#for reference i have only done 2 training shifts at the current one lmao

[bpdpenguin]

i am going to do a quick change but for jobs

[conchelle]

Towel Scale explained

So at the end of most of my Towelket write-ups I typically have a scale that places my enjoyment of each game. Right now the scale looks like this

Warau Warawau > Yorumorukimiri = Dekapari > TK1 = TK2 > Nekoashi Otome > TK4 > Fury > TK6 > TK3 > TK5

As I've played through these games and I get to sit down and really think about them after the fact, my opinions have definitely shifted around and changed. Some games find themselves inexplicably lower or higher on the scale with each review so I figured I'd give a more compressed version of my thoughts on each game and how I really feel about them as a whole in this current time. Just as a small reference I guess :')

(Also reminder this is more of a personal enjoyment scale than a quality scale lmao)

Warau, Warawau: Still my favorite game out of all of them. Story is focused and very cleverly weaved together. First playthrough was very unique and wonderful thing to just experience. Second playthrough is when I got to recontextualize all the events unfolding which made the ending hit even harder than the first time. There was clearly a lot of effort and care put into this game and it still stands out as one of the most unique Towelket games and RPGmaker games I've had the pleasure of playing.

Yorumorukimiri and Dekapari: I put these two in the same level because honestly they both have similar qualities and flaws. Yorumorukimiri and Dekapari both have very engaging characters and storylines. There very rarely a moment where I'm not enjoying what's happening in the moment. However I believe they both have a similar issues of not really knowing what direction they want to go towards the end. Yorumorukimiri was fantastic, probably some of the best written characters in the series, however the third game attempts to conclude a story that has already been concluded and as a result ends up confused on what it wants to accomplish.

Dekapari was very fun and the story and characters never failed to grab my attention. The atmosphere of this game is just wonderful however I feel a lot of ideas it clearly had at the start just don't really get done justice by the third act which is unfortunate. But overall I feel everything else it does well easily makes up for it.

Towelket 1 and Towelket 2: I'd say these two games are pretty on par with each other. The only reason they're not any higher is just due to the fact that I think Kanao's writing and presentation have just significantly improved since these games. Their stories are both focused and end perfectly imo. I would probably recommend these two the most as an introduction to the series or anyone who just enjoys RPGmaker games at all.

Kaiketsu! Nekoashi Otome: Great game! Very good presentation and overall story. The only reason it's ranked lower is due to the fact that it's more of a funny game that also has a good story. Some characters exist purely for laughs which I don't mind at all but by default they're just not as compelling as some of the other variations of themselves. It's the game that probably made me laugh the hardest but the humor is admittedly a lot more low-brow than the funnies in later games.

Towelket 4: I definitely feel like I didn't give this game enough credit the first time around. For what it is, the story is actually pretty interesting and the cast of characters are very fun to be around. However this game is held back simply due to the fact that it's just kind of unfinished? It ends rather abruptly to the point it's infamous among the people that play these games. With some context, it's very clear that this game was meant to be apart of something much bigger but unfortunately the game that was supposed to pick up where this one left off just never happened. So instead, we're left with a pretty painful situation where this story just never got the conclusion it deserved.

Towelket Fury: This game is a broken mess and it's story is equally as broken but it's really a train wreck you can't look away from. The fact that this game managed to not immediately become lost media is astounding. It's easily the most nihilistic Towelket game and the entire story plays out like the creator just spitting out their frustrations with the world into a single RPGmaker game. However as interesting as it is, I can't say it really makes for a good story. Overall, seeing what Kanao is capable of in a good mental state is just a hundred times more engaging and valuable to me than what this game turned out to be. I don't hate it and I do still believe its one of the more interesting games out of the classic Towelkets but overall compared to the more modern and well polished games it just can't compete.

Towelket 6: Interesting start, horrid middle, dull ending. I liked the dynamic between the main three girls at the start but once Nyanyamo is removed from the story, the game just becomes really really boring. It quickly loses focus and the main characters just end up taking a backseat for most of the game. Ending is meh. It tries to do a little bit of Towelket 2 and a little bit of Towelket 1 but just lacks the context take make itself interesting or memorable.

Towelket 3: A game that would be pretty charming had if it wasn't so horrendously frustrating to actually play. It's grinding hell and the simple story fails to justify it. It's easy to get lost because a lot of the plot doesn't really follow any sort of logic. In hindsight a lot of the story and dialogue is pretty amusing but in the moment it's impossible to appreciate due to just how exhausting it is to play this game.

Towelket 5: Game is meant to be all funny no story but it just isn't very funny. Characters existed for gags and nothing else. Any semblance of story in just uninteresting when characters have spent all game being super ironic or having a single joke and constantly repeating it. Nothing else really stands out from the rest of the game. It's a painfully charmless Towelket game.