kilihito
6 reviews liked by kilihito
No More Heroes
2007
What if No More Heroes was called No More Freaks and you played as Travis Freakdown who was a loser otaku wanting to scor- oh wait.
This review contains spoilers
"You know what they say... In travelling, companionship. In life, compassion."
- sumio mondo
from kafka on the shore (the haruki murakami novel which released the following year):
“In traveling, a companion, in life, compassion,'" she repeats, making sure of it. If she had paper and pencil, it wouldn't surprise me if she wrote it down. "So what does that really mean? In simple terms."
I think it over. It takes me a while to gather my thoughts, but she waits patiently.
"I think it means," I say, "that chance encounters are what keep us going. In simple terms.”
- sumio mondo
from kafka on the shore (the haruki murakami novel which released the following year):
“In traveling, a companion, in life, compassion,'" she repeats, making sure of it. If she had paper and pencil, it wouldn't surprise me if she wrote it down. "So what does that really mean? In simple terms."
I think it over. It takes me a while to gather my thoughts, but she waits patiently.
"I think it means," I say, "that chance encounters are what keep us going. In simple terms.”
Fashion Dreamer
2023
beat the game in 2 hours but kept playing. although i like style savvy a lot more, i view them as very different games that are fun in different ways. fashion dreamer has a simpler gameplay loop but the focus is more on designing your own clothes and brand. however, it's still annoyingly grindy. i don't like that certain hair and eyes are locked behind townies, or that some townies just stop showing up after a while. they're just gone forever i guess??? :(
This review contains spoilers
I've been doing a repeat run of The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa alongside a friend of mine who's been playing for the first time, Discord streaming his playthrough. This particular friend sends Ringo to class every day without fail and pushes the mortal human's ability to stay awake just to cram in as much studying/exercise as possible. He is - by the game's standards - richer than god, and yet he routinely risks Ringo's wellbeing to loot random enemies in the world for truly pathetic amounts of money, usually less than 50 yen. He is as mystified by my playthrough as I am by his: if his Ringo is about making numbers go up, mine is about the intangibles. I have not purposely improved a single skill that the game measures. My Ringo is a voracious reader, but makes no special effort to dedicate time to employment or education - not unless it helps him buy books.
I suppose I'm the one with the aberrant playstyle. The experienced gamer knows that more often than not, filling every spare second with stuff pays off - more XP, more money, more NPC affection, etc. But I know how this whole thing ends. I know that Ringo Ishikawa is stubborn. You can study all you want, but he will never let his teacher read his essay to the class. You can make him read Anna Karenina and Rumble Fish and Winesburg, Ohio and Confessions of a Mask and by the time you reach the only conversation in the game where he discusses these books with someone else, it's pretty clear that Ringo is not "in it" to brag about what he read or watched or played or did. He speaks brusquely, frequently teases his closest friends, and maintains a kind of... firm kindness with acquaintances. It feels somehow appropriate to have this stubbornly principled teenage delinquent skip school to read The Brothers Karamazov in a single sitting before declaring "I'd need to re-read it a few times to let it all sink in. A powerful read."
The game is going to start laying out the hints pretty early - Ringo's friends are becoming their own people, and while the gang is ostensibly still together, nobody's heart is really in it anymore. With this, your time is limited.
With this - this realization - how do you spend your time? Watching my friend trek all the way to school and back feels like reaching that point in a conversation where you realize that your brain is just not wired in a way that allows you to fully relate to the other person. Their perspective is too alien, their values too different. Perhaps you can understand the thoughts that lead them to their conclusion, but the idea of your own brain producing those same thoughts feels... wrong. Improbable.
Why does my Ringo read? If I'm honest with you, it's not for him. When you make Ringo read, he sits down, a page counter appears above his head, and you watch it tick up as the day passes - no fast forwards, no special music. Ringo reads for the same reason that he and his friends will sometimes stop in the park, or in the rice fields outside of town, or on the balcony of his apartment, smoking and having conversations that only they can hear. He does it because it lets me linger in the empty space, because it makes me feel overwhelmingly present in those moments. And when you sit there with them, maybe you can push it to the back of your mind that Ken probably won't join any more of your fights, or that Masaru keeps asking you for money and never explains why. Those precious seconds where the gang is still together stretch out into minutes - but no more than that - and you have to move on.
As of the time of this writing, my friend still has not finished the game. It's actually been almost a month at this point, and there's a solid possibility he may not return to it. I won't push him. Maybe he didn't like to linger in those moments like I do. Maybe he moved on, moved past the gang, maybe his Ringo grows up. Perhaps he'll enjoy it better that way: as a little slice of life where everything was still just fine - not perfect, but fine. The last thing his Ringo does is drag his friends to support Goro's newfound passion for theater. My Ringo?
My Ringo boards the train alone.
I suppose I'm the one with the aberrant playstyle. The experienced gamer knows that more often than not, filling every spare second with stuff pays off - more XP, more money, more NPC affection, etc. But I know how this whole thing ends. I know that Ringo Ishikawa is stubborn. You can study all you want, but he will never let his teacher read his essay to the class. You can make him read Anna Karenina and Rumble Fish and Winesburg, Ohio and Confessions of a Mask and by the time you reach the only conversation in the game where he discusses these books with someone else, it's pretty clear that Ringo is not "in it" to brag about what he read or watched or played or did. He speaks brusquely, frequently teases his closest friends, and maintains a kind of... firm kindness with acquaintances. It feels somehow appropriate to have this stubbornly principled teenage delinquent skip school to read The Brothers Karamazov in a single sitting before declaring "I'd need to re-read it a few times to let it all sink in. A powerful read."
The game is going to start laying out the hints pretty early - Ringo's friends are becoming their own people, and while the gang is ostensibly still together, nobody's heart is really in it anymore. With this, your time is limited.
With this - this realization - how do you spend your time? Watching my friend trek all the way to school and back feels like reaching that point in a conversation where you realize that your brain is just not wired in a way that allows you to fully relate to the other person. Their perspective is too alien, their values too different. Perhaps you can understand the thoughts that lead them to their conclusion, but the idea of your own brain producing those same thoughts feels... wrong. Improbable.
Why does my Ringo read? If I'm honest with you, it's not for him. When you make Ringo read, he sits down, a page counter appears above his head, and you watch it tick up as the day passes - no fast forwards, no special music. Ringo reads for the same reason that he and his friends will sometimes stop in the park, or in the rice fields outside of town, or on the balcony of his apartment, smoking and having conversations that only they can hear. He does it because it lets me linger in the empty space, because it makes me feel overwhelmingly present in those moments. And when you sit there with them, maybe you can push it to the back of your mind that Ken probably won't join any more of your fights, or that Masaru keeps asking you for money and never explains why. Those precious seconds where the gang is still together stretch out into minutes - but no more than that - and you have to move on.
As of the time of this writing, my friend still has not finished the game. It's actually been almost a month at this point, and there's a solid possibility he may not return to it. I won't push him. Maybe he didn't like to linger in those moments like I do. Maybe he moved on, moved past the gang, maybe his Ringo grows up. Perhaps he'll enjoy it better that way: as a little slice of life where everything was still just fine - not perfect, but fine. The last thing his Ringo does is drag his friends to support Goro's newfound passion for theater. My Ringo?
My Ringo boards the train alone.
If Kenka Banchou do a banchou life sim using the cool factor (supposing so, since the only with english translation is like this), The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa uses everything more depressive about them. Sure, you have cool stuff happening but is just a small time fantasy, the reality comes crushing right after.
Everything is made to reflex Ringo and his friends and even the player too. If Shenmue suggests things and made you think something, The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa ask directly. The cast is made of teenagers that already lose in life. Ken can't go to pro boxing because he always enters in fights and always end with a broken hand, Goro can't be an artist because is like everything is against him, Masaru have a gambling addiction being only 18 years old, Shiro try to do the right thing and always gets in fight and Ringo doesn't have anything anymore. He left the opportunity of being a national champion, he doesn't have the wish to do anything anymore, he can try to be a better student but for what? Everyone wants to fight him. Is just the very relatable moment in banchou works when you see the characters knowloding how everything sucks and even if they did the right choices the system is against them.
The mix of russian literature with japanese movies and mangas sure goes hard.
Everything is made to reflex Ringo and his friends and even the player too. If Shenmue suggests things and made you think something, The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa ask directly. The cast is made of teenagers that already lose in life. Ken can't go to pro boxing because he always enters in fights and always end with a broken hand, Goro can't be an artist because is like everything is against him, Masaru have a gambling addiction being only 18 years old, Shiro try to do the right thing and always gets in fight and Ringo doesn't have anything anymore. He left the opportunity of being a national champion, he doesn't have the wish to do anything anymore, he can try to be a better student but for what? Everyone wants to fight him. Is just the very relatable moment in banchou works when you see the characters knowloding how everything sucks and even if they did the right choices the system is against them.
The mix of russian literature with japanese movies and mangas sure goes hard.
your turn to die is often compared to games surrounding death and murder like danganronpa, zero escape, and ace attorney. while it's true that the premise isn't new, i feel like yttd is much more successful than its predecessors. in fact, yttd is genuinely one of the best games i've ever played, and there are many reasons why i think so. (essay incoming)
1) every choice feels like a moral quandary
yttd toys with your emotions and makes you feel the weight of your choices. there are multiple paths the game could take, depending on whose death you voted for, and that looms over your head constantly. even knowing that some deaths were unavoidable, it still makes you feel like you could have prevented it. honestly, parts of this game can be slightly traumatizing for the player. but i loved that aspect of it. i felt incredibly guilty for even playing the game because it kept making me feel like i was hurting people, which is an attest to the incredible writing and intention behind yttd.
2) the characters are traumatised by their situation and every death feels real
unlike danganronpa, in which some executions can feel too fantastical or even meaningless, and some characters a little flat, the cast of yttd is so rich and their bonds so palpable that even with characters that die early, you can genuinely feel the void left by their deaths. their spirits live on through the remaining characters' trauma and grief, and dead characters remain relevant to the plot throughout the rest of the story. (i'd argue that in danganronpa, a lot of the characters that die early become irrelevant and/or are forgotten pretty quick.) it helps that the cast is smaller in yttd, allowing you to get invested in them a little more, but they are also just written better, in my opinion. which brings me to my next point...
3) it's impossible to not love these characters
as i just mentioned, it's easy to get invested in the cast of yttd, but you don't really understand just how much you'll grow to love these characters until you play the game. the more i got pulled into the story, the more attached i became. i felt immediately attached to keiji, joe, and gin, but i didn't realise how much i'd come to love the entire cast. sou and ranmaru, and everyone else too... to the point where i felt my real life would be ruined if they died. all in all, i felt a unique intensity for these characters that was missing from the other death games i've played.
4) the horror elements are genuinely scary despite being made in rpgmaker
yttd was made in rpgmaker. and while rpgmaker horror games (such as ib or yume nikki) are limited in what they can accomplish graphically, in yttd's case i think it acts as a strength. yttd does not rely on gruesome cutscenes with high production value to shock the player. instead, it evokes subtle horror through situations, using limited graphics to its advantage by combining it with excellent juxtaposition of music, sounds, and clever writing to generate a sense of fear and foreboding. the stress and anxiety i felt was very real and i was a little nervous playing it in the dark.
5) the story and gameplay mechanics don't feel formulaic
yttd's gameplay is actually quite varied. at its base level, the player solves point-and-click puzzles while they explore and investigate (quite similar to ace attorney), then participates in "the main game" where, after a "discussion," they make a vote to sentence someone to their death. however, this never feels repetitive, as there are so many plot twists that occur throughout the game that make it wildly unpredictable. furthermore, game mechanics are repurposed in engaging ways. the "discussions" (in which players extract statements from characters to have a debate) aren't just used during a vote but can pop-up in the middle of an investigation, and later become a method of team combat against monsters. new mechanics are added to the game as you progress through each chapter, but not in a way that overcomplicates things. it always feels playable and easy to follow. to add to that point, the mini-games in yttd don't feel obtrusive and are actually fun...aside from memory dance
6) the art direction is just as strong as its predecessors
despite being made in rpgmaker, the art is amazing. all of the character sprites and CGs are stylish and beautifully drawn without feeling out of place against a pixel backdrop. the character designs are also really good, retaining whimsicality without being too over-the-top. while some characters in danganronpa suffer from same-face syndrome, yttd does not run into that problem, as all of its characters carry distinct qualities without being one-note. the steam version of the game comes with a lengthy artbook with all the character designs and bts sketches, it is amazing so def check it out but only after you reach chapter 3 (it has spoilers!)
7) the low budget music is actually good???
to top it off, the music is unbelievably catchy. the entire ost was made using garageband loops which is ridiculous. i had no idea that those loops were actually good. i'm usually very picky about music so it's kind of embarrassing that i was impressed by a bunch of garageband assets. just goes to show that a game does not need a high budget to have an impact on people.
overall...
your turn to die completely surpasses all expectations of the death game genre, surprising players with its quality despite being available to play for free on web browser. it puts us through emotional turmoil as we are forced to kill off characters we love, an all-too-familiar feeling for fans of danganronpa, but yttd somehow multiplies that emotion tenfold.
surely this game is for masochists. but this isn't to say that yttd is filled with only pain and despair. there are moments of joy along the way, lots of genuinely funny and cute moments that really make the losses hit even harder. i cried for real. it's crazy this game was made by one person, shout out to nankidai for your genius and dedication.
1) every choice feels like a moral quandary
yttd toys with your emotions and makes you feel the weight of your choices. there are multiple paths the game could take, depending on whose death you voted for, and that looms over your head constantly. even knowing that some deaths were unavoidable, it still makes you feel like you could have prevented it. honestly, parts of this game can be slightly traumatizing for the player. but i loved that aspect of it. i felt incredibly guilty for even playing the game because it kept making me feel like i was hurting people, which is an attest to the incredible writing and intention behind yttd.
2) the characters are traumatised by their situation and every death feels real
unlike danganronpa, in which some executions can feel too fantastical or even meaningless, and some characters a little flat, the cast of yttd is so rich and their bonds so palpable that even with characters that die early, you can genuinely feel the void left by their deaths. their spirits live on through the remaining characters' trauma and grief, and dead characters remain relevant to the plot throughout the rest of the story. (i'd argue that in danganronpa, a lot of the characters that die early become irrelevant and/or are forgotten pretty quick.) it helps that the cast is smaller in yttd, allowing you to get invested in them a little more, but they are also just written better, in my opinion. which brings me to my next point...
3) it's impossible to not love these characters
as i just mentioned, it's easy to get invested in the cast of yttd, but you don't really understand just how much you'll grow to love these characters until you play the game. the more i got pulled into the story, the more attached i became. i felt immediately attached to keiji, joe, and gin, but i didn't realise how much i'd come to love the entire cast. sou and ranmaru, and everyone else too... to the point where i felt my real life would be ruined if they died. all in all, i felt a unique intensity for these characters that was missing from the other death games i've played.
4) the horror elements are genuinely scary despite being made in rpgmaker
yttd was made in rpgmaker. and while rpgmaker horror games (such as ib or yume nikki) are limited in what they can accomplish graphically, in yttd's case i think it acts as a strength. yttd does not rely on gruesome cutscenes with high production value to shock the player. instead, it evokes subtle horror through situations, using limited graphics to its advantage by combining it with excellent juxtaposition of music, sounds, and clever writing to generate a sense of fear and foreboding. the stress and anxiety i felt was very real and i was a little nervous playing it in the dark.
5) the story and gameplay mechanics don't feel formulaic
yttd's gameplay is actually quite varied. at its base level, the player solves point-and-click puzzles while they explore and investigate (quite similar to ace attorney), then participates in "the main game" where, after a "discussion," they make a vote to sentence someone to their death. however, this never feels repetitive, as there are so many plot twists that occur throughout the game that make it wildly unpredictable. furthermore, game mechanics are repurposed in engaging ways. the "discussions" (in which players extract statements from characters to have a debate) aren't just used during a vote but can pop-up in the middle of an investigation, and later become a method of team combat against monsters. new mechanics are added to the game as you progress through each chapter, but not in a way that overcomplicates things. it always feels playable and easy to follow. to add to that point, the mini-games in yttd don't feel obtrusive and are actually fun...
6) the art direction is just as strong as its predecessors
despite being made in rpgmaker, the art is amazing. all of the character sprites and CGs are stylish and beautifully drawn without feeling out of place against a pixel backdrop. the character designs are also really good, retaining whimsicality without being too over-the-top. while some characters in danganronpa suffer from same-face syndrome, yttd does not run into that problem, as all of its characters carry distinct qualities without being one-note. the steam version of the game comes with a lengthy artbook with all the character designs and bts sketches, it is amazing so def check it out but only after you reach chapter 3 (it has spoilers!)
7) the low budget music is actually good???
to top it off, the music is unbelievably catchy. the entire ost was made using garageband loops which is ridiculous. i had no idea that those loops were actually good. i'm usually very picky about music so it's kind of embarrassing that i was impressed by a bunch of garageband assets. just goes to show that a game does not need a high budget to have an impact on people.
overall...
your turn to die completely surpasses all expectations of the death game genre, surprising players with its quality despite being available to play for free on web browser. it puts us through emotional turmoil as we are forced to kill off characters we love, an all-too-familiar feeling for fans of danganronpa, but yttd somehow multiplies that emotion tenfold.
surely this game is for masochists. but this isn't to say that yttd is filled with only pain and despair. there are moments of joy along the way, lots of genuinely funny and cute moments that really make the losses hit even harder. i cried for real. it's crazy this game was made by one person, shout out to nankidai for your genius and dedication.