Ok, this is the first part of my words on Evenicle, which will be the last VN I play from April's releases. I am only playing this one because it was specifically requested by several people, and to be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to it. I am not a fan of the Rance series or Alice Soft in general, because their VNs' plots just aren't that interesting, generally. The ratio of goofy to serious is generally too slanted in the goofy direction, so I tend to get bored about halfway through. Not to mention that most of their games' actual plots are so awfully written that they might as well not exist at all.
That said, as a game - so far - Evenicle is actually fairly enjoyable, for what it is. Asta, the protagonist, is - like almost all Alice Soft protagonists - a harem-maker and a sex-fiend, but fortunately, he isn't a Rance-type, which was a relief for me - since I loathe Rance. Story-wise... the setting is interesting and what is going on in general has possibilities, but I hate that they use so much obvious foreshadowing... especially in the naming of certain areas (El Quixote, lol).
I'm at the end of Chapter 3, and one thing I'm finding is that the actual difficulty level of everyday battles is just a bit too uneven. There are way too many points where the difficulty spikes low or high, where it doesn't really make sense for it to do so... and that's just regular fights. Boss fights tend to be anticlimactic, with the exception of one fight at the end of Chapter 2 - so far.
The way you gain skills is a bit irritating as well. It seems like you randomly get skills for the various characters at the end of battles - regardless of levels - and out of chests, of all things. I've never been fond of games that add useless or annoying gimmicks onto what is - in the end - a regular jrpg-style game outside of story segments. However, I more or less expected this kind of thing, because Alice Soft is almost as bad as Idea Factory about the gimmicks issue...
Well, that's it for now, look forward to my final review after I've completed the game.
Aah... to be honest, this VN is really nostalgic. After about an hour, I felt like I'd begun an old-style love-comedy anime, full of whacky antics and blushing girls who pretend they don't - or don't realize - they all like the same guy... I only played three of the routes - mostly because it is a straight-out love-comedy with no real story at all. However, I can say that this VN has a few major attractions for someone looking for something light to play.
1. It really is just one big laugh-spree. It is comedic twist after comedic twist, with almost everything being an excuse for a joke.
2. The heroines actually aren't template (ohmygod!)... well, I'd say that at the very least the Jinguu girls aren't.
3. This game's atmosphere in general is a reminder of what old-style otaku love-comedies were like. For those who want to indulge in nostalgia, it is a good choice.
To be honest, except for the end of the VN, this one is fairly disappointing. It was like they mixed a fandisc with a real sequel... there is way too much slice-of-life mixed into the VN, and the fact that they reused the Hajun concept again (anyone who plays this after having played Dies Irae and KKK will understand what I'm saying) was immensely irritating. I mean, the biggest complaint every last person who played the original had was that it was too much of a Dies Irae imitation, without the power that Dies Irae possessed.
*sighs*
From a simple raw quality standpoint, this is - in the end - a Masada VN, and it shows through in the quality of the narration... it just grates on the nerves for me, because I expected better from Masada than a pale copy of his other works.
The last few hours are, of course, classic Masada battle narration and story advancement... which still didn't quite make the overwhelmingly irritating slice-of-life segments worth it.
I'll be frank, Soushuu Senshinkan Gakuen Bansenjin feels more and more like a 'worthless sequel' the more I read. I don't say that out of cruelty but simply because I have no attachment left to the characters from the original, except a general feeling of 'that story was over, for god's sake move on!'. Some people already know my feelings about sequels in chuunige VNs, and Masada is particularly bad when it comes to returning characters. One of the problems is that Masada tends to actually complete his stories inside that one VN in such a way that you are left exhausted and satisfied... and thus you can't help but feel a little betrayed when he up and creates a sequel.
Moreover, this is a time when I would really have preferred them to just create a new cast of characters from scratch. Yoshiya is Masada's most boring protagonist - I can say this with absolute certainty - and the other characters are similarly bland in comparison to his other works. The fact that the first VN was still a lot of fun was simply because Masada is good at telling stories in general. To be honest, I was a lot happier when I was only thinking of the possibilities for this game.
Worse, because I know where it is going - Masada's hints are more blatant than usual - I'm starting to be unable to retain an interest. 有体に言いえば。。。白けた
I feel like I feel when watching a zombie movie... something that shouldn't be moving is moving, blech. I don't care really what Masada planned from the beginning, because this has been a singularly unpleasant experience so far.
Edit: I just figured it out. I wanted Shizuno (the white-black haired girl) to be the protagonist, with only minimal interference from the old cast. To be honest, her weirdness would have made her an excellent new protagonist, and I hate that I'm spending so much time in boring old Yoshiya's head when a more interesting brain is nearby, lol.
Everything in this post is spoilers, so I'll be treating it as such. Don't look in the box below unless you played the first Senshinkan VN, Hachimyoujin.
That is a very vague summary of the basic outline of what went on in the first VN, and no one should play Bansenjin without having played Hachimyoujin.
Edit: At the same time, people who are used to Masada's style will have time getting into Bansenjin, simply because you have already experienced the majority of the characters in this VN. You know their root nature, you know their essential worries, their personalities, and how they will react. This is one of the reasons I hate sequels in VNs... but it is a lot worse with Masada, at least for me. I can see why he normally put two or three years between each release of VNs in a series (like five years between Paradise Lost and Dies Irae and three between Dies Irae and KKK) and why he made sure they shared as few obvious common points as possible, when it came to the characters.
To be blunt, Masada's skill when it comes to reusing characters without massive warping (ie KKK) is a bit... lacking. Not to mention Yoshiya isn't exactly the kind of protagonist you'd want to experience twice. His story was complete, so it really shocked me that they bothered with a sequel... and I'm just finding I can't enjoy it, despite the fact that there are some cool scenes already. There is just no sense of freshness for me... so I might or might not continue this, but it probably won't be for a little while.
Dorothy
Dorothy is a foreign exchange student, as well as the protagonist's new maid and his fiance (sort of). To be blunt, I dislike her character so much outside of her route that I wanted to smash her head in with a steel rod. Nonetheless, her route was actually pretty good. I was surprised at how good it was. I cried for it almost as much as I did for Michiru's, if for different reasons. If you can stand her, this is an excellent route to choose.
Kuro
Kuro is the female version of the god of time, Chronos, who is connected to the protagonist's watch. She is one of the game's two resident lolis (who are incidentally the true heroines *laughs dryly*). Her route is the most out there (fantasy), in terms of overall content, and it shows off the best of the protagonist as well (though Michiru's route also shows off his good qualities). Kuro is also really adorable as a heroine, and her personality changes a lot as a result of the events in the route. I will say that the actual progress of the route is rather predictable... so predictable that I was reminded of a Key nakige route.
Miu
Miu is a clumsy genius with horrible luck (to a ridiculous degree at times). She is honest, kind-hearted, and also brilliant... she is also the focus of the first half of the common route, so most of the development leading up to her ending occurs there. As a result, her 'ending' really is only an ending that you get by going back to the first choice. That it is heart-warming is because of how all the events in the story are connected. Along with Kuro, she is one of the two seemingly 'true' heroines (to be honest, calling them true heroines is probably inaccurate in this case).
Overall
My final thoughts on this game are... that it is nowhere near Hapymaher or Mirai Nostalgia in terms of impact or quality, but for those who wanted a generally heart-warming story about personal growth with some fantasy mixed in, it is actually an excellent choice. For those who hate explicit sexual content, it is also a good choice because the H-scenes are set aside in a corner where you don't actually have to read them.
Wakana is the game's single sub-heroine, who is only accessible after you have finished both parts of Nene's route. It is slightly shorter than the other routes, naturally, and it splits off a lot earlier in the common route.
This route is entirely devoid of the fantastical aspects that were central to the drama of the other paths, setting them aside for standard love-comedy drama. Thankfully, this doesn't include a lot of meaningless ichaicha (in fact, the route ends really quickly after they become lovers). At the same time, Wakana serves as a contrast to the other heroines, in that there is no real sense of severe tension to the story, even temporary, and it ends with no real sense of accomplishment. That's not to say it is a bad route... it is just that it seemed out of place in the context of this VN's themes and story.
Conclusion
I can safely say that this charage is a potential VN of the Month entry, which is nice, considering the lack of such games last month. For those who like Yuzusoft's visual and narration style, as well as charage, this is a great choice. I won't say I can recommend it to people who like action or darker plots, because this lacks anything of the type, despite indications that they could have very easily used this setting that way.
Yes, I hate trophies, achievements, or whatever you choose to call them. Why? At least part of it is because I was a gamer back in the NES era, and I liked that sense of private accomplishment it gave me for beating a game on my own. Another reason is simply because I hate the way achievements and the like break immersion, particularly in rpgs and games with a good story. I can say this outright... I almost never finish games where I can't disable trophies. I'm not interested in showing off, and I'm even less interested in people knowing my gaming habits. I hate that someone can look at my steam profile and know which games I own. I hate that people can look at my psn profile and see which ones I've played or am playing. I hate it even more that it feels like the game itself is reporting to the companies that produced it whenever I have the online function on.
If you hadn't figured it out, I am a gamer that likes his privacy. I had a nightmare about some moron including achievements in a VN last night, so I felt I had to post this...
Ok, first I should say that this is based in the Ikusa Megami (Battle Goddess) series world. I haven't checked to see what time period it is in, but judging by the statements so far, I'd guess it was after the events in Madou Koukaku but before the second half of Verita.
That said, this is based in the most fleshed-out fantasy world in all of VNs, so there is plenty of lore to draw on and add to, and Eushully is definitely milking the setting's popularity for all it is worth.
Unfortunately, the gameplay aspect is a bit disappointing.
First, there is no way to get stronger except during initial completions of a mission/map. You basically get orbs from killing certain enemies and the initial finishing of a map for each character that you can plug into their individual grids to increase their stats and - when you complete a bingo-like line of five - their levels. Equipment comes in the form of medals that have skills, stat-boosts, and other effects that can make the game easier... but because each level counts for an equipment point and some medals can take up to six points to equip, you are very, very limited in what you can equip, especially at first. Worse, when new characters come in, their grids are completely blank and they have no - and I mean none - orbs to plug in. This makes them fairly weak compared to your first four or five party members, whom you get fairly early, at least so far.
To be blunt, because there is no way to grind for anything, there is no point in fighting battles multiple times once you've completed all the hidden map objectives (which grant you medals as a reward.
As for the story... so far - in the third chapter - it is waaaaay too vague. There is a bit too much focus on character interaction and not enough on serious story progression, considering how little of interest there is to the actual gameplay.
Why am I bashing this? Because I know some idiot is going to come out raving about how wonderful the game is, even if it isn't... and flaws should be pointed out mercilessly.
There are some positive points... the protagonist is generally likeable, and there are a lot of characters with backstory that would be interesting to explore... if you weren't so limited in what events you could see, lol.
The hexagon-shaped srpg battle system suffers from being designed to be playable with a touch screen - I know you smartphone lovers might think this is a good idea, but it is far better to have a solid keyboard and mouse gameplay than have half-assed, crappy touchscreen-capable gameplay. I am going to finish this game, but I'm already feeling like I want to drop it, despite that determination... Every once in a while, Eushully puts out a stinker, and this might very well be it.
Edit: While things have begun to pick up a bit in this chapter, one of the problems is that the enemies and allies are a bit too comical, so it is hard to take things seriously. Of course, I'm sure some terrifying boss-characters will pop-up later, but so far most of the enemy characters have been either Disgaea-style 'Mid-Boss' types (overconfident but trip themselves up regularly) or small-fry bad guys (the gigantic half-breed orc).
I am completely done - though without playing Mirai Kanojo - and I'm not interested in continuing (the new month's releases are already coming out, lol). For those who are interested... the contest between the VNs came down to a four-way fight between Shirogane, Hanasaki, Valkyrie, and Utakata. Naturally, I considered them all as fairly as possible, but in the end I picked Hana no No ni Saku Utakata no as VN of the Month March 2015
For those who were expecting me to pick something else... sorry. I honestly felt it was the best of the crop, though there was nothing god-level in the group.
Hikari is the most apparently 'normal' of the heroines that have routes splitting off from the common route. She is in love with the protagonist from the beginning, so them getting together is mostly a matter of the protagonist getting over his self-derision. Her route's drama is intensely personal, though it isn't a relationship problem... The route itself has a lot more ichaicha than any of the other routes, so I felt like puking sand several times during it... but for people who like that kind of thing, it is an ideal route.
Hanasaki Nonoka
The protagonist's little sister by marriage, an adorable girl who is referred to as a ダメ人間製造機 or a machine that makes men worthless, due to her tendency to spoil her older brother rotten. To be honest, since her route is listed as an afterthought, I thought it really would be... but it was easily the most emotionally touching of the routes so far. At least part of this was the fact that so much of her route is written from her point of view, rather than just the protagonist's with a few parts at key points. The route starts a year after the events in the common route, and it assumes that the protagonist didn't choose any of the four main heroines. Like many imouto routes, this one's drama is in the actual formation of the relationship, rather than after it.
In terms of the ending, this one is the most satisfying so far, if only because Nonoka gets developed at least a little bit throughout the rest of the VN, including the other heroine routes...
Koutsuki Kanna
Kanna is Wakaba's maid. She is a bit two-faced... or three. First is her 'gentle-mannered maid' persona, second is her yuri-yuri 'I love Wakaba' persona... and last of all is the delinquent, rough-talking side she only seems to show to the protagonist. Her path was the most surprising of the heroine paths, which was a good thing in some ways. I'd expected a more conventional plot path, but this was a good change, considering how predictable the other paths tended to be.
True Path
It isn't so much of a path as a means of giving closure to the protagonist's own personal issues without the intervention of a heroine and H. Precisely because of that, this blasts all the other routes combined out of the water in terms of emotional impact... but it also highlights how completely Saga Planets failed to bring forth its usual flair with the heroines. Nonetheless, this also gives the best ending in the game, with them showing the heroines and the protagonist quite a bit after the story is over and describing in detail what the protagonist, at least, is doing with his life and his attitude toward it.
I think those who follow my blog might be aware of this, but I've played waaaay too many VNs this month. To be blunt, once Hanasaki is done, I'll have played seven.
I know that might not seem like much, just saying it... but it still makes up about 100 hours of play/read time in under a month. What makes it worse is that several of the VNs I played were horrible disappointments, despite being from companies I normally liked.
What am I trying to say here? It is fairly simple... no matter how much I like VNs, playing as many as I did this month is a source of real stress and almost physical pain. Several of the releases I wouldn't have bothered with at all, if it weren't for the fact that I'm committing to continuing my VN of the Month column.
Think about it... in terms of content, each one of those VNs was, on average, about at the same level as Da Capo (for those familiar with the game), in terms of length... and some were quite a bit longer. Now think about actually slogging through that many heroines, that much template romance... and really think about whether you could stand it, even if you like that sort of thing.
Basically, I'm at my limit, when it comes to charage... I've had enough laughs and innocent couples... I want something dirty, violent, and shadowy... I want people with serious, irreversible emotional and psychological scars. I want some intelligent plot twists and twisted motives... in short 'just why did every single popular moege-variant company choose to release a VN at the end of March?!'
Sorry, I just needed to blow off some steam. I'm trying to take full pleasure in Hanasaki Work Spring... if only because it is good for what it is - despite its huge flaws and the fact that Saga Planets really is wasting its people's skills.
Aaah... to be blunt, Ayano's path blows Inori's out of the water in some ways, if only because the sheer impact of her unusual approach to being the protagonist's lover can't help but make you rofl. Let's just say - as they do in the game - that Ayano is the 'best woman to make your wife but the worst as a woman'. There was almost no date time in this route, though there was plenty of ichaicha... fortunately, it was immensely humorous, so I didn't feel the need to puke sand. The drama in the route is kind of contrived (though it is sort of interesting), but overall it results in a really nice 'happy ending', so all's well that ends well.
Speaking of endings... this one's path epilogue was much better than Inori's, if only because it shows them a year later, rather than the next day.
Soramori Wakaba
Wakaba is one of the two idiot friends of the protagonist, an obvious replacement for the usual osananajimi heroine. To be honest, her route made me a bit exasperated at first. For one thing, the way they get into the relationship is... sigh-worthy, and not in a good way. A combination of the 'whoops, we crossed the line' and 'friends>lovers transition's traditional hesitation' tropes. I was kind of hoping for them to use her background setting in the formation of the relationship, but they went in the other, less interesting, predictable direction, lol.
Probably the best part of this route, at least for me, was the flashbacks about their first meeting, since it shows off some of the protagonist's better aspects. This route is fairly comedic, as a whole... mostly because Wakaba herself is a comedic relief character (one of the baka-trio) from the very beginning. The drama is very... light. The problem is that it comes out of nowhere, and even though they explain where it is coming from afterward, it still feels awkward and unnatural. For that reason, I can't really give this path a passing grade, lol.
Some extra comments
This is about Saga Planets and their apparent new way of doing things... to be honest, I feel like they are wasting all that was good about their early games with Karumaruka and this one. To be blunt, Saga Planets is at its best when it is making you cry, though making you laugh isn't a bad thing. Unfortunately, these last two games have managed to fail utterly at this very simple task. Moreover, this obsession with the faceless protagonist is getting a bit old, considering how much money this company puts into its games... Hatsuyuki Sakura benefited from the extreme emotionalism that previously defined this company the most, in my opinion, but Natsuyume Nagisa also had a huge helping of this, which is what makes those two the best games by this company. I hate it when companies stop doing what they do best...
So far this VN takes the form of a straight-out high-quality charage, with some nakige elements. The protagonist, Yuuma, is like the ultimate lazy guy... so much so that he researched ergonomics solely so he could create the ultimate pillow for sleeping in class.
The heroines are Ayano - the much-older senpai who is a genius but has been held back more than any other person in the history of the school -, Inori - a lone-wolf girl who hates people who ask her personal questions -, Wakaba - the protagonist's best female friend, who acts more like a guy than a girl-, and Hikari - the 'traditional' normal girl who fell in love with the protagonist at first sight.
Common
The common route is surprisingly short, with the story splitting off relatively quickly after a set if meaningless formalities in the form of 'choices' (choosing girls off a map for their scenes is a horrible way of picking your path). That said, it is generally amusing, and it does serve the purpose of introducing you to the characters without taking up three quarters of the game like many charage do.
Inori
Inori's path was pretty emotional, at least partly because the protagonist and her are complete opposites in nature, while being similar in certain aspects. I did find it a bit irritating how the protagonist took forever to figure out he was in love with her and the way Inori spent so much time fighting her own realization. However, the actual relationship and path were good - though I did find it really, really predictable when it came to the drama. Fortunately, it manages to avoid the crime of being a series of endless ichaicha scenes, limiting it to a few events and one serious date.
Once again - like many charage paths - I felt seriously dissatisfied with the epilogue, due both to its short length and lack of content.
This VN is by the makers of Pure Girl, Innocent Girl, and the Grisaia series... Front Wing. As such, I couldn't ignore it, since it turned out not to be a nukige... though it feels like one toward the end of the heroine paths.
To be honest, I didn't have any hopes for this game, so it was nice that it had such good humor in it - think Pure or Innocent if they weren't nukige. I'm keeping this short because playing this game got really stressful in the heroine paths, and it is a bit hard for me to be spiteful here.
To be blunt, the structure of this VN is classic 'normal' charage. The common route is about two thirds of the game, and it is used for introducing the characters and building the overall dynamic and character relationships... and the heroine routes are straight 'fall in love>ichaichaichaicha (insert infinity sign here)'. The sad part is that the common route is really high quality... but the heroine routes are so unbalanced toward the newborn couple making out that I wanted to puke sand.
While this isn't VN of the Month quality, it is more than enough for your average charage/moege lover.
Yeah, I know, this picture is actually nothing like the protagonist, lol.
True Ending
Ok, first this game stops well short of being a kamige, so don't expect me to give hands-down praise of it... but I will say this is the first VN I've played that uses the G-Senjou story structure and doesn't short the heroine routes. I can say that conclusively, having finished all the paths. Those who have encountered my virulent hatred of Aiyoku no Eustia will probably be surprised to hear this, though.
Second, the true route is decent... actually, while it doesn't match my favorite VNs of the type, it is more than enough if you want to indulge in a fantasy story with some mild action (save for the relatively high-quality last battle) and a generally warm atmosphere. This is contrasted with the desperation and sometimes tragic events that occur at or near the end of each chapter. Airu's and Nono's are actually the worst, emotionally speaking, this way. However, once the true route is locked in, there is enough tragic impact incoming that you won't be dissatisfied if you've managed to form an emotional connection with the characters already.
Final Comments
Considering what the protagonist says at the end of the prologue, you'd expect this to be a lot darker than it is. However, since the protagonist is rather obviously a softy who utterly fails to be ruthless, you can forgive the game for not being as dark as it might have been, given the themes. Still, this is probably the weakest point of the game. The way it sort of went for a half-assed protagonist whose style of appearance is like Lelouch from Code Geass and whose personality is your average kind-hearted harem-master was kind of... *grimaces* iffy to say the least.
That said, this game's story is very character-focused, and I have to say - primarily because of the heroine paths - that it is mostly a charage. Yes, it has action, it has conspiracy, and it has betrayal... and there is a solid backbone to the story. However, the way the game consistently shifted focus onto one or the other of the heroines as you got close to the path splits, the fact that the characters spend about half the game in cosplay, and the sheer number of archetypical interactions in the character dynamic just screams 'charage' to me.
To be blunt, Ryouko is a sub-heroine, so there really isn't much to say about her. Her path quality is lower, the details are less involved, and the drama is so mild you almost have to ask yourself if it even exists. Despite this, she is a fairly cute character, and she does fill the 'adorable kouhai' slot nicely.
Fujimiya Shione
This path, in terms of quality and nature, is something of a hybrid of Shizuku's and Reina's. Similar to Reina's, it is an osananajimi's path, with the assumption of past relationships and the reliance on them to form the protagonist-heroine dynamic. However, at the same time, it also possesses the kind of depth of introduction and character development that made Shizuku's path so satisfying overall. It makes sense that you have to have played at least one of the previous paths to access this one, when you consider the quality of this path.
That said, I think a lot of you will be a bit shocked at how their romantic relationship gets started, so feel free to look forward to it.
A few comments. This path and Ouka's are set on a story branch that is separate from the previous three, which has a slightly more intense focus on the fantasy element than was the norm in the main story of the other branch. Because of this, the two paths that follow feel a bit less like charage paths, which should be satisfying for those who prefer the more intense experience that came from Tasogare no Sinsemilla, though it still doesn't reach those heights.
Ouka (True Path)
Ouka is... a complex character. She has a number of roles: ghost, advisor, armchair detective, confidante... but in the end, she is the true heroine. Ouka's path is... the most complex and 'complete' of all the paths, with the most powerful emotional impact.
The first half of Ouka's path alone is as strong as Shizuku's or Shione's paths as a whole, and the second half (started from the title screen) is easily the densest drama in the entire VN. That said, all of the drama is intensely personal. There is no element of 'save the world' or 'cut the ties of an ancient, dark fate'. Rather, this is a romantic story, focusing on the relationship between two people who are as close as it is possible for two beings to be.
All the aspects of the protagonist's ability (including what is only hinted at in the others) is revealed. In addition, the hidden truth about Ouka is revealed, which is never even really touched upon in the other paths (deliberately). This is the only route I cried for, and it is worth playing this VN solely for this path...
Final thoughts
First, a few things I left out above. Ouka's route has two endings. One is an Tsukihime/Akiha-style 'normal' ending and the other a 'true good' ending.
Despite the fact that I raved about Ouka's path above, I do have to say that if this had just been a normal romance between normal people, I probably wouldn't have been so into it. I'm a fantasy freak, and I love out of this world romances.
A major flaw of the story is that there is no ending where Michitaka uses his ability as part of a career (it would be really easy to do so, and it would be interesting as an ending), and most of the heroine endings other than Ouka's left behind a definite feeling of incompleteness, despite the H-filled after-story 'fragments' you can access from the flow chart.
A major advantage to the way they construct the flow chart is that you can access the extra scenes along the way that enhance the story... or you can just live with the characters' casual mention of the events that happen in those stories. Little things like the protagonist's first meeting with his best friend's little sister, and certain people's reactions to Ouka are in such scenes... so it can be a good idea to look at them. At the same time, this is a VN of respectable length, so you might feel that it is better not to do so, due to your own personal time constraints.
On the whole, this is a good VN for those who like fantasy, and - while this is no Tasogare no Sinsemilla despite having the same writer - it is still a well-written narrative.
This is a VN by Applique, the makers of Concerto Note and Tasogare no Sinsemilla. Like most of their other VNs, this one has a layer of the supernatural mixed in with slice-of-life, wherein the supernatural becomes integral to their daily life.
There are two major supernatural aspects present from the beginning. One is the protagonist, Michitaka, and his ability to see the traces of other human beings as colors, both on they themselves and the objects they touch or own. The other is Ouka... whom I'll deliberately avoid explaining so as to avoid spoiling a really funny scene early on.
Common Route
The common route is really straightforward, with Ouka being something of an armchair detective for figuring out events that happen in Michitaka's daily life. His interactions with his two osananajimis (Reina and Shione) and the other people around him are well-described and serve well in introducing you to both the heroines and side-characters. The actual split for the first three heroine paths is relatively early on (this game uses a flow-chart style, which decides where you split off the common route) and the events leading up to it are, if not exciting, at least interesting enough that you can feel yourself developing a sense of the heroines' personas and how they might react during their own routes.
Inoue Reina
Reina is one of the protagonist's two osananajimis, the daughter of a realtor who is known, for the most part, for his honorable behavior. She herself is presented as a straightforward, serious girl with a somewhat boyish way of talking and acting. Because of some events that are deliberately not made clear in the common route, she and the protagonist were somewhat estranged before the VN began, but they quickly regain the relationship they possessed before. This route isn't a firestorm romance, but rather a simple case of two people who cared about each other already deciding to take it a step further, triggered by the events in the early part of the route. I do think that things move a little too fast once they get together, but the emotional events left me satisfied with the main path...
... even though I felt a little miffed by the short epilogue.
Shizuku is the student council president, an intelligent young woman who appears strict and unbending but really just interprets matters through her own unique psychological 'lense'. She is the only heroine who doesn't have a past relation to the protagonist before the story begins (one way or the other), and obligingly, her route seems to be the longest of the four heroines other than Ouka.
She also possesses three endings... though two are basically 'normal, nothing happened' endings that avoid the drama of the third one. Her pragmatic nature and tendency to look at herself objectively make her an attractive heroine, and her path reflects that part of her nature, as well as lending her a more human element. I'd say that her raw, moment-to-moment character development is deeper than Reina's, though that is at least in part because Reina and the protagonist are so close from the very beginning.
The pacing of the path and the drama at the end are very well orchestrated, and I was impressed once again at this particular writer's capabilities (also the writer of Tasogare no Sinsemilla). Similar to Reina's story, this also reveals more about the background of the protagonist's abilities and hints at what might be the cause of them, which probably will lead into Ouka's path (since that is the general pattern this writer seems to prefer for true heroines).
An extra Comment
I should note that I really like the music in this game, though it lacks the sheer emotional hammer that games like Chrono Cross and Hapymaher possess. There is a tendency to use hybrid Japanese instruments and classical ones, which results in some really pleasant BGMs.
To be honest, I generally dislike Giga's non-Baldr VNs, simply because the dip in quality (outside of visuals) is so sharp it isn't even funny. From dialogue and narration to voices and music, it is unbelievable how little comparative effort this company puts into its non-Baldr games.
That said, this is actually quite a decent charage... though I do have some serious complaints. I'll go ahead and get those complaints out of the way first.
Cons
First, for all that the sound effects are great and the actual slashing effects are good, that isn't a substitute for good combat narration. I found it really hard to get into the fights, simply because the writers quite obviously either didn't have the capability or the desire to add in the kind of detail that is exciting to fans of action stories. Making it worse was the degree to which several of the ending fights were anticlimactic or made deliberately comical. After all the buildup to those battles, I was hoping for something truly exciting... but what I got was an excuse for comic relief. Last of all, the endings... to be honest, they needed more after-story for Mei's and Masaki's routes...
Pros
First rate visuals, first rate characters, and first rate comedic character interactions. To be honest, the latter two are areas in which all Giga games excel to one extent or another... though some fail in that area anyway. The first is generally true, with some exceptions. I was actually surprised at the degree to which the character models were utilized as part of the plot in this story... the variety of expressions, the poses, actions, and even their atmosphere.
Overall
A few last comments... first, this game would have been a lot better if at least Hibana, Marisa, and Alice had routes of their own. The over-focus on the protagonist's fellow student council members spoke of a laziness in story-construction that made me cluck my tongue with disgust. Making the protagonist choose between Oubu (his school) and Akatsuki (the rival) would have made for some interesting twists. If they come out with a fandisc later and add in paths for those girls, they'll probably be half-assed and dissatisfying, so I can't say I'd be interested even if they did, at this point. The decision to split at three different points (choose one group of two heroines or the other, then another heroine later on) was a good one, adding a lot of content to the story. Unfortunately, the weakness of Alice as an antagonist and the somewhat disappointing fights on the Akatsuki-side route spoke of a weakness in scenario design that shouldn't have existed, considering how well the early stages are put together.
With all that said, though, this is still a high-ranking charage in my mind, easily pushing aside the common muck that I generally have to slog through... it is simply that they didn't go far enough or slipped humor or weak progression at a lot of the wrong points near the end. The relatively high combat to slice-of-life ratio for a charage is also a huge benefit. The fact that the combat is so... light is a bit of a flaw, unfortunately.
Mayura is the second of the two secondary heroines... the protagonist's osananajimi who, predictably enough, has hidden her love for him since childhood (*pukes sand*). Anyway, having gotten my Minori complaints out of the way in previous posts, I won't bore you further with this. Mayura's route is your basic 'genki osananajimi' route combined with Minori's love of excessive drama. There are plenty of hard-hitting moments, that I'm sure that romance lovers will follow with excitement. The route itself is well-written (I'll give Minori this, for all their flaws, their writing is usually pretty good). If I have a complaint, it is that, once again, there is perhaps a bit too much focus on Touwa, though that is perhaps unavoidable, considering how much of the game is about her.
Mayura herself is a lively otaku with a particular fondness for 'sentai' (think Power Rangers) and heroism in general. Mayura is perhaps the best supporting character in the game, aside from being a heroine, so I did manage to enjoy her path, to some degree (it is unusual for me to enjoy two paths in a Minori VN, so this is an accomplishment).
Himeno Touwa
Touwa is the central heroine of the story, and she is the center of the common path, has strong influence on the other two heroine paths (which you have to play to get to hers), and is the main reason I didn't like the common path, in an indirect sort of fashion. It isn't that I disliked her, exactly... it is more that I disliked the way the protagonist reacted to her and the way the common route turned out because of it.
Her path... is about as intense as you would expect, after the previous two paths. It is definitely constructed as the climax of this VN, and there are things about it that are easier to understand if you played the other two paths (which is probably why they require you to play them). I really did like the way they played out the path, beyond the turning point before the climax... it was fairly hilarious (though really, most of Touwa's non-drama interactions with the protagonist are funny), and the drama was something romance fans will jump for joy over.
Overall
Overall, this is a VN that stops well short of kamige-level, but is definitely better than the average Minori game (ef), managing to at least be pleasing as a whole, even if it frequently angers or depresses in the particulars. It is important to understand that this is first and foremost, a romance, with a heavy fantasy element as an important plot tool. At times, it appeals too much to emotionalism (negative and positive both) to get you into the VN, and there is a distinct lack of appeals to intelligence. However, if you want something romantic and dramatic, this is a good choice... but don't expect a moege-type story out of it, lol
Sena is another active type of heroine... the lazy martial artist heroine. With anything other than pursuing self-training, she is lazy, and she is also a glutton. Generally speaking, she's good if you like boyish heroines with a tendency toward sexually harassing other girls.
Her path split is shortly after Kokone's, so there is not really much in the way of extra character development... but in exchange, her route is probably the most detailed of all the heroine routes. Not only that, but there is some extra drama in there that made it an interesting story in and of itself, rather than feeling like a charage appendage to the main story (which the others barely edged past being themselves).
Some comments before the True Route
One thing I've noticed about this game is that it stops just short of being good at describing the action. Oh, they do describe it... but they avoid details, and there is no flair to the narration. I don't expect something on the level of Dies Irae, but if you are going to include the abilities and martial arts these people are displaying, it is downright wasteful for the combat narration to be so spartan.
Kokone is the strict but gentle 'older sister' of the group. She is very devoted to her duty, as well as to the safety and happiness of the 'family'. Her character archetype is really easily recognizable from the beginning, so I'm sure most will find it easy to understand her.
Her path, much like the two before it, starts from a split at the end of the next chapter. The events leading up to the split are - again - saddening and painful for the protagonist, and again he has to give up on his objective. The big difference is that the previous chapters have altered his way of thinking enough that he is able to give up more easily...
Again, her path is a straight charage path, utilizing the information built up in the main story as a background for a budding romantic relationship. I will say that I thought her path was more humorous than the other two (or rather, contained more humor).
Airu is the game's 'fushigi-chan', or a girl who is mysterious/acts oddly. Generally speaking, her role in the earliest parts of the VN is fairly weak, but in the chapter leading up to the split for her route, she suddenly gains density and roundness as a character, and there is a definite sense that she is someone the protagonist might choose over his objective.
Airu's route is a bit less of a depressing wind-down than Nono's is, if only because Airu's relationship to the protagonist is more intimate when the path split does occur. However, just like with Nono's, the second it enters Airu's route, it transforms into a charage route. Which is fine, as i said before... but it is rather obvious that they are making this into a pattern, lol.
Airu's own personal problems are wrapped up intimately in her involvement with the protagonist, both in the main game and in her route, so it lent a sense of empathy to her character that would have been lacking if they'd just gone into her route with less preparation...
Because this VN uses the same basic structure as G-senjou no Maou, the 'common route' is actually the 'true route', so I felt a need to evaluate each heroine route separately from it. People who have read my comments on the forums will realize I despise the structure, because it has a tendency to be an excuse for h-scenes and inconsistent half-assed side endings (Eustia and G-Senjou are both perpetrators of this particular crime). Keeping that in mind, I'm going to strive for something resembling fairness in evaluating each path individually, then go back and evaluate whether they managed to be consistent despite using this particular story-structure.
This VN is a fantasy one with mild action (so far) based around the protagonist's struggles to fulfill his objective (I won't spoil it for you if you weren't crazy enough to read that spoiler-stained summary on vndb). Because of the way the story at the beginning introduces the protagonist and the setting, I feel an unusually high need to avoid spoilers relating to the protagonist's objective and abilities, so I'll leave it there.
The protagonist himself is voiced (yay!) and he is at least moderately capable, with his favored weapons being hidden ones (daggers in belt buckles, hidden throwing knives, darts, flash-bangs, etc.). If I have a complaint about him, it is that he gets really whiny sometimes, but since he never portrays himself as a pillar of solidity, it doesn't bother me as much as it usually would.
Nonomiya Fuuka
Nono is the game's genkikko (meaning she is lively and energetic) and the 'nice girl', and as such, her presence is mainly to provide 'cute' moe and cheap emotionality. That said, the addition of occasional inumimi (really wolf-ears) makes her cuteness go to the highest level (yes, I love mimikko, so what?).
First, the event that leads you into the path split is fairly heart-rending for the protagonist, given the nature of his ambitions and his powers (this is unavoidable, as choosing a heroine means giving up on his ambitions). I did cry for Nono during the event that caused the split, and the protagonist is hurt by what goes on even more, especially because of his ability.
The first part of the actual path is fairly depressing (again, unavoidably), but given that Nono is the VN's 'genkikko' and 'nice girl', it was never going to last forever. Once she and the protagonist get themselves straightened out, it turns into your average charage path... perhaps a little better than that, given that it is easier to empathize with the characters after what they went through earlier in the VN. Given this, I can tentatively praise this as a charage path, while wondering whether it will be consistent with what happens in the true ending.
