April 2012 Eroge Releases

It’s spring and the cherry blossoms are in full bloom and it shows among the eroge releases with CIRCUS’ D.C.III and onomotope*’s Sakura No Reply. TYPE-MOON fans will be delighted about their first non-Fate-related title in some time: Mahoutsukai no Yoru. If you’re looking for something with a fun battle system, why not check out Eushully’s Soukou no Arterial or Astronauts Sirius’ Demonion? Of course there’s still LOSE’s loli-ge Monobeno this month, but I think I’d like NekoNekoSoft’s Yukiiro more. But either one would be better than an Ayumu route for Hoshikaka AA.

With both Mahoutsukai and Da Capo III releasing in the same month there is a major release for almost every erogamer to seriously consider. Whether or not either will be able to live up to the hype is an entirely separate matter left to your own judgment however. There are of course other games potentially worth mention this month, however with two such major releases it is a bad month to be a company other than Type Moon or Circus.

Mahoutsukai no Yoru -Witch on the Holy Night-

Company: TYPE-MOON
Game site: 魔法使いの夜
Release date: April 12, 2012
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from September 2010. This all-ages game is based on Kinoko Nasu’s 1996 unfinished novel of the same name, with characters from Tsukihime also appearing. In the late 1980s, two witches resided in a hilltop mansion. They were Aoko, an apprentice magician who was otherwise a normal high school girl, and her teacher Alice, a witch from England but now lives secretly in Japan. A young boy named Soujuurou followed a robin to the mansion and ended up meeting the two.

As controversial as this may sound I feel it would have been best were this game never to leave the drawing board. There are many problems here that I won’t bother to address but one I feel should have been considered more before they dug up an already abandoned failure of a concept to reuse out of sheer laziness. The reason being our heroine Aoko is someone who has appeared in other stories as Type Moon always keeps the same world in which to set their stories. This of course brings about a certain appeal for this mysterious character and how she fits in with what we know of the world and what little we know of her niche in this world of Type Moon’s creation. Much of her character remained an enigma whom only some educated postulation could explain and results in a variety of different feelings and conclusions on the subject. Thanks to this everyone will have envisioned her in a different role with a different past and relationship to the settings. With this game much of the mystery both for the character and the Type Moon setting will need to be resolved leading to feeling more concrete like or dislike rather than a vague sense of wonder. In so doing they risk souring their chosen universe and an important background character for any and all stories to come for many people. Compound this with their lack of activity over the past seven or so years and a choice to bring back an old and incomplete project that their obviously better judgment prohibited them from making back before Tsukihime when this would have made a viable release.

On a side note while the backgrounds are very well done, the characters need work. Type Moon has always gone for well lets call it a simplified style for their characters, which works fairly well with their soft shading on clothing but not as well with faces, especially this time around as their facial shading has become extremely lazy and there is really no excuse for this given how much time and practice they have had since Fate we should see a marked improvement in this area much the same as there was from Tsukhihime to Fate. But frankly most of the improvement lay in the clothing and backgrounds instead, which while definitely not a bad thing as it does look rather stunning at times, the facial expressions of characters play a large role in conveying the story properly so should merit some more attention.

Most of you probably already heard about this title considering it’s TYPE-MOON and the trial was even translated into English. The overall presentation (backgrounds, music, effects) was quite impressive, but I personally felt like the writing could be more engaging. The story does seem to be interesting though with the scene featuring Alice battling some unknown enemies. I won’t be playing this as it didn’t really hook me, but maybe you should give the trial a try to see if it’s for you. It’s only an hour long. I have the feeling that this game is mainly a filler while they work on their next title, Girl’s Work.

PV

AngelGuard

Company: Athena
Game site: AngelGuard
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from March. This is the first title by Athena. Lisa’s father is the chairman of the military conglomerate ‘General Technics Group’, which plans to build an oil pipeline in central Asia with the backing of the U.S. government. However, they are opposed by the rival Russian financial group ‘Arsenary’ which will use any means to secure the deal. Ryou is an agent of the private military company ‘GMSS’ who is designated to protect Lisa with the help of fellow agent Reina. At the client’s request, he has to do this while undercover as a teacher at Lisa’s school Seika Gakuen.

Oil is serious business. The plot reminds me of AXL’s Koitate, so I wonder if there are bad ends where he fails his mission. And why is Russia usually casted in a negative light? It brought us many great bishoujos, like Kud, Katherine and of course, Puuchin.

Far too grandiose a story for a high school romance drama eroge. If they changed the setting and he was her bodyguard while traveling and taking care of business and overseeing the construction of the pipeline this may have made a lot more sense. However forcing their story to fit in a high school environment detracts from the merits of this type of game, turning what could have been an interesting story that explores more varied settings and encounters into yet another high school based game with serious and or action overtones. I do enjoy a good bodyguard story, even more so when it involves a protagonist who is potentially competent so given that this month is rather devoid of anything special I think this may be the best choice of the month for something more than just high school drama.

Russia has been symbolic as an aggressor since the propaganda of the cold war, especially as Japan had been used as a bulwark for the west against communism in Asia post WW2. Add in the corruption of the government and mafia ties that spread out over the world from Russia as well as being the only non western state with comparable technology they make an excellent antagonist for stories set in western nations.

Unfortunately (for you), most stories will end up with high school elements, as that’s what sells…

I just happen to find it ironic that for games supposedly 18+ they focus on high schools almost exclusively. I don’t mind it when the setting fits, but there is no need to force a high school into every single plot regardless of whether or not it matches the story or setting.

D.C.III ~Da Capo III~

Company: CIRCUS
Game site: D.C.III～ダ・カーポIII～
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
The much awaited third installment of the D.C. series! This time it’s an all-ages title. The sakura that bloomed year-round are now a thing of the past and Hatsunejima is now known as an island that shows that beauty of each season. Kiyotaka is a second-year student at Kazami Gakuen who is part of the news club along with the school idol Rikka, his imouto-like osananajimi Himeno, his mixed-race cousin Charles, hard-working kouhai who skipped a grade and is in his class Sara, and energetic in spirit but weak in body Aoi. Unlike in the past, there are no more mysterious things happening on the island. That was until one winter day when the sakura began to bloom. All the news club members got a message on their cell phones telling them to do something at a promised place when the sakura begins to bloom. They couldn’t make out the rest of the message, but are surprised that it was dated 1951. Rikka was extremely curious about the message and the sudden blooming of the sakura, so she called on everyone to solve the mystery with her.

Yet another Da Capo to offer an incomplete game ripe for making spinoffs that can included everything from ero content to the inclusion of characters, scenes, and entire scenarios which were always part of the original yet cut from the game as an excuse to make fans pay for the same game multiple times. Silly DC fans rejoice as you have a “New” series to waste your money and time reading, then rereading for a few things Circus will claim as extras as they continue to pimp out the characters you have grown attached to.

IT’S HEREEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!! After all the speculation that D.C.III will take place prior to D.C. and serve as Sakura’s backstory, we find out now that it’s set in the future when the sakura are normal (but Suginami the time-traveller is still around). Of course, I’m very curious as to how the D.C.III charas relate to the previous games. While there’s no robot or a Shirakawa this time around, we’ve still got Nemu Yume Himeno and both Charles (Ruru-nee) and Kiyotaka have the surname Yoshino, which should ring a bell. How do they relate to Sakura? Will we see Sakura here too? Technically there’s no imoutos this time around, but for all intensive purposes Himeno and Aoi serve that role well. I’m also very interested in Sara – who could resist a kouhai that does her best (and very smart at that too!)? Hau~ omochikaeri~!!!

But wait there’s more!! It appears that the characters have different profiles in an alternate world. In particular, Rikka, Charles and Sara’s last names become Greenwood, Maroth and Chrysalis, respectively. And Himeno becomes Kiyotaka’s imouto!! I guess that it’s caused by a time travel or something as it is in a world full of magic. CIRCUS has also revamped the interface (woohoo! no more click spam to save!), but they really need to fix the text rendering. I don’t think the fact that it is all-ages will change the game much… ironically the OP is more ecchi than the previous D.C. ones. Speaking of the OP, it’s really well done and SAKURAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!! I will be playing this of course. It is my duty as a devoted D.C. fan. The end of the month can’t come fast enough.

You realize lack of ero is there just so they can sell you an ero version later right? Same with the alternate world it is there just so they have an extra field to sow with their extra games and add ons…

YEAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! MORE D.C.!!!!!!!!!!!

Sigh you DC fans and your hopeless addiction.

GRAND LIBRA ACADEMY

Company: FOUNDATION
Game site: GRAND LIBRA ACADEMY（グランリブラアカデミー）
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
This nukige is the debut title for FOUNDATION, made mainly of staff from CLOCKUP. Grand Libra Academy is a school with the most powerful magicians and those who possess special abilities and aim to become magicians. With such a high concentration of magical prowess in one place, it is entrusted with maintaining peace in the world. People from all countries come to the school for different reasons – some to bring back their newly acquired skills, others to satisfy their ambitions – but the main objective is to find someone to marry! Enter Akihiko, a boy coming from the bloodline of a famous onmyouji from the Heian Era who is now responsible for bringing his family which has fallen on hard times back to its prominent status. Will he find the girl that’s right for him among the many peculiar girls at the school?

Yes why work hard to restore your family when you can just marry up and do it the easy way. As a nukige story has no bearing and so I find myself forced to question why anyone would be interested in these heroine choices, they are like an amalgamation of the most boring traits both physical and personality wise to be found in standard eroge. Everything about these heroines feels so flat in comparison to others of the same type or other heroines in general I cannot help but wonder what appeal there is in this game.

Damn, Melina’s breasts are not normal. If I were Akihiko, I wouldn’t choose any of them. Even if he did, he’d have to do something about that loli satan Iblis who he had unsealed. She fell in love with him at first sight and chases him around trying to get him to sign a contract with her. Well, I guess it’s better than a squirrel.

If they made her part squirrel they could have cashed in on the animal ear moe, and used something other than cat, fox, or dog ears for once.

A bushy tail is fine too.

I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt for getting guys to sign over their souls either.

MISTAKE×MISCAST

Company: ミニヨン (Mignonne)
Game site: MISTAKE×MISCAST
Release date: April 27, 2012 Delayed to September 21, 2012
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from March. This is the debut title for Mignonne. Itsuki occasionally has dreams about a lover from his past life, Suou-hime. One morning in homeroom, a new transfer student named Rin who looks just like her appeared in front of his very eyes and he embraced her, happy that he finally met her again. “What are you suddenly hugging me for… What’s wrong with you?” Well, it’s natural that he would get hit after that doing that to someone who he met for the first time. However, that isn’t what shocked him the most. It was that the cute Suou-hime that he knew was now a tomboy. Meanwhile, her twin older sister Yui, his osananajimi Kuu and the rest of the class watched dumbfoundedly.

I’m pretty sure they’ll end up together in the end, all raburabu.

I wonder which game mignon got his past life from, there are plenty of choices after all. As far as his current life this is about as standard as eroge setups come, a dangerous choice for a first attempt at a game, unless the writing is amazing, this is likely to be a failure, the competition is too fierce for a new company to not stand out in some way that attracts people other than die hard fans of the particular setup they have chosen. Since it is not my concern however I will take a look at the game when it is released to see what mignon is capable of, since though it may be standard there is also nothing that stands out as immediately bad or sub par save some minor artwork issues.

SHINY DAYS

Company: オーバーフロー (Overflow)
Game site: SHINY DAYS
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from November. Setsuna starts doing part-time during the summer break at the popular seaside cafe Radish even though she isn’t used to being a waitress. It is because Makoto, who she secretly has feelings for, lives nearby and she might happen to meet him. Instead, she has a disastrous first meeting with Inori, who ends up rooming with her.

This in an another story based on Summer Days, focused on the popular Setsuna and a new heroine Inori. Of course, Sekai, Kotonoha-sama and Kokoro are back as well. The first-press limited edition includes the strip rock-paper-scissors game ‘Strip Battle Days’ which was previously announced as an April Fool’s joke. Yes, Kokoro is among your opponents.

This series has the worst protagonist ever, had they done a better job on him I could see some merit in the repeated spinoffs, but as I will never be able to deal with that distasteful scumbag of a protagonist all the enjoyment from the bad ends is gone for me.

I think part of the appeal is that Makoto is so downright awful that anyone else by comparison looks better.

Which would not be so bad were he not the protagonist, I would rather play as Micchi than Makoto in an eroge.

Hey! Only I get to do that!

Fine, then I would rather play as Azu.

Shiawase Kazoku-bu

Company: パープルソフトウェア (Purple Software)
Game site: しあわせ家族部
Release date: April 27, 2012 Delayed to May 25, 2012
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from March. Kazuki transferred to Amanogawa Gakuen in the middle of the school year. His childhood friend Honoha invited him to the unofficial ‘family club’ where the members pretend to be a family. In addition to the club leader Ougi and imouto-like kouhai Runa, they are soon joined by a robot Misora, the student council leader Mikage, his classmate Yuuki and energetic kouhai Suzu. For Kazuki, who had lost his family at a young age, he did not understand at first the meaning of family nor the purpose of the club, but he felt at ease with kind people at his side. Gradually after spending more and more time with them, they become precious to him, just like ‘family’.

Ran out of ideas for clubs? Not a problem! Lets just make up some random heartwarming illusion based around a club then make a game about it, those geniuses who play it will never realize the difference! Come on now lets face it, what kid in high school is going to want to be a part of let alone create a family club. I will let Boku wa Tomodachi slide since its just friends, this ripoff of the idea however is not heartwarming, touching.. well unless its old priest on young child, nor is it romantic in any way shape or form. For a Purple game this is quite lackluster, without the emphasis on unique setting their lack of scenario will doubtless leave this game forgotten.

It’s no secret that I like heartwarming family-related stories, so I might check this out even if it’s by Purple Software. On the plus side, Wakase Ryou (Suzu7, Natsunagi, Akizora, Kisaragi) is also writing the scenario with tiro, so maybe it’ll be better written. Basically, all the kouhais call him oniichan or some variation thereof. You can’t go wrong with that!

Zutto Tsukushite Ageru no!

Company: PeasSoft
Game site: ずっとつくしてあげるの！
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from March. Kentarou planned to leave his hometown after graduation to pursue his dream. Upon telling his osananajimis this, they demanded that he choose who will marry him before that happens! They started competing amongst themselves as to who would serve him the best. He told them that he will give them an answer by the end of the summer, which they thought to mean that this summer would be the last chance to appeal to him, adding more fuel to their battle for his heart. Who will he end up choosing… or rather, who will seize the spot by his side?

The latest title in the ‘Tsukushite’ series, featuring lots of ecchi with osananajimis. PeasSoft sure loves them osananajimis. It’s ok, I do too and there’s seven of them to choose from. Definitely going with the genki moodmaker Mao and dojikko ganbariya-san Nanami. 

Even were this not PeasSoft there is little here worth consideration, just an excuse for H scenes with childhood friends who are apparently all fawning over the protagonist for no good reason. Now I am well aware by now that the majority of eroge writers are not the most competent or creative breed, and some leeway has to be given to such people when they are starting a new story. However games like this reek of sub standard, everything here is just thrown together to arbitrarily cause all the girls around the protagonist to fawn over him. It is one thing for maybe one girl to have prior feelings and or for the opening scenes to cause some form of interaction, but really this is worse than the Shuffle series with how unreasonably strong this guys protagonist pheromones are.

Haru Made, Kururu.

Company: すみっこ (Sumikko)
Game site: はるまで、くるる。
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from March. For some reason, Kazuki ended up spending his spring break with four girls in a remote area that had no wireless reception and didn’t even have a convenience store. There was only a school building that seems to be on the verge of closure, a large dormitory that looked like a hot spring hotel and a chimney that stretched up to the sky as far as the eyes could see. He thought that he would just spend some peaceful days here, but that’s when one of the girls Shizuka declared that they will make this place his harem, and started stripping in front of him in his bewilderment.

This is the Sumikko’s first game since its renewal and it’s a nukige. At least the art is better than the past and the SDs are done by Hirose Madoka (Koisora). Both the trial and the OP were a bit perplexing, since I’m not sure what aspect they want to focus on. It almost feels like there’s this mystery loop coupled with amnesia and since they can’t seem to get out of it, why not have lots of sex! Maybe there’s a solid explanation to all this in the end, but I don’t think I’d last that long.

For some reason I just can’t quite put my finger on why I don’t care about this game. Maybe it is because there is no effort put into anything aside from the HCG, or maybe it is because the characters simply do not appeal to me, but perhaps the cause would be how there is little point to H scenes or characters who are so one dimensional they exist solely to cater to the protagonist’s sexual whims. I will never understand nukige nor the people who play them as there is just no point to anything beyond the HCG, there is no character interaction or development, no reason offered for almost anything that happens, and all it ever comes back to is copious amounts of sex. I can only see the text and poor attempts at character interaction being a hindrance when all anyone who plays such a game would or could want are the HCG images.

“Copious amounts of sex”

Exactly what I don’t understand, all they want is the HCG, why bother with all those pesky words that just get in the way?

Some people don’t want just the HCG, they want the full experience.

Then they should learn to play better games.

Futari wa My Angel

Company: クラウド (CROWD)
Game site: ふたりはマイエンジェル
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from March. A long long time ago, angels and demons fought against one another on Earth, resulting in demons being sealed deep underground. Now over a million years later, two students attend Amatsuka Gakuen. Kou was the student council president who was famous around the school, while Ruka didn’t stand out at all even in his own class. Other than being in the same class, they shared nothing in common… until they were caught up in the battle with the demons which was started up again, turning them into girls. An angel appeared and bestowed magical powers on them, turning them into Angel White and Angel Black!

With genderbending protagonists, I’m really not sure who CROWD is marketing the game to. Their last title Maou o Seifuku Suru Tame no, 666 no Houhou seemed more to cater more to the female audience, so it’s better than it’s back to being a true eroge. Well, kinda. Anyways, ridiculous plot that doesn’t stand up in a month like this. Pass.

I can only hope for a BL ending.

Muri Yari!? Otome Days

Company: 娘。（ニャン） (Nyann)
Game site: むりやり!? オトメDAYS
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
This is the first game by Nyann. Makoto is a boy with pure and cute looks that rival the prettiest girls. He has a complex about his looks and trains to become more manly, but has nothing to show for it. His osananajimi Kiyora asked him to help out at her family’s shrine. Since he cannot turn down a girl’s request, he ended up working there as a miko. He became popular among the shrine visitors and with Kiyora planning more things, how far will his cross-dressing go!?

Below average by cross dressing standards this plot is surely not doing enough to make a new company stand out especially in a month with Type Moon and Circus having major releases to cover most of the bases for erogamers. Simply having a protagonist that dresses up like a girl in a convincing manner is not enough to make a game good unless its a nukige as the people who play those hardly care. Try harder next time Nyann, or make nukige else your business model of making a crappy game for cheap in order to trick people into playing -> profit will fail.

Makoto’s female form, Mami, is really cute!! Just like in most cross-dressing games, the protagonist ends up being one of the cutest, along with the wagamama Haruka. Ponytails are great! Unfortunately, Mami isn’t voiced like protagonists in other cross-dressing games like last month’s Otomekoi. The art is soothing to look at and the scenario is totally not serious, similar to Achikoi. I just found the chara sprites moving around a little bit too much in the trial (especially the head-bobbing). The gaijin Olivia is so over-the-top and sticks in English words all over the place. That’s what happens when you learn Japanese using manga. Nihon no culture wa excellent desu! Yes, Nihon marvelous! I’ll keep on this on the backlog in case I want a light comedy. Recommended for those that love circle eyes. o_o

Monobeno

Company: Lose
Game site: ものべの
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from March. After six years, Tooru returned with his imouto Natsuha to the remote village of Monobeno deep in the mountains of Kochi prefecture. They reunited with the akashaguma (child-like house guardian spirit) Sumi, the umbrella spirit Hishakaku and his osananajimi and self-proclaimed fiancée Alice. They played in the mountains, visited the shrine and were visited by the cow demon Tooko just like in the past.

Just as they were getting used to living in Monobeno, it was time for the seven stars summer festival dedicated to the local deity Himemiya-sama. The festival was lively, concluding with the masked dance. While watching the dance, Natsuha suddenly started shaking, complaining that her body felt cold. He quickly took her to the doctor, but nothing seemed to be wrong with her. They went to play in the nearby stream the next day. Hearing the waterfall caused Natsuha to panic and run off in fear, but once again they couldn’t find a reason for her peculiar actions. That night, she appeared in front of them very much an adult, and she bled in her nether regions for the first time. Unable to figure out what caused these inexplicable changes, they could only calm her down and watch over her. Another shock awaited them in the morning when they found Natsuha had returned back to her normal size, but without any memories of the day before.

They decided to head back to the city for a proper examination. Unfortunately, there was a major landslide which blocked off the only world into the village. Natsuha wished to leave badly, saying that something scary is coming for her. What was causing Natsuha’s changes? Was it a disease or a curse? Tooru was determined to find the cause and a way to save Natsuha.

Wonderful lolis scenery, soothing lolis music and a very sleek interface. We must find a way to protect the loli! Growth is bad! Puberty is bad! But seriously, the loli levels are high in this one. With the way that Tooru talks to and protects Natsuha (not to mention their age difference), it feels odd that she’s the main heroine since you wouldn’t think of her in an H scene, much less eight. I guess some of those would be when she’s ‘older’, albeit with the same child-like mentality. Natsuha is definitely very cute, so I wouldn’t mind having her as an imouto, but Alice is probably a better match in this game. The story set-up isn’t bad either (although the landslide was a little bit too convenient).

Apparently Natsuha could sense Micchi coming for her, a valuable talent for any loli to safeguard herself from pedos. On that topic the brother sure has a good pedo smirk, he must have had a lot of practice. Were the emphasis not obviously on showcasing lolis there may have been some potential to this story. As is however this is just another attempt at justification for lolicons rather than a game meant to be something special otherwise. Definitely one of the games that should make anyone who plays or looks forward to it question their moral preferences.

I have no untoward intentions.

Your smirk belies your intentions.

Yukiiro ~Sora ni Rikka no Sumu Machi~

Company: ねこねこソフト (NekoNekoSoft)
Game site: ゆきいろ ～空に六花の住む町～
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
When Kenji was small, he moved to a snowy town and became close friends with a girl that he met, Miyuki. When it came time for them to part, she was very sad and didn’t stop crying. He told her that ‘Rokka’ lived up in the skies watching over them and unless he is content, spring will never come. Not wanting ‘Rokka’ to be sad too, she stopped crying and was rewarded by a very beautiful snowfall. Ten years later, he reunited with her, not as a childhood friend, but as his new imouto. When he looked outside, he noticed writings in the snow saying ‘I love you’ or ‘Sorry’, something that they did often when they were young. However, she told him that it wasn’t her that wrote it. Perplexed, he kept watch outside to find out who it was. In a blizzard, he noticed a small shadowy figure writing in the snow and went outside to see who it was, but they vanished. When he returned to his room, he was shocked to find Miyuki there… the Miyuki from ten years ago.

HAHAHA!! Look at that horrible excuse for a snowman, I sure hope she doesn’t want to be an artist when she grows up, not to mention the embarrassment he must feel to be related to such a poor excuse of a human being. At least they seem to know their place, and embrace their existence as panty shot fanservice for lolicon loving. With characters worth little more than the striped panties they wear you can bet the little girl lovers will enjoy this game as much as everyone with more sophisticated tastes will hate it. Would be nice if they had at least come up with something that could at least be vaguely referenced as a story here aside from the proposition of little sister H scenes for those unfortunate souls who care about such things.

An osananajimi that becomes an imouto… hmm, where have I heard that before? Perhaps Mizuiro‘s Yuki. Or Sorairo‘s Ai? NekoNekoSoft’s stories never seem to change. Maybe it’s that little bit of nostalgia that makes me keep playing their games. HOWEVER, this time it’s different! His two imoutos Miyuki (Maru) and Akira are voiced by Agumi Oto and Natsuno Koori, respectively! What more reasons do I need!? I’m also quite impressed at the Engrish-only OP where the translation isn’t even exact. But hey, at least it’s got some pretty catchy lyrics!

♪ Promise you, I’ll look to you with the smile from the sky ♪
♪ Promise me and I hope that your smile with the praying you won’t having tears ♪

And I suppose your little sister looking like shes five years old doesn’t bother you right? Fun sized plus your favorite voices, how could you possibly resist H scenes with such a child, eh?

Demonion ~Maou no Chika Yousai~

Company: アストロノーツ・シリウス (Astronauts Sirius)
Game site: デモニオン ～魔王の地下要塞～
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
This is the first title by Astronauts Sirius, one of three sub-brands under new company Astronauts. There once was a maou Astaroth who invaded the human kingdom, plunging the world into war. However, he was finally suppressed by a group of heroes who took his powers and sealed him deep underground. Two hundred years later, there were rumours that the seal was broken due to the recent shifts in the Earth’s crust and that the maou had been revived. Many confident adventurers descended on Astaroth’s underground labyrinth with the intention of defeating him and becoming famous. Little did they know that he had set out a trap for them…

At the beginning of the game, you do not have much powers. To thwart the heroines’ attacks, you have to summon monsters to guard the path to the throne room where you reside. If the heroines get to you and your HP reaches zero, it’s game over! Gradually, you will capture and subjugate the heroines, growing your army and in turn, launching a counterattack on the Kingdom of Stomgald. The battles are in real time, so make sure you go in with a game plan!

I still like the idea of being the Demon Lord and all but the battle system really could use some more work. Not to mention I still find the idea of enslaving heroines to serve and service your whims kind of defeats a lot of the purpose and makes the game kind of boring. Without a real story motivation nor true relationship building or gameplay that is especially convincing I find myself unable to overcome my extreme apathy towards this game.

Well, this is a bit different since you’re on the other side and not some wimpy maou that can’t drink tea. Instead, you’re horned, have eyes that glow a fiery orange and are bent on revenge. How dare they seal me underground! I’d make sure to place dragons everywhere and make them cinder! But why are most monsters so ugly? Not sure if the SLG part is balanced, but the idea is good at least. Maybe worth taking a look.

I’d seal you underground for the good of lolis and imoutos everywhere.

SLG part

Ore no Kanojo no Uraomote

Company: Aries
Game site: 俺の彼女のウラオモテ
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
It’s the end of July and the beginning of summer vacation. Takaya volunteered to be part of the school festival committee in order to be closer to the school president and his classmate Miyabi who he looked up to. One day he saw another side of her. At the same time, his imouto Akeno had her basketball match coming up and their days became more hectic. With his osananajimis Nazuki and Yukito and new acquaintance Kanna also in tow, he had a feeling that this last summer at the school will be different from before. Then his father decided to re-marry and he has a new sister… Miyabi.

This reminds me of the Aile game Relations x Sister and a few other titles I can’t recall and one can only hope it will work out better than most of this type.. As much as I find gap moe appealing it takes more than that to make a good game or good characters for that matter. Without either there is little point to caring enough to keep reading. Not much aside from a typical charage here so if you crave more than a cheap and predictable script to lead you into H scenes with the embodiment of the trait of your choosing, look elsewhere otherwise for charage I would probably choose this over the rest of this months releases.

Gap moe is the appeal here. It’s kinda like a tsundere – you get to see their other side when you’re alone together. I have to admit there’s something charming about an imouto that is tsuntsun at school, but deredere at home. Or a prim and proper school pres who’s actually very unkempt. And those delicious jitome… Mmm… Art is appealing and with a plot that’s similar to Love Delation, I think it could be an entertaining pick-up. See? I don’t mind if a game doesn’t have any lolis.

You can only say that if you play, enjoy, and keep playing till completion.

I’m tempted to do just that.

Temptation by itself is not definitive action, you have said such things before only to be rendered unable to keep playing due to lack of horizontally challenged little girls.

Hanachiru Miyako to Ryuu no Miko

Company: でぼの巣製作所 (Debo no Su)
Game site: 花散る都と竜の巫女
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
This is a spinoff of Debo no Su’s previous title Hanasaku Otome to Koi no Grimoire, with Lime and Sheena now being mikos. The 3D action battle system is basically the same, along with item synthesis, quests and home customization. One day, something went wrong with Ein’s alchemy, causing him and dragon girls Lime and Sheena to be transported to the Far East. They were surprised to find themselves in an unfamiliar place and were invited to meet the castle lord. He sensed their dragon power and asked a favour of them: to rescue his daughter Kukuri-hime who was kidnapped last night. After successfully bringing her back, they return to search for a way to return to Erile.

Spinoff makes me want to listen to Dead or Alive, aside from that you already know if you are interested or not from liking the previous game, if that doesn’t apply to you move along.

Different world, same system. Studio e.go! and Debo no Su have too many miko titles. I prefer the original over this version. I don’t really see a reason for playing this unless you really love mikos and grinded through Hanakoi. Pass.

Kessen! Otome-tachi no Senjou 3

Company: unicorn-a / げーせん18 (Gesen18)
Game site: 決戦！乙女たちの戦場3 ～電撃作戦！戦果はエースの名のもとに～
Release date: April 27, 2012 Delayed to May 25, 2012
Comments:
After the end of the second World War, a scientific experiment by the leading post-war nation went terribly wrong, annihilating most of the country. With the world balance suddenly in tatters, countries once again began to fight each other for supremacy. Out of this new war emerged three nations: the Republic of Japan, the Howell Kingdom and the Schwarzwald Empire.

Then followed a Cold War when each nation assembled new troops and conducted weaponry research in preparation for an impending battle. The Inter Operation System (IOS) was one such new secret technology founded by the Republic of Japan, by which soldiers are able to control military units without any prior knowledge. Operation is as simple as moving one’s own limbs. This new technology drastically reduced the time required for training new soldiers who would be able to battle in the air, on the seas and on land. The only limitation is that only those who are suitable for the IOS can use it. Yuuichi is a cook for the Japanese Fourth Army with no prior battle experience. However, one day he was found to be suitable for the IOS and assigned to the frontlines.

The third installation of the Otosen SLG series, for military and bishoujo lovers, featuring 25 generals and new skills along with a revamped map system. When the heroines take damage in a battle, there’ll be an ecchi cut-in scene with shredded clothes. The game consists of three parts: adventure, intermission and simulation. There’s over 400 types of military units and 100 maps.

A travesty based on a protagonist straight out of Nadesico and a post WW2 theory that conveniently ignores the military, economic, and social situation of the world even were the US to be instantly gone. Well we all know how bitter Japan is over that and how much they love to postulate different endings. Even forgiving that the premise of their IOS system is something so shamefully stupid the only way I can envision this to have arisen is through the creators getting drunk enough to allow their fresh sushi to climb over their keyboards in a haphazard manner and adopted the ensuing rubbish as a means to legitimize pointlessly incorporating little girls into a wartime scenario. I hope they all lose the war and die.

Well, I’m not really interested in yet-another-WWII-based-game, especially one where the story is pretty much the same except with names replaced. The problem I find with games with so many heroines is that the character development is pretty much nil as there’s just not enough time/space to take care of everyone. It also means you get only one H scene per heroine… two if you’re lucky. And 3D really doesn’t fit in; it looks so jarring.

Sakura No Reply

Company: onomatope*
Game site: 桜ノーリプライ
Release date: April 27, 2012 Delayed to May 25, 2012
Comments:
When Ichigo was small, he lived with his grandmother on a small island surrounded by the ocean and mountains. Due to his parent’s work, he moved away, leaving behind his sickly imouto Minto and close friends. He did not have any plans for his future, but then he was chosen to be part of a student exchange with their sister school. So he returned to the island and reunited with his now grown-up imouto and childhood friends. On this small island where the sakura do not bloom, will the hope and love in their hearts blossom?

DCII a few years and dozens of games late I wouldn’t be surprised if it was actually better than the trite garbage Circus comes up with, after all they have plenty of material to work with. Not much else to say, it seems Circus passed the DCII ball on to someone else to milk for awhile as they have finally moved on to DCIII.

Is this D.C.II? The setting is similar, Ichigo has the same powers as Yoshiyuki (ability to make sweets appear in his hand) and Minto and Mikuri are voiced by Kinomi Hijiri (Yume) and Hinaki Ai (Otome). Ichigo even tells Minto a story about an island where the sakura blooms all year round and grants people’s wishes. I’m not sure if it’s due to all the similarities that I’m really interested in this title or not, but the trial was entertaining and it should be a good chara-ge. I love all the charas, especially Minto and Chiyoko! Chiyoko reminds me of Sukima‘s Chiyoko (she’s even called Choko!) or Achikoi‘s Yuuyu, with her energetic personality and laugh-inducing antics. Really love the OP and Hatori Piyoko and Pan’s art. Definitely gonna play this (after the actual D.C.III)!

Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi AA

Company: フォン (feng)
Game site: 星空へ架かる橋AA
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from February. The fandisk for Hoshikaka, containing after stories for the 6 heroines and another stories for new heroine (yet another blonde tsundere) Seira and subchars Senka and Yocchan. The new routes take place one year after he first came to Yamabiko-chou. Ui and Hina’s Valentine’s Day routes from the special patch will now be fully voiced, with episodes for other characters coming out too.

Finally a Senka route, I will play this for that and only that before I once again discard this inferior game like the repugnant half assed insult it is.

For those wondering: no confirmation of an Ayumu route… but there’s more of Kasane!! Now can we also get an Akasaka fandisk too? Surprisingly, Seira is the same age as Kasane, but with a huge difference in body proportions. However, I like her a lot too as a kouhai. She’s so cute when blushing!! I know I said Hoshikaka was awful (it still is), but I’m compelled to play this as well. Why do you do this to me, feng?

Soukou no Arterial

Company: エウシュリー (Eushully)
Game site: 創刻のアテリアル
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
Shuuya lives with his imouto Mirai and attends Tengyou Daini Gakuen. However, their peaceful days come to an abrupt end as their world is taken over by an alternate world called Waibin Sekai – one where angels and demons battle each other and monsters called ‘creators’ roam freely. The students are forced to decide to ally with the angels, side with the demons or do neither. No matter which choice they make, they would be hard pressed to survive in this dangerous world.

Soukou is an ADV/RPG/TCG, with the highlight being the card battle system. Just like in standard trading card games, you build your deck and battle against opponents in order to progress through the map. The purpose is to defeat your opponent’s leader card, which has a red border, although sometimes there are special winning requirements. You can move your cards in play around to take advantage of their special abilities. As you explore more dungeons, you will be able to pick up more rare cards to add to your deck, or accrue enough battle points to buy your own from specialty shops. Leveling up your characters will also boost their hp, attack and innate skills. Even after you have cleared the game, you can challenge yourself with the advanced maps.

I hate card games. I never understood the appeal in something so silly. While I could go on and on about what makes these games so pointless and bad I shall refrain here and simply state that the premise of the game is weak due to its simplicity in plot and motivation for characters while the possibility of changing outcomes based on choosing sides is an interesting one it could have done with a better battle system that did not feel like a primary school level children’s fad and more cleverly thought out scenario.

Wow, the trial was so much fun! Even though the system sounds a bit complicated, it is pretty easy to pick up and very entertaining. In the trial, you mainly played with Akari and Kaito, but I can’t wait to see more of the Imoutos (Mirai, Arisa, Chanel)! While on the chuuni side, the plot is pretty interesting, so I’ll probably play this in between games. You know how it is with TCGs and RPGs – they could get addictive really quick.

Kouyoku no Soleil -vii’s World-

Company: SkyFish
Game site: 虹翼のソレイユ－vii’s World－
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
The fourth game in SkyFish’s Soleil valkyrie saga series. It is a battle royale between seven battle maidens from seven different worlds. Touya is the master of one of them, Linaswell, who resides in the center world. Will they be able to live through the battles?

Countless worlds are twined by time by the giant tree Yggdrasil. In one of these such worlds, there was a giant sword taller than any building that was embedded in the ground in Tokyo. Touya was a freeter who worked at the convenience store, although his rude personality made him not really suited for the job. However, this was not the only job that he had. With his right arm being able to change shape, he hunts unworldly beings with his fox spirit Ukon.

In the world of Norse mythology, the final battle Ragnarok had ended. With the end of the world, a new world should have been created, but instead time stopped and the successor of the goddess of fate, Reginleiv, vanished. The previous goddesses, the Norn sisters Wyrd, Verdandi and Skuld, returned to control the situation. Wyrd wanted to search for Reginleiv, but Verdandi and Skuld believed that Reginleiv was not capable of being the new goddess of fate and intended to look for a replacement. This resulted in a battle between the three.

Touya found the injured Wyrd who barely escaped with her life. They travelled back to the Norse mythology world where everything had frozen in time. They entered a library-like place from which light came out from, and that was where he met a young girl.

More bastardization of norse that makes me cringe. Not much to say as honestly this game makes fun of itself so much more than anyone else could.

I really don’t have any interest in valkyries and Norse mythology, especially those butchered by eroge scenario writers. Don’t like the art either. About the only thing I like is the music by MANYO. The fox thing is also kinda cute.

Hyouka no Mau Sora ni

Company: ロゼブル (Rosebleu)
Game site: 氷華の舞う空に
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
New release date after being pushed back from February. Suou lived in a small town blanketed by snow every winter. One day, his cousin Shiina moved in with him after her parents went overseas. Her transfer into the school so close to the winter vacation was the talk of the school. It had been a long time since he had seen her and their time together is quite different from back then. Then a rumour spread that the school might be closed down…

Stupid premises seem to be the bread and butter of Rosebleu, and this time around they are sure not to disappoint. That said however perhaps surprisingly from me I tend to like their character interaction and comedy enough that reading the games can be rather fun. While I have yet to find any game from this company that I would list as good, I do tend to find them some of the most enjoyable games for simple reasons. Were they to ever come up with a story that could properly support the rare qualities in their writing they may be able to come up with a real winner. One can only hope that this game turns out better than appears likely, but this will undoubtably be my main light reading pick for this month.

Another save the school story with a imouto-kei main heroine set in a rural area during the winter. The scenario writer is Moriya Takashi, who worked on the first Stellar☆Theater game but not the fandisk. Probably won’t be interesting to most of you, but it hits all the right buttons for me. A bit of a shame that it’s in such a loaded month.

Imouto ga Boku o Neratteru

Company: ALL-TiME
Game site: 妹が僕を狙ってる
Release date: April 27, 2012
Comments:
Keita has three imoutos: Erina, Tomoka and Yuzu. They may seem to be normal siblings, but he actually lusts after them, sneaking into their bedrooms at night and masturbating to their cute sleeping faces. At the same time, the oldest imouto Erina had fallen in love with him since he had always been by her side since she was born. However, she felt that there’s no way she could admit to having these feelings and continued to hide her true feelings. One day, a girl named Saori joined their family via their father’s remarriage, becoming their older sister. She was beautiful, kind, smart, great at housework and cooking – perfect in every way. Saori quickly became close with his imoutos and Erina found someone that she could confide in. Following Saori’s plan, his imoutos begin to launch a full-on assault on him.

I’ll just pretend I didn’t see this one.

Yuzu, I don’t think that’s gonna fit. It’s as big as your neck. For a nukige, it has a decent plot and a bit of a twist where it’s the girls who take the initiative. The trial was pretty funny, so I think it might be a good ero-comedy. However, I think it’d be more aptly titled as “Onee-chan ga Boku o Neratteru, Boku ga Imouto o Neratteru”. I also felt a Riaimo vibe, except Keita is the most perverted brother I’ve ever met – sniffing their pantsu and wearing their seifuku. However, I can’t disagree with him that “with imoutos this cute, of course you want to make them yours only!”.

Such a dirty mind, it is obviously for YOU not her, so it should fit just fine.

I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that.

Pretend all you want, but as revenge one night she will be coming for you.

Micchi’s Top 3 for This Month

1. Mahoutsukai no Yoru -Witch on the Holy Night-
2. Hyouka no Mau Sora ni
3. AngelGuard

Zen’s Top 7 for This Month

1. D.C.III
2. Sakura No Reply
3. Yukiiro ~Sora ni Rikka no Sumu Machi~
4. Soukou no Arterial
5. Shiawase Kazoku-bu
6. Ore no Kanojo no Uraomote
7. Muriyari!? Otome Days

Sakura needs a happy ending.

Her happy ending is Circus going to the bank with all the money she makes them from fans like you.

Update: Happy April Fool’s! ^_^  If you haven’t caught on already, our colours were switched for those titles which did not previously appear in another post. Our lists were also swapped. Zen isn’t dying to play D.C.III. Don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world yet. That’s in December.