AMNESIA Review: Part 2 (Final Thoughts)

So, since AMNESIA came out more than a month ago (August 18^th to be specific), there are already some awesome summaries out there on the interwebs. So please go check them out HERE, HERE and HERE.

And comment. Please spread your love to the gamers who’ve toiled to write those wonderful summaries (＾▽＾)

Beware of massive spoilers below>>>

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Some of AMNESIA’S downfalls:

1)    There are too many routes. Especially bad routes.  The ratio of bad : good endings is 4:9. FOUR : NINE. *sobs* If you add +1 to both sides of that ratio (…which I realise makes no mathematical sense, but BEAR WITH ME HERE) it practically means that there are half as many good endings as bad ones!!! 。゜゜(´□｀。)°゜。

2)     This would’ve been fine if the game developers had included some indicator of how each decision affects the parameters. But since there is none, and because the parameters themselves are super confuzzling (Like the 3^rd one, “Suspicion of Amnesia” which really doesn’t do anything and shouldn’t be taken into account during gameplay), it was difficult to play without walkthrough.

3)    Awkward Pacing (and almost no moments of キュン）. The pacing of AMNESIA is a sporadic alternation between painfully slow,  interestingly fast and omgwut? as sudden barrages of affection fly out at the protagonist from out of the blue.  Well, okay. To be fair  there is a smidge of good ol’ fashioned fluff in what seemed to me like the least likeliest route KENTKENTKENTKENT and I don’t usually mind if otome games don’t have much romance in them (like Shinigami to Shoujo), but the awkwardness of being thrust into romantic situations with little to no memory of your own partner doesn’t make very light-hearted playing and detracts from what could have been a solid, suspenseful story.

This cake? It's not for you.

4)    The way that every character 

speakslikethiswithnopauseinbetweentheirwords

5)    The morally dubious messages behind some of the characters. Especially Toma and his yandere tendencies…

Yes. That is a cage. And yes, you are in it.

[REVIEW] AMNESIA: Part One

LONG TIME. NO UPDATE

A big BIG sorry to every one of my readers (ﾟ人ﾟ)(-人-)

No, I haven’t died. And no, I haven’t forgotten about the blog / had my internet disconnected / come down with the the plague  or been attacked by a horde of angry hippos – I’ve just been chronically pwned by life.

As it does to us all, from time to time.  Being a chronic non-multi-tasker and all, especially when it comes to balancing study / work / life, that damage is just QUADRUPLIFIED for me.

And that’s not even a word.

Anyhoos

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TITLE: アムネシア (AMNESIA)

RELEASE DATE: 18^th August 2011

CONSOLE: PSP

COMPANY: Otomate

GENRE:  Suspense / Mystery / Horror / Romance

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STORY:

 

Opening up to a marbled background, you – the protagonist – are bombarded by a young boy wearing a midriff-baring wizard’s cloak and tree branch-like extensions on either side of his head.  He tells you that he has made a BIG MISTAKE Cue dramatic music. Somehow, whilst transitioning from his world to your world, he has collided into your consciousness, knocking all the memories and any shred of personality or identity out of your head. The only way to get him out would be to regain those memories. And that’s not all. He also tells you that the longer he stays in your head, the further your consciousness will deteriorate – until you pretty much become a human vegetable. （ಠ_ಠ）

At this point, you have an option to either accept your fate or become annoyed and sarcastic (I threw a tantrum ‘cause I’m so mature like that). It doesn’t really matter which option you take, because anything before picking a specific route (heart, diamond, spade or club) has no effect on the actual ending.

He tells you that his name is Orion, and apologises for being the cause of a heck of a lot of trouble. He also offers to help you regain everything, which will then force him out and return everything to normal again. Now this is where the story starts to split off. You must either choose between heart (Shin), club (Kent), spades (Ikki) or diamond (Toma). Each will lead to a different character route, and will send you hurtling into a parallel dimension where either Shin, Kent, Ikki or Toma is your supposed boyfriend. Whatever you choose, you must accept as your day to day life and endeveaur to carry on as normally as possible. But, the one thing you must NOT DO UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES is to admit to your own memory loss. Because admitting memory loss to unknown persons will

= Taken Advantage Of

or

= Sent to Hospital

which

= Deprivation of Opportunities to Recover Memories

which then

= Eventual Brain Dead-ness

…neither of which will help you very muchly.

 

CHARACTERS:

–          ??????  – The PROTAGONIST

A majority of the mystery that surrounds AMNESIA comes from the fact that the protagonist has had all recollections of her old self erased. This includes her name too, meaning that the game does not come with a default. Feel free to insert whatever name you like – be it your own, or something utterly ridiculous v(￣∇￣)v

–          Orion (CV: Igarashi Hiromi) – The PARASITE

So “parasite” might be a bit too harsh a word. With the appearance of a 10 year old boy, Orion is a spirit from an alternate realm that becomes lodged in the protagonist’s mind after a mishap during transition. His presence erases all her memories (gosh, that must suck) and in order to retrieve these and undo his mistake, he sets out to help the protagonist on her journey.

5 routes in general, including the not-so-secret-but-still-secret hidden character:

–          Toma (CV: Hino Satoshi) – DIAMOND

Unfalteringly kind and considerate, Toma is the Onii-san kei character with a secret and the protagonist’s colleague from work. He’s afflicted with the same kind of repressed/unrequited love common to a lot of childhood friend characters in anime and manga

–          Shin (CV: Kakihara Tetsuya) – HEART

Blunt and somewhat unsociable. Has a Don’t-Screw-With-Me attitude, but despite being one year younger than the protagonist, is a reliable and hard-working prep school student.

–          Kent (CV: Ishida Akira) – CLUB

Cool, Calm, Collected. And from time to time, almost inhumanly so. But despite his lack of words and tall, intimidating demeanour, Kent hides a soft spot and warm, blooming affections for the protagonist. That’s right. Blooming, I said.

–          Ikki (CV: Taniyama Kishou) – SPADES

As a self-absorbed ladies man, Ikki has no qualms about displaying his skills or flashing his posse of fangirls around. Claims to have a gaze that can make any woman fall madly and irrevocably in love with him. Needless to say, his pro skillz don’t work on the protagonist, a major reason behind him being attracted to her. （￣□￣；）

–          Ukyo (CV: Miyata Kouki) – NOTHING  The Joker

A mysterious young man who appears out of nowhere and speaks in a riddle-like way. Both characteristics of the usual secret character. It’s unclear whether or not he wants to protect the protagonist or hurt her, and seems to have a split personality.

Side characters:

–          Sawa (CV: Moriya Satomi)

Works at the same Maid-Café as the protagonist. Sawa has an upbeat and “refreshing” personality. Her open, easygoing personality attracts hordes of female friends, but admits that her high standards and a general dislike of men drive potential suitors away.

–          Mine (CV: Akutsu Kana)

One year younger than the protagonist, Mine also works at the Maid-Café. Conscious of her own cuteness and fairly stubborn, Mine’s attitude toward romance lies within the “attack-first-judge-later” category. Though flirtatious around handsome guys, the fact that she doesn’t hide it reveals an earnest and open personality that is – in a way – hard to dislike.

–          Rika (CV: Yoshida Seiko)

A mysterious woman who looks as if she belongs in a classical period drama. Nothing much is known about her, except for a sharp manner of speech and avid adoration of Ikki.　(￣´口`￣)

–          Waka (CV: Takahashi Hidenori )

The protagonist’s boss. Adamantly attached to the straight and narrow way of doing things, Waka is both strict and passionate about his store. His character undergoes the most change, and has a different personality in each route.

[Review] Some thoughts on Shinigami to Shoujo

TITLE:  死神と少女 [Shinigami to Shoujo]

RELEASE DATE:  28th July 2011

CONSOLE:  PSP

COMPANY:  Takuyo

GENRE:  Fantasy Otome Dating Game

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SUMMARY:

In an alternate world somewhere to the East and far, far away – there lives a beautiful young girl by the name of Sayo [Or anything you like; her name is changeable]. The young girl lives in an upscale apartment with her older brother, an author, who enjoys sharing his stories with his little sister. His latest work, he tells her, is to involve a lonesome Shinigami or “God of Death” and a beautiful young girl. They would meet one day under a brilliant blue sky and embark together on a journey to gather together some of the most beautiful phrases in the world. The young girl promises to wait patiently for the day that he finishes writing this story.

One evening, by a strange stroke of fate, the young girl stumbles upon a hooded figure on her way home from school. The figure questions her about the city clocktower – a symbolic monument that has remained in its broken state for over 10 years. She cannot answer him as she does not know the reason either, and asks for his name instead.

I am a Shinigami, he tells her, but there is little I can remember beyond this. I have no name, no family and no home to return to, he says, and the young girl begins to feels herself taking pity on this strange young man. She gives him a new name, “Ao” [or “Blue”], for the unusual shade of his eyes and the blue sky under which they meet. Little does she know, however, of where this fateful encounter would lead them. Little does she know, that from this day forward, the doors to a whole new world of secrets and half-truths would  be flung open and a whole host of strange occurrences and deepening mysteries revealed to them.

CHARACTERS:

Protagonist:

• Toono Sayo [Name changeable] (CV: Ueda Kana)

 Height: 164 cm

Weight: 45 kg

Age: 17

Born to a wealthy family, the protagonist is described as having the appearance of a fairytale princess. Though comparatively calmer and more prudent than her peers, Sayo displays great emotional depth and inner strength. She lives with Tooya, her older brother and to say that they both suffer from a major sister/brother complex would be a gigantic understatement. [Seriously. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more touchy feely sibling couple than this one (-ε-“) ]

She meets Aoi, a Shinigami who has lost all of his memories, as she embarks on a journey to search  for “the most beautiful phrases in the world”

Characters with playable routes: 

• Toono Tooya (CV: Kamashima Tokuyoshi)

Height: 183 cm

Weight: 65 kg

Age:  25

[That’s right. Sayo can now date her beloved elder brother in this game] As an author, Tooya enjoys reading his novels to Sayo. He is currently in the middle of writing a story about a lonely Shinigami, who stumbles upon a beautiful girl one evening.

[Review] Mother Goose no Himitsu no Yakata: Part Two

Just finished playing all the character routes in Mother Goose ヾ(´▽｀*;)ゝ”

If you picked up the game because of your love of nursery rhymes and the nostalgic want to rekindle your childhood memories – then you won’t be disappointed. The game-play centres on a series of quizzes must be completed to gain CGs (or “dates”) with each character, with an additional cheat button (L-1) that can be pressed if the going gets tough. My finger was glued to that cheat button, by the way, since the questions were quite specific and because I just don’t know my nursery rhymes. (´･ω･`)

For me though, it was MUCH shorter than expected, with far too little character/relationship development. I would have liked longer scenes and conversations that didn’t feel so much like long-winded lectures about each character’s hobbies/interests. You don’t get to understand any of the guys very well, because the game is really quite stingy with giving out personal information. Then again – they are NURSERY RHYME characters. Maybe QuinRose deliberately withheld the character development to get that 2-dimensional, children’s book sort of feel, and to put more emphasis on the educational aspect of the game…?. Well, that’s what I tell myself in any case (“´―`)

NB: Be careful not to press the X button before entering a CG, or you run the risk of exiting the CG scene EVEN BEFORE IT STARTS. I had it happen once along Arthur’s route, and since the game runs on Auto-Save anyway, there wasn’t any other way to retrieve that scene. *sob*

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Arthur Lindgren ~

On the surface, he looks like the household butler. Because of his “advanced” age (and what looks like wrinkles around his eyes…? o.o”), Arthur is somewhat mellow and very well-mannered. He describes himself as a proper English gentleman and likes to take Erika out on walks through town. At first, Erika’s reaction to his hobby is sceptical, calling him 老人臭い (like an old man) and uncool. She becomes really pissed off when Arthur refuses to let her go home and almost demands that he send her back. In the end she obliges (because really, she’s got no other choice) and for the first few “dates”, he lectures her about English manners and sensibilities.

On the first date, he takes Erika up to the hillside and points out the fact that he owns all the land from “this tree to that pillock over there”. Erika becomes really flabbergasted, but accepts it anyway, all the while thinking “That’s great. But what I’d really like, is if you’d let me GO BACK HOME”.

[Review] Mother Goose no Himitsu no Yakata: Part One

TITLE: マザーグースの秘密の館 [Mother Goose no Himitsu no Yakata]
RELEASE DATE: 23rd June 2011
CONSOLE: PSP
COMPANY: QuinRose
GENRE: Trivia-Based/Fantasy/Otome Game
CHARACTERS: 

There are 5 playable characters in total:

• Arthur Lindgren (CV: Sakurai Takahiro) -Very close to Mother Goose herself. He’s the oldest of all of 5 guys, and has loads of wisdom. Only specific role: to guide the protagonist along her journey.
• Eric Burrell (CV: Toriumi Kousuke) –  Works as sort of a handyman for Mother Goose. He organizes daily tasks, is light-footed and very informed about village news. Described as being young, but quite level-headed.
• Bacchus Moore (CV: Suwabe Junichi) – Sociable and bright, Bacchus is the chef of the household. He works as the Master for a nearby pub at night, and is very well-mannered, probably a result of his upbringing in the lower parts of the village.
• Cezary Fritche (CV: Morikawa Toshiyuki) – A scholar, nicknamed “Teacher” by the others. He’s thoroughly absorbed in his research and has a strict, unrelenting attitude. In his mid-20s and has no patience for waffle.
• Vincent Noble (CV: Yasumoto Hiroki) – Stoic and tsundere. [YAY!] Vincent comes from a good family, and studies under Cezary. He shares commonalities with the protagonist, but doesn’t really know how to treat women (ﾟ∇^”)

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STORY:

One morning, somewhere in England, Erica Fleur  is chilling in her bedroom, minding her own business. Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light hits her from across her bedroom. Surprised, she looks up to discover that the bookcase is the source of this strange light and gets up to investigate. She picks up an old book off the shelf, that she hasn’t opened since way back, and wonders what could have caused it to sparkle all-of-a-sudden. Naturally, Erica opens the book and-  KABLAM. Instant time/space warp.

Its sends her into an alternate world, where she is greeted by 5 beautiful men, all claiming to “know her very well, from a long long time ago”. Turns out, they are characters in the book she just opened, a children’s picture book called “Mother Goose’s Tales”. Sound Familiar? You Betcha. Mother Goose is a real-life pseudonym for the author/s of popular children’s rhymes. Like Humpty-Dumpty for example. And Ring a Ring o’ Roses. ~（°∀°　 ）~