#White Album 2 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

medakakurokami · 1 year ago

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I finished over 100 visual novels, here’s a long post with some recommendations

Last month I hit 100 Finished VN’s over on the VNDB and I thought I’d shoot out some recommendations while the Steam Summer Sale is going on (even though some of these aren’t going to be on Steam)

I already have finished up some stragglers and caught some shorter titles so it’s up to 104 Finished, but all the better. I have been reading some VN’s since 2015, but it really became a hobby and a genre I was invested in during Covid lockdown in 2020. I had trouble getting into some of the popular titles, but a couple of games that were lesser known at that time really blew me away that year and I started digging more into the medium. I still have a lot to try out and other classics I’m still interested in trying, but here’s a top 10 I’m confident in recommending to most people, at least the kinda people that would follow this blog. A few of these recommendations are actually multi-part series, but hopefully accessible all around.

Planetarian ($10 on Steam and Switch, ~$5 on sale)

This is a very late entry onto this list but I think it’s an easy recommendation. This is a very short 2-4 hour visual novel that got a well received 2 hour movie adaptation in 2016, but it was strong enough that even while knowing the plot everything still hit hard. It is a story set 30 years after an apocalyptic event destroys most of the world, as a human junk-trader comes across a planetarium with a somehow-still-functional robot named Hoshino still performing her daily duties after 30 years without customers or coworkers. It can come across as a bit saccharine, but it is a quick, well made, and effective tearjerker.

Narcissu 1st & 2nd (Free on Steam)

Narcissu’s first two parts are pretty compelling stories to do with suicidal ideation within the scope of the terminally ill. Which is to say they’re also real tear jerkers, and pretty open about some harsh self-reflective emotions. They both have stellar endings, and can be quite immersive despite the very limited artwork (if the screencap looks weird, the game’s art exists within a narrow strip on the screen, with a sentence or two reading out the story underneath it). Maybe the least accessible on this list, but a $0 price tag makes it easier in some sense to get into.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni / When The Seagulls Cry (~$50 on Steam, $30 on sale)

Umineko you’ve probably already heard of, and here’s me recommending it. Umineko comes in two parts, on Steam referred to as the Questions Arc and the Answers Arc. Despite the split, the overall story follows the events of a certain day on Rokkenjima Island in 1986 as a family meets to discuss their inheritance and their family’s mysteries. Unbeknownst to them they are soon haunted, over and over again, by the revenant of the Golden Witch said to live in the woods of their family’s island.

I’m in the minority of preferring the Questions Arc, where well written and deeply human characters find themselves in deeply inhumane and nonsensical scenarios. The Answers Arc back seats some of that to start delving into an esoteric explosion of clues and backstories, and was still very entertaining even if I was more invested in the episodic stories than the overarching mystery. This may also be seen as inaccessible, $30-50 for a slightly older title and over 140 hours long on average playthroughs, but it is deeply absorbing.

Witch on the Holy Night a.k.a. Mahoyo ($40 on PS4 and Switch)

Mahoyo is me and Nasu’s marriage counselor, it really made me see the good in him. It follows a young witch co-habitating with her magic colleague and the puppy-like boy that unwittingly steps into their world at risk to his own life, just as unexplained apparent murders are witnessed in their town.

This could possibly be a higher level recommendation, though it was apparently intended to have sequels and you can somewhat feel that in the isolated feeling of its main conflict. Despite this, the game is definitely worth experiencing for its classy charm and extremely well made action sequences that at times make you forget you’re not watching a full anime film. It’s also a showcase of Nasu’s strengths in writing character interactions and comedy, and he finally lets Show take over and stops Telling you piles of mage society worldbuilding quite so often. It is also has some of the highest quality production value I’ve ever seen, second maybe to...

Marco and the Galaxy Dragon ($20 on Steam/Switch, less than $10 on sale)

Marco and the Galaxy Dragon is an explosive opera of art, energy, color, and of course music. It follows the orphaned Marco and her dragon compatriot Arco as they hunt for treasure across the cosmos, finding their way to Earth on the hunt for Marco’s mother.

If Umineko’s 140 hours seems steep, Marco has you covered with a quick 6 hour rundown of a rebellious orphan fighting back against her space alien menace to find her own sense of place and identity in the universe, along with ALL the friends she made along the way. If Mahoyo feels like an anime film sometimes, Marco actually just has fully animated FMV cutscenes that are fun as hell and have their own unique artstyle to the VN itself. Thousands of pieces of artwork and a 52-track OST fill the game’s short runtime with no cut corners and and overflow of passion from the devs. Honestly even if you don’t want to read it go buy it, it’s cheap and they earned it.

White Album 2 (You’ll have to be creative to find this one)

This is the only recommendation that’s currently only available in an adults only 18+ Rating for the English translation. That being said, it’s one of the few erotic VN’s that felt justified in its pornographic scenes. The story is split into two releases: Opening Chapter and Closing Chapter.

Opening is a short and powerfully delivered love triangle narrative following Haruki, Setsuna, and Touma as their hastily formed 3-man light music band falls into itself with feelings. It’s charming but gut wrenching and sweeps you into its drama very effectively before kicking you on your ass in the end.

Closing Chapter is a long and drawn out disassembling of their lives as they fail to heal from the wounds of the relationships seen in Opening. It, to great effect, takes the readers own experience with how fun and passionate the Opening Chapter was, and shows how trying to cling to halcyon days can make us so dispassionate about our present lives. Painful stuff! Good music, too.

The Princess, The Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart 1 & 2

a.k.a. Noratoto ($40 on Steam for both, ~$15 for both on sale)

This is a very personal recommendation, and maybe one more easy to make on this blog where many of my followers might be receptive to sincere but slapstick ecchi comedy as art. Every route is highly different however and to me, some are pretty average for galge, while others stand out as amazing. The comedy writing as well feels like it was written by someone with actual comic writing experience, and not just regurgitating the usual ecchi manga jokes.

The general premise of Noratoto is the protagonist Nora, being transformed into a cat by Patricia the princess of the Netherworld, and he must reverse this curse via a kiss before it becomes permanent. A benign fairy tale premise, but one that somehow gives way to underlying stories about existence and finding purpose in families and where that leaves those without families or with abusive or divided families (it is from the same developers as Marco and the Galaxy Dragon, and the themes of finding identity without family match up very closely). Uniquely it is a visual novel written somewhat in 3rd person, narrated by a motherly voice as if the VN was being read to you as a bedtime story.

Like I said, it is dependent on route and some come across as your usual ecchi gal-game schtick, but some stick out, and if every route was as high quality as Nobuchina’s in the 2nd game, it would probably be my favorite visual novel.

The Original Ace Attorney Trilogy ($30 on most platforms, $10 on sale)

You’ve almost certainly heard of Ace Attorney already and have most likely played it. This is me telling any Ace Attorney fans reading that the original trilogy still reigns supreme (regardless of Turnabout Big Top). This is also me telling anyone who has held out on trying Ace Attorney to try it, and to start with the original trilogy.

Obviously this trilogy follows the Meme Man Himself, Phoenix Wright, as he defends the innocent and brings the guilty to justice acting as both lawyer and his own main investigator. While each case presents a unique mystery, the original trilogy has an underlying arc that reaches from beginning to end with a massive conspiracy that Phoenix has to breach to bring justice to the perpetrators and resolve the memory and regrets of his beloved mentor.

These games have some speedbumps as you may be banging your head against the wall trying to find the right evidence, but the experience that breaks through does so with gusto, succeeding on what it sets out to be: games that make you feel like you’ve brought justice to the world.

Utawarerumono Trilogy ($40/60 each on Steam, trilogy bundle $62 on sale)

Utawarerumono was my first proper visual novel, and it set the standards pretty high. I’ve posted about it several times in the last few years, and it remains one of my favorites. It is a labor of love on the part of the developers (the same developers as White Album 2), who developed the latter two games over the course of several years and have made this the spearhead of their company for the time being. Which makes sense, since it is about war.

The first game follows a masked man who is given the name Hakuoro waking up in a rural village with amnesia, confused about the strange population of beast-men living there. Despite not understanding his situation, his ingenuity brings the village prosperity. When the local lords try to put the village under their thumb, Hakuoro and the villagers are able to turn the tides against them. Their village grows into a kingdom as Hakuoro seeks the mysteries of himself and the world around him.

The latter two games pick up some twenty years after the conclusion of the first, and follow a man who is given the name Haku, waking up in the woods with amnesia confused about the... you get it. He is met by Kuon, a young girl on her way traveling to the capital of their nation of Yamato. Haku graciously accepts her help getting out of the cold woods, and decides to join her to the capital. As events play out, Haku finds himself under the direct command of the nation’s leader the Mikado, and carries out missions on his behalf as the nation continues to drag itself into war and conflict and Haku also seeks the truth of his identity.

These games are expansive in scope while still putting a large focus on the day-to-day lives of its characters. Around 100 hours across all three games it is impressive how much story it manages to fit in, but the pacing does bounce around between sweeping conflict and sleepy conversations. It is also in part, a strategy RPG game with the battles in the war being controlled by the player. These are decently made, especially well in the third game, but don’t ask too much of the player and the story remains the main focus and biggest portion of the runtime.

The House In Fata Morgana a.k.a. Fatamoru

($40 complete version on PS4/Switch, ~$40 main game + expansion on Steam)

I’ve gushed about this enough on this tumblr, I’ll keep it brief.

You are a formless soul who is led by the hand of a mysterious maid through the doors of a mansion on an unknown plane of existence. Through each door lies a story of the house in a different era, all following people bound together in ways that leave them cruelly and violently undone by the end of their stories. The connection between these stories, the mystery of the house and the supposed witch that resides within, and the mystery of You the wandering soul all slowly unravel in a bloody show of catharsis and soul. The game is dripping with traumatic poetic text, grating beautiful music, and all of its atmosphere geared toward being oppressive yet enticing. One of the best things I’ve read.

Honorable mentions:

Va-11 Hall-A and Endless Mondays get shout outs as some of the best Original English Language VN’s I’ve read, with cool artstyles and a mature cast they manage to be fun and relatable. Va-11 Hall-A delivers a great arc for its protagonist and Endless Mondays has great dialogue on the threat of automation of creative industries.

Grisaia Trilogy and Hatsumira are both absolutely raucous trilogies that are a lot of fun. Not wholly recommendable to all, Grisaia has some strong moments and a hilarious unique cast but is a mess overall (but we love Michiru). Hatsumira is a bit more consistent, a more stable and fantasy-oriented Grisaia.

A.I. The Somnium Files duology are detective games with highly divisive endings, but great comedy and characters that make them very easy to get through and enjoy the whole way to the end. It’s just a toss-up whether you’ll like that ending.

Sakura Wars games are finally being translated, and they are a great showing for anyone who wants to try some classic dating sim stuff but with some pizazz thrown in with the setting and mecha combat.

The Tears to Tiara duology by the same developers of Utawarerumono and White Album is also one to keep an eye out for. The first game's definitive version isn't available in English and the second game is stuck on the PS3 and no longer available digitally, but if they ever come out on Steam they are worth your time.

Nanairo Reincarnation and Kinkoi: Golden Loveriche are also two solid ecchi comedy galge. Both have surprisingly deep and genuinely heartbreaking underlying mysteries and conclusions.

I still have a lot I wanna read, Planetarian is the only Key novel I’ve read. On the docket are Labyrinth of Galleria, Little Busters, the 9 -nine- series, and Kara no Shoujo and White Album 1 releasing on Steam this year. Some classics I didn’t mention are Fate/Stay Night, Muv Luv, Steins Gate. Muv Luv I read Extra and enjoyed it, but never pulled the trigger on reading the rest, I may at some point on a whim. Steins;Gate I played through half of on PS3 and now my PS3 is in the closet, the VN is really good and has a unique atmosphere to the anime, buuuuuuut knowing the plot has made it hard to want to restart on PC or another console. Steins;Gate is good, if anyone is reading this far and hasn’t seen the anime or read the VN, do it.

#long post #i'll only tag the main ones #planetarian #narcissu #umineko #witch on the holy night #marco and the galaxy dragon #white album 2 #the princess the stray cat and matters of the heart #noratoto #ace attorney #utawarerumono #the house in fata morgana

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atopearth · 6 months ago

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White Album 2 Part 9 - Coda (Kazusa True End)

I am finally up to Kazusa's True End!! Anyway, it was nice to see Kazusa's perspective, just as Kazusa sleeps defencelessly, so does Haruki lol. Knowing that Kazusa left a recording for Haruki telling him to go to the concert so she could give up on him and all the other stuff made me realise even more that this concert was very very important to Kazusa. She steeled herself with conviction towards their relationship, her hope for the future in piano and with Haruki and convinced herself to do the best performance she could for Haruki and Setsuna but they both didn't come, how could she not be devastated? I'm glad to finally see Haruki break and let Kazusa realise how he probably does love her. Considering how Haruki's first thoughts when Takeya and them congratulated him on his engagement was Kazusa's feelings, it's obvious where his heart lies, but it's cruel for him to keep dragging this on. I guess one of the reasons I like Kazusa so much is because I can relate to her feelings of being too afraid to go forward but also being too afraid to give up so you're just stuck in the same place forever knowing that you can't go back but not having enough courage to continue. Haruki confessing his love to Kazusa after calling her out for being terrible and useless as a human being just felt so fitting haha, I couldn't help but want to cry. She really is helpless and as I've said before, Haruki could never abandon her and I could never as well, I will always choose Kazusa and I will always love her more than Setsuna, just as Haruki does. The moment Haruki chose to propose to Setsuna with uncertain feelings, it was deemed that he would have to suffer the consequences whether it would be the breakdown of Kazusa or Setsuna. Even though I feel bad for Kazusa considering how difficult it must be and how difficult it must feel to think that she's basically ruining Haruki's "perfect life" because he's choosing to give up everything for her, but really, he did this to himself and should accept responsibility for proposing to Setsuna in such an insincere way.

I'm actually quite glad that Haruki asked her to make a choice between choosing to live on by herself or to be with him, because in the end, this is their choice. Just as he will have to live with the consequences, Kazusa will also have to live with this choice and she needs to decide whether she thinks it's worth it and whether she can take it, and if she is willing to live with regret too regardless of the choice. Sometimes I wish that Haruki and Setsuna never got back together properly, then this wouldn't hurt Setsuna as much but it is what it is. I kinda wish Setsuna's True End was set here instead, because I can see Haruki choosing Setsuna instead of Kazusa at this point of the "last date" because he is once again confronted with how much he loves Setsuna and how great she is towards him. But I guess it wouldn't be dramatic if we don't dump Setsuna cruelly lol😅 The flashbacks were difficult to sit through considering Haruki's resolve back then and now. It actually broke my heart to see how emotional Hamada was over Haruki resigning, and I think it was worse because Haruki really saw himself working here for the rest of his life and I'm sure Hamada saw that too and that's why he was so frustrated that Haruki wouldn't give him a reason considering how long they've worked together. It was heartbreaking to watch, especially since it's so hard to find a superior that cares about you so much. With Touma Youko putting it like that, it really is hitting me how much Haruki has to sacrifice to be with Kazusa. He is literally giving up on his life to protect hers, and Youko's right, he will be able to protect Kazusa but Kazusa isn't strong enough to protect him so life will be very very difficult for him from now on, especially since he will lose all his friends, his job and the country he's familiar with. I know I like to give Haruki a lot of crap for his decisions, but when he says something like all he needs is Kazusa by his side and he'll be fine, he doesn't need her to protect him and she can just sit next to him playing get piano all day and he'll be able to take care of everything, I can't help but want to cry. Haruki might not be very strong especially when someone like Setsuna babies him, but when it comes to Kazusa, he always steps up to do whatever he can to protect her. Honestly, shameless as it is, if I was Kazusa, I would stay in Japan even if it hurts Setsuna. There's nothing more important than being beside your mother whom you love in your last moments and supporting her when she needs it most.

Even though I don't particularly like Io and she's definitely wrong about Kazusa, but I really don't blame her because she's seen how Setsuna has been throughout the years so of course she's on her side. However, unlike Haruki and the others, I personally can't really ever forgive Setsuna for making a move on Haruki back in high school knowing Kazusa liked him and then forcing all three of them to be together because she liked it that way. Yeah, Setsuna doesn't deserve this right now, but Kazusa didn't deserve having to suffer through that either, I'll never forget how Setsuna acted like a victim on the rooftop crying to Kazusa basically forcing her to accept their new relationship when she knew and was positive of Kazusa's feelings. I admit that Haruki didn't present himself in a great way (not that he was trying to since he was ready to take all their hatred and lose their friendship) but he didn't deserve the disdain from Io. She may not agree with his choices and she has all the right to hate him and not be his friend anymore but seeing her berate him really hurt and I'm really glad Takeya protected Haruki. I actually cried because Takeya was willing to go against Io for Haruki. He always tries his best to protect Io but I'm so happy that Takeya always chooses Haruki if he has to choose between protecting one. He's the only one who understands Haruki's weak side and the only one who always does his best to support him and care for him when he's emotionally distraught. I think what irks me the most is how everyone sees Setsuna as this angelic being that has done nothing wrong when she's been frustrating too. I do agree that Haruki was the root of all problems considering he cheated on her but they also have to understand that Setsuna also caused a lot of these things to happen. Honestly, the more they say that Haruki is making the wrong choice by letting such a good woman go, the more I cheer for Haruki because I feel like for once, he is finally choosing for himself who he truly loves. Back in high school, he went with Setsuna because she confessed to him. When they got back together in university, alot of it was due to Takeya and Io constantly pushing them both to get back together rather than they themselves truly desiring to be together. I feel like they would have benefited from a true break from each other rather than being together but not together for so many years tbh. Anyway, it sucks that because they aren't Haruki, they will never be able to truly see how he can choose Kazusa, but at the same time, this isn't something an outsider will ever truly be able to understand and accept. I won't even deny that I'll probably be the same as them as cheating is never something truly forgivable.

I think the disappointment and anger of Setsuna's parents really made me falter though, because if Setsuna was my daughter, I would probably want to hit Haruki haha. Considering how Setsuna's parents are, I guess they couldn't do it, but I felt bad for Takahiro because he really trusted Haruki and yet he hurt Setsuna like this. It might be funny for me to say this, but I personally love the Setsuna that honestly expresses her feelings, her selfishness, her grief and her thoughts the most. She always feels so much more real and understandable, and it's really in those times when I'm on her side😅 I feel bad for Kazusa though. She feels helpless towards Haruki's decision of giving up everything and feels like she can barely console him when his life is falling apart for her. It's ultimately his decision but knowing that you're the cause will always hurt. One thing I'm very glad about is that Haruki isn't using sex to escape from his feelings like he usually does. Anyway, I binged the rest because I was getting tired of it all lol. I guess it just became too dramatic for my liking. I could deal with Kazusa planning to ruin her hands to atone for "stealing" Haruki but I honestly have to say, it's so dramatic you would think it's the end of the world for everyone, and maybe it does feel like that, but it isn't, because people should be living for themselves. Anyway, I think the memory thing with Setsuna irked me the most along with the getting hit by a car thing, like seriously can we stopp is all I could think about sorry, like I know it was supposed to show how in the end, Setsuna will always prioritise Haruki and Kazusa's feelings more than anything else but yeah, I was honestly tired. It's just frustrating because I really enjoyed how the story navigated through everyone's thoughts, reactions and emotions towards the break up, but I found Setsuna and Kazusa's roles and emotions quite lacking even though they're the main people involved lol. Youko is such a kind and sweet mother, I really want to believe she'll live to 99 and get to watch over Kazusa. It was nice to see Setsuna sing and play the guitar but yeah I do have to think this ending was underwhelming especially since as usual, Kazusa herself really takes the back seat in her own route and ending. Despite the fact that Haruki chose her, the whole ending barely felt like it was about her and instead was more focused on the consequences of choosing her which I still enjoyed of course but I wanted more Kazusa moments to make me think yeah this might be the wrong choice, but this will always be the choice we decide on because she is worth it. I really felt that when we were at the scene after she broke down after Haruki didn't go to the first concert. Honestly though, I just wanted a bit more time with Kazusa because I felt like we were deprived of it.

Overall, I liked Kazusa True but I feel like it had a lacking conclusion, or I guess more of a lacking representation or showing of their relationship? It's like after all the drama, we never really got to see how happy they were with their choices, like we see the conclusion of it but we don't really see much of the relationship itself. However, what I really enjoyed and what was done really well was Haruki's indecision towards whether he was really ready to give up on everything for Kazusa, and then when he made that decision, we could really see the consequences of those actions. We saw his life slowly fall apart as he lost every single thing that was a part of his life and that he loved and we got to see the reactions of all the people important to him when he made this choice. Honestly, the "break up" with Takeya hurt the most and made me cry even though I think picking Kazusa is what Haruki would have chosen, but I do have to admit that him just basically taking care of Kazusa as a manager of the agency overseas felt very underwhelming, I guess it's true that if he picks Kazusa, his life literally just revolves around her which I find rather boring since I feel like he has dreams for himself that he should pursue and that aspect of it makes me think being with Setsuna really is the "ideal path" as they say because it truly depicts a normal and successful life where he has a beautiful and supportive wife with a growing career and just living as "you should" rather than on your desires and what you cherished in the past. Anyway, it was a good route but I have to admit that the romance wasn't what moved me, but instead the emotions of all the side characters.

#white album 2

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