sleazoid
1997
The first Armored Core is a classic mecha game that like most From Software games at the time, sort of went under the radar but was revolutionary in many different aspects. Shoji Kawamori of Macross fame conceptualized the game's customization system and mech designs but it's definitely much more gritty than in his other works. Especially considering if you are a mecha fan at all you'll noticed the immense amount of influence Ryosuke Takahashi (Dagram and Votoms) has in the story and world for the franchise as a whole. Even if you don't know any of the names I'm spitting out this game can basically be considered one of the more important pieces of media that push the "realistic robot" genre in cool ways.
This game has a badass, late 90s house and techno soundtrack as to be expected from most banger games in this era. A stark contrast to the rest of Fromsoft's catalogue at the time but something to note as even though this game has a dark, omnipotent vibe to it, it makes the game feel more fun and hype than one might expect at first glance. Something that you do have to understand though is that this game is definitely a product of its era and as such it can be a tough game with controls that require some getting used to. This sentiment can be applied for all three versions of Armored Core on the PlayStation 1 and about half of the games that would release on the PS2.
However that does not detract from the fact that if you can get used to it, this game is actually quite fun despite its clunk. Something that pretty much every Armored Core game offers is replayability and this one is no exception. There are two branching routes which will give you different missions and flavor text for missions. Of course being the first game in the franchise the mission and story variance isn't amazing by today's standards but quite honestly it still suffices well enough to be engaging.
Just like all Fromsoft games there's a hidden kind of narrative this game shares to its players. It's definitely not something super in-depth in this entry unlike more modern titles but especially in regards to this game's ending (which is probably one of my favorites in this series) it definitely adds a lot of nuance to this game that's easily recognizable from the offset. This game has a neat little personality and it's really memorable because of it. Even though this game is much simpler than later games, it still carries a lot of the depth of the franchise's well-known core features and more. It's just in a different sense than you maybe expecting. Whether or not you're into mechs I still consider this something you should at least give a shot, it definitely stuck with me for a long time even as a little simple game.
All in all, if you like to blow shit up and feel like a tactical genius who pilots an awesome looking brick you'll love this game. Have fun!
This game has a badass, late 90s house and techno soundtrack as to be expected from most banger games in this era. A stark contrast to the rest of Fromsoft's catalogue at the time but something to note as even though this game has a dark, omnipotent vibe to it, it makes the game feel more fun and hype than one might expect at first glance. Something that you do have to understand though is that this game is definitely a product of its era and as such it can be a tough game with controls that require some getting used to. This sentiment can be applied for all three versions of Armored Core on the PlayStation 1 and about half of the games that would release on the PS2.
However that does not detract from the fact that if you can get used to it, this game is actually quite fun despite its clunk. Something that pretty much every Armored Core game offers is replayability and this one is no exception. There are two branching routes which will give you different missions and flavor text for missions. Of course being the first game in the franchise the mission and story variance isn't amazing by today's standards but quite honestly it still suffices well enough to be engaging.
Just like all Fromsoft games there's a hidden kind of narrative this game shares to its players. It's definitely not something super in-depth in this entry unlike more modern titles but especially in regards to this game's ending (which is probably one of my favorites in this series) it definitely adds a lot of nuance to this game that's easily recognizable from the offset. This game has a neat little personality and it's really memorable because of it. Even though this game is much simpler than later games, it still carries a lot of the depth of the franchise's well-known core features and more. It's just in a different sense than you maybe expecting. Whether or not you're into mechs I still consider this something you should at least give a shot, it definitely stuck with me for a long time even as a little simple game.
All in all, if you like to blow shit up and feel like a tactical genius who pilots an awesome looking brick you'll love this game. Have fun!
It has been said that a person's teenage years is some of the best in one's life. There are hundreds
upon hundreds of movies, TV shows, and games that expound upon this fact. This teenage-oriented
media is everywhere, especially in Japan as you've no doubt seen anime correlate to something dealing
with high schoolers at least once. In some people's youth they go out and do have similarily fun
adventures and enjoy themselves to the fullest, but, there are many who are shackled by
overprotectiveness, shyness, maybe even they're hazed or do not have many friends to talk to. Despite
this people adapt, there many ways to enjoy oneself nowadays, especially through the internet and
through entertainment. This will never bring the same emotion or experience as going out but in many
cases this is preferred and in fact has such huge followings to the point that it's truly all of what some
people have. A notable margin live inside this bubble to this day past their youth and do not interact
with much outside. What perpetuates this and what keeps people inside can be easily imagined by
outsiders and seen as crude and pathetic. While some of these people do not have that intricate of a
rhyme or reason, there are also people who just have not felt like they've grown up and cannot abide by
adulthood. Many people sometimes dream to return to what they thought were problems in the past and
stay coddled in the warmth of nostalgia, forever.
Not all people who enjoy the internet, games, or any teen media are inside people of course.
There is in fact many people who are inspired to do more outside by media, or creators who inject their
real life experiences into their projects. Whether their creations can be seen as too embellished upon
and unrealistic or made to be completely satirical they all surround it with the setting of a teenager in
high school. In reality though, what were their high school lives like? How many people during that
period of time have had their dreams realized or crushed? Were they longing for love? Friends? Maybe
even something that may seem too far-fetched... Whether or not people did think too deeply or not
there is sometimes a strange emotion tied to adolescence. It could be nostalgia as it is for most but
sometimes it can be a darker, more disgusting feeling. There are quite the amount of people who hated
their teenage years and moved on completely, the best days of their lives would end up being in their
later years. In that sense teenage media wouldn't seem appeal to these people, but, what if it tapped into
the darkness of those years and created a sort of fine line that crosses between nostalgia and pain.
There are no doubt a good amount of examples of a dark “coming-of-age” story but they
generally invoke only one side of this spectrum of emotion. Despite how well they dive into how low a
human could go there is sometimes only things you can feel when you're able to deliver more homely
feel. A true cross between these feelings in fiction isn't easy to do, especially if you're attempting to
relate to a reader as not all people can confide in it due to how muddled people's view of things can be.
Most of the time people rally behind a happy and carefree character, a very charismatic villain, or
sometimes a person who just gets all the hotties! Regardless of the depth of relatability you put in these
characters something won't always click, truthfully the way to win over the hearts of people is to create
a more forlorn or romantic sense of empathy instead of a drawn out direct form of sympathy. The most
exciting things are the things that can't happen in real life, it's why so many people look towards fiction
for comfort or for fun. But things that are too perfect are boring and things that are too flawed just
remind people of why they dislike things in other parts of their life. The right amount of perfection and
flaw creates an elevated form of beauty and righteousness in the landscape of fiction.
Takuya Arima is the protagonist in a VN called YU-NO released in 1996 by ELF Corporation,
his character arcs and the passion formed by the composer, the artists, and writers of ELF help create
this cross between despair and reminiscence. YU-NO itself is considered a Sci-Fi visual novel but a
large portion of it takes place in a normal Japanese neighborhood and high school, with varying locales
throughout the nearby city. A lot could be said about its very vast world and science fiction elements
and absurdly unrealistic, crazy moments but this isn't about that. Despite this game's genre it actually
fixates on a lot of different ideas and the one that captured me was its portrayal of a charismatic teenage
boy. A lot of these Japanese high school centric scenarios tend to rely more on the goofy or fantasy side
of things but this game chooses to create a character who has a similar, enjoyable and funny personality
but tinged in a harsh reality that has wrought an almost perfect balance of youth.
The situations in this game can sometimes be erotic in nature and is definitely a product of its
time but with the way the wind blows in the game, it's almost necessary and in fact adds to the
emotions encapsulated within Takuya. His role as a teenager is crucial as it invites the player to share in
his angst and display the truth of how much an adolescent can really do in the complex, seedy relations
of adults. Unlike a lot of other works it doesn't completely downplay the adults and make a sort of
“Kids rule!” mentality. It establishes the importance between the both of them, creating a tug of war
between what's out of each other's control.
Certain scenes in this vein evoke a bygone sense of youth that some may have never even
experienced but solidifies itself as a part as one's memory. These moments develop more and more as
the story continues and even though later on the plot itself changes focus this underlying emotion
continues to emanate throughout each route and strengthens the bond of Takuya and the player. The
freedom he has and the choices he makes with only his raw, unadulterated passion and his own fiery
sense of justice brings him to the climax of what being a teenager should be about. It's almost a dream
to his live his kind of life yet at the same time the hammer of reality is brought down upon him time
and time again. There is no true answer to everything in this game's world, everything that is “perfect”
and “true” is only found with the player's decision to abuse save slots and fix these issues one step at a
time. All visual novels have these consequences with bad endings and whatnot but this game actually
makes you decide what to do for long periods of time due to the limit of your save slots in the
beginning and creates a sense of finality or anger to each route you complete. In a sense, even though
you're expected to do every little thing to fix the world, there is elegance in the many outcomes that
occur through the bare minimum and exposes the real world through the eyes of Takuya. Even if you
weren't to play YU-NO in this way its scenarios will still tug on you and keep you day dreaming, as if
you were stuck in class and thinking of another kind of life.
In your life have there been moments where you think back and feel like something was all a
dream but it really happened? Sometimes these moments can be good or bad but they all share in
common that strange form of existence. Could've been insignificant, could've been an extremely
important moment. All you know is that one way or another it happened and that's how YU-NO feels.
It's something that as you read and listen, it blossoms and creates a strange, comforting bubble of
feelings. It wells up inside you and when it's all over, it doesn't feel fictitious, neither does it come off
as real. YU-NO gives you a dreamy high of a look into a dirty, fun youth you've never had and brings
you back around and throws you back into your seat. It comes to show you that even if you haven't had
these experiences, maybe you can still make them. Maybe you can be the one to put things into motion
and create love. Not for others, but for yourself, create a passion of your own and wring yourself out of
whatever you're in. Simply dreaming of the future isn't enough, as much as you want to think that's
good enough. Live and let die, jump over the age, save the future.
upon hundreds of movies, TV shows, and games that expound upon this fact. This teenage-oriented
media is everywhere, especially in Japan as you've no doubt seen anime correlate to something dealing
with high schoolers at least once. In some people's youth they go out and do have similarily fun
adventures and enjoy themselves to the fullest, but, there are many who are shackled by
overprotectiveness, shyness, maybe even they're hazed or do not have many friends to talk to. Despite
this people adapt, there many ways to enjoy oneself nowadays, especially through the internet and
through entertainment. This will never bring the same emotion or experience as going out but in many
cases this is preferred and in fact has such huge followings to the point that it's truly all of what some
people have. A notable margin live inside this bubble to this day past their youth and do not interact
with much outside. What perpetuates this and what keeps people inside can be easily imagined by
outsiders and seen as crude and pathetic. While some of these people do not have that intricate of a
rhyme or reason, there are also people who just have not felt like they've grown up and cannot abide by
adulthood. Many people sometimes dream to return to what they thought were problems in the past and
stay coddled in the warmth of nostalgia, forever.
Not all people who enjoy the internet, games, or any teen media are inside people of course.
There is in fact many people who are inspired to do more outside by media, or creators who inject their
real life experiences into their projects. Whether their creations can be seen as too embellished upon
and unrealistic or made to be completely satirical they all surround it with the setting of a teenager in
high school. In reality though, what were their high school lives like? How many people during that
period of time have had their dreams realized or crushed? Were they longing for love? Friends? Maybe
even something that may seem too far-fetched... Whether or not people did think too deeply or not
there is sometimes a strange emotion tied to adolescence. It could be nostalgia as it is for most but
sometimes it can be a darker, more disgusting feeling. There are quite the amount of people who hated
their teenage years and moved on completely, the best days of their lives would end up being in their
later years. In that sense teenage media wouldn't seem appeal to these people, but, what if it tapped into
the darkness of those years and created a sort of fine line that crosses between nostalgia and pain.
There are no doubt a good amount of examples of a dark “coming-of-age” story but they
generally invoke only one side of this spectrum of emotion. Despite how well they dive into how low a
human could go there is sometimes only things you can feel when you're able to deliver more homely
feel. A true cross between these feelings in fiction isn't easy to do, especially if you're attempting to
relate to a reader as not all people can confide in it due to how muddled people's view of things can be.
Most of the time people rally behind a happy and carefree character, a very charismatic villain, or
sometimes a person who just gets all the hotties! Regardless of the depth of relatability you put in these
characters something won't always click, truthfully the way to win over the hearts of people is to create
a more forlorn or romantic sense of empathy instead of a drawn out direct form of sympathy. The most
exciting things are the things that can't happen in real life, it's why so many people look towards fiction
for comfort or for fun. But things that are too perfect are boring and things that are too flawed just
remind people of why they dislike things in other parts of their life. The right amount of perfection and
flaw creates an elevated form of beauty and righteousness in the landscape of fiction.
Takuya Arima is the protagonist in a VN called YU-NO released in 1996 by ELF Corporation,
his character arcs and the passion formed by the composer, the artists, and writers of ELF help create
this cross between despair and reminiscence. YU-NO itself is considered a Sci-Fi visual novel but a
large portion of it takes place in a normal Japanese neighborhood and high school, with varying locales
throughout the nearby city. A lot could be said about its very vast world and science fiction elements
and absurdly unrealistic, crazy moments but this isn't about that. Despite this game's genre it actually
fixates on a lot of different ideas and the one that captured me was its portrayal of a charismatic teenage
boy. A lot of these Japanese high school centric scenarios tend to rely more on the goofy or fantasy side
of things but this game chooses to create a character who has a similar, enjoyable and funny personality
but tinged in a harsh reality that has wrought an almost perfect balance of youth.
The situations in this game can sometimes be erotic in nature and is definitely a product of its
time but with the way the wind blows in the game, it's almost necessary and in fact adds to the
emotions encapsulated within Takuya. His role as a teenager is crucial as it invites the player to share in
his angst and display the truth of how much an adolescent can really do in the complex, seedy relations
of adults. Unlike a lot of other works it doesn't completely downplay the adults and make a sort of
“Kids rule!” mentality. It establishes the importance between the both of them, creating a tug of war
between what's out of each other's control.
Certain scenes in this vein evoke a bygone sense of youth that some may have never even
experienced but solidifies itself as a part as one's memory. These moments develop more and more as
the story continues and even though later on the plot itself changes focus this underlying emotion
continues to emanate throughout each route and strengthens the bond of Takuya and the player. The
freedom he has and the choices he makes with only his raw, unadulterated passion and his own fiery
sense of justice brings him to the climax of what being a teenager should be about. It's almost a dream
to his live his kind of life yet at the same time the hammer of reality is brought down upon him time
and time again. There is no true answer to everything in this game's world, everything that is “perfect”
and “true” is only found with the player's decision to abuse save slots and fix these issues one step at a
time. All visual novels have these consequences with bad endings and whatnot but this game actually
makes you decide what to do for long periods of time due to the limit of your save slots in the
beginning and creates a sense of finality or anger to each route you complete. In a sense, even though
you're expected to do every little thing to fix the world, there is elegance in the many outcomes that
occur through the bare minimum and exposes the real world through the eyes of Takuya. Even if you
weren't to play YU-NO in this way its scenarios will still tug on you and keep you day dreaming, as if
you were stuck in class and thinking of another kind of life.
In your life have there been moments where you think back and feel like something was all a
dream but it really happened? Sometimes these moments can be good or bad but they all share in
common that strange form of existence. Could've been insignificant, could've been an extremely
important moment. All you know is that one way or another it happened and that's how YU-NO feels.
It's something that as you read and listen, it blossoms and creates a strange, comforting bubble of
feelings. It wells up inside you and when it's all over, it doesn't feel fictitious, neither does it come off
as real. YU-NO gives you a dreamy high of a look into a dirty, fun youth you've never had and brings
you back around and throws you back into your seat. It comes to show you that even if you haven't had
these experiences, maybe you can still make them. Maybe you can be the one to put things into motion
and create love. Not for others, but for yourself, create a passion of your own and wring yourself out of
whatever you're in. Simply dreaming of the future isn't enough, as much as you want to think that's
good enough. Live and let die, jump over the age, save the future.
Persona 1 has this mysterious, nostalgic vibe that makes this game a lot more special than one would think at first glance. The scenario writer behind this game: Satomi Tadashi, stated this was his intention, to create a narrative that is unapologetically rooted in the struggles and emotions of adolescents. To relate to those who are currently in that stage of their life or to remind adults of those times in a positively trippy way. But make no mistake this game doesn't adhere to your usual high school anime tropes in an annoying way, it's surprisingly cartoony and charming at times while being able to also feel like a fever dream. Sort of reminds me of Earthbound in some ways.
However this game is one of those games that definitely has a lot more focus on said scenario rather than the gameplay. Rather the gameplay does have quite a bit of thought put into it and isn't completely terrible, but I highly suggest you just play it on the easiest difficulty. This game is tough and drawn out for no real good reason, it's not that fun but it's definitely a lot more playable than some other brutal JRPGs I've gone through. A notable feature is the "Contact" option you have when encountering enemies which makes for interesting dialogue and character interactions at times.
The game allows you to have up to 5 party members at a time and numerous times throughout the game's two scenarios you can pick to add certain characters but also be locked out of the rest of the later ones if you do so. It's pretty annoying but regardless the synergy and dialogue between everyone, no matter who you pick is extremely cohesive and entertaining. I don't really think I dislike any party member in this game whatsoever and by the end I fell in love with everyone.
Persona 1 predates the structure of the games from Persona 3 onward so expect a faster paced, linear story. Honestly even with a shorter play time and more emphasis on the plot it's still able to develop the characters and keep them involved with good reason consistently compared to the modern games that should theoretically make it even easier to do so. There's a super bunk localized version of the game for PSX in English and only the original version with the second scenario is translated and available on PSP.
However the tone of the game is completely different on the PSP version due to Shoji Meguro rescoring the soundtrack (notably less songs too.) The music he made was great but doesn't get the game's original atmosphere across. There's a patch for the PSP version to re-add the old music but it doesn't add all of the tracks, only replaces the tracks that are there with the old ones. At the moment since there is no translation of the JP PSX version this is the best way to experience it in my opinion.
This game created a blueprint for which the sequels would follow in their own ways and while I prefer Persona 2 over this game I think this game took an approach to the JRPG genre that was very unique for the time and to this day stands alone. Awesome dialogue, beautiful atmosphere, and a superb cast of characters with an unpredictable and fun narrative. The antagonists in this story are definitely not as huge of a focus (which falls in line with most Persona games) and it's definitely all about the heroes in the story but they're still interesting enough to merit some thought.
This is also one of the last games to feature the older style of Kazuma Kaneko's artwork alongside the original Soul Hackers before his jump into the style most people recognize today. It looks and feels super homely and really adds to that aforementioned nostalgic feeling that this game has. The sound design in the original version oozes "90's" in a really good way and personally pleasured my eardrums every step of the way. (Rest in peace Hidehito Aoki.)
If you're looking to start with this game I would say you should be an experienced RPG player, if not I would say jump ahead to P3 and come back to P1 and P2 later as its gameplay might scare away the uninitiated. Despite that it's a game I fondly look back on and I feel most who appreciate it share that same sentiment with it. It's kind of a shame that Satomi Tadashi to this day tried to emulate the experiences contained in this game with his newer IP but ultimately failed. Atlus truly peaked in the mid to late 90s and the way this game was composed clearly shows that.
All in all, if you're looking for a trippy story with relatable and fun characters you'll quite like this game. Have fun!
However this game is one of those games that definitely has a lot more focus on said scenario rather than the gameplay. Rather the gameplay does have quite a bit of thought put into it and isn't completely terrible, but I highly suggest you just play it on the easiest difficulty. This game is tough and drawn out for no real good reason, it's not that fun but it's definitely a lot more playable than some other brutal JRPGs I've gone through. A notable feature is the "Contact" option you have when encountering enemies which makes for interesting dialogue and character interactions at times.
The game allows you to have up to 5 party members at a time and numerous times throughout the game's two scenarios you can pick to add certain characters but also be locked out of the rest of the later ones if you do so. It's pretty annoying but regardless the synergy and dialogue between everyone, no matter who you pick is extremely cohesive and entertaining. I don't really think I dislike any party member in this game whatsoever and by the end I fell in love with everyone.
Persona 1 predates the structure of the games from Persona 3 onward so expect a faster paced, linear story. Honestly even with a shorter play time and more emphasis on the plot it's still able to develop the characters and keep them involved with good reason consistently compared to the modern games that should theoretically make it even easier to do so. There's a super bunk localized version of the game for PSX in English and only the original version with the second scenario is translated and available on PSP.
However the tone of the game is completely different on the PSP version due to Shoji Meguro rescoring the soundtrack (notably less songs too.) The music he made was great but doesn't get the game's original atmosphere across. There's a patch for the PSP version to re-add the old music but it doesn't add all of the tracks, only replaces the tracks that are there with the old ones. At the moment since there is no translation of the JP PSX version this is the best way to experience it in my opinion.
This game created a blueprint for which the sequels would follow in their own ways and while I prefer Persona 2 over this game I think this game took an approach to the JRPG genre that was very unique for the time and to this day stands alone. Awesome dialogue, beautiful atmosphere, and a superb cast of characters with an unpredictable and fun narrative. The antagonists in this story are definitely not as huge of a focus (which falls in line with most Persona games) and it's definitely all about the heroes in the story but they're still interesting enough to merit some thought.
This is also one of the last games to feature the older style of Kazuma Kaneko's artwork alongside the original Soul Hackers before his jump into the style most people recognize today. It looks and feels super homely and really adds to that aforementioned nostalgic feeling that this game has. The sound design in the original version oozes "90's" in a really good way and personally pleasured my eardrums every step of the way. (Rest in peace Hidehito Aoki.)
If you're looking to start with this game I would say you should be an experienced RPG player, if not I would say jump ahead to P3 and come back to P1 and P2 later as its gameplay might scare away the uninitiated. Despite that it's a game I fondly look back on and I feel most who appreciate it share that same sentiment with it. It's kind of a shame that Satomi Tadashi to this day tried to emulate the experiences contained in this game with his newer IP but ultimately failed. Atlus truly peaked in the mid to late 90s and the way this game was composed clearly shows that.
All in all, if you're looking for a trippy story with relatable and fun characters you'll quite like this game. Have fun!
2003
Where do I even begin? This game is the definition of "chaos." Chaotic writing, chaotic development, chaotic "gameplay," it's just one giant mess. I would be remiss if I didn't mention early on this game in many different aspects, is bad. This was Yoko Taro's first outing as a director even though he had barely broken into the industry beforehand. Pretty lucky break if I say so myself, but this goes hand in hand as to why this game is just...everywhere.
Despite that though you may be looking at that rating and ask: "Why?" I'll tell you why, it's because this game's story, the script itself, is something akin to a nasty, yet exceedingly sexy one-night stand. It's definitely something not a lot of people would enjoy whatsoever but to those who've noticed the cult following surrounding this game, it's definitely for a reason.
However as I said before, this game kind of stinks in certain ways. The gameplay is insanely repetitive and grindy, you have to play the game 5 times (something I never liked about Taro's games lol) to get all the content. Even though on the subsequent playthroughs you aren't just playing through all the same missions, the gameplay is boring enough that it's definitely more a negative than anything. Funny enough, visually the combat looks way cooler than it actually plays.
The music and ambience this game provides is really brutal and awesome, a lot of people complain about it but honestly within the game's context it fits superbly. Nobuyoshi Sano composed the soundtrack by mish-mashing a bunch of recordings of a symphonic orchestra playing various different classic compositions. I sometimes catch myself listening to it outside of the game which sounds psychotic but hey, I thought it was tight. Sadly no other Taro game has this kind of soundtrack ever again and is unique to this game. Whether that's a good or bad thing I'll leave it up to you to decide.
So the story right? That's what I've been gassing up so I'll get to it. The plot itself is actually relatively simple but what makes it so interesting is the cast, they're all pretty much terrible people excluding a select few. But the thing is this game is actually successful at making you somehow care about these morally gray freaks. Ranging from a bloodthirsty murderer, a cannibal who eats children, an obsessive sociopath, and a pedophile! The list goes on! Do note that not every single one of characters are like a masterclass in writing or anything, they just accentuate the tone of the game's story so damn well and the characters that do stand out are extremely memorable. If you can stomach the gameplay and play through all the way to the last route this game has a very unique, lasting impression that I feel like could never be recreated, especially in today's market with all the taboo themes and topics.
What's interesting is that this game actually is practically uncensored except for one instance which I thought was pretty funny that they consider that more unforgivable than the rest of the game's topics. The game sacrifices a lot of things a game should theoretically have in order to tell its tale, even the story itself that I like so much is definitely not perfect and even has one or two plot holes but it has this unsettling, garish tone that I feel like video games struggle to create to this day. Especially for the game's "canon" ending in Route D which is a beautiful, crushing experience. The first ending is actually surprisingly boring so don't let that get you down but every route does serve to add context and characterization to the cast so there's not really a route that feels "moot" or unnecessary.
Personally I love this game to death simply because after playing the game long enough I realized it's less of a "game" and more of an estranged experience. If you're looking for something straight up evil, something raunchy and bittersweet. This game has all of that in spades, if you're willing to overlook its flaws. It has some of the highest highs in a video game story I've ever experienced while simultaneously having some of the lowest lows in a game as well. I completely acknowledge that this game is objectively bad, but it's a wonderful guilty pleasure. Be warned.
All in all, if you're a weird psychotic freak you'll love this game. Have fun!
Despite that though you may be looking at that rating and ask: "Why?" I'll tell you why, it's because this game's story, the script itself, is something akin to a nasty, yet exceedingly sexy one-night stand. It's definitely something not a lot of people would enjoy whatsoever but to those who've noticed the cult following surrounding this game, it's definitely for a reason.
However as I said before, this game kind of stinks in certain ways. The gameplay is insanely repetitive and grindy, you have to play the game 5 times (something I never liked about Taro's games lol) to get all the content. Even though on the subsequent playthroughs you aren't just playing through all the same missions, the gameplay is boring enough that it's definitely more a negative than anything. Funny enough, visually the combat looks way cooler than it actually plays.
The music and ambience this game provides is really brutal and awesome, a lot of people complain about it but honestly within the game's context it fits superbly. Nobuyoshi Sano composed the soundtrack by mish-mashing a bunch of recordings of a symphonic orchestra playing various different classic compositions. I sometimes catch myself listening to it outside of the game which sounds psychotic but hey, I thought it was tight. Sadly no other Taro game has this kind of soundtrack ever again and is unique to this game. Whether that's a good or bad thing I'll leave it up to you to decide.
So the story right? That's what I've been gassing up so I'll get to it. The plot itself is actually relatively simple but what makes it so interesting is the cast, they're all pretty much terrible people excluding a select few. But the thing is this game is actually successful at making you somehow care about these morally gray freaks. Ranging from a bloodthirsty murderer, a cannibal who eats children, an obsessive sociopath, and a pedophile! The list goes on! Do note that not every single one of characters are like a masterclass in writing or anything, they just accentuate the tone of the game's story so damn well and the characters that do stand out are extremely memorable. If you can stomach the gameplay and play through all the way to the last route this game has a very unique, lasting impression that I feel like could never be recreated, especially in today's market with all the taboo themes and topics.
What's interesting is that this game actually is practically uncensored except for one instance which I thought was pretty funny that they consider that more unforgivable than the rest of the game's topics. The game sacrifices a lot of things a game should theoretically have in order to tell its tale, even the story itself that I like so much is definitely not perfect and even has one or two plot holes but it has this unsettling, garish tone that I feel like video games struggle to create to this day. Especially for the game's "canon" ending in Route D which is a beautiful, crushing experience. The first ending is actually surprisingly boring so don't let that get you down but every route does serve to add context and characterization to the cast so there's not really a route that feels "moot" or unnecessary.
Personally I love this game to death simply because after playing the game long enough I realized it's less of a "game" and more of an estranged experience. If you're looking for something straight up evil, something raunchy and bittersweet. This game has all of that in spades, if you're willing to overlook its flaws. It has some of the highest highs in a video game story I've ever experienced while simultaneously having some of the lowest lows in a game as well. I completely acknowledge that this game is objectively bad, but it's a wonderful guilty pleasure. Be warned.
All in all, if you're a weird psychotic freak you'll love this game. Have fun!
2021
As of writing this review this is the newest Nitroplus Chiral VN written by Fuchii Kabura. If you look through the credits you'll notice she's been bumped up to director too which is really great! Congratulations Kabura-sensei! This game is a huge love letter to N+C fans but you can definitely jump into it as a newcomer as well, especially considering this game doesn't nearly have as much of the ridiculous scenes that permeated throughout her previous two works. But that's definitely not to say this game is tame, it's simply depraved in a more grounded way is all.
In fact I would say because it's more grounded I think it's harder to kind of recommend simply because of the main character himself who is a sociopathic masochist who only feels pleasure when he's abused. Definitely a way more interesting take on an MC for a BL and I personally think he's probably my favorite protag that Kabura has written. That being said I think even with all the new bells and whistles and higher production this game has, it takes awhile for the game to really get its ball rolling.
Personally, I feel like the protagonist carries the game for a good long while, even though all the characters are quite likable I think he's just way more interesting than everyone else. The script starts to feel somewhat self-aware of this as you get closer and closer to the final route because after awhile I just noticed that every route just felt like build up towards said final route. Not to say that the routes are bad at all, just kind of weak compared to Kabura's previous work (Dramatical Murder) which felt like it gave equal amounts of importance to every route.
But then again that's one big thing about this game too, excluding the first two "normal routes," there's actually a specific order you go in for the last two and as such it definitely exemplifies that notion that everything is just world-building and setup for the characters and their roles to play in the final route. Sweet Pool (Kabura's third work) did this in a pretty interesting way but since this game is a lot more down to earth, the day-to-day life of the MC and his acquaintances can sometimes make the game feel slow. It's not necessarily a bad thing just something that may or may not make someone get bored depending on how they feel about the "pseudo-slice-of-life" thing this game has going for it.
Something I do have to mention though is that I actually found myself remembering the side characters extremely well, they're some of the most fun and well-designed side characters in any N+C VN and I personally think other BLs should take notes on how they combine their different aspects and roots in the game's plot to help strengthen the game's world-building. Even though really I'm just talking about three in particular which create this sense of a network the MC has with other people in the city and how people interact towards them.
I would say excluding one specific route, the ero-scenes in this game are really great (including the two extra freebie scenes you can find.) Even for one character I thought I was gonna be "meh" about had awesome ones and I felt they were probably the best route that wasn't the true route. In addition to ero-scenes there are also literal dedicated guro scenes in this VN which usually isn't something that's separated from an ero-scene so that's definitely something this game has unique about it. Those scenes aren't insanely graphic to look at, but they do insinuate and express through text a lot of: woundplay, foreign object insertion, body modification, etc. It can be somewhat brutal but not enough for me to get queasy at any point, then again that's dependent on the person I guess. If that turns you off completely from this game then I would say run the hell away now and do not look back. However if you like the really dark, disgustingly romantic aspect associated with these kinds of scenes you'll absolutely adore them, as did I.
Once again the payoff for getting to that final route is immense in Slow Damage. Kabura really went all out on it and personally I think it stands above so many other BL romance stories and VN routes. It's a lot longer than the other routes and is a bittersweet, powerful story that displays an unexpectedly beautiful dynamic between the protagonist and the final route's character.
However I'm going to be honest, in light of all of that if you have played previous N+C you're gonna notice that this game takes a lot of cues from previous works. Sometimes it does it better, sometimes it does it worse. It almost feels like a sort of "anniversary piece" that honors what came before it, there's even certain audio and visual easter eggs hidden in the ambience and backgrounds that will further point towards that mentality. It's definitely a game that feels a lot better if you haven't seen said concepts and cues in the previous games so take that information as you will.
Another thing that is somewhat disappointing but not necessarily a ginormous gripe is that in a lot of the promotional material before this game was released the game felt like it was gonna be even darker than it is and it kind of straddles the line back and forth considering a lot of the MC's friends are a lot more upbeat than he is and it definitely makes the game feel somewhat cozier than expected. Some people may like that, some might not, I've kind of grown into it and kind of understand that from a writing perspective it was probably to make the characters feel a little more real, as in how real people would probably cope and try to stay cheery to keep each other's heads up through the metropolitan hellscape they live in.
Speaking of which the setting of this game is really appealing and has this strange cross between grimy and exciting that gave me goosebumps about living in a similar situation. On the funnier outlook of that mentality, because the city the characters live in they're practically always bandaged up and are constantly fighting, getting stabbed, etc, etc. It's definitely the rowdiest N+C VN I've ever played and through the MC it vicariously knows how to poke fun at itself in such a setting.
Back on the topic of the game feeling a little more "lighter" than expected it actually has a lot to do with the soundtrack. It has a jazzy tone to it but there's a lot more tracks than I expected that would fit the bill of sounding definitively "visual novel-esque" that definitely throws the mood back and around for a loop. One thing that does stay consistent though is the wonderful character art done by Uiro Yamada who from what I can tell has been a long time Nitroplus fan so it's pretty cool they got their chance at working on one of their games. Since the game is much more down-to-earth the character designs are also a lot simpler but still definitely stand out considering the fact that the artist's imprint is undeniably unique. Eeeeespecially the protagonist's design which is probably one of the best I've seen in awhile for such a simple, edgy design.
I'll be honest I really don't care for the opening song and the visuals kind of spoil a lot of what's in store and I think it's way better if you go into it considerably blind besides trigger warnings since there's tons of shocking moments that really gripped me when I saw them for the first time. All the ending songs are good...except the ones by ARKTA, they sound like really bad western metalcore but hey, who knows, maybe you'll like it. Definitely the ending songs by GOATBED were the best and I love them to death, I hope he keeps making more music.
I'll briefly mention that there is a "gameplay" aspect added to Slow Damage and it's used to gain more insight on side characters and if you do enough digging you pretty much have an easier time gaining access to certain endings in the routes. There's also a type of negotiation mechanic that happens semi-often with characters in the story but to be honest it feels pretty redundant excluding the final segments in routes which decide endings, it kind of just eats your time so you go back and see what dialogue you missed but most of the time it isn't much. I took about 60 hours to beat the game and I let the dialogue audio play fully most of the time. The character voices are memorable and very well done as to be expected by Nitroplus but an honorable mention goes to the sound design too. There's times where I heard a character walking up the stairs in the game and I thought it was happening in real life, they paid a lot of attention to it and it definitely did not go past me unnoticed.
Even though I did feel like the game has a lot of ups and downs that final route really does clean up the game nicely and really gave me a much better impression of the game by the end. I still think Dramatical Murder is unmatched in the BL world but regardless this game is still a must-play by any BL fans that can deal with its themes and extreme scenarios. I hope though that in the future, Kabura and the rest of the team at Nitroplus Chiral try to take an even weirder direction and go somewhere very different. This was a really great refresh on the gritty, dangerous nightlife type setting from them but they've proven they are extremely creative and can go bonkers with their storytelling and I hope they continue to do so.
Definitely give this game a good shake if you're even slightly interested, it's definitely worth your time and is probably one of the best visual novels I've read in awhile. My criticisms mostly only really apply as a long-time, hardcore fan of Nitroplus Chiral and as such I would sort of take said criticisms with maybe a grain of salt.
All in all, it's a game where people beat the crap out of each other and have badass sex. Have fun!
In fact I would say because it's more grounded I think it's harder to kind of recommend simply because of the main character himself who is a sociopathic masochist who only feels pleasure when he's abused. Definitely a way more interesting take on an MC for a BL and I personally think he's probably my favorite protag that Kabura has written. That being said I think even with all the new bells and whistles and higher production this game has, it takes awhile for the game to really get its ball rolling.
Personally, I feel like the protagonist carries the game for a good long while, even though all the characters are quite likable I think he's just way more interesting than everyone else. The script starts to feel somewhat self-aware of this as you get closer and closer to the final route because after awhile I just noticed that every route just felt like build up towards said final route. Not to say that the routes are bad at all, just kind of weak compared to Kabura's previous work (Dramatical Murder) which felt like it gave equal amounts of importance to every route.
But then again that's one big thing about this game too, excluding the first two "normal routes," there's actually a specific order you go in for the last two and as such it definitely exemplifies that notion that everything is just world-building and setup for the characters and their roles to play in the final route. Sweet Pool (Kabura's third work) did this in a pretty interesting way but since this game is a lot more down to earth, the day-to-day life of the MC and his acquaintances can sometimes make the game feel slow. It's not necessarily a bad thing just something that may or may not make someone get bored depending on how they feel about the "pseudo-slice-of-life" thing this game has going for it.
Something I do have to mention though is that I actually found myself remembering the side characters extremely well, they're some of the most fun and well-designed side characters in any N+C VN and I personally think other BLs should take notes on how they combine their different aspects and roots in the game's plot to help strengthen the game's world-building. Even though really I'm just talking about three in particular which create this sense of a network the MC has with other people in the city and how people interact towards them.
I would say excluding one specific route, the ero-scenes in this game are really great (including the two extra freebie scenes you can find.) Even for one character I thought I was gonna be "meh" about had awesome ones and I felt they were probably the best route that wasn't the true route. In addition to ero-scenes there are also literal dedicated guro scenes in this VN which usually isn't something that's separated from an ero-scene so that's definitely something this game has unique about it. Those scenes aren't insanely graphic to look at, but they do insinuate and express through text a lot of: woundplay, foreign object insertion, body modification, etc. It can be somewhat brutal but not enough for me to get queasy at any point, then again that's dependent on the person I guess. If that turns you off completely from this game then I would say run the hell away now and do not look back. However if you like the really dark, disgustingly romantic aspect associated with these kinds of scenes you'll absolutely adore them, as did I.
Once again the payoff for getting to that final route is immense in Slow Damage. Kabura really went all out on it and personally I think it stands above so many other BL romance stories and VN routes. It's a lot longer than the other routes and is a bittersweet, powerful story that displays an unexpectedly beautiful dynamic between the protagonist and the final route's character.
However I'm going to be honest, in light of all of that if you have played previous N+C you're gonna notice that this game takes a lot of cues from previous works. Sometimes it does it better, sometimes it does it worse. It almost feels like a sort of "anniversary piece" that honors what came before it, there's even certain audio and visual easter eggs hidden in the ambience and backgrounds that will further point towards that mentality. It's definitely a game that feels a lot better if you haven't seen said concepts and cues in the previous games so take that information as you will.
Another thing that is somewhat disappointing but not necessarily a ginormous gripe is that in a lot of the promotional material before this game was released the game felt like it was gonna be even darker than it is and it kind of straddles the line back and forth considering a lot of the MC's friends are a lot more upbeat than he is and it definitely makes the game feel somewhat cozier than expected. Some people may like that, some might not, I've kind of grown into it and kind of understand that from a writing perspective it was probably to make the characters feel a little more real, as in how real people would probably cope and try to stay cheery to keep each other's heads up through the metropolitan hellscape they live in.
Speaking of which the setting of this game is really appealing and has this strange cross between grimy and exciting that gave me goosebumps about living in a similar situation. On the funnier outlook of that mentality, because the city the characters live in they're practically always bandaged up and are constantly fighting, getting stabbed, etc, etc. It's definitely the rowdiest N+C VN I've ever played and through the MC it vicariously knows how to poke fun at itself in such a setting.
Back on the topic of the game feeling a little more "lighter" than expected it actually has a lot to do with the soundtrack. It has a jazzy tone to it but there's a lot more tracks than I expected that would fit the bill of sounding definitively "visual novel-esque" that definitely throws the mood back and around for a loop. One thing that does stay consistent though is the wonderful character art done by Uiro Yamada who from what I can tell has been a long time Nitroplus fan so it's pretty cool they got their chance at working on one of their games. Since the game is much more down-to-earth the character designs are also a lot simpler but still definitely stand out considering the fact that the artist's imprint is undeniably unique. Eeeeespecially the protagonist's design which is probably one of the best I've seen in awhile for such a simple, edgy design.
I'll be honest I really don't care for the opening song and the visuals kind of spoil a lot of what's in store and I think it's way better if you go into it considerably blind besides trigger warnings since there's tons of shocking moments that really gripped me when I saw them for the first time. All the ending songs are good...except the ones by ARKTA, they sound like really bad western metalcore but hey, who knows, maybe you'll like it. Definitely the ending songs by GOATBED were the best and I love them to death, I hope he keeps making more music.
I'll briefly mention that there is a "gameplay" aspect added to Slow Damage and it's used to gain more insight on side characters and if you do enough digging you pretty much have an easier time gaining access to certain endings in the routes. There's also a type of negotiation mechanic that happens semi-often with characters in the story but to be honest it feels pretty redundant excluding the final segments in routes which decide endings, it kind of just eats your time so you go back and see what dialogue you missed but most of the time it isn't much. I took about 60 hours to beat the game and I let the dialogue audio play fully most of the time. The character voices are memorable and very well done as to be expected by Nitroplus but an honorable mention goes to the sound design too. There's times where I heard a character walking up the stairs in the game and I thought it was happening in real life, they paid a lot of attention to it and it definitely did not go past me unnoticed.
Even though I did feel like the game has a lot of ups and downs that final route really does clean up the game nicely and really gave me a much better impression of the game by the end. I still think Dramatical Murder is unmatched in the BL world but regardless this game is still a must-play by any BL fans that can deal with its themes and extreme scenarios. I hope though that in the future, Kabura and the rest of the team at Nitroplus Chiral try to take an even weirder direction and go somewhere very different. This was a really great refresh on the gritty, dangerous nightlife type setting from them but they've proven they are extremely creative and can go bonkers with their storytelling and I hope they continue to do so.
Definitely give this game a good shake if you're even slightly interested, it's definitely worth your time and is probably one of the best visual novels I've read in awhile. My criticisms mostly only really apply as a long-time, hardcore fan of Nitroplus Chiral and as such I would sort of take said criticisms with maybe a grain of salt.
All in all, it's a game where people beat the crap out of each other and have badass sex. Have fun!
2005
This is Fuchii Kabura's debut work in the visual novel world and it's quite the explosive entrance as you might expect if you know of her from her most popular work: Dramatical Murder. For awhile there wasn't a fully translated version in English so finally being able to experience the what is essentially the blueprint to all her future works is interesting.
That being said Togainu no Chi is an extremely memorable BL yet conversely, it's also quite flawed. I would probably say that out of the five main routes only two felt genuine and they were not even considered canon. However even outside of the route's romances and ero-scenes the game's setting and tone is very well done and kept me going all the way to the end despite my problems with it.
Speaking of which the other three routes; they are intriguing in their own right and aren't like complete trash or anything but the romances just feel downright forced. Even in the good endings the game just doesn't find a way to make it feel cohesive to the characters' personalities. The ero-scenes in these routes don't even necessarily make up for it and in fact I think it makes the routes worse.
However the two aforementioned, good routes are well above and beyond the others. The dynamics and stories between the main character and the other two are really intense and diverse. All the ero-scenes from these routes can range from moody and sultry, to downright depraved, displaying Kabura's ability to write some grotesque stuff (pretty mild in this game compared to her later stuff) and keep you invested and rewarded for your time to see the characters' relationships through to the end.
On top of the normal routes there are 3 extra endings that have brutal ero-scenes with certain side characters that are just fun little distractions pretty much. Outside of the route specific stuff the plot itself is pretty gripping, especially towards the beginning since the game has such a erratic and brutal vibe to it. If you noticed the game actually has all the character art done by Chinatsu Kurahana who is, at the moment, known for her art in Fire Emblem Three Houses. Even though here it's definitely lot less polished looking it helps give the game a really uncanny atmosphere that is unique to this era of Nitroplus VNs. Especially in conjunction with the amazing background CG work and good musical contributions from Zizz Studio. The ending songs and opening theme are also really sick and definitely emphasizes the hopeless tone the game has throughout.
With Chiyoko Reito directing and Fuchii Kabura writing the scenario, this game is definitely a bold, grotesque take on the BL genre, but it definitely suffers from being the writer's first real work and not being able to actualize a lot of the concepts presented. Because of that it comes off a lot more as being simply "smutty" than later games and has less of the more taboo stuff Kabura would be known for writing in the future. I would definitely say if you're a fan of darker romance stories you should definitely give Kabura's other works a try first as they are much higher quality and come back around if you end up a fan or are already a fan and are looking for more.
All in all, it's a weird sex game where people put things that shouldn't be up their ass, in said ass. Some exaggerated gore scenes here and there too. Have fun!
That being said Togainu no Chi is an extremely memorable BL yet conversely, it's also quite flawed. I would probably say that out of the five main routes only two felt genuine and they were not even considered canon. However even outside of the route's romances and ero-scenes the game's setting and tone is very well done and kept me going all the way to the end despite my problems with it.
Speaking of which the other three routes; they are intriguing in their own right and aren't like complete trash or anything but the romances just feel downright forced. Even in the good endings the game just doesn't find a way to make it feel cohesive to the characters' personalities. The ero-scenes in these routes don't even necessarily make up for it and in fact I think it makes the routes worse.
However the two aforementioned, good routes are well above and beyond the others. The dynamics and stories between the main character and the other two are really intense and diverse. All the ero-scenes from these routes can range from moody and sultry, to downright depraved, displaying Kabura's ability to write some grotesque stuff (pretty mild in this game compared to her later stuff) and keep you invested and rewarded for your time to see the characters' relationships through to the end.
On top of the normal routes there are 3 extra endings that have brutal ero-scenes with certain side characters that are just fun little distractions pretty much. Outside of the route specific stuff the plot itself is pretty gripping, especially towards the beginning since the game has such a erratic and brutal vibe to it. If you noticed the game actually has all the character art done by Chinatsu Kurahana who is, at the moment, known for her art in Fire Emblem Three Houses. Even though here it's definitely lot less polished looking it helps give the game a really uncanny atmosphere that is unique to this era of Nitroplus VNs. Especially in conjunction with the amazing background CG work and good musical contributions from Zizz Studio. The ending songs and opening theme are also really sick and definitely emphasizes the hopeless tone the game has throughout.
With Chiyoko Reito directing and Fuchii Kabura writing the scenario, this game is definitely a bold, grotesque take on the BL genre, but it definitely suffers from being the writer's first real work and not being able to actualize a lot of the concepts presented. Because of that it comes off a lot more as being simply "smutty" than later games and has less of the more taboo stuff Kabura would be known for writing in the future. I would definitely say if you're a fan of darker romance stories you should definitely give Kabura's other works a try first as they are much higher quality and come back around if you end up a fan or are already a fan and are looking for more.
All in all, it's a weird sex game where people put things that shouldn't be up their ass, in said ass. Some exaggerated gore scenes here and there too. Have fun!