VitalVile
2003
This is the worst experience I've had reading a Visual Novel. I don't care how good Alternative is supposed to be; you can't make me read it after going through this shit.
What an amazing story. I won’t go too deeply into it because of spoilers, but I love how personal and focused the story is. It balances drama, comedy, and action really well. It left me wanting more, which is good. All the side story stuff is good too—a lot of comedy, insight, and character moments.
The three main characters, Soujyuro, Aoko, and Alice, are all fantastic and form a strong trio. A lot of the humour and drama comes from their interactions. Soujyuro might be one of the funniest Type-Moon protagonists and maybe even one of the funniest VN protagonists of all time. A lot of the VN’s humour comes from him, and it’s usually just him being himself. Aoko is all around really cool and very, very, attractive. She probably has the best expressions in this. Alice is a very fun and entertaining version of the cold, emotionless type. All of the extended cast is good too, but I do wish some had more screen time.
This is 100% the most high-budget visual novel I’ve read. Koyama's character designs are all striking and detailed, with tons of expressions. It’s also nice how many different outfits everyone has; I feel like you're lucky if a VN gives you two. All the background art is fantastic with amazing detail, all of it does a great job at creating a mood, especially all the stuff at night. Of course, there are tons of high-quality CGs. They do a lot of cool dynamic stuff in the more high tension situations—lots of motion, effects, and just a lot of stuff I would sum up as dynamic. Even outside of these moments, there is a lot of thought put into how characters are positioned in a scene.
I do want to talk about the translation in this game for a bit. This game has way too many grammar mistakes in it; it really needs a patch. There is double spacing, no spacing, words are missing, words are repeated, and there are even spelling mistakes. It does suck but it didn’t ruin it for me. I assume that VN’s translation was rushed to be ready at the same time as the Japanese release, so there wasn’t enough time for proper proofreading.
Another odd thing is how they chose to translate the names. In practically every single Japanese thing I’ve engaged with in my life, "し" is translated to "shi," but here they translate it to "si," so you get names like "Sizuki" and "Yamasiro" instead of "Shizuki" and "Yamashiro." Imagine if one day Fate/Stay Night gets an official translation and Shirou becomes Sirou; that would feel wrong, right? I don’t even know how Fumizuka becomes Fumidsuka. To make all of this even odder, in the digital artbook that comes with the special edition, both the Nasu and Koyama comments wrote Yamasiro’s name as Yamashiro. There is even a short story in it where a character’s name is written as Yoshitsune.
The name thing is odd but not the end of the world, but the game really needs a patch to fix all the mistakes, and I wouldn't be surprised if it showed up between now and the English physical release, which would make this entire section completely useless to people reading this in the future.
Overall, Witch on the Holy Night is a really strong start as the first official Type-Moon visual novel in English, and I hope this leads to more like the Tsukihime remake coming over too.
Please play this.
The three main characters, Soujyuro, Aoko, and Alice, are all fantastic and form a strong trio. A lot of the humour and drama comes from their interactions. Soujyuro might be one of the funniest Type-Moon protagonists and maybe even one of the funniest VN protagonists of all time. A lot of the VN’s humour comes from him, and it’s usually just him being himself. Aoko is all around really cool and very, very, attractive. She probably has the best expressions in this. Alice is a very fun and entertaining version of the cold, emotionless type. All of the extended cast is good too, but I do wish some had more screen time.
This is 100% the most high-budget visual novel I’ve read. Koyama's character designs are all striking and detailed, with tons of expressions. It’s also nice how many different outfits everyone has; I feel like you're lucky if a VN gives you two. All the background art is fantastic with amazing detail, all of it does a great job at creating a mood, especially all the stuff at night. Of course, there are tons of high-quality CGs. They do a lot of cool dynamic stuff in the more high tension situations—lots of motion, effects, and just a lot of stuff I would sum up as dynamic. Even outside of these moments, there is a lot of thought put into how characters are positioned in a scene.
I do want to talk about the translation in this game for a bit. This game has way too many grammar mistakes in it; it really needs a patch. There is double spacing, no spacing, words are missing, words are repeated, and there are even spelling mistakes. It does suck but it didn’t ruin it for me. I assume that VN’s translation was rushed to be ready at the same time as the Japanese release, so there wasn’t enough time for proper proofreading.
Another odd thing is how they chose to translate the names. In practically every single Japanese thing I’ve engaged with in my life, "し" is translated to "shi," but here they translate it to "si," so you get names like "Sizuki" and "Yamasiro" instead of "Shizuki" and "Yamashiro." Imagine if one day Fate/Stay Night gets an official translation and Shirou becomes Sirou; that would feel wrong, right? I don’t even know how Fumizuka becomes Fumidsuka. To make all of this even odder, in the digital artbook that comes with the special edition, both the Nasu and Koyama comments wrote Yamasiro’s name as Yamashiro. There is even a short story in it where a character’s name is written as Yoshitsune.
The name thing is odd but not the end of the world, but the game really needs a patch to fix all the mistakes, and I wouldn't be surprised if it showed up between now and the English physical release, which would make this entire section completely useless to people reading this in the future.
Overall, Witch on the Holy Night is a really strong start as the first official Type-Moon visual novel in English, and I hope this leads to more like the Tsukihime remake coming over too.
Please play this.
This review contains spoilers
This contains spoilers for AI: The Somnium Files - Nirvana Initiative and the original AI: The Somnium Files.
This going to be very rambly
Story:
I’m going to start with the negatives I have with the story.
The HB serial killings is an interesting mystery from the start but it doesn’t keep the interest by the end. This is due to the game’s biggest twist: the timeline you are shown is inaccurate, and the events are actually switching between Ryuki and Mizuki each day in both the present and the past. This twist ruins the mystery for me since it makes the mystery of how half of someone’s body shows up 6 years later not a mystery. Why is it a mystery in the first place? No reason is given for why you are told the story in a way to make you think half a body travelled in time; it’s a mystery that only exists for the player, which is unsatisfying.
The game’s way of hiding this twist creates problems in other areas as well, including some of its characters. Due to this twist, Bibi, a character who has a completely different upbringing, age, and circumstances, is a carbon copy of Mizuki beyond just physical appearance. She has to be a copy so the player doesn’t know that when they are playing as Mizuki, it is actually Bibi at some points. Bibi does show slight differences in personality when she is the masked woman and after the twist is revealed, but it still isn’t satisfying. Ultimately, I like Bibi, but she is hurt by the story. Shoma also has a similar issue where he does not physically age to hide the twist, which really isn’t an issue with the explanation given, but it still feels weird.
I don’t know how to feel about the revelation that Mizuki was actually a genetic experiment and that Renju and Shoko are not her real parents. I feel like it takes a bit of the bite out of how badly Shoko treated Mizuki. I am fine with Mizuki being an experiment, but I wish they found a way to keep Renju and Shoko as her real parents, as I feel that was important to the found family/blood not being as important as bonds theme that exists in the previous title with her and Date as well as Iris and Hitomi.
Other minor issues include the treatment of the legacy characters. It's a stretch for Boss to have a secret daughter, but it's fine; however, the fact that she looks exactly like Mizuki and it's never brought up is where it crosses the line into stupidity. Date being missing for 6 years due to memory loss by itself isn’t great, but it becomes dumb when you remember that Date having memory loss was already a plot point in the original AI: The Somnium Files. They also give Aiba memory loss, which, like many parts of this game, is intended to hide the twist of Bibi and the actual timeline of events. I’m really not a fan of this over-reliance on amnesia as a plot device here, especially since I’m not too hot on the twist. On the topic of old characters that return, So Sejima should not have been in this game. He is barely in this game and is given a similar plot point of an illegitimate child like he had in the original AI: The Somnium Files, and it doesn’t really add anything. Also, why the fuck was the old Psync machine still in the abandoned factory? Why didn’t the police confiscate it? It's a secret technology. My only real problem with the ending is that it repeats the Aiba "dying" and coming back part from the last game with Ryuki "dying" and coming back.
Now I’m going to talk about the story parts I like
As I said earlier, the HB serial killings is an interesting mystery from the start. You are given a lot to chew on as you try to solve the serial killings. I never felt like I knew where this game was going until around ¾ in.
Characters play off each other really well, especially the dynamics of Ryuki and Tama and Mizuki and Aiba. The game does a really good job of making you want to click on the environmental items just so you can hear all the characters talk more. Naix was really interesting to deal with as a cult built around the idea of simulation theory. It’s an interesting spin on something overdone, like a regular old death cult.
Not all of the returning characters had issues; one was even given substantial development: Amame. Amame goes from being a borderline background character with a cute design in the original AI: The Somnium Files to one of the most fleshed-out characters in Nirvana Initiative.
All the new characters are fun and interesting. Many of the characters are very sympathetic, like Amame, Komeji, Shoma, and Gen. The dynamic between Kizuna and Lien was something I expected to despise or at least find annoying, but it turned out to be a highlight of the game. It's also entertaining learning over time how much of an abject piece of shit Chikawa was.
It may seem like I’m more negative than positive on the Nirvana Initiative so far, but that’s because the positives can be more easily summarised as good vibes, dialogue and characters.
Gameplay:
Gameplay-wise I think Nirvana Initiative blows the original out of the water with improvements and new modes of gameplay.
Somniums have vastly been improved, a problem with the original AI: The Somnium Files was that Somniums relied heavily on dream logic. A lot of the solutions felt random and could only be solved through trial and error. Nirvana Initiative doesn’t abandon the dream-like weirdness of a somnium but gives you the logic within a somnium to help you solve it. Every solution makes sense; you never left with the feeling of "how the fuck was I supposed to know that?" Also in a Somnium, you are given hints to help you solve the current lock you are on, and interacting with more things within a Somnium can expand on the given hint if you are still having trouble. All of this makes the Somnium sections a much more enjoyable experience.
Nirvana Initiative introduces a new feature: virtual reality investigations. This is a welcome addition as it allows something closer to more traditional investigating outside of just point-and-clicking around a scene. Being able to use functions like thermal and x-ray are also nice additions. A straight up great edition to the series.
The QTE sequences are pretty much the same as the previous game; they are better directed and animated, though. There is not really much to say; they are pretty much excuses to have long action sequences while keeping the player involved. The only real nitpick I have is that some of them can be pretty long, and if you make a mistake, you've got to start from the beginning.
In short, AI: The Somnium Files - Nirvana Initiative is a massive improvement in gameplay in every way from the previous title.
Characters:
These are just more general thoughts about some characters. Not everyone, just characters I feel I have more to say than like or dislike (mostly).
Mizuki Date:
By the end of the game, I ended up liking Mizuki as a protagonist more than even Date. She plays off great with Aiba and is just all around cool while being just as much of a major weirdo as the rest of the cast. You can sense Date's influence on her because, like him, she is capable of being extremely stupid, albeit without the Date brand horiness. I think her English VA does a great job with performance and delivery, and I hope I hear her in more things. Mizuki’s new design is great too, yellow and black always work great together. The fact that I like her so much means I was disappointed to discover that you were actually playing as Bibi at multiple points instead of Mizuki. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter, as Bibi is pretty much a carbon copy of Mizuki, so she probably would have acted in the same way in the same situations. I would love it if the next AI game had you play as Mizuki again.
Aiba:
Aiba is pretty much the same as in the last game, meaning that she is still one of the best characters.
Kuruto Ryuki:
I like Ryuki, even though he won’t shut up about My Hero Academia. It is interesting playing as a character that mentally unwell. Sadly, I think he places third when it comes to AI protagonists. I think the game’s structure hurts him a little, as he pretty much spends the second half of the game clearly unwell and not really contributing to the main plot until around the end. It makes sense, but I think it still makes him the weakest of the three. Also, I hate his orange sweater thing; take it off.
Tama:
Tama works really well with Ryuki; there really isn't that much more to say. I was worried she was going to just be talking about horny and S&M stuff the whole time, but no, she has plenty more to her character. She’s a great character, but, like Ryuki, she doesn’t really contribute that much in the second half.
Kaname Date:
It makes sense why his presence isn’t as big in this game but I really wish that they came up with a better reason for him vanishing for 6 years. He's still a fantastic character, a living cringe compilation.
Iris Sagan:
She’s still a manic-pixie QAnon dream girl (positive). I think her time-skip design is great, and I like her hair more than the original.
Kizuna Chieda:
I like her dynamic with Lien, both pre- and post-mutual affection. I’m a fan of the character, who is very proper, friendly, and relatively harmless while being mean by being just really blunt. She kind of loses this trait after her accident, becoming a much more somber character. But, with Lien's assistance, she appears to regain some of her former self by the end.
Andes Komeji:
A lot of the Komeji stuff hurts, even if a lot of his situation was created by his own hands, I just feel really bad for him. They really twist the knife by giving you an early route where you see him and Shoma happy and on the verge of reconciling.
Amame Doi:
As I previously stated, she develops into a much more developed character in Nirvana Initiative. Her being one of the culprits works well, and I really like her somnium, where you see her torturing herself over "what-ifs."
Gen Ishiyagane:
I really like Gen, especially his relationship with Amame. He’s just a nice guy who deserved better.
Shoma Enda:
I was worried they'd insert a romance subplot involving him and Mizuki, which thankfully they didn't. I do like how, at the end, they make it clear that the death of his father is still an open wound, rather than him being over it and moving on.
Tokiko Shigure:
She’s so hot—one of the hottest 50-year-olds I’ve ever encountered in fiction. I don’t care that she is part of a weird simulation cult; I can work with that. I won’t fix her; whatever’s wrong with her adds to her attractiveness.
Chikara Horadori:
Fucking sixhead ass
Lien Twining:
I really didn’t expect to like Lien as much as I did since he’s the type of character that I usually have a hard time liking. I found myself growing endeared to him as I learned more about him. By the end, I just wanted him to be happy with Kizuna. The scene where he dances with/for Kizuna is really sweet.
Bibi:
I like Bibi mainly due to her just being Mizuki again. I wish she had more to make her stand out from Mizuki, like they should have made her really get along with Date or something. But why did she have to be barefoot?
Ota Matsushita:
Get a haircut
Boss:
Personality-wise, Boss is still Boss, but she does some really odd stuff in this game. I have already mentioned the stuff with her having a daughter, but there is stuff like letting Ryuki continue to be a cop while being clearly mentally unwell; Ryuki even shoots at a civilian at one point. There is also the case in the Gen and Amame route where she sends the SAT after Gen and Mizuki, which leads to that route ending tragically. I feel that there was missing context or information that should have been given other than that Gen and Mizuki are really strong.
Hitomi Sagan:
She’s in this so little that I don’t even know why she's there at all. The relationship between her and Date feels like it hasn’t developed at all; it may have gone backwards even.
Moma Kumakura:
He’s more of a freak in this one.
Conclusion:
While AI: The Somnium Files - Nirvana Initiative's story is not as strong as the previous title, it makes massive improvements to its gameplay and is loaded with a variety of fun characters, old and new, which help make up for some of the story’s shortcomings.
8/10
This going to be very rambly
Story:
I’m going to start with the negatives I have with the story.
The HB serial killings is an interesting mystery from the start but it doesn’t keep the interest by the end. This is due to the game’s biggest twist: the timeline you are shown is inaccurate, and the events are actually switching between Ryuki and Mizuki each day in both the present and the past. This twist ruins the mystery for me since it makes the mystery of how half of someone’s body shows up 6 years later not a mystery. Why is it a mystery in the first place? No reason is given for why you are told the story in a way to make you think half a body travelled in time; it’s a mystery that only exists for the player, which is unsatisfying.
The game’s way of hiding this twist creates problems in other areas as well, including some of its characters. Due to this twist, Bibi, a character who has a completely different upbringing, age, and circumstances, is a carbon copy of Mizuki beyond just physical appearance. She has to be a copy so the player doesn’t know that when they are playing as Mizuki, it is actually Bibi at some points. Bibi does show slight differences in personality when she is the masked woman and after the twist is revealed, but it still isn’t satisfying. Ultimately, I like Bibi, but she is hurt by the story. Shoma also has a similar issue where he does not physically age to hide the twist, which really isn’t an issue with the explanation given, but it still feels weird.
I don’t know how to feel about the revelation that Mizuki was actually a genetic experiment and that Renju and Shoko are not her real parents. I feel like it takes a bit of the bite out of how badly Shoko treated Mizuki. I am fine with Mizuki being an experiment, but I wish they found a way to keep Renju and Shoko as her real parents, as I feel that was important to the found family/blood not being as important as bonds theme that exists in the previous title with her and Date as well as Iris and Hitomi.
Other minor issues include the treatment of the legacy characters. It's a stretch for Boss to have a secret daughter, but it's fine; however, the fact that she looks exactly like Mizuki and it's never brought up is where it crosses the line into stupidity. Date being missing for 6 years due to memory loss by itself isn’t great, but it becomes dumb when you remember that Date having memory loss was already a plot point in the original AI: The Somnium Files. They also give Aiba memory loss, which, like many parts of this game, is intended to hide the twist of Bibi and the actual timeline of events. I’m really not a fan of this over-reliance on amnesia as a plot device here, especially since I’m not too hot on the twist. On the topic of old characters that return, So Sejima should not have been in this game. He is barely in this game and is given a similar plot point of an illegitimate child like he had in the original AI: The Somnium Files, and it doesn’t really add anything. Also, why the fuck was the old Psync machine still in the abandoned factory? Why didn’t the police confiscate it? It's a secret technology. My only real problem with the ending is that it repeats the Aiba "dying" and coming back part from the last game with Ryuki "dying" and coming back.
Now I’m going to talk about the story parts I like
As I said earlier, the HB serial killings is an interesting mystery from the start. You are given a lot to chew on as you try to solve the serial killings. I never felt like I knew where this game was going until around ¾ in.
Characters play off each other really well, especially the dynamics of Ryuki and Tama and Mizuki and Aiba. The game does a really good job of making you want to click on the environmental items just so you can hear all the characters talk more. Naix was really interesting to deal with as a cult built around the idea of simulation theory. It’s an interesting spin on something overdone, like a regular old death cult.
Not all of the returning characters had issues; one was even given substantial development: Amame. Amame goes from being a borderline background character with a cute design in the original AI: The Somnium Files to one of the most fleshed-out characters in Nirvana Initiative.
All the new characters are fun and interesting. Many of the characters are very sympathetic, like Amame, Komeji, Shoma, and Gen. The dynamic between Kizuna and Lien was something I expected to despise or at least find annoying, but it turned out to be a highlight of the game. It's also entertaining learning over time how much of an abject piece of shit Chikawa was.
It may seem like I’m more negative than positive on the Nirvana Initiative so far, but that’s because the positives can be more easily summarised as good vibes, dialogue and characters.
Gameplay:
Gameplay-wise I think Nirvana Initiative blows the original out of the water with improvements and new modes of gameplay.
Somniums have vastly been improved, a problem with the original AI: The Somnium Files was that Somniums relied heavily on dream logic. A lot of the solutions felt random and could only be solved through trial and error. Nirvana Initiative doesn’t abandon the dream-like weirdness of a somnium but gives you the logic within a somnium to help you solve it. Every solution makes sense; you never left with the feeling of "how the fuck was I supposed to know that?" Also in a Somnium, you are given hints to help you solve the current lock you are on, and interacting with more things within a Somnium can expand on the given hint if you are still having trouble. All of this makes the Somnium sections a much more enjoyable experience.
Nirvana Initiative introduces a new feature: virtual reality investigations. This is a welcome addition as it allows something closer to more traditional investigating outside of just point-and-clicking around a scene. Being able to use functions like thermal and x-ray are also nice additions. A straight up great edition to the series.
The QTE sequences are pretty much the same as the previous game; they are better directed and animated, though. There is not really much to say; they are pretty much excuses to have long action sequences while keeping the player involved. The only real nitpick I have is that some of them can be pretty long, and if you make a mistake, you've got to start from the beginning.
In short, AI: The Somnium Files - Nirvana Initiative is a massive improvement in gameplay in every way from the previous title.
Characters:
These are just more general thoughts about some characters. Not everyone, just characters I feel I have more to say than like or dislike (mostly).
Mizuki Date:
By the end of the game, I ended up liking Mizuki as a protagonist more than even Date. She plays off great with Aiba and is just all around cool while being just as much of a major weirdo as the rest of the cast. You can sense Date's influence on her because, like him, she is capable of being extremely stupid, albeit without the Date brand horiness. I think her English VA does a great job with performance and delivery, and I hope I hear her in more things. Mizuki’s new design is great too, yellow and black always work great together. The fact that I like her so much means I was disappointed to discover that you were actually playing as Bibi at multiple points instead of Mizuki. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter, as Bibi is pretty much a carbon copy of Mizuki, so she probably would have acted in the same way in the same situations. I would love it if the next AI game had you play as Mizuki again.
Aiba:
Aiba is pretty much the same as in the last game, meaning that she is still one of the best characters.
Kuruto Ryuki:
I like Ryuki, even though he won’t shut up about My Hero Academia. It is interesting playing as a character that mentally unwell. Sadly, I think he places third when it comes to AI protagonists. I think the game’s structure hurts him a little, as he pretty much spends the second half of the game clearly unwell and not really contributing to the main plot until around the end. It makes sense, but I think it still makes him the weakest of the three. Also, I hate his orange sweater thing; take it off.
Tama:
Tama works really well with Ryuki; there really isn't that much more to say. I was worried she was going to just be talking about horny and S&M stuff the whole time, but no, she has plenty more to her character. She’s a great character, but, like Ryuki, she doesn’t really contribute that much in the second half.
Kaname Date:
It makes sense why his presence isn’t as big in this game but I really wish that they came up with a better reason for him vanishing for 6 years. He's still a fantastic character, a living cringe compilation.
Iris Sagan:
She’s still a manic-pixie QAnon dream girl (positive). I think her time-skip design is great, and I like her hair more than the original.
Kizuna Chieda:
I like her dynamic with Lien, both pre- and post-mutual affection. I’m a fan of the character, who is very proper, friendly, and relatively harmless while being mean by being just really blunt. She kind of loses this trait after her accident, becoming a much more somber character. But, with Lien's assistance, she appears to regain some of her former self by the end.
Andes Komeji:
A lot of the Komeji stuff hurts, even if a lot of his situation was created by his own hands, I just feel really bad for him. They really twist the knife by giving you an early route where you see him and Shoma happy and on the verge of reconciling.
Amame Doi:
As I previously stated, she develops into a much more developed character in Nirvana Initiative. Her being one of the culprits works well, and I really like her somnium, where you see her torturing herself over "what-ifs."
Gen Ishiyagane:
I really like Gen, especially his relationship with Amame. He’s just a nice guy who deserved better.
Shoma Enda:
I was worried they'd insert a romance subplot involving him and Mizuki, which thankfully they didn't. I do like how, at the end, they make it clear that the death of his father is still an open wound, rather than him being over it and moving on.
Tokiko Shigure:
She’s so hot—one of the hottest 50-year-olds I’ve ever encountered in fiction. I don’t care that she is part of a weird simulation cult; I can work with that. I won’t fix her; whatever’s wrong with her adds to her attractiveness.
Chikara Horadori:
Fucking sixhead ass
Lien Twining:
I really didn’t expect to like Lien as much as I did since he’s the type of character that I usually have a hard time liking. I found myself growing endeared to him as I learned more about him. By the end, I just wanted him to be happy with Kizuna. The scene where he dances with/for Kizuna is really sweet.
Bibi:
I like Bibi mainly due to her just being Mizuki again. I wish she had more to make her stand out from Mizuki, like they should have made her really get along with Date or something. But why did she have to be barefoot?
Ota Matsushita:
Get a haircut
Boss:
Personality-wise, Boss is still Boss, but she does some really odd stuff in this game. I have already mentioned the stuff with her having a daughter, but there is stuff like letting Ryuki continue to be a cop while being clearly mentally unwell; Ryuki even shoots at a civilian at one point. There is also the case in the Gen and Amame route where she sends the SAT after Gen and Mizuki, which leads to that route ending tragically. I feel that there was missing context or information that should have been given other than that Gen and Mizuki are really strong.
Hitomi Sagan:
She’s in this so little that I don’t even know why she's there at all. The relationship between her and Date feels like it hasn’t developed at all; it may have gone backwards even.
Moma Kumakura:
He’s more of a freak in this one.
Conclusion:
While AI: The Somnium Files - Nirvana Initiative's story is not as strong as the previous title, it makes massive improvements to its gameplay and is loaded with a variety of fun characters, old and new, which help make up for some of the story’s shortcomings.
8/10
2020
I decided to give this a shot after enjoying the Edgerunners anime. Despite my low score, I enjoyed it overall. The main story is fine and has nice set pieces, like the parade. But I never really felt like there was a primary antagonist in this game, like Yorinobu is whatever. You could say Adam Smasher is one but I feel Edgerunners is doing a lot of the heavy lifting there. The main story's strength is the relationship between you and Johnny Silverhand and how it develops throughout the game. The side quests are where the game truly shines, it's where I think the most interesting and fun stuff happens, and I say this having not done all of them.
I am disappointed by the customization options in this game. For Cyberpunk it is sad that you can't make yourself metal from the jaw down. The most you can really do is make your hands slightly cybernetic. Also for all the clothing option this game has, it really should have been Third Person.
However it's biggest problem comes from that I played it on PS4. This game is a nightmare of performances, constantly the game would not load sections of the environment for lengths of time. Multiple times I have had to wait for over a minute for a quest character or shop dealer to load in. It is straight up unacceptable that it was allowed to release on the ps4 gen.
This would probably be a 7 or an 8/10 if it ran better.
This is definitely something I would want to see CD Projekt Red have another go at because I think having a good base and learning from all the Ls they took when this first came out, they could make a really good Cyberpunk game.
I am disappointed by the customization options in this game. For Cyberpunk it is sad that you can't make yourself metal from the jaw down. The most you can really do is make your hands slightly cybernetic. Also for all the clothing option this game has, it really should have been Third Person.
However it's biggest problem comes from that I played it on PS4. This game is a nightmare of performances, constantly the game would not load sections of the environment for lengths of time. Multiple times I have had to wait for over a minute for a quest character or shop dealer to load in. It is straight up unacceptable that it was allowed to release on the ps4 gen.
This would probably be a 7 or an 8/10 if it ran better.
This is definitely something I would want to see CD Projekt Red have another go at because I think having a good base and learning from all the Ls they took when this first came out, they could make a really good Cyberpunk game.
3 hours is enough, I'm tapping out
This game is very neat and has a lot of interesting ideas, but it has some problems. The gameplay shifts between braindead and annoying. All you really do is mash and grinding can solve any wall you hit.
The skill system is really unique, being able to train people to fulfil roles outside of combat. I do think there are tons of nitpicks you could get into with it. For example, if you get someone with the customization skill, they can only customise the weapon they use, which can be really annoying, especially when your party is mostly using different weapon types. Meaning, you would need to give multiple people the customization skill to get party-wide value out of it.
I love and also despise the limited party gimmick, I think it's a cool idea to personalise your experience and encourage replays. But it's the worst feeling when you see a new character that you think looks cool but you have a full party, so you're screwed. (BTW my party was Roddick, Milie, Ilia, Ronyx, Cyuss, Ioshua, Mavelle, and Pericci)
Private actions are, again, a cool idea that could have been executed better. The issue is that it is handled in a very inconvenient way. You can only view one of the unquie party interactions per activation of a private action, meaning that you have to repeatedly go in and out of the town repeatedly to see them all. Also, when you are in a private action, you cannot rest at an inn or leave a town via ship, nor can you regroup the party without leaving a town.
The story is fairly bare bones; you never feel the presence of an antagonist, and there are no recurring villains, which is disappointing. What carries the game is the characters you have in your party, because this game has limited party slots, which makes seeing party members interact interesting because you are seeing something you couldn't see if you made a different choice. I do wish there was more character development, as Ronyx and Ilia are the only ones I consider fully fleshed out, at least in my party.
I do wish this game had more sci-fi stuff because with a name like Star Ocean and the first couple hours, I expected more. But in truth, Star Ocean is almost pure fantasy for 90% of it.
The skill system is really unique, being able to train people to fulfil roles outside of combat. I do think there are tons of nitpicks you could get into with it. For example, if you get someone with the customization skill, they can only customise the weapon they use, which can be really annoying, especially when your party is mostly using different weapon types. Meaning, you would need to give multiple people the customization skill to get party-wide value out of it.
I love and also despise the limited party gimmick, I think it's a cool idea to personalise your experience and encourage replays. But it's the worst feeling when you see a new character that you think looks cool but you have a full party, so you're screwed. (BTW my party was Roddick, Milie, Ilia, Ronyx, Cyuss, Ioshua, Mavelle, and Pericci)
Private actions are, again, a cool idea that could have been executed better. The issue is that it is handled in a very inconvenient way. You can only view one of the unquie party interactions per activation of a private action, meaning that you have to repeatedly go in and out of the town repeatedly to see them all. Also, when you are in a private action, you cannot rest at an inn or leave a town via ship, nor can you regroup the party without leaving a town.
The story is fairly bare bones; you never feel the presence of an antagonist, and there are no recurring villains, which is disappointing. What carries the game is the characters you have in your party, because this game has limited party slots, which makes seeing party members interact interesting because you are seeing something you couldn't see if you made a different choice. I do wish there was more character development, as Ronyx and Ilia are the only ones I consider fully fleshed out, at least in my party.
I do wish this game had more sci-fi stuff because with a name like Star Ocean and the first couple hours, I expected more. But in truth, Star Ocean is almost pure fantasy for 90% of it.
It was fine, had some nice moments. The art and music is really good though. I just wasn't really gripped by the mystery after a certain point. I do think it ended strongly enough but so much waiting for the the protagonist to figure out what you already had really starts making this drag.
1999
This is a very cool and very short JRPG. I haven't really played a JRPG with its setting before, so it was an unique experience. The only real gripe I had with it was needing to grind just for the final boss.
Played with PS3 sprites.
This is a really good story with great characters and music. But I do think how they structured the VN causes a lot of problems. It does feels like it being stretch to it's absolute limit. There were many times where I felt like it was being repetitive or conversations were going in circles. Basically me going "I get it already, please move on already." But I think the quality of the characters and music really helped me get through in those parts. I do think there was a little hackery at some points but nothing narrative annihilating.
But who cares about the problems? The ending almost made me cry, so it is at least a 9/10.
This is a really good story with great characters and music. But I do think how they structured the VN causes a lot of problems. It does feels like it being stretch to it's absolute limit. There were many times where I felt like it was being repetitive or conversations were going in circles. Basically me going "I get it already, please move on already." But I think the quality of the characters and music really helped me get through in those parts. I do think there was a little hackery at some points but nothing narrative annihilating.
But who cares about the problems? The ending almost made me cry, so it is at least a 9/10.
2018
I escaped once so I'm calling this a completed game. This was my first roguelike and I thought it was fantastic. Art, music and presentation are all a 10. Shield is my best friend, it will never betray me.
The Styx section can die in a fire though
The Styx section can die in a fire though
The most different of the three, it is primarily melee focused and even has a unique stage.
It is also the worst one
It is also the worst one
2002
A fantastic game with immaculate vibes. It's kinda like Sakura Wars with how it feels like playing an anime. The combat isn't perfect, and the game could be better with directions, but I don't care. It's full of fun ideas and characters to make up for it.
This game is easy as hell and has some issue due to it not being made for modern phones, but it's weirdly fascinating. I didn't hate my time with it and it's only 10 stages.
When's the Build Engine remake?
When's the Build Engine remake?
2014
It has great art and there are characters I like but the story is dull. You're in this for the characters and it wasn't enough to make me stay, no matter how generous its gacha is. Also this game runs embarrassingly bad for how cheap looking it is, it runs like shit moving between menus and stories that are just PNGs and text. Compared to much higher budget gacha games that run better and do more, it's unacceptable.
This was more fun than I was expecting; plenty of fun characters, and the combat was enjoyable, even if it was easy. Some characters aren't great gameplay wise and are kind of dull, like Mirai and Haruka but luckily they are in the minority.
When it comes to the story and characters, I would call it pleasant. I enjoyed it for what it was, the evil shinobi definitely got the better story though. I wouldn't call the characters deep, but they are fun and that's all you really need for something like this. There is one character, however, that is completely awful; Hibari. What an awful character, which is made worse by her being so prominent in the good shinobi story.
This is probably my bar for Hack and Slash Games now, as in you should be at least as good as the booby ninja game.
Hikage is best girl btw
When it comes to the story and characters, I would call it pleasant. I enjoyed it for what it was, the evil shinobi definitely got the better story though. I wouldn't call the characters deep, but they are fun and that's all you really need for something like this. There is one character, however, that is completely awful; Hibari. What an awful character, which is made worse by her being so prominent in the good shinobi story.
This is probably my bar for Hack and Slash Games now, as in you should be at least as good as the booby ninja game.
Hikage is best girl btw