VN of the Month September 2000 - Gensou Suikogaiden Vol. 1: Harmonia no Kenshi

There are two masterpieces this month - Air and Gensou Suikogaiden Vol. 1: Harmonia no Kenshi.  My hate for Air is too big, so I'd nominate any other candidate besides it, so my initial choice is Gensou Suikogaiden Vol. 1: Harmonia no Kenshi as VN of the month.

1. Omakase☆Demakase Angel!! ~Chocolat to Milfy Shukufuku Shichau zo~ おまかせ☆でまかせ え~んじぇる!! ~ショコラとミルフィー祝福しちゃうぞっ~ [000901] Triangle

Main character wakes up and sees two celestial girls from his dreams. Both girls want to pass angel exam. The exam condition is only one - to make one person happy. 
Girls can become either of small or normal size at will. It's called sequel only to reap the good memory of first game. Content is nothing fancy this time, but don't expect loli here either.

2. Air [000908] Key 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Kunisaki Yukito's deceased mother left him with the doll and her last wish that Yukito look for the "girl in the skies" because it is his destiny to save her. Only half-understanding what his mother meant, Yukito has been traveling across Japan, vainly searching for this myth-like girl his mother told him about. His latest destination is a small, sleepy town where summer has just arrived; and his encounter with a young girl named Misuzu there sets the wheels of destiny turning....
There are lots of reviews. Not my type of the game AT ALL. This is a watermark game for Key and it's either loved or hated by reviewers, very polar reviews. I won't deny it a masterpiece status though.

3. Bless ~Close Your Eyes, Open Your Mind~ [000908] BasiL

Main character left his hometown following his parents job needs. He had to part with a girl who often came to his dreams ever since. Ten years later he returns to this town and tries to find that girl whose image is blurred in his memory. His former friend suggest trying to search for her on the Internet using an online chat "Masquerade".
Internet chat was still fresh back then. Quite a short story (one month), but with good atmosphere and tempo. There are roughly 10 days for flagging, and the rest is personal routes. Synopsis is pushy though as mysterious girl calls for hero to bring her salvation in dreams. In some routes development is forced. Game is rough to be called a masterpiece, but it's a nice short game to play.

4. Hana Monogatari・Natsu 花ものがたり・夏 [000914] Kababo

Main character is the son of girls school president. He spends the summer administering the girls dormitory. Even though it's summer time, seven girls remain the building. Can this situation lead to a new feeling to be born?
Quite a normal girl chasing game. There are some 35 days each divided in morning and evening parts. It's only possible to chase one girl at a time, so need to choose her whenever possible. Oh, and game has flowers in title since flowers are mentioned in each day beginning. Can't call this game special though.

5. Horohoro ほろほろ [000914] LiLiM

Main character returns from medical study in United States only to have his family killed in front of him. He is accused of killing his family for property, but eventually released for the lack of evidence. His heart becomes shut since then. In such circumstances he needs to do a college research for three months.
Game is quite simple. Hero hits rock bottom and welcomes any sympathy towards him. Game takes three months and content is normal, not dark. 

6. Pure Angel -Tatta Hitotsu no Negai no Tame ni- Pure Angel −たったひとつの願いのために− [000914] Aquarium

Main character is driven out of the dormitory and has to stay at a cafe with a condition to help around the place. Several girls already stay and work here as well. Girl in maid uniform asks to rely on her in everything... what's her motivation?
Quite an ordinary setting. There is one month to form romantic relations. Story has fantasy elements, but it's quite strange that maid identity is revealed quite early. Work feels heavy, but if you like one of the girls it should not stop you.

7. Aegenelles no Hanayome エーゲネルスの花嫁 [000915] Mesa
Main character is a crown prince of a small kingdom. Parents choose a suitable candidate who he never even seen in real life. In opposition to this decision prince swears to find a girl to love himself in the castle town. It's three weeks before coronation and wedding ceremony... 
There's not much to say about the game. Girls from different backgrounds and with different problems are gathered here. Quite fun, but not with enough depth. The limit is five movements per day, so save/load ensues.

8. One's Own (or very) [000915] To Be

Main character observes how his classmate becomes suddenly hospitalized after school medical examination with symptoms of unknown disease triggering memory loss. He starts to visit her, but begins to notice numerous contradictions and inconsistencies. Hero initiates his own investigation that keeps creeping him out.  
The aim of the game is to solve the mystery of the incident and help the girl. Location is the hospital, and H scenes are quite dense. That's pretty much all that's known, and I'm not going to uncover another hospital "mystery".

9. Gensou Suikogaiden Vol. 1: Harmonia no Kenshi 幻想水滸外伝 Vol.1 ハルモニアの剣士 [000921] Konami 1 2 3 4 5
Nash Latkje, the protagonist controlled by the player and an agent of Holy Harmonia's Southern Border Defence Force, has been assigned to obtain information to either verify or disprove a rumour concerning the appearance of one of the 27 True Runes in the Jowston City States. During his travels, he encounters Sierra Mikain, a female vampire, who decides to accompany him on his journey. As a result, he soon becomes entangled in the larger conflict involving the events of Suikoden II.
I never played the RPG, but watched this kinetic novel with great pleasure. There are English, and I rate this game as masterpiece.

10. Eye's Only ~Sono Kagayaki wa Mabushisa ni Michite~ eye’s only~その輝きはまぶしさに満ちて~ [000922] ainos
It's spring time, and Yousuke is entering university. In these three months until summer vacation, he meets some interesting girls and starts to have a relationship with them.
Game's main feature is wide-spread animation that's used even for general scenes. But that also sets the limits of the game - limited number of heroines, short branches. As a result it's only remembered by everyone for its animation in H scenes as the only notable memory of the game.

11. Wafers ~Ohime-sama wa Kyou mo Kiken deshita~ うえはぁす ~お姫様は今日も危険でした~ [000922] SofthouseChara
To escape from being forcefully married against her will for the sake of her country, the royal princess Chris ran away carrying only whatever money and valuables she can managed to carry. Naturally, pursuers chased after her. Being only a single woman, evading her pursuers would be hard. While thinking her next course of action, she saw the protagonist' car abruptly stopped, and she took out her gun. And thus begin the princess and protagonist' adventures. 
Meanwhile, there's a military secret hidden inside one of the belongings the princess took with her, one that's important for a certain someone and threatens his advancement. There are also documents detailing business dealings with the Mafia too. From the pursuers that starts to become bloodshot, the chase has begun.
I tend to block card games, but it's not just a primitive card game. It's more like a board game with the aim to get to the end of the road, and cards only help to manage the enemies. It's game over if enemies catch up to the hero for a certain number of times. Every turn cards are replenished, plus it's possible to buy cards during events. Game has zero reviews, because it's plain weird. SofthouseChara had a very difficult past.

12. Love Hina: Totsuzen no Engage Happening ラブひな 突然のエンゲージ・ハプニング [000928] Sega 1 2 3

After having failed the Tokyo-U entrance exam, Keitaro Urashima is nowhere near achieving his goal of entering Tokyo University and meeting his fabled "promise girl". Or is he?
After catching a glimpse of his latest bad scores, Granny Hinata decides to send a real Tokyo-U student to help Keitaro, Naru and Mutsumi pass. Her name is Mizuho Fujisawa and she bears more than a passing resemblance to the girl Keitaro made a promise to several years ago. Furthermore, she is so confident that she can get Keitaro to pass, that she makes this wager: If Keitaro can't pass under her tutelage, he will get to marry her.
Just who the heck IS she?
There are two English reviews.

13. Yume no Tsubasa 夢のつばさ [000928] KID 1 2

Your dream is to fly, and you’ve spent years restoring an old plane, hoping that you will be able to fly in the sky just like your father. However, one day, after a test run you find a mysterious girl collapsed near the runway. Who is she? And why is she here? Even though you don’t know anything, you let her stay at your house, and a chain of events have begun to turn…
There is a short English review, but I'm not a KID fan to dig beyond it.

14. For Season 2 ~Utsuriyuku Kisetsu, Wasurenai~ For Season.2 ~うつりゆく季節、忘れない~ [000929] Giga
Suddenly close friend asked main character for a favor - to substitute him as a tutor for some time. Protagonist can't refuse to his best friend request. What kind of young students await him?
Again, three girls, again tutorship. Period is half a year. During weekdays it's study mode, during weekends it's holidays travelling mode. There's also the need to buy items and put them on students tables - gross! And it's already such alienation degree to the setting that I can't go on.

15. Gaisen! Ichijiku Kanchou! 凱旋!無花果艦長! [000929] BeF
Main character is appointed as a captain of a submarine with the only aim to avoid any crisis. However the vehicle gets hit by a torpedo of enemy submarine "Harukaze". Captain ignores commandment's orders and brilliantly uses has tactical skills and numerous inventions. For the glory of Japan!
Almost kinetic bakage. All player has to do is move inside submarine and sometimes make some choice that does not have much meaning. Still it's more erotic than fun.

16. Gakkou no Kyaa! ~Sennichi Gakuen Shinbunbu no Teinou Kaiki Eigateki Sekai~ 学校のきゃあ!~千日学園新聞部の低能怪奇映画的世界~ [000929] Black Light
School yellow pages newspaper covers psychic phenomena and strange cases inside and outside the school. It has a colorful cast. Main character is sent as a spy to this school club. Is it possible for a normal person to compete against monsters and conspiracies that await him in the evenings?
It's multiple-endings adventure of 5 chapters. In ADV part we gain favorability of the girl of choice and hold dialogues with her. In investigation part we... investigate around the school. There are a lot of time limited choices that can easily result in a bad ending. The atmosphere of the game resembles B class horror movie about occult black comedy. Quite a solid unusual scenario... but not for everyone.

17. Heart & Blade [000929] C's Ware
Osamu, the protagonist, is a student whose family descent from a lineage of samurais and owner of a Dojo of kendo.
He was studying and training at the United States, but now is time to go back to Japan.
At this house, where he must protect a sacred milenium old tree, he meets a strange girl who resembles someone he met a long time ago.
But his problems are just starting. His father got him a fiancee from a rich and traditional family, his blond classmate from United States came all the way to Japan after him, and his older female cousin came to help at the dojo.
What is more strange, monsters started to appear in the City. Osamu must wield a sword and fight them to protect the sacred tree and his friends.
A chunige from C's Ware? YES, PLEASE! Review incoming.

18. Innocent Eye's [000929] Unison Shift 1 
The protagonist Natsume Shinitirou is an assistant researcher working at the Neurosciences Institute. 
He studies biology and genetics, and sometimes even parapsychology. 
But then one day, a sudden explosion levels the institute. To save a trapped girl below he goes down to the restricted floors below. Where he meets the heroines of the story and uncovers the real purpose of the institute...
Utsuge is not my thing at all, but I still tried to force myself to play it. The result is poor not because it's utsuge, but because it has minimal story. All the events happen in the same huge laboratory complex. There are also gameplay elements of finding items and using them properly. It also does not really suit for a video with many H events and loli heroines. Both the story and the heroines routes are unimpressive. Even though game is utsuge, there is a happy ending.

19. Kaitou Z ~Anata to Heart o Nusumimasu~ 怪盗Z~あなたのハートを盗みます~ [000929] Ciel
Kaitou Z is an antique shop holder on the surface, but also a gentleman thief who breaks into houses and uses hypnotism widely. One day he is asked by one girl to steal a film from some office. He steals the film, but what's the meaning of this ridiculous film?
It's a real-time thief simulator in limited time circumstances, that's why there aren't reviews of it. There are many different steal missions. Both lack of information gathering and time limit bring game over.

20. Loveless ~Owaranai Monogatari~ LOVELESS ~終わらない物語~ [000929] Voice

Around the year 200 AD a girl was born as the first 'qualified person' in human history. She went on a journey to find the species as herself. She met three friends during the following 1800 years trip. And together they went on journey again to find the 5th person. He turned out to be the first man from the 'qualified person' species and the protagonist of this story. The existence of five qualified persons at one place and time attracted a monster called "a heteromorphic person", and their fateful encounter is drawing near.
Game is mostly about training SIM, map movement and then difficult battles where you have to defend 90% of time. The atmosphere is good, but the the length and the mechanics not so great. There aren't too many H events.

21. Revolution [000929] Waffle

Three important figures in the kingdom are kidnapped by the Revolutionary organization on their way back to the kingdom from abroad study. The organization forwards insane demands giving only 24 hours to comply before execution of all three figures. Prince "Ash" is hurriedly summoned to deal with the situation. Meanwhile, only 8 hours are left... 
It's an action game with H events on the way. After certain time passes, insult scenes with the kidnapped girls are shown. Can't evaluate the gameplay properly since it's not the genre I like.

22. Seikan Megami Senki Metal Doll 星間女神戦記メタルドール [000929] Cenote

Confrontation between the Tauros faction and the Leo faction becomes extremely fierce after a  mysterious explosion of the huge mother ship. Main character is sent from the Earth to investigate the situation. 
It's kind of tactical strategy SIM in space, but the system and battle mechanics are worst ever. H scenes usually come after each battle. There is only one save... Game's universally condemned as kusoge.

23. Yaminabe Aries ~Asu e no Chousenjou~ 闇鍋Aries~明日への挑戦状~ [000929] Circus 1 2

This game consists of three separate stories. Two of them, "Katomai" (カトマイ) (doesn't have any H-scenes) and "Sana" (紗菜) side stories, are directly related to Aries. 
The third one, "Tail Tale", is about furries/kemonos.
Tail Tale's summary:
In a world consisting of floating continents, there exist races of kemonos with different fur colours. One of the races is known as "Mao" (マオ族). At the east and the west edge of the continent, there are two villages- "Bastalk" (バストーク) and "Zarpat" (ザパト) respectively.
The protagonist living in Bastalk, Rick, looks much forward to being able to build an aircraft (there are none in that civilization) in order to explore a new world. On a very day, while Rick is picking herbs for healing his sick younger brother, Nap, he crossed paths with a girl living in Zarpat, Run. And the life of Rick is going to be changed forever after this encounter... 
I'm no fan of multiple stories format and especially of Aries series. There is some information in English since game is partially localized.

BLOCKED

1. M’s If it is true… [000901] Maboroshi Ware
Two persons are attacked at a southern island - one is found hit with a blunt object and another one kidnapped. The investigators got a clue to the incident, and winning in mahjong is needed to unwind the case further.
Card game

2. Uzuki ~Inyoku ni Michiru Tsuki~ 疼き~淫欲に満ちる月~ [000901] Beenyan
In the heavy rain boy is running. He is chased by murderers, and he does not know why. He runs into a mysterious house in the forest... 
Nukige

3. Katekyo ~Akaruku Tanoshiku Koku Ecchi~ かてきょ ~明るく楽しく濃くエッチ~ [000908] Melody
Main character wants a girlfriend. One day he receives a flyer promising to teach how to win a girl in just a week. He attends the course. Fun times begin now!
Nukige

4. Onee-chan Video SE おねえちゃんビデオSE [000908] Segue Laboratory
Begin with an interview, lead it to an intimate scene and listen to impression at the end either in kansai or normal dialect!
Nukige

5. Oshiete Teacher おしえてティーチャー [000908] for
Main character is a teacher in a girls school. At the same time he shares the dormitory with the girls. He is confessed to by a female teacher, and needs to give a reply within two weeks. Who will be by his side at that time?
Nukige

6. Saimin 催眠 [000908] Yukari
Main character enters a university after a year of ronin study. He starts going out with a girl living in the next room. But everything changes when he meets a fortune teller in the town...
Nukige

7. Sexy Magic Kunoichi Gakuen SEXY MAGIC くノ一学園 [000908] H・WORKS
Popular OVA heroines return in this puzzle filled eroge. 
Nukige

8. Tamashi Hime 魂姫 [000914] Pinky Soft
A writer comes to a mountain onsen ryoukan in search of inspiration. There is no electricity there, but laptop suddenly starts up with a strange noise, and a girl appears on the display. As she disappears, heavy feeling starts to fill the heart, and various mysterious phenomena begin to happen.
Nukige

9. Arc Side Gaiden 2: Mahou to Yuujou アークサイド 外伝2【魔法と友情】 [000919] Gin no Ken
A group of four continue to travel together. They run into problems and heroically overcome them. Even trifle matters can turn into a wonderful adventure...
Doujin

10. Hatsujou Karte ~Hiiro no Ryoujoku Niku Omocha~ 発情カルテ ~緋色の凌辱肉玩具~ [000922] 13cm
Doctor comes to a hospital full of nymphomaniac patients requiring special treatment.
Nukige

11. Sweet Pleasure [000922] Cronus
Main character is a famous special coach. One day he receives a request for guidance from a famous private girls' school, and knowing the beauty of its students he cannon say "no".
Nukige

12. Yurushite ~Yuuki Hitomi no Baai~ ゆ・る・し・て~結城瞳の場合~ [000922] Noise
Two girls explore a newly inherited mansion. However, mysterious powers deviating from common sense swirl inside the mansion. Main character is to pursue the escaping girls in the maze of the mansion and insult them vigorously.
Nukige

13. Princess Play [000923] Studio Neko Punch
Main character is the third prince of a small country Ipushia sandwiched between superpowers. One day a veiled woman comes and requests to train a certain girl as a slave. The reward is independence of Ipushia. There's no guarantee in woman's words, but the reward is well worth the task if the woman speaks truth. 
Nukige

14. Cherry boy Innocent girl [000929] Libido
Main character got used to bullying from different girls during his school years. Sometimes they even tease him enjoying his reaction. This is a story about difficult relations with such girls.
Nukige

15. Collection ~Shuushuu Sareta Akumu~ Collection ~蒐集された悪夢~ [000929] Complet's
Main character learns how to record and edit dreams of other people. Will such experience be akin to reality?
Nukige

16. Cruise クルーズ [000929] Janis
Main character is invited on a luxurious cruiser voyage. His first objective is gain trust of a certain VIP passenger. His second objective is to train first class girls into entertainment servants.
Nukige

17. DEEP/ZERO [000929] Selen
A novice nurse comes to the hospital. Doctor smiles at the appearance of a new prey as he established slave-master relations with all other women in this institution already.
Nukige

18. Hakoten Jan ハコてん雀 [000929] ZyX
Main character works in sales department of Mahjong organization. He needs to bright the light of mahjong to families, institutions and even wastelands. Who will he choose as opponents? Of course, only beautiful girls!
Card game

19. Shinpu no Oshigoto 神父のオシゴト [000929] Soubi Kenkyuujo
Main character gets a temporary job of a priest in a school of missionary system. Girls believe that he's the real priest and confess all the sexual problems to him. It looks like this job is not bad after all.
Nukige

20. Souzokubito 相続人 [000929] Interheart Co., Ltd.
The struggle between relatives begins after death of the wealthy head of the house. Three girls who are closest in inheritance line are confined in a grim pavillion. Can they safely escape the mansion?
Nukige

21. Worm [000929] REALDEAL
Main character is a genius doctor. One day a nurse from his hospital is brought to him after collapsing naked at the bar toilet. She survives, but bizarre organisms emerge from her lower abdomen. A request comes to research these "worm" organisms, and it leads to an experiment held 16 years ago. Soon more women become infected...
Nukige

Share this:

Post a Comment

 
Copyright © VNDBReview. Designed by OddThemes | Distributed By Gooyaabi Templates