Game Review : 9-Nine Episode 3

 

9 Nine Episode 3 Opening

Dear All, 

It's been sometimes since I last finish playing visual novel game. Now I would like to review another episodic game from 9-Nine. Now it was the third part. For me, this is the best part among the three. Let's get to it. I will try to do my best to avoid spoiler but I am afraid it's difficult to avoid any spoiler at all. 

This story continue from the first episode from 9-Nine game and a little of second episode. Why ? Well, you will know when you play the first and second episode. For the third episode, the heroine is Haruka aka (Queen of Eden). In this episode you will know much more than previous episode like Haruka power, Kakeru artefact, real antagonist, and our role in it (well, for people who have played Ever 17 and Remember 11 will know what I mean). A little surprising but intriquing I guess. It's been a long time since I play game with breaking the 4th wall. Anyway, we get to know more about the characters and for the first time about Yoichi real psyche and Sophitia real identity. 

Once again like its predecessor, the graphic and voice acting is top notch. No wonder, I feel Renya Takamine voice so alluring. It was voiced by the famous Tomokazu Sugita. But I also like Kakeru Nimi voice since it was voiced by Atsushi Abe (also voiced Camel in Tokyo Babel). The story has been progressing well after slow start in episode 1 and 2. From what I heard about episode 4 and watching its trailer, it looks very amazing. 

Overall, I really recommend this episode for 9-Nine game lovers and people who like Chuni visual novel or just any people who like story with magic. Really hope Sekai Project will launch Episode 4 soon and the developer will make episode 5. Hopefully, the developer will bundle this into one big game instead of selling it per episode after the game has been completed. 

Rating : 9 of 10 stars. 

Regards, 

Angela

Game Review : Oblivious Garden ~ Carmina Burana ~

opening

Trust me once more

Conflict

Dear All, 

Now I would like to review another game. Yes, it's not a long time since my last review. I feel like my love for visual novel have come back little by little. Hopefully I can keep it so. Anyway, today review is another lovely game called Oblivious Garden ~ Carmina Burana ~. It is a game published by Digital EZ. I think this is my first time playing game published by Digital EZ. Because of that, I don't have high expectation. Anyway, the game is quite lovely. 

The game is about hero who was exiled by his emperor because of his failure to defeat the enemy. After 3 years, the emperor give him another chance to redeem his failure by going to the garden to prepare for miracle play. In this place, he meet with 3 princess and so the story begin. Anyway, first I have to say that I am quite surprise with the voice acting. This is my first time playing visual novel with Chinese voice acting and it is quite lovely. I really like most of the voice especially princess Leira and Marian. I can feel the emotion. 

The art itself is nothing extraordinary but still nice one. You can say that it is quite simple. The song is also quite good and fitting with the theme. Personally I quite like instrumental "conflict" because it's different from ordinary visual novel song. Like many visual novel, it has some route that you better follow in order not to get spoiled with the story. My route is Lin, Leira, and Dyanna. There's another route with is Finn (the maid) (to be honest I don't play it). One nice addition with the game is making tea mini game. I don't know why but it's quite refreshing to be able to make lovely tea for the princess and being praised for it. Just make sure you find the recipe and make S rank tea. 

Anyway, as with many visual novel the story is the most important aspect. I have to say that it can be much better if it was not too fast in the beginning, especially Lin route. I feel like there should be an explanation or rapport first. It is unrealistic that all princess can share their secrets and inner feeling with the hero after just several days. The ending is also quite anti climax which is a disappointment (to be fair many visual novel also make anti climax ending). Fortunately some mystery was explained later in the game. Still it will be much better if there was good pace and good plot. Anyway, this is quite short visual novel so it doesn't take much time. Hopefully there will be more and more visual novel with Chinese voice acting. More choice is always better for visual novel industry. 

Overall, I recommend this game for people who like to try light visual novel with Chinese voice acting and simple but enjoyable story. 

Rating : 7.5 of 10 stars

Regards, 

Angela

Game Review : Steam Prison

opening

Distant home (tittle theme)

Dear All, 

It's been some time since my last post. Now I would like to make review about another lovely otome game. My last otome game is Cinderella Phenomenon. I really love it. This other otome game is also very good. The game is Steam Prison. 

Otome game is one genre of visual novel in which the female protagonist will romance one of several male characters in the game. Usually, they have route order that you better follow in order not to spoil the story. This is also the same case with Steam Prison. 

The story is about female protagonist (that you can name her first name) who live in The Heights. The Heights are a gorgeous utopia. But there are also another world in The Depths, a filthy industrial wasteland. The heroine has nothing but contempt for the The Depths until she was sent into the Depths. 

First I would like to say that I really like the story. The idea of two world is a big sell for me. I mean just based on the summary, you can feel that it is quite interesting. With addition of great art, music, and voice acting, it was a big treat for whomever playing this game. The story is simple and yet deep at the same time. Of course, it could have been better but it is still much better than many visual novel game. I really like most characters except maybe the female protagonist. It's not that I hate her but she is quite shallow I think compare to other characters. Even the bad guy is still better than her. Character I like the most is Ulrik. He is childish but also dependable at the same time. I cannot help but want to tease him most of the time. 

The music is also quite suitable for the game. Of course, there are more games with better music but I think this is also quite good considering the theme and the story. For the music, I really like The route order that I recommend is Eltcreed, Ulrik, Adage, Ines, Yune, and then grand ending. Otherwise, you will get spoiled with the story. The best route, of course is grand ending in which everyone (except the bad guy) have happy ending and the closure to their own problems. It makes sense that you have to complete all the ending first before being able to play grand ending because many mysteries only get answered in normal ending. So, it doesn't get addressed again in grand ending. Still I think some questions remain. 

I really recommend this game for people who like otome game with good story. Even if you don't like otome, I still recommend that visual novel lovers try this game for the story. 

Rating : 8 of 10 stars

Regards, 

Angela

Game Review : Rewrite

Opening 1

Opening Moon Route

Rewrite Scattered Flowers Ost

Dear All,

I hope you don't get bored with me. Now I would like to review one of the saddest visual novel that I've played. The game is Rewrite. This is one of best visual novel out there. This game is from developer Key, famous for its sad story, like Clannad, Air, Little Busters, etc. Now let's get to it.

The story is about Kotarou Tennouji. He is young high school student living in Kazamatsuri City. City famous for its ecological system. Unbeknownst to Kotarou, there is deep secret in this city that will engulfed him and threatened the world future.

To be honest, I already want to play this game from a long time ago. But the game play make me hesitant (even though the prologue is quite nice) and after that I kind of playing another game. So I ignore it for a while. I am glad though at last I managed to finish this great game. This game is one of the best that I've played and I am not only talking about the story but also the side quest. I mean it makes the SOL more interesting and less boring than your usual SOL. It's quite funny, especially with 108 friends (I believe it's not coincidence). 

The premise of the story is very interesting and touching, especially the moon route. I really like moon route so much compare to common route, heroine route, or terra route. The ending really breaks your heart (remind me about Muv Luv alternative ending so much). The characters are also very great. I really like most characters except the true bad guy. The story doesn't even try to make us like her so don't feel bad if you don't like her and don't even care about her. I really like Sakuya characters. I mean yes he is quite annoying at first but at the end, you really care about him so much. His ending is the most satisfying one for me.

The graphic is very good. It is "livelier" than Tokyo Babel. And I also like some of the songs especially Scattered Flowers. It really touch my heart. There are many quests in the game. But don't feel that you have to finish all of them. It's up to you to enjoy the game. I don't finish all the quest, hence I don't get Oppai ending. It looks like a funny ending though. The voice acting is quite good. There are some big names seiyuu, like Masakazu Morita, Chiwa Saito, Kana Hanazawa, Katsuyuki Konishi, etc. I really like Kotori voice. It's quite unique. Now, the most important aspect of the game is the story. I can say that the story is very satisfying. It is deep and touching. You can see that this is big project and they spare no expense to make it successful. Unfortunately, some part of the story is unimportant. I mean they should just skip it and just focus into the relationship. And I will be honest Terra route ending is quite disappointment. It's not bad, in fact it's painfully beautiful. It just lack of "miracle factor" that you expect from this kind of story. 

Anyway, there is anime for this game. Fans of this game are lucky because there are many great visual novel that don't even get adapted into the anime. But from what I heard the anime is a disappointment. Well, it's not surprising. It's not easy to adapt visual novel after all especially with many routes. So, if you are not visual novel lovers, you can just watch the anime. 

Overall, I really like this game. I recommend this game people whom like to read sad story. I mean it's really sad. So, prepare your tissue, especially for moon route. 

Rating : 9 of 10 stars. 

Regards, 

Angela

Game Review : Shadow of Pygmalion

as time goes by

Dear All, 

I hope you don't get bored with my post. Since I am working from home now, I can play the game while working. What does it mean ??? It means that I can finish my games more quickly this way. Anyway, now I would like to review another game from Propeller. The name is Shadow of Pygmalion. Maybe some of you already know what Pygmalion means. Pygmalion is myth in which sculpture become human. Like Tokyo Babel, this game is very interesting for people who like myth or legend. Anyway unlike Tokyo Babel, this game is Yuri so you have been warned but don't worry it's not graphic. If you can tolerate Fatal Twelve then you can tolerate this one too.

Shadow of Pygmalion is game about doll. Yes you don't read it wrong. It's about doll from the beginning until the end. Of course there are also human in the game. Basically, doll in this world is like God or something like that. They are supposed to be better than human because they are divine. One day, our main protagonist Hajiro Mina stumbled into doll mansion. Unbeknownst to her, her aura resonate with "Eidos" Ruka. She was "forced" to make contract with her to choose the new "God" to rule the world. And then Mina life changed forever. 

Even though Tokyo Babel and Shadow of Pygmalion came from the same developer, it has quite different style and game play. The story itself is quite interesting. If you like Tokyo Babel, I suggest you try this game. For me, I prefer Tokyo Babel for its mystery and deep layer. I am not saying that Shadow of Pygmalion is not deep, it just different. But, I can understand some people will prefer this game because it has its own charm. The structure of the story is quite different too. The story has multiple route and the choice happen near the end, unlike Tokyo Babel where you choose your route in the beginning. 

For the graphic, it is very good. If Tokyo Babel is quite smooth and modern with its graphic, Shadow of Pygmalion is quite artistic and classic. Both are treat for the eyes. The music itself is quite good but nothing outstanding except for the opening and one or two instrumental that I really like. I can see they choose the opening song carefully. Overall, the music is quite average for game with Shadow of Pygmalion calibre. Like Tokyo Babel, Shadow of Pygmalion also use many well known seiyu. Therefore, have no doubt that the voice acting is amazing. No wonder the price is quite expensive but it's worth it. 

Last but not least, the characters, I will be honest, I like characters in Shadow of Pygmalion more than Tokyo Babel. If Tokyo Babel is like one big gun, then Shadow of Pygmalion is like several machine gun. The characters support each other and make its better than if it on its own. Characters that I really like is Yang and Reika. I mean they are more than what I imagined. The others also very good and has its charm. I can relate with them and understand why they did what they did. As much as I like Shadow of Pygmalion, certainly it can be better. Like what I said before, the story is good but unfortunately the ending is quite lacking. It's anti climax. You can say it was predictable. It doesn't help that it lacks "true antagonist". Some questions also were left unanswered. It feels like developer change its mind in the middle of story. 

I recommend this game for people who like Tokyo Babel. It also has yuri and chunige at the same time. An interesting combination I must say. Better than Fatal Twelve yuri combination. 

My rating : 8 of 10 stars

Regards, 

Angela

Pendosa

Petir menggelegar di malam hari
Hujan deras mengguyur kota
Hantaman petir yang mengagetkan semua insan
Alarm mobil yang tiada hentinya berdengung
Ada yang sadar..
Ada pula yang sudah terlelap dalam mimpinya..
Guntur ini bisa dianggap sebuah petanda
Petunjuk bahwa semesta sedang murka
Atas kelalaian dan ketidakpedulian manusia
Manusia-manusia yang terhanyut pada drama kehidupan
Kehidupan yang berisi suratan takdir yang tak bisa dipahami
Setiap makhluk hanya menjalani isi buku kehidupannya masing-masing
Takdir memang tak dapat dihindari
Akan tetapi manusia masih diberi kesempatan untuk memilih
Berbagai pilihan untuk bereaksi terhadap kehidupan ini
Ada yang sudah nyaman menjadi pendosa
Pendosa cerdik yang membuat semuanya menjadi indah
Akan tetapi hitam tidak dapat bercampur dengan putih
Suatu saat setiap makhluk akan dihakimi termasuk para pendosa
Sudah siapkah engkau?




~Selene

Game Review : Gakhtun Of The Golden Lightning

Dear All, 

Now I would like to review another game that I have finished. The name is Gakhtun The Golden Lightning. Well, you are not to blame if you think it was JRPG because it is not your typical visual novel game name. Still the name is the name. Let's get to it. 

You can read the summary using google. Basically it's about fictional city in France. The city is an independent one though. The name is Academia City. It was administered by student. You can say that most of the people are students. Of course this is not your ordinary city because besides study, they also have people with Arts (aka magic). And the story begin when our protagonist move in there. 

The game is quite simple for chuunige. The story is also quite good but of course it could have been better with better pacing and better execution. It was divided into several chapters. The story is quite slow in the beginning and take it pace later to the point of rushing. Yes, I really mean it. It's quite rushing near the end. Wonder why. And there is timing for multiple choice. Don't know what the point. Anyway, there is no multiple route so it is quite short for chuunige. 

The graphic is not bad but not great either. Nothing special with the song either. The voice acting is great. I suppose most of the budget goes into the voice actors. I like most of the characters, especially Jo and Anne. It's quite refreshing for me. The antagonist though is a big disappointment. I don't feel the tension at all despite the set up. Once again, it's because they rush to end it. Or maybe they don't think the antagonist is important. To be honest, the plot twist is quite a little surprise for me. I mean now I kind of understand what the protagonist mean at the beginning, even though it doesn't quite make sense at the time.  There are also several mystery that has not been solved. But it is what it is. Overall, this game have potential but fail to execute it properly. 

I recommend this game for people who want to play chuunige but a light one. Just don't expect something too deep about this. There are also some sex explicit language so you've been warned. 

Rating : 7 of 10 stars. 

Best Regards, 

Angela

Game Review : Tokyo Babel

Opening movie

Stairway To 

Dear All, 

It has been a very very very long time since I last write in this blogspot. Well, I am really sorry for that. It just that I think I have a little burn out with game and book so I avoid them for a while. Now I am ready to devour them again. ha ha.

Now I would like to review one of the best game that I have played. The name is Tokyo Babel. This game was developed by Propeller and localized by Manga Gamer. Maybe you can guess what kind of game it is based on the name. For some of us, this game will remind us about babel in bible. Now let's we go. 

First I would like to say that I am really happy to know this game. I mean I really like this game so much. The story is well thought and the presentation is outstanding. The characters are also lovely even the bad guys. This game tell the story about human, angel and demon. There is also mention about heaven and hell and also multiverse. You can imagine about that. Anyway, in this story there are countless wars between angel and demon. But one day, tragedy befall into the universe. This tragedy was known as Divine Calamity. Heaven was closed, Hell was submerged, Multiverse was destroyed one by one.  Even both angel and demon become madness. No one knows what happen. One day Archangel Michael and Messenger of God appear in front of them and ask them to pilgrim into the heaven. And the rest is our job to uncover what happen. 

Anyway, there are 3 routes in this game. There are Raizel route (angel), Sorami route (human), and Lilith route (demon). But there are also Setsuna route. Setsuna is the protagonist. To be honest, I don't play Setsuna Route because I think it's nearly the same with Lilith route. Before playing the game, you can prepare some tissues because the story is very very sad and tragic. It doesn't help that the song is quite sad. I really like song Stairway To. It is one of the saddest song that I know. It looks like that I will keep playing this song for some time. The other song is just so so. There are many mystery in this story but don't worry all will be unraveled one by one. Because of that, you should play the route in their order from Raizel, Sorami, and Lilith. Otherwise, you'll get major spoilers. 

This game also have many famous seiyu with oustanding voice acting. I really like all of them especially Uriel voice actor (Nobuhiko Okamoto). It just click with me from the first time he speak. For the character itself, I really like Camael. I mean he is my ideal self. His ending in Lilith route is very touching. I hope this is not too big of a spoiler. The graphic and animation is top notch. I mean I really like it. It's soft and vibrant at the same time. So, there's that. 

I really recommend this game for people who like chuunige, fantasy, and bibble related story. The story is related with religion and God so it can be provocating for some person. Just remember that this is just game. 

Rating : 10 of 10 stars

Regards, 

Angela