Dec 16, 2015 8:17 PM
Visual Novel Ratings
Anime Relations:
Fate/stay night, Angel Beats!, Fate/stay night Movie: Unlimited Blade Works, Kyokugen Dasshutsu Adv: Zennin Shibou desu Prologue, Danganronpa: Kibou no Gakuen to Zetsubou no Koukousei The Animation, Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, Fate/stay night Movie: Heaven's Feel - I. Presage Flower, Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works 2nd Season
Just putting these here since it looks like my profile is, again, running out of space.
- Ace Attorney Series
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (7/10) - This was incredibly nostalgic, replaying the first game of a series I loved dearly in my middle school days was a blast and it's nice taking a fresh look at what effectively introduced me to VNs (even if I didn't realize anything about them at the time). The gameplay is still as engaging as ever (I just love the whole identify the contradiction gameplay, I adored it when I played this and I still adored it playing the Danganronpa series) and it's refreshing to see the roots of Ace Attorney. Phoenix was a lovable protagonist and it was great seeing the foundation of Edgeworth's growth as a character once again. The major characters in general were as fabulous as ever and I love the main cast. However, I probably don't love this as much now as before. While Turnabout Goodbyes and Rise from the Ashes were as great as ever, the first 3 cases are a bit hit or miss. They definitely serve their purpose in the grand scheme of things (1 and 2 are definitely intro cases to kickstart the plot and present the characters, and 3 is relevant if only because of the interactions between Phoenix and Edgeworth) but aren't especially notable as their own cases and are probably on the weaker end of the series. The side characters aren't all too memorable (with the exception of the RftA exclusive characters, who are both eccentric and interesting enough in the context of the case to stand out) and even though the main characters are lovable and have many great moments, PW1 is really just the foundation for what's to come. Justice for All is probably my least favorite in the series but has a fantastic finale, and Trials and Tribulations is just amazing from what I recall. It's hard to be sure what I think about those two games now so I guess all I can do is play through those as well and hope they remain as enjoyable as they were for me in the past. Even if PW1 didn't blow me away the way it did a long time ago, it was still incredibly enjoyable and a fantastic experience all the same.
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All (7/10) - The nostalgia hype continues with my replay of the second game of the series. As expected, I took to JFA less than the first game for the most part. The first 3 cases, while still appropriate in the series and a fun time working through, were far from being representative of the series' best. 2-1 was standard tutorial fare but nothing too impressive. 2-2 fared slightly better as a case where the answer is predictable but the destination and twists surrounding the answer shake things up a bit, while also contributing to some of the Kurain lore of the series and building up for future events in the story. 2-3 was a largely silly case in comparison but with a very tragic backstory surrounding the whole situation. On the merits of those 3 chapters alone, JFA would probably be an easy 6/10, a fun time that retains the Ace Attorney charm but not a peak installment. However, 2-4 singlehandedly carries the game and sticks as one of the best cases of the series. This chapter's exploration on what it means to be a lawyer and what to do when stuck between very difficult choices tested Phoenix like no other case yet while also demonstrating Edgeworth's character development from the first game. The tension in this case was powerful and few other cases in the series capture the urgency and moral dilemmas that Phoenix had to deal with here. Franziska was a largely frustrating rival to me through most of the game, but her interactions with Edgeworth in this case (particularly in the epilogue) allowed me to ultimately respect her as a character and presented an interesting parallel to the Edgeworth of the first game. Even on its own merits as an individual chapter, 2-4 presents a compelling murder mystery and Adrian stands out as one of the best side characters of the series with her character flaws and how she grows as a result of confronting the issues of this chapter. 2-4 pretty much made the experience for me, and while I'd probably pick the first game over the second as a whole, 2-4 stands tall with 1-4 and 1-5 as one of the greatest cases of the series. If my memory of Trials and Tribulations is reliable though, 3-5 is going to be one hell of a ride and put all of those to the test as one of the greats in this series.
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (7/10) - This was incredibly nostalgic, replaying the first game of a series I loved dearly in my middle school days was a blast and it's nice taking a fresh look at what effectively introduced me to VNs (even if I didn't realize anything about them at the time). The gameplay is still as engaging as ever (I just love the whole identify the contradiction gameplay, I adored it when I played this and I still adored it playing the Danganronpa series) and it's refreshing to see the roots of Ace Attorney. Phoenix was a lovable protagonist and it was great seeing the foundation of Edgeworth's growth as a character once again. The major characters in general were as fabulous as ever and I love the main cast. However, I probably don't love this as much now as before. While Turnabout Goodbyes and Rise from the Ashes were as great as ever, the first 3 cases are a bit hit or miss. They definitely serve their purpose in the grand scheme of things (1 and 2 are definitely intro cases to kickstart the plot and present the characters, and 3 is relevant if only because of the interactions between Phoenix and Edgeworth) but aren't especially notable as their own cases and are probably on the weaker end of the series. The side characters aren't all too memorable (with the exception of the RftA exclusive characters, who are both eccentric and interesting enough in the context of the case to stand out) and even though the main characters are lovable and have many great moments, PW1 is really just the foundation for what's to come. Justice for All is probably my least favorite in the series but has a fantastic finale, and Trials and Tribulations is just amazing from what I recall. It's hard to be sure what I think about those two games now so I guess all I can do is play through those as well and hope they remain as enjoyable as they were for me in the past. Even if PW1 didn't blow me away the way it did a long time ago, it was still incredibly enjoyable and a fantastic experience all the same.
- Angel Beats! A Third View (4/10) - It's interesting to see an alternate take on the Angel Beats! story and there was definitely potential, but sadly it seems the project never progressed beyond the introduction so there wasn't a whole lot to explore. At least there's the actual Angel Beats! VN to look forward to sometime in the future, that definitely lifts my spirits a great deal.
- Angel Beats! Track Zero (4/10) - Basically the extra chapter of the Track Zero LN in VN form. Didn't care too much for that chapter to begin with so I didn't enjoy this one too much either.
- Ever17 -The Out of Infinity-
- Sora Route (5/10) - This is relevant more to the common elements of the Takeshi paths (i.e. segments leading into both Sora and Tsugumi endings) but things start out pretty slow. It felt like there was quite a bit of potential but unlike, say, the Zero Escape games by the same writer, Ever17 does a lot of meandering and has way less tension with the exception of a few critical scenes, and I can't say I was especially fond of that. My biggest problem with Ever17 is that it has a bunch of fluff that doesn't really feel necessary to me for building characters or establishing atmosphere, and getting through the early days of the story was a drag. Things do get a bit more interesting later on though. The concepts of Sora's route are interesting given the nature of her character and it seems like this was a prototype of sorts for how a certain character in Virtue's Last Reward was handled. Pretty good overall, though little was handled in regard to the big mysteries at hand and (also relevant more to Takeshi paths in general than in Sora's ending particularly) I kinda didn't like how some odd mysteries and strange happenings were just sorta handwaved and ignored. But those can be handled later I suppose.
- Tsugumi Route (5/10) - I will say Tsugumi's one of the more compelling characters so far with an impactful backstory and this ending hit the feels quite a bit. Still, I'm not sure how to feel about Tsugumi since I kinda feel like she's prone to sudden bitchiness and just generally being unpleasant toward other characters (especially Takeshi) at random intervals. Given what she's gone through, I can't say everything's unjustified, but sometimes her character feels.....inconsistent? Like she'll sway from being nice and at the very least understandable to just being standoffish and rude. In any case, I'd say her route and ending stuff wasn't bad, though I still have mixed feelings about her character and many mysteries still remain untouched. I hear the Kid paths delve more into the mystery so I hope they won't disappoint.
- You Route (6/10) - I definitely enjoyed this more than the prior routes. It's not necessarily as climactic or impactful as some parts of the previous endings, but I think this route was the most satisfying so far. The Kid paths lean more toward the mystery element of the story than Takeshi's did, which helped catch my interest a lot earlier and made the more laid-back parts of the story a bit more bearable for me. I found You to be a rather likable character and enjoyed her interactions with Kid quite a bit. There's still a lot that hasn't been directly answered, but the bizarre hints and implications dropped in this route were very interesting and give me high hopes for the rest of the VN. Now to get through Sara's material and hope that the true route lives up to the hype.
- Sara Route (6/10) - I was quite fond of Sara's character so I enjoyed this. More mysteries are addressed and stuff especially relevant to Kid was revealed so that was quite a treat. I think both the You and Sara endings are pretty satisfying and are definitely a nice contrast with the Sora and Tsugumi endings. However, there are still quite a few unanswered questions, particularly about what Coco's deal is, so all that's left is to hope that the route everyone claims makes this VN delivers.
- Coco Route (7/10) - When people said that the Coco route is what made this experience, they were definitely right. While I wouldn't say the Coco route builds Ever17 into a masterpiece, it does a fantastic job of utilizing the information hinted at earlier in the story, subverting expectations about what was actually going on, and tying things together. The characterization is complete, the mysteries pretty much answered, and the conclusion fulfilling. This is pretty much the entire reason to play Ever17, and while I suppose it's debatable whether slogging through a rather lengthy portion of the VN that isn't quite as great is really desirable, I'd say this last stretch of the game makes everything worthwhile.
- Route Ranking: Coco>Sara=You>Tsugumi>Sora (It goes without saying that the Coco route blows everything else away by virtue of impact, writing, and being successful at fulfilling everything established prior to it. The Sara and You routes were more enjoyable for me as they were more focused on some of the mysteries surrounding the situation and I was probably most fond of those two characters as well. Tsugumi and Sora endings were pretty close, although Tsugumi edges ahead by having a bit more impact and feeling just a bit more complete as an ending.
- Overall (7/10) - To be honest, my expectations of this VN were extremely high (I'm a huge fan of the Zero Escape series, and I heard some diehard VN fans say that those "ripped off" Ever17 and that E17 was by far the stronger story) and ultimately the experience I got didn't quite reach what I had hoped for. The game takes a long time to pick up, and while I wouldn't say the side routes are bad, it's more that they only have a few defining moments or aspects that just barely convinced me to give them 6s as opposed to 5s. There's not a whole lot of tension throughout the story and there's so much fluff that I felt was really draggy and, while sorta understandable, not especially pleasant to read through. That said, however, E17 still proved to be a solid experience, almost entirely because of the Coco route justifying everything up to that point. It makes sense that in a story of this nature, the answers to and resolution of the mystery are key to defining the end product, and if nothing else, E17 did deliver on that end. I still feel like there are a few lapses in logic and strange occurrences that are just handwaved as being in there to make the plot happen, but for the most part the story proves to be well written and plot threads are neatly tied in a coherent, understandable way. Would I say E17 is one of the best VNs out there? Probably not, at least once I get through enough VNs to have a more meaningful opinion about the medium as a whole. But is it still a worthwhile experience? I'd certainly say so. It takes a (for me, painfully) long time to get rewarding but what results is a clever, meta, and impactful read by the end.
- Sora Route (5/10) - This is relevant more to the common elements of the Takeshi paths (i.e. segments leading into both Sora and Tsugumi endings) but things start out pretty slow. It felt like there was quite a bit of potential but unlike, say, the Zero Escape games by the same writer, Ever17 does a lot of meandering and has way less tension with the exception of a few critical scenes, and I can't say I was especially fond of that. My biggest problem with Ever17 is that it has a bunch of fluff that doesn't really feel necessary to me for building characters or establishing atmosphere, and getting through the early days of the story was a drag. Things do get a bit more interesting later on though. The concepts of Sora's route are interesting given the nature of her character and it seems like this was a prototype of sorts for how a certain character in Virtue's Last Reward was handled. Pretty good overall, though little was handled in regard to the big mysteries at hand and (also relevant more to Takeshi paths in general than in Sora's ending particularly) I kinda didn't like how some odd mysteries and strange happenings were just sorta handwaved and ignored. But those can be handled later I suppose.
- Fate/stay night
- Fate Route (6/10) - Primarily exposition and the introduction to the whole F/SN story. Sets the grounds for Shirou's characterization and gives a lot of focus to Saber, though it's not the most groundbreaking of stories. It's still very enjoyable regardless and it's a nice start to the whole VN (F/SN really does depend on the foundations laid by Fate route, after all), though Fate route is by no means the greatest of what F/SN has to offer.
- Unlimited Blade Works Route (9/10) - Definitely more enjoyable for me than Fate route and an awesome experience all around. UBW seems to be the general fan favorite of the 3 routes and it's not hard for me to see why. UBW has a lot of great fights along with fantastic development for a good portion of the cast. Shirou, Tohsaka, Archer, Lancer, Caster, and Assassin all get great moments here and UBW serves as a fantastic followup to the intro to Shirou's character provided by Fate route. Considering it's also the route that gives most focus to my 3 favorite characters in Fate (Tohsaka, Lancer, and Archer), there was no doubt I'd love it. UBW's true end goes in quite a different direction than Fate route's true end and it's a pretty satisfying conclusion all things considered. The good end is a bit of a stretch but it is a pretty nice feel good conclusion if nothing else.
- Heaven's Feel Route (9/10) - It's really hard for me to say if I like this or UBW more. On one hand, I feel like UBW was more consistently awesome and development-filled, while HF was packed with grimdark atrociousness and lots of really horrifying material in comparison to the much more Shounen-y atmosphere of the previous two routes. However, HF provides great exposition for aspects of the Grail War not touched on by the other two routes and gives more focus to Sakura, Rider, Ilya, and Kotomine. In particular, it made me really like Ilya and Kotomine, who I hardly cared for at all prior. Beyond that, HF has some of my favorite moments of the entire VN and I feel that HF's true end is the strongest and most fulfilling conclusion of the 5 major ends. Normal end wasn't a bad ending either, though it's pretty depressing and doesn't quite get the grand conclusion effect that the true end is able to.
- Route Ranking: Unlimited Blade Works=Heaven's Feel>Fate (Without a doubt, Fate was my least favorite of the three. Not necessarily bad but more exposition than development for pretty much everybody but Saber and a much more straightforward Shounen-esque story on the whole. It's really a toss up between the other two. While I feel UBW was stronger as an overall route, what HF did well was spectacular and HF at its best (particularly in the last stretch) without a doubt dominated my favorite moments in the entire VN.
- Overall (9/10) - Truly a worthwhile experience and probably my current favorite VN. For a while I would say I put F/Z over F/SN, but after that last stretch of HF I really can't decide which I like more. While I would still say I enjoyed Fate/stay night's anime adaptations and I wouldn't deem them as horrible as some of the huge VN fans do, the VN is definitely the stronger option in terms of development and exposition. Of course, that means taking up MUCH more time, and to no surprise, F/SN was easily the longest VN I've played yet. Anywho, F/SN was very much worth it and not only a strong VN but also just a fantastic story in general. I really love how all 3 routes are important to telling the story, it just wouldn't be the same if one of them were missing.
- Fate Route (6/10) - Primarily exposition and the introduction to the whole F/SN story. Sets the grounds for Shirou's characterization and gives a lot of focus to Saber, though it's not the most groundbreaking of stories. It's still very enjoyable regardless and it's a nice start to the whole VN (F/SN really does depend on the foundations laid by Fate route, after all), though Fate route is by no means the greatest of what F/SN has to offer.
- Katawa Shoujo
- Rin's Route (7/10) - This one is definitely my favorite route. I connected a lot with Rin and she's far and away the heroine I was the most fond of. She's quite a unique character and it's hard to understand her at first but I was very attached to her by the end of it all. I quite appreciated the themes presented here (artistic pursuit, self expression, isolated talent vs. companionship, etc.) and the darker aspects of this route made it the most memorable for me.
- Emi's Route (6/10) - Quite a few shared scenes here since Rin and Emi are friends, though of course the main story is different. Rin's route focuses more on the issues of the present and the future, while Emi is dragged down by her past. Emi is fixated on independence and self-reliance, which becomes very important later on. Emi's route is emotional yet also has its share of amusing scenes (lemons anyone). I didn't enjoy this as much as Rin's route but the feels were still strong and I liked it overall.
- Hanako's Route (7/10) - Looking back, this actually shares a lot of parallels to Emi's route, separated primarily by the distinct difference in personality the two have. Hanako's case is almost more tragic in the sense that her traumas have led to outsider mistreatment and social withdrawal, and this is quite noticeable in Hanako's behavior. Like with Emi, Hanako's story focuses on how she opens up to others and becomes more trusting, though Hanako has more distinct development and there are a lot of layers to the story's progression and her character growth as well. It should also be mentioned that the bad ending here is just...wow. Brace yourself if you want to read it, and I pray you don't get it the first time around because that would be an awful feeling.
- Shizune's Route (6/10) - I'd say this one is the weakest route personally, yet it's not even by a huge margin. I think the main issue stems from the fact that the route has only one choice and that the plot progresses very slowly in comparison to the other routes. Even when the big conflict comes, the tension isn't as high as in other routes and the bad ending wasn't presented as well as it could've been. All said though, I did like the focus on friendship (as Shizune and Misha take the spotlight, of course) and the time stretch of this route gives the story a wider scope than the other routes that focused almost entirely on a relationship and stopped there. If nothing else, I appreciated the ending of this route more than the others and it's beaten out by just one...
- Lilly's Route (7/10) - Lilly's route is an interesting case in that there isn't any inner relationship conflict in the way that the other routes have. If anything, the issues are external factors. I liked how Lilly's relationship with Hisao wasn't dependent on him saving her from past traumas or anything of that sort, it had time to progress slowly but surely and I quite liked the chemistry between the two. More than anything though, Lilly's route has by far the most fleshed out and fulfilling ending and it was quite a powerful finale. Easily my favorite of the endings and surely a fitting way for me to conclude my KS experience.
- Route Ranking: Rin>Lilly>Hanako>Emi>Shizune (Rin's route was easily my favorite since I was most attached to her and loved the ideas presented in her story. Lilly's route comes right after due to how unique it is compared to the other stories and, more than that, the powerful and fulfilling conclusion. Hanako's and Emi's are really close for me and originally I ranked Emi's higher, but looking back I feel Hanako's route has more development and I find the variety of themes more interesting since Emi's route has a very clearly defined range of themes established quite quickly. Last is Shizune's route, which I still enjoyed but not on the level of the rest)
- Overall (7/10) - KS is a VN I enjoyed a good deal with lovable characters and some gripping themes. One of my biggest gripes is that the closure in many routes was lackluster and that only certain aspects of the characters were explored due to the nature of the stories, but there were still some touching progressions and meaningful developments. While KS may not be the most refined or developed narrative out there, it has a lot of heart and impact for what it's worth and gets a 7/10 from me as a result.
- Rin's Route (7/10) - This one is definitely my favorite route. I connected a lot with Rin and she's far and away the heroine I was the most fond of. She's quite a unique character and it's hard to understand her at first but I was very attached to her by the end of it all. I quite appreciated the themes presented here (artistic pursuit, self expression, isolated talent vs. companionship, etc.) and the darker aspects of this route made it the most memorable for me.
- Muv-Luv
- Extra: Meiya's Route (6/10) - I expected Extra to be a chore to get through with all I've heard about it but I ended up rather enjoying it for the most part. The character antics were amusing and I quite liked both the comedy and the feels even if it wasn't the most profound of stories. I really felt for both Sumika and Meiya as they were both likable and choosing one was rather painful but with the choices I made, Meiya made a lot more sense. Her ending was rather enjoyable with everything going over the top and Takeru going all out to go back to Meiya. Not a bad way to start things off.
- Extra: Sumika's Route (5/10) - Well, technically it's about the same with the exception of perhaps making more Sumika-oriented choices (in my case though, the final choice was to pick one of the two so I just chose Sumika this time), but I can't say I cared much for this ending. Admittedly Sumika's probably my favorite of the heroines, but I can't help but feel that the resolution of Meiya's story (or lack thereof, rather) was rather painful and while I liked that Sumika got her happy end, it just didn't do much for me as a conclusion. The rest of the route was basically the same as Meiya's though and I enjoyed that.
- Extra: Sakaki's Route (6/10) - Easily my favorite of the routes. I'd say it was the most emotional of the routes for me and it was pretty tense throughout. Sakaki got on my nerves at some times but going through this route really helps to understand her character and get the backstory that is otherwise untouched and I felt this route had the most satisfying conclusion of any. Seeing Ayamine and Sakaki support each other at times was also very touching considering their general interactions and overall I was pretty pleased with this route. Sumika encouraging Takeru was great and Akane was absolutely fabulous. So far this is definitely the highlight of my experience, at the very least my favorite route in Extra.
- Extra: Ayamine's Route (5/10) - There are some parts about this route I really enjoyed: Ayamine's backstory (obviously), Meiya being a bro, and Sakaki learning why Ayamine acts the way she does and understanding that the two are fairly similar deep down. However, I didn't enjoy this route a whole lot as the resolution just didn't seem convincing to me and the relationship between Takeru and Ayamine seemed shoehorned into the end. That's not to say that the two didn't genuinely care for each other, but Ayamine's choice seems way too convenient given everything else that happened and it doesn't sit very well with me.
- Extra: Tama's Route (5/10) - This route was lighter than the others for the most part. While there was still some conflict and some feels, the scale and tension of it all were ultimately far less than in the other routes and a lot of the best moments in this one were the laughs and ridiculousness. Enjoyable for what it was and Tama fans will probably like this, but I wouldn't consider it particularly amazing overall.
- Extra Route Ranking: Sakaki>Meiya>Sumika>Ayamine=Tama (As mentioned before, Sakaki's route was by far the most satisfying for me and easily my top pick. Meiya and Sumika routes are largely the same and are essentially the main story, but I found Meiya's ending more rewarding and the better choice storywise in spite of personally liking Sumika just a bit more. Ayamine's route definitely had feels and a few great moments but is bogged down by the resolution of the conflict and convenience of the pairing in an otherwise emotional arc. While I probably found Tama's route less problematic than Ayamine's in some ways, it did little to stand out storywise and didn't affect my opinion of Tama as much as the other routes did for their characters)
- Extra Overall (6/10) - Extra certainly had its ups and downs and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have picked it up if the prospects of Alternative weren't a factor, but ultimately I did enjoy it and found it a worthwhile play. I've come to like the characters for the most part and I can already see how some of the material might play into what happens in Unlimited and Alternative so I'm pretty excited about those. The routes weren't really consistent in quality and there are certainly some issues I have with some of the routes, but Extra didn't just feel like a drab prerequisite to rush through and I'm a bit sad to see it go if only because this means the hilarious and relaxing times are over for Takeru. Now to get through Unlimited, which I hope won't disappoint.
- Extra: Meiya's Route (6/10) - I expected Extra to be a chore to get through with all I've heard about it but I ended up rather enjoying it for the most part. The character antics were amusing and I quite liked both the comedy and the feels even if it wasn't the most profound of stories. I really felt for both Sumika and Meiya as they were both likable and choosing one was rather painful but with the choices I made, Meiya made a lot more sense. Her ending was rather enjoyable with everything going over the top and Takeru going all out to go back to Meiya. Not a bad way to start things off.
- Narcissu (6/10) - One of my very first completed VNs and a pretty good one at that. While the story was short and the characters feel rather underdeveloped, the themes presented here are powerful and the story's progression is very emotional. It's pretty tragic stuff and the ending in particular hits pretty hard. The lack of choices was a bit disappointing (though to be fair, this story wouldn't work well with them anyway) and I wish some aspects were explored in more depth, but this is a pretty good intro to VNs and an enjoyable story overall.
- Narcissu: Himeko's Epilogue (6/10) - It was rather nostalgic reading through an epilogue to one of my first VN series years later. It's a rather short read, and I suppose one might say it's not technically "necessary", but I think anyone who's invested in the series, and especially 2 in particular, ought to give this a read. It provides a bit more closure on some of the characters in 2 and gives quite a bit of attention to Yuka's character. The epilogue is a relatively short but emotional sendoff for the characters and I think it's a more satisfying conclusion for the characters besides Setsumi (who only has a few brief appearances here, and got pretty solid closure in 2 from what I recall). Also included is 1980, which seems to be a sort of prototype to Narcissu and is a rather short but certainly worthwhile read.
- Narcissu Side 2nd (7/10) - Surprisingly, I enjoyed this one more than the first. This prequel gives more focus to characterization and the characters are able to express far more here than in the first VN. There's also more variety in terms of content as NS2 provides some insight via focus on religion and comparisons to A Dog of Flanders. NS2 hit me harder than the first Narcissu because it gives more focus to the suffering and feelings of the characters dealing with terminal illness. I also really liked how Setsumi's character feels significantly more fleshed out here because NS2 provides more insight on her thoughts and perspective. However, NS2 seemed detached from the original in the sense that some of the developments of NS2 seem to have been ignored by Setsumi's character in the original story and her actions in Narcissu almost seem contrary to how her development is handled in this prequel at times. In spite of this, I found NS2 a very worthwhile prequel and just as worthy of a try as the first (if not more so).
- Root Double -Before Crime * After Days-
- √After (6/10) - True to the Ever17 and Zero Escape kinda spirit, √After is a tense, thrilling escape story that builds mystery well. The questions continue to pile up as the story progresses and the characters largely prove sympathetic and easy to root for, although as the situation gets more dire many of them really start to break under the crazy situation they're stuck in. With many things uncertain and doubts about who in the cast can be trusted as the situation gets worse and worse, √After makes for a suspenseful and engaging entry into the VN. Much remains unclear and it can get pretty long, but it's a good start to the VN and I enjoyed it a good deal more than the early Ever17 material at the very least. Here's to hoping the reveals and delivery deliver on the promise of the setup.
- √Before (6/10) - While √Before was probably more like a 5 to me for a majority of its run, it really proves its worth and place in the narrative as the end approaches. A few big reveals recontextualize a lot of the material not only in the early stages of √Before but also some of the previously unexplained aspects of the early parts of √After. √Before is a heartwarming part of the story that may be a bit slow and seem too slice of lifey for the initial premise, but it establishes the 3 characters that got little time in √After very well and the most cathartic moments around the endgame of √Before rival if not outperform some of the big scenes from √After. Some characters that seemed suspicious in √After are now adequately characterized and made to be sympathetic and understandable, while others are now even more suspicious with the bits of information presented in √Before. While the storytelling's presentation feels a bit clunky at times and the pacing's a bit slow due to lighthearted character interactions and infodumps about the sci-fi aspect of the story, √Before is ultimately both a necessary and enjoyable component of Root Double that does deliver in the end, though it admittedly takes its time getting there.
- √Current (5/10) - Kind of a mini-route of sorts that exists largely to fill in some perspective gaps and explain some of the events from √After. It's good for affirming some of the details that weren't so clear early on in the story, but that's more or less its only function and even those details are generally pretty easy to figure out at this point in the game without having the clear cut displays given here. It's far shorter than either √After or √Before and only even has one (trivial) choice point that corresponds to one from √After. I guess some of the setup is probably necessary, but most of the important material that I actually want closure on and explanations for seems to lie in √Double, which I can only hope meets my hype upon completion.
- √After (6/10) - True to the Ever17 and Zero Escape kinda spirit, √After is a tense, thrilling escape story that builds mystery well. The questions continue to pile up as the story progresses and the characters largely prove sympathetic and easy to root for, although as the situation gets more dire many of them really start to break under the crazy situation they're stuck in. With many things uncertain and doubts about who in the cast can be trusted as the situation gets worse and worse, √After makes for a suspenseful and engaging entry into the VN. Much remains unclear and it can get pretty long, but it's a good start to the VN and I enjoyed it a good deal more than the early Ever17 material at the very least. Here's to hoping the reveals and delivery deliver on the promise of the setup.
- Saya no Uta (6/10) - This one's a bizarre case for me. On one hand, I only found the story fairly intriguing and most of the characters felt incomplete, idiotic, or nearly unlikable and thus I have little attachment to the cast. In spite of that, Saya no Uta is brilliant in its presentation and presents its themes powerfully, in my opinion more so than any other Urobuchi work I've seen. The ambiguous morality is striking and some scenes are downright horrifying to read, yet it is because the world is presented so well that it all works. While some of the characters' actions are absolutely despicable, the circumstances surrounding the characters and the perspectives they have make it impossible to completely hate them for it. All three endings, while very different, are absolutely necessary to bring out the most of the characters, particularly Fuminori and Saya, and truly complete the experience.
Posted by
MilesEdgeworth
| Dec 16, 2015 8:17 PM |
Add a comment