is made more interesting by their internal struggles and unusual behaviour.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> The second story, <i>Divine D.I.V.A</i>, is a bit less interesting – a simple wish-fulfilment story about a team of female mercenaries in the far future. Both games are also brought down by technical limitations: the simultaneous French and English text in both the story and menus is particularly jarring, killing the aesthetic of both titles (which is already very simple – they’re very basic interactive fiction with no character sprites and stock art). English translation is also pretty junky, but the experience of reading these stories made me believe the author had some potential and many things to say. If she polishes her approach to making the stories and returns to Steam, I’ll be quite interested in seeing what she comes up with.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final Rating: Cautiously Recommended</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">And this would be it for today’s summary – the next one will be coming in February, hopefully with the winter season giving me the opportunity to go through some longer/more ambitious games that are still waiting to be covered on the blog. And there are some amazing-looking titles in my backlog, that I really want to give a proper look and share them with all of you. Until that happens, I hope you’ve all enjoyed today's list – see you in two weeks!</span></span></div>
Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-90747758690358958792019-11-15T23:30:00.002+01:002021-02-13T21:23:56.641+01:00 Soundless -A Modern Salem in Remote Area- Review (English Original Visual Novel)<div class="ipsType_richText ipsType_break ipsContained">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="QKJN81.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="291" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMTAyMjA5LzUyODczMC5wbmc=/original/QKJN81.png" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">There
were few EVNs in the last few years that I’ve seen seriously hyped up
by other VN fans and brought to my attention through multiple
recommendations and positive reviews – particularly beyond titles by a
handful of relatively well-known and respected creators such as
ebi-hime. The game I’ll be writing about today, <b><i>Soundless -A Modern Salem in Remote Area-</i></b>,
is one of such exceptions, enthusiastic opinions about which intrigued
me to a major degree, even though it ended up being two years before I
finally picked it up. And this is not where the curious and unusual
things about it end: this freeware visual novel was released in late
2017 by a small circle under the name of Milk+ and is heavily influenced
by the denpa subgenre of horror – one reliant on distortion of reality and chains of bizarre events, true meaning of which is usually hidden under multiple layers of mystery. It mimics extremely well the
visual style and climate of the early 2000s’ Japanese games, offering a
now rarely-seen call-back to parts of visual novel history highly nostalgic
to many fans. And thankfully, there’s a lot more to it than just
the interesting stylisation and riding on memories of the past…</span></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj29DByOqXlPoUC6ejw6jbNPhoIvhvo0ZufvA5VWcCnZxu1_gPvuSGT3IlOe3TQb4FVjitBiilvlvUYNTdHjX57-LaIWwa_gmjaSuvNxHP3qes12IF8fVTFvXsqhUnuwWduAYoH4uLzoD5E/s625/wordshurtwow-soundless.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="625" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj29DByOqXlPoUC6ejw6jbNPhoIvhvo0ZufvA5VWcCnZxu1_gPvuSGT3IlOe3TQb4FVjitBiilvlvUYNTdHjX57-LaIWwa_gmjaSuvNxHP3qes12IF8fVTFvXsqhUnuwWduAYoH4uLzoD5E/w640-h480/wordshurtwow-soundless.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Soundless</i> is not an experience for those faint of heart, but is more about psychological abuse and social exclusion than plain violence</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Soundless</i>
offers a multi-layered story and some of its themes are impossible to talk about without major spoilers, which I’ll do my best to avoid. Most of the main plot, however, consistently revolves around Mercy, an ostracized teenage girl living a miserable life in an isolated village led by a strange religious cult. Her apparent mental illness, involving various
hallucinations and delusions, led her to being embraced by the community
as a mystic, however, when a certain chain of events turned her visions
dark and disturbing, she was proclaimed a curse-bearer and started
being perceived as a danger. Abused both by the village’s “clergy” and
the children in her school, she suffers through incredible pain and
loneliness – until a new holy woman, appearing in the village after the
tragic death of the previous one, shows her kindness no one was willing
to offer for years. All this, however, is just a surface of a very dense story, taking many unpredictable turns and slowly revealing the meaning
behind various developments and subplots. Then, the last missing parts of the puzzle are provided through bonus content, uncovering the final set of mysteries connected to
the game’s setting and crucial characters.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> <i> Soundless</i>’
most immediate themes are those of mental illness and social exclusion –
we observe the whole story through the distorted lens of Mercy’s mind,
which warps the reality around her in a disturbing fashion. She’s not
really an unreliable narrator, but one that filters the world through a
layer of dark delusions and deeply-internalized identity of a cursed
person, who deserves being excluded due to her impurity. It’s an
excruciating study of scapegoating, in a way more disturbing than the
witch trials the game’s title references through its long-term and
systematic nature. It’s not a story of a violent incident, but an
ever-growing spiral of abuse targeting a person stripped from their
human dignity and protection connected to being part of the community. Mercy is an outcast, but is also necessary as a symbol – a personification of “the other”, a visible threat
cementing the unity of other villagers under their religious leader. The
game approaches this topic in a detailed and gruesome manner, before it
shifts to other, similarly disturbing issues.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="4sNMOE.png" class="ipsImage" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMTAyMjA5LzgzNTg2NS5wbmc=/original/4sNMOE.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Soundless</i>
doesn’t shy away from using strange visual effects and distorting the
story to represent the protagonist’s mental illness, but it's hard to
accuse it of prioritizing form over substance</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Writing in <i>Soundless</i>
can be only described as excellent. Above all, the game excels at creating a dense,
depressing atmosphere of entrapment and hopelessness that dominate
Mercy’s life. Following her struggle was disturbing and captivating at
the same time and when I was expecting the story to reach a predictably-grim conclusion, it struck me with a serious of surprises, most of
which I didn’t even vaguely anticipate. Other major characters, such as
Delilah, the heir of one of the prestigious clergy families, are interesting and believable enough to give the story proper depth. From the title, one
could easily expect <i>Soundless</i> to be just a tale of faceless mob
prosecuting a defenceless girl, but Mercy’s tragedy is very
personalized and reflected in her interactions with crucial members of
the community. Most of them also have roles to play in the plot’s sudden
turns.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> If I had to complain about something in the context of <i>Soundless</i>’
story, it would be its final chapter, focusing on what can be described
as light yuri romance between the protagonist and Auma, a holy woman newly-arrived in the village and insistent on ignoring Mercy's status as a pariah. While it has its own set of themes, it feels
fairly disconnected with the flow and tone of the previous story
segments. It’s also where the game's denpa stylisation kicks in the hardest,
with whole segments presented through strange collages and child-like
drawings, coupled with heavily distorted dialogue. While I don't think it was bad by any
definition, it was hard for me to adjust to the new direction of the
story and I enjoyed it less than everything that came before it. It also
underlines the fact that <i>Soundless</i> is probably not for
everyone – between its disturbing moments and sheer weirdness and
confusion that occasionally kick in, I can easily imagine some readers
finding it pretentious or overbearing.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="P4PX2y.png" class="ipsImage" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMTAyMjA5LzgzNTg2Ni5wbmc=/original/P4PX2y.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The
yuri subplot which develops in the latter half of the game is probably
one of its weaker parts and evolves into a really strange and confusing
direction</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Presentation-wise, <i>Soundless</i>
truly feels more like an early-2000s Japanese doujin than a modern VN,
despite being made in Ren'Py. The photographic backgrounds, the style of
the drawings, NVL text display and even the UI just scream “old
Japanese VN”, and if someone showed it to me as an obscure fan-translated
title, I’d have no reason to doubt their word. This mimicry is not
just kitsch imitation though, as <i>Soundless </i>really captures and spirit and thick
climate of the better VNs of that era, while telling a really original
and impactful story. It’s also far from being stale or unimaginative,
mixing various techniques (like full-colour and sepia drawings) and
artstyles depending on what fits specific situations. The relative
simplicity of the presentation leaves a lot of space for the excellent
prose to do its job, while the minimalistic music and creepy sound
effects further enhance the overall climate. In this, it reminds me of
another title I’ve read recently, Nitroplus’ <i>Phenomeno</i> – just with a much more robust story and many more things to say.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> As it’s pretty clear by this point, I enjoyed <i>Soundless </i>a
lot and consider it easily one of the best horror EVNs I’ve read so
far. For such a small (6-8 hours of reading) game, and one so simple
from the technical standpoint, it’s an impressive storytelling
achievement and stands out from most VNs in its category. It was
obviously crafted with a lot of care and the authors improved upon their
initial work with the 1.2 and 2.0 versions, the latter published a year
after the initial release of the game. As a free title, I see little
reason for any VN fan to not give it a chance – unless the denpa horror
formula is really not your thing. And if it is something you
particularly enjoy, this game is an absolute must-read.</span></span>
</div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Final Rating: 4/5</span></span></b>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Pros:</span></span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Engaging, multi-layered narrative</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Great sense of tension</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Effective handling of multiple dark themes</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></span>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Cons:</span></span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">- Tiny resolution and (purposefully) clunky feel</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">- Goes slightly off the rails at the end</span></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://vndb.org/v21745" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">VNDB Page</a></span></span></b></u>
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://milkplus.itch.io/soundless" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Download <i>Soundless</i> for free on Itch.io</a></span></span></b></u>
</div>
Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-82872392960207827852019-11-08T20:09:00.005+01:002024-02-12T20:54:17.565+01:00Maggot Baits Review (Japanese Visual Novel)<div class="ipsType_richText ipsType_break ipsContained">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="tumblr_inline_o0gh8eqj2X1tsmxe8_1280.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="400" src="https://66.media.tumblr.com/04f2515ca3ac47f7c14cff4b24382c4c/tumblr_inline_o0gh8eqj2X1tsmxe8_1280.png" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i><b>Maggot Baits</b></i>
is something of a Holy Grail of dark eroge, highly anticipated by guro
fans within the Western VN community and often hyped as the greatest
achievement of the company that produced it, Clock Up. As one the
most gruesome VNs ever produced, and quite likely the most brutal one ever brought to the West, it contains dozens upon dozens of
violent sex scenes, all accompanied by intricate CGs, with small
variations in them so numerable that they sum to nearly 2500 unique
illustrations. All of that placed in a highly-unique, modern-fantasy
setting populated by amazingly-crafted characters and tackling
interesting philosophical and religious topics. While it’s pretty
much the furthest possible thing from what I usually write about on this
blog, few games intrigued me as much as this one, particularly after my
inconsistent, but extremely interesting experience with Clock Up’s another famous title,<i> euphoria</i>. Everything I’ve heard about <i>Maggot Baits</i>
suggested that it was both more extreme and overall better than
studio’s other bestseller, and after reading it to completion, I felt
the need to share my thoughts about it in detail. Both because it’s a
pretty fascinating case of strengths and pitfalls of this breed of
eroge, and to warn those interested in it as a piece of storytelling –
while in many ways an incredible achievement, this game is extremely
hard to recommend for a “normie” reader such as myself. Why is that
exactly?</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Before I go into story details, it’s most important to deal with <i>Maggot Baits</i>’
greatest issue – its structure and general storytelling formula. This game is,
at its core, a guro nukige and it’s incredibly dedicated to
this template. It throws h-scenes at you at very consistent intervals,
disregarding whatever might be going on in the story and sacrificing any
sense of pacing or tension so it can constantly offer a new piece of violent
hentai. Quite often, the scenes are not important for, or even directly
connected to what’s happening in the plot, pretty much pausing the whole
narrative to insert a new piece of fanservice. In this, it goes even
further than <i>euphoria</i>, which did a much better job intertwining
its scenes with the story and had a bit more restraint in the most
dramatic and meaningful parts of the plot. <i>Maggot Baits </i>even goes to the
length of adding a major side-branch in the first chapter of the story,
which is nothing but 3-4 hours of futanari porn leading to a bad ending.
All of it narratively empty and pretty much derailing your experience if you expect any kind of interesting reveals or a meaningful conclusion
within it. I still don’t understand why it was a part of the main story,
and especially inserted so early in the game, before you build any
connection to the characters involved or can understand the full
implications of what is happening in those scenes. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="maxresdefault.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="360" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xF---fYkMyw/maxresdefault.jpg" width="640" /><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i> </i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Maggot Baits</i>’
possibly greatest strength lays in its characters – both “heroes” and
“villains” have complex motivations and their actions, as cruel as they
might be, are hardly ever plain good or evil</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">There’s
also one more crucial issue that should be made clear for anyone approaching this game simply looking for a dark, gore-filled story. The fetish-serving character of <i>Maggot Baits</i> means it’s full of a
very specific brand of gore – sexualized violence on female characters.
The near-immortality of the witches is a useful gimmick allowing the
game's creators to push the abuse to its logical boundaries without
killing off characters every time (although even this goes with a caveat
that rape is way more prevalent in the h-scenes than actual bloody
torture). While there’s a bit of general blood and guts, and a bit of
chuunige-style fighting, most of it is conveyed in the form of text
rather than shown in CGs. The massive focus on porn also means the
actual story content is smaller and less developed than both the length
of the game (20+ hours) and the incredible amount of visual assets would
suggest. I’ve spent hours simply skipping through h-scenes that didn’t
seem to have any plot relevance and quickly scanning through those that I
felt could offer some bits of worthwhile information or character
development, trying to get to the next story bit. While in <i>euphoria</i> one could argue there was some
kind of balance between the story and hentai, here all the efforts were
ultimately aimed at serving the guro porn, with the narrative being the
icing on top of it and never really prioritized. And that’s to the point
where even some guro fans might find the experience a bit overindulgent
and tedious – there’s only that much stimuli you can take in before
going numb.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">
At the same time, it’s absolutely impossible to argue with the game’s
production quality. The writing is excellent, including the greatest
h-scene text I’ve seen to date. While the visuals left me mostly
indifferent after a short while, despite their truly extreme and
detailed nature, the gruesome, vivid descriptions accompanying them did a
good job at keeping me uneasy. In many ways it surpassed writing of <i>euphoria</i>,
really focusing on the psychological dynamic of the torture scenes
rather than just absurd lines spewed by the heroines (those are still
present, but I’m not sure that part of h-scene dialogue can be done in a
way that doesn’t feel absurd to me). All of it is accompanied by
extremely unsettling and suggestive voice acting and sounds, both done
in a way that is probably hard to find anywhere outside of Clock Up
games. Music is properly gritty and dynamic, underlining the brutal and
hopeless atmosphere of the whole experience.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="mb_by_szafalesiaka_ddjb4w6-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9Njc2IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZGpiNHc2LWY1NTE4YWI2LTkyYzYtNDFhNi04M2MyLTIxOWRiYThmMjA5Ni5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.1FKRjEpUxFxgXr0dNdg9t_is7XHm0gmeGmo7Ea54u-w" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="338" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddjb4w6-f5518ab6-92c6-41a6-83c2-219dba8f2096.jpg/v1/fill/w_1230,h_650,q_70,strp/mb_by_szafalesiaka_ddjb4w6-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9Njc2IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZGpiNHc2LWY1NTE4YWI2LTkyYzYtNDFhNi04M2MyLTIxOWRiYThmMjA5Ni5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.1FKRjEpUxFxgXr0dNdg9t_is7XHm0gmeGmo7Ea54u-w" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The game’s writing is, for the most part, stellar, even if it can’t
escape some awkward exposition and over-the-top edginess</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">But,
I haven’t even started on what this game is exactly about? Maybe I’m
subconsciously avoiding this part, as it’s both not easy to explain and
hard to talk about without spoilers. The general outline features
Tsunuga Shougo, a former policeman, on an extremely-bloody path of revenge against powers
controlling Kantou’s Pandemonium – a lawless city carved out of modern
Japan, infested by powerful, supernatural beings known as Disaster’s
Witches. Those apparently immortal women, unbeatable through
conventional means, are what transformed the Pandemonium into an
exterritorial den of vice and murder, populated by the worst scum this
world knows – their origins and purpose, however, are a complete mystery
to both the outside world and the witches themselves. During the game’s
plot Tsunuga’s </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">self-destructive</span></span> quest, aided by a few of the witches and most
closely connected to the one known as Carol, will (accidentally) uncover the meaning behind
the existence of Pandemonium and all the insane happenings within it.
And all of this happens with the brutal "witch hunts", capturing the
seemingly-invincible women and thoroughly testing the limits of their
immortal bodies, going on in the background.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">
The setup, despite relying on some tired eroge tropes (primarily “the
magic of semen”, which serves as one of the main sources of power for
the witches), is pretty awesome and the primary characters in the story
are even better. There’s little place for black and white morality in <i>Maggot Baits</i>’
world, with even the protagonist and the three “good” witches allied
with him committing various atrocities. At the same time, outside of
random, sadistic henchmen and thugs, there’s also no evil for the sake
of evil. Shimon, the main antagonist of the story, is a prime example of
this, having his hands in some incredibly despicable acts, but doing
all of them as part of his work towards a very surprising and arguably
noble goal. Even the other memorable villain, the brutal witch Sandy,
proves to be much more than just a sadist murdering people and hunting
her own kind for sports, despite the first impression she gives. As the
story progresses, few things in Pandemonium stay as they first appeared
to be and I found most of the twists and reveals the game offered quite
fantastic.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="mb1_by_szafalesiaka_ddjq5la-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzkzIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZGpxNWxhLWU0YmZjOGJkLTZiMzQtNDhmZC1hMTBiLWU0N2VmMzNjZjAwZi5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.HaRWSMUXO6IRmO3GqNekLSCniXvaekhz-qoqBNpM5eo" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" height="396" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddjq5la-e4bfc8bd-6b34-48fd-a10b-e47ef33cf00f.jpg/v1/fill/w_1136,h_704,q_70,strp/mb1_by_szafalesiaka_ddjq5la-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzkzIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZGpxNWxhLWU0YmZjOGJkLTZiMzQtNDhmZC1hMTBiLWU0N2VmMzNjZjAwZi5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.HaRWSMUXO6IRmO3GqNekLSCniXvaekhz-qoqBNpM5eo" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The
love story component of the game is both well-done and in line with the
dark, tragic nature of its setting, despite a few questionable
narrative choices</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">There’s
also the romantic subplot between Shougo and Carol, the thing which
earned the game its “pure love story” categorisation on VNDB. This develops between two
playthroughs: after you finish the game for the first time and reach the
first proper ending (at this point there’s just one choice in the whole
game, leading to the aforementioned futanari side-arc), you get a few
extra choices unlocked, making it possible to steer Shougo in a slightly
different direction. This allows for the troubled romantic subplot to
blossom and the game to reach its true ending – not necessarily “better” than the first one when it goes to its overall tone, but more
fulfilling from the viewpoint of the protagonist. There’s actually a
very interesting dynamic between the two endings, as the first one
introduces some extremely intriguing religious and philosophical themes,
like various understandings and meanings of love, and concludes the
story with a utopia being born out of the hell of Kantou’s Pandemonium.
For me, it was absolutely the most engrossing and thought-provoking
moment in the game – to the point that the true ending, even though it
iterated on the first one's ideas and featured a few interesting twists of its
own, felt kind of bland in comparison.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">
And all of this would be truly great, if not cut into tiny pieces by the
relentless stream of h-content. The game bends itself at every turn to
squeeze in additional fanservice and outdo itself in its extreme nature.
Sometimes it’s truly unique and disturbing, sometimes plain laughable
(my personal favourite being the pig sex scene from the aforementioned
futanari arc). Most importantly, though, it’s simply not worth going
through for anyone reading VNs for the story and not being specifically
interested in guro porn. I don’t regret reading<i> Maggot Baits</i>,
as I was simply too curious to not check it out, but it’s quite likely
the last game of this type and the last Clock Up title I’ll ever read.
And ultimately, I can only suggest avoiding those to the vast majority
of VN readers – while <i>euphoria </i>had its share of problems, it
compensated for it with the excellent climate and by expertly
integrating much of its h-content with the flow and leading themes of
its story. This game, on the other hand, is just a dark nukige – a damn
good one, but truly worthwhile only for the very specific subset of
readers for whom guro is a reward in itself, and the story is just a fun
bonus. If that’s you, you can grab this game without a second thought.
If not… There are infinitely better ways to spend 45 dollars and 20+
hours of your time.</span></span>
</div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Final Rating: 3/5</span></span></b>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Pros:</span></span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Awesome quality of the visuals</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Tons of CGs</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Excellent characters</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Great Soundtrack</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Serious approach to its main themes</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><b>Cons: </b></span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"></span></span></b>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">- No consideration for pacing</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">- …like, none at all</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">- A lot of h-scenes feel forced and repetitive</span></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://vndb.org/v18077" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">VNDB page</a></span></span></b></u>
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://mangagamer.org/maggotbaits/" rel="external nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Buy <i>Maggot Baits</i> on MagngaGamer Store</a></span></span></b></u>
</div>
Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068595054789539309.post-6045992296823683552019-10-25T20:00:00.001+02:002021-02-13T21:30:45.652+01:00Our Lovely Escape Review (English Original Visual Novel)<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="15a456e6b61875b8a53825c5103c19b3_original.png?ixlib=rb-2.1.0&crop=faces&w=1552&h=873&fit=crop&v=1530672738&auto=format&frame=1&q=92&s=47fd9b0c71dd27b8d5b938a164cb9c78" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/021/790/779/15a456e6b61875b8a53825c5103c19b3_original.png?ixlib=rb-2.1.0&crop=faces&w=1552&h=873&fit=crop&v=1530672738&auto=format&frame=1&q=92&s=47fd9b0c71dd27b8d5b938a164cb9c78" height="360" src="https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/021/790/779/15a456e6b61875b8a53825c5103c19b3_original.png?ixlib=rb-2.1.0&crop=faces&w=1552&h=873&fit=crop&v=1530672738&auto=format&frame=1&q=92&s=47fd9b0c71dd27b8d5b938a164cb9c78" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Few EVN studios leave me with such mixed feelings as Reine Works – a small team creating otome and yuri VNs at an impressive pace since 2017, known for titles such as <i>Blossoms Bloom Brightest</i> and<i> Reflections ~Dreams and Reality~</i>. While I enjoy the ideas behind much of their work and there’s usually a visible improvement in quality with each new release, the storytelling in their games always proved lacking, leaving me either bored or weirded out in the end. Still, I was invested enough to still support their increasingly ambitious and interesting-looking projects, including minor Kickstarter pledges. This is how I ended up playing <b><i>Our Lovely Escape</i></b> – a small VN with choosable protagonist gender and three female romance interests, which appeared on Steam in late September 2019, after many long delays. Marketed in a way that suggested a dark twist to every heroine arc, hidden under a façade of </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">a cute</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">, <i>New Game!</i>-like </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">story</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> about an all-female game studio, it seemed to mix many elements I personally enjoy. What I got, however, is quite likely the worst Raine Work’s game to date and will stay in my mind as one of the most upsetting VNs I’ve read to date.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="ole_by_szafalesiaka_ddiwksl-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzE4IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZGl3a3NsLTk4NzdmNjJiLTg1OTgtNDBiYS1hNzFlLTU2NDlhMjZhZTVkYy5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.RoS_p5-0SbXk0BbOLHjiZgD8TYOcSd-JkXzzJDdocEI" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="http://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddiwksl-9877f62b-8598-40ba-a71e-5649a26ae5dc.jpg/v1/fill/w_1194,h_669,q_70,strp/ole_by_szafalesiaka_ddiwksl-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzE4IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZGl3a3NsLTk4NzdmNjJiLTg1OTgtNDBiYS1hNzFlLTU2NDlhMjZhZTVkYy5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.RoS_p5-0SbXk0BbOLHjiZgD8TYOcSd-JkXzzJDdocEI" height="358" src="http://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a8b88355-c8c7-4b16-8a7a-4aa9fc1b04ff/ddiwksl-9877f62b-8598-40ba-a71e-5649a26ae5dc.jpg/v1/fill/w_1194,h_669,q_70,strp/ole_by_szafalesiaka_ddiwksl-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzE4IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYThiODgzNTUtYzhjNy00YjE2LThhN2EtNGFhOWZjMWIwNGZmXC9kZGl3a3NsLTk4NzdmNjJiLTg1OTgtNDBiYS1hNzFlLTU2NDlhMjZhZTVkYy5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.RoS_p5-0SbXk0BbOLHjiZgD8TYOcSd-JkXzzJDdocEI" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">This passionate scene coming just a few minutes after Alexis’ drunken barfing session is a pretty solid representation of <i>Our Lovely Escape</i>’s romance</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Atypically, I’ll start with <i>Our Lovely Escape</i>’s sex scenes – the main ones show up pretty early in the game, at the beginning of every route. They are also all happening in fairly uncomfortable circumstances: with both the protagonist and the heroine being heavily drunk after a party celebrating studio’s latest release, with very little build-up </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">or</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> romantic tension in the story leading up to it. In most scenarios, there will also be a second h-scene further down the line, usually even shorter and more generic than the first one. As it is often my impression with this kind of games, playing as a woman makes the creepy feel of the initial hookup a bit more bearable – otherwise the power balance, and even the protagonist’s status as an only guy in the studio make much of the prelude to heroine arcs pretty uncomfortable. Even in the yuri variants, however, I’m not sure the sex scenes serve any purpose at all – I’m not a huge fan of hentai, but I can’t remember the last time erotic content in a visual novel left me this indifferent, probably because I simply felt nothing for the characters involved at the point it happened. If you want to buy this game primarily as an eroge, it’s definitely not worth it.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> So, is the story any better? Well, not really. Because there’s barely any story to speak of. The game starts in a rather unassuming fashion, immediately introducing the protagonist – a new employee in a small gaming company making otome VNs – and his three female co-workers. The <i>New Game!</i> influences can be seen not only in the general setup, but even character designs: a shy and secretive Mayu closely resembles Hifumi and strict, professional Lissa gives a similar vibe to Rin. The undisciplined, childish Alexis is a bit of an exception, mostly </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">because</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> the <i>New Game!</i> girls were all meant to be likeable, with mostly positive traits outside of some minor quirks. The main problem with <i>Our Lovely Escape</i>’s cast is that while all of them hold really disturbing secrets, the first impressions they give are also pretty awful. I lost most interest in each of them even before their routes really started, finding their behaviour and the office drama they get into quite obnoxious. The game tries to be something of a bait-and-switch, but really underdelivers on the “bait” part – there’s no reason for the reader to care about any of the characters or get emotionally invested before things go awry, especially with how short and generic the common route is </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">(less than an hour, with the whole game being at around 5 hours of content)</span></span>.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="fOGyaN.png" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMjk4MzE4LzE0NTg4OTgucG5n/original/fOGyaN.png" height="360" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMjk4MzE4LzE0NTg4OTgucG5n/original/fOGyaN.png" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">At first, the <i>New Game!</i> parallels are pretty uncanny…</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">After that, it only gets worse. Psychological horror works best when it introduces some relatable elements or interesting motivations for the characters. Even completely outlandish and brutal VNs such as euphoria can be compelling by creating interesting conflicts, like the dark urges of the protagonist he desperately tries to suppress. Here, the main character is a blank slate, without any interesting traits and a backstory that is only briefly touched upon (mostly consisting of being a childhood friend of Lissa, who watched over him/her for many years before they moved away from each other). The heroines are straight-up </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">psychos,</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> and are so in an obnoxious/edgy fashion that does not leave space for any real character developments of interesting twists. This also spoils the few “good” endings the game offers: knowing the context behind the heroine’s actions and attitudes makes the romantic moments equally or even more riveting than the macabre ones.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> At the same time, <i>Our Lovely Escape</i> also never really commits to its darker side, with the bloody moments never shown in CGs and no truly extreme content. The most disturbing scenes are definitely within Alexis’ route, which is also the only one with no good ending (just neutral and horrible ones), but even those do not introduce any ideas beyond the heroine being a homicidal maniac acting out with little to no provocation. It would be way more interesting if the protagonist was really at fault in some of these situations or proved unstable themselves, but it was really all about inconsistent, not very believable outbursts from the girls. The “plot twists” the game offered left me feeling upset, but for all the wrong reasons – similarly to <a data-cke-saved-href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2018/07/carpe-diem-reboot-review-what-went-wrong.html" href="https://evnchronicles.blogspot.com/2018/07/carpe-diem-reboot-review-what-went-wrong.html" rel="external nofollow"><i>Carpe Diem: Reboot</i></a>, by the </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">end</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> I simply hated the story and everyone in it, rather than being unsettled in a meaningful way and feeling for the characters. This actually sets <i>Our Lovely Escape </i>as one of the least enjoyable VNs I’ve ever read story-wise. The minor issues, like some of the blind choices that require pure trial-and-error approach from you to reach your preferred routes and </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">endings</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> pale in comparison to the core issues with the game’s writing.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="ss_cdb44116212750778a62afe5ffe028ec5bb69ad5.1920x1080.jpg?t=1569862704" class="ipsImage" data-cke-saved-src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/970400/ss_cdb44116212750778a62afe5ffe028ec5bb69ad5.1920x1080.jpg?t=1569862704" height="360" src="https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/970400/ss_cdb44116212750778a62afe5ffe028ec5bb69ad5.1920x1080.jpg?t=1569862704" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">…but they’re very quickly replaced with empty edginess.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Contrasting with the deeply-underwhelming story, the game’s production values are really solid, even if the efforts of the team not always felt well-directed. In this, I’m referring mostly to Live-2D scenes, which show up in somewhat-random moments in both the common route and heroine routes, with relatively little impact. At the same time things like the h-scenes, which could really use some variety or extra visual flair, are very static. Otherwise, I don’t really have any complaints about the art: both visual design and quality of all the assets are really nice and consistent. The soundtrack was a little bit more of a mixed bag – while I didn’t dislike any of the tracks, some of the more dynamic ones, for example accompanying the previously-mentioned office drama, proved seriously distracting. I really prefer my VN music staying safely in the </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">background,</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> unless it’s really great and kicking in during crucial moments of the story. Here is managed to disrupt my reading experience on quite a few occasions.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> As you can imagine at this point, I can’t with a clear conscience recommend playing <i>Our Lovely Escape</i> – and this is a </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">shame,</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> because it was both a game I was seriously anticipating and one that had the potential to be really enjoyable. Psychological horror, even in its more trashy variants, is a fun genre and this VN only needed a little bit of depth and feeling of tension/entrapment to work. Hopefully, Reine Works can take some lessons from its failures and make sure their next move outside of the otome comfort zone is more successful. For readers… I can only suggest skipping out on this one – it’s not even interesting enough in its failures to be really worth experiencing. Truly a shame...</span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Final Rating: 2/5</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Pros:</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">+ Decent-quality art</span></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Cons:</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">- Unlikeable heroines</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">- Rushed story</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">- Works neither as romance nor as a horror</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">- Distracting music</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://vndb.org/v24181" href="https://vndb.org/v24181" rel="external nofollow">VNDB Page</a></span></span></b></u><br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Buy<i> Our Lovely Escape</i> on <a data-cke-saved-href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/970400/Our_Lovely_Escape/" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/970400/Our_Lovely_Escape/" rel="external nofollow">Steam</a> or <a data-cke-saved-href="https://reineworks.itch.io/our-lovely-escape" href="https://reineworks.itch.io/our-lovely-escape" rel="external nofollow">Itch.io</a></span></span></b></u>Plk_Lesiakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14410818557113252097noreply@blogger.com0