adamstan

I bought it few days ago - I guess this will be my next read, especially since it seems to be on the shorter side

Since I finished HoshiOri a month ago, I'm on a self-imposed break from VNs - because when I get into one, I often end up using almost all my free time for reading - and there were some other things that I had or wanted to do But I'm starting to feel withdrawal symptoms

Funny, I've read most of his VNs, but not those two - and I loved the rest The setting of Duelist looked too over-the-top for my taste, and as for Amairo it looks like it has too much porn for me (I also haven't read Pure Song Garden) And recently I've actually been thinking "It's time for new Konno Asta's VN, isn't it?" So I'm looking forward to this new title

Yeah... Recently, when I was reading PSVita version of Hoshi Ori Yume Mirari there were numerous scenes where I thought "No way this could get a pass on Steam under current guidelines"

And some threads are better left sleeping

Huh, interesting. I quite enjoyed the original However, I find it weird that this remaster is English-only. Are JAST doing it all by themselves? (I'd love bilingual version, so I could go with JP for a second read I guess there'a always an option of grabbing an original on DLSite, but then no HD for me...)

The +18 version I was using for comparisons was actually English fan-tl. I checked it out only briefly, but I have to say I was disappointed with how the translation reads. While I haven't spotted any obvious errors, it felt very stiff and "translationese". Either my standards have changed, or the editing was insufficient. I had much better impression of Hatsukoi 1/1 and Tsujidou-san translations by the same team. But it might be just me. (I used the older release of English patch - I didn't have 2.0 version - I hope they improved the flow of the text, although it's hard to judge by description alone) Yeah, but the experience might be a bit rough, since additional scenes have been done by different team and apparently in different style. Well, still better than nothing I guess

Today I fininished Touko's route, and with it - after whopping 123 hours - I have completed console version of HoshiOri Touko's route is even more "odd one" than Rikka's - but that doesn't have to be bad thing. It has rather slow start, but once it gained traction, it was pretty enjoyable. Touko's cat-like personality was quite amusing, and the character development she undergoes is great. The thing it was missing the most (IMO) was the presence of other friends in after-story. On the other hand, there were few really nice thoughts about love and commitment weaved into it. Also, the school arc of Touko's route further cemented my love for Sora Additionally, in console edition, similarly to Rikka's route, Touko also got very nice and heartwarming post-credits epilogue. So now, I guess it's time for some summary. It's very good moege, but only for die-hard slice-of-life lovers I'm one of those so I enjoyed it - although due to the sheer length it can get a bit tedious. However, as I said in my previous post, the formula worked for me, even if it wasn't the best moege I played - that title still belongs to Mashiro Iro Symphony The main highlight of this title for me is that it's oozing with heartwarming wholesomeness - which is especially pronounced in console version As for ranking of routes and girls... while I fully acknowledge the very high quality of Rikka's route, my personal favorite after all was Sora I actually liked all the routes (with different intensity), so it's a little difficult for me to rank them, but I think that going from top to bottom it would be something like Sora = Rikka > Touko = Marika = Natsuki > Misa - but they're all very close to each other. The VN looks beautiful, and I especially like the art style of sprites - I just wish there were more of them for side characters too. Considering all of this - it's a solid 8/10 for me ****************************************************************************************************************** Now let's take a moment to talk about differences between console edition and original +18 PC version. The console edition is rated at +17, and it takes similar approach to Princess Evangile - the sex happens off-screen, but it's fully acknowledged that it happens. Additionally, there some added story events (according to credits, it was done by original scenario writers). It's actually pretty bold for the console version at times - including the use of nude sprites if there's only close-up used in the scene (so the nipples aren't visible). The additional and replacement scenes actually enhanced the experience for me - the writers did pretty good job to convey the intimacy between characters, and added epilogues for Rikka and Touko are simply great. I skimmed through original adult version, but I found the amount and length of H-scenes to be overwhelming, and also some of those felt rather out-of-character, adhering too tightly to the porn cliches and tropes. OTOH, the lack of some additional scenes from console edition also was painful, since they felt really natural. Below I'll list the most significant changed/new CGs for each route. The common thing is, that each girl received additional pillow talk/sleeping together CG, if it wasn't there before. 1. Sora 2. Marika 3. Natsuki 4. Misa 5. Rikka 6. Touko And that's it. I know I'm the weird one, but I wholeheartedly recommend the console version. If the additional scenes have been indeed ported over to PC for Perfect Edition, then that might be also worth checking out for h-scene lovers Although I've seen some reviews complaining that the merging was done sloppily in some places. Now I have to take a break - and in the meantime choose the next title to read. I'm leaning towards Hatsuyuki Sakura (PSV) that I bought together with HoshiOri.

Yesterday I finished Rikka's route in HoshiOri It was indeed quite different from the previous four routes when it comes to the structure and style, and it was great Rikka's school arc was amazing - both the first part, where she gradually opened up to Ryousuke and the rest of the girls, and the second, where she confronts her inner conflict. Meguru was also very welcome side character BTW the story of two pianist sisters reminded me about Yui and Rea from Parfait - the stories are different, but for some reason I immediately thought about them. After story was also very nice and heartwarming. BTW - I'm a sucker for marriage endings, so this VN so far was truly a feast for me It's also worth noting, that console edition got vastly extended post-credits epilogue. In the original PC version it was just single scene of and the game ends there. In console version we get another arc after that - basically an after-after-story, and it was great So now, with 102 hours under my belt, my feelings towards this VN are similar to @Seraphim's - my top routes are definitely Rikka and Sora, although I'm not sure which one wins. While Rikka's route was definitely of "highest quality", Sora's route had a bit higher emotional impact on me. Maybe it was because I read it first? Now let's see, what Touko's route has for me I honestly have no idea what to expect, since Touko remains rather mysterious character, but I'm eager to find out The only hint I can go by is that some people say that there's minor spoiler for Touko's route in Rikka's route. The only thing that comes to mind is

Yesterday I started the famous Rikka's route in HoshiOri. I'm just a few days into it (still in June - I played only for 2 hours) but it's on another level already Look's like I'm in for a treat. And Rikka seems to be awesome character. I already liked to see how she opened up to others during other routes - I'm really looking forward to how they elaborate on that in her own route. For now she seems to be one of the cutest tsunderes I encountered so far . Also, her VA is extremely versatile - it's really hard to imagine that the person who voices Rikka also gave voice to characters like Airi from MashiroIro Symphony, Amane from Konosora, Satouin from Anokana or Karen from Making Lovers among others

Yeah, PlayAsia's prices seem rather on the expensive side to put it mildly I usually get my physical editions of VNs either from amazon.jp or from ebay (although I feel like ebay prices also have risen recently). And for download editions I alternate between Steam, DLSite and Getchu (DMM doesn't work for my area).

Today I finished Misa's route in HoshiOri. While it was nice, I feel like it was the weakest of the four so far - although I cannot put my finger on why exactly... There were many nice moments, and Misa is ridiculously cute, but something was missing. But, whatever the case, now it's Rikka's turn! Let's see what the fuss is all about

Just few days ago I enocuntered another beautiful Miyuki Nakajima's ballad. I already knew and loved "Ito" and "Jidai", and now I heard "Headlight・Taillight" and immediately felt in love with it. Here's version by Shizuka Kudo - also great

Continuing with HoshiOri, today I finished Natsuki's route. While "school" part of the route wasn't anything special (decent, but not outstanding), I really enjoyed her after story. It was - as it's standard with this VN - "just" a series of SoL scenes, but somehow they really clicked with me. Also, I think this was the first route that featured prominent additional "story" content as replacement for skipped h-scenes. (The console edition (+17) goes for the "off screen sex" approach, but it doesn't pretend that sex didn't happen - quite the opposite actually, it just doesn't show the act itself) In Sora's and Marika's case those were mostly afterglow/pillow talk scenes, but with Natsuki's route there was much more. Besides those, there were also other smaller story-enhancing additions sprinkled here and there - really good job I have to admit that those additional scenes heavily contributed to my enjoyment of Natsuki's route - they were really well thought out, and I was surprised to see them missing from original +18 version, since they felt like they should be there right from the beginning. So now, after 60 hours of reading, I guess I'm near the half? Now there are Misa, Rikka and Touko left.

Good luck on your project I wonder if perhaps it would be better to host this thread in the Original VN projects section? But that's up to you to decide, since it seems we discuss the VNs in develpment in this section too.

Yesterday I finished second route in Hoshi Ori Yume Mirai. This time I went for Marika's route. It was extremely heartwarming and wholesome experience - especially in console version, which adds one of the most heart-melting scenes near the ending. Based on the two routes I read so far (Sora and Marika) I can see why this game is a love-or-hate thing - but for me it definitely lands on the "love" side, since I don't mind pure SoL at all, and the (let's admit - heavily idealized) way it portrays love also scratches all the right itches It isn't the kind of VN I'd read one after another, but once in a while it's great. Just like with sweets I guess After those two routes my gameplay clock reads 47 hours, and completion rate is at 30%, so this will be a looong journey. Now I'm starting Natsuki's route. Then I'll go with Misa, and I save Rikka and Touko for the last, since apparently those two routes are quite different from the rest - at least that's what I can get from reviews I saw.

Arrived yesterday - another 3 physical console editions of JVNs - Hoshi Ori Yume Mirai, Strawberry Nauts and Hatsuyuki Sakura (As for HoshiOri - I'm actually reading Vita edition, but for "owning a legit copy" purpose I bought PS4 one because it was cheaper )

Seeing how it surprised you, I guees you played each route using the save from first branching point rather than starting everytime from scratch? FWIW I also played vanilla version (without RB), but I rated it at 8.5 ***************************************************************************************** And as for my reading - today I finished Sora's route in Hoshi Ori Yume Mirai I don't know how it compares to other routes yet, but on its own it was simply amazing and heartwarming - I loved every bit of it

No, it was later, I read that scene just a few minutes ago

I started with Sora, since she was first both in the walkthrough, and on choices list I'm still somewhere around the first half of the route, I guess (just reached the first kiss ), but I'm loving it so far. Sora is so cute It seems to be near-perfect relaxing, feel-good moege - and nicely executed I've heard that Perfect Edition isn't as perfect as the devs claim AFAIK it tries to merge together the original +18 version and additional/replacement scenes from console edition (which I'm currently reading), but apparently sometimes it comes out weird. BTW reading Vita version on PC (using emulator) is an experience surprisingly close to playing actual PC VN - since Vita's touchscreen is emulated with the mouse, so I can freely navigate all the menus just like on PC - the only missing thing is right-click

From those games I only know Mashiro Iro Symphony (No. 4 on the list). It's indeed a moege masterpiece, and it would be nice if more people could read it (Actually wanting to read it was main factor that made me start learning japanese) I'd say that translation isn't completely unlikely - there were already some Palette's games that got translated (SakuSaku and 9 -Nine-), and Mashiro Iro Symphony itself is getting a HD remake next year. I'd say that makes it pretty good candidate for official translation. If I'm not mistaken, Sekai Project has some kind of licensing/partnership agreement with Pallette, doesn't it? I'm not familiar with other titles from the list, and after browsing their vndb pages, none caught my attention

Nah, I think I'll pass, at least for now *********************************************** Making use of recent progress in PSVita emulation and my new PC, I just started reading console version of Hoshi Ori Yume Mirai. Even the text-hooking works I currently stopped in the middle of the third in-game day (first day of school), but I'm really liking it so far - it has really nice, warm mood. Is there any recommended route order for this VN? As far as I can see, there seems to be no "true ending" or "true route" - just six heroines. The walkthrough at seiya-saiga gives following order: Sora -> Rika -> Touko -> Misa -> Marika -> Natsuki. Is it OK to follow that order, or would you recommend other one?

Yep, that's me - I'm not touching MB, euphoria and similar stuff with a ten feet pole

Yesterday I finished Seven Days: Anata to Sugosu Nanokakan First four chapters/routes (Sakura, Kotoha, Mari and Ichiru) were really good nakige stuff - on par with the best, or at least as effective as KEY's masterpieces After that I feel like it lost direction a bit. Shizuku got the short end of the stick, since her chapter was there mostly to provide backstory/plot information. Nene's chapter also wasn't as strong as the first four. And then the three final chapters - Chiyako, Zero and bonus Murasaki's epilogue - I feel like it was unnecessarily overcomplicated They tried to pull off the KEY and YU-NO at the same time - especially with bonus chapter On one hand - it was interesting, and there were still some nice heartwarming KEYish moments And it was oddly satisfying, when But on the other hand I can't stop thinking that maybe the story would have stronger emotional impact, if it sticked to the original premise of helping the seven ghosts to find safe way to the other side. Nevertheless I still enjoyed it very much, so it gets 8/10 from me Strongly recommended to nakige lovers - especially the first half. I played in Japanese, so cannot comment on the quality of translation.