Okay. I've been playing Tokyo Debunker today, since the release happened to catch me on a day when all I'd planned to do was write fanfiction. I just finished reading the game story prologue (it was longer than expected!), so here's a review type post. If you're reading this post not having seen a single thing about this game: it's a story-based joseimuke gacha mobile game that just released globally today. It's about a girl who suddenly finds herself attending a magic school and mingling with elite, superhuman students known as ghouls. If you look in the tumblr tag for the game you'll see what appears to be a completely different game from 2019 or so: they retooled it completely midway through development, changing just about everything about it due to "escalating competition within the gaming industry."
I'll talk about how this looks like a blatant twst clone at the end.
Starting with the positive: The story is charming. I enjoyed it thoroughly the entire time and am excited to read more. The mix between visual novel segments and motion comics was really nice--it broke things up and added a lot of oomph to the action or atmospheric scenes that visual novels generally lack. I like the art in the comic parts a lot. the live2d in the visual novel parts is... passable. Tone-wise, I think the story was a little bit all over the place and would like to see more of the horror that it opened on, but I didn't mind the comedic direction it went in either. The translation is completely seamless. The characters so far all have unique voices and are just super fun and cute. Of the ones who've had larger roles in the story so far, there's not a single one I dislike. It's all fully voiced in Japanese and the acting is solid. (I don't recognize any voices, and can't seem to find any seiyuu credits, so it seems they're not big names, but they deliver nonetheless.) Kaito in particular I found I was laughing at his lines a ton, both the voicing and the writing.
He's looking for a girlfriend btw. Spreading the word.
The problem is like. The gameplay is the worst dark-pattern microtransaction-riddled bullshit I've ever seen. Hundred passive timers going at all times. Fifty different item-currencies. Trying to get you to spend absurd amounts of real world money at every turn. There's like five different indicators that take you to various real-money shop items that I don't know how to dismiss the indicator, I guess you just have to spend money, wtaf. Bajillion different interlocking systems mean you have zero sense of relative value of all the different item-currencies. I did over the course of the day get enough diamonds for one ten-pull, which I haven't used yet. Buying enough diamonds for a ten-pull costs a bit under $60 (presumably USD, but there's a chance the interface is automatically making that CAD for me--not gonna spend the money to check lmfao), with an SSR rate of 1%. BULLSHIIIIIT.
There's like a goddamn thousand-word essay explaining the dozen different types of character upgrades and equippables and equippables for the equippables!! Bad! Bad game design! That's just overcomplicating bullshit to trick people into thinking they're doing something other than clicking button to make number go up! That is not gameplay!
In terms of the actual gameplay, there is none. The battle system is full auto. There might be teambuilding, but from what I've seen so far, most of that consists of hoping you pull good cards from gacha and then clicking button to make number go up. There's occasional rhythm segments but there's no original music, it's just remixes of public domain classical music lmao. I'd describe the rhythm gameplay as "at least more engaging than twisted wonderland's," which is not a high bar
At least there's a cat in the rhythm bit.
And like, ok, I gotta remark on how derivative it is. Like I mentioned in my post earlier, this game is unabashedly aping twisted wonderland's setting and aesthetic. (That said, most of the stuff it steals from twst is magic school stuff that twst also basically stole from Harry Potter, so...?) However, it isn't exactly like twst: in this one, the characters say fuck a lot and bleed all over the place and do violence. Basically, the tone is a fair bit more adult than twst's kid-friendly vibe. (Not, like, adult adult, and I probably wouldn't even call it dark--it's still rated Teen lol. Just more adult than twst.)
Rather than just being students at magic school, the ghouls also go out into the mundane world to go on missions where they fight and investigate monsters and cryptids. Honestly, the magic school setting feels pretty tacked-on. The things that are enjoyable about this would've been just as enjoyable in about any other setting--you can tell this whole aspect was a late trend-chasing addition, lmao. So, yeah, it's blatantly copying twst to try to steal some players, but... Eh, I found myself not caring that much. Someone more (or less) into twst than me may find it grating.
Character-wise, eh, sure, yeah, they're a bit derivative in that aspect too, but it's a joseimuke game, the characters are always derivative. Thus far the writing & execution has been solid enough that I didn't care if they were tropey. If I were to compare it to something else, I'd say the relationship between the protagonist and the ghouls feels more like that of the sage and wizards in mahoyaku than anything from twst. There's some mystery in exactly what "ghouls" are and their place in this world that has me intrigued and wanting to know more about this setting and how each of the characters feels about it. I have a bad habit of getting my hopes up for stories that put big ideas on the table and then being disappointed when they don't follow through in a way that lives up to my expectations, though.
So, my final verdict: I kind of just hope someone uploads all the story segments right onto youtube so nobody has to deal with the dogshit predatory game to get the genuinely decent story lol. Give it a play just for the story if you have faith in your ability to resist dark patterns. Avoid at all costs if you know you're vulnerable to gacha, microtransactions, or timesinks.
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你吃了吗?
When a stranger sits at your normal table, the adage that Fengjian Teahouse is a place of encounters rings true.
word count: 1,872
content warning: n/a, ask to tag
It was unreasonable to ask the server to save your seat, but you didn’t think that you would take so long to grab your wallet. In your race against the weekend dinner rush, the only thing you needed was the one thing that you left behind. Though you raced back home to grab it, you could already hear the typical raucous behind the doors of the Fengjian Teahouse by the time you got back. And at your favourite spot, though there were few other ones open anymore, sat another person, conversing with your server.
Nobody was to blame, but you couldn’t help your annoyance. With the seasons turned cold, your snug corner spot was the most comfortable place to be. Due to the layout of the restaurant, your merry-weather spot would get blasted with cold air every time a person entered or left the building. The upper floor was far too cold for a party of one to ignore.
As you tried to decide where to go from there, the server and the customer sitting in your spot noticed your blank stare. The way that the server jolted made you jolt as well, rushing to give a good-natured smile and wave to say, ‘It’s no big deal, don’t mind me!’ Truly, it was inconvenient, but it wouldn’t ruin your night or your meal. Still, the server looked between you and the other customer and waved you over.
After another server gently pushed past you, balancing a tray holding a full tea set, you hesitantly walked over. Once you were within earshot, you tried to apologise for putting the other two in an awkward situation, but you cut yourself off when you got a closer look at the person taking your table.
Though hooded, glowing eyes peered from the shadow cast over the stranger’s face. The occasional blue or green-eyed traveller would pass through at times, but glowing eyes was something out of mythology. Because it would be rude to gawk, you turned your face away and weakly ordered your normal beverage.
“I have no problem moving to another table if you are uncomfortable,” the stranger said. Despite the polite tone, something about it was intimidating. You felt like a smuggler trying to converse with the border guard.
“No, no, that’s fine—! I mean, you’re alright...” you trailed off again. The chatter of the surrounding tables kept the awkward silence from being suffocating, but you were still just standing at your seat with the wooden edge digging into the back of your legs. The stranger blinked up at you expectantly.
“Ah,” after a quiet exclamation, the stranger’s hands lifted from the table to pull back the cloak’s hood. Beneath the heavy fabric was an ordinary looking individual, not nearly as intimidating once the shadow was gone. As a sign of respect, he gave you a slight bow, wrapped hands meeting in a salute that wasn’t uncommon to see in the area. “Apologies for my bad manners. My name is Liu Kang. Your waiter was telling me that this seat was reserved when you walked in. I did not mean to intrude.”
He had a kind face. His expression was quite sincere, and your gut wasn’t screaming to run. Disgruntled, you finally sat down. The similarly proper greeting that you tried to give sounded off. Despite that, he smiled at you with relief, and you didn’t have the heart to turn around and say ‘Nevermind actually, I want to eat alone.’
“So, are you a martial artist?” trying to break the ice as quickly as possible so that you wouldn’t slip up any worse, you reached for the easiest question. Wrapped hands, strong figure, and that very particular greeting that you always saw from kung fu practitioners, of course you already knew the answer. Liu Kang’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but it was hard to tell if he was simply humouring you. Something gave you the sense that he was not very aware of his own demeanour.
“You could say that, yes.” that slightly obtuse answer with no follow-up made you panic. Most of the people in Fengjian were familiar. It had been a staggeringly long time since you talked to a person who lacked the ability to carry on and on with some conversation about local happenings.
“Oh, well,” you wracked your brain for something else to say. When the door of the restaurant opened again, you suddenly found a great segway. Though it wasn’t the pair you had in mind, just seeing two people amble through the doors reminded you. “There are two guys who might be planning to get into that. They’re pretty well known around here since they tend to get into scraps over silly things. You might get a show if they come in tonight!”
“They fight inside of the restaurant?” Liu Kang questioned. There was a twinge of disbelief in his voice that nearly made you laugh. By now, things like that had become so normal that it was easy to forget that most people would consider it a disruption of business.
“They’re Madam Bo’s students, so she puts them in their place if they get too rowdy,” you reassured. “But hey, they’ve got a lot of potential. If you keep coming here, you’re bound to see it one day... Do you teach?”
“These days, I find myself teaching more than I learn, but I would not call myself a master,” he chose his words carefully. Uptight wasn’t the right word, but it seemed like he was keeping his cards close to his chest. Whether that was some kind of personal creed or just the way he talked, you tried to avoid prying too hard. However, in trying not to step on his toes, you found yourself struggling to strike up casual conversation.
“Is this your first time here?”
“I like to visit occasionally.”
“Do you have a favourite order?”
“I let Madam Bo surprise me.”
“That’s brave.”
The conversation lulled again. Your server dropped your drinks off and you took note of the way that Liu Kang held his teacup. Even once it was filled, he held it at the sides as if it didn’t burn. Martial arts conditioning aside, you couldn’t help but wince as if it burned your fingertips instead.
“Do you want to order dim sun?” you asked, “I can cover the bill.”
“That may be more food than two people can eat,” Liu Kang warned.
“You’re the first guy who’s said something like that. Most of the martial artists I meet could eat the whole pantry! Besides, I ran here from home twice after work, so I’m starving.” you were joking, but the image of Kung Lao flashed in your mind. For the first time, Liu Kang’s lips stretched beyond the courteous smile that he wore while waiting for you to decide on the next thing to say. Like the first drop of rain after a long drought, a quiet chuckle left him, barely audible over the sound of the other guests.
“Then we can order dim sum,” he turned to the server and nodded. Liu Kang slid his teacup across the table to you. He hadn’t taken a sip, so you figured that he was trying to keep up etiquette. He looked younger than the kind of person who would care that much, and you felt a little bad receiving such special treatment, but such a benign quirk wasn’t worth interrupting the easy energy that had finally settled between you.
“You said you like to visit occasionally, right? Are you here to see family?” you asked as he began to pour tea into his new cup. When you touched the sides of the one he gave to you, it was still too hot to grab. Gingerly holding it by the rim and placing it on your palm to drink, you were shocked by the strong flavour.
“I didn’t expect to share tea with anybody, so I ordered pu'er. We can drink a different one,” Liu Kang offered upon seeing the way your expression scrunched up. Shaking your head, you put the cup back down.
“It’s your tea order. I didn’t expect it, but it’s not bad!” with a dismissive wrist flick, you redirected, “I’m sure I would remember seeing someone like you around. I’ve never heard of you before. Normally, the whole town would be talking.”
“I am checking in on some old friends of mine,” Liu Kang explained, “Otherwise, I try to stay out of peoples’ way.”
“You’re not familiar with this kind of place, are you?” after hearing such a humble statement, you couldn’t help but ask. Liu Kang wasn’t someone with his head in the clouds. Rather, he gave off the impression of somebody who lived somewhere above them for some time. Not an airhead, but someone who was used to a different atmosphere.
For just a moment, Liu Kang looked taken aback. He opened his mouth to respond, but his words took a while to come out. Words weighed down by some unknown thing, he responded, “I have not gotten to know the people well.”
Was he sad about that? Ashamed? The way that his gaze scanned the room, like he was just made aware of where he was, made you worry that you said something upsetting. Wanting to avoid another impasse of apologies and write-offs, you cleared your throat.
“Well, the only thing that bites here are the dogs sometimes, so there’s no need to be shy! This is a great place to meet new people, just like what we’re doing right now!” it was an unwieldy attempt to smooth out the wrinkles, but your clumsy words pulled him out of his heavy contemplation. The smile returned to his face, small but earnest, and he nodded towards you.
“I am glad that you were willing to share a meal with me,” he thanked. You weren’t sure why he was thanking you, but you accepted it as gracefully as you could.
“One of the village uncles used to tell me that food tastes better with good company,” some kind of dread creeps up on you when you meet his eyes. It felt like, if you blinked, he would suddenly disappear. A stray dog that walked into a kennel and then went missing without a trace the next week. The idea didn’t sit well with you, so you continued to say, “So you should come by more often!”
Not wanting to stare at him with a plastered-on grin, you took another sip of the pu’er tea. Its bitterness was grounding. Liu Kang considered your words, gazing into his teacup like it was a divining tool. His head turned towards the entrance when he heard the door open, and he sighed like he just stepped out of a shrine and into a night market.
“I am curious about those students that you mentioned earlier,” his smile reached his eyes this time. You wondered if the idea of watching some kind of restaurant brawl for entertainment would seem juvenile from his point of view, but there was a playfulness in his statement. That being said, Kung Lao and Raiden didn’t usually come to Fengjian Teahouse this night of the week.
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