Community The Visual Novel Council | All Choices Lead To Here
- Thread starter Ascheroth
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It hasn't been officially translated (yet, I seem to recall Spike making a Switch port announcement?).
You're not missing much, though. The best of the side stories there is, like, on par with the weakest one in LBP.
You're not missing much, though. The best of the side stories there is, like, on par with the weakest one in LBP.
Cyber Monday sale (even though it's Wednesday already lmao)
blog.mangagamer.org
I bought Cartagra and Kara no Shoujo 2plus an Alicesoft game.
Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sales!
It’s that time of year again and for this Black Friday and Cyber Monday we’ve put essentially our entire catalogue on sale!
blog.mangagamer.org
I bought Cartagra and Kara no Shoujo 2
Totono finally got a release date (feb. 2020):
Sadly it doesn't seem like it'll be coming to Steam.
EDIT: Going by a comment an admin on their discord (Yasu), they are still trying to get it on Steam:
But speaking of Steam, Seven Days finally got a release date, December 13th:
Sadly it doesn't seem like it'll be coming to Steam.
EDIT: Going by a comment an admin on their discord (Yasu), they are still trying to get it on Steam:
But speaking of Steam, Seven Days finally got a release date, December 13th:
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Humble is having a Visual Novel sale:
www.humblebundle.com
Remember to grab Hatoful Boyfriend and Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star for cheap and join this month's book club
The Humble Store: Great games. Fantastic prices. Support charity.
Choose from thousands of games for PC, Mac, Linux, and Android while supporting a charity of your choice. New games added every day!
www.humblebundle.com
Remember to grab Hatoful Boyfriend and Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star for cheap and join this month's book club
I'll pick up Raging Loop tonight after work. It seems there are no impressions yet in the Steam Community forum. Also, I like the fonts they're using for the EN release.
A few weeks ago I finished Muv-Luv Alternative. My time reading it was an enjoyable one, while the time investment made across three games can't be called small, I feel the payoff was proportional and well earned. If I think about how Muv-Luv Extra started and how I was relatively lukewarm towards Takeru's character initially, I'm a little surprised that he gradually becomes aware of his shortcomings and how his relationship with his peers helped shape him into the person he ultimately becomes in Alternative. He managed to achieve most of the things he set out to do at the beginning of the game, but at the same time, if we're already familiar with these kinds of stories, chances are he'll be doomed to fail, or the result would be a pyrrhic victory.
While I enjoyed my time with the game immensely, I'm still not sure if it actually deserves the top spot in Vndb. It deserves its fair share of accolades, for sure, but 7th Expansion's titles would probably be more deserving for the top spot, in my opinion. Although perhaps, it all comes down to my personal taste. Regardless, Muv-Luv Alternative is a great read, I can heartily recommend it, and I'm looking forward to reading both photonflowers* and photonmelodies♮ , and hopefully, someday soon, Integrate.
The world of Muv-Luv Alternative is a harsh one, therefore even if everything is going Takeru's way, the loss of lives is not something that can be avoided. And when a mistake was made, we were reminded that the sheer absurdity of its ensuing effect will transform our protagonist's resolve into hopelessness. Up to a certain point in the game, Takeru is full of confidence, ready for any challenges to be thrown at him. But when the going gets tough and shattered his confidence, he wallows in self-pity and refuses to listen to his peers who tried to reach out to him. Ultimately, he did something unthinkable for a protagonist by running away to his supposedly 'safe space'. Kasumi, in particular, speaks for the audience when she told Takeru what she thinks about his action. This one particular arc stood out to me because running away from responsibility is a completely human reaction. Takeru's character in Extra is one of an under-achiever. However, his peers in Alternative expects him to be something much more, as Meiya exclaimed, he is destined for great things, and he must be able to answer their expectation, for better or worse. The development of Takeru's temperament related to these expectations and how it influenced his peers' in return across three games is something Muv-Luv as a series truly excels at.
Since Alternative is mostly plot-driven for the second half of the game, Takeru didn't spend as much time with his original squad members, however, his interactions with the rest of Isumi's Valkyries played a big role in affirming his resolve. His conversations with Captain Isumi and how she copes with the loss of her squadmates put a lot of perspective into Takeru's point of view. One particular conversation which stood out to me was the conversation they had before the attack on Sadogashima Hive about their personal goals, and the importance of sacrifice. If we recall Takeru's struggle to rationalise human sacrifice during the early game of Unlimited, to have him finally be able to grasp the point of views of his peers' is something of an inspiration.
The ensuing attack on Sadogashima Hive is also a major highlight of the game. It's good to finally see Takeru with a newfound conviction and confidence once again. Of course, not everything goes to plan, since they had to defend their base from another BETA attack almost immediately with reduced fighting strength. Again we were reminded about the nature of sacrifice and the cost of victory. The tension from this point onwards didn't let up until right to the end of the game, with the only respite is the pre-mission memorial visit, which of course triggered a bunch of death flags.
If we're not already aware of how costly sacrifices can be in this game, we can be sure that it won't pull any punches in the final confrontation between our heroes and BETA forces in the deepest recesses of Original Hive. And then, comes the epilogue. Learning the truth about the nature of Takeru's Causality Conductor status is almost to be expected, although I won't say that I saw it coming from a distance. There's plenty of touching moments right up until the end of the game, and there's also plenty of catharses which left me feeling pensive and fulfilled at the same time.
Since Alternative is mostly plot-driven for the second half of the game, Takeru didn't spend as much time with his original squad members, however, his interactions with the rest of Isumi's Valkyries played a big role in affirming his resolve. His conversations with Captain Isumi and how she copes with the loss of her squadmates put a lot of perspective into Takeru's point of view. One particular conversation which stood out to me was the conversation they had before the attack on Sadogashima Hive about their personal goals, and the importance of sacrifice. If we recall Takeru's struggle to rationalise human sacrifice during the early game of Unlimited, to have him finally be able to grasp the point of views of his peers' is something of an inspiration.
The ensuing attack on Sadogashima Hive is also a major highlight of the game. It's good to finally see Takeru with a newfound conviction and confidence once again. Of course, not everything goes to plan, since they had to defend their base from another BETA attack almost immediately with reduced fighting strength. Again we were reminded about the nature of sacrifice and the cost of victory. The tension from this point onwards didn't let up until right to the end of the game, with the only respite is the pre-mission memorial visit, which of course triggered a bunch of death flags.
If we're not already aware of how costly sacrifices can be in this game, we can be sure that it won't pull any punches in the final confrontation between our heroes and BETA forces in the deepest recesses of Original Hive. And then, comes the epilogue. Learning the truth about the nature of Takeru's Causality Conductor status is almost to be expected, although I won't say that I saw it coming from a distance. There's plenty of touching moments right up until the end of the game, and there's also plenty of catharses which left me feeling pensive and fulfilled at the same time.
While I enjoyed my time with the game immensely, I'm still not sure if it actually deserves the top spot in Vndb. It deserves its fair share of accolades, for sure, but 7th Expansion's titles would probably be more deserving for the top spot, in my opinion. Although perhaps, it all comes down to my personal taste. Regardless, Muv-Luv Alternative is a great read, I can heartily recommend it, and I'm looking forward to reading both photonflowers* and photonmelodies♮ , and hopefully, someday soon, Integrate.
DIVINATION is out on Steam with additional content and quality-of-life improvements compared to the initial release on itch.
It's a pretty neat OELVN that took me about an hour to read and one that I will gladly recommend at the low asking price:
In addition, it seems that Key has submitted Summer Pockets for review on Steam.
It's all-ages so hopefully it wont have any problems getting through the review process, but you never know:
It's a pretty neat OELVN that took me about an hour to read and one that I will gladly recommend at the low asking price:
In addition, it seems that Key has submitted Summer Pockets for review on Steam.
It's all-ages so hopefully it wont have any problems getting through the review process, but you never know:
Trying for the third time to read Steins;Gate (just finished ch.1).
The necessary introduction of every characters, or at least a good part of them, is a slog, But I’m hooked enough to ask : is there a point to play Elite ? New routes ?
I prefer to ask here instead of using Google, don’t want to be spoiled a gazillion hour read.
The necessary introduction of every characters, or at least a good part of them, is a slog, But I’m hooked enough to ask : is there a point to play Elite ? New routes ?
I prefer to ask here instead of using Google, don’t want to be spoiled a gazillion hour read.
From what I understand there is no additional content added in Elite, while the content that was not covered in the anime likewise had to be removed from Elite. So there does not seem to be any reason to read it, not unless you really dislike the original art or unless you are re-reading Steins;Gate and want a new'ish experience.
Master Magistrate (VNDB), a Phoenix Wright-esque visual novel that released in early access earlier this year, has gotten a release date, namely May 2020:
Content Update & Release Plans (NSFW'ish)
Content Update & Release Plans (NSFW'ish)
If there's anything I need in my Phonenix Wright copycat, it's the lewds. 
Sure, I'll wishlist it.
While Li Kao is trying SG again, I’m giving SG0 another chance. I like the game at times, but what a wasted potential.
I can deal with games doing the obligatory shower scene, but this has fan service in quite literally every scene. It dominates almost every interaction when things aren’t getting real. Entire pointless scenes are constructed around it when I’d like the story to just move on. It’s as if it was written by and from the perspective of Daru. Meanwhile Daru himself seems way worse in this.
SH0 also somehow gets both a lot more predictable and convoluted. I really like Okabe in this one though. Shame. Haven’t seen the anime, but I wonder if it’s milder. Maybe an “Elite” version of this game would be better.
I can deal with games doing the obligatory shower scene, but this has fan service in quite literally every scene. It dominates almost every interaction when things aren’t getting real. Entire pointless scenes are constructed around it when I’d like the story to just move on. It’s as if it was written by and from the perspective of Daru. Meanwhile Daru himself seems way worse in this.
SH0 also somehow gets both a lot more predictable and convoluted. I really like Okabe in this one though. Shame. Haven’t seen the anime, but I wonder if it’s milder. Maybe an “Elite” version of this game would be better.
LETS GOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
First day my vacation starts too!!
First day my vacation starts too!!
Hnn, pretty annoyed to see there won’t (?) be a 18+ version.
But that’s a strange feeling seeing that I don’t usually read VN and am not in it for the porn. And some of the girls are really young looking
Still annoyed.
But that’s a strange feeling seeing that I don’t usually read VN and am not in it for the porn. And some of the girls are really young looking
Still annoyed.
December 20th is going to be absolutely stacked:
The same was the case with the developer of The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart, who are also working on an all-ages release now. I wonder if this is merely a coincidence or the signs of a larger trend in the Japanse VN industry.
Judging on the information that Doddler has let slip, it seems that Giga isn't interested in doing an 18+ release in the west, so from what I understand there also won't be an 18+ patch.Hnn, pretty annoyed to see there won’t (?) be a 18+ version.
But that’s a strange feeling seeing that I don’t usually read VN and am not in it for the porn. And some of the girls are really young looking
Still annoyed.
The same was the case with the developer of The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart, who are also working on an all-ages release now. I wonder if this is merely a coincidence or the signs of a larger trend in the Japanse VN industry.
I quite liked the beginning but there was lull where it felt like it was really dragging up until things went into overdrive. So if you're enjoying it already that's good!The fuck ? Just finished Steins;Gate chapter 2. The game has me, hook, line and sinker
- - - - -
Meanwhile, I'm continuing to push myself through SG0. It's like they didn't learn from the first game and decided to only make the last 30 minutes of every route interesting. There is so much filler everywhere. And the fanservice smothers character development, tension, drama, touching moments -- everything. Some choice examples below. Spoiler-free of course.
A character is bleeding out in the arms of another character who they've really bonded with this route. So sad. However, the CG depicts said dying character with a single stream of blood trickling from their mouths into their titilatingly framed large bosom, where it starts pooling a little . Fucks sake, Steins Gate.
Okay, okay. A character has a nervous breakdown once they have a moment to unwind a little. Gosh, I hope they pull thr-- And a male character accidentally gets a peek of the goods when they check if everything is okay, because of course this all takes place in a shower. Should've seen it coming.
Character is walking down a street and hears footsteps behind them. They speed up their pace; the footsteps behind them do too. Classic. They call a friend for help. However, their conversation suddenly cuts off and we switch perspective to the one taking the call! As they arrive on the scene, we see it's actually an acquaintance with comically large breasts who wanted to give a surprise boob hug. The other character also gets boob hug and notes the softness of the two round objects. (<-- not actually a spoiler)
I'm not going crazy, right? They did not go nuts like this in SG. I can remember exactly two scenes like this total in that game.
When the 'goofy things happening' theme starts playing my eyes just glaze over, and I've started buttoning through. I've been (rather slowly) playing for 25 hours now and maybe a fifth or a sixth of that has been plot-relevant content, The times that it's proper Steins Gate, it's so good, but the game really needs a directors cut that gets to the point.
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launching games that by all accounts already don't sell much right before the winter sale starts...
Sekai posted a blog-post describing the changes they had to make to Baldr Sky on behest of Giga:
sekaiproject.com
The TL;DR is that they removed the sex scenes and a few bits and pieces out-side of those:
But considering that we have three companies doing it, two of whom are old-timers on Steam, you have to wonder if it actually has a negative effect on the sales of those games. There being a big Steam sale may well mean that a lot of people will be buying something else, but it also means that even more people are checking out the store at that point and seeing those titles, so maybe that makes up for it.
Baldr Sky Changes
Since Baldr Sky’s English release is imminent, we wanted to go into full detail on what won’t be present in the Steam version of the game. As you may know, Baldr Sky’s original Japanese release…
sekaiproject.com
The TL;DR is that they removed the sex scenes and a few bits and pieces out-side of those:
But somebody is supposedly already working on a fan-patch to restore those scenes (pastebin), so that will hopefully be an option for those who want that content.
Yeah, it seems like a strange decision.
But considering that we have three companies doing it, two of whom are old-timers on Steam, you have to wonder if it actually has a negative effect on the sales of those games. There being a big Steam sale may well mean that a lot of people will be buying something else, but it also means that even more people are checking out the store at that point and seeing those titles, so maybe that makes up for it.
Back on SG0, again. Sorry for chronicling my love/hate relationship with this game, but I didn't want to come off as too down on it now that I've progressed some more.
In true SG fashion, it really picks up in the last section. The game basically has two broad branches that you can go down, which each have multiple endings, and until recently I'd primarily explored one of these two. When I picked it back up I was about halfway into the second branch. Once it gets going, the other branch is really fun and doesn't go off-rails as much as the other. The caveat being that this is basically around three sub-branches of ending chapters, one of which looks like it's the setup for the true ending -- which is where I'm at now.
So depending on which major branch you start, it seems like it can take even longer than SG for the ball to get rolling proper. Lots of fun pseuso-science technobabble and light metaphysics now. Really enjoying it. Still wish they'd condensed the game so it was better paced, but I feel a bit more positive about SG0 in general now.
Looked at the credits and it seems like people were shuffled around a bit for SG0 after SG. Some Chaos;Child folks were also brought on, which may explain my dislike of some of the stuff in SG0 as I did not get on with Chaos;Child at all.
In true SG fashion, it really picks up in the last section. The game basically has two broad branches that you can go down, which each have multiple endings, and until recently I'd primarily explored one of these two. When I picked it back up I was about halfway into the second branch. Once it gets going, the other branch is really fun and doesn't go off-rails as much as the other. The caveat being that this is basically around three sub-branches of ending chapters, one of which looks like it's the setup for the true ending -- which is where I'm at now.
So depending on which major branch you start, it seems like it can take even longer than SG for the ball to get rolling proper. Lots of fun pseuso-science technobabble and light metaphysics now. Really enjoying it. Still wish they'd condensed the game so it was better paced, but I feel a bit more positive about SG0 in general now.
Looked at the credits and it seems like people were shuffled around a bit for SG0 after SG. Some Chaos;Child folks were also brought on, which may explain my dislike of some of the stuff in SG0 as I did not get on with Chaos;Child at all.
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I'll probably still use the patch if it comes out quickly enough because why not if it's available and easy to use (and doesn't break anything), but I couldn't care less if the h-scenes were removed since according to many who played it they have almost no importance to the story outside of maybe a bad end? Not sure what you can do when the JP developers of the game you're publishing specifically tell you to remove them, so you can't really blame SP for this.
It seems that many are pretty understanding of this and good on SP for being very clear up front with it, but you'll always have that vocal minority that would rather see the entire VN genre disappear off the face of the map if it means they can't have their h-scenes in every single VN they play.
It seems that many are pretty understanding of this and good on SP for being very clear up front with it, but you'll always have that vocal minority that would rather see the entire VN genre disappear off the face of the map if it means they can't have their h-scenes in every single VN they play.
Their only hope is not being completely drowned out because they have a small discount going during the sale. I still don't believe that to be a wise move that said with Bokuten and VBF coming out my actual concern shift to what to purchase and play first.
Steam VN sale is live! Someone on reddit make a post tracking all the games on sale as well as marking any new titles and prices below the summer sale.
Edit: didn't realize how long that embed would be, link below.
Steam Winter Sale - VN Chart/Markdown
Edit: didn't realize how long that embed would be, link below.
Steam Winter Sale - VN Chart/Markdown
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Steins:Gate 0 completed. Finally!. Aaand I think I'm back to the opinion that this doesn't really need to be played. Somehow the ending makes SG more confusing? Super weird. Enjoyed the last fourth of the game a lot, outside of the mind-bending true ending. The rest of the game... Eh. Too much fluff.
Next up, I'm thinking about Muv-Luv (if it gets a nice sale on PSV), Doki Doki Literature Club, or Root Double -Before Crime * After Days- Xtend Edition (what a mouthful -- I'm guessing this one is pretty bonkers based on its title alone). I snagged Steins Gate LBP when it free for a hot second at SGE's launch, but I think I need a break before I start that up.
Next up, I'm thinking about Muv-Luv (if it gets a nice sale on PSV), Doki Doki Literature Club, or Root Double -Before Crime * After Days- Xtend Edition (what a mouthful -- I'm guessing this one is pretty bonkers based on its title alone). I snagged Steins Gate LBP when it free for a hot second at SGE's launch, but I think I need a break before I start that up.
I want to play Muv-Luv, but I want to play it on Vita....
If anyone of you is secretly huge on Twitter, can you bug PlayStation EU about why the fuck there are more native PSP games on sale than Vita ones? I'm so sad right now. Look what they've done to my boy D:
If anyone of you is secretly huge on Twitter, can you bug PlayStation EU about why the fuck there are more native PSP games on sale than Vita ones? I'm so sad right now. Look what they've done to my boy D:
Chapter 3 of S;G started full cylinder on filler. Then the dream (?) sequence.
Steins;Gate is teaching me patience.
As long as it keeps reaching these highs I’m ok with slow chapter starts.
Well, the worst was the entire first one, but what can you do, gotta introduce a shit ton of folks.
I’m... not sure I’m ready for the heartbreaking, though.
Steins;Gate is teaching me patience.
As long as it keeps reaching these highs I’m ok with slow chapter starts.
Well, the worst was the entire first one, but what can you do, gotta introduce a shit ton of folks.
I’m... not sure I’m ready for the heartbreaking, though.
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In the latest KS update the dev mention that they're working on getting the latest build for VBF approved on steam
Cool, bundles. I like those! Chea--
Anyway, I decided to get on that Higurashi. God help me. Seems like I could like it though.
Chapter 3 is still relatively easygoing still. If you haven't lost your patience yet, you're on track for really getting into it. I think I already took a break from it once by that point.
Anyway, I decided to get on that Higurashi. God help me. Seems like I could like it though.
You won't be ready. Don't even try! There's no escape from the tears :')
Chapter 3 is still relatively easygoing still. If you haven't lost your patience yet, you're on track for really getting into it. I think I already took a break from it once by that point.
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The games individually go for cheap enough that i doubt a bundle would be saving much in the long run. With that being said, even if you pick them up now, I wouldn't recommend playing up through chapter 7 yet as while most of the other chapters are pretty "self contained", chapter 7/8 are meant to be played back to back for reasons I won't spoil.
LOL, yeah. The game hasn't even been out for more than a couple of hours at this point.