Out of curiosity, what do you classify as "that category"? I think it goes a bit different places than you'd expect, but it would be easier to tell if I had something to compare to. At the very least the true ending is rather unconventional, both in how you get there and what happens.
- Jul 14, 2017
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Sorry its a little hard to explain but for me its less about the category and more about the copy and paste characters being the problem, most(out of about 150ish games i have played i'd say around 90%) VN characters are exactly the same so for me how good the game is going to be comes down to how the story and situation can stay interesting despite the reused characters, with school slice-of-life obviously lots of standard situations from that category are going to be in all school slice-of-lifes and i already know how the characters will react to them so a very large part of the game is(for me someone who playes way too many VNs) going to be boring repeated content which i really dont want to waste 60-70hours playing just to see what is probably just going to be a pick the girl ending.
When picking VNs now i try to go for ones with a good story which is effected by characters as little as possible, ones with unique situations which would force even copy and paste characters to act differently or games with choices that matter and produce interesting endings.
Please note i am not saying this game is bad as i have never played it i wouldnt know but it dosent seem like it would suit my tastes in VNs.
Warning, some spoilers regarding mechanics (but not plot, hopefully).
So for one I can assure you this has no "pick the girl" ending. Yes, there is an ending for each girl but for one, but those are after long and separate routes for each girl (think first Grisaia, if you played that) and then there is the true path which is even longer. The common part of the game (from which the routes split at different points) is also constructed in an unusual way, where while the overall structure stays the same between playthroughs, there are events that happen at random, making it so that even on repeated playthroughs you are going to see fresh content (in fact, there is a reason to actually replay from the start after every ending instead of just loading save states, but that goes into spoiler territory). Obviously you can use skip to pass what you've already seen and just focus on the new scenes.
The game also features multiple unusual systems (which are optional if you get tired of them), like battles for the characters battle-ranking (non-interactive, but who fights who and when and with what is random and can be influenced in various ways, you can also aim for the top yourself), very fun baseball practice arcade minigame you get to play periodically, a tactical minigame for the actual end-of-the-year baseball match and some more random fun stuff. And one of the DLC characters has *shooting* in her route..
It also has an astounding amount of replayability for a VN, I think I genuinely played through the common part in full for each route I did (minus skip on seen scenes, obviously) and each time it was fun and I got to see new content. In fact I'm still unsure if I saw all the scenes on the common path.
So if your worry is that the game is going to be "generic" they it's probably unfounded. As for characters, I'd say they are good, though the again, I haven't played 100+ VNs, so your experience may vary. Though I think this game is considered a classic for a reason.
One caveat that I'll add (this is mostly my opinion), this is a game that you play half for the plot (the girl's routes are interesting and distinct, and the true path is a doozy) but also half for the experience. The various hijinks along the way, trying to not hit cats with your baseball batting (unless it's the fat one), fighting your friends using random weapons thrown by the bystanders (and getting to give them terrible nicknames if you win), helping someone sneak into the classroom by throwing them two floors up (complete with a minigame).. It just all adds up to something extremely unique and unlike any other VN I've ever seen.
Honestly, I'd say give it an hour. You'll know if the general flow and humor of the main part is enjoyable to you and if so, you can stay for the rest. Do note though that basically all routes get quite serious once you split off the main path (both girl's routes and the true ending), so it's not just fun hijinks. It's a perfect mix of both I'd say.
Also for sure play the steam version. It not only has all the content from both the base game and ecstasy (minus the H-scenes, but honestly they completely don't fit this game and it was only one per route anyway), it's a complete engine rewrite that runs and looks much better.
- Jul 14, 2017
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I do appreciate you taking the time to give me a detailed overview of the game which i must say is far better than any others i have seen for this game on any website and while it does make the game sound like the ultimate version of school slice-of-lifes with mini games, random events and lots of extras, none of that would improve the base story or put the characters into any situation that would force them to act unique to this game, also if the separate routes for each girl are truly like Grisaia then that would be a huge disappointment as i found the endings there to be very poor as once they started they basicly made the MC a side character with almost no involvement in the endings making the build up of his character in the first half pretty much pointless especially as there was no ending without him picking a girl(i.e. there was no story about him or at all it was all just a setup to see how some random girls ended up).
If the game was shorter i might have given it a go but at 90-100hours its just too much time to waste, i will of course recommend it to others through as your review makes it clear it is probably the best school slice-of-life.
Thank you again for all your help.
If the game was shorter i might have given it a go but at 90-100hours its just too much time to waste, i will of course recommend it to others through as your review makes it clear it is probably the best school slice-of-life.
Thank you again for all your help.
While I obviously respect your decisions, I wanted to clear up a misunderstanding. I referenced Grisaia only as far as structure goes. In most of the stories in this game the MC is central and I never felt like he was made into a side character. And the true ending focuses even more on the MC and sees him face some rather harsh events that require him to truly develop and change. While the individual girl's routes are certainly mostly focused on their problems and how the MC helps them but also changes in the process, the final path is ultimately about him. I really can't go into more here without major spoilers, however I will leave a final note, in regards to recommending this game to others:
While the slice-of-life aspects are fun and the individual girl's stories often go into serious and sad topics, the final part of the game is rather gut wrenching. While a happy end can be achieved (after having to fail, multiple times, and even fake-outs from the game) it's a rather harrowing and harsh journey, especially if you are bonded with the characters (as you should be, having shared so many moments with them by this point). And unlike the rest of the game, which is filled with hijinks that often defy laws of physics and common sense (though even that, ultimately, makes sense in the end) the two final acts of the game are mostly filled with realism. With the types of grief, sadness and suffering that are realistic, but not exaggerated to the point of comedy (which was kinda my problem at times with Grisaia). I guess that applies also to each of the girl's routes, but I find them much less harsh than what the true path has in store. It's not a pleasant experience. Though it is a great story. Mostly what I want to convey by this paragraph is that you should never recommend this game to someone who wants a happy-go-lucky, pick-your-girl slice-of-life game with some superficial sadness. Since the game might just crush them once they reach those final parts.
I certainly don't disagree with the person who answered "crying" to your previous question. In fact I think that part of why the game has so much going in the slice-of-life part is to bond you to the characters so much better, so that the eventual cruel events they go through feel that much more painful.
Oh god, sorry for rambling so much.
Also, remember to take everything I say with a grain (or even a pinch) of salt, since It's been at least 2 years since I played it.
The steam version has fullscreen for sure, since I remember playing it fullscreen.
- Jun 15, 2018
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No, the steam version has the Ecstasy story content, but no the 18+ scenes. It's also rewritten on a new engine and overall superior, unless you *have to* have those scenes (which in my opinion don't really fit this VN).
So, the H content for this game as well as Kud Wafter -- the sequel/spin off -- are not translated, correct?
- Apr 14, 2020
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can someone help me? I lose the baseball match and after the pancake party the game goes to menu.
Do I really need to win to advance? Also can someone help me with this? I cant fucking win.
Do I really need to win to advance? Also can someone help me with this? I cant fucking win.
I don't remember specifics, but I know that winning the baseball match is not needed for anything (other than a steam achievement I think?).
If I'm reading correctly what you are getting is basically a "neutral end" where you didn't commit properly to any route.
EDIT: As for winning the match, you aren't supposed to win it in your first few playthroughs. Minor spoiler: your stats carry over between playthroughs, so it gets easier. For that reason it's recommended to actually start from the beginning for each route, not just load saves. This is also recommended because the game has some randomness to what events you see along the way, etc. so if you want to see most scenes you need to play through multiple times anyway.
The match will still be hard though unless you get good at the training minigame and train your members properly. Good setup and strategy during the match also matter, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to explain those.
- Apr 14, 2020
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So I did a new game and now I somehow manage to "enter" in the Rin route but out of nowhere Richi pass out. Get I need to play new game again but did I already finish the Rin route? Or everytime I use new game the route will get expanded?
Rin's route is peculiar.
Basically, you have to do it twice, but the second time only after doing all pre-refrain routes (Kurugaya, Haruka, Kud, Mio, Komari). I don't remember how the first attempt is supposed to end before it's "done".
The last choice should have been between "Cheer her on" and "Leave her be". If you chose "Cheer her on" then that was the end of the first attempt, now you have to do other routes.
Then you re-do Rin, then there is Refrain (you can't miss that one) and then you unlock the three routes that were added in Ecstasy.
- Apr 14, 2020
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I actually had the same problem multiple times XD
If I remember correctly try "L". There is also some alternative stupid shortcut that triggers that, something like both mouse buttons together or such.
- Apr 14, 2020
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I trough is was a punishment to me saying "I dont like you" to the leader... I just wanted to see how he should react and boy... thing got emmocional.
What a pain. All links but mega are dead.
Been a long time since I used mega to dowload, only to find my transfer quota limited? Gimme a break!
Oh great, even via mega is also no longer an option.
Downloaded from another website for steam version (English Edition) but the game won't launch at all even after I copied steam.api file from another game.
Looks like Mega also loves screwing with me. It sure ensure I fail to get Mega Downloader.
Been a long time since I used mega to dowload, only to find my transfer quota limited? Gimme a break!
Oh great, even via mega is also no longer an option.
Downloaded from another website for steam version (English Edition) but the game won't launch at all even after I copied steam.api file from another game.
Looks like Mega also loves screwing with me. It sure ensure I fail to get Mega Downloader.
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- May 25, 2020
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i pretty sure h scene is also canon but whatever..... Riki is hella chad. Bisexual win i guess.
RIKI GA SUKI DAYO>>>>>>>>>>>>vanish into light
Wow, so some "ecchi" CGs are "censored" in steam version (English Edition). Much like PSP version (Converted Edition).
I recognized the CG as in the past I played the very first release of Little Buster (vanilla version with only 6 original heroines and no EX routes/3 additional heroines) long time ago. Never played Ectasy version (the one with H-scenes) at all.
It's censored by zooming in. For example Komari's CG with her panties shown, it's zoomed in to a quarter toward of original CG. Supposed her face was on top right part so it's cropped and zoomed to top right part.
I recognized the CG as in the past I played the very first release of Little Buster (vanilla version with only 6 original heroines and no EX routes/3 additional heroines) long time ago. Never played Ectasy version (the one with H-scenes) at all.
It's censored by zooming in. For example Komari's CG with her panties shown, it's zoomed in to a quarter toward of original CG. Supposed her face was on top right part so it's cropped and zoomed to top right part.