What are you playing?

[Thyndd]

2 hours ago, Orakana Newbie said:

Currently play Katawa Shoujo. and yeah, This very cool . For my first OELVN I high rated for this one. And because of this, I interested for Try another OELVN ( I think I need some recommendation) . I'm not really know about OELVN (and, hey, I just started it for try it this week ) and yeah, Really, We can't judge VN just from their arts/Graphic. ( Deep into my heart, I has little dream, katawa shoujo can get Japanese Voice Acting )

Then, I starting for learn Ren'py. my programming is good enough for starting debut. but I just has single problem for starting my own VN... :  My drawing is fckin bad 

Katawa was one of (if not) the first VNs I played, and to this day I still think it's overall pretty solid, albeit not spectacular. It receives a lot of unjustified hatred though for being a OELVN and a very popular one at that, but I think the fact still remains that its quality is above average. Have fun with it. Which route are you at atm and which is your favorite from what you've already read? 

As for another good OELVN, I think it's warranted to summon @Plk_Lesiak, our expert on the topic 

Over here I'm still on the wild ride of MuvLuv Alternative, growing increasingly convinced that this VN is trying to kill me.

Spoiler

Episode 7 was depressing as fuck. It's not the first isekai I've experienced where the new world is hell and the MC goes mad (hell, look at Re:Zero for a recent example), but what in my opinion MuvLuv does brilliantly is bringing a feeling of shame and self-loathing that is totally justifiable, and at the same time you feel conflicted because you know it's definitely not fair. Well, another way to put it is to say that it's really easy to get in Takeru's shoes. And those are shoes you never want to get in  But ok, Episode 7 done and the last glimmer of hope remaining is Sumika, who really grew on me this time around. HA! OK BOIS, IT'S TIME, LET'S BRING THE BODY HORROR!! 

Fuck dude... poor Sumika...

 

 

[Inorin]

10 minutes ago, Thyndd said:

Over here I'm still on the wild ride of MuvLuv Alternative, growing increasingly convinced that this VN is trying to kill me.

  Hide contents

Episode 7 was depressing as fuck. It's not the first isekai I've experienced where the new world is hell and the MC goes mad (hell, look at Re:Zero for a recent example), but what in my opinion MuvLuv does brilliantly is bringing a feeling of shame and self-loathing that is totally justifiable, and at the same time you feel conflicted because you know it's definitely not fair. Well, another way to put it is to say that it's really easy to get in Takeru's shoes. And those are shoes you never want to get in  But ok, Episode 7 done and the last glimmer of hope remaining is Sumika, who really grew on me this time around. HA! OK BOIS, IT'S TIME, LET'S BRING THE BODY HORROR!! 

Fuck dude... poor Sumika...

 

 

In my oponion, Episode 7 was the major turning point in MLA. Not only does it show you the horrible consequences of running away from your problems, it also shows you how unprepared Takeru was . Before the CHOMP incident, I had thought Takeru was already quite well prepared to take on the BETA but episode 7 made me realise how much room he had to improve on (i.e his mental strength).

 P.S If you thought Episode 7 was shocking enough, wait till you reach Episode 9.

 

[r0xm2n]

3 hours ago, Orakana Newbie said:

Currently play Katawa Shoujo. and yeah, This very cool . For my first OELVN I high rated for this one. And because of this, I interested for Try another OELVN ( I think I need some recommendation) . I'm not really know about OELVN (and, hey, I just started it for try it this week ) and yeah, Really, We can't judge VN just from their arts/Graphic. ( Deep into my heart, I has little dream, katawa shoujo can get Japanese Voice Acting )

Then, I starting for learn Ren'py. my programming is good enough for starting debut. but I just has single problem for starting my own VN... :  My drawing is fckin bad 

Katawa Shoujo was a good experience for me. Rin's one of my favorite VN heroines. I'd love it if she was voiced. Though Rin does go into total "wall of text" mode at times, voicing that might be hard

[Trickay]

3 hours ago, Thyndd said:

Katawa was one of (if not) the first VNs I played, and to this day I still think it's overall pretty solid, albeit not spectacular. It receives a lot of unjustified hatred though for being a OELVN and a very popular one at that, but I think the fact still remains that its quality is above average. Have fun with it. Which route are you at atm and which is your favorite from what you've already read? 

As for another good OELVN, I think it's warranted to summon @Plk_Lesiak, our expert on the topic 

Over here I'm still on the wild ride of MuvLuv Alternative, growing increasingly convinced that this VN is trying to kill me.

  Hide contents

Episode 7 was depressing as fuck. It's not the first isekai I've experienced where the new world is hell and the MC goes mad (hell, look at Re:Zero for a recent example), but what in my opinion MuvLuv does brilliantly is bringing a feeling of shame and self-loathing that is totally justifiable, and at the same time you feel conflicted because you know it's definitely not fair. Well, another way to put it is to say that it's really easy to get in Takeru's shoes. And those are shoes you never want to get in  But ok, Episode 7 done and the last glimmer of hope remaining is Sumika, who really grew on me this time around. HA! OK BOIS, IT'S TIME, LET'S BRING THE BODY HORROR!! 

Fuck dude... poor Sumika...

 

 

Firstly many many thanks to the mod that removed my post, I was so worried about Tyhndd reading that, but after four hours sleep I've release that all I needed to do was hold control... doh!

I was agreeing with Dreamysyu before saying that I also like to avoid as much knowledge of a VN as possible. That's likely to be why both scenes were very impactful for me, with both playing on my mind all the following day or two at work, but the first affecting my sleep a little. Though the comment about salt in the eyes for the second one was perfect, censored or not!

3 hours ago, wei123 said:

In my oponion, Episode 7 was the major turning point in MLA. Not only does it show you the horrible consequences of running away from your problems, it also shows you how unprepared Takeru was . Before the CHOMP incident, I had thought Takeru was already quite well prepared to take on the BETA but episode 7 made me realise how much room he had to improve on (i.e his mental strength).

 P.S If you thought Episode 7 was shocking enough, wait till you reach Episode 9.

I couldn't agree more wei123, the so much consequence, I especially liked the bit with Yuuko-sensei

 

in the parallel world at the nuclear reactor where the music starts playing and you scream 'I love her' at the top of your lungs, that really got me pumped up!

Wei123 I probably have like 30 minutes to an hour left of reading, but I was too tired to continue. Don't read Thyndd, chapter 10 chat in here:

 

I'm in the main hall of original hive, low on ammo, all support is dead and only a few S-11's left. Everyone is alive but the outlook doesn't look so good from here, plus I'm sure the main chamber will hold the big twist; which I'm expecting to be Takeru related after Sumika broke down on him on the hill after the Yokohama base attack. Damn that chapter 9 was brutal also, dem feels.

I'm excited to think that I can finally start hitting the forums once I've finished reading MLA. I cannot wait for that as it's something I tend to avoid, to avoid spoiling myself as Dreamysyu suggested.  

Thank you all so much for letting me bounce the shock of that scene around here, you're a great crowd so I intend to hang about on here more often!

Edited March 27, 2018 by Trickay
Once again I failed to spoiler text correctly...

[Inorin]

36 minutes ago, Trickay said:

Firstly many many thanks to the mod that removed my post, I was so worried about Tyhndd reading that, but after four hours sleep I've release that all I needed to do was hold control... doh!

I was agreeing with Dreamysyu before saying that I also like to avoid as much knowledge of a VN as possible. That's likely to be why both scenes were very impactful for me, with both playing on my mind all the following day or two at work, but the first affecting my sleep a little. Though the comment about salt in the eyes for the second one was perfect, censored or not!

I couldn't agree more wei123, the so much consequence, I especially liked the bit with Yuuko-sensei

  Reveal hidden contents

in the parallel world at the nuclear reactor where the music starts playing and you scream 'I love her' at the top of your lungs, that really got me pumped up!

Wei123 I probably have like 30 minutes to an hour left of reading, but I was too tired to continue. Don't read Thyndd, chapter 10 chat in here:

  Reveal hidden contents

I'm in the main hall of original hive, low on ammo, all support is dead and only a few S-11's left. Everyone is alive but the outlook doesn't look so good from here, plus I'm sure the main chamber will hold the big twist; which I'm expecting to be Takeru related after Sumika broke down on him on the hill after the Yokohama base attack. Damn that chapter 9 was brutal also, dem feels.

I'm excited to think that I can finally start hitting the forums once I've finished reading MLA. I cannot wait for that as it's something I tend to avoid, to avoid spoiling myself as Dreamysyu suggested.  

Thank you all so much for letting me bounce the shock of that scene around here, you're a great crowd so I intend to hang about on here more often!

36 minutes ago, Trickay said:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

in the parallel world at the nuclear reactor where the music starts playing and you scream 'I love her' at the top of your lungs, that really got me pumped up!

Wei123 I probably have like 30 minutes to an hour left of reading, but I was too tired to continue. Don't read Thyndd, chapter 10 chat in here:

  Hide contents

I'm in the main hall of original hive, low on ammo, all support is dead and only a few S-11's left. Everyone is alive but the outlook doesn't look so good from here, plus I'm sure the main chamber will hold the big twist; which I'm expecting to be Takeru related after Sumika broke down on him on the hill after the Yokohama base attack. Damn that chapter 9 was brutal also, dem feels.

I'm excited to think that I can finally start hitting the forums once I've finished reading MLA. I cannot wait for that as it's something I tend to avoid, to avoid spoiling myself as Dreamysyu suggested.  

Thank you all so much for letting me bounce the shock of that scene around here, you're a great crowd so I intend to hang about on here more often!

Actually you still have the epilogue which should take you an additional 30 minute,in addition to the hour or so in the final showdown in Episode 10. Anyways,

 

Yeah the main chamber does reveal some truly shocking facts. Not only that, it's also where the most emotional scene in the entirety of the game takes place. I was holding back my emotions before that point, but after getting to the main chamber, I just couldn't stop my tears from flowing out (even the lighthearted epilogue that comes after that could do little to stop my tears). Even now, all the feels come back to me after watching this video (Only open this spoiler after finishing everything).

 

 

 

Edited March 27, 2018 by wei123

[Plk_Lesiak]

10 hours ago, Orakana Newbie said:

Currently play Katawa Shoujo. and yeah, This very cool . For my first OELVN I high rated for this one. And because of this, I interested for Try another OELVN ( I think I need some recommendation) . I'm not really know about OELVN (and, hey, I just started it for try it this week ) and yeah, Really, We can't judge VN just from their arts/Graphic. ( Deep into my heart, I has little dream, katawa shoujo can get Japanese Voice Acting )

Then, I starting for learn Ren'py. my programming is good enough for starting debut. but I just has single problem for starting my own VN... :  My drawing is fckin bad 

7 hours ago, Thyndd said:

As for another good OELVN, I think it's warranted to summon @Plk_Lesiak, our expert on the topic 

 

*Soon after the call was ushered, a fiery pentagram appears on the ground and the figure of the Fuwa's chief heretic materializes before Orakana Newbie*

I was summoned, so I've answered to spread the Unholy Cult of OELVN! To be honest though, it's hard to recommend something on the same level as Katawa Shoujo, it most likely is the best Western VN to date - but it's also a very direct imitation of Japanese formula. Another example of a highly rated OELVN that feels like the "real thing" is Lucid9. And if you're not afraid of otome, Cinderella Phenomenon is... Well, quite phenomenal. Both are free.

For something more unique, you could try CUPID (free) or Analogue: A Hate Story (cheap on Steam). Also, if you didn't play Doki Doki Literature Club, while that game turned into a meme, there's much more to it than just that.

You already saw my Love Ribbon review, but I have a lot more reviews and recommendations on my blog (link in my signature). You can always check it out if you're looking for an OELVN to play - one upside of those is that many of them are free, without feeling like junky amateur games. And they don't take two months to finish. ;p

Edited March 27, 2018 by Plk_Lesiak

[bakauchuujin]

Currently playing Princess Evangile at chapter 17, have been really fun so far, really annoying that Ruriko doesn't have a route in the main VN though.

[Inorin]

For Hoshi Memo, I'm now at the secret heroine's route. I'm finally starting to enjoy this a bit more now.

As for Umineko, I've just finished episode 2 and can already see some interesting Higurashi references.

 

 

These references aside, I have a feeling things will start to get a lot more interesting in episode 3 (will probably start on it tomorrow, fingers crossed).

 

Edited March 28, 2018 by wei123

[Dergonu]

Alright, finished Kikokugai, and man, I loved it. The setting was really cool, the writing was fantastic, and the art in the remake is just...

This made me want to check out more Nitroplus titles, specifically Tokyo Necro. Looked up some CGs from it, and oh boy, it looks great. So yeah, the moment I finish one game on my backlog, I add another. RIP

If my backlog kills me, I will blame you @Zenophilious (/ω＼)　

[Orakana Newbie]

12 hours ago, Plk_Lesiak said:

*Soon after the call was ushered, a fiery pentagram appears on the ground and the figure of the Fuwa's chief heretic materializes before Orakana Newbie*

pffftt 

12 hours ago, Plk_Lesiak said:

Another example of a highly rated OELVN that feels like the "real thing" is Lucid9. And if you're not afraid of otome, Cinderella Phenomenon is... Well, quite phenomenal. Both are free.

For something more unique, you could try CUPID (free) or Analogue: A Hate Story (cheap on Steam). Also, if you didn't play Doki Doki Literature Club, while that game turned into a meme, there's much more to it than just that.

Ohoo ~ Got it. 

I think I go to Lucid9 First,  at a glance, it's seems common Japan-style VN but since this OELVN, I hope something unique come up. 

I can deal with otome but It's very rare for me want to finished it (yeah, y'know, like something wrong for male player play otome for conquest male hero(ine) . ) (I can't say much since I enjoy play yuri  )  well, if it's something really good, I would finished it immediately. 

and wow, I think I will pass for CUPID, I think I can't stand for that kind of unique (Unfortunately, this far most of my VNs are Japanese-Style, so I doubt can enjoy that. )  

Well, Analougue : a hate story,  Korean huh ? interesting, Since you recommend That, I think I would try it,  Let's see what I got from korean short OELVN. 

Aaaand, DDLC ??? thanks, but already finished this fuckin Unique VN. ahh... just monika 

[Orakana Newbie]

12 hours ago, Plk_Lesiak said:

You already saw my Love Ribbon review, but I have a lot more reviews and recommendations on my blog (link in my signature). You can always check it out if you're looking for an OELVN to play - one upside of those is that many of them are free, without feeling like junky amateur games. And they don't take two months to finish. ;p

ohoo Roger, Glad to hear that, without hesitation I would. 

[Plk_Lesiak]

16 minutes ago, Orakana Newbie said:

Well, Analougue : a hate story,  Korean huh ? interesting, Since you recommend That, I think I would try it,  Let's see what I got from korean short OELVN. 

It's not really Korean - it's Korea-themes I guess, but the actual author is Christine Love, American writer and one of the earliest "serious" authors of OELVNs. Her stuff is pretty unique, I hope devote a whole month to her VNs on the blog somewhere in the summer.

Also, I won't push you too much into reading CUPID, but it's a really great piece of horror. Trying new things in sometimes worth it. :>

Edited March 27, 2018 by Plk_Lesiak

[Orakana Newbie]

5 minutes ago, Plk_Lesiak said:

Also, I won't push you too much into reading CUPID, but it's a really great piece of horror. Trying new things in sometimes worth it. :>

Hmmm, yeah, if you say so, I would try it at least (it's free tho ) 

9 minutes ago, Plk_Lesiak said:

Her stuff is pretty unique, I hope devote a whole month to her VNs on the blog somewhere in the summer.

I look forward for it ~ 

[Trickay]

11 hours ago, Dergonu said:

Alright, finished Kikokugai, and man, I loved it. The setting was really cool, the writing was fantastic, and the art in the remake is just...

So after reading your comment I obtained Kikokugai, I think i'll read it next to fill the huge gaping hole left by Muv Luv Alternative...

Right now I feel empty and detached, not knowing what to do after finishing MLA. Such impact, a real mixture of emotions at the end.

MLA Ending Spoilers:

A bit of interneting reveals quite a lot of conflicting opinions on the ending, but for me I absolutely loved it although it was chest numbingly painful, and I believe Kasumi remembers everything, even if Takeru doesn't.

[Ranzo]

Finally finished Aioshiro and damn that was a wonderful time! I really loved it!

Osa is definitely in my top ten protags list now. I think I'm going to play Starlight Vega next.

 

@Trickay Hey congratulations on finishing Muv Luv. Yeah I thought the ending was pretty amazing

Spoiler

Especially the final fight damn that was so intense and sad. And yeah Kasumi remembers that's why she's crying in the end

 

Edited March 28, 2018 by Ranzo

[r0xm2n]

Chapter 2 of Himawari completed....

Spoiler

That was probably the most impactful scene I've ever read. Certainly the most impactful death scene.....

.... and planet Earth in that CG was ........ beautiful.

 

[Inorin]

Wow that was fast; I've just completed Hoshi Memo: Wish Upon A Shooting Star, despite having only completed Chimami's route just yesterday. Anyways, my thoughts on it

Personally I don't feel that this vn is particularly spectacular or mind blowing, but I quite liked the lighthearted atmosphere of the game. While there may not be much plot development or character development, the atmosphere more than makes up for it. I didn't quite like Mare's route because it only extends a bit from Yume's route, and Isuzu's route because it was rather bland, but hopefully this will improve on the Eternal Heart fandisc. Hoping the translation for Eternal Heart comes soon *fingers crossed* 

[PiggiesGoMoo]

I am about to start reading Subahibi, and am a bit nervous lol

[Inorin]

13 minutes ago, PiggiesGoMoo said:

I am about to start reading Subahibi, and am a bit nervous lol

Lmao I started reading subahibi a few months ago but even now I'm still not done with Down the Rabbit Hole. I'm kind of scared to proceed to the Insects arc, which I heard is where the real deal starts (and which is why I kept stalling it :/ ).

Edited March 28, 2018 by wei123

[Dreamysyu]

8 hours ago, Trickay said:

Right now I feel empty and detached, not knowing what to do after finishing MLA. Such impact, a real mixture of emotions at the end.

MLA Ending Spoilers:

  Hide contents

A bit of interneting reveals quite a lot of conflicting opinions on the ending, but for me I absolutely loved it although it was chest numbingly painful, and I believe Kasumi remembers everything, even if Takeru doesn't.

Yeah, I also don't dislike the ending, despite the other people's opinions on it.

Spoiler

It's kind of hard to accept this ending, considering how bittersweet it is, but at the same time it's a very fitting ending for Alternative. And Kasumi definitely remembers. I think, it's pretty obvious from how she behaved in that scene.

Also, btw, there's a common interpretation that Takeru from Alternative is dead in the end, and that Takeru from epilogue is essentially a different person. If we assume that as truth, than the ending becomes even more bittersweet.

 

[Trickay]

44 minutes ago, Dreamysyu said:

Yeah, I also don't dislike the ending, despite the other people's opinions on it.

  Hide contents

It's kind of hard to accept this ending, considering how bittersweet it is, but at the same time it's a very fitting ending for Alternative. And Kasumi definitely remembers. I think, it's pretty obvious from how she behaved in that scene.

Also, btw, there's a common interpretation that Takeru from Alternative is dead in the end, and that Takeru from epilogue is essentially a different person. If we assume that as truth, than the ending becomes even more bittersweet.

 

I know what you mean, but you're right and I agree it fits the series.

 

I also agree with you that Kasumi remembers, I wonder if so many that doubt this read the Fan-TL? I also read that idea about the Takeru we went on a journey with being dead and the epilogue Takeru being a different version. But even so the tears when meeting them all suggests he may have locked away latent memories? 

Thank you for the last week of bouncing progress and ideas about Dreamysyu, it's been an lovely experience. Also many thanks for double spoiler tagging when I was guessing what the first 'all ages' edited scene would be, oh how wrong I was!

I'm a bit lost as to what to read next, I don't think anything will be as enjoyable as the end of MLA was. I have Kikokugai, Chaos Head, Memorys Dogma and Grisaia ready to read to choose from... but I think I'll go along with Dergonu's recommendation, besides I could probably do with reading something short after so heavily investing all my free time into MLA post Chapter 7.

To be honest I think I would really like to look for a VN with multiple bad ends, have a bit of a challenge read. I loved FSN for that.

Edited March 28, 2018 by Trickay
Typos

[Dreamysyu]

30 minutes ago, Trickay said:

I know what you mean, but you're right and I agree it fits the series.

  Hide contents

I also agree with you that Kasumi remembers, I wonder if so many that doubt this read the Fan-TL? I also read that idea about the Takeru we went on a journey with being dead and the epilogue Takeru being a different version. But even so the tears when meeting them all suggests he may have locked away latent memories? 

Thank you for the last week of bouncing progress and ideas about Dreamysyu, it's been an lovely experience. Also many thanks for double spoiler tagging when I was guessing what the first 'all ages' edited scene would be, oh how wrong I was!

Hmm, I also read the fan-tl'ed version, so I don't think this is important.

Spoiler

It looks like he still remembers everything deep inside, but at the same time, the ending suggested that these memories are probably never going to resurface. So we could say that these memories belong to a different person, and they don't really matter to Takeru of that time. But, well, it's already a matter of interpretation. The ending is pretty open, so, unless a proper sequel gets announced at some point, we'll probably never know what exactly happened there. As for the sequel, it looks like the developers were always open to the possibility of making one, but it's already been more than 10 years since Alternative was released, so it looks like we'll never get it. Though, to be honest, I'd like to see what exactly happened in the Alternative timeline after the events described in Alternative, I don't think that another game with Takeru as protagonist would work.

Edit. Oh, and I forgot to mention that there is also this game. It continues right after the ending to Alternative, and it's much lighter in nature, but, apparently, the developers said that it's not canon.

 

Edited March 28, 2018 by Dreamysyu

[Inorin]

3 hours ago, Trickay said:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

I also agree with you that Kasumi remembers, I wonder if so many that doubt this read the Fan-TL? I also read that idea about the Takeru we went on a journey with being dead and the epilogue Takeru being a different version. But even so the tears when meeting them all suggests he may have locked away latent memories? 

 

 

 

My take on it is that Alternative Takeru did not actually die, but rather, he simply just ceased to exist (since he wasn't from that world in the first place).After that, his memories simply transferred to Final Extra Takeru. One thing I still don't get though is how Kasumi exists in the Final Extra world, since her existence stemmed from Alternative III, which only occurs in the Unlimited/Alternative world. According to the Muv Luv wikia, Kasumi still exists in the Alternative world so she couldn't simply just transfer to the Final Extra world.

 

3 hours ago, Trickay said:

To be honest I think I would really like to look for a VN with multiple bad ends, have a bit of a challenge read. I loved FSN for that.

 

You can try Remember 11. It may not have as many bad ends as FSN (which has 40, smh), but the thing is that you will need to read the bad ends to understand the full story, unlike FSN where some are forgettable. 

3 hours ago, Dreamysyu said:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Edit. Oh, and I forgot to mention that there is also this game. It continues right after the ending to Alternative, and it's much lighter in nature, but, apparently, the developers said that it's not canon.

 

But the Muv Luv wikia says Altered Fable is canon though. 

 

Edited March 28, 2018 by wei123

[Dreamysyu]

The thing about wikia is that I have no idea about where it took the information from.

Spoiler

3 minutes ago, wei123 said:

But the Muv Luv wikia says Altered Fable is canon though. 

I'm sure I read about it not being canon somewhere, but, to be honest, it doesn't even matter at this point. It's not like I believe in canons anyway.

 

[adamstan]

Currently I'm reading new translation of Konosora. Recently finished Little Busters, and really liked it. Now I'm waiting for Clannad to go on some sale, as it's pretty expensive ;-)