Visual Novel Cafe

[kzel]

Regarding Satsuki, she'd been threatening to go that way right from the start. Though how she became utterly incompetent at the end was indeed unexpected. It's not like the protagonist needed yet another stage to show off.

I have more issue with how she dealt with the protagonist's confession. IIRC, it was due to some insignificant issues which should have been long resolved by that point.

I can somewhat get behind the idea : she's been selling us this idea that she's this confident, talented and cool person, all the while showing some cracks whenever stuff involves the protagonist, especially his relationship with other women. I don't mind that she has a weaker side to herself but I think the gap was pushed a little too far, especially with her last blunders. Her issues with answering the protagonist's confession at the beginning are closely related to this personality gap, in that she's not sure if the protagonist is in love with her "fabricated (apparent)" self or her "real (hidden)" one. It was still a pretty decent route, much better than Sakura's was. The first half with the twins and the indecisive protagonist was pretty painful, especially as it went all the way to ecchi all the while the protagonist keeps repeating to himself that he has to choose. The worst part is, the choice has already been made hours ago in the common route! The second half was okay-ish, with some puzzling elements (an untrained puppy in a restaurant? yeah... bad idea) and some expected drama involving her creative pursuits and the okama fashion designer.

Hi folks! How are you doing during these days? I'm most concerned about my pets' well-being as they're used to eating fresh foods, which is getting harder to get because the shops are closing.

Doing fine so far, I'm not the type to go out in social gatherings anyway so the distancing doesn't bother me too much. Not really in the mood to read eroge lately though, and nothing in this month's lineup seems especially appealing.

@Fureraba: If the humor in this one is already too much then don't bother with the other SMEE titles, they're generally worse in that respect and don't really have the good romantic bits to compensate. Personally my favorite part in the game is the conversation bits where you get to know the heroines' views about various things, and it somehow felt good when I could get a sense of what the right answer was just based on previous conversations. Not that it matters too much since I think you can still 'win' by answering wrong all the time by just being persistent, at worse it lengthens the common route a bit, but still, I can't really think of another game that managed to do the same.

Way too many distractions to settle down and read myself though.....

Aww, not even the latest Hulotte game? I was kinda looking forward to another detailed review of it from you.

 

[amaimono]

I can somewhat get behind the idea : she's been selling us this idea that she's this confident, talented and cool person, all the while showing some cracks whenever stuff involves the protagonist, especially his relationship with other women. I don't mind that she has a weaker side to herself but I think the gap was pushed a little too far, especially with her last blunders. Her issues with answering the protagonist's confession at the beginning are closely related to this personality gap, in that she's not sure if the protagonist is in love with her "fabricated (apparent)" self or her "real (hidden)" one. It was still a pretty decent route, much better than Sakura's was. The first half with the twins and the indecisive protagonist was pretty painful, especially as it went all the way to ecchi all the while the protagonist keeps repeating to himself that he has to choose. The worst part is, the choice has already been made hours ago in the common route! The second half was okay-ish, with some puzzling elements (an untrained puppy in a restaurant? yeah... bad idea) and some expected drama involving her creative pursuits and the okama fashion designer.

The extra routes are even worse, IIRC. Erect! is the better title overall, though it becomes awful on second reading.

Doing fine so far, I'm not the type to go out in social gatherings anyway so the distancing doesn't bother me too much. Not really in the mood to read eroge lately though, and nothing in this month's lineup seems especially appealing.

Not the most sociable type either, but personally the absence of football/soccer hurts. Had some sort of eroge overload lately, so I've been mostly reading manga. Especially impressed with Gaku although the ending betrays everything the story's been telling you.

@Fureraba: If the humor in this one is already too much then don't bother with the other SMEE titles, they're generally worse in that respect and don't really have the good romantic bits to compensate. Personally my favorite part in the game is the conversation bits where you get to know the heroines' views about various things, and it somehow felt good when I could get a sense of what the right answer was just based on previous conversations. Not that it matters too much since I think you can still 'win' by answering wrong all the time by just being persistent, at worse it lengthens the common route a bit, but still, I can't really think of another game that managed to do the same.

Oh, didn't know that. I thought it was a quick save/load hell to get the best possible reaction. Conversely, they seem to be a bit of throwaway because I don't think they're ever brought up again during the lover part. Some of them are so awkward/probing you'd think it'd gross the girl out. Think I'll check out the art in the other ones at least, as I really like Harem Kingdom's art.

 

[kzel]

The extra routes are even worse, IIRC. Erect! is the better title overall, though it becomes awful on second reading.

I had dismissed Erect! as yet another random nukige with succubi, but if it's better than あおぞらストライプ I may need to give it a shot after all. Common route woes aside, the game wasn't too bad for what little I played (2 routes), and yet I don't really want to do the rest due to too many similarities with Amakano heroines.

Not the most sociable type either, but personally the absence of football/soccer hurts. Had some sort of eroge overload lately, so I've been mostly reading manga. Especially impressed with Gaku although the ending betrays everything the story's been telling you.

I haven't read manga in a long while (2017 apparently!), and I seem to recall you mentioned reading some horror themed ones a while back, any recommendations? I remember kinda liking カラダ探し and 死人の声を聞くがよい.

Also, about Hani Tsuma, was it in this game that you could date the school's elite council president, get expelled from school after being found out having sex in the student council room and eventually get reunited at the end where you find out she's pregnant? I vaguely recall this storyline from one game with bootup!'s style of art but that doesn't seem to fit any of the heroine profile.

 

[amaimono]

I had dismissed Erect! as yet another random nukige with succubi, but if it's better than あおぞらストライプ I may need to give it a shot after all. Common route woes aside, the game wasn't too bad for what little I played (2 routes), and yet I don't really want to do the rest due to too many similarities with Amakano heroines.

Be warned that Erect! suffers from a mild (I repeat, mild) "Koisuru Natsu no Last Resort syndrome", which means the story pushes a girl into your path early on and makes you feel guilty for not picking her.

I haven't read manga in a long while (2017 apparently!), and I seem to recall you mentioned reading some horror themed ones a while back, any recommendations? I remember kinda liking カラダ探し and 死人の声を聞くがよい.

Hmm, try No Longer Human or Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (the latter is finished in Japan, though it ends rather abruptly and the latter half is not as good as the first one) if you haven't. As for the shoujo ones, Yoko Matsumoto's stuff are my favourite, although it might be hard to find the scans given its age.

Also, about Hani Tsuma, was it in this game that you could date the school's elite council president, get expelled from school after being found out having sex in the student council room and eventually get reunited at the end where you find out she's pregnant? I vaguely recall this storyline from one game with bootup!'s style of art but that doesn't seem to fit any of the heroine profile.

Nope. Hani Tsuma is where the protag lives in his estranged father's mansion with a pampering widow, whiling his life away before suddenly finding out that he has a fiancee. The protagonist is an irresponsible good-for-nothing (a trait seemingly common to bootUP! protagonists), but in Hani Tsuma's case, the heroines are good enough to make up for this.

 

[Veshurik]

Oh, Hanitsuma is a good nukige to read? Interesting... Opening looks like eroge, not nukige, but fan-disc "Hanitsuma Hs"... definitely for ecchi scenes.

Also, new eroge finally released! New Hulotte supernatural topic... Ehm... Aah? Let's imagine that some random girl present you a strange pills, and you... TAKE THEM?! Why MC in eroge are so stupid? It's dangerous!

And new Cube game with Kantoku art... really interesting, I saw in Twitter there are "bad end", when you cum inside heroine - your sister find out and threw out you of your house. Something new in eroge...

 

[amaimono]

Oh, Hanitsuma is a good nukige to read? Interesting... Opening looks like eroge, not nukige, but fan-disc "Hanitsuma Hs"... definitely for ecchi scenes.

It's a nukige because the first half is tediously filled with numerous lewd incidents while the latter half is basically sex after sex after sex. The early Misato's H-scenes are among some of the best I've ever read in an eroge. Being a widow, she's experienced in sex and won't hesitate to use any techniques she knows to make herself inextricable from you. Her VA sounds amazing in the main story, but for some reason doesn't sound as good in the fan disk.

Ignoring all the H, it actually has a decent story told from the perspective of a rebellious, incredibly irresponsible/naive (even some NTR villains have more sense of responsibility than the protagonist), spoiled rich kid who is somehow very athletic, loved by most people, and very good at sex. The FD is skippable.

 

[pingtoryan]

Aww, not even the latest Hulotte game? I was kinda looking forward to another detailed review of it from you.

I gave up on Hulotte after the last time...(same scenerio writers from last time involved too, so I can't help but get a bad feeling [嫌な予感])...

 

[kzel]

Be warned that Erect! suffers from a mild (I repeat, mild) "Koisuru Natsu no Last Resort syndrome", which means the story pushes a girl into your path early on and makes you feel guilty for not picking her..

If that is mild in your book then I shudder to think what even happens in that game you mentioned, because Luna is pushed into the protagonist's arms so early and fully in this game already, and she makes her feelings unequivocally clear when he shows up to "save" her from her torment. I actually liked the game until this point, with a slight mix of comedy and drama, a serious protagonist, and a certain restraint towards rushing to ero, especially with the first encounter with Luna that ended without anything happening. Alas, once the protagonist established his superior libido powers he becomes the target of the succubi all around, and being the good little tool that he is he just can't refuse any girl that needs a little "boost". Damned be his feelings for Luna that he conveniently "forgot" to word during her early scene and was quick to retract just the morning after. I was wondering how the game would recover from that and it's in the worst possible form of protagonist's lack of commitment. From there on, the game turns into the standard ultra-mote protagonist in all-girl's school type or comedy/nukige, except all the girls are after his seed life-energy, something that he has in unlimited supply which just shows how valuable it is (in other words: it's not). I'm not a fan of ecchi in the common route, I can overlook some happenings but there was way too much and with too many partners, so I skipped to the end, seemed like Luna's route was chock-full of ecchi scenes before a little bit of drama right before the credits, but I didn't see anything worth my time to warrant a second pass.

---

Anyway, hibiki-works' grand return with Re:Cation his a serious delay (to July) and there's still no demo despite a previous launch planned this month, that doesn't really fill me with confidence. I guess Amakano 2 is still planned for this month though, but seeing my reaction to games lately I'm wondering if I just haven't grown tired of the medium as a whole.

 

[amaimono]

If that is mild in your book then I shudder to think what even happens in that game you mentioned, because Luna is pushed into the protagonist's arms so early and fully in this game already, and she makes her feelings unequivocally clear when he shows up to "save" her from her torment. I actually liked the game until this point, with a slight mix of comedy and drama, a serious protagonist, and a certain restraint towards rushing to ero, especially with the first encounter with Luna that ended without anything happening. Alas, once the protagonist established his superior libido powers he becomes the target of the succubi all around, and being the good little tool that he is he just can't refuse any girl that needs a little "boost". Damned be his feelings for Luna that he conveniently "forgot" to word during her early scene and was quick to retract just the morning after. I was wondering how the game would recover from that and it's in the worst possible form of protagonist's lack of commitment. From there on, the game turns into the standard ultra-mote protagonist in all-girl's school type or comedy/nukige, except all the girls are after his seed life-energy, something that he has in unlimited supply which just shows how valuable it is (in other words: it's not). I'm not a fan of ecchi in the common route, I can overlook some happenings but there was way too much and with too many partners, so I skipped to the end, seemed like Luna's route was chock-full of ecchi scenes before a little bit of drama right before the credits, but I didn't see anything worth my time to warrant a second pass.

In Koisuru Natsu no Last Resort, you're introduced to a heroine at the start and stuck with her for long enough to transform your relationship from total strangers to the point that she's cooking your lunch. When the other heroines are finally introduced, the first heroine becomes your roommate, thus preserving her overwhelming advantage over the other heroines.

The first heroine's route is by no means bad, but it's impossible not to feel guilty were you to date any other heroines. To put it crudely, KNnLR feels like a single route eroge with extra routes tacked on to justify a full price.

Dating other heroines besides Luna also does feel wrong, but unlike in KNnLR, there are mitigating factors:
- it happened before you get to know much about any of the heroines
- the lighthearted fantasy setting helps downplay the "bad" things happening in the story
- the polyginistic nature of the succubus society
- "engage" instead of an intercourse being the ultimate expression of love in the story
- the balanced heroines' design, meaning that not one heroine conspicuously stand out

There are about 8 ecchi scenes in the common route which amount to helping out or playing around. Besides Luna's, these scenes are tame enough in my book. At least the protagonist doesn't do it with any random girls he has no chance of ending up with.

The relationship progression here is better in here than in Aozora Stripe. They do start from a rather advanced point (the heroines being succubi and all), but upon becoming lovers, they're still looking for a comfortable place for both which ultimately leads them to being partner for life. Aozora Stripe focused too much on personal improvements. I do accept that this is different from normal and not as polished as it could be.

 

[kzel]

In Koisuru Natsu no Last Resort, you're introduced to a heroine at the start and stuck with her for long enough to transform your relationship from total strangers to the point that she's cooking your lunch. When the other heroines are finally introduced, the first heroine becomes your roommate, thus preserving her overwhelming advantage over the other heroines.

The first heroine's route is by no means bad, but it's impossible not to feel guilty were you to date any other heroines. To put it crudely, KNnLR feels like a single route eroge with extra routes tacked on to justify a full price.

That doesn't sound so bad, especially if you're allowed to stay faithful to the first heroine and not fool around with other girls in the common route. Anyway...

Dating other heroines besides Luna also does feel wrong, but unlike in KNnLR, there are mitigating factors:
- it happened before you get to know much about any of the heroines

You meet Rieru first, before even Luna, and the protagonist's very much focused on Luna anyway. That is, until he fucked her. Then his "how so strong" feelings for Luna suddenly dimmed, and since he conveniently forgot to word his confession during her scene (instead kissing her which Luna just told him means confession so...), he immediately (literally the morning after) starts fooling around with Rieru, especially since his first sex with Luna apparently made him exceptionally arousing to other succubi. As the common route goes on his feelings for Luna keep dimming and dimming, as he's seduced by a bunch of girls, has sex with them, and keeps flash-backing to it, almost neglecting his primary duty to keep Luna healthy. I'll let you go to your own conclusions about the strength of his love, but it feels very cheap to me.

- the lighthearted fantasy setting helps downplay the "bad" things happening in the story

There are bad things? I would say the worst is that he's kinda bound to Luna for life either way, unless they find a magical solution to her condition. Seems like some girls are into magical fights so maybe in other routes.

- the polyginistic nature of the succubus society

Do you mean polygamist ? This is yet another bullshit harem excuse in my book. Notice how it's convenient that despite sex being supposedly so liberal, all the girls are virgins. Notice how apart from the protagonist nobody seems to have sex, despite there being a population of incubi (male succubi) and an incentive for practice (since there are rooms dedicated for sex in the school). You're told that in a succubus society the women have multiple partners, but it's only in theory, in practice the only one who has multiple partners is the protagonist. The only one who can "help" the girls is the protagonist. The only one who the girls desire is the protagonist.

- "engage" instead of an intercourse being the ultimate expression of love in the story

Again, I wouldn't mind it so much if the sex wasn't treated as equivalent to a "nice meal" from the protagonist side, when it's painfully obvious that it means so much more to the heroines. Just for Luna alone, it's impossible to overlook that simple fact. There is such a dissonance between the protagonist and the heroine's view of the act that as a form a communication, it can't see it but as an utter failure.

- the balanced heroines' design, meaning that not one heroine conspicuously stand out

You mean apart from Luna?

There are about 8 ecchi scenes in the common route which amount to helping out or playing around. Besides Luna's, these scenes are tame enough in my book. At least the protagonist doesn't do it with any random girls he has no chance of ending up with.

If I remember right, 2 with Luna (all the way), 2 with Tiana (fella+ashikoki), 1 with Rieru (boob-job), 2 with Euphoria (fella + all the way), was there one more ? Anyway, my point is, this is too much for the common route alone and screams "nukige, taste the goods before choosing", with too many different heroines. There's even a harem route where you get to group-deflower girls for God's sake. Keep it in heroine routes, or let the player choose to avoid them altogether. Seriously, the protagonist can have any girl (succubus) he wants, and if asked do you really think he would refuse to "help" even random girls? It's like treating them to a nice meal after all! (not!)

The relationship progression here is better in here than in Aozora Stripe. They do start from a rather advanced point (the heroines being succubi and all), but upon becoming lovers, they're still looking for a comfortable place for both which ultimately leads them to being partner for life. Aozora Stripe focused too much on personal improvements. I do accept that this is different from normal and not as polished as it could be.

I'll be fair, I haven't read the heroine route at all, just skipped through Luna and noticed the rather high amount of sex scenes. Maybe, like in Aozora Stripe, I would have managed to recover a bit of sympathy for the protagonist during them. Given the instant flip-flop of his feelings after fucking Luna though, I have a hard time picturing me doing that.

 

[amaimono]

That doesn't sound so bad, especially if you're allowed to stay faithful to the first heroine and not fool around with other girls in the common route. Anyway...

It sucks when the full installation size is around 6GB but you only get to fully enjoy one route out of five (/six?). Not like the plot is much better than the average pure love eroge either.

You meet Rieru first, before even Luna, and the protagonist's very much focused on Luna anyway. That is, until he fucked her. Then his "how so strong" feelings for Luna suddenly dimmed, and since he conveniently forgot to word his confession during her scene (instead kissing her which Luna just told him means confession so...), he immediately (literally the morning after) starts fooling around with Rieru, especially since his first sex with Luna apparently made him exceptionally arousing to other succubi. As the common route goes on his feelings for Luna keep dimming and dimming, as he's seduced by a bunch of girls, has sex with them, and keeps flash-backing to it, almost neglecting his primary duty to keep Luna healthy. I'll let you go to your own conclusions about the strength of his love, but it feels very cheap to me.

Relationship works both ways so Luna's equally responsible for this by keeping a distance after her "competition" with Tiana. But what I want to say here is that the protagonist learns which girl he truly loves after they all begin making approaches at him. Luna's case is eventually the strongest but the other girl's approaches do make it more even.

There are bad things? I would say the worst is that he's kinda bound to Luna for life either way, unless they find a magical solution to her condition. Seems like some girls are into magical fights so maybe in other routes.

"Bad" things like how the protagonist nearly gets killed three times throughout the story or how Luna doesn't actually need to make physical contact with him in order to alleviate her illness.

Do you mean polygamist ? This is yet another bullshit harem excuse in my book. Notice how it's convenient that despite sex being supposedly so liberal, all the girls are virgins. Notice how apart from the protagonist nobody seems to have sex, despite there being a population of incubi (male succubi) and an incentive for practice (since there are rooms dedicated for sex in the school). You're told that in a succubus society the women have multiple partners, but it's only in theory, in practice the only one who has multiple partners is the protagonist. The only one who can "help" the girls is the protagonist. The only one who the girls desire is the protagonist.

IIRC it's polygyny because it's one man with many women and not the other way around. Yet another sexist BS, I agree. The point, though, is that the girls are not human and are taught differently regarding relationship, even if each of the 4 eventually became too jealous to accept a polygyny. The other incubi/succubi do have sex, but not with the heroines in the main story because they're all high ranking and not easily approachable because of their own complexes. The protagonist is indeed the girls' most desirable partner, but it's not true that he's the only one capable of "helping".

Again, I wouldn't mind it so much if the sex wasn't treated as equivalent to a "nice meal" from the protagonist side, when it's painfully obvious that it means so much more to the heroines. Just for Luna alone, it's impossible to overlook that simple fact. There is such a dissonance between the protagonist and the heroine's view of the act that as a form a communication, it can't see it but as an utter failure.

You have it backwards. It's the heroines who view sex as having a meal at times. The protagonist's view on sex is either as a way to help the girls (since he was told to do so by the teacher) or as a way to convey his feelings. Aside from Tiana, the main heroines don't readily tie their life to him even as they're having sex left and right.

You mean apart from Luna?

Not sure how to say this. This sounds harsh but ditching Luna wasn't so bad once you did it because the 4 main heroines are equally charming, art and personality-wise.

If I remember right, 2 with Luna (all the way), 2 with Tiana (fella+ashikoki), 1 with Rieru (boob-job), 2 with Euphoria (fella + all the way), was there one more ? Anyway, my point is, this is too much for the common route alone and screams "nukige, taste the goods before choosing", with too many different heroines. There's even a harem route where you get to group-deflower girls for God's sake. Keep it in heroine routes, or let the player choose to avoid them altogether. Seriously, the protagonist can have any girl (succubus) he wants, and if asked do you really think he would refuse to "help" even random girls? It's like treating them to a nice meal after all! (not!)

Euphoria has three I think. The second is masturbation and the third is actually anal instead of vaginal. The protagonist gets to deflower only Luna in the common route. He won't even have time to think about having sex with other succubi because the main heroines are so protective toward him.

I'll be fair, I haven't read the heroine route at all, just skipped through Luna and noticed the rather high amount of sex scenes. Maybe, like in Aozora Stripe, I would have managed to recover a bit of sympathy for the protagonist during them. Given the instant flip-flop of his feelings after fucking Luna though, I have a hard time picturing me doing that.

OK. I'll keep this in mind when I recommend you a title in the future.

 

[kzel]

It sucks when the full installation size is around 6GB but you only get to fully enjoy one route out of five (/six?). Not like the plot is much better than the average pure love eroge either.

I don't know, if I look at my own reading habits, I usually play 1 or 2 routes at best, and very rarely go through the whole cast. Do you still "finish" eroges? I wouldn't actually mind trading half-assed main/sub-heroines routes if the focus on one makes it actually good and has enough effort put into it by comparison (see 千の刃濤、桃花染の皇姫). It's obviously better is the game is balanced enough between routes, as the former can be quite frustrating when the heroine I like most isn't the chosen one (see game mentioned above...).

About Erect!, I'll just have to take your word for it because I skipped most of it, starting from first scene with Tiana. So what you're saying is that it's okay to fall in love with a girl, fuck her, letting her think you're going to be her partner for life, only to realize later after meeting other girls that you don't love her that much after all and prefer to go with someone else. Feels pretty sleazy to me, I don't think this is the kind of protagonist I want to root for. Luna made it very clear she's in love with the protagonist from the very beginning, showed some jealousy when he got close to other girls immediately, so I don't think there's ever any room for doubt concerning her feelings. I was expecting them to find ways to help Luna without requiring the protagonist's presence (and free him to seek love elsewhere in the process) in the common route, but Luna's late scene in the common route made me think otherwise.

I didn't read the succubus society rules very thoroughly but one man many wives doesn't make any sense for a tribe whose women, for its highest members, require more life-energy than a normal man can give just to survive. The protagonist may not be the only one able of helping but in effect he's the only one who helps, so this isn't any different from any typical harem. When a girls passes out after using too much energy, one just can't control herself, or another is just feeling depressed, it's his seed that does the magic. It seemed like it would be extremely easy to trick him into having sex, which doesn't seem far fetched for a place full of succubi : just use too much power when he's around, pass out, and next thing you know he's inside you.

I was under the impression that only in the protagonist's mind did the heroines consider sex as a meal, and they actually do not. I only really have Luna's case to point to but she clearly does not. Rieru never gave that impression, Tiana looked pretty flustered each time, maybe Euphoria then, or the harem route girl.

Anyway, we all have different thresholds and lines we consider acceptable or not to cross, and for me, this game went too far. Light sex in the common route is one thing I already heavily dislike, doing that after basically confessing to a girl and then retracting it is just unforgivable. It has the double impact of preventing me from enjoying both the first girl's route (because the protagonist essentially cheated), and the other ones as well. Thanks for not giving up on suggesting me games though! I realize I can be a loud and annoying picky eater who can go on and on complaining about something I only took a single bite of.

 

[amaimono]

Do you still "finish" eroges?

I do, more or less. I skim read every route in a godawful eroge if I like the art and the voice acting enough.

I wouldn't actually mind trading half-assed main/sub-heroines routes if the focus on one makes it actually good and has enough effort put into it by comparison (see 千の刃濤、桃花染の皇姫). It's obviously better is the game is balanced enough between routes, as the former can be quite frustrating when the heroine I like most isn't the chosen one (see game mentioned above...).

Haven't read any August title since Fortune Arterial, but from experience I guess it's the girl in the cover who has by far the best route?

So what you're saying is that it's okay to fall in love with a girl, fuck her, letting her think you're going to be her partner for life, only to realize later after meeting other girls that you don't love her that much after all and prefer to go with someone else. Feels pretty sleazy to me, I don't think this is the kind of protagonist I want to root for.

But that's life, isn't it? *runs away* Well, I'd have stronger aversion if it wasn't for the aforementioned mitigating factors. Those factors were good enough for me since I didn't feel very guilty when I read through the other routes.

Anyway, we all have different thresholds and lines we consider acceptable or not to cross, and for me, this game went too far. Light sex in the common route is one thing I already heavily dislike, doing that after basically confessing to a girl and then retracting it is just unforgivable. It has the double impact of preventing me from enjoying both the first girl's route (because the protagonist essentially cheated), and the other ones as well. Thanks for not giving up on suggesting me games though! I realize I can be a loud and annoying picky eater who can go on and on complaining about something I only took a single bite of.

Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't expect for you to feel so strongly against sex in the common route (Hani Tsuma and every bootUP! titles after it have it, most of Haha Ranman's scenes are in the common route). Well, I do want your recommendations too, so, how do I say it... otagaisama desu?

 

[kzel]

Haven't read any August title since Fortune Arterial, but from experience I guess it's the girl in the cover who has by far the best route?

More accurately, it's the only girl who has a proper route at all, all the other heroines being treated to a 30 minutes side-branch (including ecchi scene) with a quick non-resolution of the current crisis. I still have to read the fandisk of that game that supposedly expands on these side branches though.

But that's life, isn't it? *runs away* Well, I'd have stronger aversion if it wasn't for the aforementioned mitigating factors. Those factors were good enough for me since I didn't feel very guilty when I read through the other routes.

I know, I know. Feelings can and do change over time and situations, that's part of life, but at least in my little corner of fictional world I still like to dream up eternal bonding and love!

Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't expect for you to feel so strongly against sex in the common route (Hani Tsuma and every bootUP! titles after it have it, most of Haha Ranman's scenes are in the common route). Well, I do want your recommendations too, so, how do I say it... otagaisama desu?

To be honest, neither did I. I approached this game as I would a nukige, with no expectations for the romance or characters, especially protagonist-wise since they tend to be either pathetic or completely oblivious to their or their surroundings' feelings in these kinds of games. But the prologue kinda got my hopes up, with a likeable protagonist that demonstrated a quality I like best among them : dedication. This continues all the way to the first encounter with Luna, peaking with a very deep sigh of relief at him not being assaulted on the spot. I guess the disappointment I felt when things take a direction back towards the nukige it was all along and the protagonist abandons this quality is probably the biggest factor of my rejection. I was already pretty down when the sexual healing theme showed up, and when the common route took a turn to harem then it hit bottom low. Looking at comments though, looks like the heroine routes ditch this harem element altogether, so maybe when I've calmed down a bit I can give it another try, skipping the common route entirely.

 

[Veshurik]

By the way, guys, you already played in releases of March? Orefuka (Hulotte), Kamikimi (Cube), Jinki Resurrection (Giga)... and ton of nukige, I think... Noticed that nukige are more popular than usual eroge (especially dark nukige or with special fetishes like NTR etc... uuugh)

 

[amaimono]

More accurately, it's the only girl who has a proper route at all, all the other heroines being treated to a 30 minutes side-branch (including ecchi scene) with a quick non-resolution of the current crisis. I still have to read the fandisk of that game that supposedly expands on these side branches though.


I know, I know. Feelings can and do change over time and situations, that's part of life, but at least in my little corner of fictional world I still like to dream up eternal bonding and love!


To be honest, neither did I. I approached this game as I would a nukige, with no expectations for the romance or characters, especially protagonist-wise since they tend to be either pathetic or completely oblivious to their or their surroundings' feelings in these kinds of games. But the prologue kinda got my hopes up, with a likeable protagonist that demonstrated a quality I like best among them : dedication. This continues all the way to the first encounter with Luna, peaking with a very deep sigh of relief at him not being assaulted on the spot. I guess the disappointment I felt when things take a direction back towards the nukige it was all along and the protagonist abandons this quality is probably the biggest factor of my rejection. I was already pretty down when the sexual healing theme showed up, and when the common route took a turn to harem then it hit bottom low. Looking at comments though, looks like the heroine routes ditch this harem element altogether, so maybe when I've calmed down a bit I can give it another try, skipping the common route entirely.

If you ever go back to reading Erect!, you should give Luna's route a proper read because her route is the closest to pure love in the story. You can read about Luna's thoughts about you not choosing her in Liliella/Rieru's route. Be warned that there's a 3P scene with Luna in Rieru's route.

By the way, guys, you already played in releases of March? Orefuka (Hulotte), Kamikimi (Cube), Jinki Resurrection (Giga)... and ton of nukige, I think... Noticed that nukige are more popular than usual eroge (especially dark nukige or with special fetishes like NTR etc... uuugh)

I don't usually read those kind of titles you mentioned, so I'll join you in waiting to read someone's review if they're something special. Personally, I've tried Icing! and Exstia 3 so far but none are very good.

Icing!: It's like reading a fan disk where you never know the main story. Not sure why it has a burger logo when it's about a patisserie either.

Exstia 3: The opening narration reads like it was written by a 10 year old. On hold for now.

All in all, March seems to be a "let's read NTR" month. The NTR titles "Kasen" (https://vndb.org/v27829) and "Anata ga Iru no ni Netorarechau" (https://vndb.org/v27387) look mint art-wise, so I'll be reading those two next.

 

[Veshurik]

Yeah, NTR seems really popular and really well sold...

My friend read "Kasen" by Hending. Strange but last game by them was pure moe (Jinbaku Kanojo), and now... wah, NTR.

Well, my friend didn't like that the game has only bad endings. 3 bad endings, and that's all. Without spoilers, I think it's all bad for one character of the game. I really don't like when we have only bad endings, and my friend too.
But I will wait also your opinion!

===

Icing -love coating-... Burger logo, really? Where? I thought there is a cake on main logo or macaroni... or something like that. Why it feels like FD story?

 

[amaimono]

Yeah, NTR seems really popular and really well sold...

My friend read "Kasen" by Hending. Strange but last game by them was pure moe (Jinbaku Kanojo), and now... wah, NTR.

Well, my friend didn't like that the game has only bad endings. 3 bad endings, and that's all. Without spoilers, I think it's all bad for one character of the game. I really don't like when we have only bad endings, and my friend too.
But I will wait also your opinion!

Thanks for the heads up! I did see a set of CG at the end where it looks like the girl's having sex with what looks like the protagonist. Guess I'm wrong.

Icing -love coating-... Burger logo, really? Where? I thought there is a cake on main logo or macaroni... or something like that. Why it feels like FD story?

Here's the OP movie. Skip to around 1 minute mark. Looks like a row of burgers to me.

Spoiler: like reading a fan disk

Because you start out as a happy married couple and there's no significant conflict whatsoever until the end.

 

[kzel]

By the way, guys, you already played in releases of March? Orefuka (Hulotte), Kamikimi (Cube), Jinki Resurrection (Giga)... and ton of nukige, I think... Noticed that nukige are more popular than usual eroge (especially dark nukige or with special fetishes like NTR etc... uuugh)

As for me I haven't read anything from March yet, nor do I really intend to. I tried Hulotte once with Moteyaba but didn't like the particular style of game. Games involving androids and AI as companions has never been my forte, and Jinki is apparently a mix of mecha and NTR which is just not my cup of tea. I thought about trying Icing, just for Hanasawa Sakura, but I am seriously sick of food/restaurant themed VN after playing through most of the Giga Royal Sweet Collection. I still intend to go back to Sucre eventually to go through Miharu's route, she gives the best advice during the other routes.

I'm also currently retreading through はるるみなもに! that I rage quit (sound familiar?) a few years back, halfway through Mei's route, appalled by the way the surroundings pressured and manipulated her into giving up her body to the protagonist. Kinda like Iroha's route in ここから夏のイノセンス！ that I never managed to get through : it feels too much like taking advantage of a distressed and vulnerable kid. Anyway, currently on Asumi's route and it's pretty nice.

 

[pingtoryan]

With Youtube causing the online game I play to constantly disconnect I found it within me to start reading again as grinding entertainment...so I finally get to start on Docchi no I ga Suki desu ka?...

...apparantly Finnish lineage is all the rage these days...and it gets the SuGirlyWish-style post-H eyecatch to start the new touching sequence. I got HOOK'd, plain and simple.

SMEE humors fall so flat I don't really feel like going back to tie up the loose ends......

 

[Veshurik]

Looks like a row of burgers to me.

He-he. This is definitely macaroni. Just it looks like burgers, really. What a nice coinscidence.

 

[kzel]

You guys don't know about macarons? =/= macaroni, unless you want to look like a fool at the pastry shop.

 

[amaimono]

You guys don't know about macarons? =/= macaroni, unless you want to look like a fool at the pastry shop.

Yeah, I'm an idiot. I didn't even know about them because they don't sell them at my local patisserie. Or at least the buns don't look that thick.

He-he. This is definitely macaroni. Just it looks like burgers, really. What a nice coinscidence.

Man, I was ignorant.


Well, I ended up binge reading Junji Ito's stuff instead. And with the second season of Hanzawa Naoki on the horizon, not sure if I'll read much eroge this month and the next.

 

[kzel]

Yeah, I'm an idiot. I didn't even know about them because they don't sell them at my local patisserie. Or at least the buns don't look that thick.

Man, I was ignorant.

It's a bit surprising because macaron are very popular pastries in Japan, you probably have read about them in some VN or manga involving an aspiring cook, but without detailed pictures it's quite difficult to picture the actual dishes. That's why I tend to dislike the food reports so prevalent in VN or radio shows.

Well, I ended up binge reading Junji Ito's stuff instead. And with the second season of Hanzawa Naoki on the horizon, not sure if I'll read much eroge this month and the next.

That leaves me plenty of time to complain about review Amakano 2 all I want! I don't think there's anything else worthy of note coming out, maybe the end to the 9-nine series but I haven't read any of the previous entries.

 

[amaimono]

It's a bit surprising because macaron are very popular pastries in Japan, you probably have read about them in some VN or manga involving an aspiring cook, but without detailed pictures it's quite difficult to picture the actual dishes. That's why I tend to dislike the food reports so prevalent in VN or radio shows.

Nope, nothing at all.

That leaves me plenty of time to complain about review Amakano 2 all I want! I don't think there's anything else worthy of note coming out, maybe the end to the 9-nine series but I haven't read any of the previous entries.

Amakano 2's trial did a good job to keep my expectation low. Also keeping an eye on Sora no Shoujo & Maokatsu purely because of the art. Not sure if they'll be any good though, Wonder Fool's Junjou Karen Freaks turned out to be pretty dull after all.

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@Veshurik Btw, GARbro is alive again. Very very nice.
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Spoiler: Kasen

Better than expected. Some points:

• The main casts are pretty well fleshed out. None of them are a good person, mind. You can hardly sympathize with them.
• The writing is overall solid despite some blips at the start and at the end.
• The story starts out from some well-meant but poorly communicated intentions between a loving, but ill-matched couple which ended up destroying their relationship. There are some food for thoughts about relationship.
• You're faced with a decision only twice in the whole story. Your choices though, affect only the ending and you're forced to go through the same stretch of the story each time.
• Tasty scenes.
• The third ending has infuriatingly obscure requirements. Yurusumaji!
• The main antagonist is oddly voiced during his normal scenes but is muted during his sex scenes.
• It has a bug where if you set the text style to bold for better readability, it will be reverted back during the sex scenes.

I didn't know that Hending is a subsidiary of Akabei Soft. Or is it?

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@Anata ga Iru no ni Netorarechau: It's actually netori. It's yet another typical Lune's title with a great art and an awful story.