Gakuen Redux

'In Gakuen Redux the past, the present and the future come together. The only love, the only regret and the only second chance. This is really her. This is the awakening… to the final school story.'

Yumemishi

While time loops, time travel and other time related themes are by no means standard methods of eroge storytelling, they are utilised far more frequently in eroges than in most other media. This format is well suited to eroges, as the combination of written and visual elements, allow the story to for example maintain the same visual elements, whilst alterting the text, emphasising the role of time without the need for outright repetition. Although Yumemishi's time device (experiencing one day twice, the first time as a dream, the second time as reality) is slightly less sophisticated both in scope and execution than some other eroges, the scenario writer Kimura Koroya's (Yumemi Hakusho, Tropical KISS, Choujikuu Bakuren Monogatari ～door☆pi☆chu～ and one of the writers for the upcoming Steal My Heart ~ Rhapsody of moonlight~) use of it is still highly effective, and despite the great characters and strong writing, Yumemishi isn't nearly as well known as it deserves to be.

Subarashiki Hibi ~Furenzoku Sonzai~

I'm a little bothered by the idea of writing this review. The original idea of this site was to talk about eroge that has never really been in the limelight. Subarashiki Hibi does not seem to fit into that category by anyone's standards. On the other hand, as there has not been much reviewing activity on the English side about this game, it feels a bit off to just let it slip into obscurity in that fashion.

It is difficult to review a game like this. There is a lot to say about it, certainly, but the trick is finding the balance between saying too little and saying too much, especially considering that a portion of the enjoyment derived from reading this title is owed to the mystery surrounding the story. For this reason I do not want to spoil the game for others who may read it, even if they have to wait five or ten years.

On the other hand, I know that when a title I have been looking forward to comes out I completely avoid all media surrounding it just to avoid the slightest chance of tarnishing my experience of the game - because that's one of the things I love about a new eroge - the sheer process of discovery, because it almost feels as if the story could turn out to be anything. I assume that most people like me aren't even reading this review if they haven't yet played the game, so I will freely introduce characters and outline chapters. So, here we go!

Tsukisome no Kasa -the end of scarlet luna-

To people like myself who follow scenario writers, one of the attractions to playing titles created by writers you know is that you typically have a good idea of the overall level of quality you're going to find in the story. A particularly good writer can even influence you to get an eroge that has a story that doesn't appeal to you, characters that don't really interest you and art that doesn't grab your attention. On the other hand, once you become familiar with a certain scenario writer's work, they tend to lose their ability to surprise you - you start expecting a certain level of quality, rather than hoping for it, and are disappointed if you don't get it.

New writers, on the other hand, are a blank slate. On one hand, they probably don't have much experience in the eroge writing field (and most eroge writers do get better over time) and the quality of the story may suffer as a result. On the other hand, you have no idea how good (or bad) they are and can't help but be surprised if the story actually turns out to be good (or great!) This is why it's often exciting to play an eroge written by a new scenario writer, particularly if the story seems a bit unusual.

Tsukisome no Kasa is an eroge released in January 2010 by new brand Hiyoko-soft. All three scenario writers are new to eroge scenario writing (the main one actually worked on the artwork for MOON STONE's Ashita Deatta Shoujo).

sense off ～a sacred story in the wind～

I am rather a fan of the eroge company Key (creators of ONE, Kanon and AIR), particularly for their distinctive style of story and atmosphere. Strangely enough, though, my favourite eroge that embodies what I see as the distinctive elements that make up a Key game is not a Key game at all. It's a little known science fiction title called 'sense off'.

 

Saiminjutsu 2

One of the prevailing factors when it comes to dedicated mind control or hypnotism eroges is that they almost all work from the 'asshole protagonist' perspective. Typically, the protagonist acquires a new power, be it hypnotism, the ability to stop time, the ability to turn invisible, and almost immediately puts it to use for the purpose of having his way with girls almost invariably without their consent. I suppose this is on some level necessary for the premise to work, and I suppose being able to live out one's fantasies is one of the things that draws people to the genre, but I can't help but wonder if there could be more potential to these stories, especially if they seem to be investing genuine effort into the characters and setting.