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StarTopic Visual Novels |ST| Let’s-a-read!

I've started both AI: The Somnium Files and Rewrite+ very recently.

Only about an hour into AI: The Somnium Files but first impressions have been great. I love the soundtrack and I love the interactions between the 3 characters so far that have actually had speaking lines (Date, Aiba, and the boss). Game controls well with keyboard and mouse, which is nice. I've had this one for a little while and decided it was time to actually play it with the sequel's release date being announced.

Rewrite is fine so far but it definitely hasn't grabbed me the way Clannad and Little Busters did. I think the big difference for me so far is that I don't really care for Kotarou yet, especially not as much as I did Tomoya or Riki. I'm only 3-4 hours into this one though, and I know it's a long visual novel so my opinion is definitely subject to change. Nice soundtrack so far, as to be expected from Key. I will say I'm a little worried this is going to be a bit "chuuni" for me. My hope is that, even if it goes in that direction, the writing pulls it off well. Seems to be widely beloved among VN fans and I personally like Key quite a lot so my expectations are high for this one.
 
About 6-ish hours into AI: The Somnium Files and I'm loving it so far. Actually liking it more than I thought I would.

Soundtrack and character interactions have remained fantastic. Story is genuinely thrilling fairly often.

I actually thought this game was a linear story until I hit my first dead-end and it brought up the flowchart lol. First path I went down was just full of death and sadness. Iris and Ota got sawed in half, which was far more gruesome than I was expecting. Boss just blasted the corrupt politician's brains out and it ended and I was just like wtfff lol. I went back to Iris's somnium and managed to stop the polar bear from killing everyone so I guess we'll see what happens now.

Really enjoying it a lot and I'm looking forward to see how everything is linked together.
 
I'm currently playing Fate/Stay Night.

I think people prepping me for Rin Tohsaka being annoying must have done the trick because now I don't find her annoying at all.

Oh yeah, and I can already tell that this will have differences from the Fate/Zero anime.

Hmmm...
 
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Currently playing Spirit Hunter: NG and it's a great time, really fun cast and great horror.

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http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ng-02.jpg

Anyone else played it?
 
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Well I played AI: The Somnium Files for about 10 hours straight today and finished it. I loved it. Honestly not a whole lot I didn't like about it. It was both thrilling and funny in spades, which is what it was going for. Loved pretty much the entire cast, really except for Ota, but I think he was meant to be unlikeable in a lot of ways.

I sorta feel like I got the perfect order of routes when I played. My first "ending" was actually getting locked out of progressing the Annihilation ending, then I did Ota -> Mizuki -> Iris -> Resolution lock -> Annihilation finish -> Resolution finish. Just felt like a very natural progression of reveals. I'd be very curious to hear from some others who have played this game and maybe did them in different orders to see how their experiences felt. It's impressive for a game for so many reveals scattered around different routes to have story progression feel as smooth as it did for me. Very curious how the progression would've felt if I had started with the right hand side of the route chart.

I'll admit I was a little worried about the story during Iris's route. Bringing in secret societies and aliens and the such was scaring me lol. I really thought the story was going to get way out of hand and way too bloated. It was cool to see the route contextualized afterward.

Very much looking forward to the sequel now.
 
Well I played AI: The Somnium Files for about 10 hours straight today and finished it. I loved it. Honestly not a whole lot I didn't like about it. It was both thrilling and funny in spades, which is what it was going for. Loved pretty much the entire cast, really except for Ota, but I think he was meant to be unlikeable in a lot of ways.

I sorta feel like I got the perfect order of routes when I played. My first "ending" was actually getting locked out of progressing the Annihilation ending, then I did Ota -> Mizuki -> Iris -> Resolution lock -> Annihilation finish -> Resolution finish. Just felt like a very natural progression of reveals. I'd be very curious to hear from some others who have played this game and maybe did them in different orders to see how their experiences felt. It's impressive for a game for so many reveals scattered around different routes to have story progression feel as smooth as it did for me. Very curious how the progression would've felt if I had started with the right hand side of the route chart.

I'll admit I was a little worried about the story during Iris's route. Bringing in secret societies and aliens and the such was scaring me lol. I really thought the story was going to get way out of hand and way too bloated. It was cool to see the route contextualized afterward.

Very much looking forward to the sequel now.
I did the right side of Ai’s routes first which made the stark change in tone of the left side incredibly shocking lol. It was like, oh, that’s the game I thought I was signing up for. It’s been too long for me to go into more specifics beyond saying I liked how everything came together. It was cool reading your impressions as someone who went the opposite way.
 
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Well I played AI: The Somnium Files for about 10 hours straight today and finished it. I loved it. Honestly not a whole lot I didn't like about it. It was both thrilling and funny in spades, which is what it was going for. Loved pretty much the entire cast, really except for Ota, but I think he was meant to be unlikeable in a lot of ways.

I sorta feel like I got the perfect order of routes when I played. My first "ending" was actually getting locked out of progressing the Annihilation ending, then I did Ota -> Mizuki -> Iris -> Resolution lock -> Annihilation finish -> Resolution finish. Just felt like a very natural progression of reveals. I'd be very curious to hear from some others who have played this game and maybe did them in different orders to see how their experiences felt. It's impressive for a game for so many reveals scattered around different routes to have story progression feel as smooth as it did for me. Very curious how the progression would've felt if I had started with the right hand side of the route chart.

I'll admit I was a little worried about the story during Iris's route. Bringing in secret societies and aliens and the such was scaring me lol. I really thought the story was going to get way out of hand and way too bloated. It was cool to see the route contextualized afterward.

Very much looking forward to the sequel now.

Glad you liked it! The sequel is gonna rock.
 
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Any opinions on WILL: A Wonderful World? It's on sale like every month, but I figure I'll pick it up.
 
Any opinions on WILL: A Wonderful World? It's on sale like every month, but I figure I'll pick it up.

I didn't like it much. If you don't know the details, I'll briefly fill you in: You play as a sort of god that gets letters from people in trouble. The idea is that you can swap contents of the letters in order to change the events. Like, the middle portion of each letter is interchangeable, and by swapping them around, you change the bottom half of the letters, as events play out differently. The idea is to make sure every letter gets the best possible outcome.

I found the task to be rather monotonous, and the solutions were hard, I more often than not ended up trying stuff randomly. And none of the letters really portrayed any interesting stories.
 
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Hey guys,

My girlfriend is right now playing Olympia Soirée and is really loving it. So far her favourite visual novel.

So I wanted to ask if there is other similar visual novels on switch. With the sale going on right now I would love to get her another one.
 
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I still to this day suggest Higurashi and Umineko. I have found other things I enjoy in the VS/KN field, tohugh.
 
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Recently completed a playthrough of Our Life: Beginnings & Always with all the DLC. Extremely sweet and wholesome, definitely made me emotional, and definitely put me in a mood because how can any boy irl compete with Cove?

I will most definitely be playing it again and again, but I've been on the search for more LGBT vns and sadly but not surprisingly, there are slim pickings. Maybe I should branch out to otome games since there are plenty.
 
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I've been wondering whether I should try jumping into otome games myself, but the thing is that I really don't care about romancing characters but I think that's what's supposed to be the main appeal of those games? 😅

The ones I've heard most are:
Code:Realize
Piofore
Olympia Soiree
Bustafellows
CollarxMalice
Cafe Enchante
Cupid Parasite

They have all drop dead gorgeous art, which makes me wanna give them a try but then I get stuck with the first issue that.. idc about romance paths.. I just want a good solid story. XD

If anyone has a suggestion i'm all ears!
 
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I decided to get Root Film on Switch because it was on sale haha. I don't know much about it, but I like the art style + it's mystery so why not!

I hope it's a good vn!
It only took me about 4 months but I'm proud to say I finished Root Film! (Eventhough 85% of it I finished in these past 3 days lmao)

Fwiw, I really liked it! It has a super solid cast, and the mysteries were enjoyable too! It did manage to catch me off guard at times!
The ending song really grew on me too!

I'd consider it in the same tier of enjoyment as World End Syndrome... so like it's not THE BEST VN EVERRR, but more like, if you're looking for a new read and you see this on sale do try it out!
 
It only took me about 4 months but I'm proud to say I finished Root Film! (Eventhough 85% of it I finished in these past 3 days lmao)

Fwiw, I really liked it! It has a super solid cast, and the mysteries were enjoyable too! It did manage to catch me off guard at times!
The ending song really grew on me too!

I'd consider it in the same tier of enjoyment as World End Syndrome... so like it's not THE BEST VN EVERRR, but more like, if you're looking for a new read and you see this on sale do try it out!
I didn't like in Root Film how the main character works out things(like a certain culprit) and knows things, before the actual player does, that to me is bad story telling.

Root Film was a shallow imitation of Root Letter, which is a visual novel on Switch that I have played several times.
 
I didn't like in Root Film how the main character works out things(like a certain culprit) and knows things, before the actual player does, that to me is bad story telling.

Root Film was a shallow imitation of Root Letter, which is a visual novel on Switch that I have played several times.
It's funny how that is one of the things I did like about RF.
Maybe it's because I'm not the type who actively try to solve the mysteries.
I just like seeing where the story goes and be surprised/entertained by it. XD

It all of course depends on what the player wants to get out of the game haha.
Like, it's not a hardcore tough mystery vn, but that was fine by me since the other aspects of the vn pulled me in more anyways. (Such as cast interactions etc)
 
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Hey Hey!

It`s been quite a while since I`ve played a visual novel.
The thing that always gets me about them is many times story branches are so arbitrary and essentially require you to have a guide.
I played Stiens Gate when it came out in Japan for 360, got one of the first non-bad endings, missed entire chapters and for the longest time was so confused about the game.

heh, anyway The last VN I played was Dunamis15, which actually had a map of all the branches the story could take and you could go back to a branch at any time, if you had a bad ending just move back to the previous branch. Like this:
DRJuozE7UynP.jpg


Do any other VN`s that you know of incorporate this branching path, so that you don`t actually need a guide to play the game?
 
Hey Hey!

It`s been quite a while since I`ve played a visual novel.
The thing that always gets me about them is many times story branches are so arbitrary and essentially require you to have a guide.
I played Stiens Gate when it came out in Japan for 360, got one of the first non-bad endings, missed entire chapters and for the longest time was so confused about the game.

heh, anyway The last VN I played was Dunamis15, which actually had a map of all the branches the story could take and you could go back to a branch at any time, if you had a bad ending just move back to the previous branch. Like this:
DRJuozE7UynP.jpg


Do any other VN`s that you know of incorporate this branching path, so that you don`t actually need a guide to play the game?
The most notible ones would be the Zero Escape games. They have a flowchart of the paths you can access at any time. And you can jump to any point in the flowchart. Makes it really easy to see all endings. And doing that is part of the story/experience.

I think all 3 games are on Steam. Or you could play the first on DS and second (best game in the series imo) on 3DS/Vita. Third game is on 3DS, Vita and Steam I think.
 
I'm still playing Fate/Stay Night (did I mention that here already?)

But I'm... kinda tempted to just start House of Fata Morgana.
 
I might get JJ, if/when it is on sale, however I am not a fan of rhythm games in general, and this seems to have that mechanic as part of its story.

I just hope it isn't a $60 game like Hashihime of the Old Book Town Append is, and that its translations isn't as rough.
 
heh, anyway The last VN I played was Dunamis15, which actually had a map of all the branches the story could take and you could go back to a branch at any time, if you had a bad ending just move back to the previous branch. Like this:
DRJuozE7UynP.jpg


Do any other VN`s that you know of incorporate this branching path, so that you don`t actually need a guide to play the game?
That sounds very similar to the system in YU-NO. You can't automatically go anywhere, but you have a limited number of items you can set as return points, and part of the game involves finding more of them. Here's an image. The different colors are basically the main routes, and the branches are based on your actions/decisions. Sometimes meaningful, sometimes just see something a little different and then things converge again. I still checked a guide a few times--thanks to this time jump ability, there are a handful of times when it's necessary to like... get an item on route A, then jump over to a point on route B where it's needed before you'd lose it through the natural course of route A.
 
I finished AI: The Somnium Files a few days ago and really enjoyed it. Definitely excited for the sequel now!

One minor complaint is that the somnium sections became kind of tedious. It seemed like there wasn't any logic to the puzzles; to be fair, though, that might fit the idea they were going for. It was just annoying having to restart some of them just so I could guess correctly and save more time. Other gameplay segments, like escape/fight sequences and selecting the right evidence, were more enjoyable than the somniums for me.

Still, the story was more than enough to make up for that. Each route added extra layers and kept me guessing for most of the game. Overall, it was a great time!
 
I'm considering replaying AI soonish before the sequel comes out, mostly to have all the characters and plot elements fresh. Aside from that, I have a couple of questions aimed to the VN experts here:

-I played the House of Fata Morgana last year and loved it. Are the side-stories worth it? AFAIK the big one extra side story expands on one of the latest chapters of the main game, as this section was kind of explained twice during the game I decided to wait a few months before playing it to not get burned out, but maybe this summer will be a good moment to experience it. Is this story and the other side-stories worth my time?
-I also played Robotics;Notes at launch, and found it to be a OK VN with some great moments but a really slooooooow start. Is DASH any good and/or expands on the first game's plot in a way that makes the time investment worth it?

Thank you
 
I've been really enjoying The Somnium Files. I expect I'll finish it later today. I've gone from 0 to 100 on the sequel hype-o-meter over the last few days.

Also I played Gnosia last year and it was one of my favourite games of the year. Buy Gnosia, play Gnosia, talk to me about Gnosia.
 
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-I played the House of Fata Morgana last year and loved it. Are the side-stories worth it? AFAIK the big one extra side story expands on one of the latest chapters of the main game, as this section was kind of explained twice during the game I decided to wait a few months before playing it to not get burned out, but maybe this summer will be a good moment to experience it. Is this story and the other side-stories worth my time?

Kind of? As you figured, the first additional game covers some backstory that was already pretty well covered in the main game. It does add some things and the additions are decent, but probably 60%~ of the content is something already covered in the main game. Sometimes you are re-doing scenes line for line that were already in the main game.

The additions are fine enough and if you've put some time in between finishing the main game and playing the prequel then I think you'll have an OK time. Plus the prequel has an epilogue that sets up for the third title.

The third game is a follow up to the main game's epilogue. It is... not really that great? It provides some extra closure for the cast beyond the open ended epilogue of the original, but I didn't really feel like I needed anything else beyond what was in the end of the main game. Some of these conclusions aren't that great, including one bizarre retcon of the original game's epilogue in order to make things fit with what happens in the follow up game. The main two don't really get much to do in the sequel either, they pretty much exist to have an area for the other characters to converge and sort their stuff out. Plus the art style changes to a less distinct anime style which brought things down for me. I'd say skip this last one unless you are really wanting more after finishing the prequel game.
 
I saw this one yesterday:


What are ya'lls thoughts on it?

I think it looks like a weird, yet intriguing match up of different game elements. Art is pretty and the cast is solid too! I'll keep my eye out on this one haha.

At this point I kind of even wonder if it falls under a Visual Novel. 😅

Seems like the creator of Kakegurui worked on it, and Izanagi Games too.
(I think IG worked with Tookyo Company on World's End Club so it does seem slightly in the alley of Danganronpa/Zero Escape-esque stuff)

Apparently it was announced 2 years ago already at Tokyo Game Show, but it must've went over my head back then.

New trailer released!


I only watched a bit of it since I want to keep clear of more info when I get around to playing it, the premise still sounds a bit absurd. XD
 
Quoted by: em
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New trailer released!


I only watched a bit of it since I want to keep clear of more info when I get around to playing it, the premise still sounds a bit absurd. XD


Yuru Kill’s got my attention, but I’m a sucker for these killing games (999/VLR/Danganronpa). And a shmup minigame is certainly more appealing than the tower defense of 13 Sentinels.
 
Played Root Letter, but wasn't thrilled by it. I guess it felt most like Ace Attorney in form, but with more exploration segments and drudgery. I also didn't like how the alternate endings changed both the end events but also retroactively the backstory. It didn't make sense that given wildly different backstories these characters would have behaved the same through 90% of the plot. It IS interesting that it uses many real world locations you could straight up check out on Google Maps, though.

Started up "My Girlfriend is a Mermaid!?", which it looks like I bought when it was 90% off. So far pretty dull with weird prose, and based on the Short length listed at VNDB I don't have high hopes it has time to get much better.
 
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I'm keeping my eye on LOOPERS also!

I really like the art, I recognized the artist from danganronpa fanarts I saw on twitter lol
And the story is by Ryukishi07 so I hope it's good since Umineko is my all time fav vn!

(As for otomes, I decided to get Bustafellows on sale, so I'll see if its my thing when I get to play it)
 
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I almost forgot about this thread!

I have finally beaten Ace Attorney Investigations 2 last week. It was an incredible ride. I love how the Investigations games' cases are all connected with one another. At first, I didn't see many connections in this game as I did in the first. But the deeper I got into the last case, the more connections became clear.
This was also the first time where I figured out who the mastermind was before the game gave it away.

The only connection that wasn't clear going through the early parts of the last case was from the third case. That case talked about the children of the victim and killer and how they suddenly went missing around that time and were never found. It went on unexplained and that is something that doesn't really happen in the series (at least for something that was a big part of the case).

So I figured during the last case that these kids have to be connected to all of this. And with the event of the last case being heavily tied to a case 12 years ago, at an orphanage, with children involved (around 13 years old), I started to think about them. The mastermind needs to be one of the people involved in the final case that we have met, and I suspected that they need to be connected to the case from 12 years ago. The mastermind couldn't be Roland, she is already a culprit from another case and on trial, it couldn't be Debeste, he's on trial as well, and it couldn't be the blind assassin, he was in prison all this time. So I figured it's one of those kids. Back then they were 13, 12 years later they should be around 25 years old. Going through the profiles there are exactly 2 25 year old characters involved in everything. One of them is dead, and that's when I understood. I still had my doubts because he was a suspect in another case, but his involvement in everything made totally sense.

I loved how he showed his true colors. Changing his face paint and using the animals to lean on them. And the animation when he lost was hilarious, being beaten up by those animals and the elephant grabbing him.

I think I like this game better than the first one, but they're both very close. I loved playing as Gregory Edgeworth, even though it was for a short while. I still think the investigation style needs to carry over to the main series. Walking around and choosing what to investigate is much better.

The only games I've yet to play now are the Great Ace Attorney games, so I'm going to play them sometime soon I hope.

For now I've continued on my DS trip and started up Hotel Dusk Room 215. It's not a visual novel either, but it feels more like it. For now I'm still at chapter 1, got to my room and received the package from the bellhop. That's where I stopped.

I really love the art style in this game, Cing was really great. I liked Another Code on the DS as well, also has the same artist. That character art is top notch, I love the sketch look. The characters I've met so far are pretty interesting. Kyle Hyde is a bit of a rude guy though, very needlessly rude at that. I like how the little girl made a fool out of him!
 
It's not exactly a VN, but I've been playing Suzerain the last couple days and it hits just right as a largely text-based political sim/CYOA, aside from some minor sloppiness in word choice. It took about eight hours to complete and there's always the option to play through again making some radically different choices (instead of being a centrist, for example, or taking a different approach with family and other personalities).
 
Quoted by: em
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Nice. I had my eye on this one but I didn't see any reviews anywhere yesterday when I looked.

I think I may take a chance on it.
I have my eye on it too, but its a lot of money, especially at the moment, I will probably wait for reviews to come in over the weekend.
 
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