Clephas

Evolimit and propeller in general are pretty reliable when it comes to sountrack. Bullet Butlers has a pretty strong soundtrack, but my favorite track isn't available on any of the hosting websites, lol. Below: Devils Devel Concept... oddly, this song only appears in the ED and one scene in the VN, but all the tracks were done by the same group and two-thirds of them have a similar rhythm. The obvious choice, Dies Irae Tokyo Babel, another obvious one translated The Silverio series is really good at this Finally, Vermilion Bind of Blood

I know it is based (partially) in a high school, but you might try out Ayakashibito. Ayakashibito has the advantage of being about as dramatic as it comes, with a strong cast of well-defined characters and a determined protagonist who appreciates the little things in life to a ridiculous degree (with good reason).

Tokyo Babel comes to mind for translated, though it has a fake school (which is generally irrelevant, since the main characters are on the outside looking in when it comes to school life). Hello, Lady's protagonist is exactly what you are looking for. A few suggestions (warning, untranslated) https://vndb.org/v19658 The characters live in a fantasy world on the edge of moving into the industrial age. This one is about as dramatic as it gets. Prepare for tears. https://vndb.org/v18145 This one meets all your conditions, as the romances all occur under stress and dramatically alter history at times (incidentally, all 'true history' arc heroine endings can be interpreted as normal or bad endings) https://vndb.org/v445 The downside to this one is that one of the heroines is singularly unattractive, but all the paths are good... and even one of the antagonists has an interesting romance. https://vndb.org/v15080 This one's translation seems to have been cancelled at some point, but who knows? https://vndb.org/v1483 Despite this being a school setting, I can outright state that that fact doesn't get in the way. This game is by Shumon Yuu, and he never focuses on school elements, lol. https://vndb.org/v19929 Typical AXL fantasy, mixing swords fantasy worlds with SOL and some action. If you like this one, I suggest you try some of the others... if you can read Japanese, lol. https://vndb.org/v14760 Despite this being a school setting, I recommend it for the abnormal relationships and drama. Even if you only read Ami's ending, it is worth it, lol.

This scene is the opening of Silverio Vendetta, and the two monologues (one from Zephyr, one from a spoiler character who isn't named in the scene) define the nature of the game's theme. “勝利”とは、何だ？ What is victory? “栄光”とは、何だ？ What is glory? それを得れば、何も失わずに済むのだろうか I choose that path, will I be able to live without losing anything? 救えるのか。守れるのか。本当に、幸せになれるのだろうか Can I save what is mine? Can I protect it? Can I really find happiness? 　問いは切実。なぜなら、勝利というものはとても恐ろしいものだから。それが輝きの内に秘めている毒牙を、俺は誰より痛感している。 I ask this earnestly. For victory is by nature frightening to me. I know the poisoned fangs hidden within its glorious light better than anyone. 　　身の丈を超えた栄誉、使い切れないほどの大金、人目に付かざるを得ない大成功……そういったものはどうしても過剰摂取してしまった途端、逆に所有者を苦しめにかかる。 Honors that leave capability in the dust, more money than one can spend, success that can't help but be noticed... Those things can't help but cause the holder suffering the moment they overdose upon them. 　　つまりは反作用。 In other words, it is a reaction. 　　分かりやすいところでは敗者からの妬みつらみに有名税、人物像の一人歩きに、あらぬ期待や噂話。過激なものでは殺害予告、崇拝脅迫などなどと…… Amongst the more obvious would be jealousy from the defeated, the price of fame, the public's view differing from reality, and unfounded rumors and expectations. The more extreme end can even go to death threats, worship, blackmail, etc... 　悪意か、あるいは逆に暴走した善意ゆえか。どちらにしても恐ろしいことには変わりなく。 Whether it is malice or berserk good will, they are both terrifying. 　　それは時として単純な敗北を上回る激痛と化し、更なる破滅の呼び水となる。 At times, that even becomes a suffering far more terrible than simple defeat, and it can even become the cause of utter ruin. 　　大きな事業が成功した代償に、愛する家族に累が及べば本末転倒。それと同じだ。 It is the same as losing your family as the cost for succeeding in business. It's counterproductive. 　　時としてここは負けておくだとか、少し遠慮をしてみせるとか、そういった配慮が必要な瞬間は間違いなく存在している。勝てば官軍とは早々いかない It is an absolute truth that there are times when it is best to consider allowing defeat or showing humility. 　無論、だからといって勝利するなと言っているわけでもないのだ。そんなことを真剣に語るやつは心底馬鹿だし、目が曇っていると言う他ない。 Of course, I'm not saying 'don't win'. Anyone who says that is a total idiot and is blind to reality. 　　人ならば誰しも、いいやどんな生物であろうと例外なく勝利という結果を目指す。それが自然で、当たり前の行動原理だ。そもそも負けてばかりでは生きることさえ難しく、無制限に敗者を許してくれるほど世の中は甘い形に出来てはいない。 Humans... no all living things regardless of origin seek a victorious result. That way of being is perfectly natural and a matter of course. It is truly rare that victory is unadulterated. In the first place, if you are always on the losing side, it is hard to even live, and the world isn't so kind as to infinitely forgive the defeated. 　　だからそいつの器に見合った勝利と、妥協できる程度の敗北。その一線を見極めて行動するのが充実した人生を送るコツではなかろうかと、思わざるを得ないのだ。 That's why the ideal is to seek victories one is capable of handling and defeats one is capable of accepting. I can't help but believe that the key to living a full life is acting while keeping an eye on that thin line. 大きな夢を目指すことで惨めに敗れるくらいなら、最初から挑戦せずにそこそこの勝負で済ませておくのが最も賢く、傷も浅い……と。 'Rather than suffering a terrible defeat as the result of pursuing a great dream, it is much smarter and less painful to avoid challenging your limits and be satisfied with minor victories and losses...' 反吐の出そうな弱者の論理展開だがこれを口にしているやつは存外多く、かくいう俺もその一人。 That's the nauseating thought process of the weak, but there are a lot of people out there who talk this way... and I am one of them. 卑小？ 凡人？ そうだな、指摘されてもその通り。自分自身でよく分かっているよ。予め負けた時のために予防線を張っているだけだろうと誹られても、まったく、ぐうの音も出ない Pathetic? Mediocre? Yes, what you are saying is correct. I know that very well. Even if you say I'm just making excuses for the time I lose in advance, I can't refute you. そうだとも、俺は小物だ。 That's right, I'm a pathetic man. 人としても男としても、小さな器しか持っていない。 Whether as a person or a man, I am only capable of so much. 大した理想や信念もなくその日暮らしの金銭さえ手に入れられれば満足という、翻弄される風見鶏。 I live without any real ideals or convictions, an opportunist who is quite satisfied as long as he can make enough money to live day by day. 受動的、かつ厭世的。ただ一言、情けない。 I'm passive as well as pessimistic. To sum me up in a single word... pathetic. けれど── However... それでもただ一つ、言い訳をさせてもらうなら悟ったまでの人生について具申したい。 Still, if you'll let me make one excuse, I would like to report on the life I lived until I came to this realization. 俺は何も負け続けたからこうなったわけではなく、求めてもいない勝利のせいでこうなってしまったのだから。 I didn't end up this way because I kept losing but rather because of an unwanted set of victories. そう──勝てば碌なことにはならない。 That's right... nothing good comes of winning. 必ず、より強大な姿となって次の苦難が訪れる。 Without fail, the next, much larger tribulation follows it up. それは冗談みたいな言葉だが俺にとっては紛うことなく真実だった。 That might seem like some kind of joke... but it was an absolute truth for me. 本当に、ああ本当に、いつもいつも、いつもいつもいつもいつも…… Really, oh really... every time, always, always always... 敵に、任務に、難問に、勝負に、勝ったところで状況が一向に改善されない。それどころか、難易度がアップした状態で似たような事態が連続するという始末。まったく訳が分からない。 Whether an enemy, a mission, a difficult question, or a competition, achieving victory fails to improve the situation. Moreover, I found myself facing similar situations at escalating levels of difficulty. Seriously, what's with that? 身をすり減らして勝った途端、より恐るべき難題が必ず目の前にふりかかる。 The moment I won by running myself ragged, an even worse problem would always, without exception, pop up before me. 血反吐をはいて生き抜いた途端、どこからか容易に超えざる大敵が次は俺の番だと出現してくる。 The moment I came out victorious, puking blood, another great enemy would appear before me. まるで運命という宝箱をぶちまけでもしたかのように。際限なく湧き出てくる次の問題、次の敵、次の次の次の次の──勝者が負わねばならぬ義務。 It was almost as if the contents of fate's treasure box were scattered before me. Problems, enemies, and every tribulation you could possibly imagine welling forth endlessly... the duty a victor must bear. おまえは見事に勝ったのだから、栄光を手にしたのだから、次のステージに進むのは当然でより相応しい争いに身を投じなければならないとでも？ Is the world saying that, since I won, since I achieved glory that proceeding to the next stage is a matter of course, and I have to throw myself into a more fitting conflict? それが勝者の宿命だから？ ふざけろよ、こんな馬鹿げた話があるか Because that is the duty of a victor? Screw that! Can there be anything more idiotic than this?! 誰しもみな現状をより良くしたいから勝利や栄光を願うのに、なぜか俺に限ってはそれが自らの首を絞めていくのだから、不条理という他ないだろう。 Everyone seeks victory and glory to make their present better, but for some reason, in my case, that just strangles me. You can't call that anything other than absurdity. そして当然、凡人なのだから負けもする。いいやむしろ、何も出来ずに地を這う方が多いくらいだ。 And of course, since I'm just a normal person, I lose as well. No, it was actually more common for me to be crawling the earth, helpless. それが嫌だから研鑽を積み、慣れない努力に手を伸ばしたこともある。 There was a time when, because I didn't like that, I took the unfamiliar path of working hard. けれど勝てば、決まって訪れる次の困難。永遠に脱出不能の蟻地獄。頭がどうにかなりそうだった。 However, if I won, I was doomed to face the next tribulation. It was a hellish existence I was incapable of escaping. I felt like I was going to go mad. そんな状態に置かれて尚不屈の意志を保てるほど、人の心は強くない。 Placed into that kind of situation, the human heart isn't so strong as to be able to maintain an indomitable will. だから、俺はもう十分だと疲れ果てて。 And so, I decided I had enough, exhausted. このまま、ただ流されて生きることを選択し。 I chose to live going with the flow. 自分が塵だということを、嫌になるほど受け入れたのに。 Though I hated it, I even accepted the fact that I was worthless trash. けれど── However... それでも、守らなければならない子が出来たから。 Yest still, I found a girl I had to protect. 彼女を救うために、このちっぽけな命を懸けると誓った。ゆえに後もう一度だけと奮い立たせて、再起する。 I vowed to use this pathetic life to save her. For that reason, I forced myself to stand and go forth once again. 一世一代、最後の博打。そして俺は何の因果か勝ってしまい…… It was a once in a lifetime, final gamble... and for some reason I won... どうしようもなく“勝利”を手にしてしまったのだ。 And I achieved yet another terrible victory. それがすなわち、地獄への片道切符に変貌するということをついぞ甘くみたままに…… I foolishly failed to realize that that was doomed to transform into a one-way trip to hell... (at this point, it changes narrators from Zephyr to another) 死神が呼び寄せられる。手に負えない艱難辛苦が訪れる。 The grim reaper is called forth. Trials and tribulations beyond my ability to handle arrive. 守り抜くなど絶対不可能。勝者へは永遠に至れない。 Protecting her to the end is absolutely impossible. He will never become a true victor. 訪れる次の大敵──次の不幸。次の苦難。次の破滅。 What comes is another enemy, another misfortune, another tribulation, another ruin. 掴み取ったはずの未来は暗黒に蝕まれたまま続行していく。 The future he thought he'd reached continues to move forward, eaten away by darkness. むしろ手にした奇跡を呼び水に、よりおぞましい新たな試練を組み込んで運命を駆動させるのだ。 Rather, the miracle he managed to create becomes fuel for another challenge, turning the wheels of fate. それが“逆襲”と呼ばれるものの本質。 That is the nature of a 'counterattack'. 弱者が強者を滅ぼすからこそ成立する概念は、ゆえ逆説的に、勝利の栄華を手にしてしまえば執行資格を失ってしまう。 As it is a concept that exists through the weak destroying the strong, if the glory of victory is achieved, the right to use it is lost. ……彼は永遠の負け犬、呪われた銀の人狼。 ... He is an eternal loser, the cursed silver werewolf. 常に敗亡の淵で嘆きながらあらゆる敵を巨大な咢門で噛み砕く、痩せさらばえた負の害獣。 The gaunt evil beast who crushes all enemies in its great jaws while howling its despair from the depths of defeat. 次にやって来る狩人が更に凶悪な存在になると分かっていても、自分自身の宿命から逃れられずに足掻いている。 He continues to struggle, even though he knows that the next hunter will be even more terrible than the last, unable to escape his destiny. “勝利”からは逃げられない。 It is impossible to escape from victory. “勝利”からは逃げられない。 It is impossible to escape from victory. “勝利”からは逃げられない。 It is impossible to escape from victory. 「ならば────」 "Then..." ──さあ、どうするか？ ... now, what will you do?

Most Japanese VN companies that go under do so because they either misjudge the market or they 'go adventuring' (which adds to the conservativism of Japanese companies in general). Light's parent company went under because they over-invested in the mobile game Pantheon's development, when they didn't have any in-house experts, as an example. Other companies have gone under because they failed to adapt when their type or style of game was left behind by the mainstream (a lot of Feng's fellows from the same era fell apart because they couldn't transition from 'pure moege'). Yet others have attempted to enter saturated areas of the market and were unable to ever really get started (for the last half-decade, new charage companies have mostly failed after their first project or have been absorbed by other companies). In Feng's case, they were highly dependent on a niche of the charage market known as low-price games. Their charage were no-frills affairs that had a slightly lower base quality line than is the standard for the industry in general, and with the trends of the last few years, with charage at saturation levels and the fanbase's purchasing power falling slowly, it was inevitable that a company that is barely hanging on will implode at some point. The low-price charage market has pretty much vanished, as people just aren't as willing to pay for sup-par charage, even at the lower prices.

I'm not celebrating... well, maybe a little. I played at least part of all their games after Somaru Saka, and each one was a complete waste of time, even before I got sick of charage. If it was one of the better companies like Alcot or Pulltop, I'd be grieving, but this one literally has no redeeming games/qualities.

No big deal... they haven't produced anything significant in ten years... and even before that, Somaru Saka was only 'good' because it had an accompanying anime.

Only downside is loli-ness... Well, I got Mr. Yagyu and Archer of Inferno off the Shimousa banners with only four ten pulls, so I'm satisfied... I really wanted both of those (my Japanese Servant weabooism, lol). Also, Tomoe Gozen is one of the few onna bugeisha noted in official Japanese history, as opposed to feminized male warriors, lol. In other words, my weabooism exploded and I used half my saint quartz as a result, lol. Edit: Oh, and I got Musashi... but I didn't really want her, since Musashi's legend is not that interesting to me.

Usually, I focus mostly on the perspective of a consumer when I write in this blog. I do this because I am and always have been primarily a consumer of material rather than a creator. However, that doesn't mean I've never created anything... just that I haven't published anything (well, under my own name... ghost writing doesn't count) since some early fiction on Deviantart over a decade ago. So, since I'm not writing as many reviews, I chose to start a small corner describing the techniques I use when I'm writing fiction (which I still do as a hobby, though I stopped posting it after the last site I posted massively on went under). Today's corner is about the techniques I use when creating a character (usually the protagonist and his immediate surrounding characters, as well as the antagonist) in the brainstorming process. There are two types I use... the flow of thought type and the 'important points' type. The flow of thoughts (similar to flow of consciousness style of writing) involves simply writing out all the qualities, the basic history, and abilities/talents/weaknesses of a character as they occur to you in prose form. This is very similar to the character summaries given on official websites, but in much more detail, with specific important points (to you) described in detail. Immediately after I complete this process, I ink out the setting (I usually create a setting in parallel to the characters) and then I start the 'sculpting' process. The sculpting process involves slowly shaving away or altering parts of the character that don't quite fit with the full setting, are excessive (it is easy to make fantasy protagonists over-powered, for instance), or just don't seem to be internally consistent in retrospect. The final step is to try to write an intro scene for that character that would make sense for that character in the universe you've created, giving you an impression that you can use to form their role in a story. The second method I use is more mechanical. In this case, I write out all the qualities in list form, based on what kind of character I'm interested in making. I usually use this for side-characters, as it is a much 'dryer' approach. Essentially, I create Personality, History, Relationships, and Abilities/Talents/Quirks/Weaknesses categories. Relationships is generally the first category I focus on, connecting their strand of the web to that of the protagonist and/or other characters. The second is usually either History or Personality. The reason is that this defines the nature of the Relationships, giving it a more distinct form. Last is the Abilities/Talents/Quirks/Weaknesses category. To be blunt, while this is important to their role in the story, it is the aspect that is most likely to be subject to change based on what is necessary to keep the plot going. These are the basic techniques I use... to be honest, since I've never been formally educated in creative writing, I don't know how close my methodology is to that which is commonly used, but I find that this works best for me.

*Clephas deliberately ignores the evidence and lists untranslated VNs* Kikan Bakumatsu Ibun Last Cavalier Maoten Ayakashi Contract Kanojo wa Tenshi de Imouto De Natsu no Owari no Nirvana Sinclient Vermilion Bind of Blood Houkago no Futekikakusha That's from the first hundred VNs at the top of my vndb, lol. Edit: Finding ones without loli heroines isn't nearly as hard, but when you start asking for VNs with no lolis at all...

The reason they get chosen for first projects is because they are the easiest to translate... and if you look at the actual percentage of FTLed VNs, plotge are more common, lol. It is only relatively recently that the percentage of moe-bait games has gone up, mostly because a lot of us vets advise new guys to do the easy stuff for their first projects. The reason official localizations these days tend to be almost all moege is pretty straightforward... it is easy to get the companies to agree to their localization (little or no problematic content, faster localization=faster profits, etc), it takes less time and a less annoying/expensive/arrogant translator to get the job done, and cute is easy to sell, regardless of content. At the same time, the limitation of this approach is that there is a much smaller fanbase for pure SOL content over here than in Japan, so it is a lot easier to saturate the market if they localize too many at one time.

I want that Servant... though a lot of that is because I'm a Lovecraft fan, lol.

anidb has always struck me as being as clunky as hell... whereas vndb is fairly intuitive and easy to use. The only thing I really want them to update is the forum/discussion posting tool. Using codes for basic word processing functions is annoying.

I don't have an editor, my work is a bit closer to that of an editor than a straight-out writer, except in cases when I need to rewrite the entire contents of a given job (it happens). Edit: I do write fiction for fun, but I don't think I've ever been satisfied completely with it after the world-building phase.

Clephas rises from the earth, the screams of the damned emerging from the giant mouth beneath his feet "Greetings," Clephas says with a cheerful expression that is at odds with the melodramatically sepulchral voice emanating from his mouth. He casually kicks a tentacled demon in the head as it tries to clamber out of the giant mouth, pulverizing it with a loud splat. "Don't worry, that was just an editor," He says as the giant mouth closes, skeletal hands retrieving the demonic corpse before it snaps shut with loud crash.

I wanted Yami to Hikari no Sanctuary, Ojousama no Hanbun wa Ren'ai de Dekiteimasu, and Sengoku Koihime. Shin Koihime Kakumei would have been my fourth choice though, lol.

This is a problem with Mac in general... Apple is one of the worst perpetrators of the practice of intentional obsolescence, and they also intentionally make their products incompatible with other companies' software and hardware in order to force you to go through them for everything related to their products. By doing this, they can inflate prices and shave off more of a margin on digital products than other companies. Western gaming companies tend to make their games compatible with both the the Mac and Windows OS, but Apple's products in Japan are limited almost entirely to the Iphone, as Samsung (and Android makers in general) has a much stronger presence there... For a computer, Windows (or Linux for old-fashioned people), for a phone, Android. Apple might seem easier at first glance, but that is because their products are geared to people who don't do anything non-standard with their devices (such as playing foreign games). Edit: For older games (considering the limited capabilities of a Macbook newer ones might not be workable), you might be able to use a virtual machine program to run Windows and play them... that's about the only bit of advice I can give.

*Clephas feeds more female versions of Fuwans to his friends like potato chips, enjoying the show with Dergonu laughing and clapping wildly in the front row*

*Cthulhu and Nyarlathotep look disappointed, but they take a female version of Dergonu as a consolation prize, tentacles rising around the mahou shoujo as she screams for help from the original*

Five main types. Kichiku (think extreme sadist), hetare (weak-willed, generally submissive, tends to be the object of oneshota and reverse-rape games), sexually active version of the common charage protag (kind and mysteriously attracts women but actually has sex with them instead of not noticing they like him), baka (idiot, usually cheerful and perverted), and evil overlord (a variant on kichiku that wants to somehow rape his way to taking over/destroying the world/country/city).

I thought the same thing... Are you going to try to make your own VN (as opposed to merely translating one)? Edit: A half-dozen potential character profiles popped into my head just based on the design, lol

*Clephas watches happily as his roommates Cthulhu and Nyarlathotep emerge into the Fuwaverse, preparing for the fun*

You mean meatbags. Every good robot overlord knows that humans are meatbags.

@Asonn I do agree it is difficult for someone other than the main translator to be a leader... but not every translator has leadership or organization skills. Hell, I know for a fact that I make a horrible project leader, because I don't have the patience to multitask when that multitasking requires me to be social, lol. The main reason that we translators end up as the leaders is because a lot of us are on an ego trip that results in control freak obsessions. To be blunt, most translators aren't good writers, which is why all those stages (editor, proofreader, translation-checker) are needed to clean things up. Ideally, you should find the most realistic and down to earth person in the group that has social skills and actually cares about the project to run things. When a translator feels he has to run things from beginning to end, it almost inevitably results in poor atmosphere, fights over little things, the project slowing then stalling, and eventually disbandment. There are probably translators who can keep an even keel and don't go on ego trips when running a group... but so far, I haven't met any, including myself. That's why I don't run any sort of translation project anymore. Edit: In the end, this is just my opinion. In any field, there are talented individuals who can do everything with a certain level of proficiency. Generally speaking, the main translator should usually be the one who picks the project (or suggest several projects and lets the group decide as a whole, depending on the situation), because no translator is going to stick around for a project he isn't interested in. It's too much work.

Kazuki Fumi and Silky's Plus Wasabi's newest game has arrived. This is the third game in the series that began with Nanairo Reincarnation. I will say this outright from the beginning... this game isn't as good as either Akeiro or Nanairo. It does have its high points, but it needs to be noted that this is not on the same level as the previous two games. This game uses the Emote system heavily, with the sole heroine (Annelise) being extremely 'animated' (think constantly swaying boobs) to a degree I haven't even seen in other games that utilize this system. Similar to the other games in the series, this game has excellent artwork that differs from most other Japanese VNs. The music in this game isn't as good as Akeiro's or Nanairo Reincarnation's was. To be blunt, in both the previous games, the music played a strong role in making the game what it was, and the music direction (when to use what BGM) was on the highest levels I've seen in the VN industry. Unfortunately, this game falls far short of either of those two in this area, with a much weaker set of BGMs. The game focuses around the protagonist's efforts to solve the mystery behind the mass suicide of the denizens of an apartment in the same town Nanairo Reincarnation was based in. Based on what is said in-game, the canon path that reaches to this game is Kotori's path in Nanairo and Youko's path (the Tsukihime-style normal ending) in Akeiro. Also, based on certain 'events', it is apparent that around two decades have passed since the events in Nanairo, for reasons that will become rather obvious early in the game (in other words, play Nanairo and Akeiro first if you don't want to be spoiled). To be blunt, this game has a much tighter focus on the mystery element than either of the previous games, with less immediate sentimentality and more confrontation with the dead people 'living' in the apartments. In addition, Anne's constant advances help it retain the goofiness that was present in both the previous games. This game has multiple endings, but I chose to only play the true one, as I figured (and I was right) that it would have the best possible result for everyone involved. Of course, when everyone besides the protagonist is dead or inhuman, that can be somewhat bittersweet. If you were to ask me whether it was worth crying over what happened in this game, I would say yes... in particular, I cried for Kanon and Akira (two of the victims), as their lives and final deaths were the most tragic and their natures (surprising in the case of Akira) were the least inimical to others. The true ending is definitely a tear-jerker...though it doesn't pull the tears out of me to the degree that either of the previous games did. Part of this is that both Akeiro and Nanairo are long games with extensive, detailed, and deep character development and superb presentation. The other part is that, while I predicted the truth behind what happened about two-thirds of the way through, I found that the mystery 'investigation' system crippled the game's ability to draw me in and keep me in. To be blunt, if a game only has a single heroine, I only want minimal choices to be present, and I certainly don't want to have to deal with this kind of gameplay. The gameplay is too perfunctory to be enjoyable, and it is too intrusive and intrinsic to the game as a whole for the reader to be able to stay fully engrossed in the experience. In conclusion, this is a game where the concept was good and the staff was first class, but where the attempts to be clever (such as with the gameplay system) fell flat. It is still a reasonably high-level game, but, considering what Kazuki Fumi has managed to do in the past with this universe, I can't help but feel it could have been handled better.