VNDBReview

Abandoner - The Severed Dreams is the winner this month, but since it has a review I'm picking up more obscure Noel for review.

Koijibashi こいじばし [Raccoon]

August 16, 2019

•

Foreword: Well, I just liked the cover - looked like today's charming covers.

Title: Koijibashi
Developer: Raccoon
Date: 2004-08-13
VNDB link: https://vndb.org/v4247
Youtube walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN2JN8bkyZk&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv-YnknXUNJpQwDtOqLsGr9p

VN of the Month August 2004 - Sorauta

August 14, 2019

•

Sorauta is the only masterpiece of this Comiket month. Whenever I've no strong preference, I just choose something looking fine and without a review. This month I'm going to review Koijibashi .

Dear My Friend [light]

August 12, 2019

•

Foreword: This is going to a slightly unusual review, because I'm going to totally ignore main three heroines and focus solely on two side heroines because of Masada scenario writing and uniqueness of these two heroines compared to conventional ones.

Title: Dear My Friend
Developer: light
Date: 2004-07-09
VNDB link: https://vndb.org/v519
Youtube walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvEtF1Nh89A&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv-vEHq8MQwNWKJi9NyRbYch

VN of the Month July 2004 - Dear My Friend

August 08, 2019

•

There are no plotge this month. If I am to choose among charage and moege, I'd get one with good text. Dear My Friend is my choice for scenario written by Masada (for two heroines). And just by chance it's the only masterpiece of the month.

MinDeaD BlooD ～支配者の為の狂死曲～ ~Shihaisha no Tame no Kyoushikyoku~ [Black Cyc]

August 06, 2019

•

Foreword: There are a lot of praising reviews of this untranslated game (1 2 3), which was a great surprise for me. Are we really observing a great mistreated masterpiece in this case?

Title: MinDeaD BlooD ~Shihaisha no Tame no Kyoushikyoku~
Developer: Black Cyc
Date: 2004-06-11
VNDB link: https://vndb.org/v1060
Youtube walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr5YBK4CASw&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv8DxlQByl9ojtAByJ-gdpN6

VN of the Month June 2004 - 3days ~Michiteyuku Toki no Kanata de~

August 03, 2019

•

3days ~Michiteyuku Toki no Kanata de~ is VN of the Month. I'm intrigued by positive reviews of MinDeaD BlooD ~Shihaisha no Tame no Kyoushikyoku~ . I'm going to review it and develop an opinion on it.

DINGIR（ディンギル） [Patisserie]

August 01, 2019

•

Foreword: Only chose Dingir as the only plotge of the month.

Title: Dingir
Developer: Patisserie
Date: 2004-05-21
VNDB link: https://vndb.org/v204
Youtube walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdYk3gR_Mgc&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv8rKP5oDa1nzt0KevjFrmhw&index=29

VN of the Month May 2004 - Carnival

July 29, 2019

•

Carnival is the VN of the month, but I already have review of it. I'm reviewing Dingir as the only plotge of the month.

Realize リアライズ [PlayM]

July 25, 2019

•

Foreword: This perfect game made me re-evaluate... Coμ -Black Dragon in a Gentle Kingdom-. What do these games have to do with each other? Hop in to figure out.

Title: Realize
Developer: PlayM
Date: 2004-04-23
VNDB link: https://vndb.org/v2025
Youtube walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IChpMO4Jhz4&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv_Z8T8hfm3788JmL-mH3l3m

VN of the Month April 2004 - Realize

July 21, 2019

•

Realize is the biggest surprise and win of the month. I'd also call Uminomichi a masterpiece. And no, I hate Clannad too much to enroll it here.

Routes [Leaf]

July 19, 2019

•

Foreword: Routes gets 5 votes cumulatively while closest rival sits at 3 votes, so here is review of this game.

Title: Routes
Developer: Leaf
Date: 2003-02-28
VNDB link: https://vndb.org/v204
Youtube walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV1wg2BZOpM&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv8K_WdeDpxSgGZzjGORqw_b

Sora-iro no Organ 空色の風琴 [The Lotus]

July 17, 2019

•

Foreword: I got on the hook of some reviews praising the story. Now I'm mad.

Title: Sora-iro no Organ
Developer: The Lotus
Date: 2004-03-26
VNDB link: https://vndb.org/v962
Youtube walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX7seUlNpmE&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv8-QvoBMKw8KIUTf1tEqOdw

VN of the Month March 2004 - Remember11 -The Age of Infinity-

July 15, 2019

•

Remember11 -The Age of Infinity- is VN of the Month. Symphonic Rain is an honorary masterpiece. I got tempted by Japanese reviews praising story of Sora-iro no Organ , so I took it for review.

Schrei-Ten [Pisckiss]

July 13, 2019

•

Foreword: I awaited a high fantasy story with very mature and curious looking characters. What I got was...

Title: Schrei-Ten
Developer: Pisckiss
Date: 2004-02-20
VNDB link: https://vndb.org/v14455
Youtube walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3bALNSl9Nk&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv8rKP5oDa1nzt0KevjFrmhw&index=28

VN of the Month February 2004 - Forest

July 11, 2019

•

Forest is the only masterpiece of the month. I'm choosing lesser known Schrei-Ten for review.

Paradise Lost [light]

July 09, 2019

•

Foreword: I just could not pass by without seeing with my own eyes one of the best cyberpunk'ish visual novels.

Title: Paradise Lost
Developer: light
Date: 2004-01-16
VNDB link: https://vndb.org/v1951
Youtube walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv9UUudO0wufPK3KqL-YaTUD

Synopsis: Paradise Lost takes off in a dystopian setting that comes off as much more blatantly dark than its successors’. The stage is in a city known only as Sodom, which is separated from the outside world known as “Zoar”. Ruled by the gang known as the Infinite Viper, the law of “the strong eat the weak” is rampant throughout Sodom to the point that if you’ve lived beyond the age of 20, you most likely have murdered someone in order to do so. It is widely believed that outside lies a peaceful world free of the everyday violence so frequently seen in Sodom, but there is a closely guarded Gate that prevents residents of Sodom from leaving so no one has actually left and returned to confirm.

Game type: Dystopia epic confrontation
Character Design rating: 10/10
Protagonist rating: 10/10
Story rating: 10/10
Game quality: 10/10
Overall rating: 10/10

Rating comments: Game has few perfect ratings, and I really tried to find any flaws in it as well. But I could not find any. I absolutely love all the protagonist, heroines and even side-characters. Story is second-to-none and without any fillers. Quality hits over the roof for me.

Protagonist: Ryle is totally awesome with his split personality and coolness, but I was worried about Know a lot after reading reviews on the game. He was described as a jerk associating with the worst moments of the game. That's partly true, but Know is not a one-sided character. He's a kind-hearted loving brother in the beginning of the game. He is reflexing about having to lose his left hand to buy food. When he is put into conditions to lose his right arm, he's at the brink of despair. He's so weak, but he chooses to protect Sophia and Ril even at the cost of his life - and only miracles save him several times. Masada writing manages to imbue Know with a lot of empathy which colors his less rational actions with different shades of grey.

Characters: All three heroines are charming and possess a unique story of survival in this unpredictable world. But side-characters and enemies also make this game shine. Ennis appearance makes every scene better. Moral choices and hesitations of Lilith make this heartless scientist feel alive. It's rare to meet such charismatic (and voiced!) negative character as Judas Strife.

Story: The only thing I want so say about the story is that it's fast-paced, breathtaking and without fillers. Each chapter has its title which seems a bit off from the start, but each chapter manages to perfectly describe its meaning.
Prologue
The 1st. God Forsaken Sodom
The 2nd. A Contest For Belzebub .
The Intermission. Criminal Fire Works.
The 3rd. Guilty Guilty Guilty
The Final. God Save The Zoar
The Final Godless A God Knows

Thoughts:
1) One of the best features of the game is sex scenes filled with talk and meaning. And it's not just one Ast blowjob scene. Half of H events are made this way, so I feel sorry I have to cut them out of the video. I only encountered this feature in Coμ so far, and it really adds up to the evaluation.
2) I only know Dies Irae by the anime so far, but I'm sure that Paradise Lost is its spiritual predecessor. It has a lot of God motives as well concept of an omnipotent Deity messing with lowly creatures fates.

Overall comments: This is the first Masada game that I've read. I'll try to play every game where he has something to do with the concept or writing.

VN of the Month January 2004 - Paradise Lost

July 07, 2019

•

Paradise Lost and Fate/Stay Night are the only masterpieces of the month, but Paradise Lost wins almost almost in every field in comparison.

VN of the Year 2003 and POLL for EXTRA review

July 05, 2019

•

VN of the Year

Year 2003 proved to be profound in every way. Great variety of masterpieces suiting everyone's taste.

New portion of Visual Novel Openings 2003 with songs.

Gin no Hebi Kuro no Tsuki 銀の蛇黒の月 [Project-μ]

July 03, 2019

•

Foreword: My first thought was that berserk was remade as a visual novel. How is it even possible that such game remains in obscurity?

Title: Gin no Hebi Kuro no Tsuki
Developer: Project-μ
Date: 2003-12-19
VNDB link: https://vndb.org/v10059
Youtube walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpnPjFUxVuQ&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv8rKP5oDa1nzt0KevjFrmhw&index=27

VN of the Month December 2003 - Saya no Uta

July 01, 2019

•

December equals flood of visual novels, and for once in a while of good quality. Saya no Uta is unrivaled VN of the month. Konata yori Kanata made makes for another masterpiece. I'm reviewing the mysterious Gin no Hebi Kuro no Tsuki

Kurenai 紅 [light]

June 29, 2019

•

Foreword: Setting, guns and blood were the things that attracted me.

Title: Kurenai
Developer: light
Date: 2003-11-14
VNDB link: https://vndb.org/v5367
Youtube walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHAT2UfXhxM&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv_1zimd4jO7eJ4LHc5DnPcj

Synopsis: The world is breaking apart. City is full of suicides, murders and bizarre crimes. City is full of shadows, and main character hunts down such "crimson shadows" that used to be persons. His abilities are trained by a woman of a mysterious identity. Love only exists in fragmentary form in this eternal whirlpool of death.

Game type: Err... bloody?
Character Design rating: 6/10
Protagonist rating: 6/10
Story rating: 7/10
Game quality: 7/10
Overall rating: 7/10

Rating comments: I spent quite some time deciding on how much I like his game. The first and second chapters were really impressive, of masterpiece level. Next three chapters lowered overall estimation. But final 6th chapter remained true to itself and managed to surprise me - for that I want to give it its due. And that's especially notable because of overall weak plot and characters in the game. Kurenai manages to find other approaches to the reader.

Protagonist: We get to see Touya, and we only know that he's a student and a kurenai hunter who fights with a bamboo sword. We also constantly read his thoughts - or rather someone's stream of consciousness. It sometimes falls into philosophy and sometimes into madness category, but it remains amusing to read.

Characters: Nominally there are four heroines - found doll Alice, detective partner Mutsuki and two acquaintances Yuri and Himeno. But Alice is definitely the main heroine here - she's also the only one who gets two endings instead of just one. I've actually only seen her two endings since discovering other heroines is quite confusing in this game as it needs backtracking. I tried to do it once and I failed, so just settled with the main heroine. All heroines but Alice and Mutsuki only make a cameo appearance and are absolutely not memorable. Basically all the heroines have almost the same face, and that does not help either. Alice is a doll who we find on the street. She is loyal to main character as her goshuji-sama. She's the only fighting heroine. She seems to be of such simple personality that last chapter of the game becomes shocking.

Story: There's not much happening in the game, actually. In first chapter we get in our first fight and find doll Alice on the street. In the following chapters there's usually one main perpetrator Kurenai that we need to take down. In the third chapter we get from the streets to the school and meet a whole lot of heroines. Not sure we need school at all in this kind of game. These chapters pay less attention to fights and more attention to spontaneous H events. And I call them spontaneous, because it happens exactly like that. There is no love line or flirt or anything at all. Just at any moment of the narration some girl may instantly get horny, and 10 lines after that there's H event, easy as that. I understand the need of H events for a game to sell, so I actually welcome such approach. This way we don't need to waste time for love. I cut all the H events from the video, and game only became better after that.

Thoughts:
1) I mentioned that this game has other means of attractiveness besides traditional ones. The first is the stream of thoughts. Both philosophy and madness are mixed here. I'd really rather read such thoughts as time fillers instead of some lovey dovey pursuits. The second one is the number of efforts given. Game has FOUR different omake with the last one divided in five parts. The third thing I'd mark is Alice scary monologues. I'm still under impression here, scary as hell.
2) I liked that we get the answers in this game. One strange thing is how protagonist even manages to survive and recover with such serious wounds. His limbs barely remain linked to the body, but in the next scene he's all right again. And game actually gives a very elegant explanation to that later. For the whole game we try to uncover what it means to be Kurenai. We don't get a clear answer, but we get more than just an answer.

Overall comments: This game remains memorable and alive for me. It's quite simple in structure, but impactful. Game is about blood, and it remains true to itself. Heroine's True End does not mean it's a good end, it's just another ending about blood. Blood is main character of this game, and that's what makes it absolutely hilarious. Game is crazy, but rather crazy good than crazy bad like BM0.

VN of the Month November 2003 - Kurenai

June 27, 2019

•

Clover Heart's , Eien no Aselia -The Spirit of Eternity Sword- and Yukizakura can all be considered masterpieces from certain angles, but they can't beat a real violent story Kurenai

Ochiba no Mau Koro 落ち葉の舞う頃 [Noa]

June 25, 2019

•

Foreword: Sword apprentice protagonist and two fighting heroines (short swords and bow) were all that it took to lure me to this game.

Title: Ochiba no Mau Koro
Developer: Noa
Date: 2003-10-24
VNDB link: https://vndb.org/v5367
Youtube walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuf4kv1b9hg&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv--j9jctcdQ0zRtWU4dw7pU

VN of the Month October 2003 - Lovers ~Koi ni Ochitara...

June 23, 2019

•

Most of the candidates already got an English review, so I'm choosing the one with the most swordplay Ochiba no Mau Koro . I guess Lovers ~Koi ni Ochitara... is the only game worthy of masterpiece status this month.

Thanatos no Koi ~Inshitei Soukan~ タナトスの恋～淫姉弟相姦～ [Red Label]

June 21, 2019

•

Foreword: I only picked this game because it has no reviews and scenario writer is Kanno Hiroyuki. Just can't believe he can write some total crap.

VN of the Month - September 2003 - Cross†Channel

June 19, 2019

•

Cross†Channel is VN of the Month. Tenshi no Inai 12-gatsu is among masterpieces as well. I'm choosing Thanatos no Koi ~In Ane Otouto Soukan~ for review.

Salem no Majo-tachi セイレムの魔女たち [rúf]

June 17, 2019

•

Foreword: It looked like a semi-historical plot-centered game, so why not sample it, really.

Title: Salem no Majo-tachi
Developer: Daiginjou
Date: 2003-08-08
VNDB link: https://vndb.org/v3679
Youtube walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P53wX3hGx64&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv-sUBbx3VBtkjZ8QS4wiJk4

VN of the Month August 2003 - Natsuyume Yawa

June 15, 2019

•

It's the month of summer Comiket, so let's try to make it through piles of Doujins together. I consider Natsuyume Yawa the masterpiece and winner by default. I'm reviewing Salem no Majo-tachi , but I've yet to develop my opinion on it.

Kono Sora ga Tsuieru Toki ni この空がついえる瞬間に [Digital Monkey]

June 13, 2019

•

Foreword: Apocalypse angel story is enough to bait me as long as there aren't more intriguing candidates, but in July 2003 there weren't any.

Title: Kono Sora ga Tsuieru Toki ni
Developer: Digital Monkey
Date: 2003-07-25
VNDB link: https://vndb.org/v4269
Youtube walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv_A5pJN26duNo4X_aEnGCZ-