[Review] Evenicle (by YouNa)

[Review] Evenicle (by YouNa)

Evenicle. This game is made by Alicesoft and published by MangaGamer. First of all, I would like to start this review with the greeting that this game finally came to the Steam platform! Oh, I have something to mention. If you can not find this game on Steam, open up a new world in your settings. Then you will be able to find it. In fact, Evenicle has originally been released in 2015, and it received a lot of good praise. Therefore, Evenicle is a proven game that you should not have to worry about. So what is this game? Is it really worth playing? Let's find out.

Evenicle is a JRPG style game with Visual Novel mechanics. At first glance, this game may seem somewhat lacking for the RPG itself. But the real joy of this game is the story and the beautiful illustrations. The RPG elements of this game have been added on to make the game stand out. The story plot is simple but interesting. The source of the story may be similar to the story of King Arthur but with a twist and reinterpretation. Furthermore, when playing these kinds of games complicated plots are not really practical. This game aims to fulfill your wishes faithfully.

The synopsis that begins the story is as follows. The creator of the world, the Holy Mother Eve, gave two commandments: one must not kill another human, and one must only have one partner for life. However, knights are exempted from the latter divine rule, so that they can produce powerful offspring to fight against monsters. Somewhere in the land, there was a young man Asterisk who wished to marry the beautiful twin sisters who raised him. He decided that he will become a knight and get lots of wives! Thus, he set out on his journey with great enthusiasm and ambition. (https://vndb.org/v16640)

The beginning of this journey was to marry the beautiful sisters (Kyou and Kinou) who took care of Asterisk (Aster for short), but as the story progresses, Aster meets other female heroines. There are four main girl characters (Riche/Ramius/Gurigura/Kathryn) and sub-heroines (Towa/Tio/Erimo/Kuroa) that will fill your fantasy journey. In addition, 10 beautiful and unique marriage partners are waiting for you! Almost all the characters in the game have full voice overs. But this sweet romance is not everything in this game. Evenicle is the story of heroes who come together to understand each other's problems and achieve their goals. Sometimes there will be trials, but the story as a whole makes players feel warm.

How about Evenicle's GamePlay? It is simple and nothing innovative. But I must emphasize that the RPG mechanism in this game is not the main attraction. However, the gameplay style, including the game's RPG elements, makes Evenicle even more valuable as the seasoning in the food which enhances the flavor. Evenicle is a world exploration TRPG with Japanese anime style segments. As you explore the world with heroines, you encounter enemies and raise your level. There are many towns to visit and they have basic RPG features such as earning gold, buying equipment, and customizing abilities. Fortunately, RPG grinding is not difficult in this game. The characters will naturally grow stronger along with the flow of the story. And you can raise your character's level by experiencing love events. If you defeat monsters with your wives and fill up your love gauges with them, new skills will also gradually open up. In addition, the game has a variety of optional activities. Powerful Mega-monsters to to give you a challenge, Gal Monsters to catch through combat, and various service scenes to fulfill your wishes.

Evenicle is comfortable to be played in a fairly pleasant and light atmosphere. Evenicle is a game that guarantees unique fun while properly providing JRPG elements that will inspire you in the games of this genre. So even if you are a beginner, you will be able to easily adapt to the game and have fun. Of course, it can not be denied that there are uncomfortable factors in some cases. But compared to similar genres, I think this game will be easier to reach for more users. Besides if you're a fan of the Senran Kagura Series, popularly known in many ways, you will love this game even more. Wish you could see full uncut drawn by the same artist. And if you've been playing Alicesoft & MangaGamer games before, do not hesitate anymore. This is a game for you.

[Steam] Evenicle (by Alicesoft / MangaGamer)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/955560/Evenicle/

[Review] Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk (by YouNa)

[Review] Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk (by YouNa)

Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk. This game is made by Nippon Ichi Software and published by NIS America. They are well known to us from the Disgaea Series. Nowadays, Nippon Ichi Software's games have their own characteristics. Their games are full of cute graphics at first glance but include dark stories and characters. It's like a cruel fairy tale. And they all include great RPG elements to help grow you characters. Above all, it is impressive that these elements harmonize well in their games.

Labyrinth of Refrain is a very good example of these features. The game itself is fun, but its unique mood and RPG content make the player more immersed in dark world of this game. You will get around 50 hours of content and in addition of all the extra after-game content you can reach 80 hours. Infinite growth systems, random dungeon events, and a coven system that can consist of up to 40 colleagues make it a great fit for gamers who enjoy JRPGs.

As for the gameplay, this is a RPG based on dungeon exploration. It is possible for players to avoid enemies or counterattack them for great damage. Furthermore, various hidden treasures and spaces contribute to the fun of dungeon exploration. What is especially interesting is the system that allows you to destroy the walls of the dungeons. You can reach places you could not normally go or find hidden treasure chests. 

Thanks to these features, even in a dungeon you have more freedom. This allows you to overcome the disadvantages of simple repetitive searches that can be somewhat tedious. However this game does have a certain grind factor but the process itself does not feel difficult or tedious. And as your level increases, your ability to grow automatically increases. When you reach a certain level, new skills are opened. The ability called "Coven" will also help your character grow.

Another feature of this game is the way the story progresses. There are interesting characters that have a deep connection in the story so I recommend you do not skip conversations or events. Although the characters themselves are not so many, each person plays an important role. There are also a number of exciting secrets that gradually become known as the story progresses. If you are a gamer who likes to follow a good story, you will be satisfied. 

In summary, this game is a fairly well-crafted game. Above all, the balance of story and dungeon exploration is great. If you like Dungeon RPGs or are looking for the fun of infinite growth, do not miss this game. Highly Recommended!

[Steam] Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk (by Nippon Ichi / NIS America)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/566540/Labyrinth_of_Refrain_Coven_of_Dusk/

[Review] RPG - Marenian Tavern Story (by YouNa)

[Review] RPG - Marenian Tavern Story (by YouNa)

This game is a wonderful RPG about running a Tavern by making unique dishes in a Fantasy World. It is the latest work of a series which gained popularity as Adventure Bar Story. As you may know, Rideon who created this game once participated in Gust's Atelier Series. It shows that they already have enough experience to create great medieval fantasy games. The Marenian Tavern Story is a collaboration between Rideon and famous mobile RPG publisher Kemco.

The main features of this game are the story, adventure, cooking, and tavern management. The story begins with Patty's struggle with the God of Poverty. Patty is the daughter of a top-class restaurant owner and the main character of this game. But as Patty travels, her family is in crisis. Her brother Gino has been possessed by Coco, the God of Poverty and the whole family has become poor with huge debts. In this difficult situation, she rents an abandoned tavern to satisfy the God of Poverty with her delicious cooking.

In this game, adventures and cooking are quite interesting. Through adventure, you can collect ingredients and cook over 600 dishes. These materials can be collected from dungeons or bought directly from stores. The player can manage the Tavern as he or she wants and decide what food to serve. You can have the pleasure of running the Tavern in your own way.

Marenian Tavern Story, a sequel to the Adventure Bar Story, also has great RPG elements. The unique thing about this game is that the character does not level up by defeating monsters. They level up by eating the food you create. These dishes can be made from ingredients obtained by defeating monsters or acquiring them on the map. Some dishes can raise your status and resistance. As the player's party gets strongrer, you can conquer new dungeons and get better ingredients.

All of this game is works together well and is easy to understand. Players can enjoy a leisurely life running their own tavern. You can meet people in the tavern and there are cute animals on the farm too! Go fishing or gather vegetables and meat. In this game, you do not need to compete against others. You can just take it easy by playing Marenian Tavern Story.

* RPG Marenian Tavern Story (by KEMCO/Rideon)

https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1358225455

[Review] Treasure Hunter Claire (by YouNa)

[Review] Treasure Hunter Claire (by YouNa)

Treasure Hunter Claire is the second work published by Kagura Games. Many users have been paying attention to Kagura Games lately because of their excellent English translations. Games of this genre can be enjoyed by the heart rather than the head but with the proper translation, it's even better. You can really see how much they care about the translation on the introduction page of this game. In summary, this game is a beautiful blend of Acerola's amazing artwork and Kagura Games' great translation.

Treasure Hunter Claire is a modern game in a simple 2D RPG environment. Along with this is Acerola's great artwork & gameplay system. Illustrations change over the course of the game and combat is typical turn-based style with some interesting twists. 

You start a journey with Claire to find a treasure that will change the world. The mission is to find it before it gets into to the hands of the villain. In order to proceed with this story, the game features guilds and quests. The side quests are especially fun. Interaction with the various NPCs is one of the greatest pleasures of this game. In addition, this game has a costume function. Players will have fun with the challenges to unlock these outfits.

In conclusion, this game ranks highly among games of this genre that have released recently. If you're curious you should definitely give it a shot. You will love it! As you may know, recent changes in Steam policy have helped indie developers working in the shade to be come out into the sunshine. These good changes will be the soil in which we will continue to support and enjoy these games in the future.

[Steam] Treasure Hunter Claire (by Acerola / Kagura Games)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/828070/Treasure_Hunter_Claire/

[Review] Assault Spy (by YouNa)

[Review] Assault Spy (by YouNa)

"Assault Spy is a stylish, fast paced, pure-action game with a dash of comedy."

Assault Spy is an action game developed by Wazen and published by NIS America. This game has received much attention since its Early Access. In particular, Assault Spy's developer Wazen has been constantly releasing news of updates. As a result, their efforts have received positive feedback from users. You can check their update news at the following link: https://steamcommunity.com/app/767930/allnews/

If you are interested in Assault Spy, you may wonder how this game has improved and evolved since Early Access. Assault Spy was officially announced at NIS America's press event in February. At the time, the announcement that this talented indie developer Wazen was developing this game was enough to get a lot of attention. Three months later, Early Access began in May. And finally in October, Assault Spy was officially released.

Its gameplay is similar to classic games you may have enjoyed. It may remind you of the Devil May Cry Series or Senran Kagura Series. This game is also very dynamic so players will not get bored. However, Assault Spy has been upgraded with distinctive art style and funny humor. Of course it is not perfect. It has been mentioned that this game is inconvenient to control with keyboard / mouse. Be sure to use a game controller to enjoy this game more. This developer has solved some issues after receiving feedback from users.

In general, Japanese art-style games tend to concentrate a lot on the game characters. For this reason, users are likely to express concerns about the completeness of the game itself. However, Assault Spy seems to be well balanced. The characters in this game are attractive while the action is fast and easy to understand. Furthermore, the frantic story of Assault Spy makes this game more interesting. I am confident that the different aspects of characters and how they are entangled within the story would be one of the main features in Assault Spy.

To summarize, Assault Spy is not perfect but has enough potential. The overall concept is great. Gameplay is full of fast paced action with great comedy. And the game illustration and voice acting are very impressive. Of course, some control issues and level design seem to need improvement. But given the developer's dedication to this game, Assault Spy will surely get better. So don't worry, dive in!

[Steam] Assault Spy (Wazen/NIS America)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/767930/Assault_Spy/

[Review] Kindred Spirits on the Roof (By YouNa)

Kindred Spirits on the Roof (Okujou No Yurirei-San) 

Review (By YouNa)

To begin my review, I have to say that the 'story' is very good. It shows a faithful text adventure plot as the structure of 'main story - side story - epilogue'. Because of this, the playtime is quite long. If you do not skip the voiced sections it will take about 30 ~ 40 hours until the ending, and then it will take about 50 hours until you finish. However, it is a little disappointing that only major events support voices. Nonetheless, their voices are good enough. This game offers a satisfying amount of story with voices and music to match. Everything is in harmony.

The game 'music' is great. It's good music that makes the game atmosphere feel pleasant. But the songs are few unfortunately compared to other text adventure games. The number of songs you have available in the gallery is fifteen excluding the hidden tracks. So even though it's not a lot of music, I'm sure you'll still be satisfied with the OST.

Game 'convenience' was better than I thought. In particular, the gallery has a fairly intuitive interface because it is right next to the story scene. However, it may be a little awkward that the save & load does not appear on the Planer screen. In other words, it is difficult for the player to identify the diverging point until the story has proceeded. And there are some pause problems in the game but it won't bother you too much. Because the story of this game is quite good, I think players can overcome it enough to reach the end of the game. The translation isn't bad at all but if you do understand Japanese, you will probably enjoy the game more.

The conclusion is that 'Kindred Spirits on the Roof' is a very suitable game for entering the genre of text adventures. I highly recommend it. It would be even better if we could continue to see these kinds of games in the future. 

[Steam] Kindred Spirits on the Roof (Liar-soft/MangaGamer)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/402620/Kindred_Spirits_on_the_Roof/

[Review] Lucy Got Problems (by YouNa)

[Review] Lucy Got Problems  (by YouNa)

This is a nice Yuri game that is the first Steam game by Flat Chest Dev. With the recent changes in Steam's policies, these genres of games and visual novels have become more popular.

This game has a fairly easy to understand and pleasant story. It is full of funny humor that can make the player smile. Even if you are not familiar with these genres, it's easy to get into. The illustrations are attractive and the gameplay is a combination of point & click and some choice selection. This function avoids monotonous reading and encourages us to immerse and experience the game itself. The story may seem relatively short but it's made so that we can expect a follow up to this wonderful game.

In terms of replayability, you need to play the game again to collect additional illustrations & endings. But it is not boring because you will find other things you missed in your first run. Plus, the artwork and BGM in this game are great. Not only CGs but the SDs are also lovingly represented. You can really feel the ethusiasm of the developer through the game's design.

With their first steam game, Flat Chest Dev has shown the potential to become a developer who can grow and create great games. I already have high expectations for their next work. If you are hesitant to buy this game, give it a try. It's worth it!

[Steam] Lucy Got Problems (by Flat Chest Dev)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/879510/Lucy_Got_Problems/