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Getchu 2015 Bishoujo Game Awards

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World_Election_ParfilIt was no major surprise that makura’s Sakura no Uta would top Getchu’s bishoujo game awards 2015. It is followed in the overall rankings by YuzuSoft’s Sanoba Witch and ALICESOFT’s Evenicle. All three titles claimed further awards, with Sakura no Uta voted top scenario and music, Sanoba Witch with best graphics and OP, and Evenicle rewarded for its fun system. The top three characters were Sanoba Witch‘s Nene, Sakura no Uta‘s Ai and Hanasaki Work Spring‘s Nonoka. Hanasaki actually had 4 of the top 11. Finally, ωstar’s Bishoujo Mangekyou was voted as having the best ero. Congrats to all the winners!

The fall chapter of Innocent Grey’s FLOWERS series, FLOWERS -Le volume sur automne-, is planned for spring. Other new titles announced this week include:

ALcot Honey CombSoshite Hatsukoi ga Imouto ni Naru (May 27th)
CLOCKUPEro Goods! H na Omocha de Kaikan Enjoy (May 27th)

eye★phon’s Tsui Yuri has been set for March 25th, while SkyFish’s Ruri no Ie has been pushed back to May 27th.

The protection system for AkabeiSoft3’s most recent release Hataraku Otona no Ren’ai Jijou was cracked in a matter of days. The system also caused problems for some people who purchased the game. As such, they’ve decided to forego using one for AkabeiSoft3’s Omokage, while they are in talks with a foreign company to use for hibiki works’ PURELY×CATION.

Alicetia topped Usagi in the PRIMAL×HEARTS2 chara poll. Chara polls are currently running for D.S. -Dal Segno- (for dakimakura, until February 8th), Kimi to Yumemishi (until February 10th), and Hataraku Otona (from February 12th until February 15th, with the winner getting a sub-story).

Flowers_Natsu-hen_Official_FanbookThe first Amakano H OVA features Mizuki, while the PRETTY×CATION H OVA is about Komachi and Elektrichka. Does that mean the second one will be for the sisters?!

A trio of books are coming out over the next two months: FLOWERS -Le volume sur été- official fanbook (February 21st), Angel Beats! -1st beat- perfect visual book (February 29th) and Mitsumi Misato art works (March 25th), which was previously sold at C89.

The all-ages PS4/PSV port for Gesen18’s Sangokuhime4 will be out on May 26th, while they are also making some online game called Tenka Touritsu Sengokuhime Online.

Angel_Beats_Tenshi_FigureBroccoli’s 1/8 scale figure of Angel Beats! -1st beat-‘s Tenshi will be out in August for ¥18,500.

The dakimakura covers for VenusBlood -FRONTIER-‘s Odin and Jorm are available for pre-order.

AkabeiSoft3 is crowdfunding a post-release event for Hataraku Otona. The prices are quite expensive, but it seems like people are willing to pay for it. Just check out that 2.8 million yen course where you get to be the protagonist. That’s kinda crazy if you ask me.

The gacha gods smiled down on me. Everything was worth it.

Deresute_Miria

 



You’re Not Alone

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Mamiya-kunchi_no_Itsutsugo_Jijou_Moericalme and Sekai Project are teaming up to produce a low-priced title, KARAKARA. It is illustrated by p19 with Natsuno Koori and Kawashima Rino as the main heroines (Kazane is also in the cast). The project is currently being crowdfunded on Indiegogo. It’ll be first released in English on Steam on June 27th, followed by the Japanese version in late July. Looks pretty good and the perks are reasonable.

Inre has also started up a teaser site for their next title, Bakumatsu Jinchuu Houkoku Resshi-den MIBURO.

The following titles have been delayed:

Ichibun no Ni Koigokoro – March 25th
School of Fantasia – March 25th
Koi to Mahou to Kanrinin ~Unmei no Haguruma-hen~ – April 28th

TECH GIAN is running a dakimakura chara poll for Carol Works’ debut title Boku no ××× wa Ryousei-tachi no Tokken Desu! until February 19th. CandySoft’s TsuyoKiss FESTIVAL female chara poll is currently underway and closes on February 29th.

The Custom Maid 3D2 official fanbook will be on shelves on March 31st. I wonder if it’ll just be a catalogue of all the customization options and positions.

H OVAs for Amakano‘s Koharu and Koinaka are planned for March 4th and April 28th, respectively.

Aselia the Eternal has been greenlit on Steam, while Nekopara Vol.2 is also ready for its February 19th release.

Deremas_MikuThe PSV port for tone work’s’ Hoshiori Yume Mirai is planned for this summer.

New figures available for pre-order include:

ALTER – 1/8 scale Miku (Deremas, August, ¥11,800)
GSC – 1/7 scale Saber Alter huke collaboration package (Fate, August, ¥20,185)
Kotobukiya – 1/7 scale Liz (Schwarzemarken, July, ¥8800)
Max Factory – figma Mika 346 production ver. (Deremas, July, ¥5833)

The February append life for PRETTY×CATION2 is now available for download.

I played plenty of March trials this week. Wizards Complex was quite entertaining, while Otoiro still felt fresh even though it’s just another crossdressing game by ensemble. Maybe it’s all the cooking. The most promising one is probably Tokisoku. I hope Miri/Miria gets a happy ending… T_T

Oh, it’s a special day today? Oh right, it’s Mashiro’s birthday!


Webclap responses:

Keep Update Info About New Release Game by ElangSBP
Of course ^^


All Aboard

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Nora_to_Oujo_to_Noraneko_Heart_MichiGIGA is continuing the BALDR series with BALDR HEART, while PULLTOP’s fandisc Miagete Goran, Yozora no Hoshi o FINE DAYS has been scheduled for May 27th.

The following titles have been delayed:

WIZARD LINKS – April 28th
Omokage Railback – May 27th
Otome Riron to Sonogo no Shuuhen – May 27th

Miyu won the Hataraku Otona chara poll, while the Noratoto chara poll is underway until February 25th.

The Willplus Opening Festival CD 3, including songs from Cocoro@Function and Alpha Ride, among others, will be sold on Getchu if you didn’t pre-order it before. It’ll be shipped on April 22nd.

Pre-orders have started this week for the following new figures:

ALTER – 1/7 scale Master Artoria (Fate, July, ¥12,800)
Kaitendoh – 1/7 scale Black Escalayer (Escalayer, May, ¥13,800)
Max Factory – figma Rika Cinderella Project ver. (Deremas, July, ¥5833)
ORCA TOYS – 1/6 scale fighter Sasara Limited Grade Kurohime (TH2DT, July, ¥17,800)
WAVE – 1/8 scale Kaede casual wear ver. (Deremas, July, ¥9800)

Play with Maitetsu‘s Hachiroku and Reina in CM3D2!


Welcome, Onee-chan!

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Shoujo-tachi_wa_Koya_o_Mezasu_UguisuInnocent Grey’s FLOWERS -Aki-hen- has been set for May 27th. This is the third game in the series.

Noeri won the D.S. chara poll and will get a dakimakura.

The visual fan book for Koikake will be on shelves on March 31st. It comes with a Yui and Nako A2 poster.

The Chaos;Child OST will be out on March 23rd, while the Anaoto soundtrack is planned for the same day as the game, April 28th.

New figures available for preorder include:

alphamax – 1/7 scale Super Sonico with macaron tower (Soniani, August, ¥12,800)
Hobby Japan – 1/7 scale Muramasa wedding ver. (Muramasa, November, ¥13,980)
Phat! – 1/8 scale Minami Love Laika ver. (Deremas, August, ¥9000)

I was very lucky and won the Azuki art board from the Nekopara Vol.2 New Year’s campaign! It’s signed by Sakakibara Yui. I’ll treasure it very much! I also played the game this week and it gave me my fill of nekos for now. Cinnamon and Maple in vol.3?

The international open beta for Tree of Savior will be coming soon! I feel like it’ll be in March or early April. I’ll definitely be playing it non-stop when it comes out, so things might stall a bit on the blog when that happens… So, I should probably finish the posts before then.

 


A New Fetish?

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Rep_Kiss_SakiNew titles announced this week include:

Kawauso SoftBokura no Sekai ni Shukufuku o.
SofthouseCharaPlanet Dragon

The following titles have been delayed:

Wizards Complex – April 28th
Nanairo*Clip – July 29th

The website for long-time eroge company Elf, known for Doukyuusei and YU-NO, will shut down at the end of March. They had announced last year that the company will close.

Lose has revealed the winners of the Maitetsu outfit poll. They’re all pretty normal, except Little Red Riding Hood Reina. I think she lost something. Hachiroku and Paulette will get H scenes in their winning outfits (Japanese-style gothic loli and sailor uniform plus bloomers, respectively).

A pair of Deremas figures are now available for pre-order: ALTER’s 1/8 scale Riina (August, ¥11,800) and WAVE’s 1/8 scale Miku school uniform ver. (September, ¥11,000).

Pre-orders have started up for the dakimakura for World Election‘s Kururu.

Been playing some trials lately. Akeiro Kaikikan was pretty good, maybe one of the better plots in March.


Webclap responses:

Keep Update Information About Month Eroge Release :D by ElangSBP
That’s the plan! We hope to have the March post up in the next few days.


March 2016 Eroge Releases

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It’s a busy month with many hyped games coming out, highlighted by Lose’s railroid-love Maitetsu. The game version of Minato Soft’s Shoujo-tachi wa Kouya o Mezasu comes out this month, while ensemble’s protagonist once again finds himself in a skirt in Otome ga Irodoru Koi no Essence. Astronauts Sirius’s Dungeon of Regalias ~Haitoku no Miyako Ishgalia~ should appeal to RPG fans, while SILKY’s PLUS WASABI seeks to match the quality of their previous work with the suspenseful and mysterious Akeiro Kaikikan.

Lots of releases, sure. Some looked forward to? That’s nothing new. Are they any good? Eh, this month? Probably not. There may be some games with unique elements and others with laid back traditional safe zone appeal but they all swing, miss, and hit themselves in the face with the bat in one way or another. I hope that one day the companies which make eroge realize gimmicks don’t make a game better, they often make it worse. Hoping for idiots to not notice and buy inferior products with little effort put into them does not make for a good business model.

Lilycle_Rainbow_Stage_CGOmokage_CGToki_o_Tsumugu_Yakusoku_CG
Dies_irae_Interview_with_Kaziklu_Bey_CGMaitetsu_CGShoujo-tachi_wa_Kouya_o_Mezasu_CG
Koi_to_Koisuru_Utopia_CGAkeiro_Kaikitan_CGOtome_ga_Irodoru_Koi_no_Essence_CG

Ichibun no Ni Koigokoro

Ichibun_no_Ni_Koigokoro

Company: 天ノ葉 (Amanoha)
Game site: 1分の2恋ゴコロ
Release date: March 25, 2016
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from February. This is the first game by Amanoha. Aoi doesn’t go to school; instead he works hard every day on part-time jobs to care for his two imoutos, Hina and Runa. While he does have some regrets about not attending school, he is satisfied and motivated by the sight of his imoutos’ smiles.

One winter day, Aoi was working harder than usual in order to celebrate his imoutos’ birthday, which was fast approaching. Then he reunited with his former kouhai Minori and met his shy neighbour Koyuki. These encounters brought about changes in Aoi’s relationship with his imoutos.

Ichibun_no_Ni_Koigokoro_CG2Ichibun_no_Ni_Koigokoro_CG3Ichibun_no_Ni_Koigokoro_CG4

The story is written from both the perspective of the protagonist Aoi and each heroine, to develop a greater sense of romance. There’s no trial out yet (even though they said it would be available in December), but all the heroines are cute, especially his angelic imoutos. This is the first story by Nakamura Panda, so I’d suggest approaching it with tempered expectations.

Do I even need to say it?

But it’s not a fandisc!

You’re right. It’s much worse.

Dies irae ~Interview with Kaziklu Bey~

Dies_irae_Interview_with_Kaziklu_Bey

Company: light
Game site: Dies irae(ディエス・イレ) ~Interview with Kaziklu Bey~
Release date: March 25, 2016
Comments:
This mid-priced all-ages title is the second spin-off for the Dies irae series in commemoration of the upcoming anime, after the drama CD “Todestag Verloren”. The protagonist Wilhelm Ehrenburg, also known as Kaziklu Bey, is an SS officer hunted by the United Nations as a remnant of the Third Reich and an enemy to the world. An interviewer visits him in Brooklyn and he recounts how he met the albino girl Claudia Jerusalem on the battlefield at Warsaw in 1944 and the events that unfold afterwards.

Dies_irae_Interview_with_Kaziklu_Bey_CG2Dies_irae_Interview_with_Kaziklu_Bey_CG3Dies_irae_Interview_with_Kaziklu_Bey_CG4

Nothing more for me to add since I have no interest in this series.

More occult nazis.

Akeiro Kaikitan

Akeiro_Kaikitan

Company: シルキーズプラス WASABI (SILKY’s PLUS WASABI)
Game site: あけいろ怪奇譚
Release date: March 25, 2016
Comments:
Four girls committed suicide one after another. It was rumoured that their deaths were caused by the “spirit of the old school building”. For most, this was just a silly rumour, but Yashiro could not just ignore it. This was because he had been troubled by a strange dream ever since the shocking incidents, which caused him to get weaker day by day due to not being able to sleep soundly. One day, he saw a black-haired girl beckoning him in the hallway, but he was pulled back by a strange girl named Velvet. She told him to be careful because he was cursed.

Akeiro_Kaikitan_CG2Akeiro_Kaikitan_CG3Akeiro_Kaikitan_CG4

SILKY’s PLUS broke on to the eroge scene with the well-received Nanairo Reincarnation. This suspenseful supernatural title is also written by Kazuki Fumi, with Makoto and his oni (Aoi, Fuyou and Iris) reappearing as subcharacters. The trial kept me hooked, so I’m expecting a story of equal quality here. I want to be with twins Ruri and Ruka more ><b

Flimsy plot. The whole thing reeks of contrived mechanic to get the protagonist from point A to panty B. Not enough atmosphere building to properly invest the reader into the mystery. Which only serves to make them feel detached from the why. Why did the girls die, why bad dreams, why would anyone name their kid Velvet? All of these questions exist to draw the reader in order for them to enjoy the process of revealing each answer. Questions should not be tossed at the reader in a giant lump like a disinterested parent trying to shut their brats up. Such a poor grasp of pacing leads to little or no sense of connection with the characters or their actions. Point being, as a mystery game they have failed. Whether or not the rest makes it worth playing we can only hope so.

So, panty B is the end goal for all eroge protagonists?

If it is not, I don’t know what I have been reading all these years.

Nama Love

Nama_Love

Company: oct works
Game site: なまラブ
Release date: March 25, 2016 Delayed to April 28, 2016
Comments:
This is the first title by oct works. Sayohama private school was created a few years ago through the merge of a boys’ school and a girls’ school. Carrying on the tradition from when only young ladies attended the school, it was forbidden to have relationships with the opposite sex.

At the end of October, Shouta’s osananajimi and student council president Mafuyu addressed the students at the closing ceremony of the school festival and declared that from that moment on, they were free to fall in love.

Earnest but slightly clumsy Mafuyu, who isn’t as close to Shouta as before.
Cool pianist Saya, who is adored by all students and loves cute things a lot.
Meddlesome tsundere imouto Mio, who dotes on him only when she’s at home.
Timid literature girl Kotoha, who became friends with him while skipping class.

No longer bound by the school’s rules, their hidden feelings began to overflow in this new season of love.

Nama_Love_CG2Nama_Love_CGNama_Love_CG3

Spring is the time of more school love stories. This particular one makes use of the E-mote system. The seiyuus for the main heroines are lesser known, and I hope that the one voicing imouto Mio does a good job because I really like her character. She’s cheeky and confident, visits his place pretty much every day to help him around the house, is quite amaenbou when alone with him, and of course a total bracon with a mischievous curiosity in sex. Imoutos are the best! Hau~ omochikaeri~!

Ah the story of “Don’t be gay” turned into “It’s all okay”, how romantic. Nonexistent plot means everything hinges on the writing, comedy, and heroine routes, good luck Oct Works.

PV

Maitetsu

Maitetsu

Company: Lose
Game site: まいてつ
Release date: March 25, 2016
Comments:
Railroids are humanoid control modules which are paired with a locomotive. However, many rail lines had been discontinued due to the rising popularity of ‘aerocrafts’, a safe and convenient aerial mode of transport. As such, their accompanying railroids also went into a deep sleep.

Soutetsu had lost his entire family in a rail accident and was adopted into the Migita household, which runs a shochu brewery in the city of Ohitoyo. He returned to his hometown to save it from the potential water pollution that would occur if they accepted the proposal to build an aerocraft factory nearby. He woke up the railroid Hachiroku by accident and became her owner. For different purposes, they agreed to help find her lost locomotive, with the help of his imouto Hibiki, the town’s mayor and local railway chief, Paulette and others.

Maitetsu_CG2Maitetsu_CG3Maitetsu_CG4

There are three main routes, for heroines Hachiroku, Hibiki and Paulette. In addition, there are mini routes for the sub-heroines Reina, Makura, Kisaki, Nagi and Fukami, as well as a harem route. Additional appends are planned post-release. Similar to Monobeno, it uses the E-mote system. There are over 100 planned CGs, including 50 HCGs (most likely some of them based on the many polls they were holding in the previous months). The list of seiyuus is quite impressive, featuring Kiritani Hana, Himari, Anzu Mitsu, Kawashima Rino, and many more.

Maitetsu_CG5Maitetsu_CG6Maitetsu_CG7

Reina is extremely adorable! Can I take her home? I’m taking her home! This must be the appeal of train moe. That being said, my favourite characters are human: Hibiki and Paulette! I love Hibiki’s speech, where she sometimes switches to her regional dialect. Paulette is so gentle and oneechan-like. The cast is great and well-balanced (takes notes, Clochette and minori). I’m definitely on the hype train for this one!

The story of how Soutetsu became a legend drifting his 86 around the mountain rails of his hometown. Honestly the foundation of this story and setting is really stupid and poorly thought out. The basis is trying to force the train aspect into an eroge but it was done in such an unnatural way. This gives a problem where the train bit could be swapped out with any other random fetish machine without any difficulty story wise. Little to no personal investment in the problems at hand compound the issue further. Only bother with the game if you absolutely must play a certain route.

Would it be going off the rails if you want to play the train route?

I hope that train ends up delayed for eternity.

LILYCLE Rainbow Stage!!!

Lilycle_Rainbow_Stage

Company: PARTICLE
Game site: りりくる Rainbow Stage!!!
Release date: March 25, 2016 Delayed to April 28, 2016
Comments:
This first all-ages title by PARTICLE is based on a series of yuri drama CDs. The main characters are new idol Yuuno, student teacher Tamaki, and hall monitor and ninja Saeka. The story is focused on their triangle relationship, although the other 12 girls from the drama CDs will also show up, sometimes with surprising pairings. Instead of a single protagonist, the player can switch the viewpoint among the girls.

Lilycle_Rainbow_Stage_CG2Lilycle_Rainbow_Stage_CG3Lilycle_Rainbow_Stage_CG4

There’s nothing wrong with cute girls and a yuri story, even if it wouldn’t be among my top picks for the month.

Yuri.

Omokage ~Ecchi na Happening!? Nan demo Don to Koi!~

Omokage

Company: あかべぇそふとすりぃ (AkabeiSoft3)
Game site: オモカゲ ~えっちなハプニング!? なんでもどんとこい!~
Release date: March 25, 2016
Comments:
There have lately been strange rumours in the provincial city of Mihana: witness reports of girls masturbating, and girls suddenly breathing heavily. As a guy, Sei would like to see it with his own eyes, but he dismissed it as a simple urban legend. However, one day after school, he saw a girl who looked like her was masturbating by rubbing her back against a locker. He didn’t realize it at that moment, but he could sense something strange from certain places and girls. He wasn’t the only one who had the same sensations, but also his osananajimi Minato, cool senpai Gekka and cheerful kouhai Hinami. It seems that these incidents were caused by ‘omokage’, which are like spirits which possess humans and affect their mind and body until their desires have been satiated, so they decided to form the anti-omokage club to combat them.

Omokage_CG2Omokage_CG3Omokage_CG4

It feels like the story was written to incorporate H scenes. The three routes are written by different scenario writers (none of whom have good track records), and the dialogue doesn’t flow well. It’s fine if you treat it like a nukige, since they do the ero parts quite well (a lot of slight ahegao). I’ll probably play it for the senpai-loving slightly haraguro kouhai Hinami only. My nadenade technique will amaze her!

As nuki as ge can be.

Grimo☆Love ~Houkago no Witch~

Grimo_Love

Company: しろいぱんつ (Shiroi Pantsu)
Game site: グリモ☆ラヴ ~放課後のウィッチ~
Release date: March 25, 2016
Comments:
Yuuma had his future all planned out: he would join the literature club, fall in love with his senpai, and become a best-selling light novel writer. However, it all came apart when his homeroom teacher informed him that the literature club had been disbanded many years ago. He couldn’t find another club where he would be able to write novels, so he ended up finding a nice place in the library to focus on his writing. Then, he was forcefully recruited to the student council as the secretary, mainly to take care of the mounds of paperwork which had piled up.

After some incident, he ended up as a member of the second literature club, which was actually the occult club and the Grimoire ended up in his hands. According to club leader Yuzuna, if one makes a contract with the book, then they will become popular with the opposite sex. She was really eager to try it, and he became her test subject. However, it actually possessed magic which made others sexually excited, causing all types of ecchi events to occur around him!

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All you need to know is that the school ‘principal’ is a dog who loves the protagonist a lot and often humps his leg. It’s a baka-nukige through and through.

See above, but at least it tries to have some humor I guess.

The one above has much better art though.

Good point, that is pretty much all that matters in a nukige after all.

School of Fantasia

School_of_Fantasia

Company: 玉藻ソフト (Tamamo Soft)
Game site: スクールオブファンタジア
Release date: March 25, 2016
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from February. This harem RPG is the professional debut for doujin circle Tamamo Studio, under the name Tamamo Soft. All of a sudden, there were children who were born in Japan with special abilities. They were segregated to a school located on Tendoujima, an island in the southern sea. Meanwhile, the relatively normal Yorito drifted on to the island after being swept by the waves from his adventurer father’s raft. After Himeno saved his life with artificial respiration, he ended up transferring into the Tendoujima Gakuen. Since he was suspected of being a spy, he accepted a request to explore the dungeon where monsters dwelled in order to establish his innocence. He enjoyed a pleasant life with the girls at the school, getting to know them better and solving their worries, but soon he became involved in various events while investigating the dungeon.

School_of_Fantasia_CG2School_of_Fantasia_CG3School_of_Fantasia_CG4

The RPG system still looks like a doujin, but you know you’re on the big stage when you manage to snag some recognizable seiyuus (Ogura Yui, Momoi Ichigo, Toono Soyogi). The protagonist is your usual brute who has great strength, but lacks common sense. I’ve always wondered why they do put swords in the hands of these people…

School_of_Fantasia_CG5School_of_Fantasia_CG6School_of_Fantasia_CG7

Chaos. Pure chaos is how I would describe this game. The plot is all over the place the gameplay as well. I would like to give them some credit for maybe trying to change things up even in a bad way, but its just much too pathetic an attempt. Just because you can make things work as a doujin group where expectations are low doesn’t mean the same standards apply when doing things professionally.

Dungeon of Regalias ~Haitoku no Miyako Ishgalia~

Dungeon_of_Regalias

Company: アストロノーツ・シリウス (Astronauts Sirius)
Game site: ダンジョン オブ レガリアス ~背徳の都イシュガリア~
Release date: March 25, 2016
Comments:
The floating city of Windal was full of prosperity due to its advanced magic culture. However, an unexplained massive magic explosion sent the city crashing to the ground, killing almost all of its citizens. Only a huge crater and the ruins of the city underneath it remained.

Nomads built many villages and over time, the area turned into the large metropolis Ishgalia. Reckless adventurers came to the city to challenge the demon-infested labyrinths under the city in the hopes of striking it rich. The battle-seasoned Orias, who has no memories before becoming a mercenary, arrived at Ishgalia in search of his forgotten past. What awaits him in the depths of the labyrinth and the ruins of the floating city?

So far only the battle system trial is out and they’ve changed from 3D to 2D. With a system similar to Dragon Quest and ToHeart2 Dungeon Travelers, it’s easy to get a hang of, but it wasn’t especially interesting to play. It was a chore to move around. I’ll possibly be playing Tree of Savior by the time this comes out, so I won’t be able to spare the time to play another RPG.

Another garbage dungeon crawler. I really wish RPG eroge put some actual effort in as I would love to play a good one.

Rep Kiss

Rep_Kiss

Company: 戯画 (GIGA)
Game site: リプキス
Release date: March 25, 2016
Comments:
This is the latest title in GIGA’s Kiss series. Souji moved back to his hometown and was excited at starting a new life there, even though he was a bit saddened that it wasn’t the same as before. He went out to the convenience store to do some shopping after moving in and met a pretty girl at the entrance. She called him ‘Sou-kun’, a nickname which he hadn’t heard in a long time, and he realized that she was his childhood friend Kanade. He was surprised by how beautifully she had grown up. Their chance meeting spurred the revival of half-forgotten feelings.

Rep_Kiss_CG2Rep_Kiss_CG3Rep_Kiss_CG4

By now, you know what to expect from this series, with a rather donkan and uninspired protagonist in a school setting. This time the main heroines are two pairs of sisters (I prefer Saki and Yuiri), and there’s a hyper imouto who doesn’t have a route. It doesn’t have something which at least makes it a bit different from other games. That’s not saying that it’ll be bad, just that it won’t be great.

Another “The Giga Game”.

Otome ga Irodoru Koi no Essence

Otome_ga_Irodoru_Koi_no_Essence

Company: ensemble
Game site: 乙女が彩る恋のエッセンス
Release date: March 25, 2016
Comments:
This is the latest title in ensemble’s cross-dressing Otome series. Naoto worked as the sous-chef at the mansion of the Amagi family, who owns the leading zaibatsu in Japan. One day, he was asked by the madame to assume the chef position at her daughter Sakuya’s school because she thought that she was acting strangely and she wanted him to report back on her.

Even though he felt overwhelmed being at the famous Maishiro girls’ school, he was still full of expectation for his new job. Then, his boss Yakumo gave him some shocking news: he will have to dress as a girl and attend school with Sakuya, since it was easier to keep an eye on her that way. Despite his resistance, he was introduced as the new student and cook, Chihiro. If his true gender is found out, then he might lose his job and be reported as a pervert. Will he be able to fulfill his duties as a cook and a student at the school?

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It’s amazing how ensemble manages to keep writing cross-dressing games and still making them interesting. I quite liked the trial; it was rather entertaining. Then again, I’d always prefer a story with food over knights or art. This time there’s also a ball for which an edel (princess) is chosen by the students. You can be sure that our pretty protagonist will earn that title. My favourite characters are imouto Noa, kouhai Serika and student council president Akari. I’m still wondering how an imouto can’t recognize her onii-chan even under a disguise. They all have onii-chan sensors, don’t they?

Oh, and if you get the limited version of the game, you can get a mini scenario with all the trap protagonists!

Oh Ensemble, how far you have fallen. Since Canvas their games have steadily gone downhill. As I actually liked Canvas the slow train crash was rather painful to watch for me. Will this game be any different? Well story wise probably not. Way too forcible in the setting and purpose of him cross dressing. Honestly they could have just made him a chef at the school from the start, then have him lose a bet or any of a dozen other reasons to cross dress. After which he meets someone while on break or going home and has a dual role to play. Instead employer makes the incredibly illogical decision to make him cross dress to spy on their daughter. The other problems lie in the really stupid princess bit. Which essentially mimics the terrible plot of their Aria game. I can only hope they know enough about cooking to carry through on the subject matter. As one of the most noteworthy appeals of the Canvas game was that they at least had enough knowledge about actual art to make a convincing game about it. A feature lacking in every game since.

But they tempt me with descriptions of desserts all game long!

Proof they know more about food than singing and whatever it was they came up with in between.

Toki o Tsumugu Yakusoku

Toki_o_Tsumugu_Yakusoku

Company: あっぷりけ (Applique)
Game site: 時を紡ぐ約束
Release date: March 25, 2016
Comments:
It was late spring when Hayato arrived at the remote hot spring town of Yunohara with his daughter Miria to start a new job at the traditional inn Kusakabe-an. Hayato has a special magic ability, but since it can only be used within 10 seconds, it’s not really useful to him. Freed from a rough upbringing in an orphanage, he was glad to finally start a new life, working at the inn while attending school. He met many supportive people in the school and town, including the daughter of the inn owner, Misaki. However, these halcyon days would soon be shattered when the orphanage director came to take Miria away.

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I’m kind of torn about this game. While there was a lot in the trial and I enjoyed most of it, the final moments when Miria was taken away makes me wonder how the full game will be like. Miria (who’s actually not his daughter) was essential to setting the positive mood and now that she’s gone, will it be totally different? Will the game focus on the school life instead of working at the inn? What is the purpose of his magic when it isn’t really used? Story-wise, I think there’s more potential here than many other games this month, but there’s enough questions that make me wary as well. Well, at least Yui-chan will still be there for me.

Yet another story so desperate for drama they resorted to making random stuff up. Both the daughter and the abduction bit make little to no sense at all. After all there are huge questions left with her, where none of the answers feel natural. The very existence of a magical ability hints at possible deus ex machina resolutions later on. Even more so when it is not properly incorporated into the setting. A game where they tried to do too much to stand out. Had Applique taken the daughter and magic out of it I probably would have been itching to play a laid back slice of life game.

Tokeidai no Jeanne ~Jeanne à la tour d’horloge~

Tokeidai_no_Jeanne

Company: ライアーソフト (Liar-soft)
Game site: 時計台のジャンヌ ~Jeanne à la tour d’horloge~
Release date: March 25, 2016
Comments:
Near the end of World War II, Young Free France soldiers Rolland and his best friend Olivier participated in the Invasion of Normandy to free their mother country. However, they came under heavy anti-aircraft fire during their pre-dawn raid of the enemy base and was forced to make an emergency descent. They were separated from the rest of their unit and wandered in the dark woods until they suddenly were ambushed by a cavalry led by Edwalda the Black Princess. Rolland was severely wounded while protecting Olivier and he fell unconscious.

When he came to, he was in the middle of a quiet forest next to a spring, being nursed by a pretty girl. The wounds which he had suffered had all completely healed, making him wonder if the ambush was merely a dream. He was actually in an alternate world shrouded in fog, and the girl who saved him Jeanne was a “prisoner of time”, held captive by the history of the long war. When he met her, the clock tower broke its long silence and time began to tick once more.

I don’t really care for the art nor their stories, so I’ll pass as usual.

Liar is running out of ideas. Their games are typically a lot more interesting than this garbage. Try harder next time, and maybe don’t just copy Frontwing’s homework with a slightly altered setting. You get an F for cheating and a trip to the Dean’s office Liar.

Shoujo-tachi wa Kouya o Mezasu

Shoujo-tachi_wa_Kouya_o_Mezasu

Company: みなとそふと (Minato Soft)
Game site: 少女たちは荒野を目指す
Release date: March 25, 2016
Comments:
This is the all-ages game version of the currently-running anime series. Buntarou does plenty of part-time jobs, helps out at the drama club and enjoys his school life. However, he doesn’t have any idea of what he wants to be in the future, as he has dream which he is motivated to attain. One day, his classmate Sayuki asked him for a favour. Since he had some interest in her, he agreed without much thought. However, in fact she wanted him to help her write the story for a bishoujo game.

He was uncertain that they would be able to make a profit off such a game, but Sayuki was confident that it would be a success. However, they couldn’t make it with just two people, so he was tasked with finding other students to join them. He was able to fill the remaining roles, with his osananajimi Yuuka doing the voices and kouhai Uguisu in charge of the art. Thus, the game research group was born. With such a collection of troublemakers, would they be able to successfully develop a game and make money off it?

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This fully-voiced title is created by the team of Tanaka Romeo and Matsuryuu, which worked on the famed CROSS†CHANNEL. There’s some really funny parts that got me to laugh unlike other games, but at times it just felt like a revolving door of otaku references and in-jokes, which feel like pandering to the expected audience. The characters are rather cookie cutter and I would’ve expected something better. I had high hopes before playing the trial, but I’ve been disappointed with the trial and most likely won’t end up playing it when it comes out. Maybe I’ll just watch the rest of the anime.

This entire series is basically the result of Minato being too successful. After success comes the pressure to repeat it. This usually leads to playing it as safe as possible so as not to alienate their existing fanbase. Sadly this then leads to mediocre games. As Micchi said the characters are boring and the jokes aren’t funny especially since their nature relies on the reader knowing the references. Although just the plot itself was forced and obviously half assed, it’s worse when the writing is unable to properly follow it up. Games like this can only really be popular with what are essentially weebs more interested in a spot the otaku reference circle jerk than a quality product.

Tengokuhime 2 ~Haken Soudatsu, Gen’you no Shousei~

Tengokuhime2

Company: げーせん18 (Gesen18)
Game site: 天極姫2 ~覇権争奪、幻妖の将星~
Release date: March 25, 2016
Comments:
Everyone lives happily in the paradise Venard, where there is no fighting nor starvation. Generation after generation, the king governs the paradise by following the divine messages in the ‘Book of Prophecies’. However, one day these messages stopped appearing and strange beings appeared from a distortion in the space-time continuum. With strife breaking out in various areas, the king decided to use a secret art which had been passed down the Imperial family. In exchange for his life, the new rulers would be summoned to govern Venard. With that, he disappeared without a trace. What will become of this world?

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This title uses Sengokuhime5 and Sangokuhime4 as the base. We can pretty much ignore the plot since it’s just an easy way of getting the generals from Sengoku and Sangoku into the same place. There’s four factions who fight amongst each other, while also having to deal with the youkai which appeared. It’s still a real-time strategy game during the battle phase, but the governing phase is turn-based. There are H scenes for every female general. I guess it’s more of the same for Sengoku/Sangoku buffs.

The Gesen18 game take number whatever we are up to now.

Koi to Koisuru Utopia

Koi_to_Koisuru_Utopia

Company: らぶまてぃっく (Lovematic)
Game site: 恋と恋するユートピア
Release date: March 25, 2016 Delayed to May 27, 2016
Comments:
This is the debut work for Lovematic. Kureha Gakuen, also known as the ‘outdoor baths school’, was formed just last year by the merger of a boys’ school and a girls’ school. The school administration was concerned that the boys and girls were not getting along well, so they decided to create the ‘intergender relations normalization committee’. Kazuya was enlisted into the committee, along with his osananajimi Kaho, class rep Yukina and enthusiastic classmate Nanao, each of whom had a different view on the matter. He figured that since he didn’t have any experience with love relationships himself, it would be best to get closer to the girls.

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It’s not often that you see Peko doing a non-yuri title. That alone makes me want to play it. But I do have to wonder what’s the purpose of three sizes on the character page when they don’t match the drawings? I’m pretty sure those aren’t 75.

These days the whole school merger is the generic cop out plot. Sadly I cannot think of any off the top of my head that have actually made an even halfway decent game of it. So here we have a game boldly declaring their intent to continue such a trend. Just another fodder game that exists to keep me away from games I want to play for another five minutes. Which I may add is five minutes more than they spent deciding on which eroge template they wanted to use for their epic saga of fill in the blanks.

You’ll be pleased to know there’s more school merger games next month!

I propose a merger of blank space where the green garden of school mergers normally go.

Micchi’s Top 3 for This Month

  1. Maitetsu
  2. Otome ga Irodoru Koi no Essence
  3. Toki o Tsumugu Yakusoku

Zen’s Top 3 for This Month

  1. M
  2. M
  3. O

All aboard the loli trains!

I hope your train derails, both out of pedo spite and so April is delayed as long as possible for the sake of my MMO time.

No way, you’re doing your part so I can play my MMO.

BUT! Onii-chan’s are supposed to spoil their imoutos~


Love in Full Bloom

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Otome_ga_Irodoru_Koi_no_Essence_SerikaYuzuSoft has announced this upcoming work, Senren*Banka. It is planned for release on July 29th. The story is like a Japanese Arthurian tale, with the protagonist pulling a sword from a stone, and thus becoming the fiancé of the local miko. As always, there’s an imouto, but she’s a subcharacter, so I hope that she at least gets a short route.

Not only did they reveal the game, but also that the character songs for the four main heroines come out in April and May, starting with Yoshino on April 15th. The manga serialization begins in Comic Alive on April 27th, and there’s also a Yoshino dakimakura coming out on the same day as the game.

SAGA PLANETS held their new works announcement event today, revealing Floral Flowlove. The official game page will open on March 16th.

ensemble has a teaser page up for their upcoming fan disc, Koisuru Kimochi no Kasanekata ~Kasaneta Omoi Zutto~, and ensemble sweet’s next title, Koisuru Ojou-sama wa Ecchi na Hanayome.

tone work’s’ Giniro, Haruka has been scheduled for June 24th, while the following titles have been delayed:

Toki_o_Tsumugu_Yakusoku_YuiKono Koi, Seishun ni Yori. – April 28th
LILYCLE Rainbow Stage!!! – April 28th
Nama Love – April 28th
Koi to Koisuru Utopia – May 27th

Shachi won the Noraneko chara poll, while Nagomi topped the Tsuyokiss NEXT chara poll.

There’s a Kickstarter up to localize the popular title ChuSingura46+1. It seems like it’ll be difficult to get to the $210,000 goal in under 45 days, if there’s not much promotion.

The first H OVA for PRETTY×CATION comes out on March 25th, focused on Komachi-sensei and Riche (Elektrichka).

New figures available for pre-order include:

FREEing – 1/8 scale Aegis yukata ver. (Persona3, July, ¥10,000)
Kotobukiya – 1/8 scale Kaede -Hajimari no Basho- (Deremas, August, ¥10,000)

I tried my hand at the trial for Eushully’s upcoming title Saikaiou no Yubiwa, but I thought the automated battle system was a bit boring. PURELY×CATION didn’t offer much different from the past games in the series, with worse art in my opinion. I’m going through Wagahigh, which while decent, isn’t anything too special. I’ll probably just watch the anime.

For those that weren’t aware, Zen has updated the February post with his comments.

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Spring is Just Around the Corner

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Maitetsu_Paulette_ReinaFrontWing’s next title will be Corona Blossom, but the most surprising part is that it will released via Steam with English translations before the Japanese physical copy. The story will be written by Nanao Yuhi, with art by Nanaca Mai. Both had worked previously on Yuki Koi Melt. The translations will be done native in-house translators. The game site will open in April.

Other new titles announced this week include:

Escu:deYuusei Tenshi PrimaVeil Drei
NanaWindHaruoto Alice*Gram

Release dates have been set for the following:

Ichibun no Ni Koigokoro – May 27th
Koisuru Kimochi no Kasanekata FD – June 24th
Amatsutsumi – July 29th

The School of Fantasia chara poll and Noraneko 2nd chara poll have started. Both run until March 31st. Our burning house is so hot~

hibiki has released the March append for PRETTY×CATION2 for download.

The Wagahigh anime official homepage has opened! The characters all look the same… They’re also doing a collaboration with KISS’ CM3D2. They’re all so big.

Tales_of_Zestiria_Edna_FigureThe newest game in the Fate series, Fate/EXTELLA, is planned for the PSV/PS4.

New figures available for pre-order include:

ALTER – 1/8 scale Edna (Tales of Zestiria, September, ¥12,800)
Alter – 1/8 scale Julius (Tales of Xillia 2, September, ¥11,800)
GSC – 1/7 scale Saber Lily ~Distant Avalon~ (Fate, November, ¥11,852)
WING – 1/7 scale Muramasa black bunny ver. (Muramasa, July, ¥12,744)

The Tree of Savior client can now be downloaded on Steam. There’s a founder server starting March 29th, with 3 offered packages (all are good value). If you don’t want to pay, you can wait till April 28th. I can wait to play!

Most of the April trials are now done. I was most intrigued with the mysterious in ISLAND, while I’ll probably play Dal Segno when it’s out. SakuranomoriDreamers was much better than Nostalgia, although I’ve yet to play the second trial. Is Madoka going to be a heroine?

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Saving Time

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Wizards_Complex_IrisThe fourth chapter of ωstar’s Biman series, Bishoujo Mangekyou: Tsumi to Batsu no Shoujo, has been planned.

The Rorolog chara poll has started up, with the winner getting a dakimakura. It runs until March 31st. I had to think long and hard, but I’m going with the virtual world Rin!

FrontWing’s upcoming April title, ISLAND, will be getting an anime adaptation.

The Tsuyokiss FESTIVAL fan book will be on shelves on April 7th for ¥3240, while the Giniro, Haruka vocal collection is planned for the same date as the game, June 24th, and it’ll be sold at a price of ¥3000.

Figures available for pre-order include:

Kotobukiya – 1/7 scale Irisdina black bikini ver. (Schwarzemarken, August, ¥8800)
WAVE – 1/10 scale Super Sonico special ver. (Sonicomi, August, ¥6800)

Dakimakura are available for pre-order for D.S.‘s Noeri and Noraneko‘s Michi.

There’s less than a week to ToS now! I’ve done most of my work ahead of time, so I can focus on grinding when it opens. Maitetsu‘s trial came out last week and I thought it was pretty good.


April 2016 Eroge Releases

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The new D.C. is here! CIRCUS starts down a new (similar) path with D.S. -Dal Segno-, while the staff from Himawari returns for FrontWing’s all-ages title ISLAND. MadoSoft’s love comedy Wagamama High Spec also comes out this month in case the anime piqued your interest. My interest is completely in Tinkle Position’s Onii-chan, Kiss no Junbi wa Mada Desu ka?! My body is 100% ready!

A fairly busy month with lots to choose from and yet only a few worth choosing at all.

Dal_Segno_CGIsland_CGWizards_Complex_CG
Anata_o_Otoko_ni_Shite_Ageru_CGOniichan_Kiss_no_Junbi_wa_Mada_Desu_ka_CGNatsu_Uso_CG2
Sankaiou_no_Yubiwa_CGWagamama_High_Spec_CGTsui_Yuri_CG
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Tsui Yuri ~Okaa-san ni wa Naisho da yo~

Tsui_Yuri

Company: eye★phon
Game site: つい・ゆり ~おかあさんにはナイショだよ~
Release date: April 22, 2016
Comments:
The serious and slightly stubborn Ichika and friendly and childish Futaba are a pair of twins who get along so well that it’s sometimes embarrassing for their family and friends. They would always be together doing anything or going anywhere since they were kids. This didn’t change one bit even as they grew up and their personalities and tastes differed. Not a single day would pass without seeing the reliable Ichika taking care of the doting Futaba.

However one day, their mother, who was worried about them being too dependent on one another, warned them they would not be together forever no matter how well they got along. After hearing those words, Ichika and Futaba’s relationship began to gradually change into one more than just siblings and family.

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As you can probably tell from the title and synopsis, this is a yuri title. This is the package release date, as the download version already came out last month. Actually, it was first announced back in 2013, but went into hiatus for 3 years. Mmm yuri twincest… Siblings are a wonderful thing.

Yuri.

Natsu Uso -Ahead of the reminiscence-

Natsu_Uso

Company: Campus
Game site: ナツウソ -Ahead of the reminiscence-
Release date: April 22, 2016
Comments:
This is the second game in Campus’s low-priced Uso series. There are many types of lies and everyone has their own reasons to lie. It could be to protect, to deny, to misrepresent, or to keep things unchanged. Souichirou can tell if someone is lying, even if he doesn’t know the specific reason. He gained this ability from a magician one day after wishing to know ‘true feelings’. In exchange, he requires magic power from fulfilling magic contracts, under the guise of the ‘Neko no Te Bu’ (cat’s hand club) at Mahoshi Gakuen. As a result, he became known as the school’s top troublemaker.

Souichirou first met his kouhai Aoi last summer when she was dispatched to inspect his ‘Neko no Te Bu’ club and she watched him with hostile eyes. In the year since then, they had gotten closer and then moved apart from one another. Now, after many twists and turns, the club has got a new member and the days were rambunctious as ever.

Then one day, he woke up and found himself in a room which he had visited once a year ago. When he tried to recall what happened the night before, he got an intense headache. Sleeping next to him was the girl who always verbally abused him. Moreover, she was totally naked for some reason.

While the characters are the same as Haru Uso, the story is completely different (think of it as parallel worlds). I’ve been waiting for this game ever since I met Aoi-chan in the previous game! She’s definitely not honest with her feelings and the protagonist’s lie detecting skill would come in quite handy here. Did I mention that she’s voiced by Natsuno Koori? The trial had some interesting developments (regarding their past relationship) and the H scenes were so good. Come with me, Aoi-chan! Hau~ omochikaeri~!

Not as clever feeling as the first game. As this time it is setup to rely entirely on a gimmick in such an obvious way that all subtlety is lost. Furthermore it enhances relying on the character to drive everything rather than the story plot and setting. Even when the character is good that is a recipe for disaster. In this case however little miss tsunderella’s midnight magic is dispelled too easily. A sneer here, a snide remark there, the glance of death in between and we have the bare naked punchline that she secretly likes him waiting to be delivered. And so, we wait, and we wait, and we wait some more knowing what is going to happen years before it does. Oh no Mr. Lie detector here can see through the most common character archtype since the dawn of romantic comedy, what a shocking surprise. If only the audience could have been clever detectives and picked up on that sooner, how well hidden it was. Of course given there is a single kouhai heroine we know the panties are striped from the start. But at least bait us with something so we don’t have the horrible feeling of deja vu with every single line.

Kouhais have more than shimapan in their wardrobe. Always that shoubu pantsu for that special occasion!

Which are just striped panties of a different color….

D.S. -Dal Segno-

Dal_Segno

Company: CIRCUS
Game site: D.S. -Dal Segno-
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
The star-shaped island of Kazanajima is like a paradise with its comfortable and refreshing summer climate. Atsuya came to the island to attend the boarding school Kazana Gakuen. He was greeted by the floating ‘fairy of luck’ and paradise maintenance manager, humanoid AI Ame, who guided him to the dormitory. He would soon meet many girls at the school and dormitory:

Classmate Himari, who looks like an idol but is actually a lonely free spirit.
Student council leader Hazuki, who is flawless in looks and grades.
Chuunibyou Io, who calls herself the ‘daughter of the demon king’.
Cousin Noeri, who is in her rebellious age and apt to do more than she can.
And finally, the AI Ame, who exists to bring happiness to everyone.

What kind of happiness will come to Atsuya in this paradise where misfortune befalls no one? A new love begins here…

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It’s a new series from CIRCUS! Yes, I know that it is extremely similar to D.C., down to the musical title and a Suginami-like character in Tsujitani, but maybe this spells the end of one of the longest eroge series behind Rance? I’m not so sure I’m ready to invest another dozen or so years, but I’ll likely still play the first one. CIRCUS has nailed down the chara-ge formula and I’m interested in all the heroines. At this point, I don’t even question that there’s an AI who’s merely a hologram. I trust that somehow she will end up in my bed. While Io and Ame are good choices, I have to go with the cousin Noeri, who takes over the imouto position from his true imouto Mei (who probably will make an appearance later on). Then I will have TWO imoutos. Hau~ omochikaeri~!

Da Capo by any other name. Given that DC the third coming was far from the hit Circus had hoped to milk for the next ten odd years they seem to have decided that the problem was drumroll please… the title. So we get instead of Da Capo, Dal Segno. With a distinctly unique title we are able to instantly feel this is clearly a completely different game.

Sure the secret to DC was something simple, the characters. Afterall no one would really be able to argue that the storyline or setting were well done in any way shape or form. So what made it an enduring series for so long? Well thought out pacing and a bit of mystery. Each character had their own personality archetype which was nothing special. Yet what made them special and the game worth playing is that each character had some backstory element to bait the reader in. While playing you found yourself wanting to know why maiden likes tree so much, dream is useless, or summer is actually winter. Thanks to the constant baiting; dangling those luscious morsels of character development in front of us they were able to keep that series going for an eternity.

On the other hand the wishes and somewhat nonsensical setting, such as the random tsun boob toaster, did detract from the merits. So what do they decide to do with new games? Generic eroge with another nonsense setting and all the tools they need to deus ex machina their way through the now holographic toaster panties. Since the end of DC you sure have been batting a thousand Circus. Maybe like Giga Circus is or possibly soon to be was, a one trick pony.

If CIRCUS is a one trick pony, what does that make TYPE-MOON?

A two trick pony.

ISLAND

Island

Company: フロントウイング (FrontWing)
Game site: ISLAND
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
This is an all-ages title by FrontWing. The island of Urashima is located far away from the mainland. While it is like a paradise rich in nature, it has been suffering a slow decline due to its complicated past over the past five years: discord with the mainland due to the local disease ‘baimonbyou’ (soot crest disease), the abandoned marine station, a trio of attacks on the ‘three great families’, rumours of the kids being spirited away, and a legend which had been orally passed down through generations.

The keys to saving the island are three girls from the three great families, Karen, Sara and Rinne, but they did not have the power at that time to change its future. Then, a young man Setsuna washed up on the island. He claimed that he came from the future and led the charge to change the future, while not giving a damn to any of the island’s traditions. He was confident that everything will be fine with him here, but he had an ulterior motive. Will he alone be able to change the futures of the three girls, the island, and the world?

Island_CG2Island_CG3Island_CG4

The illustrator and writer from Himawari, Kuuchuu Yousai and Goo, are collaborating once again on this title. So it kind of makes sense that this is an all-ages title. It’s not really a must for me to have H scenes in a game (there’s always nukige for that), so I’m interested in how the story will unfold here. Will they be able to save the island? Come to think of it, wouldn’t this make a better anime adaptation than a typical love comedy? Oh hey, they are making one!

Is a place I wouldn’t want to be. Oh Frontwing, Frontwing, Frontwing. What am I to do with you? A single poorly made series manages to win the lottery and you spend it all on more lottery tickets. A wise investment if I do say so myself. Surely one of the new games they throw at us will be a winner! God I hope it is not Island though. As bad as it was to see Hatsumira suffering from the same writing issues which plagued Grisaia, at least the setting and characters meshed, giving it a leg up on Grisaia.

Island on the other hand is just a train wreck of lackluster insanity. Everything is pretty arbitrary and already decided. Nothing is really new just a collage of ideas slapped together since people were dumb enough to not care for Grisaia why should they care now, right? Nothing like being given the problem and the answer at the start only to have to sift through the work in the middle. All of which combines to form the main issue, why? Why do I want to know what happens on the island, why are the girls of the three families so important, why people are disappearing, and why is stupid Eustia gimmick disease isolated to this island? The sad truth of it is, I don’t care about why. None of the questions that are there to bait the reader are interesting. Each element is only there out of a token attempt at story.

What they should have done instead? Simple. Three houses make up the governing body of the island, and compete over resources among their factions. Protagonist is either some developer there to build a resort or hotel and has to choose which area. Or he moved there for something like medical reasons or just to get away from a previous life. Let the reader act as a mediator or fan the flames. Build on the setting and characters. So some area is closed, maybe the protagonist who is not part of a faction takes it over and rebuilds that area as a neutral zone for people. The point being all these random gimmicks do nothing but weaken the story, the characters, and even the setting. Sometimes simple is best.

Shimapan is simple…

Not as simple as a flat color. So once again, simple would be best.

PURELY×CATION

Purely_Cation

Company: hibiki works
Game site: PURELY×CATION
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
This is the latest in hibiki works’ CATION series, with art by Nanaroba Hana. Spring is in full bloom in Asahama, a town reminiscent of old Japan. Hibiki found himself moving here due to his parents’ transfer for work. While it was his first time living alone, he was able to make friends and get familiar with his surroundings pretty quickly. Everything was smooth sailing, but he felt like there was something missing in his life. In the middle of his youth which only comes once in a lifetime, his first love may be just around the corner.

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Most of the system is the same, with E-mote sprites, the ‘lovely call’ system and the addition of more bonuses and a simpler affection system. While the change in scenario writer to Orugouru is good, I’m not sure if the way the system is set up allows for a cohesive story aside from a string of ichaicha moments. I was also a bit disappointed with the art; some of the perspectives were odd (such as the piano), while the colouring fails to add depth to the drawings. It feels like the series has declined since LOVELY×CATION2.

An attempt at selling generic under the Purely Cation brand. Though I really have to ask why would he move by himself when his parents transferred for work? Shouldn’t he have either stayed where he was, or moved with them? Likewise if it was a high school he planned to attend regardless then the moving bit was irrelevant? Apparently these days a family moving means everyone scatters like roaches.

Purely Marriage ~Akai Ito Monogatari Madoka-hen~

Pure_Marriage_Madoka-hen

Company: Lass Pixy
Game site: Pure Marriage ~赤い糸物語 まどか編~
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
This is the first title by Lass Pixy, one of three low-priced titles, each focused on a different heroine. Touma has reached a critical turning point of his life. He was asked to marry the daughter of the richest family in town, Serika, after incidentally saving her life. After hearing that he had become Serika’s fiancé, his osananajimi Madoka and imouto Sakura also declared themselves as their fiancées. While they are all very important to him, he can only choose one of them as his bride and they each pressed to be chosen while hiding their real intentions secret.

This is the first of three low-priced titles, each focused on a different heroine. The games are very affordable at only 1480 yen apiece, while still maintaining good production values. There’s no harm in trying it out.

Purity being the theme yet again apparently, I will be as pure and honest as I can while saying you pay for what you get.

WIZARD LINKS

Wizard_Links

Company: 筆柿そふと (Fudegaki Soft)
Game site: WIZARD LINKS
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
Hikaru is a normal student, who lives with her parents and younger brother. One day, she had a shocking encounter with a strange girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, Elena, who was a magician who had been sent to hunt ‘devils’. Hikaru’s daily life greatly changed as she was dragged into their intense battles.

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I’m waiting for the inevitable defeats and resulting H scenes. The succubus is pretty cute.

You can tell this is not a game focused on younger Sisters because Micchi wrote about as much as I do when it is. Not that I feel any differently because the game sucks, but my point remains mostly valid.

Anata o Otoko ni Shite Ageru!

Anata_o_Otoko_ni_Shite_Ageru

Company: チュアブルソフト (Chuable Soft)
Game site: あなたをオトコにしてあげる!
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
Toushirou found himself in Nanohana Gakuen’s best couple contest even though he didn’t have a girlfriend. It was so that the name of their “Wednesday club” would be etched in the school’s history on the winner’s trophy displayed in the showcase at the school entrance. The four girls in the club decide to train him to become a better man, while also advancing their relationship with him to improve their chances of becoming his partner. Will they be able to win the contest and who will he choose as his ‘girlfriend’?

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A pretty light romance comedy with an interesting cast of opponents in the best couple contest (coupcon). They includes twins, a yuri couple, and an engineer and robot duo. Out of the four girls, I like osananajimi Itsuki the most. I’m hoping for plenty of NIYANIYA moments!

Go wacky or go home Chuable. Sure the opponents work, but the protagonist and heroines need to match it better.

Onii-chan, Kiss no Junbi wa Mada Desu ka?

Oniichan_Kiss_no_Junbi_wa_Mada_Desu_ka

Company: Tinkle Position
Game site: お兄ちゃん、キッスの準備はまだですか?
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
This is the debut work for Tinkle Position. The Seguchi family has a very peculiar house rule. Possibly influenced by their mother who kisses practically everyone, all four of the imoutos yearn for kisses from their onii-chan for practically everything. Of course, there would be kisses for leaving and sleeping, but it would be wanted even for phone calls and going to the washroom.

However, one day, he moved out of the house to concentrate on his studies. His imoutos would bring him midnight snacks every day, but there was an argument over who would be the one to do it. So, they decided to add a new house rule: the one who kisses onii-chan the most during the day will be responsible for bringing him the midnight snack!

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If you’re thinking that it looks a Galette game, you’re right since essentially the same team from the Onii-chan series is working on this game, including the illustrator K-ko, scenario writer Azumabito and director Chata. When the imoutos ask for a kiss, you can click the mouse and they will give you a kiss. I remember pressing the screen at Denkigai way too many times for this. No regrets at all.

There’s no way that an imouto lover like me can not play this game! IMOUTO KISS! IMOUTO CHUU! COME TO ME, SWEET IMOUTO LIPS!!!!!!!

Okay I will stop, take a deep breath and pretend the whole imouto archetype is not irritating for just a moment. Aaaand ready.

Problem. Why are they cheapening the process by making the entire premise some pre caught sister frenzy? If you absolutely must keep to this theme make it so they used to mimic their mother when they were younger and kiss each other. So far so good little kids not knowing what they are doing is cute. As they grew he started to avoid them as logical brothers would. Still good. If you must have total bracon siblings, then spice it up, make it so the concept is to stealth the kisses when he isn’t paying attention. Say while sleeping, or on roofies, or after being hit in the head with a hammer . While he is unaware let the perspective shift and options there decide who wins. As is there is no weight to the characters or decisions. It is just a “Pick the younger sister you want to see H scenes with” simulator. Boring. Develop your characters a bit. I mean I know younger sisters aren’t real characters, but its fiction pretend they are.

Deep Breath over. Stupid imouto gimmick.

Kono Koi, Seishun ni Yori.

Kono_Koi_Seishun_ni_Yori

Company: MORE
Game site: この恋、青春により。
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
Spring has come once more to Sakuraba Gakuen and the students pass through the school gates with new hopes.

Ace pitcher Tatsuya wishes to make the nationals after falling short last year.
Class rep Chiharu wishes to change herself by revealing her hidden feelings.
Osananajimi and manager Kyouko wishes to go to the nationals together with him.
Loafing classmate Nao wishes to graduate as soon as possible.
Top student Rin shoulders the expectations of everyone around her.

As third year students, it was their final year at the school. What lies ahead for them? There will probably be both moments of happiness and sadness, but they will be able to one day look back fondly at their youth.

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Ahh, what better to tell a story about youth than baseball and love? These type of stories are usually rather satisfying for me to read, even if they’re pretty much just packed full of clichés (field trips, beaches, courage tests, love triangles, etc). However, the trial for this one fell way short of expectations. The dialogue is badly written, with not much direction, and all the while I had to read it in what must be the Japanese equivalent of Comic Sans. There were also problems with the perspectives (they’re not farther away when you just shrink their sprite at the same spot) and the monotony of some BGMs. At least the OP is not that bad, but I’ll be passing on this.

The story of pitcher looking for a catcher. That is all really. Plot wise there is nothing of substance to build from, heroine wise nothing new. To make matters worse the general polish of the little things is completely lacking. There’s a guide on how to do this type of story right called Natsu no Ame, More I suggest you peruse it first next time.

Nama Love

Nama_Love

Company: oct works
Game site: なまラブ
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from March. This is the first title by oct works. Sayohama private school was created a few years ago through the merge of a boys’ school and a girls’ school. Carrying on the tradition from when only young ladies attended the school, it was forbidden to have relationships with the opposite sex.

At the end of October, Shouta’s osananajimi and student council president Mafuyu addressed the students at the closing ceremony of the school festival and declared that from that moment on, they were free to fall in love.

Earnest but slightly clumsy Mafuyu, who isn’t as close to Shouta as before.
Cool pianist Saya, who is adored by all students and loves cute things a lot.
Meddlesome tsundere imouto Mio, who dotes on him only when she’s at home.
Timid literature girl Kotoha, who became friends with him while skipping class.

No longer bound by the school’s rules, their hidden feelings began to overflow in this new season of love.

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Spring is the time of more school love stories. This particular one makes use of the E-mote system. The seiyuus for the main heroines are lesser known, and I hope that the one voicing imouto Mio does a good job because I really like her character. She’s cheeky and confident, visits his place pretty much every day to help him around the house, is quite amaenbou when alone with him, and of course a total bracon with a mischievous curiosity in sex. Imoutos are the best! Hau~ omochikaeri~!

Ah the story of “Don’t be gay” turned into “It’s all okay”, how romantic. Nonexistent plot means everything hinges on the writing, comedy, and heroine routes, good luck Oct Works.

PV

LILYCLE Rainbow Stage!!!

Lilycle_Rainbow_Stage

Company: PARTICLE
Game site: りりくる Rainbow Stage!!!
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from March. This first all-ages title by PARTICLE is based on a series of yuri drama CDs. The main characters are new idol Yuuno, student teacher Tamaki, and hall monitor and ninja Saeka. The story is focused on their triangle relationship, although the other 12 girls from the drama CDs will also show up, sometimes with surprising pairings. Instead of a single protagonist, the player can switch the viewpoint among the girls.

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There’s nothing wrong with cute girls and a yuri story, even if it wouldn’t be among my top picks for the month.

Yuri.

Wizards Complex

Wizards_Complex

Company: ういんどみるOasis (Windmill Oasis)
Game site: ウィザーズコンプレックス
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
It’s already been several years since it was confirmed that witches existed around the world. Magic has become part of everyday life, and it was common knowledge that only women can use magic.

However, this no longer held true when a single boy was found to possess magic abilities. This boy, Aoi, was invited to attend the Mikuni Academy for Witches. It was a peculiar school where the students were separated into two groups: the East Tower housed domestic students, while the international students occupied the West Tower. Each tower was governed by its own student council.

He was initially nervous being the only male student, but he quickly got along with the others. He was expecting a bright and enjoyable school life. Then, he and his classmates were forcefully enlisted as the new student council members for the east tower, and were thrust into a series of magic competitions between the two student councils. They must protect the honour of their tower, but there was one problem: he couldn’t use magic at all.

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The plot sounds awfully like many other magic school titles with a protagonist with great hidden powers and a gender ratio bordering on infinity. However, Windmill makes it somewhat fun to read thanks to the comedic parts, and I got through the trial in no time. The main thing that bothered me was Honoka’s “C’est super!”, which doesn’t sound right at all. Just don’t expect the story to be as intricate as Witch’s Garden. In fact, the scenario writers haven’t even worked on any of their previous titles. You might want to check out the trial to see if it’s up your alley.

More wizards this month. Also more molding stories around what has to be the worst setting template of our times. This whole lone guy being the only male in the world with powers or magic or mecha panties has got to go. It is essentially a built in deus ex harem mechanic with logic that amounts to “A wizard did it”. You know they could have used the eastern vs western tower thing by making one for men and one for women. Or failing that at the very least make him a trap. But no. Instead we get lone guy thrown to the hordes of ravenous female wolves intent on ripping his clothes off to have their way with him. Why even bother with choices?

Tarareba ~as in What If stories~

Tarareba

Company: Aries
Game site: タラレバ ~as in What if stories~
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
Aside from possessing relatively useless psychic powers, Kanata is a normal guy who is engrossed with reminiscing about his days as a student while running away from reality. One day while at his part-time job, a mysterious girl suddenly appeared before him.

“Your constant delusions about the past – I can hear them all.
If you really want to go back that much, I will send you there.
However, don’t come back with any regrets.”

The next time he opened his eyes, he was back in his house eight years ago. With the help of another mysterious girl Thea, he got the chance to live the school life which he so longed for. He didn’t have any fond memories from back then, so he resolved to redo it this time and leave with no regrets.

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The title comes from the combination of two conditional suffixes ‘tara’ and ‘reba’, signifying regret on the part of the protagonist. The story is written by Yoshii Hajime and Sama Yuuma, both of whom worked on Scramble Lovers. An interesting tidbit to note is that Thea can only be seen by Kanata and Hein, the girl who had sent him back in time. I’d love to go back to my school days, although not necessarily redoing everything since I do have fond memories myself. It’s enjoyable to reflect upon them especially when as an adult, you’re pretty much stuck in a daily work routine. Then again, if there was a girl like Thea waiting for me… I think I might want to go back.

Aries really should have watched The Butterfly Effect as it may have helped them appear competent. Next.

They could also have played the ISLAND trial, which explained the same thing.

Boku no ×× wa Ryousei-tachi no Tokken Desu!

Boku_no_xx_wa_Ryousei-tachi_no_Tokken_Desu

Company: Carol Works
Game site: ボクの××は寮生たちの特権です!
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
When Akira heard that his aunt who had looked after him as a child was in critical condition, he hurried to her home. But she was actually just feigning illness to force him to take over her job as the dorm mother of the girls’ dormitory while she went abroad for a vacation. Although he refused the position since he is not good with girls, he was made to take it due to his feminine looks. That’s how he ended up as the dormitory mother at the sports-specializing girls’ school Saint Feyless, while dressing up as a girl.

However, his secret came out almost immediately and he became a toy for the girls, who were full of curiosity. Luckily, it was only the girls who lived at the dormitory who knew about his true identity and he was able to carry on normally outside. Thus begins his dual life as a sweet dependable dorm mother by day, and the girls’ plaything by night.

Akira looks like a girl and sounds like a girl. Hell, he even acts like a girl and gets bosses around easily. You know you’d love this, you do-Ms. Since it’s a sports-centric school, all the heroines are part of a team with their own uniform. I always prefer cheerleader and tennis outfits!

Makes total sense in every way for this to happen. Not that I really care as sure it is as fictional as bracon brats. The problem is just how little effort was put into developing the setting we find our characters in. By doing so properly the heroines become more attractive, and the protagonist is more relatable. Not hard to add in a simple modifier like him going to school nearby and thus living with his aunt. Just that tiny change into how the story plays out lets the reader ease into things with a better grasp on what is going on. Said aunt can then leave later on without the whole thing feeling like a rush to heroines and H scenes.

Wagamama High Spec

Wagamama_High_Spec

Company: まどそふと (MadoSoft)
Game site: ワガママハイスペック
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
Despite being a student, Kouki is a manga author whose work is serialized in a weekly magazine. Since it’s a quite naughty love comedy, no one except his imouto Toa and her friend Mihiro knows about it.

One day, he found out by pure coincidence that the student council leader Kaoruko was the illustrator for his manga. She had been looking for a male student to help out with the student council, so he ended up joining her, on condition that his involvement with the manga was kept a secret. However, the overly serious deputy leader Ashe, oblivious to his situation, was vehemently opposed to his induction. Meanwhile, there were many requests and problems coming from the students…

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MadoSoft’s latest game comes out on the heels of the anime adaptation, which starts at the beginning of April (even though I don’t get why they’re getting one at all…). It’s a pretty standard icharabu comedy with Clochette-level balloons and lewdness. I’m also a fan of Nanateru’s SDs. Toa’s personality is very much like Anzu, with little drive to do anything. As someone who also considers sunlight as an enemy, I really understand how she feels. I’d spend my days playing eroge and MMOs, with Lewd Pink a kouhai visiting me every now and then. That would be bliss!

Yet another protagonist roped into some club filled with heroines on top of a generic high school romance.

Sankaiou no Yubiwa

Sankaiou_no_Yubiwa

Company: エウシュリー (Eushully)
Game site: 珊海王の円環
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
In the west-central region of Lunoche of the Raulbhach continent, there’s a legend of a great pirate who hoarded up many treasures, defeated demons by himself, vanquished other pirates and established a nation. His name was Gautherio Bonezzi, the greatest ruler of the seas who achieved everything that he desired. However, that was not the end of the tale about the “King of the Coral Sea”. Several hundred years later, he appeared once more on a ghost ship, proclaiming that he would grant an audience to the one who gathered all six rings to prove their worthiness and fulfill their wishes.

It seemed like just an old tale that could be passed off as a bedtime story, but then there were reported sightings of a ghost ship out at sea. Excited that the legend is indeed true, people began to battle with one another to collect the rings before the great king disappears again.

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The selling point for the latest Eushully SLG is that you can start off as one of six different characters: the pirate Aritz, magician Sonya, cursed angel Agnes, half-succubus Raphaela, vampire Arvid, and merchant lord Borja. Each of them has their own difficulty level, unit type, playstyle and H scenes. There may also be extras if you clear the game with all six characters.

Before you attack others to take their rings, you have to collect resources and build up your armies. The map is pretty huge, with over 400 land and sea locations. The resources you collect are not safe until you bring them back to your flagship, subject to attacks from your rivals or maybe even something more dangerous.

The battle part itself is automated with maximum of 6 units on the field per side. You just need to decide which units to use, and assign the basic tactics and formations, although you can also use magic to alter the course of battle. Each unit is formed of up to 9 persons, with stronger units consisting of fewer people. There’s a lot more intricacies which I will allow you to find out more when you play.

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Eushully always very involved systems and this one is no exception. With the selection of six protagonists, this would considerably extend the already long playtime. I hope that there’s enough differences among them so that it doesn’t get repetitive. If I were to play, I’d only play with the loli magician.

Oh Eushully, I want to like your games as you do have some good ideas. But the sheer tedium of playing them gets to me. In this case a full RTS with expanding maps along the lines of Supreme Commander, or a turn based hybrid like the Total War series would have served this game better. As much as I liked Ogre Battle, in this day and age the system is primitive. At least with the different faction concept there is more of a reason to replay the game, I hope at least. Nothing about their games was worse for me than when replaying the same tedious gameplay just for new routes.

Story wise its just One Piece meets eroge, nothing to see here really.

I will still play the game for both nostalgia and hope that the few good ideas they have here pan out.

OP + game system

Chuuni Hime no Teikoku

Chuuni_Hime_no_Teikoku

Company: ウシミツソフト (Ushimitsu Soft)
Game site: 厨二姫の帝国
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from January. This is the first title by Ushimitsu Soft. Behind the skyscrapers which rise like castles in the old downtown area of the 23-ward Galapagos lies a remodelled love hotel, inside of which lives a self-proclaimed princess from another world, along with her guardian knight and personal maid. In reality, they are actually a gamer addict, a light novel author and a elf cosplayer. The protagonist inherited the management duties for this building from his mother and signed an extremely suspicious leasing contract, triggering the princess’s ability and making him her ‘hero’. He must now begin a chuuni life with new abilities outside of his control.

Chuuni stories really make no sense. There’s also his osananajimi Suzuka, who’s also conveniently a chuuni who wears around a cape all day (even in the summer). The princess is really cute though. It’s not my job to cure hikikomoris, but I’ll gladly bring her home with me. Or maybe play games with her. Or take her home with me and play games with her. That sounds like a plan.

A dragon came and ate everyone, the end.

I’m assuming that you are the dragon and ‘ate everyone’ is a metaphor.

You know for these times when your way of thinking shines like a beacon in the night I think of the words a wiseman once said: “Oniichan no sukebe!”

Sengoku†Koihime X ~Otome Kenran Sengoku Emaki~

Sengoku_Koihime_X

Company: BaseSon
Game site: 戦国†恋姫X ~乙女絢爛☆戦国絵巻~
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
This is the 18+ version of BaseSon’s Sengoku†Koihime with almost double the scenarios and CGs. There’s new characters and routes, with the Houjou route being accessible after finishing the main story. I was surprised when the original game first came out and it was all-ages. Well, this should be a wonderful treat for those who have waiting for it (and I know at least one person who is crazed for it). Enjoy!

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Baseon is out Circusing Circus. Bait them with all ages, make them pay again for ero. Otherwise just another Baseon game though. Which of course means too many heroines and too little development.

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Koi to Mahou to Kanrinin ~Unmei no Haguruma-hen~

Koi_to_Mahou_to_Kanrinin_Unmei_no_Haguruma-hen

Company: Prometheus
Game site: 恋と魔法と管理人 ~運命の歯車編~
Release date: April 28, 2016
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from February. This is the second mid-priced game for Koi to Mahou to Kanrinin, focusing on Kasumi and Hisano. Takeru has been the dorm manager at Hazuki Gakuen since the beginning of the school term. When his osananajimi Kasumi and transfer student Hisano found out about this, they also moved in to the dorm and it became very rowdy every day. He had remained distant to others due to his self-hatred of his innate ability, but he gradually started to treat the girls living in the dorm like family. However, they had feelings for him and became anxious after realizing that he didn’t see them as anything more than family. At that time, a cute girl appeared from a book inside a small shrine in the backyard…

Similar to the first game, there’s a relatively typical eroge setting being described in the synopsis and then thrown some completely unrelated event at the end. I don’t mind mysterious cute girls, but wouldn’t just having the girls be more aggressive for his love be enough? As always from this staff, I’m not expecting much from this title.

When Micchi doesn’t expect much from a story there is nothing I can say that would be worse.

Pre-PV

Micchi’s Top 6 for This Month

  1. Onii-chan, Kiss no Junbi wa Mada Desu ka?
  2. D.S. -Dal Segno-
  3. Natsu Uso -Ahead of the reminiscence-
  4. Wagamama High Spec
  5. ISLAND
  6. Wizards Complex

Zen’s Top 3 for This Month

  1. Sankaiou no Yubiwa
  2. Sengoku†Koihime X ~Otome Kenran Sengoku Emaki~
  3. No.

The new cash cow has arrived!

And left after dropping you a present, all yours Micchi.


In Case You Didn’t Know…

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Wagamama_High_Spec_ToaHere’s a three-week news special (since I’ve been playing ToS non-stop during the past while…)!

sprite has announced a continuation for Aokana: Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm -ZWEI-. There’s also a Tsukihime remake in the works from TYPE-MOON…

Other new titles announced recently include:

10mileKatahane -An’call Belle-
Astronauts CometAlicetia Remain (July 29th)
CabbitHakoniwa Logic ~Koko to Icharabu SM Seikatsu~
Debonosu WorksKagura Houshinka
KAIMajo to Ken to Sen no Tsuki
lightSilverio Trinity
MOONSTONE HoneyYuuwaku Scramble (August 26th)
PULLTOP LatteYakimochi Kanojo no Ichizu na Koi (June 24th)
PumpkinPrinzMayonaka Pyonpyon Cafe (May 1st)
puremoreShoujo Minority -Nagusame no Ai- (July 29th)
Softhouse-seal GRANDEEZettai Junshu☆New Kozukuri World
VanadisSlime Musume no Sodatekata

Release dates have been set for the following:

Koisuru Ojou-sama wa Ecchi na Hanayome – July 28th
Floral Flowlove – July 29th

The PC version of Steins;Gate 0 is set for a June 24th release.

Natsu_Uso_AoiThe following titles have been delayed:

Pure Marriage Madoka-hen – May 27th
Tarareba – May 27th
WIZARD LINKS – May 27th
Koi to Mahou to Kanrinin ~Unmei no Haguruma-hen~ – June 24th
Chuuni Hime no Teikoku – July 29th

Shachi and Ai came out on top for the Noraneko and Sakura no Uta chara polls. Chara polls have started up for Otoiro (until April 22nd), Amatsutsumi (until April 28th) and Hanahime (until May 8th).

As usual, key made a real announcement on April Fool’s Day: the anime adaptations for Rewrite and Planetarian will be broadcasted this summer. They will also be releasing the remastered Rewrite+ (includes Harvest festa) on July 29th.

TYPE-MOON has also revealed another Fate anime for 2017. It is titled Fate/EXTRA Last Encore. Meanwhile, the Wagahigh anime is underway! It seems a bit different from the game, but not in a bad way.

Console game developer Alchemist filed has filed for bankruptcy. They were known for Saki, Higurashi, and Galgun, as well as many eroge PSV ports. It’s quite disappointing news, yet not too surprising.

Softhouse-seal GRANDEE made a free to play online game Zettai Junshu☆Pakopako Carnival!!. It’s up to YOU to save the world via sex!

Sengoku_Koihime_X_SuzumePSV ports are planned for Tearstilla (July 28th), Strawberry Nauts (July 28th), Puramai Wars (August 25th), PriminstAr (September 29th) and Hoshiori. Utawarerumono: Futari no Hakuoro will also be out on September 21st on the PS3/PS4/PSV.

On the localization front, Sekai Project will be bringing over Maitetsu and Leyline, while Frontwing will start collecting funds for an official project for Sharin in June.

There’s an Asuka figure in the works from WAVE! Looks pretty good! (But what about Mashiro??) New figures available for pre-order include:

Chara-Ani – 1/7 scale Hatsumi (Period, July, ¥13,500)
GSC – 1/8 scale Uzuki crystal night party ver. (Deremas, October, ¥11,852)
Max Factory – 1/7 scale Ranko ~Rosenburg Engel~ (Deremas, November, ¥12,778)
Phat! – 1/8 scale Azusa (im@s, September, ¥8400)

Dakimakuras are available for preorder or will be sold at upcoming events for QUINTUPLE☆SPLASH‘s Sae, Tsuyokiss Festival‘s Kitsune and Nagomi, Koitate‘s Mai, Haniclo‘s Rio, Koihime‘s Iiko, Toshi and Shaoren, D.S.‘s Himari and Io, Sankaiou‘s Sonya, Mamiya-kun‘s Yakumo, and Otoiro‘s Sakuya and Satsuki.

A couple of concerts are coming out in early June: Lose Concert 2016 “Ohitoyo-shi Monogatari” (June 4th) and Windmill Live 2016 (June 11th). The artist line-up is pretty good, so get your tickets quick!

After KISS’s CM3D2 collaboration with Maitetsu, they’ve now partnered with Lump of Sugar’s Tayutama 2.

Idol catpanions in Nekopa Live!?

Ok, back to grinding…


Between Winter and Summer

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Dal_Segno_BannerFAVORITE is working on the sequel/fandisc AstralAir no Shiroki Towa Finale. The official game site will open soon. Other titles announced this week include:

CampusTsumikoi×2/3 (July 29th)
fengGakkou no Seiiki
minoriTRINOLINE

Iris’ Chicchakunai mon! has been delayed to July 29th, while release dates have been set for the following:

Bokura no Sekai ni Shukufuku o. – June 24th
Planet Dragon – June 24th
Slime Musume no Sodatekata – June 24th
BALDR HEART – July 29th
Kagura Houshinka – July 29th
Sen no Hatou, Tsukisome no Kouki – September 23rd

The OST for Sakuranomori†Dreamers will come out on the same day as the game, May 27th.

YuzuSoft is working on a cast-off figure for Sanoba‘s Tsumugi. The D.S. first press version will include a serial code voucher for a 3DD figure of Ame. New figures available for pre-order include:

ALTER – 1/7 scale Saber/Artoria Pendragon Alter dress ver. (Fate, November, ¥15,800)
Funny Knights – 1/7 scale Nekone (Utawarerumono, August, ¥12,000)
VERTEX – 1/7 scale Super Sonico ~Cowgirl~ (Sonicomi, August, ¥12,000)

The PSV port AstralAir no Shiroki Towa -White Eternity- from dramatic create is planned for September.

Dakimakuras are coming out for Aokana‘s Asuka and Misaki, Noraneko‘s ShachiKoiyori‘s Kyouko, Hanitsuma‘s Aoi and Misato, Unionism Quartet‘s SilveriaSorcery JokersFiona and Noah and Sakura no Uta‘s Sakurako and Suzuna.

The Rorolog trial is out, but I’m still too busy with ToS

Natsuiro_Kokoro_Log_Beach


May 2016 Eroge Releases

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It must suck to be a childhood friend. Either you go missing like in Lass’s Liber_7: Eigou no Owari o Matsu Kimi e or you get murdered like in MOONSTONE’s Sakuranomori†Dreamers. Fortunately, you can escape reality by jumping into the virtual worlds of Heart’s Natsuiro Kokoro Log or mirai’s Hanahime*Absolute!. Last but not least, Lump of Sugar’s Tayutama2 -you’re the only one- lets you reacquaint yourself with the Tayutai. Maybe you’ll pick up one as a bride!?

Great month in terms of amount of games to write about. Terrible month in terms of games worth playing. Though on the bright side months like these do help us make some progress on backlogs, which is always a nice feeling. It is nice to see some companies trying to spice up the childhood friend type heroines though, now I can’t wait till they start following the trend with those little sisters.

Hanahime_Absolute_CGLiber_7_CGSoshite_Hatsukoi_ga_Imouto_ni_Naru_CG
Sakuranomori_Dreamers_CGNatsuiro_Kokoro_Log_CGTayutama2_CG
Miagete_Goran_Yozora_no_Hoshi_o_FINE_DAYS_CG4Boku_to_Koisuru_Ponkotsu_Akuma_Suggoi_Ecchi_CGSeikentsukai_no_Proposition_CG

Ichibun no Ni Koigokoro

Ichibun_no_Ni_Koigokoro

Company: 天ノ葉 (Amanoha)
Game site: 1分の2恋ゴコロ
Release date: May 27, 2016
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from March. This is the first game by Amanoha. Aoi doesn’t go to school; instead he works hard every day on part-time jobs to care for his two imoutos, Hina and Runa. While he does have some regrets about not attending school, he is satisfied and motivated by the sight of his imoutos’ smiles.

One winter day, Aoi was working harder than usual in order to celebrate his imoutos’ birthday, which was fast approaching. Then he reunited with his former kouhai Minori and met his shy neighbour Koyuki. These encounters brought about changes in Aoi’s relationship with his imoutos.

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The story is written from both the perspective of the protagonist Aoi and each heroine, to develop a greater sense of romance. There’s no trial out yet (even though they said it would be available in December), but all the heroines are cute, especially his angelic imoutos. This is the first story by Nakamura Panda, so I’d suggest approaching it with tempered expectations.

Do I even need to say it?

But it’s not a fandisc!

You’re right. It’s much worse.

FLOWERS -Le volume sur automne- (Aki-hen)

Flowers_Aki-hen

Company: Innocent Grey
Game site: FLOWERS -Le volume sur automne-(秋篇)
Release date: May 27, 2016
Comments:
This is the third game in Innocent Grey’s all-ages yuri series FLOWERS. At the end of summer, Suou was one step closer to solving the mystery behind the disappearance of her amitie Mayuri. The president of the Council of Nicaea, Yuzuriha, offered Suou the key which she sought if she would succeed her as president. Knowing her true intentions, Yuzuriha had made the demand difficult so as to make her give up on the idea. However, she herself holds on to a secret which must not be revealed. There were many strange incidents which occurred that autumn at Saint Angraecum Academy. Many threads of love interweave as a complex tale of truth and love begins.

It’s a little late for me to get into this series even if I was interested in it.

Yuri.

Liber_7: Eigou no Owari o Matsu Kimi e

Liber_7

Company: Lass
Game site: Liber_7 永劫の終わりを待つ君へ
Release date: May 27, 2016
Comments:
Kouryoukan Academy student Naoto keeps a secret even from his closest friends. It is his ability to read and write into the memories of others by merely touching them. While he could have easily abused this power, he considers it too much of a bother and carries on his life as normal.

However, threatening events began to frequently happen around him as Tanabata approached: the discovery of a mangled corpse of a girl, a large terrorist blast with civilian casualties, and the disappearance of his osananajimi Miku. He was perplexed at the events which unfolded, but when a girl showed up to kill him, he found out that the town had become a stage for a fight to the death between combatants with superpowers.

He managed to flee just as he was about to be killed. Then, it struck midnight and a blinding light enveloped the area. When he came to his senses, he found himself back three days earlier.

Naoto is one of 7 ‘rebellion’ chosen by some mysterious figure. He must kill the other six, otherwise the world will be destroyed in 3 days. The victor would have the power to grant any wish as the new ‘God’. So it’s basically a death game with a similar feel to their previous games, 3days and 11eyes. In fact, the setting is the same as 11eyes. I’m not really interested in these superpower-fueled battles (like fortissimo), so I’ll pass.

Pretty cheesy. Would have been more interesting without the “World will end if you don’t kill each other” bit. A much more interesting take on this would have been letting the character walk two paths, either being some kind of serial killer in a city using his abilities to thwart pursuit. Or hunting down people similar to himself who take the first route.

Instead we get some boring, poorly written chuuni with a protagonist who will no doubt whine about wanting to be normal at some point. I’m with Micchi here, pass.

Pre-movie

Pure Marriage ~Akai Ito Monogatari Madoka-hen~

Pure_Marriage_Madoka-hen

Company: Lass Pixy
Game site: Pure Marriage ~赤い糸物語 まどか編~
Release date: May 27, 2016
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from April. This is the first title by Lass Pixy, one of three low-priced titles, each focused on a different heroine. Touma has reached a critical turning point of his life. He was asked to marry the daughter of the richest family in town, Serika, after incidentally saving her life. After hearing that he had become Serika’s fiancé, his osananajimi Madoka and imouto Sakura also declared themselves as their fiancées. While they are all very important to him, he can only choose one of them as his bride and they each pressed to be chosen while hiding their real intentions secret.

This is the first of three low-priced titles, each focused on a different heroine. The games are very affordable at only 1480 yen apiece, while still maintaining good production values. There’s no harm in trying it out.

Purity being the theme yet again apparently, I will be as pure and honest as I can while saying you pay for what you get.

WIZARD LINKS

Wizard_Links

Company: 筆柿そふと (Fudegaki Soft)
Game site: WIZARD LINKS
Release date: May 27, 2016
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from April. Hikaru is a normal student, who lives with her parents and younger brother. One day, she had a shocking encounter with a strange girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, Elena, who was a magician who had been sent to hunt ‘devils’. Hikaru’s daily life greatly changed as she was dragged into their intense battles.

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I’m waiting for the inevitable defeats and resulting H scenes. The succubus is pretty cute.

You can tell this is not a game focused on younger sisters because Micchi wrote about as much as I do when it is. Not that I feel any differently because the game sucks, but my point remains mostly valid.

Soshite Hatsukoi ga Imouto ni Naru

Soshite_Hatsukoi_ga_Imouto_ni_Naru

Company: ALcot ハニカム (ALcot Honey Comb)
Game site: そして初恋が妹になる
Release date: May 27, 2016
Comments:
Having faced many hardships as a child, the cynical Kazuharu believed that the world was a wasteland and the only way to survive it was to work your hardest. There’s no time for playing nor falling in love, like the rest of his classmates.

While he was working hard as usual, he saw a mysterious girl with a uniform he did not recognize. She appeared to always avoid the gaze of others. Normally he wouldn’t pay much attention, but for some reason he was particularly interested in her. Then suddenly one day, she became his imouto.

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The girl Shinobu is not really an imouto either, just a fake imouto. A wise man once said to treat your imouto well regardless of her blood relation, but in this case it’s truly just a ploy for a make-believe sibling bond. But she does act like an imouto… How far can we stretch the definition of an imouto? It appears that it’s a full-price game, as opposed to their previous titles. I’m kind of on the fence for this one; I need a trial to see if I like the story enough since the characters don’t have the same appeal.

Micchi. On the fence. For an “imouto” game… Though I completely understand. This is basically the poster child for what I find wrong about most imouto based games. They just pick a character and call it imouto. The focus is more on the word and what it signifies than on the characters. In this case it would not be so hard to make them related, cousins, or even step siblings. However choosing such a forcibly arbitrary relationship makes the whole sibling thing pointless.

Too many imoutos. Not enough time!

Well I can safely say I 100% agree with the first half of that statement.

Sakuranomori†Dreamers

Sakuranomori_Dreamers

Company: MOONSTONE
Game site: サクラノモリ†ドリーマーズ
Release date: May 27, 2016
Comments:
Ever since surviving a plane crash which claimed the lives of his parents, Shinji has been able to see dark grotesque spirits. He lives alone, but is often visited by his cousin Hatsune and aunt Miyako, who both had also miraculously survived the incident. Lately, there have been increasingly more strange deaths in Sakuranomori, and Shinji felt that the spirits that he saw must be related to them.

One day, his osananajimi Madoka, who had constantly supported him and whom he had vowed to protect, told him that she was moving to Tokyo. Realizing his feelings for her, he confessed to her and they become lovers. Tragically, she was found murdered the next morning.

Shinji eventually returned to his normal routine as he did not wish worry Hatsune and Miyako, but he was merely a shell of his former self. He harboured hatred for the shadows that he thought caused her death, until it was revealed that she had been strangled. He vowed to avenge Madoka’s death by killing her murderer.

Three years later, he saw the ghost of one of his classmates and began to investigate into her death, sparking the curiosity of another classmate Kureha. The ghost revealed that she had been killed a bodach, a monster with human skin. Kureha invited him to join the ‘Sakuramori Dreamers’ to vanquish the bodachs, which they must fight in a dream world. With the dark flame deep inside his flame still ablaze, he throws himself into battle, to protect the town and the one he loves.

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The game is comprised of two distinct parts: the first follows Shinji’s quest for revenge while fighting as part of the Sakuramori Dreamers, while the second depicts the peaceful daily lives with the heroine he chooses. MOONSTONE’s games took a distinctly darker turn with their previous game Natsu no Iro no Nostalgia, and they’ve followed it up with another horror suspense title. The story seems a bit more cohesive than Nostalgia, even though there’s still the occasional jump scare. I thoroughly enjoyed the two trials even though I’m quite queasy about horror titles. While it’s not in my anticipated titles for this month, I do recommend others give it a try.

Childish attempt at a horror type game. Setting makes little to no sense, the protagonist isn’t particularly relatable, and the flow of story just doesn’t work.

As far as setting if you are going to go this route it is hardly believable that when such things openly exist with enough people knowing about them that a high school club is in charge of being ghost busters. This is why similar stories focus on the kids stumbling into some haunted area or something else they need to escape from.

Protagonist is all over the place. Not enough build up for emotional investment into his problems be it parents, childhood friend, or anyone else. The arbitrary delays before he does anything only makes it worse. Would have been better had there been no three year gap, he was dating her in high school then have her killed. After which he could have gone off on revenge to follow her route, struggle with letting her go on another, and perhaps a third where he decides to try using his ability to see ghosts to help them and the people around their deaths.

Story wise, frankly it is basically chuuni. Which we all know is pretty much another word for terrible. The thing is there is no clear genre here. Mixing the fighting with horror with romance and revenge is just, not good. There is no central pillar supporting it, instead it is all just clusters of what are almost separate stories sorta held together with some scotch tape. For example, horror works best when the characters are powerless against it, this is because the point is to appeal to that instinctual fear of being preyed upon. Action based stories function best with a clear cut setting from the start which allows the protagonist to grow through the combat. Meanwhile romance shouldn’t feel like it relies on suspension bridges and instead focus on character building and bonding.

Tayutama 2 -you’re the only one-

Tayutama2

Company: Lump of Sugar
Game site: タユタマ2 -you’re the only one-
Release date: May 27, 2016
Comments:
This is the sequel to Lump of Sugar’s 2008 title Tayutama. It has been 50 years since the release of the Tayutai which had been sealed in Ashihara-chou. Humans have since acknowledged their existence and the Tayutai have also moved towards living in harmony with humans. The town of Yakotami-chou where Sora lives was blessed with the country’s most favourable spiritual energies. As such, it was promoted as a place where humans and Tayutai can coexist, and underwent rapid development as it took in many humans and Tayutai.

One day, Sora happened to settle a trivial fight between a child and a Tayutai. It’s not uncommon to see such occurrences in this town. However, he was surprised when a girl with cute ears on her head appeared before him claiming that he was the one she had been looking for. She led him to the Tayutai shrine, Yachimata Shrine, and turned towards him with sparkling innocent eyes.

“I want you to be my husband!”

He couldn’t understand the girl Kohaku’s true intention, but after hearing an explanation from her mother Mashiro and deeply impressed with her enthusiasm, he agreed to help her realize her goal of forming the ‘Human and Tayutai Coexistence Society’.

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The original heroines are back and they haven’t aged at all (although Yumina is now at 149.9cm tall… still the shortest). Mashiro is back as… a heroine??? Wouldn’t that be NTR??? Anyways, the writer is different (Okita Roshuu), so I’m not sure how it’ll turn out. Hopefully there’s no more of that gimmick stuff and just focus on being a nice simple chara-ge. I’m interested in Kohaku and Nano. I’d take them both home! Hau~ omochikaeri~!

Well Lump of Sugar has in my opinion not made a good game since the original Tayutama which honestly wasn’t even all that great itself. But given how their games just seem to get worse and worse this feels like little more than a desperate attempt to salvage something using old brand recognition. Sadly like usual they screw things up spectacularly. Alongside multiple protagonists one of the worst ideas for an eroge is allowing previous heroines to show up as more than just cameos. This turns previous nostalgia into dislike as it ruins what people may have liked about the previous game. Mainly due to how eroge work. When the entire point is choice having a sequel where that choice is already made makes any other route from the original feel pointless.

Blatantly retarded decisions aside the story itself is about as painful as usual for Lump of Sugar. It feels like they tried to take the concept of Mashiro from the original and use that as a basis for the new game but missed the point entirely. In the original the reason Mashiro asked him to marry her was due to his background as a priest and relationship with her. This time it has zero basis. Though I’m sure they will make up something, even if it doesn’t make any sense in relation to the original. Then there is the whole coexistence thing which was part of the original but feels like little more than awkward filler to get the story going.

Tarareba ~as in What If stories~

Tarareba

Company: Aries
Game site: タラレバ ~as in What if stories~
Release date: May 27, 2016
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from April. Aside from possessing relatively useless psychic powers, Kanata is a normal guy who is engrossed with reminiscing about his days as a student while running away from reality. One day while at his part-time job, a mysterious girl suddenly appeared before him.

“Your constant delusions about the past – I can hear them all.
If you really want to go back that much, I will send you there.
However, don’t come back with any regrets.”

The next time he opened his eyes, he was back in his house eight years ago. With the help of another mysterious girl Thea, he got the chance to live the school life which he so longed for. He didn’t have any fond memories from back then, so he resolved to redo it this time and leave with no regrets.

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The title comes from the combination of two conditional suffixes ‘tara’ and ‘reba’, signifying regret on the part of the protagonist. The story is written by Yoshii Hajime and Sama Yuuma, both of whom worked on Scramble Lovers. An interesting tidbit to note is that Thea can only be seen by Kanata and Hein, the girl who had sent him back in time. I’d love to go back to my school days, although not necessarily redoing everything since I do have fond memories myself. It’s enjoyable to reflect upon them especially when as an adult, you’re pretty much stuck in a daily work routine. Then again, if there was a girl like Thea waiting for me… I think I might want to go back.

Aries really should have watched The Butterfly Effect as it may have helped them appear competent. Next.

They could also have played ISLAND, which explains the same thing.

Natsuiro Kokoro Log

Natsuiro_Kokoro_Log

Company: Hearts
Game site: ナツイロココロログ
Release date: May 27, 2016
Comments:
One day, Yoshito was challenged by his senpai Kisara to a match in a fighting game. Even though he was confident in his skills, she was a top ranker and beat him handily. As a result, he had to join the cyber-research club that she was the leader of. It was a relatively new club, but it soon became lively with the addition of his osananajimi and student council deputy leader Kuon, his dependable imouto Rin and classmate Kotone.

At the start of summer vacation, Yoshito was asked by the club’s advisor Kanae to help test out a love simulation game that’s in development. However, all the female avatars in the game were played by the girls in the cyber-research club! Once it was revealed that his avatar had an AI which mimicked his personality, they interacted with him in ways that they normally wouldn’t in real life. Traversing the line between reality and imagination, he could see the true feelings of the heroines who are not honest with their feelings. Their summer love story begins now.

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A colourful chara-ge from Hearts which is perfect for those looking for a simple yet enjoyable title. I like Shiromochi Sakura and Pero’s art, and the characters all have their own charms, especially since they have two different sides (real world and virtual world). Most importantly, that means that I can have both types of imouto in one! Rin reminds me of Hanasaki‘s Nonoka, taking care of everything around the house, while her avatar is really amaenbou! Nurse outfit is great! Take care of me, Rin!

Another of those games where the setting and story work together to force the protagonist along the H scene railroad. Essentially the only interesting part being the duality of the characters and blurring reality with fiction is lost along the way it is all forced down their throat. Don’t expect a good charage where the characters actually develop here. Just a game meant to siphon off gap moe money.

Yes take my money! Oh wait, they already did…

Hanahime*Absolute!

Hanahime_Absolute

Company: mirai
Game site: ハナヒメ*アブソリュート!
Release date: May 27, 2016
Comments:
This is the first title by mirai, a sister brand of Minato Soft. In 2025, the social game Crown Hearts about the battle between the prince’s country ‘Stella Crown’ and the princesses’ country ‘Floris Hearts’ was a smash hit, and pro gamers have become as popular as star athletes. Koharu attends Luminus Academy with his pure osananajimi and hopeful new pro gamer Maher, kind and slightly bracon imouto Hiyoko, and Hiyoko’s friend and extremely popular net idol Ayane.

One day, they attended the opening ceremony of the annual Crown Hearts event “Divine Crown Battle”. However, this year, they announced the new “Crown Hearts VR”, where one may battle others in the real world using the latest in virtual reality technology. Sixteen entrants were chosen for the “Divine Crown Battle VR” tournament: a ‘prince’ and his seven ‘flower princesses’, and a ‘queen’ and her seven ‘star princes’.

Koharu was chosen as the prince by the AI girl Polina, who appeared out from the Crown Hearts world. He must battle in the tournament alongside the sword princess Maher, love princess Hinako and many others. It was rumoured that the winner would have his or her wish granted. Are you ready for this new generation battle royale!?

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The battle system in the game is pretty much the same as the one from Twinkle☆Crusaders (attack, charge, unison, EX). You can choose between three levels of difficulty. While the art is still by Kannagi Rei, the story writers are all different. As usual, they’ve got all the colours of the rainbow covered. I wonder if there’ll be more and more VR/fantasy worlds in the next couple years…

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This is one of those times I just want to skip, leaving maybe a single word of disgust. Is it too much to ask for a company to put some effort into the games they make? This is really just too terrible for words. Story is basically irrelevant, setting is just there to throw some girls at the protagonist within a relatable theme for the reader. Gameplay is nothing special or new either. So why something so useless is allowed to exist boggles my mind. I can only hope few people are suckered into this so we don’t have to see a sequel eight years down the line about NTRing the original heroines.

Otome Riron to Sonogo no Shuuhen -Belle Époque-

Otome_Riron_to_Sonogo_no_Shuuhen_Belle_Epoque

Company: Navel
Game site: 乙女理論とその後の周辺 -Belle Epoque-
Release date: May 27, 2016
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from February. This is the fandisc for Otome Riron to Sono Shuuhen, which also requires you to have played the original title Tsuki ni Yorisou Otome no Sahou. It features after stories for Resona and Meryl, as well an another story and after story for Bluette. It’s a fandisc and there’s plenty of fans who’ll eat this up.

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Never did like the writing for this series. Far too verbose for simple things, it made everything feel unnatural and boring.

Miagete Goran, Yozora no Hoshi o FINE DAYS

Miagete_Goran_Yozora_no_Hoshi_o_FINE_DAYS

Company: PULLTOP
Game site: 見上げてごらん、夜空の星を FINE DAYS
Release date: May 27, 2016
Comments:
This is the fandisc for Miagete Goran, Yozora no Hoshi o, with after stories for each of the four heroines. There are also new routes for sub-heroines Honoka and Miharu, and a downloadable route for Hinami in late June. They’re making this mainly for Saya, right? It doesn’t seem the other heroines are anywhere near her popularity…

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Fandisk.

Seikentsukai no Proposition

Seikentsukai_no_Proposition

Company: UnicoЯn
Game site: 聖鍵遣いの命題(プロポジション)
Release date: May 27, 2016
Comments:
This is the debut work for UnicoЯn. There exists a legend about a king who obtained a relic from a lost civilization and used its power to grant any wish to unite the world. This relic, ‘Chuu no Ison’ (Legacy of the Sky), was sealed afterwards by the ‘holy keys’ somewhere in the world. Countless persons have attempted to find it, but none of them could even find a trace of its location.

Haruto is a hopeless guy who was forced by the headmaster Spiano to attend the Academy, but ended up skipping all classes. When she made him work part-time, an unfortunate incident caused him to carry a huge debt to her. To pay off the debt, he was unwillingly tasked to explore to the depths of a sealed ruins as part of a supplementary test. His fellow test-taker Akina mentioned that it was rumoured that the elusive relic was sealed deep in the ruins. Vowing to become rich and to show Spiano up, he faced the challenge with heightened vigour.

Seikentsukai_no_Proposition_CG2Seikentsukai_no_Proposition_CG3Seikentsukai_no_Proposition_CG4

While the seiyuu cast is impressive and the art is not bad, the story is severely lacking. Taking a page from the action-oriented light novels, there’s a lot of yelling and flashy attacks, but not much else. They take care to create the setting, but then it falls into the same clichés as every other game, with boob grabs, panty shots, accidental kisses and tentacles. And of course, our group of adventurers students are all the ‘chosen ones’. I also haven’t seen a title in a while where the main heroine hits the protagonist whenever they say or do something stupid (reminds me of Love Hina). I think the only good part is that the chuuni protagonist is a narcissist who doesn’t care what the hell you think. He’s also stupidly powerful. I think this would be better off as an anime or LN.

Hahahahaha. It seems I finally corrupted Micchi. So now I can retire in peace and know that all my bitterness is well taken care of. Since Micchi said mostly everything I want to already, I can take the time to point out just how bad the game has to be for that to happen. I do agree about the protagonist though, I almost want to play just for him, almost.

Hey I’m a realist for the most part, albeit with a generally positive outlook.

You turn from realist to blubbering softie the instant the word “Imouto” is involved!

Boku to Koisuru Ponkotsu Akuma. Suggoi Ecchi!

Boku_to_Koisuru_Ponkotsu_Akuma_Suggoi_Ecchi

Company: スミレ (SMILE)
Game site: 僕と恋するポンコツアクマ。 すっごいえっち!
Release date: May 27, 2016
Comments:
This is the fandisc for Boku to Koisuru Ponkotsu Akuma., featuring after stories for the five heroines, plus new routes for Rin, Aifa and Reika. There will also be a harem route! More ero hijinks with Sayori and Hirose Madoka art. How could you say no to that?

Fandisk.

Micchi’s Top 3 for This Month

  1. Natsuiro Kokoro Log
  2. Tayutama 2 -you’re the only one-
  3. Hanahime*Absolute!

Zen’s Top 3 for This Month

  1. Yeah..
  2. I think,
  3. Not.

Let’s dive into the virtual world!

Isn’t that where we are right now?


Irreplaceable and Precious

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Liber_7_MikuSMEE’s next title will be Kanojo*Step, planned for a fall release. I don’t particularly care for the art this time. The upgraded renewal version of Katahane -An’call Belle- by 10mile will be out on July 29th. ALcot is also making Clover Day’s Plus, with E-mote and additional H scenes. I’m looking forward to it! ^^

NanaWind’s Haruoto Alice*Gram has been set for November 27th, while the following titles have been delayed:

Koi to Koisuru Utopia – June 24th
Omokage Railback – September 30th

The April append life for PRETTY×CATION2 is now available for download.

The Tokisoku chara poll has started up and will run until May 16th.

Frontwing’s Hatsumira will be ported over to the PSV soon by Prototype.

YuzuSoft’s 10th anniversary book, “YuzuAni”, will showcase all their works from Bra-ban! to Senkoi*Banka. It’ll be on shelves on June 24th at a price of ¥2500.

The 1/7 scale figure of Sanoba‘s Tsumugi is now available for pre-order from Broccoli at ¥14,500. It’ll be shipped in October. Other figures announced this week include:

YuzuAniAlphamax – 1/7 scale Sora (Yosuga, October, ¥12,800)
Kaitendoh – 1/7 scale Misaki (Aokana, July, ¥13,800)
Phat! – 1/8 scale Rin (Deremas, October, ¥9800)
WAVE – 1/8 scale Asuka (Aokana, September, ¥14,800)

Dakimakuras are coming out for Koikuma‘s Emiri, Hatsumira‘s Carmine, KARAKARA‘s Aisia, ALIA’s CARNIVAL‘s Tsukuyomi, and Kagura Taisen‘s Yayoi and Azusa.

hibiki works is also starting an “Orekano” dakimakura crowdfunding project for the LOVELY×CATION series. If you touch it, voices will come from your smartphone.

The Purple Software 2nd Live will be on July 16th. General tickets go on sale on June 9th.

Up to level 247 now on my chronomancer. The grind is real.

Hatsugamai_Manami


A New Challenger Appears!

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Boku_to_Koisuru_Ponkotsu_Akuma_FD_EmiriNew company Libido Soft is spreading their love for older sisters. Their debut work, Zannen na Ane no Love Comedy, is planned for this fall. Imoutos will always be better! ^^

Wonder Fool’s Natsu no Majo no Parade has been set for August 26th.

The visual fan book for Seikishi Melty☆Lovers will be on shelves on June 24th.

The H OVA for PRETTY×CATION‘s Nozomi and Sakura, “Shimai no Hatsukoi”, will be out on July 29th.

Prototype has started up the website for the PSV port for Air.

Aniplex’s 1/7 scale figure of Fate/Grand Order‘s Shielder will come out next March for ¥13,000. Pre-orders started a few days ago and will be taken until July 31st.

The August Live 2016 will be held at Differ Ariake on August 12th and 13th. More info on artists to come.

There’s not much other news since it was Golden Week. Similarly, I’ve been doing the usual stuff. You might be interested to know that the trial for August’s highly-anticipated Sen no Hatou, Tsukisome no Kouki is available for download.



Moe Game Award 2015 Winners

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Natsuiro_Kokoro_Log_RinThe Moe Game Award 2015 winners have been announced! makura’s long-awaited Sakura no Uta takes top spot, followed by PULLTOP’s Miagete Goran, Yozora no Hoshi o and SAGA PLANETS’ Hanasaki Work Spring!. Sakura no Uta was also voted as the top game by users (who likely waited for it for a long long time).

Individual winners are as follows:

Scenario – Sorcery Jokers (3rdEye), Pure×Connect (SMEE)
Game design – Watashi ga Suki nara “Suki” tte Itte! (Chuable Soft), IZUMO4 (Studio e.go!)
Pure love – LOVEREC. (ALcot Honey Comb), Cocoro Rista! (Q-X)
Ero (pink) – Imouto no Seiiki (feng), Boku to Koisuru Ponkotsu Akuma. (SMILE), PRIMAL×HEARTS2 (Marmalade)
Ero (black) – Chijoku no Seifuku (BISHOP)
Theme song – Hana no No ni Saku Utakata no (Applique), Hanasaki Work Spring!
Fandisc – Kimi to Tonari de Koi Shiteru! -The Respective Happiness- (ALcot Honey Comb)
Topic – Hatsuru Koto Naki Mirai Yori (FrontWing)
Low price – Bishoujo Mangekyou -Kami ga Tsukuritamouta Shoujo-tachi- (ωstar)
Fetish – Maggot Baits (CLOCKUP)
Fire – Silverio Vendetta (light)
Long play – Evenicle (ALICESOFT)
Series – Tokeijikake no Ley Line -Asagiri ni Chiru Hana- (UnisonShift: Blossom)

Tarareba_TheaCharacter design – Sanoba Witch (YuzuSoft), Yuki Koi Melt (FrontWing)
Graphics – Soushuu Senshinkan Gakuen Bansenjin (light)
Judges’ special award – Neyuki no Genei (SILKY’s PLUS A5 Wagyuu), Custom Maid 3D2 (KISS)

Shintaro’s art has returned to Clochette for their upcoming title: Haruru Minamo ni. Other new titles recently announced include:

AkabeiSoft3Inochi no Spare -I was born for you- (August 26th)
ASa ProjectSuki to Suki de Sankaku Renai
CampusTriangle Love (August 26th)
eRONDOKoinosu☆Ichacolize
MOREGoshujin-sama, Maid Fuku o Nugasanaide. (September 30th)
SMEEKanojo*Step (September 30th)

softhouse-seal GRANDEE’s Zettai Junshu☆New Kozukuri World has been set for September 30th.

PeasSoft‘s Koisuru Shimai no Sextet PLUS has been cancelled, while the following titles have been delayed:

Ichibun no Ni Koigokoro – July 29th
Hanahime*Absolute! – August 26th
Steins;Gate0 – August 26th
Tayutama 2 – September 23rd
Liber_7 – October 28th

The May append for PURELY×CATION is available for download.

Sakigake_Generation_Visual_Fan_BookThe latest chara poll winners are Hanahime‘s Anko, Shin Koihime Eiyuutan‘s Karin, Amatsutsumi‘s Mana, and Tokisoku‘s Koharu. The Wagahigh chara poll is also underway. Toa-chan wants your vote!

The Yuusei Tenshi Primaveil Drei and Kagura Houshinka OSTs will both come out on July 29th, the same day as the games.

The Noraneko and Sakigen visual fan books will hit the shelves on June 24th, followed by TOKYO NECRO‘s on July 29th.

Anime adaptations are coming out for Chaos;Child and Tales of Zestiria. There’s some sample screencaps from the Love2Quad and PRETTY×CATION H OVAs, which come out on June 24th and July 29th, respectively. Yahoo!

Recent figures available for pre-order include:

Grisaia_Yumiko_FigureA-PLUS – 1/6 scale Akane (Walroma, July, ¥14,800)
GSC – 1/8 scale Mio crystal night party ver. (Deremas, December, ¥11,852)
Kotobukiya – 1/6 scale Fighter Sasara (TH2DT, October, ¥17,800)
Max Factory – figma Mio jersey ver. (Deremas, November, ¥4630)
Orchid Seed – 1/7 scale Yumiko -Cherry Red- (Grisaia, September, ¥12,800)
Phat! – 1/8 scale Caster [Fate/Extra] (Fate, October, ¥8400)
Tsukuru no Mori – 1/7 scale Nekone (Utawarerumono, June, ¥11,470)

Custom Maid 3D2‘s latest collaboration is with White Powder’s debut title LAMUNATION!.

Aokana_Jashin-chan_Money_BankYou can now pre-order dakimakuras for the Aokana heroines (Asuka, Misaki, Mashiro, Rika) and Shoumeza‘s Sayuki and Yuuka.

Next summer’s Denkigai Matsuri will be held on August 11th in Asakusa instead of Shinjuku or Akihabara.

What a cute Jashin-chan money bank!

Finally got the post out after much procrastination. I’m almost at the level cap in TOS; just hit 278 and trying out Earth Tower. I’m waiting for Rorolog and Sana figure to arrive at my door. Maybe I’ll have some time for eroge…?

Pretty_Cation_H_OVA_Sakura


Welcome Home

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Koi_to_Mahou_to_Kanrinin_Unmei_no_Haguruma-hen_HisanoLovebitch’s second title Imouto Tokku ~Imouto to Kekkon Dekiru Ii Jidai ni Narimashita~ features a world where marrying your imouto is legal. Not that legality has stopped any onii-chan. It is planned for July 15th. I do fancy the youngest imouto, Eri-chan.

The following titles have been delayed:

Bokura no Sekai ni Shukufuku o. – August 26th
Giniro, Haruka – August 26th

FAVORITE’s AstralAir no Shiroki Towa is being ported over to the PSV this September! Meanwhile, Hoshiori Yume Mirai Converted Edition has been set for August 10th and Fate/Extella for November 10th.

Hmm… this 1/7 scale Super Sonico racing ver. figure from Max Factory is pretty good… It’ll ship in January for ¥13,704.

CharatWeb has a dakimakura coming out for Rewrite‘s Kotori and Shizuru.

Sana is here with me now ^^ Also, Rorolog has arrived, although I haven’t had time to play it yet since I’m still grinding away at TOS. I’ve reached the cap of level 280 and trying out Earth Tower, but I’ve also started up my dievdirbys alt while working on my priest at the same time. Support for life!

I plan to wrap up the June post by the end of the upcoming week. There’s not many games at all.


Precious Jewels

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Koi_to_Koisuru_Utopia_MoegiFrontwing is one of the prominent eroge companies entering the Western market. Not only are they working on Corona Blossom, but they are also releasing a romance simulation/puzzle game Purino Party featuring the heroines from Pure Girl and Innocent Girl. It’ll be on Steam this June. But both Sora and Hinako are no longer imoutos!? Share the imoutos with us too!

The first chara poll for Clochette’s upcoming title Haruru Minamo ni! runs until June 27th. Miori-chan gets my vote.

key’s HD edition of Planetarian is set for July 29th, while Frontwing’s multi-lingual Corona Blossom is scheduled for August 26th.

The “GWAVE 2015 2nd Colors” CD, featuring 16 OPs from Hatsumira to Fairytale Requiem, will be out on July 29th. It is priced at ¥3000, and the limited edition with tapestry sells for ¥5500.

Dakimakuras are available for Sakuranomori‘s Kureha and Love2Quad‘s Honoka.

Happy birthday Sana! Chie, Chieri and Tina’s birthdays were all this week as well! Congratulations!

Trying to play TOS and Deresute event at the same time doesn’t leave much time for much else… >_> I should really set aside time for other stuff…


June 2016 Eroge Releases

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Just a light month of fandiscs and other low-priced games, along with way too many nukige. Palette Qualia’s Otome*Domain welcomes you to the ojou-sama world as a trap, except all the ojou-samas are pretty useless. Enjoy a heartwarming moment in calme’s KARAKARA or raise your own slime girl in SofthouseChara’s Slime Musume no Sodatekata.

Useless month.

Koisuru_Kimochi_no_Kasanekata_FD_CGOtome_Domain_CGSlime_Musume_no_Sodatekata_CG
Lamunation_CGKarakara_CGPlanet_Dragon_CG

LAMUNATION!

Lamunation

Company: WhitePowder
Game site: LAMUNATION!
Release date: June 24, 2016
Comments:
This is the first title by WhitePowder. Luna used to lounge on the sofa watching pre-recorded cupcake documentaries or spend time chatting with his BFF (rubber ducky) in the jacuzzi. But ever since he agreed to his twin imouto Corona’s request to make everyone happy, he has no time for that! He’s been busy selling homemade ramune with his osananajimi Lamune, hanging out at the Cherry Crown Diner run by his friends Rayla and Iris, and going out on road trips over the weekends (with Corona and him taking turns at the wheel). Together with his friends and lover, this isn’t just happiness… it’s perfection!

The theme of the game is ‘”All Ways” Be Happy’, depicting a happy and carefree lifestyle. It’s mainly a comedy set in the resort town Saint Aria, where magic and technology co-exist. It gives a strong Western vibe in its setting and presentation. They tell you to empty your mind and enjoy the game, but even for a baka-ge, the writing and story is all over the place and isn’t much better than the doujin title (LOVEPOTION SIXTYNINE) which they had worked on previously. It feels like they wrote the game to entertain themselves instead of the audience. The main interesting thing about the game is how they are promoting their game, but there’s not really any substance awaiting those that do try it out.

A company named after their muse. Off to a great start here. Lets just lay it out there and be honest here, the game sucks. Sure the theme itself is fine, but its all over the place. Shutting off your brain to enjoy is one thing, requiring a lobotomy is another. Maybe if they shipped the game with a kilo of WhitePowder we might be able to enjoy it as much as they do.

Otome*Domain

Otome_Domain

Company: ぱれっとクオリア (Palette Qualia)
Game site: オトメ*ドメイン
Release date: June 24, 2016
Comments:
This is the debut work for Palette Qualia. Minato was left without any relatives after his grandmother’s passing. He was taken in by Kazari, an ojou-sama the same age as him who managed a girls’ school. With nowhere else to go, he ended up in a girls’ uniform and started living in the girls’ dormitory. However, all the girls living there are quite useless. Even though he was the one who was taken in, it’s like he was the one taking care of them instead!

Otome_Domain_CG2Otome_Domain_CG3Otome_Domain_CG4

Traps are always cutest, and the tennen (but much more level-headed than the heroines) Minato is no exception. You can even hear his girly voice since it’s fully voiced, including the H scenes. The graphics are pretty good, in particular the SDs. If you want some comedy and ichaicha with eccentric ojou-samas, look no further! Hinata-chan is quite cute despite her chuuni side ^^

Not especially amazing, however at least they chose to go trap instead of standard high school romance for their debut. Traps may be common but at least it is something to help stand out more. The game itself is well, by the standards of today probably a bit over average. When compared to higher quality games, the setting and story are almost non existent. So in summation, if you want standard, here ya go. If however you are terribly bored and sick of repeating the standard eroge, move along.

Slime Musume no Sodatekata

Slime_Musume_no_Sodatekata

Company: Vanadis
Game site: スライム娘の育て方
Release date: June 24, 2016
Comments:
In the middle of a fierce war with demons, countless artificial life forms were being created in a certain lab as weapons against the demons. Among them was an organic life form (slime) which was deemed to be a failure and discarded after repeated terrible experiments. One young man took pity on the slime girl and secretly took her under his protection.

However, she had lost all trust in humans due to all the torture that she suffered during the experiments. Determined to save her life, the young man treated her with love, hoping that she would open up her heart to him one day.

The premise and system seem pretty similar to TeachingFeeling, but with a slime girl instead of a slave. When Rami grows up, she either becomes a loving amaenbou or basically a slut, depending on her affection and stress levels. It’s up to you to decide! I’d pat her on the head a lot.

I think they took the term honey trap too literally.

Planet Dragon

Planet_Dragon

Company: ソフトハウスキャラ (SofthouseChara)
Game site: プラネット ドラゴン
Release date: June 24, 2016
Comments:
When Yoshitsune awoke from cryosleep, he found himself in space. Mankind had flown out to space and inhabited many planets. After many twists and turns, he acquired a cargo ship (and the excellent accompanying navigation support doll Sakura) and started a shipping company. However, it is now an era of lowered sexual desire where holding hands was akin to kissing. Labelled as a ‘lewd beast’ for following the customs from the past era, Yoshitsune awakened the sexual desires of the women around him, causing trouble non-stop.

Space pirates, delivery missions and ship customization. I’m not really interested, but maybe you would be.

Frankly I’d rather play X3 or Elite. Would have been a better game without the retarded H scene mechanics.

Hakoniwa no Logic TwinPack

Hakoniwa_no_Logic_Twin_Pack

Company: Cabbit
Game site: 箱庭ロジック TwinPack
Release date: June 24, 2016
Comments:
This is a re-release of Cabbit’s 2014 title Hakoniwa no Logic as part of their 10th anniversary. It is packaged with a new spin-off mini ADV Koko no Icharabu SM Seikatsu, an idea first conceived on April Fool’s Day. Where will her perverted delusions take us this time?

Re-release.

Koisuru Kimochi no Kasanekata ~Kasaneta Omoi o Zutto~

Koisuru_Kimochi_no_Kasanekata_FD

Company: ensemble
Game site: 恋する気持ちのかさねかた ~かさねた想いをずっと~
Release date: June 24, 2016
Comments:
This is the fandisc for Koisuru Kimochi no Kasanekata, with after stories for all six heroines. It’s a new start for the lovers with continuing irreplaceable days as the seasons pass. Most importantly, this means more Ichika!

Koisuru_Kimochi_no_Kasanekata_FD_CG2Koisuru_Kimochi_no_Kasanekata_FD_CG3Koisuru_Kimochi_no_Kasanekata_FD_CG4

Fandisk.

Koi to Mahou to Kanrinin ~Unmei no Haguruma-hen~

Koi_to_Mahou_to_Kanrinin_Unmei_no_Haguruma-hen

Company: Prometheus
Game site: 恋と魔法と管理人 ~運命の歯車編~
Release date: June 24, 2016
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from April. This is the second mid-priced game for Koi to Mahou to Kanrinin, focusing on Kasumi and Hisano. Takeru has been the dorm manager at Hazuki Gakuen since the beginning of the school term. When his osananajimi Kasumi and transfer student Hisano found out about this, they also moved in to the dorm and it became very rowdy every day. He had remained distant to others due to his self-hatred of his innate ability, but he gradually started to treat the girls living in the dorm like family. However, they had feelings for him and became anxious after realizing that he didn’t see them as anything more than family. At that time, a cute girl appeared from a book inside a small shrine in the backyard…

Similar to the first game, there’s a relatively typical eroge setting being described in the synopsis and then thrown some completely unrelated event at the end. I don’t mind mysterious cute girls, but wouldn’t just having the girls be more aggressive for his love be enough? As always from this staff, I’m not expecting much from this title.

When Micchi doesn’t expect much from a story there is nothing I can say that would be worse.

PV

Koi to Koisuru Utopia

Koi_to_Koisuru_Utopia

Company: らぶまてぃっく (Lovematic)
Game site: 恋と恋するユートピア
Release date: June 24, 2016
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from May. This is the debut work for Lovematic. Kureha Gakuen, also known as the ‘outdoor baths school’, was formed just last year by the merger of a boys’ school and a girls’ school. The school administration was concerned that the boys and girls were not getting along well, so they decided to create the ‘intergender relations normalization committee’. Kazuya was enlisted into the committee, along with his osananajimi Kaho, class rep Yukina and enthusiastic classmate Nanao, each of whom had a different view on the matter. He figured that since he didn’t have any experience with love relationships himself, it would be best to get closer to the girls.

Koi_to_Koisuru_Utopia_CG2Koi_to_Koisuru_Utopia_CG3Koi_to_Koisuru_Utopia_CG4

It’s not often that you see Peko doing a non-yuri title. That alone makes me want to play it… but there’s a big gap between the CGs and the overly stiff sprites. I wonder what’s the purpose of three sizes on the character page when they don’t match the drawings? I’m pretty sure those aren’t 75. The OP is rather catchy, but it doesn’t seem too promising.

These days the whole school merger is the generic cop out plot. Sadly I cannot think of any off the top of my head that have actually made an even halfway decent game of it. So here we have a game boldly declaring their intent to continue such a trend. Just another fodder game that exists to keep me away from games I want to play for another five minutes. Which I may add is five minutes more than they spent deciding on which eroge template they wanted to use for their epic saga of fill in the blanks.

KARAKARA

Karakara

Company: calme
Game site: KARAKARA
Release date: June 27, 2016 (Steam)
Comments:
This is the first title by calme. It is the “Age of Dusk”, a time when humankind is in decline and hybrids known as “Others” exist in great numbers. Leon works with Lucia at a small diner in the outskirts of Sagami Francisco, living a modest and peaceful life. One day, a young girl named Aisia showed up with a red suitcase. She was a strange girl who ate a lot, laughed a lot, and was quite hardworking. Her appearance gradually changed their lives, keeping each other company and filling each other’s voids. This is how they continue to live in this arid land.

Karakara_CG2Karakara_CG3Karakara_CG4

KARAKARA is a joint crowdfunding project between new studio calme and Sekai Project, released first in English on Steam, then in Japanese in late July. The Steam version will be all-ages, with an H patch released afterwards. It features art by p19 (Himawari!!) and story by Kio Nachi (Aokana). They’ve even got some pretty well-known seiyuu on board in Natsuno Koori, Kawashima Rino and Kazane. It’s pretty short, but it’s expected from a game which only costs 10 USD. Aisia and Lucia are pretty cute, so it’s probably worth the low price. May it bring some warmth to your hearts.

Probably the worst idea for the entire eroge industry. The absolute last thing we need for a genre of games that are already going downhill is american / english speaking weebs dictating market trends. If this trend continues I am sad to say it may be time to euthanize the entire industry. Maybe China can replace Japan since the Japanese seem so intent on emulating Dodos.

Trailer

Micchi’s Top 3 for This Month

  1. Koisuru Kimochi no Kasanekata ~Kasaneta Omoi o Zutto~
  2. Otome*Domain
  3. KARAKARA

Zen’s Top 3 for This Month

  1. I
  2. Will
  3. Pass

Here’s hoping that next month will be better.

I’m worried you think it possible that next month could be worse…


Key Week

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Kimi_to_Yumemishi_NanohaKorie Riko (Magical Charming!) and Nakahiro (AstralAir) team up in Cabbage Soft’s debut title Hoshikoi*Tinkle. I’m really looking forward to this! Other new releases recently announced include:

âgeSchwarzesmarken: Junkyousha-tachi (September 30th)
bootUP!Mama Haha (September 23rd)
CampusAki Uso -The only neat thing to do- (September 30th)
Gesen18Sengokuhime 7 ~Sen’un Tsuranuku Guren no Ishi~
HOOKSOFTAmenity’s Life
IbizaSignalist Stars!! (October 28th)
Liar-softDaimeikyuu & Daimeiwaku ~Great Edges in the Abyss~ (September 30th)
NephriteFurerute Love Connect: Ore to Kanojo no Aijou Hyougen
RASKRe:LieF ~Shin’ai Naru Anata e~ (October 28th)

Release dates have been set for the following:

Unionism Quartet A3-DAYS – September 30th
AstralAir no Shiroki Towa Finale – October 28th
Silverio Trinity – October 28th
Sora no Tsukurikata – October 28th

The following titles have been delayed:

Kimi to Yumemishi – July 29th
Chicchakunai mon! – September 30th

The June append for PURELY×CATION is available for download.

Corona_Blossom_Art_BookThe English version of Muv-Luv will be sold on Steam for US $34.99 starting July 14th.

With the Rewrite anime starting next week, all the past key anime (Kanon, AIR, Little Busters!, Angel Beats!, Charlotte) will be showing on Niconico prior to episode 1.

The Aokana anime official settings collection comes out next week on June 30th for ¥2600. The Hatsumira and Corona Blossom fanbooks come out on July 29th and August 26th.

The singles for Rewrite and planetarian go on sale on July 27th, while the Oniikiss, Steins;Gate 0 and Shoujo Minority OSTs will be on shelves on July 29th, August 24th and August 26th, respectively.

Idolmaster_Ami_Mami_FigureFavorite’s AstralAir will be ported to the PSV on September 22nd. The much-anticipated PS4/PSV adaptation of YU-NO will come out on November 17th.

YuzuSoft’s Senkoi*Banka is the next collaboration for CM3D2.

ALTER’s 1/7 scale figure of Yosuga‘s Sora -Bunny Style- seems pretty good for ¥13,800. Phat! also has a 1/8 scale figure of im@s‘s Ami and Mami for ¥17,800. Both ship in December.

Dakimakuras are available for pre-order for Rorolog‘s Kotone/Rai, Tayutama2‘s Kohaku, Yotsunoha‘s Nono, Sakura Sakura‘s Nanako, Sakuranomori‘s Madoka, Miagete Goran‘s Miharu and Honoka, and Oniikiss‘s Asahi, Mahiru, Yayoi and Saya.

I really should stop making new characters…


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