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Visual Novel Community Thread: No Auto Read Required

Deleted member 3700

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Josephl64 said:
People do tend to overlook eroge songs. Even the lower quality ones tend to have decent to great openings.

I used to listen to those kind of song medleys all the time.
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I still do :p. Most of the songs in my list are eroge songs. Like, I have been listening to Ghost x Graduation from Hatsuyuki Sakura for years yet I still have not played the game.
Josephl64 said:
Right, he's been there since Alicesoft's founding. It used to be ChampionSoft, but back then outside of a few exceptions, they're all known to be horrible games. Most of them being text parsers. (Like you type in "look tree", "enter door", but they'd be so specific that people still complain how impossible they are.)

Alicesoft to this day only recognizes three of those games, and that was back when they pushed out their freeware announcement. Maybe not coincidentally, all of those 3 were ones TADA worked on when he first joined. (2 of those games are linked and their characters play major roles in the Rance series even.)

As for the future? Who knows? The last time he stepped aside from a bit we got "Busou Shoujotachi Blade Briders" which was okay, but well below company standards so fans weren't pleased. So TADA had to come back and helped make "Evenicle" which is beloved.
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Yeah, I have heard that he is one of the founders of Alicesoft and the parent of Rance. Now that he is in an advisory role (seems to be in a similar position like Miyamoto in Nintendo?), he should still have influence on major decisions. I hope Alicesoft will stay good and sound for years to come so that more people can play their games.

===============================================================

In other news, holy shit, Navel just announced Shuffle Episode 2. Crazy announcement on the first date of Reiwa.


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Another thing, DMM really goes all out with Ryuusei World Actor... The whole Sofmap (looks like Sofmap Amusement in Akiba) is filled with its ads.
D5eO1qWUYAA_5vf.jpg

 
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JosephL64

JosephL64

Member
Oct 25, 2017
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Houston
Jim_Cacher said:
I still do :p. Most of the songs in my list are eroge songs. Like, I have been listening to Ghost x Graduation from Hatsuyuki Sakura for years yet I still have not played the game.

Yeah, I have heard that he is one of the founders of Alicesoft and the parent of Rance. Now that he is in an advisory role (seems to be in a similar position like Miyamoto in Nintendo?), he should still have influence on major decisions. I hope Alicesoft will stay good and sound for years to come so that more people can play their games.

===============================================================

In other news, holy shit, Navel just announced Shuffle Episode 2. Crazy announcement on the first date of Reiwa.
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Right, he's still on semi-retirement, but when he returns, he'll pretty much be what Miyamoto is now.

Also I'm so excited for Shuffle! Episode 2. Shuffle! was my first eroge afterall, and it's still really special to me.

Now I'm just hoping for some great Asa moments. She was so perfect in the eroge, and the anime spoiled me really when it came to her.
 
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banshee150

banshee150

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Apr 3, 2019
1,386
With the tragic closure of minori, what other games like Supipara and Trinoline are there? I love their visuals, animations, etc and cant seem to find similar quality anywhere else.
Also, I see chapter 3 of Supipara funding page is still up. Is the company still active in JP? Where did the staff go? Can I suppport them in any way?
 

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Josephl64 said:
Right, he's still on semi-retirement, but when he returns, he'll pretty much be what Miyamoto is now.

Also I'm so excited for Shuffle! Episode 2. Shuffle! was my first eroge afterall, and it's still really special to me.

Now I'm just hoping for some great Asa moments. She was so perfect in the eroge, and the anime spoiled me really when it came to her.
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Man I have so many titles to catch up.

Seems like it is a completely new game rather than a continuation?

banshee150 said:
With the tragic closure of minori, what other games like Supipara and Trinoline are there? I love their visuals, animations, etc and cant seem to find similar quality anywhere else.
Also, I see chapter 3 of Supipara funding page is still up. Is the company still active in JP? Where did the staff go? Can I suppport them in any way?
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Eden*: https://store.steampowered.com/app/315810/eden/

You can go to their VNDB page to check their works: https://vndb.org/p27

Don't know the situation surrounding Supipara. Some of the minori's staff (artist and writers) are pretty good so they should have no problem finding jobs in the industry. You can find Yuzuna Hiyo on Twitter (at @yuzuna_hiyo, NSFW obviously). She is a freelance artist now so she participates in events from time to time. Maybe there is some way out there to import her work.
 

Deleted member 3700

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Josephl64 said:
That's what I get for skimming it too fast. I instantly thought that was Nerine, and they knew that was an issue since they explicitly state "we know what you're thinking, this isn't Lisianthus or Nerine".
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I saw some people saying that Navel's latest title, SPIRAL!!, may have some foreshadowing on this upcoming episode 2 and its writer is also working on this project. You may want to look into it.
 

Deleted member 18742

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This seems like the best place to ask for help

But I recently bought Steins Gate Elite on PS4. I'm not too far in but I just met Suzaha for the first time. And she doesn't have a dub / voice? Is this normal? Wasn't like this on the PS3 version
 
weblaus

weblaus

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Oct 27, 2017
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Starset said:
This seems like the best place to ask for help

But I recently bought Steins Gate Elite on PS4. I'm not too far in but I just met Suzaha for the first time. And she doesn't have a dub / voice? Is this normal? Wasn't like this on the PS3 version
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Everyone is fully voiced in Elite, so you either have a very weird bug going on there or somehow accidentally muted her voice in the options.
 

Hideo GOATjima

Member
May 30, 2018
1,255
Need some recs, I was introduced to this genre like a year ago after someone recommended Danganronpa to me. I played AA way back but it's so long ago and so mainstream I don't count that. I finished DR series and then finished the Nonary Games series. Great series, this was my reaction when I finished any one of the individual games

2Uoq.gif


I only have a PS4/Switch.

Anything else in the same style as DR/Nonary games? Mostly crazy plots with good twists
 
.exe

.exe

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Oct 25, 2017
22,217
Hideo GOATjima said:
Need some recs, I was introduced to this genre like a year ago after someone recommended Danganronpa to me. I played AA way back but it's so long ago and so mainstream I don't count that. I finished DR series and then finished the Nonary Games series. Great series, this was my reaction when I finished any one of the individual games

2Uoq.gif


I only have a PS4/Switch.

Anything else in the same style as DR/Nonary games? Mostly crazy plots with good twists
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428 Shibuya Scramble (PS4)

I believe it might be on sale atm too. It's incredible, nuts, and very fun. It's not as "hands on" as DR/Nonary Games but it's very good nonetheless.

If you want something really gameplay heavy, go for Ace Attorney Trilogy imo. It just got a new remaster and it's on Switch I think.
 
Verelios

Verelios

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Oct 26, 2017
14,876
Hideo GOATjima said:
Need some recs, I was introduced to this genre like a year ago after someone recommended Danganronpa to me. I played AA way back but it's so long ago and so mainstream I don't count that. I finished DR series and then finished the Nonary Games series. Great series, this was my reaction when I finished any one of the individual games

2Uoq.gif


I only have a PS4/Switch.

Anything else in the same style as DR/Nonary games? Mostly crazy plots with good twists
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I was about to recommend the Hotel Dusk series but I see you don't have a 3DS.

So, I'm going to say try out Utawarerumono Mask of Deception and Mask of Truth. They're more pure VN than AA or DR, and doesn't have much in the way of puzzle solving. It has serviceable SRPG gameplay that's fun to tinker with, though not exactly challenging. What it does well however, is intrigue, carrying a gripping plotline and having an amazing twist that's perhaps better if you didn't read or watch the original Utawarerumono VN. If you want to go more pure VN, then I guess you can try out Steins;Gate and Chaos;Child.

I'd recommend Fruit of Grisaia but it's...somewhat problematic in places and hasn't dropped for switch yet I believe.
 
.exe

.exe

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Oct 25, 2017
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Speaking of Chaos Child. I finally reached the common route end the other day. I did not enjoy any of it after like chapter 4. I felt it was too long, trope heavy, repugnantly self indulgent, and painfully predictable. I have not disliked a game this much in a long time. And that was before I got into the other endings and started doing the delusions.

Arimura is the one character I like but the awful stuff you need to sit through to get to her ending is too much.

giphy.gif


Like, I don't mind sexy games. I just don't like creepy games, and I especially don't like it when "serious" games go overboard with fanservice, because it comes across like it normalizes wildly inappropriate behavior -- had the same issue with XB2.

This game cannot be recommended in the same breath as Steins Gate. It's not even remotely close to that level, imo. I found almost none of the characters as relatable or developed (especially not MC), and the story goes off the rails in such a weird way that it feels like a cop out. Like it couldn't solve its own mystery and threw its hands up in the air.

Magic swords summoned from the magic sea that gives magic powers, yo!

This plot device up and ruins the entire mystery because everything can be explained away with it. It was solid up to chapter 4 and just plummeted meteorically for me. Maybe I wouldn't have minded it as much it if it was at least conscious of how over the top tropey it was, but it isn't. There's a moment when the game jokes about a Star Wars parody and makes fun of it, but it doesn't recognize that the plot of Chaos Child is no less absurd and incoherent.

I'm gonna have to read some of the reviews for this game again, because I am not picking up what CH is putting down, obviously.
 
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Sinople

Sinople

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Oct 27, 2017
310
I, too, happen to have finished the common route of Chaos;Child the other day (and 2 character endings for now). I agree it could have done without the
magical sword thing that makes no sense
, and that it was a bit too long and tropey. I'll also add that I don't like how development of some characters is relegated to alternate routes unlocked only after the main path and that don't directly follow the story up to that point. I feel like I'm forcing myself through them. Finally, not limited to CC but I never liked action scenes is written form so every "confrontation" was a drag to read (the last one in particular).

However, I overall really enjoyed the main story. I think the mystery part was well done (and not predictable at all - had a couple of wtf moments), the lighter scenes effective and the writing more than competent for the most part. I also think the MC was relatable and well developed. It may not be up there with my favorites (428, Machi and Steins;Gate) for now, but I can say I had a good time with it. Now to finish the remaining character routes and on to the true ending.
 
deepFlaw

deepFlaw

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daxy said:
Speaking of Chaos Child. I finally reached the common route end the other day. I did not enjoy any of it after like chapter 4. I felt it was too long, trope heavy, repugnantly self indulgent, and painfully predictable. I have not disliked a game this much in a long time. And that was before I got into the other endings and started doing the delusions.

Arimura is the one character I like but the awful stuff you need to sit through to get to her ending is too much.

giphy.gif


Like, I don't mind sexy games. I just don't like creepy games, and I especially don't like it when "serious" games go overboard with fanservice, because it comes across like it normalizes wildly inappropriate behavior -- had the same issue with XB2.

This game cannot be recommended in the same breath as Steins Gate. It's not even remotely close to that level, imo. I found almost none of the characters as relatable or developed (especially not MC), and the story goes off the rails in such a weird way that it feels like a cop out. Like it couldn't solve its own mystery and threw its hands up in the air.

Magic swords summoned from the magic sea that gives magic powers, yo!

This plot device up and ruins the entire mystery because everything can be explained away with it. It was solid up to chapter 4 and just plummeted meteorically for me. Maybe I wouldn't have minded it as much it if it was at least conscious of how over the top tropey it was, but it isn't. There's a moment when the game jokes about a Star Wars parody and makes fun of it, but it doesn't recognize that the plot of Chaos Child is no less absurd and incoherent.

I'm gonna have to read some of the reviews for this game again, because I am not picking up what CH is putting down, obviously.
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Sinople said:
I, too, happen to have finished the common route of Chaos;Child the other day (and 2 character endings for now). I agree it could have done without the
magical sword thing that makes no sense
, and that it was a bit too long and tropey. I'll also add that I don't like how development of some characters is relegated to alternate routes unlocked only after the main path and that don't directly follow the story up to that point. I feel like I'm forcing myself through them. Finally, not limited to CC but I never liked action scenes is written form so every "confrontation" was a drag to read (the last one in particular).

However, I overall really enjoyed the main story. I think the mystery part was well done (and not predictable at all - had a couple of wtf moments), the lighter scenes effective and the writing more than competent for the most part. I also think the MC was relatable and well developed. It may not be up there with my favorites (428, Machi and Steins;Gate) for now, but I can say I had a good time with it. Now to finish the remaining character routes and on to the true ending.
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This is very interesting/funny to me to read because...

Chaos;Head absolutely had all the sword summoning stuff too, so they're very much just continuing that from the first game. In fact, the way it's done here is meant to play with your expectations as the powers aren't quite the same as in C;H. There are a few other significant things along those lines... where some parallels clicked and it blew my mind a bit, sometimes out of being surprised that I hadn't seen it coming till then, and so on.

So I can't really see it as just throwing its hands up or a cop out when it's inherently part of the premise (for me), I guess? I won't say it's always utilized in the best ways, but it was the opposite of unexpected.

None of that is to to say you have to enjoy it, of course.
 
Scrooge McDuck

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Oct 25, 2017
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daxy said:
Like, I don't mind sexy games. I just don't like creepy games, and I especially don't like it when "serious" games go overboard with fanservice, because it comes across like it normalizes wildly inappropriate behavior -- had the same issue with XB2.

This game cannot be recommended in the same breath as Steins Gate. It's not even remotely close to that level, imo. I found almost none of the characters as relatable or developed (especially not MC), and the story goes off the rails in such a weird way that it feels like a cop out. Like it couldn't solve its own mystery and threw its hands up in the air.

Magic swords summoned from the magic sea that gives magic powers, yo!

This plot device up and ruins the entire mystery because everything can be explained away with it. It was solid up to chapter 4 and just plummeted meteorically for me. Maybe I wouldn't have minded it as much it if it was at least conscious of how over the top tropey it was, but it isn't. There's a moment when the game jokes about a Star Wars parody and makes fun of it, but it doesn't recognize that the plot of Chaos Child is no less absurd and incoherent.
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Somehow this really reads like a description of Chaos;Head. I really dislike that game for all the reasons listed here.
 
deepFlaw

deepFlaw

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I will say that I really did not like the vast majority of Chaos;Head and could agree if it was directed at that, yeah.

In comparison, I'd definitely say my enjoyment of Chaos;Child is actually comparable to Steins;Gate.
 
Dany1899

Dany1899

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Dec 23, 2017
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deepFlaw said:
I will say that I really did not like the vast majority of Chaos;Head and could agree if it was directed at that, yeah.

In comparison, I'd definitely say my enjoyment of Chaos;Child is actually comparable to Steins;Gate.
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Honestly I agree with you.
Besides, even though Chaos;Child can be completely played as a stand-alone game, who played Chaos;Head (which is not as good as a visual novel) would have of course expected the presence of the
magical swords
and actually how they are used in Chaos,Child is better than in Chaos;Head, too.

Anyway I think that CC is quite divisive, for me it is a very good visual novel, only second to Steins;Gate in the Science Adventures series, but I understad that others have different opinions.
However, I am sure that the true ending will surprise everyone, it is trully unexpected - at least, it was for me.
 

Deleted member 9857

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Samurien said:
Anyone looking forward to World End Syndrome on Thursday in NA?

Really wish we'd be getting a physical version over here but I'm not sure if I want to bother with importing the EU release.
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I just got the true end and I really enjoyed it, though I did have to follow a guide from PS3 Imports

some stuff I figured out on my own but there were other things that even after going through all the routes I still didn't see coming at all (though the game did explain them well in revealing them)
 
Shizuka

Shizuka

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graywolf323 said:
I just got the true end and I really enjoyed it, though I did have to follow a guide from PS3 Imports

some stuff I figured out on my own but there were other things that even after going through all the routes I still didn't see coming at all (though the game did explain them well in revealing them)
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How long did it take you?
 

Deleted member 9857

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Shizuka said:
How long did it take you?
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my Switch refuses to say a time yet (just that I first played it 6 days ago) but I'd guess ~20-25 hours? with following a guide (since it's not a classic VN and more like Persona with you choosing where to go every day)

the start of the game is ~3 hours and then each route if you follow it exactly is probably another ~3 hours or so + an hour or so for the true end after you complete the five routes

I got really hooked by the mystery on the 3rd route & I feel like I got my money's worth

technically by the PS3 Imports guide there's still two playthroughs to go to complete the trophies but since I'm playing on the Switch which lacks anything like that though I still might just to fill in more of the backstory
 

Deleted member 3700

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Finished Angel Route of Soukoku no Arterial after 68 hours. Story has some good moments but overall it is a mediocre experience, probably also due to Angel Route being one of the three routes (maybe four as there are ex-scenarios after beating all three), there are some twists remained unsolved. On the other hand, gameplay is very enjoyable. The card-based battle system is well-crafted and I am not able to beat some superbosses in the first playthrough. But the final boss of Angel Route is disappointingly weak and I expected more from them.

Demon Route is next. I heard there are lots of hardcore scenes in this route so I probably need to be ready to read some messed up stuff.
 
Shizuka

Shizuka

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graywolf323 said:
my Switch refuses to say a time yet (just that I first played it 6 days ago) but I'd guess ~20-25 hours? with following a guide (since it's not a classic VN and more like Persona with you choosing where to go every day)

the start of the game is ~3 hours and then each route if you follow it exactly is probably another ~3 hours or so + an hour or so for the true end after you complete the five routes

I got really hooked by the mystery on the 3rd route & I feel like I got my money's worth

technically by the PS3 Imports guide there's still two playthroughs to go to complete the trophies but since I'm playing on the Switch which lacks anything like that though I still might just to fill in more of the backstory
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I've been playing it for review and I'm definitely enjoying it. I'm 2/5 endings done with the game following that guide and I'm having a blast.
 
JosephL64

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I'm guessing 1st Beat is all we'll ever get unless you like character goods(90% being just Tenshi) from comiket or character1.

I feel like I lucked out having Iwasawa as my favorite since she made it to 1st Beat.
 
JosephL64

JosephL64

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Well it's Lose, so you should know what you're getting into.

I remember Monobeno and Maitetsu both being highly rated and popular, and that the writing is decent, but it is all about loli if that's a sticking point.


Haven't played them myself, but the remaster Maitetsu is considered "all-ages" so it's probably fine?
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Also I finally finished Mamatoto, took ages for me to do so. Mostly because of burnout from playing the same game over and over again.
The game is great if you just play through it once which is what I'd recommend, choose a favorite girl to aim for, and have fun that way.

Glad they learned from that. Also just ordered another classic; I should be getting it next week.
 
ZeusII

ZeusII

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Nov 16, 2017
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"Pure Station" version released on consoles should have no ero content. PC western release was also "all-ages" with a separate ero patch for those that want that.

I like this vn specially due to the railway theme 😅
 
JosephL64

JosephL64

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I remembering seeing a fan of Maitetsu share this, and I thought it was pretty cute.

(Also I just learned the main girl's name is HachiRoku and I can't stop imagining Initial D)

 

Deleted member 3700

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Interestingly, Maitetsu is super popular in China when it did a kickstarter for localization here. There is also Chinese working in Lose so probably they are more inclined to enter this market. The writer even come to China for research and has been working on a fan disk with a Chinese train (ie. character) inclusion.
Josephl64 said:
Glad they learned from that. Also just ordered another classic; I should be getting it next week.
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Interested to know what did you get. Is it from Alicesoft?
 
Drakken

Drakken

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Oct 28, 2017
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Steam Link app is out on iOS! Excited to finally make my way through Steins;Gate, House in Fata Morgana, Danganronpa, 428, and all the other VNs I've accumulated over the years...
 
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