Rui wa Tomo wo Yobu Review

Synopsis: This is the story of Tomo, a guy that is forced by a curse he was born with to live as a woman. He plays the honor student at school and lives alone in an apartment at home, knowing that solitude is his only method of survival. However, upon encountering a girl with a curse and birthmark similar to his, he is forced to come out of his shell, as he finds others of his kind...

Plot: 7/10- The story in this VN is decent, if not the best I've ever encountered. The enforced playing order seems to have mostly been done in order to force you to play Rui's path, which is the second to least interesting of the paths, in my opinion... The characters and their interactions are hilarious, and I found myself laughing rather more often than I expected at their antics. If I have a complaint, it is that the story's pacing is often a bit erratic, with tragic moments not so much taking you by surprise as leaving you thinking that they were 'out of place'.

Visuals: 8/10- The character designs in the game were pretty, and I really enjoyed the interesting variation of expressions on the characters' faces. If I have a complaint it is that there were some critical scenes that really could have used a CG and didn't get one... However, the most important scenes did have proper CG's and they were quite pretty.

Sound: 8/10- The music in the game is well-done, and excellently matched to the mood of the scenes. I won't say it didn't get repetitious, but no more so than any of the other VNs I've played. It did its job of highlighting the emotions the scene was supposed to bring out in you, and that is an accomplishment in and of itself. The sound effects were decent, if no different from those I've heard in a dozen other VNs...

Overall: 7.5/10- While I give the story points for an excellent concept and hilarious character interactions, I had to detract points for the pacing. However, this VN would likely suit well those who want a bit of an edge to their VN without the excessive violence of Dies Irae or Devils Devel Concept. Overall, this is a decent VN that I can recommend honestly, even if it won't make it onto my list of personal favorites.