Jitteh Dawn - Synopsis

‘Lord Koji Ippongi’
‘Yes, Your Excellency’
‘It has come to my attention that you have married a half-demon.’

Story: You are Hogi Hasekura, an eager student who wants to find out a secret about the once-glorious Ippongi family.

Relationship type: Non-romantic

Length: 40-60 minutes (all endings)

Positives: Very intriguing mystery presented, effective use of character art.

Unusual Features: Impulsive young protagonist, very strong Japanese influence (for an OELVN), solo project.

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Jitteh Dawn - Review

Warning: This review contains spoilers.

Amongst the OELVN scene, particularly in 2007, there have been a lot of solo VN’s made. One of the advantages of working by yourself, is having total control over all the creative aspects of the game, and perhaps because of this, some very distinctive and original VN’s have been released recently. One game that can be described in these terms is Jitteh Dawn, particularly because of its’ unusual and intriguing storyline.

Personally, I found the story arc where Hogi continues to pursue his research to be more interesting. There were a lot of clues given as to what the Ippongi family’s secret might be, and with careful thought the mystery could be deduced, The other arc felt a bit odd, as the reader will probably have to suspend their belief for some of the wilderness scenes, particularly as to how the characters get lost. The other story element I found problematic was having Tatsunami immediately introduce himself as a member of the Ippongi family, which felt a bit odd, given the families notoriety. On the whole though, the story presentation was well done, particularly the opening allegory, which effectively foreshadows the Ippongi family’s secret. I should also add that the Death scene(s) are rather unusual.

The other thing that really struck me about Jitteh Dawn, was the protagonist, Hogi Hasekura. Although his age is not given, his over-eager and somewhat immature personality suggests that he is quite young. When playing I found myself enjoying his personality, but at the same time often wanting to stop him from saying or doing certain tactless things. However, that does not mean that I dislike Hogi – on the contrary, having a protagonist with a strong personality really made the game come to life. Also, without a protagonist like Hogi though, it is unlikely that any of the mystery would be uncovered.

One of the more unusual features of Jitteh Dawn (in terms of OELVN’s) is its heavy use of Japanese. Although a few OELVN’s use Japanese honorifics, and several have Japanese settings (and many display at least some Japanese influence), the extensive use of Kanji on maps and the family tree As an aside, the player does not need to be able to read Japanese. At the same time though, there is probably a hidden dimension to the game – for example the various name Kanji are unlikely to be randomly chosen. In some ways, perhaps this game might have worked even better in Japanese rather than English, although the OELVN scene would be much poorer as a result.

The character art (all from the public domain) uses a combination of head graphics and sprites, with Sayaka being shown at various times as both of these, depending on the situation. There is a version with improved artwork in progress, and this paragraph will be extended once the revised game is released.

Overall, I found Jitteh Dawn to be a very unique and enjoyable experience. It’s definitely worth playing if you’re looking for a VN experience that’s different from a typical romantic game.

Review by Ignosco

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The Loyal Kinsman - Synopsis

Story: In the 14th century, Gunther is a page on Castle Berwartstein on the verge of becoming a squire. However, when the knight who was meant to train him dies unexpectedly, Gunther suspects murder and begins to investigate...

Relationship Type: Non-romantic (male protagonist)

Length: 30-60 minutes

Positives: Very well written and challenging detective game, strongly evocative historical setting

Unusual Features: Medieval setting, solo project, young protagonist, non-romantic

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The Loyal Kinsman - Review

The Loyal Kinsman is the fourth mystery/detective game from the OELVN community, and the inspiration from it is derived from the third of the Jane Whitman games, The Wandering Child. Many elements are found in both stories, such as a historical, non-romantic setting, a large cast of characters, and challenging gameplay.

What particularly impressed me with the Loyal Kinsman's story was the character’s personalities and the setting. The feudal society with its’ Old Testament based morality is portrayed very well – and this VN, perhaps more than any other I’ve played so far, really made me feel like I was there, despite some of rather modern idiomatic expressions in the dialogue. The characters all came from a very diverse range of classes and backgrounds, and the resulting dialogue between them accurately reflects the conventions of a medieval society.

The game’s use of actual portraits as a substitute for character sprites was an idea taken from Mokenju’s games, (which use old photographs). This approach works has several advantages, particularly as the need for a sprite artist is avoided, which allows the script-writer to create a one person project using public domain resources without reusing existing character sprites. Notably, both the Jane Whitman games and The Loyal Kinsman both have historic settings, which the portrait approach is ideally suited. The music, whilst being more in a Renaissance than Medieval style, still suits the game’s atmosphere very well.

In terms of solving this mystery, Gunther is several stages ahead of the player, as he is able to link the evidence to provide a near-complete explanation for the murder and the surrounding circumstances. In contrast, if the player takes the correct path through the game, they will be able to deduce who the murderer was and some of the surrounding circumstances, probably without being able to figure out the background surrounding it. For me, having the mystery told in this way works well, as it allows for there to be focus on both the storytelling and the mystery, as well as providing a satisfying ending when the true ending is reached and all the details of the crime are revealed.

Overall, The Loyal Kinsman combines a well developed medieval setting with an excellent mystery story, and can be highly recommended to anyone interested in detective stories or historical settings. The game’s true ending definitely leaves open the possibility of a potential sequel, and personally, I would be very interested in reading more about Gunther’s future.

Review by Ignosco

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