Despite the fact that I appear to be a super professional expert of Japanese ADV games, I'm actually relatively new to the genre. After all, it took a bit a time to become a fully fluent, college reading level master of Japanese-foo moon symbols and all that jazz. Also it helps that the "pros" at IGNorant, Shitaku, PolySJW, etc. have as much knowledge as well... a room full of communication and media studies majors, which actually pretty much explains everything.
My master's thesis: "Protesting the tyranny of the graduate thesis patriarchy by submitting a single misogynistic image"
I kind of got off track (once again) but what I was trying to say is Yahari Game demo Ore no Seishun Rabu Kome wa Machigatteiru. aka Oregairu aka Hamachi aka blah blah SNAFU oh look at my creative writing degree! is the first light novel → anime → "interactive medium" adaptation ADV game I've played. Sure, I have a pile of oreimo, haganai, sakurasou no pet, etc. etc. in my Closet of Shame™ gathering dust but god forbid I actually try to play my shit. Nope, I'd rather boot up a digital PSN game in my never ending quest to make room on my tiny Vita memory card (FU Sony). I got it on a PSN "sale" (#broke) but fortunately, you can now get both this game and the sequel on the PS4 for the amazing price of $80! (TODO: add affiliate link for $$$).
If you want to see this CG without the text, you'll have to buy it yourself (or YT I guess)
I have to say, for my first "licensed" game, I was quite impressed at the quality and volume of content. I haven't read the light novels but I did watch both seasons of the anime and it was ok, I suppose. Honestly, it was so long ago I forgot most of it but I did appreciate that it wasn't another typical harem dry hump orgy like nisekoi, haganai, oreimo, SAO (barf), etc., etc., etc.
Maybe I should become an anime critique (#jk #NotALoser)
The story in this game takes place during summer break and of course you have your usual heroine routes with Yukinon and Yuigahama. For some odd reason, I found Yuigahama's voice annoying even though Kujou Karen from Kinmoza is one of fav characters of all-time. In fact, I would marry Naochan in a second if given the chance.
Fuck Yuigahama, where's Nao's route??
Anyway blah blah, more of the same shit as the anime. The REAL highlight of this game are the characters that didn't get much air time due to being a trap or not being in the same school (you're too old for junior high). Yes, it's back. IMOOOOUTO TAIMUUU! Nothing like JC (don't Google Japan that) incest action to- wait, who's banging on the door?!
Just to be clear, this is not from the game.
So yeah, if you liked Komachi and thought you wanted to see more of her than her brief scenes from the first season, this game is for you. You can enjoy living vicariously through an anime loner boy hanging out at home during summer break waking up your imouto for breakfast. #BUYNOW!!
Imouto "tehe" (≧▽≦)ゞ in PJs, what more can you ask for?
Or if you're into traps, funny enough but Totsuka is one of the Heroine routes and he has the most complicated route with the most CGs. Unfortunately, the scenario writer (and original author) kept things consistent and didn't take the non-canon ending chance for some real BL, which seems like a missed opportunity... if you're into that shit I mean, which I'm totally NOT! #120%Straight
Unfortunately, the game doesn't take it to the next level
I also appreciated that Hachiman was voiced as well since I'm American and get a severe allergic reaction to BIGLY words. I'm not one of those creepos who needs a silent protagonist to immerse themselves into the game so it didn't bother me one bit. Pretty much everything is voiced which is great for multitask audio drama style play except oddly for his lines in the silence breaker sections. This is a section where you have to pick certain lines to increase or decrease the heart meter within a certain number of tries featuring Live2D fancy graphics.
Jesus, enough with the fucking teasing!
You have to fail and succeed all of these for a couple trophies so it's kind of a pain in the butt. In fact, getting platinum on this game is nigh impossible without a guide IMO. While I was easily able to unlock all the endings and collect most of the CGs, to get every type of mail involved things like raising Totsuka's flag, leaving Yuigahama's dog Sable with Yukinon, fail a silence break with her and then take Sable for a walk with both Totsuka and Yukinon.
Ahh Subject: Re4 the good ol days before all this line stamp shit.
In fact, even the trophy whores on psnprofiles took at least 3 hours to waste their money for a fucking trophy. If you think about these people staring at their Vita for that whole time, skipping text, and selecting dialogue options without reading them, you can kind of get a sense of how fucking loser they are. For the record, I took my time enjoying the content off and on for over a year and 7 months so I'm totally NOT a loser.
Thanks imouto for the plat!!!
Score: 3.5 unfortunately, there is no Kinmoza game so you'll just have settle for this ten hour video out of 5
I would buy a Kinmoza game for reals
All in all, if you liked the anime and want to see more of it, in particular Komachi or Totsuka, you can't go wrong with this one. The story is more of the same, it's polished, and there's a lot of content for your Oregairu fix (you have a weird addiction).
Additional screenshots for the Imouto museum.
Oh hell yeah, I would post the CG after she strips but well, why don't you buy it yourself via my affiliate link? (TODO: add link to fund game hoarding habit)
Ah, the old "maybe we're not related so not incest?" imouto route trick
Uh oh... what's going on down there?
Totsuka has the most CGs to unlock (#TRAP)
I just want to know for sure if there's a penis or not. The public deserves to know! #TruthMatters
Scale
0 - Awful
1 - Bad and not worth your time
2 - Has some flaws but still enjoyable
3 - An average enjoyable experience
4 - A great game
5 - Masterpiece of a caliber only found very rarely
'＆', otherwise known as the worst game title ever in terms of search is the first 18+ PC game I completed in all its censored Cero C consumer port glory. I don't import adult PC games, first because they're overpriced and second, I'm scared of customs but MOST importantly because I'm an upstanding citizen with high moral values and not some ecchi hentai sukebe weaboo (bonus pompous point for you if you caught the oxymoron). And of course, I would never ever dare to even IMAGINE to soil my hands by stealing the hard work of our intrepid developers via the torrent/warez/tokyotosho scene (remember every time you pirate, a kitten cries in agony [citation needed]).
Oh thank god, the HP for 18+ version is blocked.
Now my kids can safely shop online for their AR-15s in peace.
I still don't know why the game is titled '&' (the ending mentions it but I didn't get it nor do I care) and believe me, it was really annoying finding my download in PSN store on the Vita. Yeah, I'm not stupid, I tried searching on the subtitle （空の向こう, etc.） and I got NUTHING. Anyways, on to the game itself.
Now, I'm no eroge expert, but MAN, this was one of the most boring stories I've read in a long time. Unless you're telling me the 18+ smutty version comes with a coupon to a pink salon (don't google that!), I HIGHLY doubt that there's anything in this game that's worth anybody's time.
The main problem is the entire story premise is based on a lame adventure with a bunch of kids wandering aimlessly around some random town. The main character treats this childhood memory like it was the most awesome thing that could ever happen to anyone. But I just came away with a big fat WHO THE FUCK CARES??
Some kids wandered around in town unsupervised and I'm supposed to think this was exciting somehow?
The only weird thing that happened was the kids saw two identical moons. Now, 8 years later, the two moons are back, and all the members gather in the same town to investigate. Now the characters might be in a huge reunion mood eg, "OH MY GOD!! It's been so long. How have you guys been?? Oh wow, you grew your hair? Hey, this old place is still here? No way!" blah blah blah blah blah. But knowing nothing of their childhood, you have ZERO investment in any of the characters, once again feeling like, "WHO THE FUCK CARES??"
Some kids looking at the sky, this is soooooooo exciting...
Anyways, the "exciting" part of the story is the group makes a wish on a tree and it spits out some tools to help grant each character's wish. The story line splits around the midpoint as you get with each of the girls (and one "kinda" girl in the expanded consumer port). Presumably, this is standard mechanic for eroge except of course, all the smut is cut out.
Don't except anything much more suggestive than this from Cero C
Again, I don't really know much of anything about 18+ games due to my pure heart, but goddamn, it was boring as hell to replay the game over and over as they find out the same shit in different ways. I get that games like Virtue's Last Reward had a unique twist on the formula so going back to the orthodox approach is so goddamn boring.
It's like beating the game, then rewinding where everybody forgets what you just found out. Some different events happen and you get with another girl but you find out the SAME SHIT YOU ALREADY KNEW. To add salt to the tedium, the characters were not interesting at all. The main female character Urara especially was pretty annoying with her always carefree and cheerful disposition. Ugh, I hate happy people.
The OP and ED were good (yay Steins;Gate). The rest of the game's music... not so much.
Now, to be fair, some shit goes down in a couple routes that would definitely be CNN and WHO level stuff. But somehow, despite all the excitement, I was still bored to tears. As for the character interactions, I think I might have almost laughed like 3 times. Almost.
The writing is really top notch Translation: Shitshitshitshitshitshit, shitshitshitshitshitshit. Shit!
As my first entry into the galge genre, this was not a good start. If I were smart, I should probably start avoiding this type of game altogether- OOH LOOK, a TGL sale on PSN!! I can't WAIT to delete this game from my Vita... and install another one just like it...
Maybe next time's the charm! Fool me once... wait, wrong proverb, um, never mind
Score: 1.5 apparently my economics 101 lesson about opportunity cost was useless cause I wasted about 60 precious hours on this but wait! PLATINUM TROPHY!!! (my life is so sad) out of 5
I've chipped away at this game for well over a year in the vain hopes that something interesting would come out of it at some point. Recently, I just got so fed up with the space it was taking up on my Vita memory card (Sony U SUCK), I plowed through the last 40 hours or so over the course of a few weeks. Near the end, I actually started getting mad as the main character wasted yet more of my time indulging in yet another filler of reflecting on the past and saying stupid shit over and over about wishes and other pointless sophomoric philosophical shit.
Even the amazing technology powered by CheeseWare wasn't enough to make this a good game
Seriously, the only reason I scored it 1.5 was because I gave Mother a score of 1 and unlike Mother, the mechanics weren't broken and it was at least better than some F2P gacha shit. Oh, and it also helped me fall asleep at night. 30 minutes with this game and I was out like a light.
Bonus screenshots for you know for umm... prosperity? Cero C, by the way, means this game is acceptable for kids from age 15. Isn't Japan so awesome? (You goddamn weebs)
Cero C means extra soap
This is only in the consumer port (was it worth it???)
This is like the GRATEST game.
Duke duke using evil tool... I don't even have anything clever to say about this.
Scale
0 - Awful
1 - Bad and not worth your time
2 - Has some flaws but still enjoyable
3 - An average enjoyable experience
4 - A great game
5 - Masterpiece of a caliber only found very rarely
