Review: Ikusa Megami Zero

After fierce battles between gods, two different worlds joined to become a new one. Celica was born there and to protect innocents, he battles against monsters as a paladin of Barouhart, god of storms.

With a clear sense of justice and great skill with the blade, some call him a Hero. However after he meets a wandering seeker of knowledge and is tasked with purifying an ancient evil artifact, he begins to question his beliefs as he is drawn and more into events involving ancient prophecies, ancient gods and demon gods.

This is the prequel to the Ikusa Megami Series and covers the events that led Celica to be known as a God Slayer.

~taken from vndb


Plot 8.5/10- This is only my second rpg/VN and I have to say it is the best choice I've made in a while for games to play. Celica's meeting with Satia and the series of events that follow, full of love, hate, idealism, religious zealotry and all the other follies of human existence make this a truly interesting story, even for people who haven't played the other games (which I haven't, yet). For those who want an epic fantasy rpg story done in eroge style... this is probably one of the best choices you could come across. Unlike most VNs, I can't say I liked this because of the protagonist... rather it was the characters around him and their reactions to him that made the story flow so well. The greatest weakness of the story though is the sheer emotional impact of the end of the first part of the game is so overwhelming that what happens in the rest of the game just can't match up, except from an intellectual point of view.

Visual 9/10- Really, the visual quality of this game is so self-evident I almost couldn't bring myself to rate it. If there is one part of this game's visual aspect I didn't like it was the way they made the battle system look, with your attacks hitting a card representing the enemies rather than directly striking the enemies themselves... however, as that is a personal aesthetic preference, I don't think it should effect the rating I give this.

Sound 9/10- The music in this game just screams 'jrpg!!!' to you the second you start it up... and that is a good thing. For those who are sick of rpgs where the music is overblown and doesn't engage your emotions with the scenes you are watching, this game is an excellent choice. In particular, certain of the combat and dark scene bgms are really striking and will probably remain in my memory years from now. The voices were all very well fitted to the characters, with no real irritating choices to grate on the ears, so I can recommend this on that count as well.

Gameplay 7/10- Similar to old favorites like Grandia, this game uses a skill system where you gain the next level of any individual type of skill by using skills from that type over and over again. However, because of the sheer length of time it can take to say... max out your basic weapon skill (to let you use the ultimate weapons) or Rita's Ice magic... this can be an incredibly tedious process. For those getting new characters, be certain to set their advancement paths to what you think they should be used for or it'll automatically try to turn them into pure attackers... which I didn't figure out until the game was two thirds over so I had a pure mage character who had ended up focused entirely on physical strength...lol The battle system itself is a relatively standard one where your attacks and skills require a certain amount of time to build up and be unleashed, then a cooldown time afterward before that character gets a turn again. Because of this, the game can easily be interpreted as trying to force you down a certain path from the start for each individual characters, as some skills and attacks have really, really long cooldown times. (Rita's spear skills, for all their attack power, have such a long cooldown that it almost isn't worth it to max them out).

Battle screen



Celica's advancement screen


Unlike the others, you direct how he gains levels by actually putting the points into specific parameters. In my case, I just leveled them equally as I went, which worked out really well in the end, as he became an all-around powerhouse.

Other characters' advancement screen



With the other characters, you simply set a general path for their parameters to grow, and they automatically grow that way as long as you don't change it. Circle inside a circle is intense focus, circle is average focus, triangle is less focus, and x is no focus.


Overall- 8.5/10- Overall, this is one of the best rpgs I've played in the last few years... which is ironic, considering how many big-name games I've played during that time. For those looking for an eroge/rpg combo to play, I highly recommend this to wash away some of the truly foul rpg experiences of the last few years.

Review: Heliotrope- Sore wa, Shi ni Ataru Kami no Ai

There is a mysterious phenomenon that some people are given a divine power, but also given a terrible curse that will eventually claim their lives. Yashiro, the protagonist, has been living in despair for the half-year since his parents and little sister vanished, leaving him believing they abandoned him. One day, on the beach at night, he meets a talking starfish and suddenly finds himself falling into the ocean, where a girl gives him the sword, Laevateinn. Like this, he gets involved in a battle involving a mysterious island that will decide the fate of the world.

~Modified from the vndb summary


Plot 6/10 (if you hate self-pitying protagonists as much as I do) 7.5/10 (if you can stand self-pitying protagonists)- The plot of this story has a really great premise, with the world being protected by a system that takes a single Shingansha (the magic/espers of the story) as a Sacrifice that protects reality from the effects of human emotions. Unfortunately, it is harmed both by its hetare protagonist, who is driven to suicidal thoughts by relatively minor matters and doesn't seem to ever really get his act together, and terrible pacing at the beginning of the story, where you are thrown into the action without a chance to get to love most of the characters. The three heroines, Yuzuka, Mitsuba, and Iris are amongst some of the better ones I've encountered, with Iris' story in particular drawing in the player's emotions strongly. Unfortunately, due to the pacing problems I mentioned before, the story often feels rushed, to the point where you have to almost wonder what the hell is going on.

Visuals 8.5/10- I really, really like the visual style of this VN... the character designs, the action CGs, and the backgrounds are all really well done, leaving a strong impression on the player. I really can't name any part of the visuals I didn't like, to be honest.

Sound 8/10- For the bgms in this story, I'd love to give this a 10/10, but the voices during certain scenes (Mitsuba's voice when she goes psycho) are a little annoying.

Overall 7/10 (if you hate weak-willed protagonists) 7.5/10 (if weak-willed protagonists don't bother you)- Overall this VN is one of the better ones I've played recently, despite certain weak points in the plot and with the voices. I'd definitely recommend it for someone who wants a quick, dark story with a set of characters that grow on you (if you can get past the game's rather abrupt beginning).

Review: Utatemeguri

Waking up his Osananajimi, going to school and getting lectured by his diligent Kouhai, watching his close friends have a battle that rivals the intensity of Phoenix Wright’s courtrooms over their lunch is all part of Hidaka Satsuki lives his normal and peaceful life with no complaints. One day, the mysterious transfer student, Rebecca, who just transferred only recently called Renka, Satsuki’s osananajimi, to the rooftop and said “How much longer are you going to pretend to be human, monster.” In the midst of all confusion, a bullet shot broke the silence, and the rooftop painted with red. No! What has happened, why did Rebecca shoot Renka? The plot thickens as night falls upon Yoiha Gakuen…

~Taken from VNDB

Plot 5/10: I'll be perfectly honest and say this is a case of a story that had enormous potential, but was ruined at least in part by haste on the part of the writers. This game, while it has a truly fascinating setting going for it, with some truly interesting heroines, is paced far too fast for a story-focused visual novel with such a complex background. To be blunt, you aren't given enough time to get to love the characters. While it is possible to become fond of the characters - with effort - the fact that you have to make the effort says it all. I will say that the overreaching story is compelling, if rather common in world literature (it's basically another star-crossed lovers story with two extra paths tacked on in a half-assed attempt to help you get to know the other major characters better). One thing I can't bring myself to like is the protagonist, who breaks the boundaries of foolhardiness to become an outright moron at times. This being despite the fact that he is apparently a very cool-headed person... While this is necessary to progress the story, the frequency with which it occurs is painful to experience. While I hear a lot of praise for this game from various corners, I can't really recommend this game for its story.

Visuals 8/10: Hrm... what can I say? The character drawings are well done, in the same style as Killer Queen. I'll say that I didn't really like the 'effects' cgs, where swords are slashing and blood is splashing... They tended to lack impact. The CGs for the characters during battle though, are another thing entirely, having enough impact for the game to regain some points from some of the less stellar parts.

Sound 7/10: I'll come out and say that the voice actors in this story are excellent and well-fitted for their roles... and they count for most of the points I give to sound, with the rest coming from their usage of the bgms - which were somewhat generic, but not awful. What took off points though, was the sound effects. To be blunt... outside of the blood splatter sounds, the sound effects were less than memorable, except maybe as a poor example of what to do to give sound effects impact. Whether it is Shii's kicks or the sounds of blades impacting with blades... I sometimes had to ask myself 'did something just happen?' even though I'd read the text saying what had happened and saw the character models or cgs.

Overall 6/10: To be honest, I was really disappointed in this game... With the visuals being the high point and most of the rest a mixed bag at best and a disappointment at worst, I felt a little betrayed by those who'd recommended this game to me. In particular, the pacing of the plot stands out as the biggest disappointment for me, and for a game where the plot should have been the biggest selling point, that sort of makes certain I wouldn't have a good opinion of this. I honestly feel that I can't recommend this to anyone, unless you absolutely have to have a 'gakuen battle' type of eroge to play.

Review: Toppara - Zashiki-warashi no hanashi

Toppara is about a guy who lost his parents and his family fortune after his house's zashiki-warashi (who was also his childhood friend) left. Because of this, he has become embittered and generally pessimistic about life, blaming both youkai and humans in general for his troubles. One day, he wakes up to find a beautiful youkai woman standing over him, a kage-onna, ending his solitude and forcing him to reawaken from his sleep.


Plot 7/10: The various paths of this VN, each centering around any one of the eight heroines (seven of which are non-human, for you youkai fetishists out there) are not terribly complex or surprising. However, this is one of those cases where the game doesn't really need to be surprising to entertain. How the protagonist awakens from his self-pitying trance in each path is the main theme, with the heroines providing the means either through him helping solve their problems or through them doing their best to help him. By the time you get to the true path, Midori's path, you won't be surprised at all by what happens, but that doesn't really seem to matter... this is the kind of eroge where you just sit back and relax, enjoying the ride. I particularly enjoyed Touko's (Tamamo no Mae) path, for the interesting insight into the way religion was used as a political tool in the Meiji era, in addition to Touko being an excellent heroine. The endings for each path tended to be a mixed bag, most of them being short and lacking in detail, but overall this sort of hazy way of ending things, as generic as it is, doesn't get in the way of enjoying the game itself.

Visuals 7/10: Definitely not the best game I've ever played when it comes to visuals, with the CG's tending to be lacking in detail on a closer look. However, the character models for the rest of the game were done well-enough that I felt no strong reason to complain. To be honest, I wish they'd put some more effort and detail into the major scenes (though the scenes toward the end of Mikage's path are excellent, in contrast to the ones on some of the other paths).

Sound 6/10: Most of the soundtrack for the game was pleasant, if generic. If I have a complaint it is the tendency of the game to misuse those at times, especially the few tension-causing bgms. Sadly, this is not a great example of using what they have well...

Overall 6.5/10: My overall is mostly drawn from a technical outlook, rather than how much I enjoyed it in this case. If I went from my personal enjoyment meter, it would probably be a good 8/10. However, this game's appeal is rather narrow, focused on your slice-of-life fans and youkai fetishists, and maybe drawing in some borderline nakige lovers. Personally, I think this is a solid choice for a light VN to play if you run out of things to try, but I wouldn't choose it over say... Clannad. This game is a good example of the generic slice-of-life eroge out there, being a little better than the average, but I don't think it will make it to the top of very many lists.

Review: Evolimit

Shiranui Yoshikazu and Ichijou Shizuku wake up after a hundred years in cold sleep to find the world they left behind changed beyond all recognition by the twin factors of the genocidal robots known as the Barbaroi and the mysterious stones known as 'patch' that grant humans superpowers that allow them to survive in the violent place Mars became in the wake of the loss of technological culture.

Upon awakening, their memories of their life before going into cold sleep have for the most part returned, but upon being told that their expedition, the first colonization and development effort to Mars, was wiped out, they realize that their memories are as of yet incomplete. They then begin to search for clues as to just what happened to the rest of the colonization team known as the 'Calamity Monkeys'.


Plot 9/10: Considering the other review I read on this game, I was at first worried that this would turn out to be a 'miss', but I soon came to realize that it was nothing of the sort. This eroge is unbelievably funny, with the protagonist's antics making up much of the story's amusement value, and the addition of the various other characters simply enhancing his spectacularly comical actions. At the same time, when the story gets down to the drama, its very powerful, so much so that I spent much of the game either laughing until my throat began to hurt or crying so hard my nose completely stopped up. The game's true antagonist has a lot of impact, if only because he is so coldly sane, despite the insanity of his actions. The lesser antagonists are strong as well, their individual personalities well-defined, despite the fact that they are really little more than pawns. The action scenes, while not as detailed as Ayakashibito's (also by Propeller), are nonetheless more than well done enough to be worth reading.

Visuals 8/10: The character design in this game differs a bit from the norm in eroges, but that actually makes it easier to enjoy it, as you get deeper into the story, that very difference, subtle as it was, making it easier to distinguish them from the characters of other such eroges. The CGs are both plentiful and fun to look at, with a rather large number of comical chibi CG's aiding the game in one of its three primary goals, which seem to consist of making you love the characters, love the story, and laugh until you feel like your head is going to split open.

Sound 9/10: The music in this game doesn't fall into the trap of reusing slightly rearranged generic tracks from a dozen other eroges, and most of the tracks are very well-chosen, enhancing the drama and the comedy appropriately, thus making the overall experience more powerful. In particular, this game does tragic songs very well... In addition, the character voices - especially the protagonist's - are very well-suited to the characters, seeming tailor-made for their personalities.

Overall 9/10: In my current mood, I was likely to give this game a ten out of ten, but I felt that I should be honest and say that the game isn't perfect, by any means. However, despite its small imperfections, the game is definitely one of the best eroge I've ever played, even taking the euphoria from having just finished out of the equation. If you want an eroge that will fill your existence with tears and laughter (mostly laughter) then this is a good choice... better yet, its not so dark that fluffy fans will hate it, and it isn't so light that fans of story-focused eroges will dislike it. It walks the tightrope of light and dark extremely well, and thus its appeal is something I can recommend to just about everyone.

Review: Kurenai no Tsuki

Kouya, a rookie detective, is walking deep inside the forest. It was two weeks ago. A hand of unidentified creature washed up on the shore of a river. Hard and thick skin. Bristle like an animal. Thick fingers and sharp nails. It was not a human's hand. Also, there was a jewel ring on the ring finger. This mysterious story was featured in a magazine and caught people's attention. Days later, the police found that it was a woman's hand, who had been missing for a month. She went missing when she played golf with her friends nearby. The police confirmed she was attacked by a stray dog, but couldn't explain why the hand looked so differently. They tried to close the case, but her husband wasn't convinced. He didn't want to believe his wife was a monster. He decided to ask a detective to investigate the case. That's why Kouya is now roaming around deep inside the forest. It is getting dark, but he doesn't know where he is now. Just when he feels dizzy, he hears someone's voice. Is that auditory hallucination? He hears a girl's voice this time. "I've been saved!" But he accidentally falls down a waterfall.... When he regains his consciousness, he finds himself lying in the bed. He looks around and finds three girls. "Are you alright?" "Well, did you save me?" "Yes, I and my older sister carried you all the way here." Their mother says to him, "I'm relieved to see you getting well. But you must marry either of my sisters, Sunao or Hiori." He doesn't know what she means.... A mysterious hand bitten off by someone. A small village deep inside the forest. Marriage to a miko. Kouya's fate is led to unexpected direction after he meets two girls....

~Summary taken from VNDB



Plot 8/10: This is the first mystery VN other than G-senjou no Maou (though, G-senjou no Maou isn't much of a mystery) that I've played since I began my eroge rampage six months ago, and it was an excellent choice overall, in my opinion. The protagonist in this story is a rare type, the kind of guy who is usually level-headed and thoughtful. As such, being behind his eyes was quite enjoyable, as he searches for clues to the mystery of the small village into which he stumbled. The heroines are all good, and for the most part I can't find a reason to complain... except that the epilogues for each arc are quite short... This is also one of the few games with a harem ending that is not in any way a nukige, which was interesting in and of itself. While this isn't really a comedy, it does have enough light moments to keep you from falling into gloom during the somewhat grim investigations. Because of this, I can definitely say that this VN's pacing is good, if not the best I've ever encountered.

Visuals 8/10: The CG's in this eroge really are beautiful... in particular, Sunao's CG's during the rituals are compelling, and the character models are attractive enough that the game is worth playing just to look at them. This game's atmosphere is as much dependent on its visual aspect as the plot.

Sound 7/10: Hrm... the music in this game is good but not particularly memorable. As generic as it gets, really. That isn't really a flaw though, since they use what they have correctly, which is the point of having music in games in the first place. The voice-acting is fairly good, and there were only a few times when a character's voice grated on me or felt like it didn't fit what was being said (maybe two or three times in the entire vn).

Overall 8/10: This is definitely a good mystery eroge, though from my brief attempt to conquer some more serious members of the genre, I know it is less in-depth than some. I can definitely recommend this to people who are into this type of eroge, and at the same time I can recommend it to those who are interested in the genre but don't want to go for heavy ones like Innocent Gray's games. At the same time, this is the first eroge I've played with a harem ending that actually has some meaning to it, which startled me a little bit. As such, simply for novelty's sake it is worth taking a look at.

Sacred†Vampire Review

Kiryuu Kazuma is a vampire. As a child he was filled with hatred and contempt for all the humans of the world and sucked their blood with joy. However, one day, he encountered a girl whose song quieted his hatred and swept away his lust for blood. While he lost contact with her after the church in which she sang burned down, he encounters her once again, as they end up in the same class at the high school he attends.


Plot 5/10: To be blunt, the plot of this VN is not paced very well. The story occasionally pretends to have deep insights but is so straightforward that a five year old could figure it out in advance. In addition, the protagonist is a self-hating vampire who constantly dwells over how he doesn't deserve to be loved, making things more than a little irritating. The strongest redeeming factors in this are his elder sister/heroine Kiri's hilarious lifestyle habits and the hilarious exchanges between him and his friends. However, in the end that is only enough to make it an average eroge at best.

Visuals 7/10: While the game is visually pretty, it is no more so than any number of other eroge I've played over the past few years. If I had to put up a good point it would be the backgrounds and cgs - which have a decent impact, for all that I've seen better.

Sound 6/10: Generally speaking, the soundtrack is fairly standard as eroges go, with the bgms for the most part sounding like they were recycled out of the giant eroge music-basket in the sky. The voices, however, are for the most part very well-done, with Seira's being the only one that is a bit annoying at times.

Overall 6/10: Unfortunately, this eroge turned out to be something of a 'miss', but then, I played it on impulse, so I guess that's no surprise. The only people I can recommend this to really are the vampire-obsessed, and I think even they would probably be disappointed.