Alright Here's Johhny! No seriously I am back after a long hiatus of work, traveling abroad and stuff. And in my travels I happened to play this game borrowed from a friend in the ole' Japan. Here is my honest review while I try to keep it spoiler free:
Scenario:
The time-traveling troupe is not new in the eroge genre and Minori clearly knows about that. This is why they decided to inject their own special touch to the game. To make the review even simpler it boils down to this. There is one main heroine in this game ( I think you already know who) that need to "loop" back in time and all of her time travels involve a group of 3 people. Alright that is the basic premise. The rest is what Minori is known to be good for. A romance story with heavy downer tones that in the surface may appear bitter-sweet, then you analyze in introspective and realize that it actually makes sense for the story to occur that way and then it actually becomes happier than you thought because in the end it is better to live a life full of surprises that may not be too long or to safe but in the end is more rewarding, kind of like the type of heroes that Lord Byron may like. This story is one that when you are done playing, it lingers in you for a while and then it resonates in your mind which to me it was a pleasant feeling followed by a sense of nostalgia. A nostalgia of not something that occur to me but of something that I believed it happened to me. This simple story knows what it is and plays to its strengths and tries to minimize its weaknesses (More on that later) and it the end benefits the story as a whole. Two Thumbs up!
Chara:
First of all let leave one thing perfectly out of the way for the sake of this analysis...Yes the heroines have big boobs. Carry on. Now Minori puts 3 characters that are known in the genre and plays around with them just enough to make them their own. We got the big sis troupe, the genki chara and the tsundererish chara to fill the gaps. At first they play to their blank character label quite well but then in further notice they begin to transform into its own set of emotions, ups and downs that makes you care for them. Then they suddenly leave their 2D state and become 3Dimensional characters that one can relate to and that appear human. That is one of the strengths that minori knows how to tap as we saw in games of yore such as Eden or Ef. This characterization helps the work to transcend and become something unique and interesting enough that can hook the reader and make the work memorable. Also if I may add, Naoto is a huge improvement from Shinra from Natzusora no Perseus. Thank God! Two Thumbs Up!
Animation and creative media:
Best in the genre. I can guarantee that no one will say that this art is not gorgeous. This is pornography at its maximum (pun intended). From the character models to the music to the background, everything screams high production. Big improvement from their past work as know midori proves that it can create an organic environment that does not need to be isolated in the rural areas without any life to create a sense of escapism and awe. Again there is nothing to further add. Perfect. 5 out of 5 Stars!
Ero:
Ok, so as you can see if you are going to play this game you have to know what you in for. And sure I talked about character development, background animation and plot but let us not forget that this is an erotic medium first and foremost and it must be reviewed as such so with that said...This game is contender for
#1 ero game this year. It pinches every traditional (Traditional as in no scat, no piercing no guro and of course no tentacle/bestiality!) erotic fetish with grace. Vocal and visual elements combine to make this a literal pleasure to watch. Also to me it is better when the erotic scenes have a meaning and are not just like a filler in the plot or a break in the pacing. Here they actually contribute in the character development or to advance the plot. I cannot stress how much of that we lack in the eroge medium and for Minori to jump into the fray like that it requires that you not only to talk smack but to walk the walk and Minori moonwalks that shit while playing Smooth Criminal in the background! Blue Ribbon!
Closing Remarks:
So As you can see. I really liked this game. To me the number of VNs that combine erotic and narrative elements are counted with 2 hands. The balance is shifted in one side (Most eroge makers) or the other (Most Nakige) for most of the VNs in the industry. It is really like watching a comet in the night sky when a game that plays to both elements appears in our radar. This is by far the best game this month and I would not be surprised if it remained one of the top games this year. The story might not be the most memorable or original, the characters might not be the most appealing or breathtaking and the ero might not be the most transcendental or niche appealing but the fusion of all the elements combined indeed creates a sum much greater that its parts alone. This VN is just joy. Best of Game of the Month. Period.
Tl:dr: This game is really cool and it will appeal to most eroge readers. Give it a try! And by the way there is no walk through needed. Route Order: Mizuka, Anzu & Yuki.
P.S: In case what I said above is still is not enough to encourage you to try it, well here is a save so you can just Beat It!
Save
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