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annicaax · 1 year

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Help! I have a new fave!!! PLUST's MIKOTO AMAMITSU

Mik's story was so good. Freakin hilarious and cute but also involved sentimental themes and emphasized on not giving up your dreams and aspirations. And how much it's comforting to work on your goals together with your partner/friends.

I love this title. It looks very promising so far. After reading Mikoto, I'd recommend it and the guy to everyone who has a similar taste. I'll list some of my forever favs (from Love 365) below so you'll know what I'm into.

MPD CTY, ASA, FILA, RMD, TLH... and PLUST (safe to add now. I think) So you can predict the themes I like now ;)

It took me 3hrs 47 min to binge Mikoto's story which I managed to do during different hours of the day. Spent about 240 hearts to unlock every heart choice and the SHE plus bonus track.

The art and the OST are gorgeous. I wish there's a steam release where I can buy the whole thing in one package with the OST. The OST is that good. It's so worth the effort (in reading a long story with a slow burn plot.)

(Oh this is a slow burn plot, mind you. And I love the stuff lol) The MC is fair enough. At times I cringed a bit, wondered why she wosn't protest when the guys casually get touchy with her. (Oh she does at times but she could grow more strong).

The fan service thing sounded unrealistic but it was still hilarious and cute. I was laughing falling in love not just with Mikoto but all the guys as a whole. They are all amazing. I think I'm gonna read every route. tho at present I have my eyes set on Mik, Wataru alone.

Guys like Claude aren't my type but I'm curious about him. I think Kotoha is a sweet guy, a tsundere. And Ryogo. Well I love childhood friend trouples so I'm gonna read his MS. He was super sweet in Mik story but the guy who stole the show (when it comes to side characters) was: Zeus.

The ThrOne guys. At first I didn't understand MC's obsession, specifically as they described the group is cold to its fans, but then I understood. That's not the scenario. Zeus has me very fascinated. I'll say I like him already. And his attachment to MC means we MAY get to see sparks flying between him and Mik. (I'd love to see Mik getting jealous haha)

Now I ramble about Mik here: Mikoto is a charmer but he's not overbearing or commanding. I only saw a trace of the pushy guys I played and liked in him. Just a trace. He apologizes when he's wrong. He thanks the MC. He encourages her!?

I expected Mikoto to be like Guy or more like Ikesen Nobunaga (both my faves) but he isn't.

Mik is so refreshing, so chill. Just like TLH Suzu was, captivating, with just one main story! He's blunt but not condescending. He's cheeky but with a sweet awkward side to him. He tries to shoulder his burden alone. The slow reveal of his true personality was a treat. I was rooting for him and MC! There were so many moments: them walking the ramp, rehearsing lines... Watching the show a pop star acted in, with the guy, and sharing a highfive? Haha. That's freakin cute. I love Mik and his Ducky.

So by the End of the SHE I'm super content and looking forward to MC and Mik's budding romance to blossom more. Which I expect to happen in MS 2. And anticipating more of the guys while hoping this title wouldn't take forever to get updated. (Well I understand making games isnt easy. I'm willing to wait tbh. But I see some title updates getting rolled out quickly, so)

Ugh! I went into rant mode there. Will post more content tomorrow. (Not much tho and not many spoilers. Don't wanna hit the game's earnings coz... well that's what I do. Be moderate. I think nicely done posts/shared stuff actually boost sales and earn more fans. THAT is what I try to do on my blog. Share. Share. But be nice.)

#annika's otome rants #otome #voltage inc #plust #mikoto amamitsu #route review

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gaminginsteadofsleep · 2 years

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AZURE GLEAM REVIEW

I just finished my first route in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes and have some thoughts to share, so spoilers ahead!

I liked the main plot for the most part, seeing the new ways that characters growled, mysterious Arval, seeing Byleth in a new light, getting more depth about Duscur, etc but honestly the abrupt ending felt cheap. Apparently all the routes end vaguely because the writers didn't want to "undo" and of Three Houses endings but it felt lazy to me. I didn't get invested in the plot to have it just quit suddenly. This is a different timeline so nothing is invalidated. It's rather disappointing to just get us invested and then quit.

I love Arval, they're far more amusing than Sothis, but we all knew they were a suspicious entity, so while the ending didn't surprise me, it was still good since I watch attached to Arval. I hate the lack of information on Arval/Epimenides and how Shez got involved. For the amount of focus we get on Shez and Arval, we don't get much explanation for anything that happens.

Edelgard's victimization by Thales was painful but interesting. I know that Hubert was somewhere else when it happened but six months passed and nothing. If he died before he could help Edelgard then that should've been mentioned because he would not have been okay with this.

My favorite part has been the supports/character interactions. We get a lot of extra depth with the new supports. We miss out on a lot of old favorites but since we get a lot of new supports as well as some angles re-explored, I've been delighted. I'm a big fan and getting more world building and character dynamic is awesome!

The Blue Lions shine in their route: Healthy and supported Dimitri, Duke Felix, mature and cunning Sylvain, Ingrid who grows beyond her loss of Glenn and handles the racist stuff far better (actually all of her supports made her more likeable than the first game), Ashe finally getting a Yuri support, and Mercedes and Annette both get more interesting supports that dive into their interests and opinions, plus we get Annette songs 😂

I was sort of ambivalent about Byleth being an enemy, but once we recruit them, there's a lot more nuance to the character because we get to see new sides of them. I was especially thrilled that Jeralt and Byleth had a support and while it should've been in the original game, it was good to get it at all.

I've never played a musou/Warriors game so I wasn't sure if I'd like the combat, but it is fun, fast, and flashy. I think the speed is a little weird when you have to keep pausing for tactics but over all it's fun, though a little repetitive.

Over all I'd give Azure Gleam a solid B for it's excellent fleshing out of all the Blue Lions Characters, the exploration of the Tragedy of Duscur, and the intrigue of Shez and Byleth. The negatives are mostly that the plot feels wonky at the beginning and end like they cut off both ends of the story and gave us a weird middle section with a vague and unsatisfying conclusion and some OOC character bits like literally no one ever being suspicious of Shez ever.

Grade: B

#fire emblem three hopes #fire emblem warriors three hopes #azure gleam #blue lions #video game review #route review #fire emblem three houses #few3h #fe3h

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souldagger · 8 months

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so normal about the gender fuckery of the Polish murderbot translation (lie i am on the verge of tears)

#it uses verb inflections that imply it/otherwise non-binary pronouns in first person #and it looks like in third person the translator went with #she pronouns when using security unit (bc the word unit is gendered female in polish)#and he pronouns when using Murderbot (bc the word robot is gendered male)#which... isn't ideal #but in a language this excessively gendered it was always going to be messy #and it's the first person verb endings that matter most bc you're reminded that mb's opinion on gender is No Thanks EVERY SENTENCE. !!!!!!!#the fact that the translator went with that instead of the easy route of he pronouns #(which are unfortunately kind of implied in the name Murderbot/Mordbot in polish since like i said robot/bot is gendered male)#is so so so important to me #(and ofc half the reviews for this translation include complaints about 'woke' verb endings 🙄 whatever)#.txt #books #murderbot

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duckyfann9871 · 8 days

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I want to be a vampire too: rant

played 2 routes of ikemen vampire so far. I love the game, but both times I have wished that there was an option to join them as a vampire at the end.

I don't understand why becoming a vampire is posed so negatively in the game, but whenever it comes up in the routes it's coded like it's a terrible option that MC doesn't want to do.

Well, au contraire! If I had a chance to become a sexy vampire in a mansion full of other sexy vampires I would take it ... especially if the person I was in love with was also a vampire. If both are vampires doesn't that mean more time you get to be together??

TLDR I want to become a vampire at the end of my romance and I haven't had my way yet,

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kostektyw · 3 months

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Villainess anime reviews

went on a bit of a binge, so here's a compilation:

I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss

rating: lots of fun

one of the funnier entries on this list in my opinion, i actually laughed out loud multiple times

the protagonist is a capable and determined lady, as well as slightly unhinged which i always enjoy, i love weird women

breakneck pace, speedrunning like 3 games in the 12 episode, so it is the opposite of boring

this anime has everything: ducks, crows in bowties, crossdressing, ducks, video game brain rot, and ducks

Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord

rating: at east somewhat interesting (still ongoing, episodes watched: 5)

aside from the gimmick a pretty standard isekai with pretty eh animation

a lot of this show is kinda boring, but there are still interesting and enjoyable moments

the protagonist is charming and probably the strongest part

i will probably be continuing to see what happens next so depending on that my opinion may change

The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior

rating: charming

one of the series from this list that i enjoyed most, even if the story and the world are a bit simple, the characters and their struggles still work and aren't too difficult to get invested in

a bit more drama in this one, with tragic flashbacks (or whatever they're called if its abt an alternate plotline) that i found maybe a little too frequent

here the protagonist is also capable, driven, and quite traumatized, i wanna hold her in my hands like a baby bird

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

rating: cute!

the bisexual harem is a breath of fresh air

bakarina's dumbassery is a great source of comedy, she's also pretty lovable so the harem around her is believable. and i love a gal with a hobby

I'm in Love with the Villainess

rating: eh

kinda disappointed with this one, i was hoping for some fun gl story, but it could barely watch the first episode and had to force myself to try a few more in hopes it got better (it didnt)

the romance part felt more like harassment in those first episodes, and sure, ive read that it progresses further, but the protagonist didnt really endear herself to me with that

given the comedy tag on mal there were probably some jokes in it, i just couldn't identify many good ones

7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!

rating: hell yeah! (still ongoing, episodes watched: 6)

the best one of all shows listed and the only one that's not an isekai

much more grounded, with good worldbuilding and another capable lady as the protagonist, but this one even more so, as well as much more mature

very pretty, even if i find some character designs questionable :v

definitely got me hooked and i will be watching more

#kostek original #kostek reviews #i appreciate this genre #if theres any more that i missed pls lemme know bc ive been basing my watching list on the word villainess in the title #villainess isekai #villainess anime #7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!#I'm in Love with the Villainess #My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!#The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior #Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord #I'm the Villainess #So I'm Taming the Final Boss

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olegianote · 6 months

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I'm watching Slay the Princess from ManlyBadassHero and I cry so hard every time I see his new video upload and it's not STP. I MISS MY WIFE, HERO. I MISS HER😩😩😩😩😩

#text post #slay the princess #stp #manlybadasshero #on the serious note i'm happy he finds time to play and review so many cool indie projects #TODAYS VIDEO IS A TOWER ROUTE WISH ME LUCK

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team-avia · 7 months

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No rush because you guys are making amazing content and you have your own personal lives filled with stuff, but is the timeline for late October still on? I know it would suck a little if it was postpone but also completely understandable. Either way, I’m excited for when it comes out and I appreciate the opportunity to even get to play a game like this!

i'll be real with you, i'm not entirely sure. dani and miranda's route is now completed (VERY EXCITED TO SHOW YOU GUYS BTW), and donna's is expected to be complete by monday BUT the problem is assets. backgrounds and sprites and all that. there's also an entire section of the game that might be cut if we wanna reach the late october deadline on time. (if we do cut it, then there will only be around 5-8% left we'll have to work on before it's complete!)

we really weren't expecting to be so busy 😭 but i'm still holding out hope that we can make it by the last day of october (in at least ONE timezone)

we'll probably post a more detailed explanation for what to expect from our final release in a week or two, about what features we had to compromise and what stuff will be added in a later update.

i will say though, i'm very happy with what we have so far! everyone worked so hard on it, and we're all very excited to show you hehe. i think, even with some sections being cut, you guys are going to really enjoy it!

finch

#mail 💌#finchmod🌻#really excited to see everyones reactions to the endings hehehe #its going to be a very long game 😭#the route i had to review today took me 2 hours to get through and i was SKIMMING

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hellcatinnc · 3 months

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My Next Life As a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! - Pirates of the Disturbance - Game Alan Stuart Review

Will Include Spoilers

Oh thank you creators for making this guy my type he is a sad boy/tsundere who is shy and blushes alot and is easily flustered. This is the kinda guy that I'm sweet on easy. From his greyish/white hair to the way he wears his sexy earrings... yeah Alan is my guy in this game. Rozy still has me curious though so we shall see. Anyways Alan is a good guy to the point he is always worried about hurting his brother if he was to let Catarina know he loved her. Its funny because he didn't even realize he loved her until she got sick then he realized a world without her he just couldn't live in. I also respect him cause as soon as he knew he was in love with her he went straight to Mary to call off the engagement they had. I mean she didn't want to at the moment until they could be with the person they wanted then she said she would bow out.

He is just so protective of Catarina, like when they get attacked by pirates he is willing to fight to his death if nothing but to keep her safe. He is a prince but he never lets it get to his head, he is still same boy that grew up with her. He picks on her about not being lady like and all but at the same time these are the things he loves about her more. He is adorable when he realizes she kissed him by accident. He gets on her and seems mad when she does something that can hurt her but I honestly feel like its to prevent from breaking down. He finally gets through to her how he feels and even in his last fight with Frederic I was so not expecting him to push her back and catch the sword with his hand. Like seriously dude is bleeding out yelling at Frederic that he will not let him harm Catarina cause she is the only on the matters to him and she is important. That was such a declaration of love that should make most girls swoon.

The CG's were beautiful in Alan's route and I really love how both of them eventually expressed their love for each other it was so sweet especially with blushing Alan awww he is always swoon worthy. I love in best happy ending they end up engaged though. I hated how Mary and Geordo made them wait almost a year to be together because everyone else selfishness of wanting her. I do love Geordo was willing to let her be happy with Alan however I agree with Alan his last words may have sounded nice but he was practically saying my brother fucks up and I will be there. I love his special show he puts on for her in the lounge as well. I don't know everything about this couple I love and I love Alan so much.

The alternate ending with Mary abducting her was plain creepy. I mean I always knew the bitch was psycho but she really proved it now. She would rather kidnap Caterina than let her be with the man she loves that was sickening to watch. The sweet love story in the mix of Ryle and Liliana was sweet to watch unfold as well. I hate on good ending although together its more in secret because Caterina has yet to call off her engagement to Geordo. Plus on this ending when she told Geordo he wanted more time he sounded more selfish in this part cause he made it sound like he didn't believe Alan could make her happy. I dont see how this was a good ending because Caterina talks about Alan being a dunce and not sure she romantically loves him. The doom ending being killed by Frederic was anticlimactic though if it was a doom ending would be more entertaining.

Alan really is a special kinda guy and I would say he is like tsundere, meets sad boy, meets best friend/big brother trope. He is a bit of them all and every interaction I had with him was either sweet, intimate, or I could feel how much he cared. I posted alot of his pictures but some of the things he says is even sweeter take a look at the video its the last scene where they announce their love. If your ok with the spoiler you will see how adorable they really are together.

#My Next Life As a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! - Pirates of the Disturbance #My Next Life As a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!#My Next Life As a Villainess #alan stuart #catarina claes #otome #gaming #reviews #review #katarina claes

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caemthe · 4 months

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Trying to mention what physical traits my muses always find attractive like it’s an otome game cheat guide, like:

If your player has long beautiful hair then they’ll be starting the Patroclus route with three hearts. Now that’s just easy mode!

If your player has big boobs (gender-neutral) then they’re starting the Cú Chulainn route with 2 hearts. How convenient!

If your player blushes cutely and has black hair, then they’re starting the Deirdre route with 1 heart. Better than nothing!

#crack. º ( running wild. )#/ otome game with the worst rating and rage reviews bc there's too many death endings and dee ghosts you in the middle of her route

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imwritesometimes · 17 days

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Lavender Vanilla Cake 🎂 💐

#erin bakes #OK SO! unfortunately the lavender torani syrup is not really a good way to get lavender flavor in the cake #HOWEVER I know that now! and I already have actual food grade lavender extract en route SO! I can revisit this experiment again #HOWEVER HOWEVER! the piping came out OK! the coloring was good! I'm happy I matched the cake & frosting like... perfect #the sugar pearls in the middle of the flowers look cute!#the flowers aren't perfect but I was using docotored store bought frosting so #they were never gonna look GREAT #although the sugar flowes I ordered to decorate with also were a bust. they were supposed to have sugar roses in the pack #but there were NO roses. ZERO. just flat little daisies. I was PISSED. $16 for nothing. so mad I left a review like rrrr 😠#so I just decided to say fuck it! and do the whole thing with drop flowers and practice piping #and using the plating tweezers I got #the cake itself was good! like I said a little disappointing that there wasn't much actual lavender :(#I definitely noticed a difference in the crumb of the cake also cause of the torani syrup #which I was most worried about cause the sugar in the syrup I wasn't sure if it would make it mushy af #but idk it came out cute! so not a total bust!

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yuikomorii · 1 year

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I don’t know if you answered it already but I don’t remember you ever talking about Ayato’s Chaos Lineage route, so what did you think of it, if I may ask?

// My bestie really liked it but I can’t say I feel the same. It wasn’t bad, because there were some moments I truly enjoyed but it wasn’t great either. ^^”

I believe Ayato was extremely sweet and I don’t know how to feel when characters are written to act so cheesy. I do appreciate when they show their gentle side but he was literally made of sugar there and treated Yui like she was made of glass, which doesn’t sound like something Ayato would do because he is aware Yui is a strong girl. I understand that he’s caring but he was too desperate and worried for her there to the point that I didn’t get that playful teenage couple vibe for 80% of the route.

Can’t complain about the cgs, since I really love the CL ones! I just think the context behind some of them could have been better. This one is really cute but I’m sorry, the whole conversation made me cringe so much and the fact they were watched made matters worse. 😭😭

If there’s a scene that deserved a kiss then it is THIS one. The way Yui cheered Ayato up was one of the most precious things ever and I regret so much the fact they didn’t smooch or at least hug. :<

Maybe it’s just me but I feel like CL was merely made to hide or fix what happened in LE, after becoming the lowest rated DL game and getting a bunch of critics regarding the triplets’ (mainly Ayato’s) routes. Rejet most likely attempted to redeem the relationship between Ayato and his brothers in his CL route, but in my opinion, they didn’t do a great job. Something I can't stand anymore is how Rejet instills new insecurities in Ayato game by game, because it's getting really frustrating, especially since in LE and CL he starts disliking and belittling himself due to his brothers' treatment of him. They called Ayato selfish in CL despite the fact that, after regaining his memories, he put Yui on the first place and clearly stated wanting to protect everyone— On top of that, they took Ayato's idea of breaking the glass floor of the church while not allowing him to participate?? In the end, they acted like “good brothers” and granted Ayato permission to use his OWN idea but this still feels forced because that was the bare minimum. ://

I really liked the Good Ending though, since I love the scene where Ayato confronted his father and said“I decide my own fate!”; that was undoubtedly badass.

Overall, his route was kinda boring to me. It’s the most overly romantic route in DL, because there are too many cheesy and ichaicha scenes, so it might make you cringe a lot. But if you’re into romance and fluff, it’s perfect for you! :”)

#admin #(I’m feeling like a review writer JSJS)#(I guess I just have high expectations when it comes to Ayato)#(because DF Ayato is the superior main game route)#(and LP Ayato was great too as far as I recall)

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miyakuli · 9 months

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I finished Triangle Strategy for the first time and got such a bittersweet ending......I first decided that I'll play again the other stories in the future but now I CAN'T STOP ON THIS ;o;

.....but I bet every endings are like this (;v;) uhhh

#at least I have a save when the route are really separating #but omg I smell angst in all of them x'DDD #BTW THE GAME IS AMAZING #will write a full review when I'll finish everything!!! I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY #triangle strategy #Lola plays games #personal

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lunas-otome-blog · 4 months

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Luna's Review: Hamefura Pirates

(The full game title is: My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! ~The Pirate Who Summons Trouble)

Official Summary:

Katarina Claes was reborn as a villainous daughter in an otome game when she hit her head and regained memories of her previous life. She struggled to safely a destruction end and seize a happy future. Sure…. A romantic comedy of avoiding destruction flags is now available as an otome game. The stage of the game is the luxury liner, and the doom flag is a “pirate”?! This is the beginning of a new bad end avoidance story.

(Spoiler Free) Luna's Thoughts

As a fan of the Hamefura franchise, most notably the anime, I felt this game fits right in! The simple cel-shaded art, while not as exquisite as is custom in many otoges, looks like the anime, and the characters blink and move their mouths when they talk, creating the illusion of an anime.

Catarina is a rare protagonist in that she's not meant to be a fill-in for the player; she's her own character with her own backstory. As such, you're not allowed to change her name, and she's fully voiced, which is a rare treat.

They do expect you to be familiar with the anime and reference events in it several times. While it's not a prerequisite, there's not a ton of expose in the beginning and you're pretty much thrown into it without any backstory. I've seen both the animes so this didn't bother me, and in fact I would have gotten bored with a lot of unnecessary background, so I was pleased with this.

If you're expecting a heavy, serious otome game, this is not it. "Pirates of the Disturbance" is light and silly, and you get the sense that nobody is ever in any real danger. With the exception of the two game-only characters, there's little backstory to uncover for the romanceable characters because, again, the game assumes you're already familiar with them.

I would actually not recommend this game for those who aren't already fans of Hamefura. The fun of this game is in watching Bakarina fall in love and choose someone, which is something that is probably not going to happen in the main series. It's not a particularly involved game beyond that.

I had some hesitation about including two new characters as romance options, but Rozy and Silva actually fit right in and I loved both of them pretty quickly. I think Silva was actually my favorite character in the game.

The game has four different ending types: doom, another, good and happy. You have to pick pretty much all the correct options to get the "happy" ending, so they're difficult to obtain first go. If you don't want to skip through a whole route again, you can go to the final chapter using the chapter menu and set affection to high, and then you'll only have a few choices to get right. Some of the good endings are on par or (imho) better than the happy endings, so definitely try to get all of them!

Overall, I loved this game! It's light, fluffy and a nice companion to the Hamefura anime.

My route order recommendation is Geordo -> Nicol -> Keith -> Alan -> Rozy -> Silva.

Please find below my thoughts on each route in the order I played them. Spoilers ahead!

(Spoilers) Mary/Sophia/Maria Route

Okay so this isn't technically a route but it's what you get if you avoid picking a boy and just flirt with the girls and focus on eating the whole time. It abruptly ends the game pretty early on.

This was the first end I got because I wanted to see what would happen if I just let Catarina be herself. While I wish the girls had a more fleshed out route (or better yet, individual routes) I understand that Hamefura has never been a yuri series.

While I get that Sophia ships Catarina with her brother, and Maria's intentions may be closer to friendship, Mary's feelings are 100% romantic. This is confirmed in the anime and in the game, and she has always been on par with the men in the aspect of competing with Catarina's affections. So I would have liked to see Mary get a whole route for herself.

That said, I'm glad Catarina got a little time with the girls before getting to the boys.

(Spoilers) Geordo Route

Geordo is my least favorite boy in the main cast, so I did his route first. It ended up being a good choice, as his route was not particularly interesting.

There is a certain satisfaction of Catarina falling in love with her own fiance, but beyond that, this route isn't really substantial. Geordo confesses to Catarina, she struggles with it for a while, and then they get together. In one of the "another" endings, if you choose to avoid Geordo during a strategy meeting, he straight up kidnaps Catarina and bribes her with food and romance novels to stay with him forever lol. What trash.

Considering how tame these pirates seem to be, combined with the fact that they aren't allowed to harm the main cast, you never really feel concern for anyone in this route. You do get to see Geordo engage in a cool swordfight with Silva, and Catarina even gets to help out a little.

I think this route could have been improved with a little more angst, and the writers actually created a scenario that could have worked ... only to end it almost immediately. When Georgo confesses to Catarina, he claims that he's been pretending to like the rest of the group since childhood. This greatly upsets the pure-hearted Catarina, who just wants everyone to stay friends forever.

There were so many ways this could have provided for more conflict. Maybe Geordo had convinced himself that was the case and his friends needed to show him that their friendship was real. Maybe Geordo could take some needling to admit he likes the rest of the group. But the game just resolves it with Geordo immediately apologizing and coming clean to Catarina. It felt like they rushed what should have been the main arc of this route.

Overall, Geordo's route was predictable and standard. If you like the princely type, it might be for you, but I wasn't super excited about him.

(Spoilers) Nicol Route

Nicol's route is immediately more involved, with the introduction of a mysterious woman. You also get a lot more intro to Rozy. Overall, it felt longer and more composed than Geordo's route.

Geordo is Catarina's fiance, so there wasn't really any conflict with him liking Catarina other than her own obliviousness. But that's not so with Nicol (or any other character) who spends most of the route trying not to act on his feelings for Catarina. This sets up some delicious angst as Catarina doesn't understand why Nicol is drifting away from her.

Add in a mysterious Catarina double and a curse and you've got a much more interesting route than Geordo's. It keeps you on your toes. The correct choices are not always obvious.

I do think the witch/curse plotline was rushed, and the way they come into the information that saves the day is a little too easy. My biggest gripe is that this route didn't have to involve Nicol at all. If the point was to make Geordo jealous because Geordo resembles the prince who slighted the witch, then it didn't have to be Nicol who was affected. It would have been so easy to have Nicol be the distant relative of the prince or something and make it a role only he could play.

I also didn't get why Rozy confessed in this route. He's so nice to you and it was really heartbreaking to have to reject him. I guess the point was to allow Catarina to realize her feelings for Nicol are special, but I don't think this needed to come at the expense of Rozy's feelings. This doesn't happen in any other route. And now I have to deal with the fact that Rozy probably likes Catarina in every route. *cries*

There is also the existential dread when you realize that Catarina's original self (before she regains her memories of a past life) might be locked away inside of her. But let's not think about that lol.

That said, this route was a good length, the pacing was alright, and Catarina actually gets to do a lot, even if the debates inside her head are largely useless. She's an idiot so this checks out.

I love the "good" ending scene with Sophia proudly declaring she will never marry if Catarina becomes her sister-in-law. The Ascart siblings are truly a two-for-one deal and I am living for it. The "happy" ending was also lovely because you get to see Geordo being nice for once, telling Nicol he's glad it was him and not some rando Catarina fell for. Also Nicol's dad loves Catarina so much — it's so cute!

(Spoilers) Alan Route

Like Nicol, Alan is not supposed to like Catarina, but his angst is even deeper because she's his brother's fiancee AND he has his own fiancee. This is set in a slightly different timeline than the anime, but Alan and Mary still have their agreement where they stay engaged to avoid other attention while knowing they are both in love with someone else (though neither knows they have the same love interest lol) so you get some extra Mary in this route.

Alan and Mary are shown to be great friends who care a lot about each other, which is super sweet. You'll also get some extra Mary backstory and a confirmation that her feelings for Catarina are indeed romantic, and they even sort of get together in one of the normal endings. I really wish she got a proper route.

Anyway, back to Alan. He's the tsundere of the Hamefura world, so of course I was excited to play his route. And his tsundere nature does not disappoint. While his route does explore some fairly typical anime tropes, such as accidental kisses, hiding in closets together, et cetera, Alan's adorable reactions make it worthwhile.

I adore Liliana, the original character who has a super cute design. I found her faith in her husband very sweet, and she's a badass fighter, too.

Alan's route was the best paced out of all I had played thus far, and it builds up to a really nice ending scene where he asks Catarina to forget he confessed to her. Catarina, of course, refuses, and asks Alan to give her time to sort out her own feelings. It was all going so well and I figured it would all resolve in the after ending.

The Alan "good" ending is a total disappointment, so make sure you don't stop there. You find out that while Catarina and Alan have been meeting up secretly at school, there hasn't been any progress in their relationship at all. Catarina hasn't been able to end her engagement to Geordo, and neither Geordo nor Mary take her feelings for Alan seriously. Worst of all, Catarina herself isn't sure if she's in love with Alan or not.

In the "happy" ending, however, he does finally get the girl and their engagement is confirmed. Alan is still treated kind of poorly, however, as you find out Geordo and Mary, and possibly others, have been sabotaging Catarina's chance to confess. Geordo does finally relent, but not without first telling Catarina that he did truly love her. It was a sincere moment but why did it have to come during my lovely tsundere's finest moment? It was kind of a dampener on what would otherwise have been a pretty nice ending. I feel like the makers of this game might have something against Alan.

(Spoilers) Keith Route

I left Keith's route for the last of the main cast, because he's probably got the hardest time of all when it comes to romantic chances with Catarina. While they're not biologically related, he is Catarina's brother legally, and Catarina is also the most comfortable around Keith compared to all the other characters. I figured his route would be full of sweet, sweet angst and wanted to play it later.

For storytelling purposes, I'd actually recommend playing Keith's route before Alan's. The main villain in both stories is more or less the same, but you get more on a certain character in Alan's route. Having played Alan's route already, it felt like an oversimplification because I already knew more than I was supposed to.

That said, I have very little criticism for Keith's route. It was romantic, well-paced and, unlike Alan's route, Catarina is decisively into him. She even comes to terms with her feelings BEFORE a confession or any romantic action is taken. I feel like the writers must favor Keith with how well he was treated on his route lol.

Something I really like is that Keith doesn't necessarily reveal that his love is romantic for a long time. Like, WE know it is, but you're left wondering if he thinks he's just got really brotherly feelings. But after he accidentally goes for a kiss, you get this really nice introspection where he straight up says "I've been in love with her since I was 8 years old." And you realize he's been serious the entire time and just trying not to act on it. It made my heart flutter~

I had thought him being her adoptive brother might have factored into it, but not really. Catarina isn't bothered by it. Geordo lets Keith have her, and their parents are actually thrilled that their children are marrying each other haha.

In the "happy" end, everyone is a bit mean first though. Upon seeing them together, Mary cries, Alan and Sophia are like "be happy I guess, you weirdos" and Geordo is fuming. Only Maria and Nicol are able to contain their disappointment enough to congratulate them properly. It was kind of a bummer. I actually liked the "good" ending better.

Rozy is sus as hell on this route, which made me excited to play his route next.

(Spoilers) Rozy Route

Rozy's route confirms what was hinted at all along — Rozy is yet another childhood friend of Catarina's, and another rival for her affection.

His route was solid, but it felt longer and more like a true ending due to how far it continues past the plot contained within the other routes. I loved meeting his cousin/wingman King Albert and enjoyed how frustrated he made Geordo, my least favorite character.

I thought the final few scenes were a little rushed, and I wish we got a little more out of the endings. Their relationship is still a secret in both the "good" and "happy" endings. You do get a proposal out of the happy end, at least.

What I enjoyed most about this route was his friendship with Silva. We don't get a lot of male bonding in games like these, so I adored how much they care about each other, and how supportive Silva was of Rozy's interest in Catarina. It made me even more excited to play Silva's route.

When you play the common route after Rozy's route, you get a new cutscene where Rozy heartbreakingly reveals he's prepared to get on with his duties and disappear without ever seeing Catarina again. He's so pure T_T

(Spoilers) Silva Route

Ahh, Silva. I surprised myself by falling in love with him quickly, even on other routes. He was my favorite character in the game, though I think Keith's route was still the best.

Though Rozy's route reveals most of the main secrets of the game, it made me really excited to play Silva's route last, as he's literally the only romanceable character who isn't already in love with Catarina. She has to earn his love by being an adorable idiot, which of course comes naturally to her.

I really enjoyed how this route utilized some very classic anime situations, only to have Catarina's ditziness turn them in a different direction.

For example, the first time she sees Silva upon entering his route, he's half naked and getting changed. Instead of having Catarina do the usual anime girl "kyaa!" and blush furiously, she instead immediately assumes Silva is a cosplayer. Similarly, he attempts to seduce her several times by coming close to her and pushing her down, but she doesn't understand he's coming on to her at all, quickly diffusing the situation. He's never had that happen before, so he takes an interest in her.

Silva's route is a classic slow burn, which I adored. The romance in this route felt very natural. Catarina realizes Silva is kind, despite attempting to appear forceful, and starts to feel safe around him. Meanwhile Silva continues to be amused by how unique Catarina is. It takes quite a while for those feelings to develop into romance.

The final confrontation with Silva's longtime enemy was a little rushed, but I enjoyed Silva agonizing over telling Catarina about his past. Rozy notices this too, and he's just as good a wingman to Silva as Silva is for him in his route. Man, I adore these two so much. Their relationship is so genuine and wonderful! Make sure to check out the memory log at the end for the backstory on the sketchbook, because it's never explained in the main game.

Silva's route was pretty solid. In the "good" ending, he never directly says he loves Catarina — only teases her and kisses her enough to make her realize it herself. The "happy" ending though ... man, Silva cleans up nicely! It was so cute seeing him in princely clothes, having officially become adopted into Rozy's family and learning high society just to be worthy of Catarina. He even breaks his composure a little bit because he's embarrassed, which is the fun of flirty characters like Silva.

Overall, Silva's route was lovely, and I think it should definitely be played last.

#otome game #otome review #review #hamefura #hamefura pirates #doom flag #all routes lead to doom #pirates of the disturbance #my next life as a villainess #catarina claes

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dappercritter · 2 months

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Armored Core 6 1st Impressions

Hook it into my veins. HOOK IT IN TO MY VE--

I've been on the fence about Armored Core ever since Bloodborne got me into Fromsoftware's catalogue and I started playing mature games with higher difficulties for bigger gammer kids

Normally I don't care for any mecha media that strays into darkness and the horrors of war--yes, I was a bit of a dumb kid--but after some maturing, I gave it another shot. Soon enough I was hooked, but I when I got into AC I never thought I would be playing a new entry soon or enjoying it this much!

Perhaps it was Bloodborne's high difficulty and risk/reward gameplay loop or Devil May Cry 3's cathartic combination of challenge and style, but when I finally got to AC6 it clicked.

I've always liked games with heavy robots that combined fast movement with tense combat since I played Transformers War for Cybertron & Fall of Cybertron way back in the day (my first big T for Teen boy games, too!), so it does make sense.

Even better, one of the big draws for AC6 for me was how much it's landscapes reminded me of High Moon Studios' car-robot shooters--a vast expanse of machinery, constructs far beyond any human scale, and the backdrop of a dying but beautiful world. But AC6 surpasses that in so many ways thanks to both a unique setting with more organic touches, as well as Fromsoft's iconic attention to detail in regards to environments. I think it says something that Fires of Rubicon's titular planet is the first environment in a mission based game where I wanted to just wander around the planet forever.

I'm still getting a hold of the combat. It's much faster but also much less forgiving than even Bloodborne's was. Yet despite that sharp learning curve, the controls are adaptable and easy to memorize, movement starts to come naturally, combat is tight with gratifying SFX to boot, and a breadth of customization options to rival even (oooooh) Elden Ring's variety.

The best part about all that is how more than perhaps Kid Icarus Uprising or DMC3, AC6 is a game where i'm as eager as possible to replay old missions with new unlockables. The missions have straight forward objectives but how quickly and efficiently you can solve them is the challenge, and while this is no Phantom Pain (altho it does have a more palatable, if withdrawn take on "war is hell" but that's my squeamish take), the game rewards for your maximum efficiency in completing those objectives through its credit system. The less damage you take, the less ammo you use, or the more enemies you take out, the better your pay + mission rank. I'm already addicted to it.

Anyways you can thank @iamthekaijuking for giving me the last push I needed to make the impulse buy off ebay

I have nothing else intelligent to say so here's my first build

I based him partly on christmas candies because I liked the colour palettes, plus he's sweet but he didn't last long

#don't expect me to write a follow up to this i never do for these things #but I'm finishing every route and making all kinds of weird builds you bet you're ass #armored core vi #armored core 6 #armored core vi fires of rubicon #ramblings of the critter #video games #first impressions #video game first impressions #review #I guess #transformers war for cybertron #transformers fall of cybertron #(tagging these as an indirect way to get people's attention)

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memoria-99 · 3 months

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Wizardess Heart: Personal thoughts about seasons and routes Part 1

S1 was very basic yet written very well.

Elias: At first I was like, what kind of jerk is this, but he turned out to be rather cute. But story is kinda boring. The first half is all about Elias yelling at MC and MC apologizing for how she messed up. Their relationship kinda lacks something. If it weren't for the mirror they'd never even get along I suppose. Another thing that annoyed me was MC being way too nosy. I mean why the heck would she accept Merculova's request 'for the academy's sake' when she even doesn't know whether she'd be accepted or not? Please MC mind your own business.

Luca: My favorite route in S1. I found him quite attractive, MC and him had fun chemistry, plot was interesting. There're two things that bother me though; first, he used MC, and second, I'm not so sure what was genuine and what was lie... Still, I quite enjoyed him and his story. I wonder why in the world Schuyler would lock the child in the cellar. Ofc the child would be traumatized. Anyway, I know Luca's not the likeable type for all people but still he's one of my favorites.

Yukiya: Overall good route. I was very curious about his 'curse' and this story was really interesting because everything was a mystery. I enjoyed it. Both MC and him were literally the saviors to ach other. I also liked the last part, MC solving the 'contract' issue with another contract. He's like a 'closed' person but his nature is kindest among S1 characters. I dunno about the chemistry though... Still, he makes a great pair with MC. Both gave a positive impact, more like both were saviors to each other. Oh and I won't forget that chubby rabbit either.

S2 was a decent season as well.

Klaus: Nice route, and I found "time travel" very interesting but I still don't like the guy. I just can't stand this Mr. Stickuphisass sadist. Though he's super popular(idk why) I don't see any chemistry between him and MC whatsoever. He has a sharp tongue and kinda looks down on her.

Randy: Think in MC's perspective: wouldn't it be wonderful if your role model truly respects you and loves you just as who you are? This relationship is good for him as well, since she accepts all of him and helps him overcome his trauma. This route had good plot twist, and he was literally an angel. The only one who sincerely respected MC's lousy magic. A real breath of healing air between two jerks in S2. This route was just so heartwarming to read.

Azusa: Should I even talk about this jerk? Fake flirt, deceived, used, and physically+emotionally abused MC. He was even ready to kill her when we chose the wrong answer. But he never properly apologized to her till the very end. He doesn't deserve the happy ending with the MC. ...Yet, I don't think this route itself isn't badly written. Seems like Solmare tried to make some awfully dark story but turned out to be too much.

S3 was, um... so so?

Joel: Kinda close to canon cuz he loved MC for a long time and shares special memories with young MC so... hmmm he and MC was a fine pair, him being honest and caring and all, but I should say that if Eress wasn't there to save the day it would've been rather boring.

Vincent: He's way too old to be with MC, and I don't understand how come he loves the MC and vice versa. All that happened were just him rescuing her all the time and he's awfully cringy somehow. And worst of all, MC was worse than useless. She literally did nothing in this route, even when her boyfriend was on the verge of the death. All she did was crying. And last but not least, the happy ending ends with him saying "it's adult time" or whatever and it bugs me a ton. Hey, what're you exactly gonna do to her. Don't tell me you...

Leon: Is it possible to fall in love in less than 2 weeks when he is in a completely blank state? Leon was literally a blank sheet of paper and his route was all about MC throwing all her business behind to stick around this boy she had just met and teach him very basic stuffs as if she's a kindergarten teacher. There's nothing really interesting about Leon himself either. I mean, his real identity was something that we all could notice before the revelation and that's all. The story and the romance were very bland too. He seemed to love MC because she taught him emotions, and... MC loved him because... because... why did she love him? Maybe because he loved her? Or because he's handsome? Who knows.

S4. When the plot actually started to go downfall.

Cerim: I don't remember anything besides MC shone better than him(she saved him) at this route. Not bad, but that's because nothing was very memorable. No chemistry at all.

Guy: This kind of route seems to be everywhere. Good boy with a huge friend-like vibe. Their chemistry was good, as friends. They are best friends.

S5. Slightly better than S4 but well...

Leslie: Kinda bland route. Leslie nicely supported MC, and she wasn't very pathetic but she was always busy self deprivating which annoyed me a lot. Chica did a good job putting her into senses.

Sigurd: The route with best "newbie" MC. She really shone a lot in this route. I can't think she's the same MC from Vincent or Leon's MC. And this Sigurd... though MC stole the scene most of the time, he wasn't so bad. Though he did deceive MC it wasn't because he wanted to use her or something. He never looked down on her and considering he was her pen pal their bond is quite strong too. Storyline was interesting too, considering nothing really happened in Leslie's route.

#wizardess heart #shall we date wizardess heart #route reviews #personal thoughts #s1 #s2 #s3 #s4 #s5

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