Cartagra Discussion

[Kaguya]

It's been released, so let's talk about it!

For now, all I can say is that, no matter what, Nana is the worst girl (not really ). 

[Down]

I finished the game two days ago, it was overall up to my expectations: not as good as Kara no Shoujo but definitely worth it.

 

And of course Kazuna is best girl, although I know you'll disagree you heathen

But it's cool to see several characters with a rather strong personality even though they're not so much developed, especially since Shugo himself is rather bland.

Kazuna is an example, there's also Tôji who's really cool. And Nana who's pretty much downright insane...

 

I have to say I wasn't entirely convinced up until the true end and its "everything falls into place" moment. But in the end it's pretty satisfying. Also the nightmare ending

[Kaguya]

I finished the game two days ago, it was overall up to my expectations: not as good as Kara no Shoujo but definitely worth it.

 

And of course Kazuna is best girl, although I know you'll disagree you heathen

But it's cool to see several characters with a rather strong personality even though they're not so much developed, especially since Shugo himself is rather bland.

Kazuna is an example, there's also Tôji who's really cool. And Nana who's pretty much downright insane...

 

I have to say I wasn't entirely convinced up until the true end and its "everything falls into place" moment. But in the end it's pretty satisfying. Also the nightmare ending

Haha. I actually thought Nana was the best girl- I tend to dislike imoutos, but she just does it all right. She's delightful, really~

Kazuna annoyed me at some points, otherwise she was meh-ish. I have a really bad compatibility with her type of character

Tôji is indeed about as cool as you can get.

 

Those Hatsune faces, though.

[miria]

I finished the game two days ago now do playthrough 2 sad   rin    Route is shortest in game and you get new ending for hatsune

now will try  true  end or nightmare  

[Kaguya]

Nightmare was pretty cool. 

[charizard152]

I finished it but I still have a big unanswered question. What is the role of the old man who sell takoyaki in the story? The main character interact with him a lot but I never understand what is all of these choices with him for

[Down]

The takoyaki guy

is a sort of joke.

He looks suspicious, and Shugo seems to freak out every time he sees him... but it's actually just an old man who's not even mean or anything. It's a sort of little parodic element, I think. The fact that buying or not buying takoyaki can have an influence on the ending you get also adds to the absurdity

 

Also he contributes to the post-war setting, he's an old man full of debts who struggles to keep his business running while being ordered by some kind of "company" behind him that gives him absurd orders. He's part of the background, in a sense.

[MrP]

Overall well satisfied, inferior to KnS in most respects, but to be expected I guess. I really rate Innocent Grey and can't wait for KnS2. I love the feel and setting of the game, Sugina may well be my all time no1 VN artist. OST is amazing, maybe not as atmospheric as KnS but more listenable. I love it!

 

The story was pretty damn predictable, that Izao asshole just screams murderous bastard from the second you meet him. Which of the policemen are in on the cult might've been a solid guessing game if I didn't already know Yaginuma lives to see KnS. The 1st Kazuna End and the True End (and the other ends too) are at least different enough to be interesting and make sense. Bit of a Nana infodump at the end but entirely forgivable as she's so damn cool (not an imouto fan at all either)

[Roach]

I just finished all the endings yesterday. That was truly an enjoyable experience.

Akao being the murderer was sooo predictable, though the fact that he is not the mastermind behind all of it makes up for that

I didn't expect Arishima to be the."mastermind" at all. Well, a certain part of me suspects he might have taken part in these series of murders, I guess I just didn't want to admit it.

Kazuna's normal end really surprised me too. I thought it will just end with the usual "But, is this really the right choice?"

Nightmare end was really creepy ;_;

 

Also, what happened to Yura in KnS? I don't remember her being mentioned anywhere, though maybe I just didn't realize it.

 

Also, Toji is best girl.

[Decay]

I thought this was interesting. It gets a solid 7/10 from me. Some of the endings felt underwhelming. I also didn't like the true ending too much, but I guess it gave an outlet for Kazuna's endless optimism. I thought the setting and atmosphere were well done, and I liked the art. The translation was also really good. Seems like hardly anyone is talking about it even though it's a decent new release.

[Down]

The underwhelming ending would probably be Hatsune's one I guess. Not much happens in it, it's more there to give another heroine good end.

I guess some of the other ends that are bad ends are not super interesting either, but at least the Nighmare end and Nana's end make up for it.

 

Seems like hardly anyone is talking about it even though it's a decent new release.

Yeah, I think Cartagra is basically a solid middle-range title, but in such a niche community that doesn't yield much attention...

[Darklord Rooke]

Yeah, I think Cartagra is basically a solid middle-range title, but in such a niche community that doesn't yield much attention...

[Decay]

I would say that in general, the types of charage get the most attention here, with more linear plot-heavy games not getting as much attention. Fuwa posters want to be able to pick a cute waifu.

 

Anyways, I don't think it was too dark. It's not as dark as Kara no Shoujo was, in my opinion. There are actually more light-hearted comedic relief segments, and the main heroine is a total goofball. There are still some brutal murders, of course, but that aspect doesn't overpower the rest of the game.

 

As an interesting aside, I think this generally approximates the tastes of the english-reading VN community as a whole, and actually showcases a change from several years go when story-driven titles were much more popular. I think Katawa Shoujo might have brought a different audience into the picture and caused this development. Up until Cartagra's English release, it had an average rating of 7.82 on VNDB, but the average rating of votes post-translation is only 7.51. That's the difference between being ranked #94, and ranked #200. Typically, when english translations are released, VNDB ratings go up, not down. I think if MG released Cartagra four years ago, it would be receiving a much higher vote average, maybe above 8.0. Likewise, if Kara no Shoujo was released this year as opposed to four years ago, it would have a much lower rating.

 

That said, I don't think many individuals' tastes have changed, just that there are a lot more people reading VNs these days, and most of the newbies seem to prefer charage.

[Roach]

Also, what happened to Yura in KnS? I don't remember her being mentioned anywhere, though maybe I just didn't realize it.

[Decay]

I'm playing KnS right now. When was she mentioned? It wasn't during the pointless fanservice segment with Shugo and Kazuna early in the game.

[Roach]

I'm not sure. That's why I'm asking what happened to her, or if she's mentioned at all.

[Down]

Afaik she's not. Or maybe in passing at some point, my memory could fail me.

 

There's a bad end in KnS where several Cartagra deaths are spoiled, there could be something here.

[Roach]

Yeah, I kinda remember Shugo said

"I failed again"

[Down]

I heard Tôji was back in Kara no Shoujo 2 (hype!), maybe other members of the Cartagra cast will too.

 

I also remember Tulip Godess (the translator for Cartagra and KnS 2) mentionning that probabilities of KnS 3 happening some day were rather good so more hope of seeing them again.

[Roach]

Oh wow. I checked the vndb page out of curiosity. I prefer her old appearance to be honest, though this isn't bad too.

Her long hair kinda give a more feminine looks imo.

Edited November 11, 2015 by Roach
Why not

[Stormwolf]

So.. I don't really like pointlessly depressing vn's that only serves to depress the viewer. I saw the walkthrough as i always use walkthroughs for vn's and it was bad end on every damn heroine.. What on earth?! I mean, i don't mind if some routes turn to shit, but if every damn route turns bad or the true ending being terrible, then i won't even bother. Don't need specific spoilers, but more along the lines of if i should read this or not with what i said in mind.

 

Edit: I guess i missed the part that some heroines are bad ends in themselves. I'll check this one out. Looks interesting.

[Decay]

I guess some pretty light, non-specific spoilers about the tone and the good/bad ends:

 

Without saying who, when, or how, I will say that there will be some characters who will die and those deaths are unavoidable. It's a kinda depressing game for large stretches but it ends on a somewhat hopeful note.

[Deep Blue]

yeah not many characters make it to the end

 almost all the prostitutes are killed 

[Decay]

Well, I was TRYING to be as non-specific as possible while still answering the questions. Don't read Deep Blue's post if you want no insight into who the potential murder victims might be.

[Deep Blue]

Well I am using spoilers so i dont think there should be a problem if i spoil big chunks of the plot also 

I didnt say which of them gets killed