Lucky Rabbit Reflex! - Review

 

“About

An otome (Girl pursues Boy) dating simulation game, Lucky Rabbit Reflex sees our seventeen-year old heroine beginning her first and final year at a new school. Will she find friendship - or even romance - amongst the motley crew at Northmain College? (Or a decent fashion sense, at the very least!)

Game Features

19 endings

5+ romanceable gentlemen

75 unique CG's

150+ unique items of clothing and accessories

CG/endings gallery

178,861 words ”

This is an older otome game. I believe it was released roughly July 2011, so I guess it's not that old. As the offical summery vaguely covers. You play as a young girl (you get to pick her name) who transfers college in her very last year of sixth form (Though I was under the impression that sixth form happens in high school not college). This game offers 5 romanceable guys plus a secret character with lots of different personalities. You have the best friend type who likes to tease you, the quiet type who is actually a really nice guy. The broody, 'don't talk to me' type. The play boy and finally the cutesie younger guy who really hates being treated as a kid. There are also 5 girls you can befriend. If you complete one of the girls path which involves not romancing any of the guys, you will receive a special item from them that will help increase your stats during the stat raising part of the game. These items carry over saves and through into a new game.

As soon as I found this game I was really excited to try it out because it's the first visual novel I've come across that's based in the UK – Where I currently live. It was great to see all the British slang that I know and love and that money was in pounds (£) instead of dollars or euros. For someone like me, it was just that little extra touch. I actually can't remember how I came across this novel as when I first got into these types of things I used to google for visual novel games and not once did I get directed to this title. It's such a shame too.

As I briefly mentioned, this is a stat raising novel which I usually hate but this one was somehow different. I'm not sure if I just ignored it this time because of my excitement of a British based game or that I'm actually getting use to them. Either way, I generally had a lot of fun. You have 4 basic stats: smarts, charm, social and fitness but there is also stress. With any stat building game, different guys like different stats but you also have to make sure to balance them out as they will determine whether you pass your A-Level exams at the end of the game or not. Stress is built up as you preform different activities throughout the week. If you preform them successfully you receive less stress than if you were to fail something. Stress can be decreased by relaxing during the week which will, in turn, decrease your main stats sightly as well or going out during the weekend. However, going out on a date will not have any effect of your stress levels so you have to balance this out carefully as the higher your stress, the more likely you are to fail an activity.

Although this is a stat building game, there is still tones of story to be had here. Several event throughout the year such as, Halloween, Christmas, Valentines day and even your birthday provide a nice chance to see the guy you're perusing a little more. In fact, some of the boys will give you gifts that can help with raising your stats if you have it equipped; such as, a journal that will help raise your smarts skill. These items will only stay with you for your current game though. While I'm on the subject of equipping items, it's also possible to go shopping on the weekend to buy new clothes. There are three shops with tones of items to choose from with a few different styles – the punk clothes being my favourite. The guys have their preferred likes and dislikes when it comes to how you dress too and they will react accordingly when you invite them out on a date. They can also remember what you wore on the previous date so make sure you mix and match or they might comment about how dirty they think you are. This I loved. It's realistic if nothing else!

So since we covered the fact that you can buy clothes I'll go over quickly about how to obtain money. Firstly your parents give you some allowance each week. It's a measly £5 but it all adds up. Secondly, you can get a job. Different jobs also require different stats, such as the job at the library which is always available will require a certain level of smarts. There are a total of four jobs in this novel and three of them are only available if you befriend a certain person or pick a certain option while talking about jobs. You know, 'word of mouth' type thing. These jobs include working at an arcade, a café and a high end fashion shop – the latter being a little more complicated to hear about. Despite what job you apply for, each will give you £10 per week for working one evening per week.

The main thing you should remember while applying for a job is that you can't quit and pick a different one somewhere down the line. You have to work there for the remainder of the game. So be careful if the guy you're after isn’t working at the place currently available to you.

As a side note, I'd personally only worry about getting a job if you're after one of the guys. When it comes down to it, the girls really don't care what you wear – in fact, if you invite them out on the weekend, you don't even get the option to choose what you wear.

Such as with the job option within this novel, there are also four after school clubs you can join. Again, I believe once you join zed clue you can't change but for this, you don't have to go if you don't feel like it. The clubs are athletics, music, drama, and netball. Each guy again, has their preference. And although you don't have to attend them if you don't want to, I would advise that you do as most of the best endings require that you've attended a certain club x amount of times and have seen so and so events through them.

I believe that covers the basics of the game so now I'll start with the heroine and then cover the guys. Personally I quite liked the MC's personality. Her physical appearance gave me that 'tom-boy' vibe as she has short hair. Her distinctive feature was that she always wears a beret. Quite unique. As for her personality, she isn't the naïve, dense, innocent girl that is typical for visual novels. In fact, she's constantly thinking how zed guy is easy on the eye or that she wouldn't kick him out of bed, etc. She knows what she likes and also knows a lot about different things depending of what choices you choose during dates etc. She just feels like your typical 17 year old!

So, the first guy – Marius Blitz.

Marius is one of the first guys you'll meet on your very first day at your new college. He's a member of the athletics clubs as his dream is to become a professional runner. Although he's serious about his dream, if you're lucky enough to come across him during a visit to the gym you'll find that he's always slacking off there. He's also the person to talk to if you fancy a job at the arcade. Such as his attitude towards the gym, he will try to force all his work onto you in the beginning.

Marius likes to joke around so he likes a girl who can joke around with him in return. He also likes athletic girls so make sure you're visiting the gym often to work on your fitness.

I kind of got the feeling that the creators of this visual novel favoured Marius as he seems to have the most CG's and the most screen time. His events just seemed to be everywhere.

As I said, if you plan to pursue Marius you must work on your fitness, but this will in return get you a lot of jokes about how you're more manly than feminine. To really appreciate Marius, you're going to have to enjoy the type of guy that likes to tease you. This kind of reminded me of how twelve year olds flirt and although this isn't my cup of tea, once I overlooked this, he really was a sweet guy.

As a side note, his birthday is the 3^rd of March and his preferred clothing for the MC are Punk, street or sporty. Really easy to achieve as if you mix your punk clothes with your sporty clothes you tend to get street.

Marius was also the hardest one for me when it came to getting his best ending. Maybe it was because I started with him first, but I couldn't for the life of me get him to send the MC the required email to unlock certain events that were crucial for his best ending.

Overall, to me, I think Marius would be more suited to be a really good friend than boyfriend material.

Shuppin Marchelaure

Shuppin is the other guy you're likely to meet first in this game. He's quiet and comes across as socially awkward when he first meets the MC. You'll hear a lot of things about Shuppin such as, most of the girls in the lower years have major crushes on him and that he tends to sleep through most of his classes. That may be because he's an extremely busy person. His dream is to become a musician and his preferred item is the guitar though he also plays the violin. Shuppin can potentially become a member of the music club if you reply accordingly when asked if you'd prefer more guys or more girls to join the club.

Shuppin also works at the French café if you'd like to work with him. The boss is a little eccentric but I found him kind of amusing at the same time. The bromance between the boss and Shuppin is endearing!

Shuppin is fairly easy going once you get to know him. While speaking with him, try to pick the humble, caring answer and you're all set really. Once I got the hang of the game, I managed to get his best ending on my first try.

He defiantly has the most complex background and family life out of all the guys.

His birthday is the 13^th of February (pretty close to valentines day) and he likes his ladies to wear clothes classed as punk, cute or young madam.

Overall I really enjoyed playing through Suppin's route. He was sweet and caring. I can defiantly see why all the younger girls at the school like him. <3

Thirdly we have Rhett Sugden.

You can meet Rhett in a few ways. Firstly, you can increase your smarts stats to unlock an event at the library. The second way to meet him is to get a job at the library, and finally, if you join the drama club, he's also a member.

Rhett is the jerk of the school. To get his attention you're going to have to match his sarcastic attitude. Don't try to please him to begin with. I had a lot of fun with his route mainly because I got to pick an option that said, “You know, you're kind of a dick!”. I think that's a first I got to use a reply like that. Don't let his glare discourage you though, as behind that angry front Rhett actually has a heart of gold. You will find out that he's actually a really caring guy to those that stick it out and manage to get close to him.

He gives the MC the nickname of “Beret” as of course, she's constantly wearing one. It actually makes the rare times he calls you by your name stand out that much more. And if I'm honest here, I kind of liked having the nickname.

Rhett is very hard working and will constantly push himself to get everything he needs to done on time. If you managed to get on his best path you will find that he pushes himself to the extent where he actually makes himself ill and comes down with a fever... He's kind of adorable at this part :3

His birthday is the 21^st of November and he likes it when the MC wears clothes that are classed as elegant or casual. I had a hard time finding these types of clothes as they are not my style at all and although it may sound expensive to buy elegant clothing, it isn't actually that bad. He's also a huge fan of anything horror so taking him to see a horror movie or going into the haunted house will please him.

“Beck” Betchaku.

I'm just gonna start off with the fact that my sisters name is Rebecca – 'Beck' so this whole thing was a little awkward for me right off the bat.

Beck is the playboy of the story. He loves his woman and he doesn't have a problem stringing them along and showing them off. His route is a little more complex than the rest as there are two ways to get his best ending.

Beck wont be found in the game straight away. If fact, you may not even see him until after the new year or you may spot him as early as Halloween. Beck is actually a substitute teacher for the art class. His passion is for tattooing which he is currently an apprentice for. Because of this, you can only go out on dates with him to the tattoo parlour where he works. To me, this felt more like I was just hanging out there and he happened to also be there.

Being the huge playboy Beck is, he's really hard to impress. You have to have a high charm stat for him to even answer the phone to you and if you want a compliment out of him, you have to follow the fashion articles, which you can find through your emails, to the letter. This can make getting his best ending a little tricky as once a month you will have to check the article and then go shopping which will mean one less date with him a month. Considering he doesn't show up in the game right away it means you can end up just wasting time. Ways around this however, are to either keep note of what is in fashion while you're on a different guys path or look for a walkthrough for his style and then just buy in bulk before meeting him – There's nothing like being prepared after all.

Beck's birthday is also the 6^th of December (My sisters birthday is this month too... :/ ) so it's unlikely that you're going to be able to offer him anything for it. He does however, actually work at one of the shops in the shopping centre called 'Boutique TIDE'. Getting a job there yourself is a little tricky. You need to have a high charm stat and have befriended his sister Lamb to be offered the job.

Overall I felt dirty and cheap playing through this guys route. I hate playboys and generally steer clear of them in real life but as this was a game, I had to give it a try. But no, it wasn't for me. Also, and this is the first time I'm going to have commented on a guys ending, but even in Beck's best ending, I just felt like my poor MC became another notch on his belt so to speak – I'm so sorry Maddi D:

Perth Rastegar

Perth is another one of the guys you wont meet right away. You can cross paths with him either by joinning the netball team or by joinning the music club and saying you'd like more girls to join zed club. To get his best ending, you have to be a member of the netball club though.

Perth is a very baby-faced guy who is often mistaken for being only 12 years old - I think he's actually 15 or 16 though. In the MC's school journal she even wonders if chasing after him will make her a 'cradle-snatcher' which is a little amusing.

Because Perth is constantly fighting his child-like image, you should choose options that sound like you're praising how manly he is. Also try to be cute and caring. Yeah, I know, it sounds a little contradicting – Manly and cute but hey, just go with it.

Perth works at a smoothie stand at the shopping centre, and although you can't get a job there too, you can unlock a few events with him by picking to go to the shopping centre alone during the weekends.

Perth comes across as being very dedicated to the MC and a few times he says in his emails and whatnot to her how he isn't a stalker... I found him to be a little creepy in places to be honest... Somewhat obsessed I suppose I'd call it but other times he is really sweet.

Unlike the other four guys, Perth only has two endings, as apose to three.

Another thing I should mention about Perth is that he's been brought up to speak English in a very posh way so he has a speech-tick so to speak. For example, he will say things like “It is” then quickly change it to “-It's” which, I feel a little mean saying, but I found this amusing. I could imagine some people finding it really annoying though. I believe he's like this because of the fear of being bullied... or something.

As is now customary for the guys in this post, Perth's Birthday is the 8^th of August so again I doubt anyone is going to be able to offer him a birthday pressy and his favourite trends are cute and young madam.

Finally – The secret character!

This guy only has one ending – Best ending, and strangely enough, he turned out to be my favourite guy overall. So... who is he? Well if you played one or two routes for the others guys, It's highly likely you already met him. You know that rude guy that works at 'Kit locker' that will barely say anything to you or only gives you a mere 'Hmph'? Yes, that's right – It's him. To unlock his route you must visit Kit locker every time you have a chance on the weekend. Eventually the MC will notice he's eyeing her and get it into her head that he thinks she trying to steal. The truth is, he's actually just curious why a pretty girl such as yourself is returning to a sports shop constantly. And to be fair, you have to visit the shop so many times, that if each time you did go there, you were to buy something, you'd have a years worth of sports clothes and then some!

From this meeting you will find out his name is Mardi and he's French. He is currently studying at the nearby university and he had to take a job at Kit locker to pay for his finances. Now, you can't get a job here yourself, but what you can do is keep visiting each weekend. From here on out, he will be happy to see you and greet you with a small sentence instead of his usual sigh. This will happen for the next few times. After visiting a certain amount of times more, you'll unlock an event with him and the cycle will repeat.

I know, I know, it doesn't sound very exciting and it really isn't but I think he's well worth the hassle. Mardi is the sweetest thing ever!! Sadly though, as he is only a secret character which means not a lot of people that got the game first would have known about, he only has three CG's :(

Seriously though, I think his French accent was the thing that got me. And to clear that up, his dialogue is actually written in a way that forces you to think with a French accent so I'm not being weird here or anything... I hope :D

I would cover the girls but this post has gotten a little long already and I'm not sure how many people are really interested in/care about the female friends you can make in an otome game so I'll skip it. However, I would recommend getting a little friendly with at least one of the girls when you can because it will unlock an event in which you are invited to a fun fair and you may get to go on some rides with your dream guys!

Overall this game reminded me of another visual novel I've played before called 'Heartstring Bugs'. Both have the unique feature with the clothing system and how the guys will have their preferred style and will remember what you were wearing on the last date. The job system and the after school clubs etc. Even both of the MC's 'main' friend was an attention whore in both novels. Either way, I did hugely enjoy this game. Like I said, it was the first stat raising game where I generally enjoyed myself and because of the British theme going on, it was close to home for me. Not all of the guys were to my liking (which should be how it is anyway) but I really loved playing as this heroine! She was a nice change from the other ladies I've played as. This girl actually felt like a 17 year old with the things she thought about and how she acted – it was very refreshing. In stat building games, that seems to be the main focus but for this one, I'd say it was 50/50 on par with the story. The art was very unique and to my liking. I do like to see some crazy looking chins from time to time haha. Another thing I liked was that you're offered a special item to help with your stat raising if you do decide to pursue a girl as a friend instead of just going for the guys and leaving it there as at the end of the day this is advertised as an otome game so it's nice to be offered that something extra just for breaking out of the norm. The quality of the writing is decent, although in my personal opinion, nothing ground-breaking. However, I don't recall ever spotting any spelling or grammar mistakes and I have to say, that is defiantly a first for that! I'll also point out that there aren't any bad endings in this game. Marius, Shuppin, Rhett and Beck all have three endings each which are good end, best end, and dual end (dual end being where you raise either Marius and Shuppin's or Rhett's and Beck's bars to full and you eventually have to pick between them). Perth has a good and best ending while Mardi only has his best ending that I mentioned already.

Sadly, from what I understand, the company that made this game – Studio Super63 doesn't have any other visual novels besides this one on offer currently, and since this game was released in July 2011, I'm not entirely sure if they are still going or not.

I enjoyed this novel and it's quickly become one of my favourites so yes, I'd recommend this in a heartbeat – It's just a shame I've only recently found it. Sadly, it's not freeware so you do have to pay for it but it's a few quid cheaper than most VN's and hey, there's a demo if you're on the fence about it. Otherwise you can grab your very own copy of it here!

Princess Battles - Review

 

Princess Battles is a stat raising game and anyone who knows me will know how much I loath these types of games (but I play them anyway for the great stories). Princess Battles is, however, one of those rare exception to my hate for them! NekoMura has taken the typical, boring and tedious stat building mechanic and made it something new and refreshing. Something even someone like me can enjoy. How have they done this? Well they've made it into an interactive card battle system and the best part is it works into the story perfectly. I think before I can talk about how great this card battle system is, I'll have to touch on the story slightly first.

You play as a young princess called Lillian (name changeable) who has recently heard about a local hero in her kingdom who is popular among the common folk and the champion of many tournaments. This year, the hero, Olivia, is planning on competing in the card battle game called “Prima” which is only for ladies. Upon hearing the news, Lillian sets out to learn everything she can about Prima to enter the tournament and beat her rival who evidently has caught the eyes of her parents, the king and queen and show the world that she's the best.

So now that that's out of the way, let's get back to this amazing stat raising mechanic. As I've said, it's done via a card battle system. The aim of the game is to raise your three stats, intelligence, charm and refinement before your opponent. Your resources are money and energy. The catch is that you and your opponent wont start with the same level of stats or resources. For example, you may have more money while they have more energy. Their highest stat could be intelligence while yours is charm, etc. To win the game you have to play with three major sets of cards. These cards are “school” which uses energy and money but can give some pretty nice stats. “Work” which gives you money at the expense of energy and sometimes decreases a certain stat by 2 depending on the type of work you pick and “item” which gives you stats at the cost of money. Some are cheap cards that gives you very little stats and some are really expensive that gives you a huge boost. There is also a special type of 'item' card which will gives you energy in exchange for money. The trick is balancing everything out. You really don't want to run low on both of your resources otherwise you will be forces to skip a turn. You can however, discard one of the five cards in your hand. Don't worry you will get them back automatically at the end of each battle. The best part about doing this is you get +5 money for each card you discard but you only have a limited amount of them so think carefully about doing it first. You are also given a little bit of energy each time it's your turn. There are also some other cards such as “attack” and “defence” cards. Defence will give you a shield that will protect you from one attack. Despite when you use it, it will protect you until you are attacked. It doesn't disappear after a certain amount of turns or anything like that. There are several types of attack cards such as one to decrease your opponents energy, one to decrease certain stats by a little and one that will decrease your energy gain per turn for 10 rounds. Other useful cards are ones that are called “coupons”. This one will allow you to buy any item card for 1 money so its good to save them for when you have an expensive card in your hand. The other is a card which will allow you to use two school cards for free. Throughout the game, you gain more cards so you wont start with all of the ones I've mentioned above! For me, the best part about this card battle game is that if you win, you are given a new piece of clothing from your opponent. Most of the time, this seems purely cosmetic but there is one guy who will react to how you are dressed! There is one more thing to mention and that is, that each opponent will have a different way in which they play. Some will be more aggressive than others etc, but you are given tips before hand.

I think I've covered everything for the battle game and it may sound a little overwhelming. I know that on my first play through I was caught a little off guard but it really is a simple game once you get into it!!

As for the story itself, it really is a simple one. It revolves mainly around Prima and Lillian's desire to win against Olivia. There isn't really that much more to it, but I find that simple is sometimes better, especially in this case. If anything more complex was added, I think it would have taken away from the card battle and that would have been a shame. As with any stat raising visual novel, that is the main focus of the game but trust me, it is pretty fun in this one!

There are four obtainable guys in this game but I felt as though one of those was more of a special character. The way to get his ending is a little different than the other three and since I'm trying to keep this review as spoiler free as possible I'm not inclined to say more. You'll have to look around if you want more details or better yet – Play the game! :3 What I can tell you though is that each guy is unique from one another. They all have decent stories and reason for liking the princess. I did feel you learn more about some than others but I think that has to do with their relationship with the princess so in a way its far more believable! Like I said, I really don't want to spoil to much but I can completely understand that the guys are the main focus for some people in visual novels so the best I can offer is this link here to the main website where you can learn more about them. I really do like the little... uh, I'm honestly not sure what to call them... banners? So I'm going to put the one of my favourite guy here. :D

The CG, sprites and background are all really pleasing to the eye and unique. There were, in some cases, times where I thought “Hmm, that could be a little better there.” but even having said that, the art work is far from horrible and was a lot better than some other stuff I have seen ship out in visual novels! They are also a hundred times better than what I can draw so I really don't feel comfortable judging them too much! For anyone who is wondering though, there is a total of 19 CG's, so there's a pretty decent amount!

Another thing I really liked in this novel that I don't believe I've come across before is that it has achievements to be gained! I'm a huge sucker for achievements and as a TV show from my childhood days would say, “Gotta catch em all!” … so to speak and there are 22 achievements to be had. It's not to many and you don't have to go out of your way to get them... as in they are easy to gain as long as you play all the endings!

This game also comes with some sound effects. Honestly... I'm not sure if they were really necessary in some places as is usually the case when I come across such things in NV's but it did add a nice little touch to this particular novel. They range from such things as the girls laughing together to a word or two such as “Excuse me!”. You will find quite a lot of sound effect during card battles which seemed much more fitting. Some of them I did giggle at slightly.

And finally, something I don't usually comment on but the UI is stunning. It's very easy to navigate. There's a save, settings and load option at the bottom of the screen at all times. As with any visual novel you can also right click to bring up the save menu. I'm under the impression this game was made with Ren'Py but there are a limited amount of save spots – 10 to be exact. So if you're like me and you have this thing where you have to save before each option and give it it's own space, it's going to be a tight squeeze per play through. In the settings and right click menu there is also an option called “Help” so if you find yourself stuck on anything, check that out!!

(I think this is an older version as there's no settings option in the SS but you get the gist of it)

Overall - It's a nice little game. It doesn't take that long to finish it. I believe I got it done in about 2 evenings so I guess I'd class it as a 'medium' length game? The stat raising is new and refreshing. NekoMura really has gone all out for this in my opinion. They really have taken something that I usually find a horrible experience and made it really fun in a way that goes nicely with the story. The guys were all nice. I didn't dislike a single one of them, although I am a little curious about one of them. Mainly the one I see as a 'special character'. I would recommend this to people. Sadly though there isn't a demo currently available but if you are interested in checking it out, you can find it here!!

Dandelion - Wishes Brought to You - Review

“You play the story of 21 year old Hee-jung, a student who leaves home to study in far-away city of Busan. In many ways
she is a typical schoolgirl; she is a timid introverted girl who is very sensitive to what others say. However, she is also afflicted
by haunting childhood memories, and an an unrelinquished desire to succeed in life and surpass others. One day, something that
will change her busy lonely life happens. She comes home to find that a basket of three rabbits and two cats has mysteriously
been left in her bedroom. Soon, she will find out these are no ordinary animals ... They are in fact much more than that.

Why have these unusual animals been left to Hee-jung? What was the purpose behind this? Find the answer by playing
through this roller-coaster of emotions, full of surprises, deceit, and romantic adventures.”

Heejung... Well I can't really say I loved this protagonist. She has a lot of traits I've come to dislike in visual novels such as the typical dense characteristic. She isn't very bold either in my opinion and easily gets embarrassed by the thought of someone just holding her hand. She just sort of... gets on with her busy life even though she doesn't like it all because she's afraid her mother wont accept what she wants and she will be abandoned. That's perfectly understandable but it seems no matter what Heejung does her mother isn't happy about it so I don't see why she even bothers trying to be praised by her mother. I've had more of an 'indifferent' mother so that's probably why I can't quite understand her mindset but I'm sure some might. She does have some qualities I envy though: She's always hard working no matter what she's doing. I don't often come across people who put their everything into something, even if they dislike what they are doing. I generally think that's an incredible trait. But if nothing else, she seems realistic.

Jieun

The timid, apple obsessed Prince

I've read Jieun is the easiest guy to start with because he doesn't have a bad ending, so not really knowing how to play the game, I thought it'd be a good idea to follow this advise.

He's the timid little white rabbit. Apparently white is a sign that he's royalty, which I found rather interesting. In his route, he doesn't talk much to begin with and sticks close to Jihae. His favourite food is apples and he appears quite obsessed with them – always talking about them and wanting to eat them, but Heejung is told not to give him too many as sugar makes him aggressive, which she is reluctant to believe, and so was I. He's just so quiet and sweet! So after being told not to give him more than two a day, she let's him have seven – yes SEVEN apples (He sure doesn't have a problem getting him 5 a day at that rate) and quiet little Jieun starts acting as though he were drunk. He even smacks his head on the table. Geez. I didn't really see him as being as aggressive as I imagined when told about the sugar but yeah, he does change. Jieun starts yelling – ordering Heejung to give him more apples. It was kind of funny to see this! And that CG with his red cheeks was so adorable!! The main thing I liked about Jieun's route is how he changes over the year when he is with Heejung in a realistic way. He starts out the spoilt prince that he is, getting others to do even the most trivial thing for him such as straightening his ribbon. When going out on a date with him, he will even ask Heejung to open the door for him when they arrive back home, but as the story progresses, he starts to want to be more independent. He tries to help with the cooking, even though he's not very good at it and causes Heejung to take longer preparing dinner, I thought it was really sweet none-the-less! I didn't feel like he had on overly tragic past, it felt more like 'shit happens' but he feels guilty and his wish revolves around wanting to correct his mistake which is very mature of him.

Overall he has a nice route to begin with. His character is believable if not a little stereotypical in places and he's very adorable. Although having said this, I still felt at parts there was going to be some kind of BL with Jihae with how close their bond was... That might just be my mind in the gutter though! :3

Jiwoo

The huge tsundere

 Jiwoo was my second choice sheerly because I was sick of his attitude and I thought; “Screw you little bunny, let's see how that attitude changes after I catch you and make you mine”. Evidently... it's didn't change all that much.

Jiwoo is what you call the 'tsundere character' I suppose. He's loud and arrogant, often making himself out to be far more superior than everyone else – generally he's just a jerk. While pursuing Jiwoo he gives Heejung the nickname “Dumbo” and continued to call her stupid through most of the route even after they become a couple. Being the tsundere he is, even though he acts like a complete a-hole he actually only wants someone to reach out and understand him, which Heejung quickly realises - While he's sulking might I add... He sulks a lot actually, but it is kind of cute! :3

He's also complete obsessed with romance novels and old TV dramas as he tries to become some kind of romance guru. He seems to be the jealous type and is quick to jump to conclusions when he finds Heejung out with Jisoo. His 'tragic past' is sort of something that could quite easily happen in the real world... with a bit of a twist I suppose.

Overall I wasn't that keen on this route (Which is probably obvious in the little that I managed to wirite about Jiwoo) , I remember thinking things like: “I really want to punch this guy!” and “These two just don't seem right for each other at all!” but his ending was really something – I did enjoy it, I'll give him that. I have, however, seen a few people that seem to like Jiwoo a lot! Each to their own and all that!!

Jisoo

The kind but overly jealous black cat

He's my third because he's hawt!! Yep, that's right, that is all there is to my choice here! :3

The first thing I noticed about Jisoo's route is that he doesn't come across as being as stupid as he does in the other routes. He's actually very sweet and caring towards Heejung but he's also overly jealous and I mean OVERLY here as well as jumping to conclusions without a shred of proof. He constantly asks if Heejung has a boyfriend and if she is lying or not. It even goes as far as Jisoo saying she can't take other guys out with her (though I don't think she's the type to mess around anyway) or even think about other guys. He just comes off as 'two sides of the same coin' to me. The main thing I loved about Jisoo is how he's portrayed while talking about his little sister. He really does sound like he's a great older brother and that he loves her very much. Even though he's seen as being really cheerful (or madly jealous) throughout the game, he really shines during this part and the story about his past was rather heartbreaking – Not to the point where it made me choke up or made me tearful but it was still really touching! One of the other things to note about Jisoo is that his past, unlike the other two I've played to this point, doesn't explain his jealous personality but it does explain his need to protect Heejung. I might have missed something, or didn't interpret something I should have, but even at the end of his good ending I was still unsure of the reason for his jealous behaviour – Maybe there's something in his bad ending but I didn't get around to playing that yet. Nope, it still wasn't explained but holy hell was he scary on his bad route. I mean SERIOUSLY scary. I think he's been watching/playing Amnesia and got an idea from Toma or something. Drugging poor Heejung – crist. It was a pretty interesting experience though since I've, fortunately, never been in a situation like that before. And as an extra side note – Jisoo has the most CG's! 
Overall I honestly don't know what to think of Jisoo – There were just so many feels in his route. Every time I began to think: “Maybe he's just really worried about Heejung, it's sweet!” and started to overlook his jealousy and see only the kind side of him – BAM, he started acting jealous again and I was left thinking: “I really don't like this side of him!”. His good ending was really something though, I majorly choked up here. It was a great ending to a very emotional route. I think his character was written very well!

Jihae

The self-conscious gentleman

Well after using Jihae for Jisoo's bad route I felt kinda bad and I was interested as to what was hiding behind that gentleman exterior that I hadn't learned about from Jieun's route. Sadly... not much. Jihae was a complete gentleman throughout his route, his 'down side' was that he was very self-conscious about they way he looks. Heejung has a hard time keeping eye contact with him for the sole reason that he was so incredible beautiful and poor Jihae thought the reason she wouldn't look at him was because his appearance was displeasing. Even though he became a very successful model in a short space of time, he still seemed to believe looking at him was making Heejung uncomfortable for the wrong reason. Man, how many people can't relate to that one? I suppose that because I can relate so strongly to Jihae is the reason he quickly became my favourite! I couldn't help noticing that every time Heejung took Jihae out with her, he's always telling her to get some rest upon returning home. It eventually stopped and he started saying he'll cook tonight instead but I think because I was on the look out for hints that would lead me to his 'dark side' I was questioning everything. This game is totally messing with my head right now haha! I didn't really find out anything new about Jihae's past that wasn't already shared through Jieun's route, it was just more detailed. Talking about Jieun I actually thought Heejung would be sort of taking Jihae from him in an unknown sort of way here, and although that's kind of what happens, it's handled in such a way I didn't feel she was a bitch or anything. In other words it was done in a subtle but understandable way. Kind of like... Jieun hands him over, not necessarily happily but for Jihae's own good type way. Out of the four guys I've played so far, Jihae is the only one where Heejung's mother doesn't come storming into her life again to yell at her, instead, he's also the only one to try and break up with Heejung to make his disappearing easier on her – not necessarily the best thing to do but I could totally see where he was coming from! I'm also going to add as a side note that Heejung looks extremely beautiful in the last CG in this route!

 Overall like I already said, unless Jiyeon can beat Jihae, Jihae is my favourite guy. He's very caring and sensitive toward our protagonist and it's been nice to see a true gentleman in a visual novel – Lord knows it's hard to find one without an ulterior motive in the real world!! I can also imagine Jihae being last on most peoples list in order of playing as he does seem to be the quiet guy that just sits in the corner patiently waiting for his turn... Heck he even tells Jisoo something similar to that during the game.

Before I finish up with Jihae and move on to Jiyeon, I'm going to add that (until this point) Jihae's route seems to have the most mistakes in the text. His name was even misspelled at least twice!! Geez.

Jiyeon

And finally the little orange cat. Jiyeon might have been first on my list if I hadn't of played the demo which seems to push you in his direction. He acts cute and all but I didn't really like his sprite! I'm not entirely sure why and the fact that he can't pronounce a lot of words correctly isn't cute... It just isn't Jiyeon!! In fact his whole 'I'm an adorable little kitty – love me' thing didn't sit right with me at all. It may be some what 'cute' (for a lack of a better word) that his favourite colour is also his favourite food but seriously, if some free loader in my house was content with leaving orange peels all over my place for me to clean up when they have the luxury of getting their favourite food for free, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't continue to roll over and not only let him do as he pleases but encourage him! Bad Heejung!! There are several sides of Jiyeon shown in his route. His cute and cuddly side soon disappears after Heejung finds out that he's going out and lying to woman so that they will give him money and other things. He forcefully threatens Heejung, warning her to stay out of his business before leaving. He's actually quite terrifying here, but even after Heejung is abused she can't give up on him. I guess she's already in too deep but the fact that she mopes around constantly and acts like she wants to be thrown a pity party as well as feeling worthless all the time is not really what I like to see in a protagonist. I suppose it's realistic but still, it doesn't mean I have to like her right now! Those guys that can get into your head and make you feel completely worthless really are the worst! But having the strong desire to carry on and try to help him she does eventually get him back and you see yet another side of Jiyeon. It's similar to his first side – he's happy and playful but doesn't try to act cute any more. When Heejung tries to get him to stop manipulating other woman to get what he wants and to stop lying so much he agrees... a little to easily which again, didn't sit right with me. Considering he's a compulsive liar or sorts I didn't like how she could just trust his word like that! Love does strange things to people I suppose. I did actually take quite a liking to Jiyeon towards the end. He's sort of romantic in his own way. The scene with the Wizard before the credits felt a little rushed though. Usually there is dialogue back and forth between him and Heejung but for this route it was just him talking. Jiyeon also seems to be the only guy out of the five who is willing to throw away his chance at getting his wish by pushing away Heejung. I'm a little at a lose as to why he even agreed to be in the game...

Overall it's an interesting route, you get to see a lot of sides to Jiyeon. I personally think he's the most deceptive of the bunch. He's also the only one that doesn't have a scene for Christmas as well as being the sole guy to give her a gift during a scene, although it doesn't get put into your tiny little purse afterwards.

Wizard

The love crazed wizard

He may not really be an obtainable guy (even though I think it would have been interesting to see) but I think because he's an important part of the game (and hawt!!), I wanted to put a little bit about him. So he is of course the person who made the game involving Heejung, he does this because, apparently, he's madly in love with her after observing her in the human world. She can't see him of course, because she doesn't have a desperate wish and he gets tired of waiting. He's defiantly more of an obsessive stalker than anything else and I also thought it was a little crazy, but I suppose if you so desperately want something that is being dangled in front of your face but you can't have it, you're not going to stay sane forever. Once you complete the five guys routes there is a “Behind the story” option in the bonus tab within the extras option. You get to see more of his side of the story and why he's made the game. It's pretty interesting and at the end of it, there is a nice CG.

Overall though, I find it hard how he can justify himself as being “good”. I guess that granting peoples wishing is an incredible thing and if they are that desperate, the price of their memory doesn't look like a huge deal, but when he has to take away some ones memory to keep himself alive, the illusion of being good sort of fades away and you're left with what is necessary to survive!

  Heejae

Not actually an obtainable guy

Heejae may indeed not be romanceable but I wanted to write a little about him anyway. I'm sure anyone can tell just by looking at him that he doesn't fit in this game in that way. Even though I felt bad that he is like the definition of “friend zoned” I couldn't help but laugh at him most of the time. If you manage to get your stress level maxed (I only did this while the guys were animals, not after) he invites Heejung out for a drink and you get this pretty funny looking CG where he's pretty wasted. The creep is caught trying to invite himself into Heejung's house twice from what I've managed to find. I was also curious what would happen if I avoided increasing my points with all the guys before they turned human and this leads to a Heejae sort of ending which I pissed myself laughing at. Turns out the guys parents own a chicken restaurant and he's working hard delivering chickens... Man, the way he sounded so passionate about it, I couldn't help myself. There was a mixture of laughing and cringing on my part for this! Geez, I swear, you guys have to try this out. It really can't be missed, especially if you have a humour similar to my own!! He's gonna have to make that chicken pretty damn tasty if he hopes to provide for Heejung this way that's for sure!

Overall

There was one major thing that annoyed me with this game and that was the text. It was as if it didn't have a single proof-reader. There were so many typos, some words didn't have a space where they needed one (mainly in Jihae's route), some of the sentences were a little hard to understand because of unnecessary words and a lot of the time, the guys names were mixed up and misspelled, it was very off-putting to say the least and in some places, it really spoiled the mood for me! Considering you have to pay for this game, I did expect a little more here but even after saying that, I'm still grateful that it's in a language I can understand.

I knew off the bat that this was a stat raising game and I've never been that fond of them but this one just felt so much more drawn out then it needed to be. All that saving and loading also become tiresome fast. It made it quite difficult for me to finish this game in all honesty!

Other than that, the artwork is beautifully done. The story itself was okay, it's something I haven't quite played before, but I must say that if five guys suddenly turned up at my house with the selfish intention of trying to make me fall for them just so they can have a wish granted, I'd probably be pretty pissed to say the least no matter what that wish may have been.

I particularly loved how the guys were all so different from each other and although most of them I didn't end up liking, I still really enjoyed playing each route. Their personalities are so defined and I think they were all written really well! The way they interact with each other and the protagonist was believable and sometimes pretty comical. Their defining traits shone through strongly making them feel more like a person than something inside a game and the way they can sway your emotions was amazing: such as in Jisoo's route, I really did feel terrified for Heejung, which isn't an emotion I normally get to feel in a visual novel and in Jihae's, my heart really did go out for him for most of his route!

Another thing that took my fancy was the option to go out with a guy on the weekend (assuming they were home). There were so many options and I really liked that fact that each guy responds to the weather depending on what time of the year you go out. Such as if you go to the beach when it's cold and you come across a girl in a bikini they will pass a comment on it. This again makes the game more realistic in my opinion!

Ah, yeah, one more thing, and I'm not sure if I liked this or not but you couldn't look through the CG's of a guy until you finished his route. It certainly helped motivate me to complete the game but at the same time, I can't help thinking that that feature was only put in place because of the tiresome stat building mechanics.

I'd like to just say that I'd be happy to recommend this game and leave it at that but it's not going to happen. I'd personally only recommend this game to people have don't have a problem with the stat building mechanics in these games and if you have a lot of patience. If you're still on the fence about it, there is a demo out along with the full version of the game!

And finally, I'll leave you with this cute/funny picture!

Area-X Review

FINALLY Area-X is released and ready to play! Like X-Note (If you haven't played it yet – you really need too) the game is more about the story and not so much the romance. Not to say there isn't any at all, but if you're the type that likes to see the MC get at least a kiss you may be a little disappointed with this game. None-the-less I would recommend playing it either way – it's a great visual novel!

So... What is Area-X? For those of you who don't know...

“AREA-X - A Time Traveling Otome Game 

In the far future, people live 1000 meters deep underground. Technology is abundant, but life is a constant struggle. An organization sought to end this by sending people back in time to recover lost natural resources. Elcia is one of such people. As a Time Negotiator, it's her job to travel across various dimensions and negotiate with people of the past.

However, in a strange twist of fate, Elcia accidentally stumbled upon an unknown dimension known as "Area-X" during her very first mission. Following its discovery, more bizarre incidents and conspiracies awaited her one after another - all of this eventually led to discovering the uncanny nature of the world and how it all ties to Elcia’s very own mysterious past...
GAME OVERVIEW:
Area-X is a blend between a Visual Novel, a Dating Sim, and an Adventure Game. Follow the story of Elcia as she travels through time and unravels the true nature of her mysterious surroundings. The game spans six chapters, of which you can explore multiple dimensions, complete missions and make choices to determine Elcia's fate.

Developer: Zeiva Inc Production
Spec: Flash, 170 MB, 800×600
Genre: Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction
Rating: Teen 13+
Release Date:16 June 2013 ”

Just to warn you, this will probably have a lot more spoilers than my other reviews. 

You play as Elcia. She's young, beautiful, strong willed and a sadist... Yep – that's right, a sadist and boy was it fun to play as her. Elcia is also very special in several ways. First – unlike most Time Negotiator's Elcia is able to stay in other dimensions for a lot longer than most, she also isn't limited to travelling to only one era. Throughout the game you will also discover more and more secrets about her as you play through the different routes but I don't want to give to much away right now.

I started with Belph and if I'm completely honest, before the game was released he was the guy I was least interested in. I didn't actively seek out his path but seeing as you can only choose between him and Yuras until you've completed both of their good and bad routes and I didn't really have a clue what I was doing at first, it just kind of worked out this way.

Belph is a pretty laid back or should I say a 'lazy' guy who spends his free time either playing video games or drinking.

He also attended the same school as Elcia where they caused so much mischief that they got the nick-name “Sadistic duo”. I'll leave you play the game to find out why that is :3.

On Elcia's first day at her new job she finds out Belph will be her operator, they spend a few minutes “strengthening their bond” via jokes and laughter much to Irina's (Elcia's best friend) dismay before Elcia heads out on her first mission. Almost as soon as she reaches her destination Belph makes a joke that a normal person probably wouldn't find funny in that situation (although I thought he was great) then proceeds to talk half-arsed nonsense before leaving her to do her job. By this point I was already enjoying myself. His half-arsed, lazy but witty attitude carries on like this for a little longer until Elcia finally arrives back in her own era.

I don't really want to write to much about the novels story as it might somehow discourage some from actually buying it and that would be a shame, but yeah, Belph's witty attitude really does give him a nice characteristic and you can see that Elcia and him get along quite well.

Belph's bad ending was... I suppose it was a little sad considering how it turns out but I didn't really feel any strong emotion for it. You can see he's doing his best to protect Elcia by sacrificing his own freedom in many ways and still I only felt a tiny bit sorry for him – nothing more.

Belph's good ending however, I found to be really fun, he's still mischievous but you see it in a slightly different light. The bonus ending via sea path I thought was amazingly done. It's a very small chapter but it brought a smile to my face none-the-less. The Sadistic duo are together and making the most of it. They are care-free, having fun and at the same time, making the world a better place. This also has my favourite Belph route CG in it.

Yuras is found in the Ice ages and I think it fits him perfectly. He can appear cold at times as he has very little to say and doesn't usually speak until prompted too. He does however, speak truthfully without hesitation. Yuras is a strong fighter and can dispatch jaguars instantly. The first time Elcia meets Yuras is just the best. Believing her to be dead after a jaguar attack he tries to bury her in the snow. Needless to say, it's quite a funny scene. Even though Yuras doesn't speak much to begin with, you do learn quite a lot about him, his past and his relationship with his family. He's very close to his older sister and is willing to do whatever it takes to protect her. I also found it rather cute how, even though Yuras lives in a world filled with snow he doesn't know what a snowman is, referring to it as more of a monster yet he still loves to make them after Elcia introduces them to him.

Yuras bad ending... I think I was too shocked to feel much other than a great deal of sympathy. You do really see a side of Yuras that you don't want to be on the receiving end of. He's pretty brutal.

His good ending I liked seeing his mature side as well as his childish side. He was so adorable here. That's all I can really say without spoiling it to much though :/

Rexus... Ah how I've been waiting to romance you since X-Note. If you played X-Note you will likely be pleased to find Rexus hasn't changed all that much. He can still be found lurking behind objects much like he was with Essi in the park but only this time he has to face Elcia when he's caught. She doen't have a single problem teasing him with her sadistic humour and I loved it when she can make him blush as red as a tomato. The whole scene in ORZ Corporate at the staircase if you're on Rexus good path is the best thing ever!! That tomato faced Rexus really is something I couldn't get tired of swooning over... ahem. Again as with X-Note he tries to act dumb most of the time but Elcia can always see through him easily, telling him repeatedly that he isn't a very good actor. If anyone is wondering, Rexus path really does fit in nicely around his story with Essi from X-Note and it's done in such a creative, unique was I would never have been able to guess it... although maybe I should have been able too... I dunno. Aaaanyway for something I've been looking forward to for quite some time, this route really didn't disappoint. It may have made me go “eh...?” in a few places but it comes together nicely and it was really great to see all the old characters from X-Note too. I still can't believe it was Elcia who made Anon who he is in that novel but I'd really like to thank her for it heh-heh-heh.

I know I just said the route didn't disappoint but I can't truthfully say the same for the endings. I know Zeiva Inc isn't big on the whole happy ever after romance thing but still, I couldn't help hoping for more here, maybe that's because I've been wanting to seduce this red-haired hunk for what seems like ages. That's not to say I didn't like the endings at all – in fact the good ending is very practical... That's not how I'd have imagined describing a good end to a visual novel but there you have it!

We then come to Livan found in the Middle Ages. He's obsessed with painting and refers to a lot of things as if they were paintings. He's a generally nice person and says multiple times how he receives joy from helping people – He even willingly gives a thief his money knowing that they are lying when they say they only steal because they are hungry. I'm always curious about these overly nice types of characters as I'm always expecting them to be secretly evil or something. I was even waiting for him to poison the king while making cookies but they never happens. I'm not entirely sure if I'm actually disappointed or not. Livan's path has a few strange characters such as a king obsessed with cookies to the point where he will end every sentence with the word “cookie” and another man who is obsessed with bears and the word “fabulous”. At the very least, they are defiantly amusing if not a little annoying at times. I'm still not sure what to make of Livan altogether though, because as soon as I started to think “Oh, maybe he is just a generally nice guy” BAM I'm shown otherwise. Where the hell was he hiding that personality? Even knowing this you can defiantly see he cares a great deal for Elcia and he's willing to do whatever he needs too to ensure her safety.

His bad ending I wasn't too surprised by as the events towards the end played out. It really made me feel for Elcia though.

His good ending was... not really what I had expecting and it's nice to be surprised sometimes – this is no exception. It's a very interesting end for a game and I can say I quite enjoyed it even if it isn't the usual type of thing!

Ferim is the fifth and final path in the game. He is located in a place called Area-X. Almost nothing is known about this area and most Time Negotiators that arrive at this place end up there by accident. Ferim originally tells Elcia to call him “Time Manager” as he is the being that transcends time and he is able to oversee all dimensions. Ferim seems to be a complete mystery and is only willing to give the utmost minimal information, encouraging Elcia to figure the rest out by herself. Ferim's path is different from the others as you don't spent your time solely in his era, instead, you spend some time exploring the others eras. Ferim's path feels more like a way to answer any last minute questions and a way to wrap up the game as a whole. Having said this I still think he's well worth the wait. Shortly after my personal most hated mission in the game you get to see what Ferim actually looks like and damn... Why does he feel the need to hide behind that hood? I found him to be the most interesting characters out of the guys as he will sometimes admit to things he probably shouldn't with a straight forward answer and what seems to be pride. All around, he probably is my favourite guy – He's just written so well!! Ferim only has one ending unlike the other guys and it felt more like a reward for finishing the game. It's defiantly what I'd call “bittersweet”.

Overall I quite enjoyed this visual novel. The story through the different paths connected together nicely and Zeiva Inc didn't forget about X-Note either. It wrapped up nicely in each route and by the time I finished the game all my questions were answered quite nicely. There were tones of interesting characters, both old and new and I especially had fun roaming around in the 'Present'. Although now I do feel a little nostalgic and will probably dust of my copy of X-Note for another playthrough pretty soon.

No expense was spared with the beautiful CG's. You can find many throughout the game and they are all very well done. I laughed at some, chocked up on others and swooned a little here and there... >.> Sadly there isn't a gallery in this version but I've read there will be one in version 2.0. The sprites are the same. Zeiva Inc didn't cut any corners. If they needed a new sprite, they just got on with it and made a new one. Even all of the old characters from X-Note got a nice overhaul and while we're on the subject might I just point out that Loil somehow managed to look even eviller even if he is covered from head to toe in pink... them eyes man!

There were some issues I had with the game such as there wasn't (at least any way that I found) an option to skip only read dialogue so I ended up skipping over some stuff I hadn't read before, especially in Yuras' path because I couldn't for the life of me get his good ending for ages and this just made me even more frustrated having to go back and read most of a chapter again.

I also think the face that you have a play through both the good and bad endings of Belph and Yuras path before you could move on to Rexus and Livan might annoy some people. I personally didn't have a problem with it. If that's how someone wants you to play their game then so be it. But I still wouldn't be that surprised if some people have a mini nerd rage over it.

Before I finish up, I'd just like to thank Zeiva for making yet another amazingly beautiful story – It really has inspired me to try and improve my writing skills!

So... would I recommend this visual novel? Absolutely! If you're not convinced, you can check out the demo and make your mind up from there. The full version can be bought from the official Zeiva Inc website too.