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Post by Rune Lai on Jan 3, 2023 16:30:24 GMT -5
It's time for the annual shuffle. I'm once again updating my Should Play and Should Finish lists with an eye towards knocking off more games from my backlog.
Should Play:
Opus: Echoes of Starsong
Ambition: A Minuet in Power
Radiant Historia
Buried Stars
Should Finish:
Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
Cupid Parasite
Piofiore: Fated Memories
Not Yet Bought:
Legend of Tianding - Wishlist until cheap "enough" because I got too many games
even if Tempest - Wishlist until a decent sale (probably $40 or less)
Paradigm Paradox - Wishlist item until price is $30 or less
Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpai - Wishlist item until price is $30 or less
The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story - Wishlist item until price is $30 or less
Triangle Strategy - Maybe when it hits $30
Jack Jeanne - Possible pre-order
Radiant Tale - Likely pre-order
Norn9: Last Era - Likely pre-order
For 2023, I think we're going to need a fresh slate, so everything on the Should Play list is something I bought last year. I really wanted to support some indie devs so first off we're adding Opus: Echoes of Starsong and Ambition: A Minuet in Power, the former of which seems to be an adventure/puzzle/visual novel hybrid and the latter of which seems to be either an otome or a French noblewoman sim depending on how you look at it. Then we'll add Radiant Historia for an RPG and Buried Stars for our mystery game.
Both Cupid Parasite and Piofiore: Fated Memories are being moved from Should Play down to Should Finish. CP might take a little more effort to get back into, but I don't think Piofiore will be as bad since I was enjoying it quite a bit. To make space I'm dumping Persona 4 Arena and Golden Sun: The Lost Age, which... well... I keep meaning to get back to. Someday. I'm leaving Lone Wolf, Story of Seasons, and Etrian Odyssey in place because I think those are still more likely to get back to. Though I might just restart Lone Wolf with a fresh save since it's been long enough that I'm not entirely sure what I was doing in the story anymore, and since it's based on a series near and dear to my heart I'd like to intelligently write a blog post about it, which will be hard if I don't remember what I was doing half the game. (Though the fangirl in me cringes at the part of going back to an Assassin's Creed-looking Lone Wolf.)
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Post by Solana on Jan 6, 2023 19:47:53 GMT -5
Just out of curiosity, do you have plans to play 'Hatoful Boyfriend- Holiday Star' at any point? I've been relistening to Team Hatoful play through it on my snowy drives into work. If you thought BBL brought the tears, this one will send the feels through a wood chipper before making you laugh hysterically.
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Post by Rune Lai on Jan 7, 2023 19:13:28 GMT -5
I have Holiday Star since a friend gave me a free Steam code for it, but I don't have any immediate plans for playing it. BBL got my attention for its mystery elements rather than being a tearjerker. All the tension and hunting down the truth really got me invested. Holiday Star looked like a comedic add-on (though the entire premise of Hatoful Boyfriend is silly until it isn't) so I assumed it was more of a fluff piece than a dramatic one. If it's got the same mystery and suspense I might move it a little higher on my priority list, but I didn't mesh with most of the cast so unless something dramatically changes my perspective of them (like Sakuya became so much more fun and a real bro in BBL), it's unlikely it'll be much of a tearjerker for me.
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Post by Solana on Jan 8, 2023 20:06:44 GMT -5
The first two parts of Holiday Star have a ton of comedy, as do the radio sessions. The third and fourth parts have mystery, some character development, and a combo of laughs, epic moments, and tears. (Some of the members of Team Hatoful were getting teary when voicing certain parts or having difficulty with other parts.) It also expands on things we learned in BBL, but that's all I want to say. The funny chapter two is when we meet Tohri and is Anghel-centric, while the last two parts have a lot of Nageki.
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Post by Rune Lai on Jan 9, 2023 19:32:08 GMT -5
Unfortunately I bounced off Anghel and Nageki. They were fine as part of the plot for BBL, but as characters they didn't do anything for me. If the new stuff with them is in service to expanding BBL that might be okay, but if it's just them being them, that makes me less inclined to play. I know you really like the game, but Hatoful was a 7/10 for me.  I see it as a flawed game that had some nice ideas but was hampered by the execution. You had to play through all the pigeon routes (which I found tedious due to game mechanics and mostly meh for story and character) to get to the good stuff (BBL) which you would only understand if you played through the pigeon routes. That's why even though I have the sequel, I haven't been in a hurry to play it. I'm afraid it'll be more like the first half of Hatoful and less like the second, which I wish would have worked without having to play the first. I think your best chance to get me to play it is to remind me in December if I haven't hit 12 games by the end of the year and I'm scrambling for something short to fill in the gap. |
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Post by Rune Lai on Jan 9, 2023 19:39:51 GMT -5
And forgot to update since I get to cross a game off my list. Opus: Echo of Starsong was absolutely lovely and a great way to start my gaming year. It's rare I'll call a game "beautiful" but it was just that. I also made my first purchase with Birushana and I'm probably going to pick up a couple more indie items that are still on sale from the holiday season. The Switch is just lousy with them and it's so much easier than playing on Steam. My progress as it currently stands: Should Play:Opus: Echo of StarsongAmbition: A Minuet in PowerRadiant HistoriaBuried StarsShould Finish:Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned CityJoe Dever's Lone WolfStory of Seasons: Friends of Mineral TownCupid ParasitePiofiore: Fated Memories Not Yet Bought:even if Tempest - Wishlist until a decent sale (probably $40 or less) Paradigm Paradox - Wishlist item until price is $30 or less The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story - Wishlist item until price is $30 or less Triangle Strategy - Maybe when it hits $30 Jack Jeanner - Possible pre-order Radiant Tale - Likely pre-order Norn9: Last Era - Likely pre-order Added to Backlog:Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpai - Picked up on sale, not as cheap as I would have liked, but physical is trending towards out of print Total games completed in 2023: 1 |
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Post by Solana on Jan 10, 2023 5:13:35 GMT -5
Unfortunately I bounced off Anghel and Nageki. They were fine as part of the plot for BBL, but as characters they didn't do anything for me. If the new stuff with them is in service to expanding BBL that might be okay, but if it's just them being them, that makes me less inclined to play. I know you really like the game, but Hatoful was a 7/10 for me. I see it as a flawed game that had some nice ideas but was hampered by the execution. You had to play through all the pigeon routes (which I found tedious due to game mechanics and mostly meh for story and character) to get to the good stuff (BBL) which you would only understand if you played through the pigeon routes. That's why even though I have the sequel, I haven't been in a hurry to play it. I'm afraid it'll be more like the first half of Hatoful and less like the second, which I wish would have worked without having to play the first. I think your best chance to get me to play it is to remind me in December if I haven't hit 12 games by the end of the year and I'm scrambling for something short to fill in the gap. No problem, that's why there's such a variety of games out there for us. Speaking of calling games 'beautiful', the first one that comes to mind for me is 'Okami'. |
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Post by Rune Lai on Jan 12, 2023 22:22:03 GMT -5
Okami is still on my list to play. It's been ported to Switch and is often on sale. Probably often enough that I keep waiting for a better one. >.>
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Post by Rune Lai on Feb 20, 2023 16:49:49 GMT -5
Crossing off Ambition: A Minuet in Power. I got endings with all six love interests. Also started Buried Stars so this year is looking good for targeted backlog progress.
My progress as it currently stands:
Should Play:
Opus: Echoes of Starsong
Ambition: A Minuet in Power
Radiant Historia
Buried Stars
Should Finish:
Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
Cupid Parasite
Piofiore: Fated Memories
Not Yet Bought:
even if Tempest - Wishlist until a decent sale (probably $40 or less)
Paradigm Paradox - Wishlist item until price is $30 or less
The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story - Wishlist item until price is $30 or less
Triangle Strategy - Maybe when it hits $30
Jack Jeanne - Possible pre-order
Radiant Tale - Likely pre-order
Norn9: Last Era - Likely pre-order
Added to Backlog:
Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpai
Hermitage: Strange Case Files - Picked up on sale, was on my Steam wishlist, but got a handy Switch port
Total games completed in 2023: 2
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Post by Rune Lai on May 9, 2023 22:15:11 GMT -5
I don't know where all my time went. I was thinking I was making good progress on gaming when I started Buried Stars in February and now it's May. (Okay, I know a good chunk of it went into the new Path of Exile league which started at the beginning of April, but still...)
Just accounting for play time and not whatever else was eating up my days, Buried Stars took me longer to finish than I thought it would. I suspect people who like to log their hours in How Long to Beat are generally speed players using walkthroughs or otherwise trying to optimize their time since I'm often one of the longest recorded times even beyond their "leisurely" time estimate, and I generally don't idle while I'm playing, but I was also very adamant about not using a walkthrough during my main playthrough and had to retread a lot of ground, all of which added to my time.
At least it's done. That only leaves Radiant Historia in my Should Play list, which is a good look. I'm probably going to finish up the other two of the core five routes of My Sweet Bodyguard next, even though that wasn't on either list, since they're relatively short and I feel like I need a light-hearted palate cleanser.
My wishlist is looking horribly crowded with various announcements this year. Even though I was looking forward to Centennial Case and it met the original sale threshold I set for it more than once, I ended up passing just because there's too much going on. I love my mystery games and I'm used to being so starved for them that they're typically an insta-buy, but my Process of Elimination pre-order arrived, Hermitage is in the backlog, and the latest Sherlock Holmes from Frogwares as well as Ghost Trick and Master Detective Archives are 2023 releases on my wishlist. CC looks interesting and I like trying games where devs try to do something unusual (like the live action with the same actors playing different characters in different time periods), but it's got so much competition now and got middling reviews.
The otome market is pretty crowded too. I ended up backing the Touchstarved Kickstarter (which is not technically otome since you can choose your protag's gender, but all the LIs are either male or non-binary) and Jack Jeanne, Radiant Tale, Charade Maniacs, and Norn9: Last Era are all releasing this summer. It's ridiculous. This leaves Virche Evermore in "when there's a good sale" territory and I already decided to pass on Winter's Wish. Fortunately the Otomate train which serves up most of these games is running out of back and current catalog that hasn't already been announced for localization on Switch, so the tide should be slowing a bit (though smaller Japanese devs/publishers seem to be getting increasingly interested in the English market so they may well make up for any shortfall).
My progress as it currently stands:
Should Play:
Opus: Echoes of Starsong
Ambition: A Minuet in Power
Radiant Historia
Buried Stars
Should Finish:
Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
Cupid Parasite
Piofiore: Fated Memories
Not Yet Bought:
even if Tempest - Wishlist until a decent sale (probably $30 or less, but might pay a little more if the sale lands during a good play window)
Paradigm Paradox - Wishlist item until price is $30 or less
The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story - Wishlist item until price is $20 or less
Triangle Strategy - Maybe when it hits $30
Jack Jeanne - Pre-ordered
Radiant Tale - Pre-ordered
Norn9: Last Era - Pre-ordered
Charade Maniacs - Pre-ordered
Ghost Trick - Likely pre-order
Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster - Guaranteed purchase
Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo - Wishlist item until cheap "enough"
Virche Evermore - Probably gonna wait for a sale
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code - might pre-order
Added to Backlog:
Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpai
Hermitage: Strange Case Files
Be My Princess - Love 365 had a sale so I bought a few routes after playing some of each of them
Process of Elimination - pre-ordered
Total games completed in 2023: 3
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Post by Rune Lai on May 23, 2023 22:46:00 GMT -5
Crossing off My Sweet Bodyguard, having finished the last of the five main guys. I'm not going to add the yuri VN to this list since it's not something I would otherwise have played, but at least I'm not as behind as I was a short while ago. Maybe I should find something short to play next, but I'm a little torn between whether that will be an RPG, a VN, or something else. If it's an RPG it definitely won't be short, but I feel like I need a change of pace.
I have half a mind to spin up Frostpunk (which I got free on PC through the Epic Game Store) and see if it will work on my computer, but I also want something I can play in bed, so that means grabbing one of my portable devices.
Also kicked Triangle Strategy off my wishlist since after listening to a 100% review of it, I found out that you can't do all the cool stuff regarding influencing other characters' decision making until New Game+ and I don't have time for that.
My progress as it currently stands:
Should Play:
Opus: Echoes of Starsong
Ambition: A Minuet in Power
Radiant Historia
Buried Stars
Should Finish:
Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
Cupid Parasite
Piofiore: Fated Memories
Not Yet Bought:
even if Tempest - Wishlist until a decent sale (probably $30 or less, but might pay a little more if the sale lands during a good play window)
Paradigm Paradox - Wishlist item until price is $30 or less
The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story - Wishlist item until price is $20 or less
Jack Jeanne - Pre-ordered
Radiant Tale - Pre-ordered
Norn9: Last Era - Pre-ordered
Charade Maniacs - Pre-ordered
Ghost Trick - Likely pre-order
Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster - Guaranteed purchase
Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo - Wishlist item until cheap "enough"
Virche Evermore - Probably gonna wait for a sale
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code - might pre-order
Added to Backlog:
Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpai
Hermitage: Strange Case Files
Be My Princess
Process of Elimination
Finished even though it wasn't on the list:
My Sweet Bodyguard
Total games completed in 2023: 4
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Post by Rune Lai on Jun 5, 2023 1:48:21 GMT -5
Adding Frostpunk to the completed list! I'll probably spend a few more days to a week on it to get a "perfect" win on the "A New Home" and "Fall of Winterhome" scenarios and to do one run on Endless mode for the lore archives, but after that I'll need something else to play.
At least this puts me relatively back on track with five months and five games done. Since there's a load of otome coming out over the summer I'm leaning towards finishing Piofiore: Fated Memories just so that particular genre isn't as backlogged.
My progress as it currently stands:
Should Play:
Opus: Echoes of Starsong
Ambition: A Minuet in Power
Radiant Historia
Buried Stars
Should Finish:
Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
Cupid Parasite
Piofiore: Fated Memories
Not Yet Bought:
even if Tempest - Wishlist until a decent sale (probably $30 or less, but might pay a little more if the sale lands during a good play window)
Paradigm Paradox - Wishlist item until price is $30 or less
The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story - Wishlist item until price is $20 or less
Jack Jeanne - Pre-ordered
Radiant Tale - Pre-ordered
Norn9: Last Era - Pre-ordered
Charade Maniacs - Pre-ordered
Ghost Trick - Likely pre-order
Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster - Guaranteed purchase
Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo - Wishlist item until cheap "enough"
Virche Evermore - Probably gonna wait for a sale
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code - might pre-order since it comes with a bonus novel
Added to Backlog:
Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpai
Hermitage: Strange Case Files
Be My Princess
Process of Elimination
Finished even though it wasn't on the list:
My Sweet Bodyguard
Frostpunk
Total games completed in 2023: 5
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Post by Rune Lai on Aug 1, 2023 22:59:39 GMT -5
Took a little longer than I hoped for, but crossing off Piofiore: Fated Memories. Yay!
June was going to be brutal on the acquisition front with Jack Jeanne, Charade Maniacs, Ghost Trick, and Master Detective Archives all releasing in the same month, but only the first two actually arrived because all the limited editions of Master Detective got stuck in customs so they got delayed into mid-July (and my copy eventually arrived). And then I somehow misread the Batan Kaitos release date and thought it was end of June, so when I pre-ordered Ghost Trick to go along with it and save on the cost of import shipping (gotta have those physicals) I didn't realize I wouldn't see it until probably October (since BK releases end of September). >.> Not that I'm likely to play Ghost Trick anytime soon, but I didn't expect to have it ordered and waiting around for three months.
Also the annual Steam sale went up and I do like to mix up my diet of RPGs and VNs with something outside of my usual wheelhouse, so for this year I selected Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders, which is an modern spin on the old school point and click murder mystery with pixel artwork out of the late 80s. I've seen a lot of these pixel mystery games lately so this must be some sort of trend with indie devs these days (certainly saves on artwork costs!). But I picked Di in particular because I've never actually watched or read any of the Judge Dee movies/TV series/books and I know he's a famous character based on a historical person, so I want to see what makes Di a compelling character. And because the game is short, I should be able to squeeze it in over a weekend, or during the week.
And... one of the biggest titles I expected for the year, Radiant Tale, has finally arrived. I plan to take a break from otome with Detective Di and then hop back on the otome train for a ragtag band of performers.
I am so booked on new games for this year. >.>
Other than BK, GT, and my remaining otome pre-orders though, I'm not aware of anything must-have that's coming out before the end of the year. Persona 5 Tactica got announced, but ngl the P5 crew is my least favorite of the four mainline Persona games I've played and while they're okay, I don't really need yet another game with them. (I'm still backlogged on Dancing in Starlight, Strikers, and Royal.)
There may be some new title drops and steep sales to throw off my buying (in fact there probably will be), but I'm already overstuffed for purchases this year.
My progress as it currently stands:
Should Play:
Opus: Echoes of Starsong
Ambition: A Minuet in Power
Radiant Historia
Buried Stars
Should Finish:
Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
Cupid Parasite
Piofiore: Fated Memories
Not Yet Bought:
Paradigm Paradox - Wishlist item until price is $30 or less
The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story - Wishlist item until price is $20 or less
Norn9: Last Era - Pre-ordered
Ghost Trick - Pre-ordered
Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster - Pre-ordered
Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo - Wishlist item until cheap "enough"
Virche Evermore - Probably gonna wait for a sale
Persona 5 Tactica - Gonna wait for a sale
My Life as a Villainess - Likely pre-order
Added to Backlog:
Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpai
Hermitage: Strange Case Files
Be My Princess
Process of Elimination
Jack Jeanne - Pre-ordered
Charade Maniacs - Pre-ordered
even if Tempest - Sale
Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders - annual Steam sale
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code - Pre-ordered
Radiant Tale - Pre-ordered
Finished even though it wasn't on the list:
My Sweet Bodyguard
Frostpunk
Total games completed in 2023: 6
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Post by Rune Lai on Aug 5, 2023 0:14:46 GMT -5
Finished Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders. Feels nice to cross something off so quickly, and it was a good game too!
Radiant Tale is up next. I probably won't finish it by the end of August though. I also picked up the Frostpunk DLC during the Epic summer sale so I'll probably play that at some point.
My progress as it currently stands:
Should Play:
Opus: Echoes of Starsong
Ambition: A Minuet in Power
Radiant Historia
Buried Stars
Should Finish:
Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
Cupid Parasite
Piofiore: Fated Memories
Not Yet Bought:
Paradigm Paradox - Wishlist item until price is $30 or less
The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story - Wishlist item until price is $20 or less
Norn9: Last Era - Pre-ordered
Ghost Trick - Pre-ordered
Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster - Pre-ordered
Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo - Wishlist item until cheap "enough"
Virche Evermore - Probably gonna wait for a sale
Persona 5 Tactica - Gonna wait for a sale
My Life as a Villainess - Likely pre-order
Added to Backlog:
Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpai
Hermitage: Strange Case Files
Be My Princess
Process of Elimination
Jack Jeanne
Charade Maniacs
even if Tempest
Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code
Radiant Tale
Finished even though it wasn't on the list:
My Sweet Bodyguard
Frostpunk
Total games completed in 2023: 7
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Post by Rune Lai on Oct 1, 2023 23:58:25 GMT -5
Crossing Radiant Tale off the list, but adding Paradigm Paradox to the backlog since it was on sale. I even got a first print run copy with the bonus collectible cards, though it might be that this game only had one print run. It got mixed reviews among otome fans, but I like it when a dev team tries something off the beaten path. Otome surprisingly hasn't had much in the way of magical girls, and having a team of guys who transform into girls and the bad guy team available as romance options is a pretty neat idea. I'm expecting this one will fall under the line of "lot of potential, poor execution" (especially trying to jam eight love interests there) which is why I waited for a sale, but at least they tried.
Norn 9: Last Era's pre-order also arrived, and people who've played both this and Var Commons swear the fandisc fixes all the problems the original had, and it definitely had problems. If not for exceptionally good character writing I probably would have liked it considerably less.
Even though I keep telling myself to knock it off with all the otome since it's building up and I generally don't play more than four a year even under good circumstances, I'm afraid I'm not doing a good job of it. I've already done three though, so I should make it a point to knock out at least one more by the end of the year.
My progress as it currently stands:
Should Play:
Opus: Echoes of Starsong
Ambition: A Minuet in Power
Radiant Historia
Buried Stars
Should Finish:
Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
Cupid Parasite
Piofiore: Fated Memories
Not Yet Bought:
The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story - Wishlist item until price is $20 or less
Ghost Trick - Pre-ordered
Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster - Pre-ordered
Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo - Wishlist item until cheap "enough"
Virche Evermore - Probably gonna wait for a sale
Persona 5 Tactica - Pre-ordered
My Life as a Villainess - Likely pre-order
Added to Backlog:
Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpai
Hermitage: Strange Case Files
Be My Princess
Process of Elimination
Jack Jeanne
Charade Maniacs
even if Tempest
Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code
Radiant Tale
Paradigm Paradox - on sale
Norn9: Last Era - Pre-ordered
Finished even though it wasn't on the list:
My Sweet Bodyguard
Frostpunk
Total games completed in 2023: 8
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I see it as a flawed game that had some nice ideas but was hampered by the execution. You had to play through all the pigeon routes (which I found tedious due to game mechanics and mostly meh for story and character) to get to the good stuff (BBL) which you would only understand if you played through the pigeon routes. That's why even though I have the sequel, I haven't been in a hurry to play it. I'm afraid it'll be more like the first half of Hatoful and less like the second, which I wish would have worked without having to play the first.