Today’s Tester’s Corner for Supipara Chapter 2 is brought to you by threepwood007!

Minori. ef. eden*. Tenmon. These are words that, if you have ever experienced a minori visual novel, incite many a variety of feelings and not all of them are happy feelings. Some of them are sad. A lot of them are sad.

minori is known for creating extremely high-quality aesthetic experiences i.e. where all the senses are fully engaged. Their visual novels reek of polished, top-notch art; the music, mostly by Tenmon, is a magical wonderland of auditory revelations; the storytelling is nothing short of sublime, seamlessly melding the real and surreal in a way that most only recognize other companies for doing. One of their most recent project, Supipara, is absolutely no exception. Today we’re gonna talk about how Supipara Chapter 2 flips everything on its head… from a beta perspective!

‘Cause if there’s one thing threepwood007 hates, it’s spoilers. Which is fine, since Supipara Chapter 2 can be discussed relatively spoiler-free even without the context of chapter 1. Though one would definitely want to check out chapter 1. It’s pretty awesome. And sad. And happy. And emotional. And here we go back on this spiral of minori feelings. So what is it about Supipara that makes it so minori? And what beta tribulations went into it?

Supipara has the unique position of being a story in development. As it is known, the chapters are being crowdfunded with the next chapter’s funding underway (support Supipara!). Right now, the first 2 chapters are ready for English localization and they roughly cover each heroine’s route in this minori universe. The first chapter featured Sakura, the aspiring idol and sometime childhood friend. It’s super excellent and worth the read, especially because a lot of what goes on in chapter 1… influences/is featured in/somehow refers to events that take place in chapter 2, which features Amano Hotaru, the twin-tailed blonde who+ is not, in fact, a traditional tsundere.

Supipara Chapter 2 was supremely interesting to beta test for due to the fact that when I volunteered for it, but I realized I hadn’t yet read chapter 1 (shame shame). So I put on my game face and ripped through chapter 1, crying the fastest tears I ever shed, and started in on chapter 2. The experience was definitely preferable, since chapter 1 was fresh on the brain and a lot of the mystery of it transfers perfectly into chapter 2 since in typical minori fashion the truths of the world, of the supernatural come very sparingly.

Supipara Chapter 2 was a joy to beta. Not just because the translation was on point, or also because the editing put us in a good place, but because there were so many things about the game that warranted questioning. Were those sprites really supposed to be there? In Supipara the sprites are always from the protagonist/speaker POV, so sometimes when someone is off-camera so to speak the scene may feel strange. What about the CG’s that aren’t in the build in English yet? Well, the text matches and the translation looks good so we move on from there to the next line. Oh hey, here are some saves that are loaded into the game that don’t belong! And so on.

It’s a fun process. Making sure a visual novel is as perfect as we can make it before it reaches the reader’s hands is something I personally want to ensure as best as possible. Humans are humans and are therefore fallible and make mistakes, but I feel that there’s a certain sense of pride when signing off on a beta test of a visual novel that I think is going to make people happy that they had the experience. And as with any minori visual novel, that experience is almost a guarantee – as long as it reads well and plays well.

Happy crying!

Today we have a great new Tester’s Corner from Ryechu, here to discuss our recent release of Tower of Five Hearts by English Developer, Tsukiware! This is their second title after Critical Hit, but this time the story takes turn toward kemonomimi girl on girl action!

Disclaimer: Ryechu is employed by Tsukiware, but was not involved in the development process of this game until the testing phase.

Hey, everybody! Ryechu here. This test was sort of odd for me because… well, I work at Tsukiware! For those of you who don’t know, we released Critical Hit back in 2016, and this is our second release! I ended up taking this because, if you missed the memo, I like yuri. And yaoi. And kemonomimis. And games that have all of those. Well, this one doesn’t have yaoi, but it does have kemonomimis doing cute things, and cute yuri things. Here’s why I think you’ll like it.

The story follows Marie, a catgirl princess who has just arrived at the Tower of Five Hearts. Normally, this tower is used for competition. The prince of the royal family is supposed to stay here and be presented with potential wives from all of the surrounding countries. These maids serve the prince and vie for his heart and hand in marriage. Whoever wins brings much pride to their country, as well as all sorts of economic advantages.

Now, this is all well and good until we reread that first sentence again. Marie is a princess.

DAMN YOU, GENETICS!

Well, all’s well and good though, because it turns out that Marie was rather… ahem, fond of her maids, and she is more than happy to be in her current predicament. Soon, her five potential beauties show up, and the story follows these six girls and their time getting to know each other. Who Marie ends up choosing is entirely up to you.

So the testing process for OELVNs is always interesting. Every once in a while we will run into a ton of bugs that occur from the same issue. In this test, it was saving and reloading. Because I am a thorough tester, I save at all of the choices. The following image is the first choice script of the game:

*Giggles* TOMIKO MAKE ARMY OF TOMIKOS *Giggles*

When I loaded the game, this placeholder window appeared instead of the actual line. And the thing is, during testing, it’s great that we go through and find all of these smaller issues. Doing this allows the end users—you, the readers—to have an enjoyable experience. Because it’s thanks to all of you that we get the opportunity to create and release titles, and I say that as a member of Tsukiware and as a member of Mangagamer.

I really do hope that you enjoy this title. Ryle is such a fantastic artist, and I want to have the opportunity to work more with him in the future. Because let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to wake up to this?

They are all so adorable in their own ways ahmgggggggggggg…

Tower of Five Hearts is a fun adventure, and there’s plenty of laughs to be had. The back and forths between the characters always made me giggle, and there’s just enough drama to keep the story going. I’m a little biased because this title really hits on all of my interests, but I hope you’ll decide to check it out.

~J “Ryechu” R

Today’s Tester’s Corner for The House in Fata Morgana: A Requiem for Innocence is brought to you by Wavedash!

This review of The House in Fata Morgana: A Requiem for Innocence contains spoilers for the main game, The House in Fata Morgana! Read it before proceeding!

The House in Fata Morgana: A Requiem for Innocence is a fan disc for The House in Fata Morgana. It tells multiple stories set in various times and places that flesh out the story of the original game. If you enjoyed The House in Fata Morgana, I wholeheartedly recommend you read A Requiem for Innocence.

The main story here is about Jacopo and Morgana’s lives following the slave uprising which freed Morgana. A couple new characters are introduced, but it mostly focuses on characters from the main game. The first half is about the brothel that took Morgana in and taught her what happiness is. The latter half focuses on Jacopo and fills in some notable omissions in the story as told by Morgana in the main game.

A Requiem for Innocence also includes about half a dozen shorter stories. For example, one is about a half-dead vagrant that stumbles onto Michel’s doorstep during his days living at the mansion prior to meeting Giselle. Another is about Giselle and Michel’s first date in the present day. Basically everyone from the main game makes an appearance. Seeing these characters again is a real treat, almost like a class reunion. Except there are cute anime girls in your class.

Don’t be mistaken, though — while friendship is a core theme throughout A Requiem for Innocence, the fragility of friendship and cruelty of isolation are just as prevalent, if not more so. The original game certainly had its share of dark times, but they are mostly resolved and outshined by some fantastic uplifting moments. A Requiem for Innocence has some pits of despair that will be sticking with me for a while.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend A Requiem for Innocence to anyone who liked the main game. The two share many strong qualities (the writing, translation, art, and music are just as good), but A Requiem for Innocence does end up feeling less cohesive, as you might expect from fan disc side stories. They support the main game better than most fan discs I’ve seen, but The House in Fata Morgana comes together beautifully, especially considering how disorganized it seems at first.

Still, at the end of the day, A Requiem for Innocence doesn’t disappoint. I’m very grateful that it exists, not just to round out The House in Fata Morgana, but also as an opportunity to revisit that dreary, miraculous mansion.

The House in Fata Morgana: A Requiem for Innocence is now available on MangaGamer.com and Steam!

Today’s Tester’s Corner for Kuroinu Chapter 3 is brought to you by Aki!

When I saw that MangaGamer was looking for beta testers, I jumped on the case, ready to take on whatever they threw at me. So hi, I’m Aki, a new beta tester on the scene. The game ended up being Kuroinu Chapter 3, the third installment in a series of hardcore nukige. Oh boy.

Kuroinu was an adventure, to say the least. I’m also not exactly part of its demographic. To set you up (in case you haven’t played the first two chapters), the premise is this: Vult, a sadistic man with a penchant for sexual torture, conquers several fortresses in the land and creates the “Cuntry,” a nation where all women are permanently at the behest of any and all men. It’s a feminist nightmare. I couldn’t get mad or uptight about it, though. The fucking Cuntry. It’s such a fantastic, inevitable localization that I can only offer my finest tip of the hat to the translation and editing team.

Here’s what’s wild about it, though: for a game about robbing women of their agency, raping, and ruining them, it has oddly good character-building. I anticipated something heartless and simple, handing us anime stereotypes and letting the player abuse them to their heart’s content, but Kuroinu is not that. Kuroinu gives you women with personalities, histories, and drives. And then it lets you abuse them. Here, case in point, Maia:

She is 100% MY TYPE.

Of course, the point of the game is to ruin this woman, but that didn’t change the fact that I loved her character. She’s defiant and headstrong and, hell, even when being forced to have sex with a creepy dude, she still retains some of her dignity in a way that makes her H-scenes bearable to someone like me. And if you’re into this sort of thing, then it’s all the better. Kuroinu just did what I didn’t expect going in, and that was making its characters sympathetic. In fact, I sort of still don’t get it. Why would you want to senselessly fuck the life out of a girl you feel for? Maybe that’s part of the appeal. Whatever floats your scrote!

That is Kuroinu in a nutshell: it gives you lovely, poorly-dressed women and you get to tear them apart (in more ways than one). You will learn about her before you rape her. I can’t even begin to tell you how emotional I got over Olga and Chloe in Chapter 1. I was attached to them! I rooted for them! That was my mistake. Because this game is about devastating these ladies. But hey, if the whole “ruining the women’s lives” thing sounds good? This game is for you. If not, then I’m not sure what you’re doing here. Look into A Kiss for the Petals or something.

Now, I say “poorly-dressed” with the utmost fondness. The designs are so gleefully, purposely absurd that I couldn’t help loving them unironically. I mean, seriously. Check out Kaguya, the Anal Eastern Priestess and star of Chapter 2:

Kaguya’s words were equivalent to that of a God’s; her tolerance for extreme, perpetual wedgies also most likely a divine gift.

Or Claudia, Married Holy Knight, star of Chapter 1:

The Seventh Fortress values its knights, and the most important parts of them: the shoulders. Hang them tits out but you gotta protect those shoulders. It’s no wonder they were conquered, really.

My favourite character, the canonically Butch Chick, also dresses hilariously inappropriately. One false move and a titty could go rogue. Then again, that applies to everyone in this game.

Maia must be physically stronger than Kaguya, since she tolerates a leather wedgie at all times.

And, oh man, this game goes places. There’s one scene (hereon referred to as “That Scene”) that’s, like, 700 lines too long and every moment is excruciating. But if you’re into that? Then hell fucking yeah, this game rules. That Scene actually involves a character I thought I’d despise, the token loli, a halfling girl named Lulu. Here’s her design:

Yes, her voice sounds exactly like you’re imagining it would.

I thought I would hate this tiny piece of shit. I wanted to hate her, actually. That would have made watching her suffer easier. But I couldn’t! I couldn’t. She’s actually somewhat badass, believe it or not. I mean, she’s toting a giant axe in that image so it’s probably not hard to imagine, but she still retains her attitude even when her strength is taken from her. Also, those tufts of fluffy hair hanging out below her hat and above her curls? Those are ears. They are cute and I am weak.

This game gives you the opportunity to rape and ravage the kingdom of a reborn Goddess (though whether or not she’s actually the holy figure reincarnate is up for debate. I’m sure there’s a place where you can engage in discussion over the the complex implications of Kuroinu canon), which is a pretty damn big power trip if you want that. You can also rob a badass mercenary woman of her last shreds of dignity, all the while watching her break down over her complicated, Stockholm syndrome-like feelings toward Vult, the main character. You have the option of defiling the halfling in a number of inventive ways, too. The world is your oyster!

Kuroinu has a surprising amount of plot for a nukige, but each chapter is still standalone, so you can hop right in with Chapter 3 if the girls tickle your fancy. Ready yourself for some sick humiliation and creative suffering and you’re good to go.

maia best girl btw

Today’s Tester’s Corner for Kuroinu Chapter 3 is brought to you by Shiro!

So, it has been a long while since I have gotten to do a beta test with MangaGamer. Almost a full year, in fact! After such a long break, I was raring to go and sink my teeth into something new and different, and I have to say– this is definitely different. When it comes to visual novels, I am typically more of a plot over porn kind of girl. Controversial, I know. However, that is how I have come to truly love titles like Cartagra and Euphoria, respectively. So, how does something with more porn than plot fair against my palette? The results may surprise you!

First off, I should probably mention I played the first two chapters of this game, even though I was only assigned to beta test Chapter Three. I have to say, I am very happy I took the time to visit the previous chapters and I encourage everyone who chooses to indulge in this game to do the same. It is completely possible to scan the characters you expect to be in the respective chapter, pick your poison, and enjoy the mind break of whatever heroine you think is the prettiest. Although, you would do yourself a disservice by doing so. My favorite chapter ended up being Chapter Two, because we met Prim and followed her route. Originally, I only liked her aesthetically but I really came to love her by the end. I was expecting every route to follow the same mind-breaking trend , and I was pleasantly surprised with how her route turned out. The same can be said for several of the other princesses, knights, and elves as well. It really is worth your time and effort to experience each girl’s personality and outcome because that is going to be the most “character” you are going to get from this title. Not to say that is a fault. With these kinds of games, making the object of desire well… desirable is very important. I think Kuroinu knows there are a lot of tastes out there and the writers and staff behind this game went out of their way to add something different to each route so you will always experience at least something new.

However, it is important to know that some of the scenarios, while different and interesting, are very controversial to say the least. This is especially true in Chapter Three. There were moments I felt uncomfortable and that is not common for me. Euphoria is one of my favorite visual novels period, and I never felt any discomfort playing it despite the more intense sex and rape scenes. In fact, I heavily recommend that title. Some of the staff who worked on Euphoria also worked on Kuroinu, and it has a great deal of plot and intrigue that former lacked. There were, admittedly, some scenes that rubbed me the wrong way. The scenario in those instances were believable and I understand why this direction was taken, but it was simply not my cup of tea. However, you can always proceed with caution and see if it is something you can handle. It is really at your discretion.

The implementation of the graphics is pretty standard, but serviceable. There were some CGs I really enjoyed the artwork of and even searched the galleries from each release when I finished the third chapter. Music as well was very standard fare and not much to write home about, but good for what it was. The biggest thing of value I would say would be the voice acting. It was absolutely phenomenal in all three chapters. Happiness, anguish, sorrow, and of course pleasure were all conveyed amazingly by every single voice actress. This includes background characters, as well. Occasionally you will get a sex scene outside of the main “heroines” and these were also executed wonderfully in regards to voice acting.

Overall, I recommend playing all three chapters in the Kuroinu series. The game was meant to be played this way anyway, but Kuroinu is one of those rare cases where you can mix and match with no real consequences due to the lack of real overall plot you need to follow in order and convenient intro to each chapter. I was pleasantly surprised with it and can say with certainty I was never bored.

Hi there, this is umbelia and I’m here to talk about Alicesoft’s newish “not Rance” that’s sure to get your juices flowing!

So Evenicle, like most of Alicesoft’s work, is more JRPG than it is eroge – which is a great thing in general. Like most of Alicesoft’s work, it features a good plot and great gameplay that can stand on its own without the smut. Evenicle‘s story is set in a world where, thanks to the goddess Eve’s blessing, normal people can only have sex with one person – which immediately results in marriage. Having sex with more than one person results in the blessing being revoked, and those who lose it gain distinctive black rings on their fingers that mark them as Outlaws and remove all ability to create anything from the natural world, forcing them to steal to survive. There are ways around this problem, however, for those who want to have more than one partner. Knights, the guardians of the people, are allowed to have multiple wives based on their rank, which is where we come in. Our hero, Aster, has been raised by his beloved twin sisters, and instead of picking just one to marry, he goes off to become a Knight.

The plot is easy to understand – Aster and his multiple wives respond to various events in different nations, setting forth to go save the world cute girls. Aster is an easy-going, “pervert with a golden heart,” and the wives are all very varied and interesting. Aster is very clearly driven by his lust and love of women, which allows him to serve a good supporting role in the story as the one bringing the well-developed female characters together. This allows the female characters of Evenicle to be the main drivers of the plot at large as they pursue their goals and interests with Aster’s aid. Everyone Aster meets is full of personality and they have great character designs. The wives are varied and lovable, and even the side characters (surprisingly, including the men) are well fleshed out and likable.

The gameplay is actually the game’s strongest point. It plays much like you’d expect any isometric view dungeon crawler. The enemies are fully 3D rendered, which I found really impressive. This is ALL enemies, too. The guymon, the capture-able galmon, insects, as well as the various humanoid enemies all have surprisingly good 3D models reminiscent of late 3D RPGs. Each combatant of your own has a set number of skill points that can be used to slot certain actions and passives based on your own personal strategy. The random battles can get to be a bit much, and the game can get pretty grindy as time goes on, but thanks to certain skills it isn’t so bad.

The world is big and full of discoveries like giant boss monsters and treasure. On top of that, the dungeons have a healthy variety too, so nothing really gets stale as time goes on. The continents(and the dungeons on them) are all, in typical JRPG fashion, completely environmentally different so there’s next to no, if any, major overlap.

The music does a fine job supporting the whole as well.

Which brings us to the CGs. I said your juices would get flowing, right?

Well that’s not a lie. The art is done by Nan Yaegashi of Senran Kagura fame, and the coloring (and designs) look stellar across the board. The portraits are -stellar- and very soft and squishy looking and overall are delicious. The CGs will keep you going for hours, but be warned that there is a lot more violent sex than one might expect from the initial tones of the artwork.

All in all? It’s a good game, and considering that this is the first game in the series, it sets a solid groundwork for Evenicle 2. If you’re a fan of JRPGs with smut on the side, like any major Alicesoft game, I’d recommend this!

Hello and welcome to my Tester’s Corner for Hapymaher!

Just reading the synopsis for Hapymaher when it was announced, I was anxious to learn more – and nervous about a story with dreams being a core part of the story. Stories that have dreams as a setting are, for me, like time travel. It is so easy to screw up, so hard to do right. Hapymaher for the most part does it right. It is perhaps the most fun I’ve had in going through a story, developing my own theories and seeing just how right or wrong I was, in a long time.

If you’re like me and you choose which route order to go through based on your least favorite character first to most favorite last, then the
heroines in Hapymaher may leave you debating what play order you will go through with such difficulty as if your life depended on it. You have the charming and smart senpai Yayoi, the childhood friend Saki who calls you Nii-san, and the aloof cool kouhai Keiko. Then there’s the two mystery girls suddenly appearing in our protagonist’s dreams, Alice and Maia. As you go through the story, dreams play an important role in learning about each girl and their past, as well as the past of our protagonist Tohru. You don’t just have their pasts described to you, you witness them. You cannot help but quickly become attached to these characters and want to cheer them on.

Perhaps my favorite thing is the soundtrack. Hapymaher’s soundtrack is incredible. I’ve spent plenty of time having the game running in the background just listening to various tracks. My only criticism is certain tracks get a lot more time in the spotlight than others. Not a unique problem to Hapymaher, but it’s all so good that it just would have been nice to hear more of certain tracks without having to go to the music gallery. Also as you’re going through the game, every time a new soundtrack plays its title comes up on the screen. An awesome touch for people like me who like to go back and listen to this stuff again.

Hapymaher was an awesome experience and I look forward to when everyone else can get their hands on it!

Today on the blog, we have a tester’s corner from Kitty-tama!

Hello everyone, Kitty-tama here yet again! Ammolite is one of my favorite nukige brands, so I was eager to test Sweet Switch. It was everything I hoped it would be and even a little more. With not one, but two, heroines and a focus on more mature heroines than the likes of Sweet Sweat in Summer and Sweet Young Bride, my experience with Sweet Switch was quite refreshing and satisfying.

What if all it took to make women want you was to simply look them in the eye? This is the idea of the basic concept of Sweet Switch. It’s simple, but also erotic in its execution. But there’s a little twist to the concept as well. The word “switch” in the title is a part of this concept: when the heroines get glared at, not only do they get aroused, but their personalities also switch! The usually uptight Sara becomes eager to jump on Ryuuichi, and the always shy and nervous Fumino becomes quite assertive and dominant. I haven’t seen this as often in eroge, and it was exciting seeing the changes in the heroines. It’d be awesome to see more eroge like this in the West!

There is a plot, albeit a pretty simplistic one. Ryuuichi has a frustrating predicament: he can’t enjoy a normal school life because his glare scares people. He isn’t a mean person, but nobody knows this because they never give him a chance. Even the teachers of the school believe him to be a delinquent. One day, the student council president, Sara, asks Ryuuichi to go to the student council room with her. Almost immediately, she can’t control herself and has her way with him then and there. It turns out when others look at Sara, she gets turned on. Eventually the shy upperclassman, Fumino, gets involved and Ryuuichi’s school days wind up being anything but ordinary.

My most favorite aspect of Sweet Switch is by far the art. I love how Noa Ichikawa draws loli heroines, but seeing the more mature, busty heroines of Sweet Switch was a treat. For a lower-priced game like this, the art quality is honestly impressive! The coloring is vibrant but warm at the same time. It gives off a softness of sorts which is pleasing to the eye. As a result, the H-scene CGs ooze eroticism. If art is a determining factor when you purchase eroge and you don’t mind things on the smutty side, this game is a must-have.

The voice acting is also wonderful. Miya Serizono (Sara’s VA) and Saya Minami (Fumino’s VA) brought their respective heroines to life.  While the heroines aren’t deep, they were cute and likeable, and the voice acting added to that. Also, this game has background moan and blowjob sound loops! They make the scenes feel more immersive and enjoyable.

Sweet Switch serves its purpose as a short nukige well.  It gets right to the point and the non-erotic scenes are brief enough that they don’t take up much time between the erotic scenes, making it a satisfying experience if you don’t like a long wait between such scenes. I’m fond of Ammolite games for their higher quality despite the lower price tag, and this game is no exception to that. I loved Sweet Switch and highly recommend it. Until next time!

Today on the blog, we have a tester’s corner from threepwood007!

Visual novels. The Final Frontier.

Well, probably not. But that’s kind of how Hapymaher felt to me. Because sweet jumpin’ jelly beans was this a long game. I had thought that Sorcery Jokers had a complicated plot structure but Inception-esque games definitely take the cake. I apologize for doubting them.

Hapymaher combines two major themes and builds a massive tale of a truckload of emotional elements. Trauma; romance; tragedy; regret; loss; the list goes on. All of these are espoused in this VN which keeps at its core two ideas: Alice in Wonderland, and dreams vs reality.

It’s no understatement to say that Hapymaher draws a lot of inspiration from Alice in Wonderland; even the dream aspect alludes to many of the book’s messages. With its colorful costumes and excellent storytelling, it does its inspirations justice.

But testing this game… hoo, boy. If I could just post the log of the conversations we all had trying to make head or tails of some of the initial stuff in this game before it got to you, precious reader, it would take up a script possibly longer than the game itself. Which doesn’t mean anything other than that with a game this long there are gonna be some bits that are a little crazy.

For example, if I could go back in time a few years and tell myself that I’d be having a discussion with colleagues over why the imagery is out of sync with the text with regards to…certain fluids and their placement on a body, I’d probably laugh until I threw up or passed out. Yet, thanks to Hapymaher, here I am. And I would’ve been right.

Hapymaher is a great example of why collaboration is so important when preparing something of this size for mass consumption. No one individual will have all the answers to how something reads best nor will one person catch every little thing that keeps a VN from being as best as we can make it. And Hapymaher certainly presented more than its fair share of, “OK, what the crap is…oh come on, that CG doesn’t even show what that’s claiming!”

Anatomical impossibilities aside, testing Hapymaher was a challenge for sure but I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Possibly the satisfaction of a job well done is proportional to the challenge in completing said job, but also because Hapymaher was a genuinely good game despite/because of how emotional I got reading it. Definitely worth the playthrough, and be sure to remember that the Cheshire Cat was never the true villain….

Hapymaher is now available for purchase on MangaGamer.com!

Today on the blog, we have our final Hapymaher tester’s corner from Mojack!

This is a story of those with trauma. This is a story of those who struggle to cope. This is a story of those who dream. This is Hapymaher.

Hey everyone, Mojack here and today I have the privilege of talking to you about the tale that is Hapymaher. This was my longest beta project to date, clocking in at around 70 or so hours to complete. Something that tells me if a visual novel of such length was good is if I feel a hole of some sort in my heart upon completion. I知 glad to report that, after spending time with Tohru and his eclectic friends in this topsy-turvy world for the past couple months, that hole is certainly there.

Tohru Naitou is our high-schooler protagonist who lost his little sister due to an incident when he was younger. The loss not only devastated him but also had the strange side-effect of causing Tohru to have lucid dreams; that is, dreams where one is fully aware of the dream circumstances. As a result, Tohru’s mind never gets to fully rest, and so he lives a life of drained energy and occasional collapses. The story picks up when his late younger sister, Maia, begins to appear in his dreams for the first time since her passing.

Something that Hapymaher excels at is driving home just how much Tohru is tormented by his sister’s passing, and why her appearance in his dreams makes it all the more painful. He is a man who has been denied any closure or peace, and is a run-down human being because of it. On the surface he comes off as a grumpy old man but it’s hard to get angry at him when you know the reason why he is the way he is, which is about where the supporting cast stands in regards to Tohru.

You’ve got the ever jealous childhood friend/fake little sister, Saki. You’ve got the mischievous, biracial upperclassman, Yayoi. You’ve got the cynical and pragmatic underclassman, Keiko. Finally you have the curious Alice, who only seems to exist within dreams. All of these girls harbor a complicated mix of emotions that are brought to the forefront through the course of the game, sometimes forcefully, sometimes subtly.

The dreams Tohru and the girls experience drag them through the mud, and it’s watching them come to terms and overcome this that made for the most compelling moments of the story. I can’t even pretend to have experienced anything remotely close to what these characters have gone through, but Hapymaher‘s aptitude in getting me to empathize with them, despite that fact, is worthy of praise.

If the dream motif and one of the primary enigmas of the game being a girl named Alice weren’t a tip off, Hapymaher takes many notes from Lewis Carroll’s famous Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Now I can’t claim to be an expert on the original novel, but it doesn’t take one to notice the overt comparisons to the likes of The Cheshire Cat, The White Rabbit, and the titular Alice throughout the story. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find little touches such as Yayoi’s surname, Lutwidge, being shared with Lewis Carroll’s real name, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. I’m sure the are plenty of other fine details that flew clean over my head, and those who are more literally inclined than myself will find some amount of pride in uncovering these nuggets that the writers buried within the script.

Of course, we can’t have comparisons to the famous novel without some evocative imagery to go with it. You’ll grow very accustomed to the gaudy tea party room Tohru and company find themselves in during their dreams, and each of their dream costumes are equally fantastical and eye-catching. What deserves particular recognition, however, is its stand out soundtrack, which runs the gamut of cheerful, to urgent, to triumphant, to downright unnerving. One of my favorite aspects of visual novels is how effectively their music can set the mood, and this title is no exception.

After writing this Tester’s Corner, that aforementioned hole in my heart has only grown bigger. I am going to legitimately miss hanging out with Tohru and the gang every night after work. Through the good times and the bad, I thoroughly enjoyed being with them and, even more so, watching them grow as people. I am especially proud of Tohru for coming as far as he does by the end of the story. Hapymaher is a soft reminder that things will be ok, and in a world where things all too often seem anything but, it is a welcome reminder indeed.

Hapymaher is now available for purchase exclusively on MangaGamer.com!

Today on the blog, we have a tester’s corner from Mashiro!

So, another Ammolite game and another test corner from me, Mashiro.

After playing Sweet Young Bride, Ammolite now has a special place in my heart. Their games can be short, not very elaborate, and with simple stories, but they have a special charm to them. Oh, and they have my favorite style of h-scenes.

Sweet Switch offers the player two girls to interact with. Firstly, we have Sarah, the student council president. Like most student council characters, she is elegant, beautiful and too good for our protagonist. Then, we have Fumino, the student council secretary. She’s quiet, shy, and easily panics, but that only makes her even more adorable. I think it’s easy to guess who my favorite was.

The story, like I said before, is pretty simple. Ryuuichi Takato, our protagonist, has a pretty intense glare and many are too afraid to approach him. Because of that, he’s sort of a loner and is thought to be a delinquent.

Only later does he discover that his gaze makes a bit of an impact on BOTH the student council president and secretary. While one gets turned on and loses control, the other panics to a point where her personality changes completely. To help them get rid of their unique quirks, Ryuuichi puts them on a “Special Training” regime, which, of course, involves a lot of sex.

This game contains three routes, one with each girl and a threesome ending. I liked most of the h-scenes, but I felt that the 3P ending was the weakest one. Not to say it was bad, but it pales in comparison to the individual routes.

As always, the h-scenes have beautifully drawn CGs, with sound effects and moaning tracks to pair with the artwork, and Ammolite does this very well.

I guess the only downside to Sweet Switch is the reuse of assets, with some music tracks being similar to the ones in Sweet Young Bride. It wasn’t something that impacted heavily on my enjoyment of the game, but there was some times that I couldn’t help but notice.

It was one of the most enjoyable beta tests I’ve ever done. I was very happy to work with Ryechu, especially since we worked on Sweet Young Bride together before, so it was like working with a friend once again.

I hope I can have the opportunity to test another Ammolite game again! To summarize, while they may not have a lot of depth to them and are focused almost exclusively on sex, they are still enjoyable from time to time and I find them to be quite relaxing. Well, the main point of playing a game – even if this game is a visual novel with not so much gameplay – is to have fun, and I can honestly say I had a ton of fun with Sweet Switch and I hope everyone that decides to play it have as well!

Sweet Switch is now available for purchase exclusively on MangaGamer.com!

Today on the blog, we have a tester’s corner from Arc!

For fans of Sweet Young Bride, here comes another nukige title from Ammolite, Sweet Switch ~When Our Eyes Meet, My Body Melts~. In this game, you are Ryuuichi Takato, an unfortunate guy who has a mean look to him that scares and intimidates just about everybody he comes across, even causing a girl to faint one time. However, he realizes his gaze has quite the opposite effect on two odd, well-endowed girls.

Ryuuichi has always had the impression that the haughty student council president, Sara Lafarge, never really liked him much, as she would glare at him when he came to school. Much to his surprise, his gaze seems to be turning her on, instead! After a very odd sexual encounter with Sara that left him very confused, he is dragged into helping out the student council while being forced to wear odd glasses that somehow diminish his eyes’ power. Much to his dismay, they are basically silly glasses, but it helps him socialize a bit more with his classmates.

While helping out Sara, Ryuuichi also meets the shy and timid student council secretary, Fumino Hirohata, who is in a similar predicament as Sara, but also happens to also undergo a peculiar personality switch that makes her more confident when he gazes at her, but it’s also an excuse for sex. And just like that, Ryuuichi is now stuck between helping the tsundere-ish Sara and the timid yet sometimes confident Fumino.

After having sexual encounters with both girls, Ryuuichi now has to help both of them undergo “special training” (obviously it is sex, mostly in public places) to help both girls overcome their very strange illness of being stared at, to prepare one of them for an upcoming school festival speech. Being a nukige, the plot is pretty simple and straight-forward, but there are three routes to choose from: either Sara or Fumino, or even both of them.

The length is fairly short, around the same as Sweet Young Bride. If busty girls is more your thing than flat chests, this may be of interest.

Sweet Switch is now available for purchase exclusively on MangaGamer.com!

Today on the blog, we have a tester’s corner from SSparks!

Hey there, SSparks here back for another Tester’s Corner, this time for a certain Koropokkur in Love. If you’ve been following MangaGamer, you know this title is original, rather than just a translation, and it definitely doesn’t disappoint as a first release.

This little fairy’s tale is about, of course, the little fairies called Koropokkur and some of the mysteries regarding them. And if you’re at all familiar with Key works such as Clannad or Little Busters, you’ll instantly recognize the artist as Hinoue Itaru. While I can’t really say this is her best work, her art was still very pleasant to look at. Cirta’s design is my personal favorite, mostly for how well it conveys her personality. The soundtrack also fits the game very well. There may not be that many tracks, but each one of them still works with the scenes to set the mood, and they do a pretty good job at that.

Cirta is the cutest and you can’t convince me otherwise.

The story itself was very heartwarming. It’s not extremely long, but that’s one of its charms. The balance between comedy and seriousness is definitely a positive, and that can be easily seen via some of the CGs. They’re wacky when they can afford to be, but they know very well when to be serious.

Once again, Cirta is the cutest and you can’t convince me otherwise.

I was very happy to be able to participate in MG’s first development project, even if only as a tester. I am definitely hoping for even more like this in the future. And while it was not the best VN I’ve ever read, Koropokkur was definitely worth my time, and I’m certain it will be worth yours too.

Koropokkur is now available on MangaGamer.com and Steam for $14.95!

Today on the blog, we have a tester’s corner from Niiko!

Hi guys, I’m Niiko and here to share my experiences with Bitter Exclusion with you all! This was my first time beta testing for MangaGamer, and my first time playing an Ammolite game but it definitely won’t be my last; it was truly a pleasure. A longtime fan of MG, although I’m a gal that mostly plays BL (boys love) and otome games, I couldn’t pass up the chance to try something new, and boy did this title deliver. If you’re like me and occasionally get the craving for a game that’s short and sweet, yet packs an erotic punch, this one has it in spades. Read on for my brief impressions~

Bitter Exclusion follows the tale of your average high school student, Shouhei Kido, a particularly unremarkable guy who unwittingly gets tangled up in a cruel and depraved game created by two of the hottest girls in class. Kaho Izumi and Aoi Nonohara may look sweet and innocent on the outside, but once lessons have finished for the day, these young ladies don’t hesitate to let their hair down (or their panties!) and throw wild orgies after school; what better way to de-stress after a day full of lectures and bond with your classmates than indulging in some shameless sex together, am I right? Now that’s all well and good, but there’s just one rule to their Super Secret Awesome Sex Club: you ​never ​ talk about the Super Secret Awesome Sex Club, ​especially ​ not to Shouhei. You see, Shouhei is an alright dude – not the smartest, the best looking, or the most popular guy – but he’s got a crush on Aoi, his childhood friend, whom everyone knows is waaay out of his league – but he’s delusional. The girl is disgusted that he can’t seem to take a hint. Then one day Kaho gets a wicked idea: Why not get their rocks off AND ban Shouhei from their little club? Kill two birds with one stone, everyone gets a kick out of barring him from their fun while simultaneously guaranteeing he’ll never fulfill his dream of having sex with Aoi.

Crazy plotline aside, this game has some beautiful artwork and the H-scenes are plentiful and varied throughout the several hours it took me to play through. Honestly some of the scenarios were way out there, but everything was loads of fun. Parts of the game get real deep, for example the relationship between Shouhei and his best friend Genta Idehara and how that can change depending on the choices you make. There are some really interesting psychological associations that can be made from the events that occur or that can be seen in the characters’ motivations, so if you’re into that kinda thing there’s a lot to enjoy apart from the frisky festivities at the surface level. The girls’ seiyuu were fantastic, every line so skillfully performed, from your everyday schoolgirl conversations to the moments when they’re drowning in lust and just begging for more. The BGM is good, appropriate and often quite enjoyable (there are some toe-tappers in this soundtrack, lol), bringing all the wonderful elements in the game together into a nice little package that’s perfect for when you need a little boost.

Now, my time with Bitter Exclusion has come to an end, but soon it will be released to everyone in the world and I’m very curious what you guys will think of it. Yes, it’s not your usual VN where you aim for one girl and share a deep experience with her, but with this title you get two for one, double the fun, and jump right into the action on day one! Anyway er, that’s enough cheese from me. I hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse into Ammolite’s debut title with me, and will soon be joining me in the ranks as a brand new fan~ This is Niiko signing off, see you all in the next one ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡

Today on the blog, we have a tester’s corner from Nurio! (And it’s really, really long!)

I’ve noticed that recently, my Tester’s Corners are less about the Beta and more about the actual game itself. I think it’s because Betas grow more and more streamlined and the only differentiating factor between each Beta is the game itself, which means that’s the only thing I can really say anything new about.

Well, not this time, baby! This Beta was unique in every way, and I’m gonna tell you all about it, whether you like it or not! (Though, you can actually just close this page right now; that’s how little power I hold over you…) That said, I should preface this Tester’s Corner with the following: Most of what I say here pertains to a Beta product and isn’t always representative of the finished product. (The most obvious example being that the bugs will be fixed in the final game.)

So, how was this Beta any different from the others? Well, for starters, it was long. Very long. 75 days. 75 days… That’s how long I’ve been working on this Beta, and that doesn’t even count any of the aftercare, preparation time, or writing of the Tester’s Corner (hi Mom!). And to honor the longest Beta in my life, I’m gonna write the longest Tester’s Corner in my life! I hope you’re ready, boys! (…And, uhm, girls; don’t worry, I’m very inclusive.)

Let’s start at the very beginning. Or, well, maybe not the very beginning, since I don’t think anyone is ready to read about my 26 years of life experience. So instead, let’s start somewhere last year. It was either sunny, cloudy, or raining; I don’t exactly remember very well. But I expressed some interest in this game called …which I’ll now abbreviate to IYLMTSS because, contrary to popular belief, even my tongue gets tired. I didn’t have any ulterior motives or anything. I just said it looked cute and interesting.

And then 3 months or so ago, MangaGamer suddenly asked me “Hey, are you interested in SukiSuki?”. Having no idea who or what SukiSuki is, I simply assumed that meant oral satisfaction, which is kinda weird, because I’m a straight brown bear and MangaGamer is a company and not a physical entity, so I was kinda wary. By the time my pants were off, I was told SukiSuki is apparently what the cool kids call ILYMTSS. I felt a bit cheated out of a good time, but I accepted to offer to Beta test SukiSuki after all. I think this is the first time MangaGamer actually put me on a Beta I expressed prior interest in. Though, it’s not like MangaGamer never put me on Betas I liked. Quite the contrary, my dear old chap!!

Now, I can already hear the questions: “Why was this Beta so long?”, “Why should we care?”, “What do you mean, straight brown bear?”, “Why are you so tall?” and “What happened to the money I left on the kitchen counter?” Good questions! And I can say one of the answers is “I was hungry”.

As for the length of the Beta, I think it can be attributed to 5 things:

1. The game is massive!
2. The game is semi-free-roaming.
3. I fell ill during the Beta.
4. I am just slow in general.
5. I was hungry.
6. I was too busy loving all these girls.
7. There were a lotta bugs!
8. I spent at least 20 days coming up with an 8^th reason because I really like the number 8.

That’s right. If this game gets delayed, you can blame me. Please send your punishments to Notarealstreet 13 in The Netherlands, and I’ll accept them not happily but still willingly. Anyway, at the very least, I tried my best to catch any error in the game, and I feel like I did a good job. Whether I actually did a good job is of course for you (yes, you, Pete) to decide. But to give a bit of an idea for the scope of this Beta and its bugs… For the usual Beta, my report is just two text files and a few screenshots, but for this Beta, my report and documentation spanned over 200 bug screenshots, 80 documentation screenshots and several text files explaining everything and keeping track of everything. There were quite a lot of interesting bugs in there, and I’ll give you an exclusive look into a few of them!

…Unless this gets redacted, in which case, whoops!

(Marketing Staff – Images converted to slideshow. Commentary has been added to each image at the tester’s request.)

Whew. That was quite a lot! And believe it or not, this was just a small sample of all the bugs, haha. Hahaha. Hahh… I feel bad for the programmer…

And that’s just 1 of the 8 reasons! There’s more, like the walkthrough that was incomplete, meaning I had to trudge through the game, looking for the missing scripts. And with this being a semi-free-roaming VN (more on that later), that took a lot of time!

Lastly, on top of all this, apparently all the CG were still the censored JP originals. Don’t worry; they’ll be uncensored for the final release… But man, it was gruesome to work toward a climax with the girl you like and then be met with pixels the size of my uncle Jerry. T_T

Not that that really impacted the length of the Beta, but since I was complaining already, I thought I could stick that complaint in there. It’s what I am good at. …Complaining, I mean. I have relatively little experience with sticking things in places.

So yes, I think this can accurately be described as Beta hell. For me, anyway. But I bet it wasn’t exactly a carnival ride for the rest either. But man, does that mean I regretted signing up for this? Or do I hate the game? None of that! Not even a little bit!

You were groaning a lot in your room, though. Sounded like you had a tough time…

Oh, onee-chan. Great timing! I just got all the technical stuff out of the way and it’s finally time to talk about the game.

Yay! I love games!

Also, the groaning was because of the bugs. Yes. Let’s go with that.

So, free-roaming, right? I used that term a bit… liberally. It’s not like you can actually walk around everywhere like a sandbox game or anything. But the game is set up in such a way that you can basically choose what you want to do every weekday after school, unless it’s a special day, like holidays and birthdays.

Every day with you is a special day, watashi no otouto <3

Aww, thanks. Though I know you’re just saying that to make me feel better.

And depending on what you pick on a weekday, you unlock other new options for the next weekday, creating a branching path, and then your options again influence your choices for the next weekday until you have branches upon branches upon branches like some sort of tree from Chernobyl.

Because of that, I don’t recommend using a walkthrough, which I know sounds contradicting, but bear with me here. The way this game is set up, it’s very clear it’s meant to be played naturally and blindly. Just pick events on weekdays with a bit of strategy, whichever you think sound great, and see where you end up.

But… NurNur… Didn’t you use a walkthrough?

W-Well, yes. But that’s because I have to see 100% of the game as quickly as possible.

Uh-huh…

H-Hey! I’m no hypocrite, alright!? You hypocrite!

Of course, just because I don’t recommend a walkthrough, it doesn’t mean I don’t have tips. After having gone through the game, I can say there’s a definite structure to it. In fact, I had to puzzle so much, I am so familiar with the structure of the game, I wrote some documentation about it. …But, that’s for internal testing purposes, so I can’t show that here. Don’t worry; I can still explain the gist of it! Basically, every week consists of 5 weekdays, a Saturday and a Sunday.

Really!?

The sad thing is, I don’t even know if you’re being sarcastic or not…

The weekdays are either just generic, where you can pick an “After-School Event,” or they’re a special day where you usually don’t get any choice. Then, on Saturday, you’ll have an event with the girl you spent the most time with during the week. If you’re close enough with a girl, she’ll even invite you over or ask you out for Sunday. If you accept, you’ll have an event with her on Sunday as well, and again depending on how close you are with her, that event can end in one of two ways. If you either decline or you’re not even close enough to get invited, you’ll end up with a semi-generic Sunday event, which are also nice, actually!

Let me give you a tip: When you get to pick the After-School Event, you’ll see little icons under each event, depicting which girls are involved in this event. Their expressions change how involved they are. Typically you want to go for a smiling face, as that is the best one, meaning you’ll increase your chances of getting a Saturday event with that girl. But remember how I said there are branching paths? Sometimes you have to do an After-School Event with Girl A just to unlock an After-School Event with Girl B. Happy hunting!

And this is why I said you should just do whichever events sound best instead of relying on a walkthrough. Because it’s just more fun to go through these things naturally and have it be more open-ended. When you start using a walkthrough, it suddenly all appears a lot more linear.

And finally, at the end of every Sunday, you’ll have the so-called My Room Mode before the new week starts!

This is what My Room Mode looks like

Eww, what’s that thing over there?

That’s not a thing! That’s QP, and you’ll address him as Mr. Love Fairy, alright!? I’ll tell you more about him later on. But first there’s a whole lot more to cover!

Do you want me to call a doctor…? Are you still sane?

In My Room Mode, you have 6 options: Love Fortune, Cupid Flowers, Sleep, Phone and Confess.

Cupid Flowers?

Be patient, young onee-chanawan. I’ll tell you in due time.

Love Fortune has QP tell you how much the available girls love you, from a rating of 1 to 4. Sleep basically lets you skip My Room Mode and go to sleep. Phone allows you to call a girl (though you don’t always have a choice whom you call) to grow closer to her, Confess should be self-explanatory, and the Tutorial… basically tells you everything I’m already telling you here.

Well, that’s pointless then…

Shut up! I just like telling people things, okay!? ;.;

Okay… And what about the Cupid Flowers?

Ohohoh. I’ll leave you in suspense for a while longer!

So much for liking to tell us things…

Interestingly, the Tutorial even gives a spoiler warning, because it actually tells a bit more than I am telling you here. This is the first time I’ve ever seen a spoiler warning in a game itself. If only the whole internet were as self-conscious as this game…

Oh, yeah! I remember you cried so much when you found out about that Princess Pony or something…

Don’t make fun of people’s traumas, onee-chan… Not cool…

Eventually when you grow close enough to the girl, you can confess to her. …Well, you can actually confess to a girl almost anytime, but I don’t recommend it. Because… man, getting rejected in the game hurts about as much as in real life…

Oh, yeah! I remember you cried during this Beta just as much as when you found out about that Pony thing…

I said SHUT UP!

Getting rejected will make you skip a whole week in the game to recover, so watch out with that. You can take one rejection from each girl, but if you get rejected twice by the same girl, it’s game over! On the flipside, if she accepts, you’ll end up on her route and eventually work toward a climax on her route.

You sure like climaxes, huh, Nu-kun?

Y-Yes… I do…

There’s actually another way to end up on a girl’s route… If you’re such a stud and play your cards right, the girls might actually end up confessing to you! How’s that for a far cry from rejection! Take that, Sarah! I am a stud!

What’s interesting is that if you start dating a girl, you’ll unlock her “apple”. Sound weird? Well, it does sound weird, but it’s pretty cool. When you have a girl’s apple, you can “equip” it, and it’ll change the title screen and UI voice.

For example, you can change this standard title screen…

Into this title screen: Ayame’s. (Also, ignore the Japanese button… Just another bug)

And like I said, it also changes the UI voice, so if you click on buttons, you’ll hear – for example – Ayame saying stuff like “Would you like to save?” That’s an especially neat touch if you kinda get attached to these girls…

And did you get attached to these girls?

Uhm… …More on that later?

You sure do push a lot back to later…

Hey, I can’t help it if there’s just so much to talk about!

Other neat UI stuff includes the save files. You get a whopping 90 of them! You might think that’s enough, but someone as greedy as me never has enough. I ended up using 927 save files. Did I mention this game is big? Because this game is big. Also a neat thing is that you can add a memo to save files and you can also lock them so you don’t accidentally overwrite them. I’m pointing this out, because this is somehow still not a standard feature in VNs, so it’s always nice to see it!

You know… You said you were done with the technical stuff, but so far it’s still been UI this and structure that… I’m getting bored! And you still haven’t told me what a Cupid Flower is!

Oh, right, the Cupid Flowers! Thanks, Nee-chan; you’re the best!

Heehee, I helped… Smile.

You’re not supposed to say smile when you’re smiling.

But how are the readers supposed to know I’m smiling then?

Okay, you got me there.

Every time you go to Sleep during My Room Mode and you’ve made some form of progress with a girl, you can get a Cupid Flower. You can then use this Cupid Flower during My Room Mode to bring her love to the level it was at previously. …In theory, anyway. You have to watch out, because if you use the wrong Flower at the wrong time, you might actually destroy whatever progress you had.

There’s actually a mechanic behind this, for which Flower you get when and which Flower does what, but I don’t wanna spoil that magic for you. Just know that when you Sleep, you might get a Cupid Flower that you’ll just have to experiment with them to see exactly what they do. You won’t need them at the start of the game anyway.

Now, why would you want to use Cupid Flowers in the first place? Well, for example, when you start a new game and you want to get on a girl’s route early on to see what her route has to offer, you can use a Cupid Flower to make her to fall in love with you (I love it when love is forced) and confess early in the game.

Oh, and I should mention that a girl’s route changes a little depending on when you confess to her. So, look forward to that! The Flowers might feel a bit cheaty, but they’re entirely optional and are a reward for getting the girl to fall in love with you in the first place, so I think it should be alright. And man, these Cupid Flowers helped me a lot when trying to find all the scripts, let me tell ya… So I can’t really complain about it too much…

Okay, you ready, Onee-chan? I’m finally getting to the actual game itself!

…

Onee-chan? Wake up!

Huh? Hah? I was totally awake, sensei!

You’re not in class. In fact, you haven’t been in class for like 8 years now.

SukiSuki is a game by ChuableSoft. Already, I like the name of the company. Chu-able of course means kissable or huggable, indicating they make moe games. But you can also pronounce it kinda like chewable, which refers to how these games are fairly light-hearted and easily digestible. Though, it doesn’t mean they’re literally edible, and they’re definitely not bite-sized!

Gotta love how self-aware the game is

So self-aware, they even do name drops. (Kinda.)

NAME DROP! (AGAIN, KINDA!)

This game is incredibly self-aware. Particularly the character QP is constantly… well… I wouldn’t say he’s breaking the fourth wall, as he doesn’t talk to the player directly. He just has constant meta knowledge and uses game terms all throughout the game. And he often mocks practices that are common in VNs.

One of the most clever jokes in the game. But maybe my humor is just out of whack.

So, let me tell you more about QP. QP is an Apple Tree Fairy, and as everyone knows, Apple Tree Fairies are also Love Fairies. Because the protagonist helped take care of QP’s apple tree, he came from the Fairy Realm to help the protagonist find love, to return the favor. There’s a special reason why the protagonist needs to find love, actually: If he doesn’t, he’ll lose the two or three things he values the most. …Or so QP says, anyway. But how can he even know that? Hmm… He isn’t even sure how many things the protagonist will lose!

That plotting bastard… But I can’t help but love him.

QP is honestly the best thing that this game has to offer. And tha—

I didn’t know you were into weird floating apple-bunny hybrids instead of girls… I… I blame myself for this failure! I didn’t raise you well!

He’s a Love Fairy, not an apple-bunny hybrid! Also, I’m into girls. Just lemme finish here!

Need help with finishing?

…

Well?

…N-No! And besides, you didn’t raise me! Anyway, let me just continue…

…And that’s pretty weird considering this game is chockfull with cute girls. (More on those later!) But everything to QP’s plots, his slyness, his bluntness, his meta sense and his interactions with the protagonists are just incredibly funny, like those Boke and Tsukkomi routines, except better! You might find him annoying at first, but I promise you, you’ll grow attached to him quicker than any girl in the game!

…

Stop staring, onee-chan! There’s nothing wrong with me!

QP is a Love Fairy, and that means Human Realm rules don’t really apply to him. For one, he’s magical and can do several things, as long as it benefits love. Other people aside from the protagonist also can’t see him. His logic is somewhat otherworldly, but not always unsound. In fact, at times he makes perfect sense, especially when it comes to nature. Lastly, he doesn’t need to eat food to sustain himself, yet he always charges in, steals the protagonist’s food and wolfs it down anyway. Hmm… Not needing food, but eating anyway? Being an absolute menace? Having no distinct reproductive organs? Appearing out of nowhere? Now, I’m not saying he’s a Titan, but…

…He’s probably a Titan.

Souta Hatsuaki: The protagonist

Hey, that’s you! Yes, you! You handsome devil, you!

Souta Hatsuaki is the protagonist of the story and you largely see the whole story through his eyes. As you can see, he’s not a faceless guy like in most VNs, so thank goodness for that! For some reason, faceless protagonists are just a pet peeve of mine. Like, the allergic kind of pet. …Man, I wish I had a pet…

Ahem. Souta can be seen as the straight man of the game, though it’s not like he’s boring or calculating, or the only sane person in the company of idiots. He just has a good head on his shoulders and knows nonsense when he sees it, and isn’t afraid to call that out, yet he’s kind enough to play along anyway when necessary.

Souta dreams of having his own restaurant and currently works as a chef at a restaurant called Naturale to gain much needed experience. He often tries to cook new dishes throughout the game, but with mixed results. He’s a member of the Gardening Club at his school: Harekita Academy, and thanks to QP’s magic, he’s able to grow basically any crop quickly for the club and for Naturale. Since… that’s what Apple Tree Fairies are good at, of course!

Souta is a virgin at heart to the point he calls himself a gamma, which is even further below the beta and alpha male. And he isn’t kidding, because as good as his head is, when it comes to love, he is possibly the most oblivious character you will meet.

And now what you’ve all been waiting for… The girls!

Finally…

Finally? I didn’t know you were into girls, onee-chan.

You didn’t?

…Wait, you are!? What about Bamboo?

Oh, Nuriouto, you have much to learn about sexuality

I’m 26! Stop treating me like a child! Sigh, let’s just go on to the girls…

Ayame Himekami: Such a cutie

Cuteness score: 10
Timidness: 7
Sweetness: 9
Gullibility: 9
Lewdness: 5
Down-to-earthness: 7

Ayame Himekami is a sweet, gullible and reserved girl. And she’s a mega-cutie. She has never experienced love in her life and is looking for her first love at the moment. Her hobbies are video games, and that’s where her character truly shines. She’s so into video games that any inhibitions she has just evaporate. She’ll turn into a menacing zombie killer or a brave dragon slayer.

Look at her sweet gaming setup. She even has a Wii U! She’s my kinda girl!

Ayame grew up in a fairly wealthy family and was secluded most of her childhood, which is probably also why she turned to games. Because of this, she’s rather unfamiliar with the outside world. In fact, when you first meet her, you’ll find her crying tears of joy because she finally realized her dream of eating junk food.

Did I already say she’s my kinda girl? Because she’s my kinda girl!

Sadly for her, because of her gullible nature due to her secluded upbringing, she’s often on the wrong end of jokes that involve her saying embarrassing things she’s not even aware of herself.

Oh, you sweet, innocent child…

How do you even get tricked into saying this, though?

This isn’t to say she’s uninterested or completely unaware of sex. She just hasn’t found anyone to share it with. She’s actually just as eager to learn like other people. It’s just that she has more to learn than most other people, and teaching her things – like how to eat a hamburger – is surprisingly fun.

She’s very popular with the whole class because of her beauty and sweetness. However, not many of her classmates actually get really close to her, and Souta is the only guy she regularly hangs out with. Also for this reason, she’s a member of the gardening club like Souta.

QP’s advice: “She’s looking for love, and you’re her only real male friend! Get closer to her, take your chances, and strike!”

Yuki Goshogawara: Such a cutie

Cuteness score: 10
Timidness: 3
Sweetness: 6
Gullibility: 3
Lewdness: 10
Down-to-earthness: 5

Yuki Goshogawara is an energetic, lewd and funny girl. And she’s an ultra-cutie. You’ll often find her making a lewd joke, where either Souta or Ayame are the victim, usually. In fact, if she doesn’t make a lewd joke, people are immediately concerned if something is wrong with her. Does that sound a bit much? Maybe, but I actually like it.

Heehee! I knew it! You actually like it!

It’s different when the lewd jokes come from my sister! Please don’t make lewd jokes with me!

Yuki’s the kind of girl where if you tell her her last name is a mouthful, she’d respond with “Not as much a mouthful as my penis!” …Which gets a different response from everyone. Personally, I like my girls penis-free. And don’t worry; I checked. She’s safe.

Yuki and Souta know each other since childhood, when they both lived in a different city. They grew close and have been inseparable childhood friends since, to the point Yuki often just barges into Souta’s house and feels entirely comfortable around him.

Gee, thanks. I already have enough disappointed parents outside of games.

Did I mention she’s lewd? Holy crap, she’s ultra-lewd. About 80% of the lewdness in this game comes from her! If you’re one for sexual tension, then look no further!

And, well, the sexual tension bursts hard at some point…

Yuki is very attached to her friends, and you won’t really see her alone at any time, which is also why she’s often seen around Souta. She works at the same place as him: Naturale, where she is part of the waitstaff.

QP’s advice: “It’s clear she’s interested! Just do something special for her and close the gap already!”

Mahiru Komachi: Such a cutie

Cuteness score: 10
Timidness: 2
Sweetness: 5
Gullibility: 9
Lewdness: DANGER! DANGER!
Down-to-earthness: 3

Mahiru Komachi is a childish, impulsive and talented girl. And she’s a hyper-cutie. Much like a child, she often has her own version of events, and she won’t ever admit she’s wrong. She can throw a tantrum when she doesn’t get her way, where she unleashes her trademark Mahiru Kick.

However, also like a child, she’s just as easy to please, and it’s also easy to simply turn her frown upside down with a few clever, well-placed words. Despite her appearance and behavior, she’s actually fairly mature, though that’s not exactly a part of her that gets to shine much.

I mean, she’s of legal age, after all…

Mahiru is a successful child actress who can easily and perfectly switch roles when she needs to. She also knows when to behave like a good girl and when to behave more like herself. Unfortunately for Souta, she mostly acts like her spoiled self around him.

But that’s cute in its own right! Really, I didn’t know children could be this cute!

Nuri… Would you have preferred if I were your imouto instead of your onee-chan?

…

Well?

I’m thinking!

It’s interesting. A lot of the behavior Mahiru exhibits in this game would annoy me a lot in real life. But in the game, it’s incredibly cute! I could just pick her up and snuggle her! …Only to be subsequently kicked by her.

Maybe there’s just something about Mahiru that speaks to all of us. Maybe we are all just a small child inside who wants to scream out at the world for how unfair it is and just throw a tantrum and kick everything. She’s uninhibited around Souta, and I can appreciate that.

One of the most relatable moments in the game. Bell peppers really are man’s worst enemy.

No, seriously. Bell peppers just make me barf, to the point I think I’m allergic to them. But nope, I had myself tested and apparently I am not allergic. Not sure what’s up with that, but I’m sure Mahiru can relate.

That said, Mahiru actually has an incredible appetite for things she loves. That’s also much like me, but this girl really is insane. And where is she keeping all that food? It definitely doesn’t stay in her body, seeing her size… but I also am not eager to find out where it does go…

Anyway! Mahiru and Souta used to go out one year ago, and their relationship lasted a whopping 2 weeks! Hmm, what happened, I wonder? Either way, after a year of absence, Mahiru eventually returns and joins the gardening club on Souta’s request.

QP’s advice: “Love knows no age! Not that she’s underage or anything! First you need to get rid of the bitter aftertaste of being her ex-boyfriend, and then you two can get together again.”

Maya Komachi: Such a cutie

Cuteness score: 10
Timidness: 4
Sweetness: 7
Gullibility: 2
Lewdness: 6
Down-to-earthness: 9

Maya Komachi is a responsible, reliable and caring girl. And she’s a super-cutie. She really is the onee-san of this game – and in fact, she’s Mahiru’s onee-san – often giving advice to Souta and other characters, and being reliable in general.

So she’s like me!

Sure. If that’s what you’d like to believe.

That isn’t to say she always gives sound advice. Heck, I’d love to get video games from my boyfriend! …I mean, girlfriend!

Being fairly down-to-earth and straightforward, you won’t see many crazy antics with her. In fact, everyone has a lot of respect for her and doesn’t mess with her. Though, that might also have to do with her becoming very threatening in a silent way when you get on her bad side.

Out of all the characters, I think maybe this one is my favorite, but they’re all just so good! Maybe I just like her so much because out of all the characters, she’s also the most obvious one to have a crush on Souta.

…And I like it when girls like me.

Get a clue, man!

Sadly, Souta is as oblivious as ever. They even have this nice thing together where Maya gives Souta a piece of candy, and Souta has to guess which flavor it is. That sounds silly, but it’s actually pretty cute!

Maya is, I think, the oldest girl in the game (aside from actual mothers and such), and you can see that in the way she behaves and how calm and soothing her voice is. Despite her mature demeanor, she’s relatively short and flat, and that’s something she’s self-conscious about. But you better watch out even thinking about her height or cup size around her, though.

Luckily, Souta is still interested in her, despite her appearance.

Maya is also the only character who’s too old to be still at the same school as the rest and instead studies at Minan Academy. At least, I think that’s the reason. The game isn’t too explicit about ages… Anyway, she still sees the others regularly through her job at Natural as a waitress, though, so she won’t have to miss out on too much.

…Now, if only there were a Maya + Mahiru tag team route. That’d be the best…

How lewd. You really are showing your true colors today, Nuri!

…I can’t help liking what I like.

QP’s advice: “I think she might be interested in you. You better start probing and then confess!”

Eri Serikawa: Such a cutie

Cuteness score: 10
Timidness: 10
Sweetness: 8
Gullibility: 2
Lewdness: 3
Down-to-earthness: 8

Eri Serikawa is a shy, timid and sensitive girl. And she’s an omega-cutie. She’s basically shyness reincarnate. In fact, she can’t even talk to any guys, meaning all her friends are girls. Except for Souta, who she can at least tolerate.

Eri is often seen around Yuki, and often escapes her lewd jokes, possibly because she isn’t as gullible as the rest and because Yuki knows Eri can’t appreciate them.

Despite being able to tolerate Souta, she’s still very sensitive and self-conscious about touch, so any accidental touching will throw her into a blushing fit and causes her to stammer and stutter, which, honestly, is incredibly cute.

This only makes me want to ‘accidentally’ brush my arm against her more

Just the arm?

Just the arm.

…For now.

Eri is good at math and gets good grades overall, but her skills with computers is non-existent, needing Souta’s help with any computer-related issues. Personally I think math skills and computer skills go hand in hand, but it goes to show me there are different people out there. Sigh… If only I could teach Eri all about computers…

Don’t let her timidness fool you, though. Beneath this shy exterior lies a beast that can eat anything spicy, yet dislikes sweet food. Again, goes to show you that appearances aren’t everything.

Not pictured here: The 18 people in the background that died after eating the same food

In short, Eri is probably the most surprising girl of the bunch, where her appearances and behavior don’t immediately paint the full picture. That said, being the shy girl that she is, she isn’t part of any club and she also doesn’t work at Naturale, so generally you only meet her at school.

QP’s advice: “She’s a shy girl, so it’s up to you to take the initiative! All it takes is a small push!”

Aoi Mutsu: Such a cutie?

Cuteness score: 10 (She made me give her that score)
Timidness: 2
Sweetness: 3
Gullibility: 1
Lewdness: 8
Down-to-earthness: 6

Aoi Mutsu is a straightforward, sadistic and manipulative girl. And she’s an über-cutie. …Which she totally didn’t force me to say. Aoi is a sadist and her favorite toy is Souta. Or rather, her only toy is Souta, because everybody else avoids her like the plague, because they’d rather not be the victim of anything she’s got cooking. Trying to outplay her only means you get outplayed harder.

Souta often goes through the motions with her sadism, but it’s not like he’s entirely submissive to her. The sadistic remark and then the bark back from Souta creates an interesting dynamic between the two that sometimes escalates to the extremes.

Especially when Souta decides to fight back…

But as much as Aoi likes to play around, she actually is rather responsible and cares much about her underclassmen. She just doesn’t show it much because in the end her sadistic desire is greater than her desire to show she cares. However, make a serious request, and she’ll listen. …Probably.

Aoi is the president of the gardening club, and you’ll mostly see her there. Though, thanks to her, the gardening club is also part the sadism and games club, which… sounds kinda okay? Entirely depends on how much of a masochist you are, I guess!

She’s also the number 2 of the lewd duo in this game. The other 20% of the lewdness in this game comes from her, though it definitely has a different flavor from Yuki’s lewdness.

The response of a gamma to her sexual antics

Whereas Yuki’s lewdness is more vulgar, punny and suggestive, Aoi’s lewdness is more teasing, dominant and manipulative. You really should watch your iota around her, because before you know it, she’ll have claimed it and you won’t be getting it back! And I like my iota; I’d rather not lose it

Yeah, it’s our iota!

No, it’s MY iota!

Aoi can accurately be described as a demon, and everybody knows it, and they’re glad her focus is mostly on Souta.

But she’s actually fairly level-headed

Just don’t push her too far. Or do. It all depends on what you want out of her. Just know that even she has her limits, and if you pass her limits, you might have to question what you have become, after you’ve beaten a demon.

QP’s advice: “She seems very focused on you. I wonder why… You should accept her advances and submit entirely, so you two can find love!”

Chiho Yataka: Such a cutie

Cuteness score: 10
Timidness: 2
Sweetness: 8
Gullibility: 7
Lewdness: 7
Down-to-earthness: 2

Chiho Yataka is a bouncy, active and happy girl. And a cutie-cutie. Having lost her memories, she tries to see the positive side of life while trying to look for what she has lost. The only person she remembers is Souta, though she can’t even remember where from, and it appears Souta can’t really remember her either. Hmm…

Chiho grows instantly attached to Souta, much like a cat.

…Well, some cats, anyway.

This is because Souta is the only thread she has to her original memories, and it doesn’t hurt that Souta is friendly enough to help. Every second spent with her is a second filled with energy and cuteness, where she switches between wanting to play and wanting to search for memories. And sometimes both!

She’s also very unreserved, saying whatever is on her mind

Quite the opposite of Eri, Chiho isn’t ashamed of saying what she’s thinking. That doesn’t mean she knows no shame, but at the very least, she’s happy with who she is and isn’t afraid to express that. And why would you be if you’re as cute as her?

Chiho is also a character who makes it quite clear what she thinks of Souta. She’ll remind you of that on every memory quest you go on with her, so don’t worry if you tend to forget things like me. Or her.

She also calls Souta “Dude.” A lot.

Really, she sounds like a Pokémon at times

Cute kitty-cat girl without being an actual catgirl. Honestly, what more can I say?

QP’s advice: “She’s already saying she loves you! This is playing the game on easy mode! Do it now! Confess!”

And whew. I want to say that’s all the girls, but actually there’s more! But maybe this is enough for this Tester’s Corner.

Ehhh!? Why not go through all of them?

Have you seen how long this monster is already? People actually have to convert this into a blog post, and I don’t want to torture them any more!

But… but…

Okay, fine. I’ll say a few more things about the characters before moving on…

There are also a few faceless classmates, and they’re basically your typical token female and male classmates in anime, manga and VNs. They’re all a bitch, though, including the teacher. One moment they play sweet with him, just so they can get something out of him, and the next they treat him like scum because of a misunderstanding. The teacher also isn’t above derogation, having no trouble calling Souta out. Man, if I were in his shoes, I might just grow depressed.

…Except that being surrounded by more than 7 cute girls isn’t anything to be depressed about…

Honestly, I love all of these girls. Sure, there are some I love more than others (hello, Maya), but even the worst one (hello, Aoi) isn’t bad at all. And over these 75 days, I’ve grown pretty attached to all of them. Is this what Chuable planned all along? They pry open my heart, pour in cute girls, and then make the game not last forever, so I’ll end up with this gaping hole in my chest?

You… okay, otouto?

Y-Yeah. I’ll find love someday, I’m sure…

Maybe I’m just easily impressed, but I really loved testing and playing this VN, meeting the characters, falling in love, and experience an ideal relationship.

…Wow, now I sound like a gamma. It’s not even that I don’t know what it’s like to be in a relationship. I’ve been in several! I swear!

There, there… What are you even trying to prove?

I think that’s honestly what I like about romantic visual novels. They are not always the most realistic portrayals of a relationship, and that’s exactly what’s good. They’re an ideal relationship, with ideal cute girls, and that’s exactly what fantasy and fiction are for!

Now you’re just trying to justify your own love for this game…

Shut up!

Let’s change the subject before I really turn into a gamma. Instead, let’s talk about more stuff I liked about the game.

The art! I think this game really nails the perfect balance between beautiful and cute. There are certain VNs that are simply gorgeous, but the character design and general art style just isn’t cute and I’m left not getting too attached to anything. But luckily not in this game. From the moment I started it up, I was immediately in love.

Actually, you may have noticed there’s a distinct lack of actual event CG in this Tester’s Corner. That’s simply because I feel these CG are best experienced when you find them in game for the first time, instead of seeing them here in this Tester’s Corner. It’s much like your virginity: You want to save it for the best moment.

But you don’t have to hold on to your virginity for THAT long, Nuri-kyun…

I’m not a virgin anymore!

It’s okay… You don’t have to prove anything to me…

Anyway, it’s not just the art style that’s great. It’s everything, down to the animations. For a VN, the sprites move around a lot. They make little bows, shake around, dance, jump up and down, and so on. Of course there are also the screen shakes, like when Mahiru kicks you, and everything. All in all, it’s one of the most dynamic VNs I’ve seen without having actual gameplay elements, both in its structure and sprite animations.

And of course there are also actual animations. When you have a successful confession, you’re met with a beautiful animation and then a nice peppy intro. The presentation of this game is just superb. Oh, and of course, several sex scenes are also animated, and that also has been done very well. I’ll just say it was… effective.

Wow. How lewd.

We’re in a lewd industry, onee-chan. You of all people should know.

Speaking of lewdness. Another nice touch is that the sex scenes are relatively realistic. It’s not like porn with humongous penises or hentai with fantasy fetishes. And Souta doesn’t have unending stamina in the sense that he can actually only perform once, if you catch my drift. Maybe not a lot of people care about that, but I actually thought that was really neat, and that extra touch of realism just made it that much more… effective for me.

Wow. How lewd.

We’re in a lewd industry, onee-chan. You of all people should know.

And also unlike porn and most hentai, there is pillow talk at the end of sex. Another nice touch, making you love those girls even more. Am I strange? Yes. But this game just does all these things so right, I can’t help but point them out! I just love pillow talk, alright!?

There are two last things on the list of things I liked in particular about this game. One small thing is that, since this game is one about cooking, there are also plenty of examples of bad cooking. Most anime would portray the bad cooking as some sort of Eldritch spawn, and exaggerate how disgusting it is. It’s honestly a trope that I hate. So, how does this game do it? The bad cooking is actually… just bad cooking! Burned stuff, mixing of the wrong ingredients, too strong flavors, too bland taste, you name it. It’s another small touch of realism that just makes the game for me. Am I weird? Yes, but we already established that.

And finally, the narrative in this game is written in the present tense. I can’t stress enough how grateful I am for this. I know past tense is the standard in VNs, but I actually much, much more prefer the present tense for the narrative. Because then you can naturally use the past and future tenses when it’s appropriate, instead of going for weird constructs like past perfect or past future tense…? I’m actually curious what you guys think! Do you guys prefer narrative in past tense or in present tense? Please leave a comment below! I just wanna know if there are like-minded people or if I am just crazy once again…

In conclusion, I really loved this game, about as much as I loved the girls in it! I really could go for another game much like this one, and I am actually very curious what else ChuableSoft has, or if there are more VNs like this one.

…But maybe I need to work toward getting a girlfriend in real life again. If only I had someone to help me. Hmm…

Maybe he’s not the best choice for a wingman after all…

I probably should rely on my own strengths and qualities…

I believe in you, Nuri!

Thanks. By the way, did you notice that the End Drawing was drawn by a guest artist this time? Uhm, what was his name again? Hmm…

Wasn’t it something like Sam Gai?

Oh, I remember now! It was “Some Guy.” At least, that’s the name I got when I asked for one…

Well, that doesn’t tell us much…

One of life’s biggest mysteries, nee-chan…

Nurio, out!

If You Love Me, Then Say So! is now available on MangaGamer.com for $44.95!

We’re kicking off 2019 with another If You Love Me, Then Say So! tester’s corner!

Oh, you’re here! On a blog promoting VN porn! How lewd~ Why don’t you come over here and talk to this porn peddler about cute girls…?

You might look at Sukisuki and think “this sure is a moege”… and you’d absolutely be right. With the tiiiniest bit of a twist. You see, in case your single life isn’t jarring enough, someone got the brilliant idea in their head that someone, somewhere, would be thrilled to experience the life of a high school boy who builds up a relationship with one of several high school girls that culminates in fake diseases, high drama, amnesiac double reacharounds, or just getting your initial confession just straight up rejected… among other things.

They were right, of course.

(I am.)

The system works very different from your average eroge- instad of a point system based on seeing events and getting scored for it, or making choices that have positive or negative relationship changes, it’s actually just based on how many times you encounter a girl in question for the week. At the end of each day there is a list of potential after school events you can see, and each event lets you visit with one, or several, of the potential loves of your life. The catch is if that if you just do events with one girl only, you’ll eventually run out of events with her! So you need to strategically plan your time so you don’t accidentally build relationships with the wrong girl, while also seeing the one you want frequently enough that you actually manage to see her during the weekend. It sounds more complex than it actually is, but not by much. It’s actually pretty fun.

That being said, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, unfortunately. The writing is a mixed bag. The after school events themselves are very fun, and the individual events taken on their own are generally stellar… but the actual routes are pretty lacking. After you’ve successfully confessed(and thus avoided a bad end) you’ll be officially on your new girlfriend’s route. Which is, as you’d expect, where the drama is at- and it’s very, very hit or miss. Some routes are great, some just leave you with a sort of “what” sensation. Your mileage will vary wildly.

If you choose the best girls though you won’t really need to worry. Do you trust your taste?

Music is actually pretty alright. You shouldn’t expect to find a whole lot of tracks you’ll be taking away with you afterwards, but they’re generally pretty fun. Not much to say here.

I did promise to talk about lewds too, didn’t I? Well, there are lewds, of course. Though don’t be expecting tiddy right off the bat- you won’t be seeing any at all until at least halfway through your first playthrough. It’s all about building relationships after all. The results of your hard work… Is a somewhat high quality set of CGs! Some of which are animated, even. Not like, anime animated, closer to Live2D, but it’s pretty alright for your smut needs… probably. It’s worth noting that almost all of it, being a moege, is vanilla. You might get some vanilla bean, but it’s still about as vanilla as it comes.

…For the most part.

All in all, 7/10 game. None of the best girls were romancable.

Today on the blog, we have a tester’s corner from Umbelia!

A mysterious and suspicious stranger beckons someone into a dark alley. It’s me. I’m beckoning you. I’m here to peddle HIGH-QUALITY lesbians. You want some lesbians, don’t you? How about the lesbian VN GOTY.

Kindred Spirits is, by far, the best yuri VN I’ve had the pleasure of reading. The story is centered around two ghosts and their new friend(?!)- the first human that can see and interact with them, Yuna. The titular Kindred Spirits want to pass on- and in order to do that they want to become one in mind, soul, and body. They’ve already done the first two parts… but they’re having trouble with the body bit. At a loss for what to do, they’ve recruited Yuna to help them bring yuri couples together in the school to build a lovely yuritopia!

On to specifics of a review, starting with:

Art & CGs

The art is very cute. CGs are kind of far and few between, as the game’s primary focus and selling point is the writing… which is extremely strong, but the CGs that DO exist aren’t bad at all. They’re very, very, very cute. Ridiculously cute. Powerfully cute. Hercutelean, perhaps?

That being said, in spite of the premise kind of sounding nukige-ey it’s pretty much as far from it as possible while not just being all ages. Avoiding spoilers, there are several pairings and we watch Yuna bring them together (with the help of the spirits) with the “routes” ending in the couple coming together, physically, in a very fluffy and cute way (usually).  It’s lewd, but more cute than lewd. The art is pretty well done overall.

Audio

Moving on to the audio: the music is surprisingly well done. It’s (almost) all atmospheric and conveys the light-hearted overall tone of the game very well. A lot of catchy jingles that stand out in their own way (but Shirojo is the best).

But the reason for the new release actually IS the audio! The new Full Chorus version has all of the girls fully voiced, which adds a lot to… well, everything really. Before now it was just seemingly random lines getting voiced with not much pattern to it. It’s a pretty big change.

All in all?  It’s an excellent yuri experience without much downsides. I honestly can’t recommend it enough for anyone looking for a story centric yuri experience, and personally I’d like more similar games to be made.  9/10

Kindred Spirits on the Roof ~ Full Chrous ~ is now available for pre-order! More details can be found here.

Today on the blog, we have a tester’s corner from Misha!

Trinoline is a beautiful and touching story that really delves into what it means to be human. It was the first visual novel by minori that I had ever played, and it certainly won’t be my last! There is a little bit of everything in it: humor, tragedy, and existential questions that stay with you long after you beat the game, all wrapped up in a highly-polished package.

The protagonist of Trinoline is Shun Nanami, a high school boy whose younger sister, Shirone, tragically drowned in the ocean when they were both children. Devastated with the loss of his sibling, Shun grew up and was never able to recover from her death.

Shun’s two childhood friends, chronically ill Yuuri Miyakaze and now extremely distant Sara Tsumugi, want to do all they can to help Shun regain the happiness he once had in their own ways. This sets up the central story of Trinoline, and eventually unfurls how Shun meets SHIRONE, an android created in his sister’s image and personality.

Going into Trinoline, I didn’t know what to expect, but I found myself pleasantly surprised time and time again. The story itself is gripping the whole way through, and the characters are incredibly human (even the non-human ones). The balance between drama and humor is well matched throughout the VN, however it does tend to lag and go slowly in some places.

There are three respective routes: Yuuri, SHIRONE, and Sara (which is unlocked until you beat the first two). The common route mainly focuses on Shun’s interactions with SHIRONE, so it was nice to branch off and get to know the other girls a lot more in their own, longer routes. The routes are very different from one another, so you never feel like you’re reading the same story over and over again. However, each route really only focuses on its respective heroine, so you won’t be seeing much of SHIRONE in Yuuri’s path, and vice versa. Each route ended in a way I really didn’t expect, so I recommend playing through all of them! Sara’s ended up being my favorite!

I can’t wrap this tester’s corner up until I gush a little bit about just how beautiful all the assets in Trinoline truly are. The art is absolutely gorgeous. Every character is rendered with so much thought put into them. The sprites blink, have their own unique poses and body language, and their mouths move as they speak. It was easy to get immersed, and I often felt like I was watching an anime in a way, especially because there are fully animated scenes where you are walking along side each girl. It creates a sense of intimacy that I’ve never really experienced in a VN before.

As expected, every CG is drawn beautifully and time and time again I found myself blown away with just how atmospheric the lighting was in each scene. It really sets the time of day and puts you in the moment. It’s also worth it to mention that many CGs also have animated eye blinking and lip syncing as well!

If you like VNs that pose questions about what it means to be human, digs deep into the complexities of artificial intelligence, has a healthy balance of humor and drama, with breath taking art, then Trinoline is for you!

P.S. It also has incredibly raunchy H-Scenes!

Trinoline is now available on MangaGamer.com and Steam! Steam customers can download the free adult patch on our website today!

Today on the blog, we have a tester’s corner from Mojack!

I still remember when MangaGamer announced Trinoline’s localization at the 2017 Anime Boston panel. As a big minori fan I was ecstatic and, what my friends can attest to, was rocking back and forth in my seat out of pure joy. It wasn’t long after that I started doing beta tests for MangaGamer. Being able to work on the game that was arguably the catalyst for that has been an incredible privilege, indeed.

Taking place on the fictional Kagami Island, Trinoline is a traditional android story through and through. One day our protagonist, Shun Nanami, is asked to live with an android modeled after his late younger sister, Shirone, who passed away after an accident on the beach during their childhood. This android, SHIRONE, is an exact replica of the original in both appearance and behavior if Shun’s sister’s life wasn’t tragically cut short.

The plot tackles many themes we’ve come to expect from android stories of this type. Coming to terms with loss, grief, and suffering, where does the human soul reside, what does it mean to be alive, and so on. Just because that’s expected, however, doesn’t mean Trinoline rests on its laurels and simply goes through the motions.

There’s enough here to chew on and enough twists and turns in all three of the game’s routes to present these questions and themes not necessarily in a “new” light, but an important one. One of the highlights of the game for me, ironically, didn’t involve any of the three main heroines, but Shun’s mother. Watching her carefully navigate the labyrinth of thoughts and emotions she feels for having her daughter alive, yet not, is an enthralling, and sometimes heart-wrenching, ordeal. It’s character arcs like that that kept me clicking onward.

That’s not to say the game’s actual heroines are anything to snub at either, though. Childhood friend Yuuri fits her role as the supportive, snarky, rambunctious little misfit to a T. Her ability to zero in on just what someone wants and needs to hear during troubling times, though, belies a sensitivity and attentiveness to those around her.

SHIRONE is an interesting individual that is peppy and innocent but her discovering what exactly makes herself “her” defines her character arc. The internal conflict she faces on a regular basis is put on full display and contrasts with her cheery exterior to create a fascinatingly multi-faceted character.

SHIRONE’s calm-and-collected creator, meanwhile, carries herself with pride and maturity. Sara is a sort of guardian in the group’s dynamics, keeping just enough distance so as to not be intimate but striving to provide their happiness in the background, nonetheless. She thrives off of rationality and carries a sense of duty to those around her but is still capable of her own brand of mischief when she feels like it, making Sara a character you never quite 100% know what to expect from.

The story and characters are all wrapped up in the beautiful presentation that minori is famous for. Characters and environments have a crispness and level of detail that make them pop, and the vibrant colors emphasized by various lighting effects manage to bring the world to life even further. The visuals are complements by a stellar soundtrack that accentuates the emotions felt in each and every scene, happy and sad (although there are a couple questionable H-scene tracks).

In my heart, Trinoline just further cements why minori is one of the most talented studios in the visual novel industry. It managed to take a premise and subject matter seen countless times in other media, yet still have something of value to say on them. It was a tale that I was sad to see come to an end, but it also has me even more excited to someday read the rest of minori’s catalog should they ever been translated following minori’s closure.

*Staff Note: This entry was written prior to minori ceasing production on future works. An appropriate edit has been made to this post to reflect their closure.

Today on the blog, we have a Trinoline tester’s corner from Paragonias!

Another minori title has graced our lineup and it is… Trinoline!

Trinoline follows the story of Nanami Shun, a high-schooler whose little sister Shirone drowned at a young age; an event which has scarred him deeply for years. One summer day at school, he can hear someone playing a nostalgic melody on a piano. Looking inside the music room he sees a girl, who looks like a matured version of his long-gone little sister, but SHIRONE is TRINO, a cutting-edge Android…

Trinoline is a minori game like none I’ve ever played before, most likely due to the fact it was written by a different writer this time; and to be quite honest I didn’t know how I was supposed to feel about this game at first. It really feels different from games like eden*, ef, or even Supipara.

The good thing is: I really started enjoying it after just a short while. The visuals are, as always, stunning, the music is great, the characters are cute, and the story really captivated me after getting through about a quarter of the common route.

Of course, since this a minori game after all, feels were had. Happy feels, frustrating feels, sad feels, all the feels.

Minori really surprised me with this one, as I’m more used to their older style of doing things and, to be honest, I do like this new style as well. I definitely could get used to them alternating between this style and the old one. At least, I hope they do. I need more minori in my life. There’s just never enough minori.

Also, while we’re at it, may I introduce you to the best girl in Trinoline: Yuuri Miyakaze!

I want Yuuri to hug me to sleep.

Beta testing Trinoline was a lot of fun, both playing the actual game and discussing it with the other testers. I do believe I speak for everyone who worked on this beta test, that we had a blast making sure you get the best experience “humanly” possible.

On that note, see you next time!