Review: EXE

Synopsis: In a small city, a guy named Toya lives with his little sister Makina and his surrogate parent, Sayo, having lost his mother in a hospital fire ten years before. However, at night he passes a woman on the streets who looks exactly like his supposedly dead mother and follows her, joined by the transfer student, Yuu. When he catches up to her, she attacks and Yuu repels her with flames, only to be attacked herself by a girl with a katana.


Plot 6/10- To be perfectly honest, for a dark story-focused VN, this one lacks the depth that games like Devils Devel Concept and Dies Irae (or even Comyuu) possess, with the protagonist being your usual 'quiet, stupidly stubborn/naive, shounen' type. His personality, while rather straightforward, comes across as shallow in comparison to the depth of the protagonists from games like Dies Irae or even Draculius, where the protagonists' personality and drives were more clearly defined. However, the plot in general is interesting, with each arc having its own individual main antagonist (except the one 'peaceful' arc and the 'extra' arc with Sayo). The heroines are each distinctive personality-wise, with Kono Natsuki being by far the most memorable, both in appearance and personality in my opinion. If the story has a weakness, it is that it moves too fast and often lacks detail, skipping over parts where people die (though this is understandable, since Yuzusoft is normally a comedy VN maker). The real weakness, however, is in the lack of a real after-story for any of the arcs. Once the conflict of each individual arc is resolved, the rest takes little more than five minutes to read, leaving you still buzzing with the effects of the climax with no real tie-off to leave you satisfied.

Visual 8/10- Decent CG's, beautiful and unique characters, and some really good expressions (especially the psychopathic ones). Overall, it was one of the better looking VNs I've encountered.

Audio 7/10- The soundtrack isn't all that memorable, though the tracks are decent enough. If I had to point out a strength to the audio in this game, it would be the voices of Momiji and Kono. Momiji's sadistic personality hidden behind a flowery smile is well expressed in her speech patterns, making her one of the most memorable antagonists I've encountered in a while. Kono Natsuki's somewhat halting way of speaking does well in expressing her character's inexperience with human interaction.

Overall 6/10- It's sad when a story-focused VN's weakest point is the depth of its plot, but in this case it can't be helped. Despite that, this is a good choice to play if you like a supernatural/dark edge to your stories, but don't want to go too far in that direction/don't want to think too deeply. The character visuals and voices definitely pick up some of the slack from the story's flaws, but overall I can't give this one of my best ratings. I especially take off points for the individual endings, since none made an attempt at a serious after-story, even though they went out of their way to develop the heroines in their individual routes (to an extent that it made me seriously want to know what happened to them later).

Review: Hanachirasu

Note: I'm only doing a short review of this one, because frankly there isn't that much to talk about...


The story of Takeda Akane the crazed swordsman and Igarasu Yoshia the man who seeks vengeance upon him, it is based in an alternate Japan where the nuclear bomb was never dropped and Japan was never fully subjugated.

Story 5/10: To be honest, this game is the worst Nitro+ game I've ever had the misfortune to deal with. A story with a lot of potential is utterly ruined by loads of unnecessary information about sword techniques and other such information. While the story itself was actually pretty good, the amount of pointless text one has to wade through to reach the meat of the story is ridiculous, making it impossible to give this a high rating.

Visuals 7/10: Like all Nitro+ games, the visuals are well-done, if not as clean as some of the other games of theirs that I've played. However, the weakness is the backgrounds, which are horribly done in comparison with the characters, and at times make it difficult to get into what you are reading.

Sound 8/10: Sadly, the best aspect of the game is the music and the sound effects, with decent tracks and some lovely blood splatter and sword slash sound effects. Unfortunately, the sound isn't so good that I would consider it to be 'excellent', so I can't give it that good of a score.

Overall 6.5: Worst VN I've played since Princess Lover, with its only redeeming quality being the endings, which are actually fairly good, and the general violence of the game.

Akatsuki no Goei and FD Review

Synopsis: In a world where the gap between the rich and the poor in Japan has become so great that there is no hope whatsoever of filling in the gap, and persecution toward unregistered citizens has met its height, a young bodyguard cadet named Asagiri Kaito, who intended to quit the school where he was learning, saves a young woman from some kidnappers on accident, bringing about a truly odd turn of events...

Protagonist: I feel a need once again to stress that this is a protagonist that I very much like. He is a joker most of the time, messing with those around him and doing whatever he feels like at any given moment, not giving respect to anyone, whether they deserve it or not. He is seen as the class dropout, but in actuality he is stronger in terms of combat skill and physical strength than anyone else in his class. He has no hesitation whatsoever when acting for the sake of his own objectives and is for the most part level-headed under his trickster's mask.

Story 7/10: This VN is seriously funny... beyond funny. The character interactions and the frequent use of nori-tsukkomi, as well as Kaito's antics make for almost constant laughter. In opposition to that, when it is serious, this VN does it well, with the characters being nicely articulate (despite Kaito overusing slang and having a tendency to tease people, even in the most serious situations). Its greatest weaknesses, however, are how short it is and the lack of a real epilogue for the various stories. The fandisc makes up for this somewhat, especially in the cases of Tsuki, Tae, and Aya, as well as the new story with Anzu. However, the fact remains that this game was definitely made to have a sequel, rather than to be complete in and of itself, and thus I can't give it a score on the same level as the amount of fun I had with it.

Visuals 8/10: With nice character models with a wide breadth of expressions, as well as a style that is easy on the eyes, I found nothing to complain about with the visuals... As a guro fan, I'd have liked some of the action scenes to have accompanying CG's, and I would have liked to have seen more of Kaito when he's in a fighting mood, but those complaints aren't enough to cause any real problems.

Sound 8/10: The voices in this VN are very good, with each voice properly fitting the characters. Unfortunately, the music is unmemorable, though not badly done.

Overall 7.5/10: For various reasons, I would have liked to give this a higher score, but the little flaws added up, as well as the fact that they were obvious setting it up for the sequel from the very first. For fans of VNs with a high dose of comedy, some violence, and an occasion dose of human darkness, this is a decent VN to play...

Gore Screaming Show Review

Synopsis: Gore Screaming Show is a VN set in a small city where a guy named Jinno Kyouji has just returned after three years living elsewhere, to live with his cousin, Yamiko. Recently, there have been incidents involving people disappearing, and on his way to school, he encounters a beautiful girl who welcomes him back...

Plot 7/10: To be honest, the plot of this VN, save for Yuka's and Yamiko's paths, is somewhat lacking. It's not that its nonexistent, its just that in most of the paths, the characters are subjected to one-sided horror without any real explanation of what's going on, except that Yuka hates anyone who gets close to Kyouji other than her. The 'good' endings for each of the three main heroines are decent (with Aoi's being the best of the lot), but there is a definite feeling that the story often took second place to a desire to creep out the reader. The 'bad' endings are... full of gore and rape-scenes... for those who are seeking that kind of thing, they are ideal. However, because Yuka's and Yamiko's paths really are that good, I felt that the plot was worth a seven rating, despite the flaws of the other three heroines. If I had to put my finger on an aspect of the plot that stands out... its that it often reminded me of the cheesy horror movies made in the US in the eighties. Well, the plot was better than those things, but the way you never quite understood what Gore and Yuka were thinking (in the main paths) and their heavy use of illusions and their seeming immortality all reminded me of those movies, given a new spin.

Visuals 10/10: This area is one in which the game shines... the visuals in this game are superb - which makes some of the scenes even more guro than they would be otherwise - the characters are very prettily done, their expressions having a real impact on the reader. There are numerous CG's and the art style is very eerie and fitting for the nature of the plot.

Sound 9/10: Though the bgms tend to all be either sad, dark, or grim, they are all excellently done. This is one of the few VN OST's that will remain in my memory. The sound effects are... well, lets just say they are meant to get you thinking about what you are hearing... and it does. The guro scenes and the ero scenes both are very strongly driven by their sound effects and voices...

Overall 8/10: If I were honest, I probably would give this a lower grade from my point of view since my first priority is always the plot, but the other aspects of the game are done so excellently that it really is worth giving it this rating. This VN is extremely gory, with an excess of h-scenes... to be honest, I think even most guro lovers might have trouble with this one. However, if you have a strong stomach and a fascination with horror, this VN is an excellent choice. Unfortunately, I can't recommend it except to those who have already been initiated thoroughly to the world of guro.

Dies Irae ~Act est Fabula~ review

Summary: Dies Irae is the story of Fujii Ren and the fight that erupts within the town he lives in. After encountering the guillotine that decapitated Robespierre during the French Revolution in a museum, he begins to see dreams about himself being decapitated at that same guillotine and a golden-haired girl who stands at a beach looking out over the water, singing a song of blood. Whenever he awakes from those dreams, he discovers that someone has been killed, decapitated by a mysterious serial killer. This is the opening act of the opera that is Dies Irae.

Review

Plot 10/10

To be honest, I have no choice but to be awed at the scale of this work. Even though I played it in Japanese, the skill with which the story is told is truly amazing. The brutality of the conflicts, the horrors that the protagonist experiences, and the tragedies that occur strike straight to the heart. Not only that, but the level of complexity in the relationships between characters and the odd way they managed to escape the archetypical roles that are so common in VNs that seem like they should end up as just another piece of 'shounen' crap. The protagonist is so utterly human, with a strong philosophy that nonetheless contradicts itself. The antagonists for all their sheer overpowering sense of evil, are nonetheless human in every way. Their desires, their madness... they all have real reasons that both make sense and can at times make you sympathize with even the most evil amongst them. I in particular liked Marie's route, because it felt like a 'true' end, though in a very real sense, the true end is Rea's route. Sakurai Kei's route is hilarious, but it also leaves you feeling like nothing was really accomplished. Overall, the story is incredibly dark and I can't recommend it for people who had trouble with the stuff that happened in FSN's Heaven's Feel route, because it is even darker at times.

Sound- 8/10

The soundtrack here is very strong, with a mix of organ, piano, classical music and even some death metal. The themes tend to be very powerful and they are quite well-matched to the scenes. The sound effects are decent as well, though not as good as the bgm, so I had to subtract points.

Visual- 9/10

About as good as you see in VNs. The characters are visually pleasing, the event CG's are plentiful, and the scenes are generally very well done. Because it is an action story as much as anything else, there are a lot of bloody scenes, but that is all to the good.

Overall 9/10

For a lot of reasons, I'd love to give this a 10/10, but that would be too impulsive. This game is excellent. The darkness of its story is truly pleasing for a fan of this kind of stuff like me, and it definitely creates its own unique story. While it is obvious that the people who wrote this VN were fans of FSN, they didn't in any way copy the story or even use the archetypes from it. This game stands quite well on its own as a plot worth going through over and over again, if you have the patience and ability to play a game in Japanese.


Ah, one thing about this, this is a dark fantasy, as genre goes. Seriously, I can't stress strongly enough that this game has enough emotional ups and downs to turn even the most devoted vn-lover to drink. Not only that, but this game is seriously long, even considering the time it takes to play a game in another language. It will eat up a ridiculous amount of your time.

Review: Devils Devel Concept

Since this is my first VN review on this blog, I thought I'd tell you my standards. I rate by Plot, Visuals, and Sound, with an overall rating at the end. I've never seen any point in rating ero-scenes, so I don't consider it a category. At times, when I think the protagonist is exceptionally interesting, I'll give an overview of his personality and quirks simply to help those who would play it after me have a better understanding of what they are getting into.






Synopsis: Sora, the protagonist is a Karyuudo (or Enjya), one of the many demon-hunters who exist in the world, using their unique abilities to exterminate demons. He possesses immense power, in excess of any other hunter, yet isn't a part of any of the organizations that rule the supernatural underworld. His motivation for doing so is his 'contract', rather than any other 'normal' motivation. Various girls come into his life, altering it greatly depending on which he chooses to form a 'contract' with.

Protagonist: There is a need to explore Sora independent of the story, for the sake of those who might have been tricked by this review: http://www.erogereview.com/2009/05/0...devel-concept/

Sora is a beast, a monster who lives on instinct for the most part, using tobacco and a pair of fake glasses as a sort of 'chain' on his real self (one that can be thrown aside at any time) so that he can live without destroying the people around him. He's not on any level what you would call a 'good' person from a moral point of view. However, he is definitely a fascinating individual, perhaps the most fascinating protagonist I've encountered yet in VN or anime. He is very straightforward in his way of speaking, saying outright that he is a 'broken' person, one who doesn't understand regular human emotions. I wouldn't go so far as to consider him a sociopath - because he is capable of being considerate (in a really weird way) - but because of his unique view on life, it is probably inevitable that he will come across as one to the average person who plays this game. I particularly enjoyed the many scenes where he outlines his philosophy and his view on various aspects of human nature and the world in general, because it is a unique one, devoid of any real moral context. One thing that the player should understand is that Sora's primary life motivation is the 'contracts' he makes. He often says 'humans can't live without a contract', and his concept of a contract is a central theme in the story. Because he doesn't really understand or possess most normal emotions, he makes 'contracts' with the girls, rather than entering into relationships with them in the traditional sense.

Plot 9/10: The plot in this game goes beyond dark, with all the girls very much what could be classified as 'yandere' on one level or another. However, the sheer complexity of it and the way the paths - done in order - give you the pieces of the puzzle make it worthy of comparison in terms of quality with FSN. While the game is heavy on sex compared to most plot-centric VNs, it oddly doesn't detract from the story... mostly because the scenes don't feel unnatural at all. If the story has a weakness, it is that the alternate endings for each girl are not as good as the main endings... except for Misora's second ending, which was better than the main one. Aono Mei's path, which is only unlocked with the completion of the other paths, is the 'true' path in a real sense, and it is also the darkest of the paths... so much so that it even surprised me.

Visual 7/10: The visuals in this game are fairly good, with the characters each possessing a good number of expressions and poses that express their emotions quite well. In addition, the CGs are pretty, even if not as stunning as a lot of other VNs. Initially the style of the game didn't appeal to me, but I liked it better as I went along. If I have a complaint it is that there are few major event CGs, in comparison with the length of the story... a pity considering how many gory scenes would have been included if they made ones for all the fights.

Sound 6/10: The soundtrack is decent, consisting mostly of heavy metal pieces and generic if not unpleasant pieces that tended to be heavy on the piano. Overall, there is a lack of variance though, that prevents me from giving it too much of a compliment. The sound effects were normal, with a lot of splatter sounds, which is unsurprising considering Sora's particular way of fighting.

Overall 8/10: I'd definitely recommend this game to dark VN-lovers, with the stipulation that they don't automatically desire the protagonist to be a good guy. If you seek the bright and fluffy you won't receive it from this game. Rather, lovers of happy endings and normal love will probably run away screaming from this game. You won't find any incidences of a normal relationship of any sort in this game, though it sometimes resembles such 'normal' relationships for a brief time. With all the girls being pretty much 'yandere' (with the possible exception of Misora), that's only to be expected. Also, there are no heroes in this game...everyone is basically a 'villain' on one level or another in this story, with Sora being a primary example. Don't expect people to be good, and you'll enjoy this. Put the characters on a pedestal and you'll be disappointed.

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.