Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Winter Shard - Synopsis

Short evaluation:
Story: Bleak story in a medieval fantasy setting with gothic undertones and an anti-hero as the main character. The story has a good number of branches and the choices change significantly the story and the ending you get. Strong characters and many CGs help giving this game a powerful impact. The game contains some gory descriptions, but they are fairly short and well done.
Presentation: Good art and an impressive amount of CGs. Regular presentation and good music.
Strongest points: Interesting characters and story. Your actions affect the story profoundly. Unusual setting for the story.

Download Winter Shard here.

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Winter Shard - Review

Warning: Spoilers below:

Well, I am quite a suspicious person to review Winter Shard, since I was one of the game’s beta testers and am very fond of bleak stories, complex anti-heroes and difficult moral dilemmas, all of which can be easily found in Winter Shard. For any regular VN players, accustomed to reading a romantic story in a familiar, modern-age scenario, Winter Shard may feel like a bucketful of freezing water. It has a dark story, which does not refrain from showing murder, war and tyranny as well as many tragic or disturbing scenes, like Rosetta and the flower that sustained her and Rosetta’s burial. The hero, while not completely unlikable, is far from the ideal hero of an average story. Although initially he may seem a cold hearted tyrant, in fact Frederone is much more complex than that, with a very basic, and human, conflict inside him: How to deal with the changes that inevitably come with time, especially the tragic death of someone we love. This is one of the main driving forces in the whole game and such a rich theme is explored by F.I.A. in a very tasteful, strong and above all dramatic manner.
The Gameplay is also a strong feature of this game, with a good amount of branching in the story, leaving you to deal with the consequences of your acts. There are endings for all tastes, from the romantic, to the evil, to something in between these two. The game must also be praised in the fact which the game doesn’t “punish” you for bad decisions ( except one single choice in the very beginning ). The player is given liberty to choose whatever path he wishes, and can be as evil, or as kind as he pleases without fearing that some higher power ( i.e. the morality of the author of the story ) will automatically punish you with death or lousy endings. One could argue that evil itself is already a just punishment for evil actions, but I’ll leave that for the philosophy conversations. The game does have a true ending, and one which I believe many agree to be the most satisfying of them all. None of the other endings are bad ( most, in fact, are fairly happy, with the exception of one sudden ending near the start of the game ) but the True ending is, by far, the most dramatic, moving and well executed of them all. While the other endings happen easily, with little or no conflict, the true ending reaches a truly epic scale in which creation and creator battle for their ideals and the story goes full circle, finishing in a bittersweet gran finale that would be difficult to surpass.
The art is fairly well-executed, with some sprites that deserve special praise like the hydra image or Rosetta’s burial CG. The quantity of event images is also good, and none of them feel wasted, each contributing to the story resulting in a unique effect. The game music can be found freely in the internet, but is still very good, and works well with the somber, moody ambience of the story. The sound effects are good, and presentation is normal.
Concluding this review, I can only say that it took courage and determination to make such a rich game, with a fair amount of violence, following almost no “standards” of the genre, with various paths and event CGs, it is a game that deserves praise and full merit for its accomplishments.
I did warn you that I was a suspicious person to write this review, remember?

Review by Mr. E

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

K*A*O*R*I - Synopsis

‘She became my dream girl. And also something I always returned to. Something inspiring.’

Story: Souji, the popular writer for an art magazine gets all his inspiration from his old flame Kaori. But articles from the mysterious Ghostwriter seem to be even more popular.

Relationship Type: BxG

Length: 40-60 minutes to complete all endings

Positives: Very well told story, large number of endings, very effective use of passwords as part of the gameplay.

Unusual Features: Minimalist approach (2.2 MB download, 7 MB installed), password required to fully complete the game.

Download K*A*O*R*I here.

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

K*A*O*R*I - Review

‘She became my dream girl. And also something I always returned to. Something inspiring.’

Warning: This review contains spoilers

K*A*O*R*I (hereafter KAORI) was one of the earliest OELVN’s, and for me it seems to be one of the most important, not just for ATP projects, but also for OELVN’s in general. Being able to tell a story in an original, effective way using minimal resources has become somewhat of a hallmark for the Lemmasoft communities VN’s, and KAORI was one of the first games to demonstrate this.

KAORI was created as a prototype for what mikey describes as ATP’s ‘simple games’. Compared to River Trap (which is still one of the most complicated and graphically intense OELVN’s), KAORI is about 1/15th its size. To reduce production time (and to keep the game small), there is only one pose per character sprite, no music and a rather low resolution background photographs. There is still a strong atmosphere created by the minimal resources used, particularly the filter of the backgrounds, which for some reason reminds me of yellowing paper.

One of the most unusual features of KAORI is the characterisation. None of the characters’ personalities are described to a significant extent, even when they engage in conversation. The characters function more as inspirations to each other rather than as people, and because of this, in some ways they become 'idols' for each other.

The other strongly innovative feature is the overall structure of KAORI, in particular the way that 5 out of the 9 of the Endings (where some or the entire Kaori/Inami story is revealed). By constructing the game in this way, the reader is forced to read most (or all) of the endings to discover reach the True Endings. KAORI’s choices are structured such that each ending can only be reached in one way, which combined with the newly added keyboard support, allows the player to easily retrace the paths to the password endings. Additionally, the decision points in KAORI are well thought out – one choice in particular seems rather ambiguous, but makes perfect sense after the whole story is revealed.

KAORI differs from most of the other ATP games, as a (slightly) greater focus is placed on the storytelling rather than the emotions attached to it. Overall, I didn’t find KAORI quite as successful as the other early ATP games – but it still integrates gameplay and story in a way that’s perfectly suited to the VN format.

Review by Ignosco

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Wings - Synopsis

'To be always alone, but never lonely...'

Story: A mostly emotional and psychological drama told from the point of view of two characters.

Relationship type: Friendship (BxG)

Length: Both versions are approximately 15 minutes

Positives: Honest storytelling, very effective use of artwork, extensive author’s notes, solo project, two protagonists

Unusual Features: Protagonists appear as sprites and have very strong personalities, story exists in two versions, minimal dialogue, linear visual novel.

Download Wings here.

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Wings - Review

'To be always alone, but never lonely...'

Wings is a rather unusual VN in several respects, as there are two versions of the story included in the one download, two protagonists and a storyline conveyed mostly through internal thoughts.

In a few places the writing doesn’t flow particularly well, feeling at times like a compressed list of facts. However, what really stands out is the overall honesty and immediacy of the story. Both protagonists convey their thoughts to the reader very frankly, without an attempt on the author’s part to express any moral judgements, leaving the ideas presented open to a personal response. What I also found interesting was the personalities of the protagonists, which are quite likely to rile the players. While their thoughts are often highly arrogant and condescending in their thoughts, it is unlikely that they will completely distance anyone. On a personal level, at times my thoughts have drifted down those lines, and I imagine that this is true for many other readers, making this a somewhat confrontational VN.

As Lordcloudx mentions in the authors notes, there is a strong influence of some of the translated doujin VN’s, particularly Narcissu and Until We Meet Again. The influence of Narcissu is particularly evident, through the tightly squeezed backgrounds and Kotori’s appearance (which resembles Setsumi’s in Narcissu).

While the other elements of the game (art, music etc) aren’t quite on the same level as the story, they are still well done and effective. The art in particular is an essential part of Wings, as there are minimal character descriptions, which I think is why the protagonist is also presented onscreen. In the ending of the revised version the use of art is highly effective too.

It’s difficult to say which version I prefer, as the primary difference between each story is the artwork, with only a few sentences of the original storyline being changed. If you enjoy the story, it’s definitely worth playing through the other version to draw comparisons between them. Additionally, Lordcloudx’s comments in the author’s notes and in the Completed Games section of the Lemmasoft forums are well worth reading. It’s also hard to say who this story might appeal to as it operates on a rather personal level. However, I think Wings is well worth downloading if you are looking for a slightly different VN experience.

Review by Ignosco

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Thursday, July 12, 2007

The Nettestadt Troll - Synopsis

WARNING: This synopsis contains adult content.

Story: You play the role of a young woman, Katja, in the quaint hamlet of Nettestadt, in medieval Bavaria. Peace once again comes to the town after a failed uprising. But there is a new fear for the townspeople: The Nettestadt Troll. To appease this lost soul and leave the town alone, you are sent to live in an isolated cottage outside of town as the troll's concubine. The troll turns out to seem very human. As your relationship with him progresses you are granted certain freedoms. You use this opportunity to investigate to see if, indeed, the troll was someone you knew from the past.

Relationship Type: GxB

Length: 90 minutes

Positives: Solo project finished in two months, high quality in all game elements, very effective use of Ren’Py, first OELVN H-game.

Unusual Features: Minimalist approach, mystery/detective element to the game, several mini-games, character sprites only shown to the side in a ‘head-graphics’ type approach, female protagonist but at places has more of a BxG feel.

Sexual content: Some rape (not graphically depicted). Softcore H-scenes (genitalia are not shown and are described by euphemisms).

Download The Nettestadt Troll here.

Labels: , , , , ,


Read more!

The Nettestadt Troll - Review

WARNING - This review contains adult content, and some spoilers.

One of the problems I’ve had with Hentai games is reconciling the sex scenes with the story. These two elements are in some ways diametrically opposed to each other, and in some of the Hentai games I’ve played, some of the scenes seem to have no direct purpose in terms of the overall plot. One way to avoid an awkward juxtaposition of is to have a plot with sex as an important element, and this is the approach that The Nettestadt Troll takes. To quote DaFool, ‘The Nettestadt Troll is a story whose primary objective is to uncover: “Just who the hell am I having sex with?” ’. The game is not remotely close to a sex-romp though (the Hentai appears only after unmasking the troll in the endings), and more time is spent on establishing the backgrounds for each character and showing the abduction by the troll, the gradual development of a relationship between them, and Katya’s attempts to discover who is behind the mask.

The Nettestadt Troll does contain some mature content. There are two visually depicted H-scenes, one on each characters path after the troll has been unmasked (only topless nudity is shown, and the genitalia are described by various euphemisms. On another note, to unlock the 4th H-CG for each character, Katja needs to have acquired the herbal aphrodisiac.) The other sexual encounters (some of which involve rape) between the Troll and Katja are not visually depicted, but are described. On the whole, all of the mature content is tastefully done – however if you feel like you will be offended by it, it’s best not to play this game.

The creator of a solo project has some advantages over a team project, the biggest of which is total control. Having the ability to write, draw, program, compose etc all the elements of your game will ensure that it remains as close as possible to your vision. The obvious downside is the vastly increased workload, but in return it is possible to strongly unify the different elements of the VN. What I found particularly effective was the combination of the backgrounds and sprites. The zoomed-in backgrounds would not work especially well with a full-body character sprite, and so a head-graphic off to the side is used instead.

Perhaps the strongest of the game’s elements are the graphics, although every part of this game is of a high quality. The headshots used for the males and females are done partially by a pallet-swapping technique, but all of the characters are strongly distinctive and attractive. However, throughout the story, no one component seems to dominate, and what comes across a lot of the time is a strong unity between all the elements. For example, the first time Katja encounters the Troll, while out searching for the key in Chapter 2, the player knows that at some point in the minigame (exploring various areas of a map), that Katja will encounter the troll - but it is unclear when it will happen. The overall feel created by the ominous music and dark backgrounds culminate in the on-screen appearance of the troll’s CG. I should note that there are also some other menu based mini-games included, which integrate well into the game, particularly where you try to unmask the Troll in Chapter 5.

One of the other big achievements of The Nettestadt Troll is its utilisation of some of the more recent Ren’Py features to keep the overall download side of the game under 7 megabytes. By splitting the large backgrounds (which generally function as the maps) into four quadrants, when Katja journeys to a particular area within the maps’ area, by zooming in to the particular quadrant, effectively, another background is created from the original. Also, some of the ‘shading’ features within Ren’Py are used to produce alternate states of backgrounds (such as the grey backgrounds for the flashbacks). This efficient, minimalist approach to game creation is well worth considering, as it saves effort on the creators’ part, and can make the game more accessible to those using dial-up connections.

The Nettestadt Troll’s development thread is very extensive and the overall approach that DaFool took during the game’s development might be worth considering. The game was scaled down several times over the course of the thread, to ensure that the VN would be completed within the self-imposed deadline (two months). This approach is the same as that taken for NaNoRenO (make a complete VN within one month), and in both cases, the time-limit and the associated pressure are important factors in ensuring the games’ completion (and generally, games that aren’t completed by the deadline are usually left unfinished). In some ways, The Nettestadt Troll is a compromise from the original premise, but what’s far more important is that it’s a complete VN.

The above paragraph is not trying to demean The Nettestadt Troll or take away from DaFool’s amazing achievement. Almost all free games to a greater or lesser extent are compromised versions of what the creator would ideally have in mind, and the final version of this VN is still of a very high quality. The script can also be opened using Ren'Py - with the programming for the minigames and the use of the zoom function being well worth examining.

Overall, The Nettestadt Troll is a well-made love/detective story, designed to appeal to both sexes. Unless you would prefer to avoid games with adult content, this VN is well worth playing.

Review by Ignosco

Labels: , , , , ,


Read more!

Elven Relations - Synopsis

‘We ought to do our bit at improving human-elven relations, don’t you think?’

Story: Takuya is a swordsman in the Royal Army of the Kingdom of Reachfar, who is sent on a unique mission into the Endless Forest to establish diplomatic relations with the Elven people. Could there be love awaiting him in the depths of the Elvenglade?

Relationship Type: BxG

Length: 60-90 minutes, 3+ hours to complete every ending/get all CG’s.

Positives: Very well written story (Ren’Ai/Fantasy), vast amount of artwork, RPG minigame, extensive omake and gallery (includes character expressions and backgrounds), highly replayable.

Unusual features: Choice between RPG minigame and narrative-style combat, very long-term project completed as a result of NaNoRenO 2007.

Download Elven Relations.

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Elven Relations - Review

‘We ought to do our bit at improving human-elven relations, don’t you think?’

Warning: This review contains some spoilers

As mentioned in the Omake section, Elven Relations was initially begun in 2003, but ended up stalling with about 2/3rds of the script done. It ended up being completed in 2007 as an IntRenAiMo project, making it one of the few games to be successfully completed after being left on hiatus for a long time.

The overall story of Elven Relations combines a traditional Ren’Ai experience with a relatively standard fantasy world (pre-gunpowder). At times the overall storyline and plot feel a bit conflated as the scale of the mission is rather grand, and everything goes very smoothly throughout. Even so, Elven Relations is (I think) the second longest Lemmasoft forums game, behind Gakuen Redux. However the game’s focus is more on the Ren’Ai aspect, rather than the overall plotline, and as chronoluminaire mentions, the depth of the game comes from the back-story, which requires multiple playthroughs to fully discover. Tohko, Yurika and Asilana all have very well developed personalities/backgrounds etc, and while certain parts of their stories are revealed on every path

One of the best features of Elven Relations is its replayability. Although the overall plot is the same no matter which character you pursue, there are changes not just in the interactions which the character you romance, but also in some of the other conversations. I particularly enjoyed the way other characters noticed and responded to your growing romance – it really increases the realism of the game. Elven Relations will probably require multiple replays to track down the best endings (particularly the semi-hidden Ending 1) – it’s definitely worth replaying to find all of the endings as they are all well-written and each of them has at least one CG associated with it.

Almost all of the art appearing in the final version of Elven Relations was completed under NaNoRenO conditions by Sunkitten. The quality is consistently high, and the amount is staggering (15 CG’s and many characters (including costume changes) with) numerous facial expressions). More importantly, the expressions are matched very well to the character sprites, for example Yurika’s subtle expressions fit her somewhat reserved personality. The backgrounds (a few of which are hand-drawn) and music were very well chosen too - and the gameplay never feels overly repetitive due the numerous resources employed over the course of Elven Relations.

The combat minigames are at the right level of difficulty – they require a little bit of thought (particularly the Dragon combat), but they can all be beaten even if the only character you defend is your love interest. In these sequences, the combat is continuous (as opposed to turn-based), but your actions can only take place (as menu choices) in a reactionary way (you can only decide how to interact with one of the NPC’s as they are attacked). The romantic interactions between your love interest are also carried over into combat, as one way to get ‘her’ to like you more is to protect her in combat, and in return, they will defend you in some way too (for example Tohko distracts enemies from attacking you by Fireballing them)

As there are only three combat sequences in the game, it raises the question of whether they are needed in the game. Personally, I much prefer this mini-game to the story-mode overview, as the written-out comments seem a bit perfunctory. It’s good to have the flexibility to choose between them though, particularly when replaying a characters’ path to achieve the best ending.

Overall, Elven Relations is a high-quality OELVN, with an excellent mix of Ren’ai, fantasy, and some other elements (eg humour). As long as you don’t approach the game expecting a really deep and meaningful story you are likely to really enjoy this.

:)

Review by Ignosco

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Pymalion - Synopsis

'Are you jealous?'
'Of a character I created? No way.'

'You have power over hundreds of people. People read your stories. People send you letters, and even gifts, without even knowing you. People have their lives changed by you.'


Story: Andrew is a successful manga artist that, in a fit of disappointment over his work, creates a character just like the woman of his dreams. But characters can't come to life, can they?

Relationship Type: BxG

Length: 20 minutes

Positives: Well told thought-provoking story, very effective expressions/poses for Andrew, extensive extras.

Unusual Features: Made entirely by one person, influenced/inspired by Greek tragedy/mythology and other Western literature, protagonist’s sprite is frequently shown on-screen.

Download Pygmalion here.

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Pygmalion - Review

'Are you jealous?'
'Of a character I created? No way.'

'You have power over hundreds of people. People read your stories. People send you letters, and even gifts, without even knowing you. People have their lives changed by you.'


Although the Pygmalion myth has been retold many times by different authors, even showing up in another Visual Novel (as an important part of one characters’ path in a very highly regarded game), Pygmalion presents a relatively original, well told version, with a strong basis in real-life. The historical links this VN has with the myth are evinced through the inter-textual references made to other re-tellings, such as Andrew’s pseudonym being Higgins.

In some places the art is a bit rough, but it is always highly expressive. Andrew’s poses are extremely diverse and serve to express his internal emotions very well. Having the protagonist pictured on-screen as a sprite outside of CG’s is rather unusual – but it could almost be suggested that the statue and Andrew are both protagonists at these times. Besides, it’s much more interesting and effective to see Andrew, as opposed to the statue. The music is also very expressive and fits the story well – for example there are different tracks for Victoria depending on which personality you have ‘given’ her.

If you haven’t heard of the Pygmalion story before, it’s probably better to play the game before reading about it in the extras (or from any other source). For me, what was especially interesting about this retelling was the basis that it had in reality – Mr. E mentions in the extra notes about meeting someone whose had 'modelled' their personality after Sakura (from CLAMP's Sakura Card Captors). Although I’m no sociologist, for better or worse, there seems to be an increase in the number of people creating alternative personalities, or crafting themselves after existing ones. Personally, this was the most interesting aspect of Pygmalion for me – that the myth was presented in a 'real' situation.

It’s a question that’s well worth thinking about. The statue seems to point out to Andrew, and indirectly to any potential ‘creators’ the responsibilities that we have over our characters. As the old adage goes, ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’ – and clearly most people acknowledge the power the written word can have on the human mind. What sort of responsibilities do we have as creators (moral or otherwise)? For me, it’s nigh-impossible to draw a clear dividing line, and strong arguments can be put up for any position that can be taken. The aspects of the statue as Hubris and Nemesis emerge at the end of the story, to present this choice. None of the three endings are 'bad', suggesting that the author doesn't want to advocate one view over another - instead leaving them open for consideration.

Overall, like a lot of the Lemmasoft forum games, Pygmalion is not a ‘typical’ Ren’Ai story. It’s a well told, thought-provoking story, which happens to include some romance. Like most of these VN’s, as long as you don’t go into it with the wrong expectations, you won’t be disappointed.

Review by Ignosco

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Secretary of Death - Synopsis

‘… the meaning of life is death.’

‘Everything is simple. You are just making things complicated to give it more meaning.’

Story: Is there a meaning to everything? Can love last forever and never die? Can happiness be anything more than just temporary? Do our lives even matter at all? Well... of course not.

Relationship type: BxG

Length: 25-40 minutes

Positives: Very interesting subject, investigation of life, love and death, lots of ‘death’ jokes, very small download (2.9 Meg, about 8 Meg once installed).

Unusual Features: Relationship with a female personification of death, 1 main path with several dead (literally ;) ) ends coming from it, relatively minimalist game.

Download Secretary of Death here.

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Secretary of Death - Review

‘… the meaning of life is death.’

‘Everything is simple. You are just making things complicated to give it more meaning.’

Secretary of Death is not so much a game focused around a particular emotion, but is more an examination of some ideas surrounding life, death and love. The story is roughly in two parts, the first (more light-hearted part) being before the other deaths while the second more philosophical part comes after that (although mainly near the end of the game) – although clearly there is a large degree of crossover between the main theme for each part. Although there are some death jokes and many romantic scenes in the second half of the story, what stood out the most for me were the discussions between Aleksandra and Hiroaki.

While it could be suggested that these jokes are unnecessary and do not fit with the main theme of this VN, for me they really show how a relationship between Hiroaki and a death can develop. They also prepare the reader for the later discussions of death, through their light-hearted but never trivial nature. From my part, I would have preferred a few less ‘love’ scenes and some more investigation of the philosophical part of the story, as that was the more unusual and intriguing aspect of the story for me. I don’t mean to detract too much from the romantic scenes – I guess you could describe them as being funny, touching and (in a good way) full of clichés.

The real substance of Secretary of Death for me is in the second half, in particular with the philosophical discussions. I think the two quotes prefacing this review explain why certain emotions are the focus of some other ATP games. The age-old question of the meaning of life is presented by Aleksandra in a somewhat cold, impersonal and almost nihilistic – but no matter what you believe, to a certain extent it’s undeniably true. Hiroaki’s response is much more ‘human’, and I guess it reminds me [completely off topic reference] of the consideration of life as being like a bridge, with the current step on it being the only important choice. The final view presented Aleksandra and Hiroaki agree on, is that from a distance nothing matters, but to each other we matter a lot. The view arising from this (which can apply to other ATP games), is the need to matter to someone else, expressed through romantic love. (At least, this is my interpretation of Secretary of Death.)

Perhaps this view could be applied to most Visual Novel’s – by considering the nature of endings. Usually, the endings referred to as ‘best’, ‘good’ or ‘true’ often revolve around forming a successful relationship, while ‘bad’ endings generally have the protagonist remaining unattached. As such, arguably meaning can be said to arrive from ‘winning’ a game. Just a passing thought…

In some ways Secretary of Death is very much like a minimalist game, with the absence of music, the blurred backgrounds (processed photographs) and the somewhat rudimentary character art. I can’t quite remember my exact feeling when I first played this but it’s one VN’s I’ve replayed quite a few times since then - behind Gakuen Redux, this is my favourite of the ATP games. For me, I guess to a certain extent this game answered (or at least gave me a lot to ponder over) questions that I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and I think this has a lot to do with my high appraisal of Secretary of Death. So apologies if this review is somewhat biased :P.

Secretary of Death makes very effective use of the 'double vision' script, which was first used in Gakuen Redux. I think this is also the first game to use the customised slider icons in the options menu.

To paraphrase a comment mikey sent me about this game; Secretary of Death explains a lot about the other ATP games, because there is a kind of common nature present in most, if not all of them. Some of the ideas dealt with, such as loneliness, and the ‘dream-girl’ idea stem directly from the ideas expressed in this game (which I will discuss in future reviews).

While Secretary of Death (as mikey has mentioned), is not a game for everyone, if you are interested in the other ATP games or examining ideas about love and death, this VN is definitely worth playing. While there is an ‘amateurish’ feel to this game, it shouldn’t detract from the overall experience.

Review by Ignosco

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Tales of Lemma - Synopsis

Short evaluation:

Story: Light-hearted, funny and charming story with many choices that, while not having major influence in the story, are excellent in making the player relate with the protagonist. Some mild fan service in one path. Many choices and freedom in a fairly linear story. Gameplay includes an RPG fight in the middle, although it is not too hard.

Presentation: Good art with photos as backgrounds. Good presentation and music.

Strongest points: The games have many choices the enable the player to define the main character and empathize with him.



Download Tales of Lemma here.

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Tales of Lemma - Review

Tales of Lemma

Tales of Lemma was the first Lemmasoft VN, one of the pioneers in the English VN scenario and incidentally the first VN I played that was originally in English, so it’s hard to talk about it without getting slightly nostalgic but I’ll try. First, the plot is fairly simple. Those expecting a complex story with elaborate twists and deep psychological background will be disappointed. Tales of Lemma is delightfully unpretentious, hence one of its greatest charms. The story has some very funny moments and others that are just plain surreal. The unexplained mushroom attack and the squirrel rescue are strange and the fact that the characters aren’t very surprised and never question these only adds to the whole bizarreness of the situation, but it’s all for the sake of humor and entertainment, and Tales of Lemma succeeds in both.
Also of note is the choices system, which remembers the choices you made and gives further choices accordingly, an ingenious system which unfortunately wasn’t used as much as it should be. The game gave the player a “fanservice” option only if he had shown interest in that earlier in the game, which is perfect in terms of experience since you really feel in the protagonist’s shoes. If you don’t like fanservice then the character won’t look for fanservice ( yes, in one part the main character stumbles into fanservice regardless of the player’s choices, but partial control of the story doesn’t mean total control, just like in everyday life really… ) I only lament that this system wasn’t used much in any other part of the game. Giving the artsy persona a special choice would be equally rewarding and the appeal of the game would be higher, although the game maker’s workload would be increased too. All in all, the choices system is sound and only need a more broad approach.
The background photos are ok and work surprisingly well with the character art, despite the fact that Miko is not especially photorealistic. The music and sound effects do the job, no more, no less ( although the campfire sound effect deserves some special praise ) and the fact that the game has no saving system is at least eased by the fact that the game is small, taking 15-25 minutes.
Overall Tales of Lemma is a good game for those that want to relax and have fun. It is also one of the main inspirations for many amateur VN creators of the “early generation” ( i.e. Three years ago. ) and a good stop for the terminally nostalgic, a group that includes this sorry game reviewer
Review by Mr. E

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Lucy's Revenge - Synopsis

Synopsis:

Story: So, Eileen has been getting all the spotlight, all the fame and all the credit for Ren'Py, has she? Well, it's time to turn things around...

Relationship Type: BxG

Length: 10 minutes

Positives: Excellent art and use of Ren’Py features, very funny, full script can be viewed with Ren’Py.

Unusual Features: Completed within 1 week (!), the most ecchi game in the community at the time of its release, one of the few comedy/parody games in the Archives, (essentially) a linear Visual Novel.

Some background information: The Ren’Py demos up to the 6th version have featured Eileen almost exclusively, as she describes introduces the viewer to Ren’Py. Lucy’s appearance in the original was only on the ‘Make a Choice’ screen in the Ren’Py demo, used to demonstrate Imagemaps. She ended up being dropped from the 5.6.3 demo.

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Lucy's Revenge - Review

Review:

Potential spoilers below:



(The Ren’Py demos up to the 6th version have featured Eileen almost exclusively, as she describes introduces the viewer to Ren’Py. Lucy’s appearance in the original was only on the ‘Make a Choice’ screen in the Ren’Py demo, used to demonstrate Imagemaps. She ended up being dropped from the 5.6.3 demo.)

Lucy’s Revenge is parody at its best. When I first played this, I had never seen Lucy in the Ren’Py demo, and after I’d downloaded an earlier version of Ren’Py, I was impressed by how mugenjohncel developed such an ‘interesting’ character out of the one ‘Make a Choice’ screen. Many on the jokes are tied into particular features in Ren’Py, but even without knowing about these, the humour is still apparent.

Aside from the wacky and somewhat perverse humour the other element that really stands out is the art. For a game produced in a week, there are a lot of high quality CG’s, sprites, as well as several animations. The ‘grabbing’ one in particular is very well done.

It’s definitely worth downloading if you’re interested in seeing what can be done art-wise with Ren’Py. As all of the script and images are accessible from the game directory, Lucy’s Revenge is almost like another Ren’Py tutorial, featuring several of the more advanced features in action.

Mugenjohncel’s upcoming VN, My Dear Teacher – Mr. K (there’s a demo available on the Lemmasoft forum in the Works in Progress section) will have Lucy (and maybe Eileen?) in it - so if you enjoyed Lucy’s Revenge it’s definitely a game to look forward to.

Review by Ignosco

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Starlit Sky - Synopsis

“… when people die they become a new star in the sky and live out a second life as that star, shining down upon their sleeping loved ones.”

Synopsis:

Relationship type: Essentially non-romantic (BxG friendship)

Length: About 60-80 minutes

Story: A story about a boy named Jack who is trying to reach the stars.

Positives: A very well told and moving story, highly effective and well utilised artwork and music, excellent ending.

Unusual features: Linear Visual Novel (no choices), two main and equally important characters whose relationship develops into a deep friendship (as opposed to romance).


Download Starlit Sky here.

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Starlit Sky - Review

“… when people die they become a new star in the sky and live out a second life as that star, shining down upon their sleeping loved ones.”

Spoilers Below

Starlit Sky is the story of both Jack and Marivel as they work together to fulfil a promises they have made. This is one of the first games to explore a relationship purely of deep friendship, rather than romance. It was originally conceived as a NaNoRenO game (made entirely in 1 month), but ended up being completed in May.

Describing the setting is difficult – it’s partially a combination of a (roughly) 19th century like world with a world of magic, where fairy tales can be real. Perhaps there is a degree of incongruity in this unusual setting but for me it never really detracted from the story – especially since many scenes in the story can be seen somewhat allegorically.

The protagonist is a fairly unusual age (13) for a VN – for much of the story, the slightly older Marivel is a more dominant character, due to her magical abilities and greater On the other hand, Jack is much more level-headed and in some ways wiser, enabling their characters balance very well with each other as they solve the problems they encounter together. As their friendship develops, they begin to share more of their pasts with each other, which for example reveals why Jack is always looking at the sky. Marivel’s story is only explained fully in the penultimate scene – although there are some clear hints given throughout the story as to why she forgot so much about her sister, I was very surprised upon reaching that scene. Significantly, the relationships Jack and Marivel had with their siblings, closely parallel their own friendship, except here their ages are reversed. The relationship they develop through the story seems to replace their previous friendships with their siblings.

Although Starlit Sky is mainly the story of Jack and Marivel, the secondary characters they encounter on their two side-trips are also very well developed. The theme of friendship is strongly prevalent again, as Jack and Marivel work together with Violetta, and then Kareena to solve the problems they encounter. For me, what was especially significant is that all three characters in each encounter were needed to best resolve the problem – for example without Jack, Violetta would have ended up taking the memory potion. I guess it was primarily because of the strong emphasis on friendship, that the story never felt sad for me, but instead was more of a heart-warming tale.

When I first discovered VN’s about 8 months ago, one comment I read (I think it was relating to Kana – Little Sister), emphasised that in a Visual Novel, you are playing primarily for the ending. From me, it is mainly (though not exclusively) the games with really well done endings that stay in my mind well after I’ve finished them. The ending to Starlit Sky is fairly short, but it is very moving and it really gives a sense of hope for the future, as Jack and Marivel both fulfil their promises together. Having the two stars showing at the end is a very effective artistic touch.

The character sprites in particular are utilised very effectively, with horizontal positioning and flipping used to show both the positions and emotions of the characters (ie facing away when they are angry or leaving the scene). I particularly like Violetta’s facial expressions, as they strongly enhance her personality. The music is also very well chosen – as a fairly small number of tracks are used, when certain pieces are repeated they link between sections of the story and emphasise the unified moods these sections share.

Overall, Starlit Sky is a beautifully told and moving story of friendship. As long you don’t approach the game expecting a story of romance, you are likely to enjoy this VNReview by Ignosco

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Embraced by Green - Synopsis

"... that weakness, it felt like death."

"And my mind, it can't paint Yumiko's picture for myself anymore."

Story: Working as researchers for the Yukiyama City institute, you and your colleague Yumiko are out in the botanical garden one morning. It's nine o'clock and everything is quiet and peaceful.

Relationship type: BxG

Length: 20-30 minutes for 1 playthrough.

Positives: Very strong atmosphere created throughout the game, highly original story, very well done good ending.

Unusual features: Completely linear gameplay (the choices do not affect the dialogue shown, only the ending), requires a different approach to most VN’s to reach the good ending and without this it could prove very frustrating. However these features are all essential parts of the overall game – even if you might prefer a different design in VN’s, it is definitely worth playing Embraced by Green.


Download Embraced by Green here.

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Embraced by Green - Review

"... that weakness, it felt like death."

"And my mind, it can't paint Yumiko's picture for myself anymore."
WARNING: Potential spoilers ahead

Like most ATP games, the game’s story is largely driven by one emotion – for Embraced by Green, it seems to be an aspect of loneliness, examined through the relationship between Etsuya and Yumiko. This is juxtaposed with the setting of the story; being trapped within a garden while on a scientific field trip and trying to escape from it with Yumiko – the ‘science’ side of the story. Each question asked by the game contributes a point towards one of these areas if answered correctly. The questions focus on the two themes of the game separately (both have to have enough correct answers to get the good ending), and if you get the bad ending, the game tells you on which theme(s) you have made mistakes (mikey mentioned on the Embraced by Green thread that you are allowed around 2-3 bad choices for each theme).

Normally the choices in a Ren’ai game revolve around pursuing a particular character, eg deciding who you will talk to and what you will talk to them about, and to a certain extent the player does not need to consider the personality of the protagonist, and can focus only on the ‘winnable’ character. However in Embraced by Green, the choices are almost all based on Etsuya’s inner thoughts or thoughts leading to action, and to find the good ending the choices have to be made according to Etsuya’s personality, (particularly his approach to science). This gameplay mechanic, where you have to become the protagonist to succeed is rather unique, and because the game requires this non-standard approach, it can easily become frustrating if you come into it with the wrong intentions.

There is a variable tracker integrated into the game (see the Embraced by Green thread in the Lemmasoft forums) which lets you see which choices give you points – if you get stuck trying to reach the good ending, this will help you.

The good ending is definitely worth seeing – it explains the mystery of the garden, and through that it validates the choices you have made. You also get to see the start of the relationship between Etsuya and Yumiko (there’s also an easter egg reference for one of the previous ATP games).

Aside from the storyline, the other really strong feature of the game is the overall atmosphere created. The music, the highly effective backgrounds (heavily processed photographs), the effects in Ren’Py and Yumiko’s art all combine to draw the player into the game – the feeling of being trapped in the garden.

Overall, while I prefer some of the other ATP projects VN’s above this one, this is still a very good game, and it is worth playing both for the storyline, the overall mood, and the good ending. The experience is something that would be virtually impossible to replicate in a print form and the gameplay mechanics of Embraced by Green, are completely new compared to any other Lemmasoft VN
Review by Ignosco

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Moonlight Walks - Synopsis

Short description:

It's the summer before you go away to college, and you're spending it visiting with your aunt and uncle on a small island in the Atlantic ocean. One night, while out taking pictures of the full moon, you meet a girl walking down the beach...

Short evaluation:

Story: Short but very well done. This story is very romantic and even melancholic, but never heavy. A good start for anyone new to the VN scenario. Average number of choices and gameplay.

Presentation: Average art, excellent presentation and use of effects. Good sound effects and music.

Strongest points: Romantic and mysterious atmosphere. Excellent ending (ending 4 to be more specific).



Download Moonlight Walks here.

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!

Moonlight Walks - Review

Originally sent in a PM to Py'Tom in Thu Jun 21, 2007 1:43 am (altered)

Just remembering Moonlight walks already brings very fond, and somewhat nostalgic feelings within me, as it was my first Ren’Py game (my first English VN being Tales of Lemma) and it was a very good beginning in my opinion.
First, the presentation: Py'Tom really used many different features of Ren’Py to enhance the game, which is appropriate since it was supposed to be a demonstration of Ren’Py, but none of the effects feels wasted or awkward. They all were really well used, and added a certain uniqueness to the game. The menu, the textbox, everything fits the wonderful, and slightly melancholic, atmosphere of the game.
Which brings me to the second point: the atmosphere. It’s simply one of the best ever in all the VNs I’ve ever read. The sound of waves fits the theme of the game. I think the sound of waves in the background actually enhances a feeling of silence in the game. Even so, when the waves stop (in the sunrise scenes) you feel the difference in the atmosphere, a certain tension that fits well with the mood of both scenes. The pan from the night sky to the moon and ocean at the introduction of the game is brilliant and the artwork, while no masterpieces, worked very well. I think the backgrounds were especially well done and the change in Mary when it’s almost sunrise is a very nice touch indeed. Artwork, music and writing: all help creating the wonderful atmosphere of the game: a feeling of loneliness and at the same time hope, with a bit of romance and tragedy for good measure. The heartbeat soundtrack at the “Together, into the light” ending works wonders, especially when it stops and there is a moment of silence… And you know the character is dead. But that brings me to one very important statement: of all the paths the best, and most cohesive one, is without a shadow of doubt the fourth one (Together, into the light) and all the other endings pale in comparison to it. But that is for topic number 3.
The story. And here comes one of my most heavy criticisms of the game: the other endings. The first two endings are basically a variation of “bang, you’re dead” endings. They were fairly ok, since they finished with tentative hooks that left the player wanting to see the real ending of the game, but they didn’t add anything to the story. Now ending three is, in my opinion, the biggest defect of the whole game (actually this is some kind of praise, since I usually find many other, much more serious, in the average game). The third ending is, at best, an interesting alternate ending, and at worst a distraction and a “mood spoiler”. Let me explain: When I first played Moonlight walks I got endings 1, 2, 3 and 4 in exactly that order. When I reached ending three the mood lightened up considerably, loosing some of its wonderful atmosphere for an “easy way out” ending and, worse of all, closed the story for me. When I reached the ending, even knowing there was still another ending to go, I said to myself “Okay, this story’s finished.” In a more-less subconscious way. I actually stopped playing to do something and decided afterwards to go back and play ending 4 from a saved game. That’s when I was blown away. That’s when the story REALLY revealed itself fully to me. I’ve just played it again before finishing this review and path 4 really carries the whole mood of the game from beginning to end without faltering one bit. It’s complete, in a sense. But I understand why Py'Tom put the choices there, and here we arrive at one of the big dilemmas in game-making: do we sacrifice the impact of the story ( both in mood and in quality ) to give the player more choices, more challenge and more freedom? Or do we concentrate only on the paths that really matter, even if that reduces us to only one path and effectively turns our game into a story, or a Kinetic story in VN language? I shall leave the question hanging in the air, shall I? Every game maker should decide the best answer for them, but I still hold the view that ending three could be cut out with little impact to the rest of the game (and the impact would be mostly positive, in MY own very biased opinion).
Well, that pretty much covers the whole game… Moonlight Walks will always hold a special place in my gallery of played games, being one of the first and one of the best. It was a big encouragement to me in both seeking the other games of the Ren’ai archives and making my own game and its author deserves congratulations for creating this wonderful game entirely by himself.

Review by Mr. E

Labels: , , , ,


Read more!