Recent reviews by ｡･𝓑𝓲𝓷𝓷𝔂･ﾟ

What a wonderful and creative game.

The protagonist of this strange-but-charming story (and if you're like me, a big part of why you picked it up in the first place) is an adorable orange tabby that lives alongside several other wild cats. While exploring with its companions, the cat misses a jump, plummeting into a mysterious underground city inhabited by humanoid robots. With the help of a small drone named B-12, the cat must explore the city, help its robotic inhabitants and evade hostile creatures to find its way home.

A big thing I was impressed by was how Stray doesn't just feel like a normal exploration game with a realistic cat thrown in as a gimmick. While you do receive some help in the form of a drone buddy and futuristic vest, the mechanics and story both heavily utilize and rely on things real cats actually do to progress, explore and solve puzzles.

Stray is a visually beautiful but relatively short game that felt experimental in a lot of ways, and while that's not a bad thing, there were some story-related aspects that personally frustrated me a bit. The best I can explain it without getting too spoilery is that some plot points, threats and mysteries are teased and explored but not resolved, and the ending left me with a lot of questions. It almost felt like it was purposely done that way to set up for either a sequel or DLC, both of which would be welcome, because despite those minor nitpicks Stray is a fantastic game unlike anything I've ever played before.

Visually-speaking, this is possibly the highest quality otome I've ever played. Characters blink, their mouths move when they speak, and even backgrounds have some animated aspects, such as water movement, crackling fires and other neat little touches. The art is top-notch and, in my opinion, the game's strongest point.

Another aspect that makes Bustafellows a standout is the heroine. Teuta has much more presence than a lot of other protagonists in the genre because she has a face, voice and strong personality. She's her own character and not one of those 'we're going to make MC as bland as humanly possible for self-insertion purposes' heroines, which I very much appreciated.

The Steam version is a bit clunky compared to the console release, and at times it suffered from some pacing issues, but all the characters and their interactions were enjoyable. The main story was great; I really loved the group dynamic they established in the common route, and while Shu and Crow were definitely my favorites, there was nobody I really disliked as a love interest. They each had an interesting story behind them and unique dynamic with Teuta.

The final stories that attempt to wrap everything up were the only part of the game that just really didn't do it for me. I can't go into much detail without spoilers, but the best I can describe it is everything comes at you too fast, parts of it felt out of nowhere, and for me it was a downer. Not awful enough to ruin the game, and some of the ideas were good, but I feel like they were executed poorly.

All in all, Bustafellows is one of the better otome games out there. It's not perfect, but its strengths shine brighter than its flaws, and I'm dearly hoping Bustafelllows Season 2 gets localized so I can see more of its wonderful art and characters.

I adore this and want more!

I seriously loved every single character so much that I can't pick a favorite. They're each charming in their own way, and their designs are fabulous. I really liked how even though they're all pining for their mistress, the catboys are mostly still friendly with one another. There's a bit of friendly rivalry and one character who's a bit more possessive than the others, but I got the sense that they're still all friends who care about each other, and it's mentioned/implied throughout that you may end up adopting all of them even if the route format suggests one will be your main squeeze. It was refreshing and leaves a glimmer of hope for there being a future harem route or ending.

The silent/faceless protagonist format is not one I usually like in my VNs, but to its credit I will say that Catboys Paradise handled it well. The way the screen shakes up and down or side to side with little emote bubbles for answers in lieu of text does have its charm, and as an added bonus means more voice acting; seriously, the voices are delicious. I do think it would have been nice and perhaps more impactful if the female protagonist had some unvoiced dialog here and there like the original male protagonist, but like I said, not a deal-breaker.

This feels very much like a teaser for more episodes and I desperately hope that it is. We really didn't get to any true romantic resolution in any of their routes, so it felt more like a setup for a longer story, like the prologue and first chapter. If the point was to leave me desperately wanting more, then well done, Neko Works. Also, joining the other ladies and/or catboy-loving people of culture requesting an R18 patch, please! After several catgirl-centric hentai games, I think it's only fair that we get one, too! I will gladly pay for it along with further chapters!

This was amazing. I've never read an otome quite like it before. It's just so creative and works as a satisfying story on its own independent of the romance aspect. There are plenty of otomes out there with characters that I love, but this was the first to get me more invested in the overarching story than individual characters, and I consider it a good thing.

This episode plays out a bit differently than the first three in terms of pacing with the CGs. They appear fewer and further between for the bulk of the story, which initially had me a concerned, but don't worry; if you play it right, they make their appearance at the end in a way that's very satisfying.

I'm really hoping they'll release the fandisc in English!

I've been giving this another go after playing it on Switch and being too disappointed and underwhelmed by it to continue. I will state upfront that I never played Mineral Town on the Game Boy Advance back when it was still under the Harvest Moon name, so it's not scratching that nostalgia itch the way it would for fans of the original and that's likely heavily effecting my experience. All that said, after giving it another chance, I've come to the conclusion that it is a decent game. I was able to get some enjoyment out of it, it just doesn't hold a candle to the previous two for me personally. I would probably give it a "mixed" rating if it were available, but with my own bias in mind, and again, not having played the original, I decided to go with a thumbs up with some big caveats.

The first two Story of Seasons are among my all-time favorite games, second only to Rune Factory 4. Having played all four Story of Seasons titles, there has been a noticeable (and in my opinion, negative) change in tone and style compared to the previous two, the first in particular. It's more compact, less detailed, and the world and characters just feel sterile in comparison, which is depressing considering how pretty the 3DS games were and what they could have achieved visually on a more powerful console, but didn't. The first game in particular dealt with heavy topics; the town grieving together after losing a long-time resident, animals falling ill and dying of old age or if not cared for properly, elements which in this game appear to have either been glossed over or removed entirely.

My biggest issue with Mineral town is a somewhat subjective and arguably a shallow one, but it bothered me immensely nonetheless. While I know this is a remake, as mentioned before, there's been a drastic shift in art direction since the first Story of Seasons game, particularly the portraits, which were much more painterly and detailed, and much less bobble-headed in previous games. As a visual novel junkie, portraits have always made a massive difference in immersion for me, and while the character sprites and portraits in this series have always been on the cutesy side and not completely proportionate, for me they still managed to strike a good balance between being cute yet able to be taken seriously when needed. This installment feels like they just grabbed the chibidometer and cranked it up to eleven to unsettling effect. It's a look that bugs me a lot less and I think can work well in titles like Animal Crossing, but in a game where you're procreating with the human townsfolk, it just doesn't do it for me and greatly detracted from my experience. Even the animal models look less appealing (cows in particular went from cute and stylized to big marshmallowy blobs barely resembling bovines) and this isn't just true of the Mineral Town remake; it's something they carried over to Olive Town, too. I really hope they eventually return to the old style, but if the most recent game is anything to go by, we'll be lucky if future games get character portraits at all. While I didn't like the portrait style of this game, I'll still take it over the cold, soulless 3D stares of Olive Town any day. To me, Mineral Town marks the point where the series started taking a nosedive, and it's a little heartbreaking.

One significant improvement that I do want to give Mineral Town credit for is the addition of same-sex marriage. Bachelors and bachelorettes are no longer gender-locked or relegated to being "best friends". You're free to romance them all with your protagonist of choice, and even if you prefer one demographic over the other, it's still nice to be able to see everyone's stories without having to start an entire new game to do so.

Despite my issues with it, Mineral Town isn't a bad game in and of itself. Style and tone aside, the core mechanics remain largely the same, so it's still a solid farming/life sim that's sure to be loved by fans of its Harvest Moon predecessor, but if you're buying it as a die-hard fan of the first two Story of Seasons games like me, you may want to taper your expectations before diving in.

As a big disclaimer, this game is still very incomplete. It looks to have been in the works for years and likely will remain that way for a while yet, so if waiting's not your jam, you'll probably want to keep an eye on it in your wishlist for now.

I was so excited to see a farming/dating hybrid with an adult spin in the works. It's incredibly difficult to find hentai games that cater to, at least partially in Cloud Meadow's case, women, so when I saw this I knew I had to grab it. I was really impressed with the character designs first and foremost. While some of the more exaggerated proportions might not be everyone's cup of tea, I almost didn't care because of how charming and different they all are. There's just something very appealing about them. There are a myriad of gorgeous animations for both the male and female protagonists, with both straight and gay options available for all pairings. All 18+ scenes are also consensual. Admittedly I was a bit concerned about the monster raising aspect and how that tied in with the breeding system, but every breedable/romanceable character in this world passes the Harkness Test.

The farming and crafting system itself is fairly standard, with one big difference: rather than relying on produce and cooking to make ends meet, the bulk of your profits in this game will come from monsters. Produce and cooked meals in Cloud Meadow are used primarily to keep your barn-dwelling pals happy and healthy while they provide you with byproducts like fangs, feathers, milk and essence, the latter of which you can both use as fertilizer and sell for a hefty sum if you time it properly.

Other than the adult content, another thing this title offers that makes it a little different from other farming games is that there's also a robust combat/adventure element. You can take your monsters or other characters from town down to the mines with you to battle your way through hordes of feral monsters, pirates and other foes as you make your way through and explore different floors. This is how you advance through the story portion of the game.

The actual dating/romance aspect is still in its infancy and as a whole really hasn't been implemented yet. At present, only Yonten and Fio are romanceable with a single date each, and I'm personally really hoping for a much more in-depth relationship system, with marriage and events that tie into and give context to their respective animations. One of my favorite features of farming/life sims has always been the ability to befriend, romance and eventually marry your bachelor(ette) of choice, and I'm dearly hoping Cloud Meadow eventually follows that trend.

All in all, I adore this game so far. It's unlike anything I've played previously, and I'm really looking forward to seeing its completed state!

The gorgeous environments, puzzles and escape scenes in Blind Forest were great, but Will of the Wisps really adds some things that make the game feel bigger and improved overall. There's more to do, more to see, and a new cast of characters that make the world, beautiful though it was, feel much less lonely than its predecessor. NPCs throughout the game actually speak to Ori, some of which sell upgrades, and many more who have side quests to complete. There is one area of the world, a sort of safe zone/central hub where all of the friendly characters gather, that Ori can build up and improve on over time by utilizing side quests and materials you find throughout the game, and I really enjoyed that feature, too.

Combat plays a much larger role this time around. Rather than just fleeing gigantic foes and oncoming hazards (which there is still plenty of!) one of the biggest changes in Will of the Wisps is the addition of boss fights, which I found to be a welcome one. There's just something more satisfying about actually being able to face them instead of just scrambling your way to a narrow escape every time.

As with Blind Forest, the difficulty is on the higher end, even on easy mode. It's a also a tearjerker, arguably even more so this time around. I really loved this series. I think it will always hold a special place in my heart.

As someone who already possessed a deep appreciation for the male posterior, I wasn't expecting Gachi Heroes to bring anything particularly new or exciting to the table. At first glance, the hastily slapped together imagery of rotating recolored rumps over garish backgrounds may lead some to shy away from this masterpiece, as I too nearly made the mistake of doing, but do not be deceived; this game is something special. It awakened things in me: deep, dark fantasies I never would have known I had, and fear may never be satisfied again, at least not in the way this absolute gem of a title has.

10/10 would rip the skin again. 👍

This game is amazing. And difficult. I highly recommend playing with a controller if possible, because I personally can't imagine getting through this with a keyboard. Even "easy" mode was tricky in some parts. There are a lot of mechanics that require fast reflexes and precise aim: catapulting Ori off of enemies, redirecting their attacks towards obstacles around you, etc. My hands were sore in the end but I don't consider the difficulty a bad thing, just important to note if you have carpel tunnel or any kind of coordination-affecting disability.

I wasn't expecting this game to tug at my heartstrings as much as it did. Though none of the main characters talk (other than the tree narrating and your little glowing guide), it tells a beautiful and creative story that you 'play through' in a really immersive way. The levels are pure eye candy, too, lending the game a relaxing atmosphere despite all the fast action.

If the difficulty level isn't something that bothers you, I definitely recommend Ori and the Blind Forest. I'm looking forward to playing the sequel!

This is a fun and creative little game, and I was very impressed when I learned it was made in only two days!

You play as a microscopic creature in a petri dish that must consume smaller creatures to grow and eventually evolve into a different type once you beat the level, all while avoiding larger creatures. If you make contact with a larger one, you lose a life, while if you touch a smaller one, your creature grows bigger. Each species has different characteristics that can help or hinder your feesh, such as red ones that make you grow smaller, pulsating ones that pull you towards them, ones with tentacles that temporarily halt your movement, etc. that you'll need to familiarize yourself with if you hope to clear the later levels.

I really love the simplistic-but-unique design of this game. The music and atmosphere are relaxing, and the gameplay was challenging enough to keep me coming back until I unlocked all the achievements, but also not impossible for a casual player like me. Well worth the ninety-nine cents!