I still think they should've stayed with "Gentleman Orc" instead. But yeah, "Donovan" is an interesting choice.
Community The Visual Novel Council | All Choices Lead To Here
- Thread starter Ascheroth
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I still think they should've stayed with "Gentleman Orc" instead. But yeah, "Donovan" is an interesting choice.
No english yet, though apparently it's been implied that at some point they do plan on releasing an EN TL for it.
Another JP only release, VN with some gameplay from Liar-Soft (Published by Imoe Games?)
I hope blockwonkel will do the localisation for it, as they did on Lamunation! (which is also from White Powder).
Great news. Hopefully they won't censor anything because only the Xbox360 and PSV version are uncut. He also said it is planned to be released in Feb 2022.
To be fair, it's fucking mind blowing that it actually has considering the licensing hell C;H was stuck in with it's engine. The only way I can believe how this happened is if it's being co-published with Nitroplus or was redone from the ground up in a new engine, but even then I think the latter would still have some issues with the license.
I'm still keen to play CoZ's port of C;H N, but definitely will be supporting the official release all the same. I just hope it won't be locked to any particular console.
Well, Asada didn't explicitly mention that it will be on Steam, though. Hence the Tweet said "unannounced systems". Unless I read it incorrectly, the mention of Steam is related to the availability of C;C.
Wasn't expecting this one to ever come to PC.
Almost time to add White Album 2 to the "list of VN TLs to drop before Sharin no Kuni"
Even if it's ready for release by next week, I still think they should just release WA2 on Christmas Eve to fit the theme of the game.
Muramasa Hero Route
Not done with it yet, but I'm most of the way through and this route isn't really doing it for me. Thematically I feel like I know where it's going. It was obvious from the beginning that Narahara's telling a story "where heroes don't belong, yet one showed up anyway" that he would go out of his way to try to "break" the hero (ichijo) by proving her wrong on every level. The only thing is that Kagaeki's perspective in trying to pick apart Ichijo's ideals is fairly....weak? I think him playing into the "killing is bad no matter how hard you try to spin it so stop calling it pure justice" has a strong foundation that works against ichijo's ideals, but the problem is he plays much harder into the "everyone has inherit good and bad in them, that's the law of balance and killing someone's bad is also killing their good and that's why you're also evil" ideal and that is a really weak realization on so many levels.
I will say, at least Narahara tries to justify this point by both explaining to Ichijo that her form of justice isn't wrong if she's strong enough to prove it and that "killing evil", while evil in itself is also absolutely necessary. But I also I think even Narahara realized the weakness of this whole argument at this point as the attempt to "foreshadow" Ichijo's flawed idea of justice by immediately having her being confronted by Doshin's nephew and his dead sister's unborn child, and being "forced to recognize her own evils" in murdering a rapist tyrant is just such weak storytelling. I'm all for well foreshadowed comeuppance, hell that's pretty much the entirety of the backbone that the Nemesis route is built on and it's one of the most well executed examples of it I can think of in media, but it really falls flat from how lazily thrown into the story it was in this case, especially coming from a character who had at most 6 lines of dialogue up to this point 60 hours into the VN.
That's where I left off my last session. I'm still excited to finish it and move on as I'm still greatly enjoying the VN, There's been some fantastic highs like the entire confrontation between Kagaeki and Hikaru and her making him recognizing his own flaws in deflecting his own vengeance onto Ichijo and putting the blood on her hands. But there's also been some pretty huge inconsistencies in it's own themes, though I can't conclusively declare anything till I wrap it up hopefully soon.
Not done with it yet, but I'm most of the way through and this route isn't really doing it for me. Thematically I feel like I know where it's going. It was obvious from the beginning that Narahara's telling a story "where heroes don't belong, yet one showed up anyway" that he would go out of his way to try to "break" the hero (ichijo) by proving her wrong on every level. The only thing is that Kagaeki's perspective in trying to pick apart Ichijo's ideals is fairly....weak? I think him playing into the "killing is bad no matter how hard you try to spin it so stop calling it pure justice" has a strong foundation that works against ichijo's ideals, but the problem is he plays much harder into the "everyone has inherit good and bad in them, that's the law of balance and killing someone's bad is also killing their good and that's why you're also evil" ideal and that is a really weak realization on so many levels.
I will say, at least Narahara tries to justify this point by both explaining to Ichijo that her form of justice isn't wrong if she's strong enough to prove it and that "killing evil", while evil in itself is also absolutely necessary. But I also I think even Narahara realized the weakness of this whole argument at this point as the attempt to "foreshadow" Ichijo's flawed idea of justice by immediately having her being confronted by Doshin's nephew and his dead sister's unborn child, and being "forced to recognize her own evils" in murdering a rapist tyrant is just such weak storytelling. I'm all for well foreshadowed comeuppance, hell that's pretty much the entirety of the backbone that the Nemesis route is built on and it's one of the most well executed examples of it I can think of in media, but it really falls flat from how lazily thrown into the story it was in this case, especially coming from a character who had at most 6 lines of dialogue up to this point 60 hours into the VN.
That's where I left off my last session. I'm still excited to finish it and move on as I'm still greatly enjoying the VN, There's been some fantastic highs like the entire confrontation between Kagaeki and Hikaru and her making him recognizing his own flaws in deflecting his own vengeance onto Ichijo and putting the blood on her hands. But there's also been some pretty huge inconsistencies in it's own themes, though I can't conclusively declare anything till I wrap it up hopefully soon.
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The Demon route of Muramasa is finished.
And with that, I've completed the game. There's still a few missing CGs from the gallery so I have to hunt down all the bad endings later. Now, is it a kamige? I believe so. It probably deserves to be in the top 10 VNDB (currently it has overtaken FataMoru for the 7th spot), with good reason. In this route, Kageaki has an epiphany of sorts, which led him to accept that he is a murderer. He accepted the fact that he himself made the conscious choice of murder, instead of blaming it on the curse. It is not redemption or rest that he seek anymore, but instead, he will become a symbol of might. The earlier epilogue makes sense now. Kageaki is the Warlord.
I feel the normal ending of The Demon route feels 'complete', in a sense that even though Kageaki lost Muramasa, he retains his humanity and his fight is finally over. However, the state of Yamato at the end of the Conqueror route is a bleak one. Perhaps Kageaki's resolution in the true ending is precisely what it needs to stop the conflict once and for all. And it probably wouldn't be possible without Sorimachi's involvement.
Sorimachi is the true villain of the story. I didn't expect him to be "that" good, but he is so well-written that I can't help thinking that his character should be expanded a little bit more. He is as important to Kageaki as Muramasa is. Sorimachi knows what moves people, especially villains. And Kageaki is a true villain in the Demon route. Perhaps it's not Sorimachi's true purpose to bring out the villainous Kageaki, but still, regardless of reason, there is a certain clarity of action that only Sorimachi can do. You could say that he brings out the best in people.
Overall, Muramasa is stellar work. Reading the liner notes, it seems that Nitro+ has pulled out all the stops for this 10-year anniversary title, and it shows. I think some might disagree on its kamige status, especially when the battle scenes can be a little tedious with its infodumps and chuuni-esque sword styles and techniques. I myself certainly disagree on the necessity of some of its adult contents, but I will still recommend it to anyone, even to those who are only remotely interested in VNs.
And with that, I've completed the game. There's still a few missing CGs from the gallery so I have to hunt down all the bad endings later. Now, is it a kamige? I believe so. It probably deserves to be in the top 10 VNDB (currently it has overtaken FataMoru for the 7th spot), with good reason. In this route, Kageaki has an epiphany of sorts, which led him to accept that he is a murderer. He accepted the fact that he himself made the conscious choice of murder, instead of blaming it on the curse. It is not redemption or rest that he seek anymore, but instead, he will become a symbol of might. The earlier epilogue makes sense now. Kageaki is the Warlord.
I feel the normal ending of The Demon route feels 'complete', in a sense that even though Kageaki lost Muramasa, he retains his humanity and his fight is finally over. However, the state of Yamato at the end of the Conqueror route is a bleak one. Perhaps Kageaki's resolution in the true ending is precisely what it needs to stop the conflict once and for all. And it probably wouldn't be possible without Sorimachi's involvement.
Sorimachi is the true villain of the story. I didn't expect him to be "that" good, but he is so well-written that I can't help thinking that his character should be expanded a little bit more. He is as important to Kageaki as Muramasa is. Sorimachi knows what moves people, especially villains. And Kageaki is a true villain in the Demon route. Perhaps it's not Sorimachi's true purpose to bring out the villainous Kageaki, but still, regardless of reason, there is a certain clarity of action that only Sorimachi can do. You could say that he brings out the best in people.
Overall, Muramasa is stellar work. Reading the liner notes, it seems that Nitro+ has pulled out all the stops for this 10-year anniversary title, and it shows. I think some might disagree on its kamige status, especially when the battle scenes can be a little tedious with its infodumps and chuuni-esque sword styles and techniques. I myself certainly disagree on the necessity of some of its adult contents, but I will still recommend it to anyone, even to those who are only remotely interested in VNs.
Finished the hero route in Muramasa. Still have many of the same problems I pointed out last night, but it did end really strongly. Still prefer the Nemesis route by a fairly large margin, but it was still a good route.
This design really bangs though, wish we got to see a bit more of it.
Glad you like it. I think that route has left a strong impression on me.
I think what Kageaki is afraid of is that Ichijou's idea of justice is too self-righteous, and this kind of self-righteousness is dangerous because it's infectious. Ichijou's little speech to Kuronose/Okabe siblings was enough as a call to arms under Masamune's banner even though her language is rough. Even though the cause is just, the act of killing won't be the domain of Icjijou alone, but it will multiply as Masamune's follower grows. Conflict won't end, and ending the conflict is what Kageaki is striving for.
Of course, the pacifist ideal which Subaru imparted upon Kageaki isn't possible either. Especially in a lawless land like Yamato when the power of Might has supremacy. I think what I like the most about the Hero route is that it left the resolution open for interpretation; not only for the readers to question their own idea of Justice but also for Ichijou since her idea of Justice has to be weighed against the innocent souls she needs to slay for the law of balance to be satisfied.
And yes, adult Ichijou is something I wish I could see more of.
Glad you like it. I think that route has left a strong impression on me.
I think what Kageaki is afraid of is that Ichijou's idea of justice is too self-righteous, and this kind of self-righteousness is dangerous because it's infectious. Ichijou's little speech to Kuronose/Okabe siblings was enough as a call to arms under Masamune's banner even though her language is rough. Even though the cause is just, the act of killing won't be the domain of Icjijou alone, but it will multiply as Masamune's follower grows. Conflict won't end, and ending the conflict is what Kageaki is striving for.
Of course, the pacifist ideal which Subaru imparted upon Kageaki isn't possible either. Especially in a lawless land like Yamato when the power of Might has supremacy. I think what I like the most about the Hero route is that it left the resolution open for interpretation; not only for the readers to question their own idea of Justice but also for Ichijou since her idea of Justice has to be weighed against the innocent souls she needs to slay for the law of balance to be satisfied.
And yes, adult Ichijou is something I wish I could see more of.
Muramasa Hero and Nemesis Routes
Yeah I thought the route rebounded itself at the end and finished strong for the exact reasons you said. It became a clash of both their ideals with Ichijo wanting to create true justice from her path that she ultimately recognizes as evil, and Kageaki wanting to stop her because her "justice" will only create more chaos, even if the alternative is falling back into the status quo. It made me wish moreso that the author didn't harp on the concept of the law of balance's "killing the bad you see will also kill the good someone else sees" and shoehorn in Doshin's children at the last second to try and crudely prove himself right. It feels like the exact counterpart to the scene in the jail in the Nemesis route between Kagaeki and Kanae. Both heroines had the foundation of their creeds challenged for the very first time, but where the scene with Kanae was foreshadowed well throughout the entire VN and powerfully delivered on the moral of the Nemesis route, the scene with Doshin's adopted children was honestly laughably abrupt in how sudden it was, especially considering Doshin's page was a character who had maybe all of 7 lines in the VN before that scene.
I think the scene between Kagaeki and Hikaru, with her making him realize that their mother's creed just isn't possible in the world they live in was very well done. Which I thought transitioned well into the ending, with Ichijo and Muramasa traveling together to see if she could create a world with true justice that would follow Subaru's ideal, or in the latter's case, watch her fail trying. It was bittersweet, but it was the right way to end it by leaving it up to interpretation as it's not a question easily answered.
Edit: It's time. Big Chachamaru fan ready to play her route for the first time.
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Yeah, I have to agree on Yoshikiyo's sudden appearance (that's Yusa Doshin's page whose name I totally didn't just look up on VNDB a few minutes ago). I know that Ichijou needs a trigger of some sort in order to remember her father's final lesson. But Yoshikiyo didn't have enough character development, and while Ichijou's father has pretty much the same teaching about the Law of Balance, it simply didn't have the same impact.
I laughed a bit because Yoshikiyo got the upper hand simply because Ichijou was right in the middle of their Rite of Armouring. That was Indiana Jones' "gun vs sword"-tier comedy.
What even is a liger ?
Liger - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
(Don't read until you finish with Chacamaru's route)
The etymology even makes sense considering Chacamaru's true nature since Liger by nature is a hybrid
I got Muramasa and Closed Game, cuz SeiShoujo art = ❤
When will I get around to them... that's a different story.
But maybe stuff to read in downtime...
neatly incorporated to my Steam library as well. \o/
When will I get around to them... that's a different story.
But maybe stuff to read in downtime...
neatly incorporated to my Steam library as well. \o/
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As much as I am a fan of Sei Shoujo's art, I haven't read much of his later works since Bible Black. I don't know if I'll ever finish Starless. I hope JAST will bring more of Empress' titles, though. DominancE sure looks interesting enough.
And of course: please read Muramasa!
Kimagure Temptation is releasing tomorrow.
The release on Steam is "all ages", with a free patch on Denpasoft, but it seems that Valve insisted on it being AO gated on Steam regardless (for two big reasons, I imagine):
It's the same setting as Nanairo Reincarnation, albeit with different characters, and Nanairo Reincarnation ended up being one of my favorite releases of 2019.
It was a very pretty, very funny, and very heartfelt VN, so I've been looking forward to Kimagure ever since it got announced.
Novena Diabolos also just released, but I know next to nothing about it other than the fact that it looked interesting:
The release on Steam is "all ages", with a free patch on Denpasoft, but it seems that Valve insisted on it being AO gated on Steam regardless (for two big reasons, I imagine):
It's the same setting as Nanairo Reincarnation, albeit with different characters, and Nanairo Reincarnation ended up being one of my favorite releases of 2019.
It was a very pretty, very funny, and very heartfelt VN, so I've been looking forward to Kimagure ever since it got announced.
Novena Diabolos also just released, but I know next to nothing about it other than the fact that it looked interesting:
Toying with the thought of starting Muramasa. But this is a long one.
Tempted to buy Nanairo, but this is not discounted.
Decisions !!!
But anyway, I'm torn now because the original plan was to play my next VN on the Deck, but given the recent developments...
Tempted to buy Nanairo, but this is not discounted.
Decisions !!!
But anyway, I'm torn now because the original plan was to play my next VN on the Deck, but given the recent developments...
As much as I am a fan of Sei Shoujo's art, I haven't read much of his later works since Bible Black. I don't know if I'll ever finish Starless. I hope JAST will bring more of Empress' titles, though. DominancE sure looks interesting enough.
And of course: please read Muramasa!
Yes I hope so too. I realize the stories in Empress games aren't anything too special, but damn the art...
Muramasa spoilers
We have hit the apex of out of context lines possibly in the history of VNs
We have hit the apex of out of context lines possibly in the history of VNs
I started Muramasa ! Not sure if I understood the philosophy that is used in the intro, or not sure I like it, and the transition from intro to game was a little jarring given the difference in tone, but it’s nice.
The philosophical debates will come later, for now just enjoy the characters~! 
It's been a long but fantastic ride so far, hope you enjoy it as much as the rest of us have been. There's very little like it in the medium, especially a title with this amount of budget.
Finished the first chapter of Umineko. Whew. Once stuff starts popping off, it's really fun and exactly what I wanted out of it. Excited to keep reading! I wonder where I'll land on this vs Higurashi. So far, it's practically neck and neck. I think the creep-factor that I'd like to see more of was stronger in Higurashi but I can see how Umineko could develop in ways that let it catch up there.
Muramasa, a light hearted VN
I reached the first dark as fuck moment, this can’t get darker, can it ?
I then read the first action moment, and I think I lived multiple lives during the time it took for it to unfold.
Could this be called a chuunige ? In that case it bodes well for Dies Irae. I already knew I would like the genre but that confirms it. Still, uh, that was… a little dark.
Oh and I appreciate that I have no idea where the writer will go next, the secondary characters are interesting, and the Ginseigo thing is, yeah very interesting too.
I reached the first dark as fuck moment, this can’t get darker, can it ?
I then read the first action moment, and I think I lived multiple lives during the time it took for it to unfold.
Could this be called a chuunige ? In that case it bodes well for Dies Irae. I already knew I would like the genre but that confirms it. Still, uh, that was… a little dark.
Oh and I appreciate that I have no idea where the writer will go next, the secondary characters are interesting, and the Ginseigo thing is, yeah very interesting too.
I started with Higurashi, but bounced during the first hour due to SoL stuff.
Read Umineko then, and thought nothing could beat it.
Then I read Higurashi last year and... yea, it's better than Umineko. Has that 'debut punk band album' energy, while Umineko is like a 'progressive rock studio album'.
All I can say is that it's not going to be grimdark all the time. There will be some comedy to be had, and they are also on point. Also, it's not so much anime hijinks (even though there's a little bit of that) that it becomes offensive.
MG released some stats on their blog - AnimeNYC Announcements + 2021 Licensing Survey Results!
Huh, and I wonder why VN localizers go out of their way to try and get their VNs on Steam.
oh and the results of the poll
Huh, and I wonder why VN localizers go out of their way to try and get their VNs on Steam.
oh and the results of the poll
- Rose Guns Days ↑
- Higanbana no Saku Yoru Ni ↑
- TRianThology ↑
- Yoshiwara Higanbana ↓
- Kara no Shoujo 3 NEW
- Rance Series ↑
- UUUltraC NEW (announced for loc)
- Club Suicide NEW
- Dohna Dohna NEW
- Sakura no Uta ↓
- Jooubachi no Oubou ↑
- Soukou Akki Muramasa
- White Album 2 ↓
- Les Grande Odalisque NEW
- Fate/stay Night ↓
- Lkyt NEW
- Zettai Kaikyuu Gakuen NEW
- Chou no Doku Hana no Kusari NEW
- Fraternite NEW
- Shingakkou ~Noli Me Tangere~ NEW
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I knew I was close to the end of Muramasa ch.1 ! What I didn't know is what was awaiting me at the end. Jesus. Someone has some splaining to do sometimes down the road, because WHAT ?
People probably already saw, but just in case here are the MangaGamer announcements:
UchiKano 2
UUUltraC
Railore
UchiKano is a pretty meh, but UUUltraC and Railore look interesting.
The art-style in UUUltraC is especially nice.
Ryukishi07 fans represent!
UchiKano 2
UUUltraC
Railore
UchiKano is a pretty meh, but UUUltraC and Railore look interesting.
The art-style in UUUltraC is especially nice.
Ryukishi07 fans represent!
They honestly, should just get in the habit of releasing on Steam period. Censor and chop it up however you have to. Than offer the patch on their website.
Win-Win... right?
Win-Win... right?