Adventure Bar Story (1)

adventure-bar-story-croppedTales of Hearts? Ao no Kiseki? How can mere big-budget handheld games compete with the charm of a $2.99 smartphone game? Say hello to your new mobile overlord!

Adventure Bar Story is an Atelier-inspired crafting RPG from a company called Rideon Japan. It’s been (passably but not well-)translated and is available for the Android, iOS and 3DS. A free demo called Adventure Bar Story LITE is also available if you want to try it before buying. It’s a good idea to do so just to make sure it works on your phone, but if it works on my dinky old rooted (many Japanese games won’t run on rooted phones) Android 2.3.5 512 MB phone, it will probably run on anything. Do please go on, this is most interesting →

Tips for not sucking at Entaku no Seito’s postgame

entaku_no_seito_the_eternal_legend_0003

You have no chance to survive make your time.

You can play the normal Entaku no Seito game anyhow you like with any party you want and beat the final boss just fine. If you want to succeed in the post-game, however, there are a few things you’re better off having, some of which will need preparation several hours in advance. This post (the last on Entaku no Seito, I promise) is to warn you of such things so you can get your affairs in order and not be forced to grind like crazy for something you would have gotten easily if only you’d known.

The most important spell for postgame is Levitate, and the most important thing for postgame bosses is Union Skills + Levels, so the earlier you finalize your party, the better. For the record I went with MC, Lumi, Chupp, [post-game character], Eltha and Lolon. I haven’t actually beaten the bonus boss yet, but his doom is assured, hence this post. [update: beat him, see way down below] Do please go on, this is most interesting →

Miss Princess (Mispri!) – For younger fans

Misspuri!-coverMiss Princess is an otome game from Ruby Party and Koei-Tecmo based on a shoujo manga by Seizuki Madoka. It’s aimed at a slightly younger crowd than most otome games, probably with the hope of getting tweens and younger girls into otome games in order to expand the market and maybe open the way for Koei to develop games for other demographics too.

Story: There’s a butler boom in Japan and every girl dreams of having her own butler. Combine the two and you get the “Miss Princess” contest, a contest to decide the most beautiful butler-owning girl in Japan…? I dunno, I don’t get it either. But anyway you have to be 15 and under and you have to have a butler.

Enter our main character Himeoka Kokoro, an ordinary 15-year old middle schooler. Kokoro has dreamt of being Miss Princess since she was 5 but since her family is too poor to afford a butler, she had to save up for one on her own. Unfortunately a thief runs off with her savings right before she can enter the contest. Luckily while pursuing the thief Kokoro happens to help an old lady who just happens to run a butler agency. As thanks the old lady puts not one, not two, not three but four handsome butlers at Kokoro’s disposal. Now she can go to the ball! Do please go on, this is most interesting →

Otome games with life simulation gameplay

Life Simulation = You live some sort of life and pretend to be all strong and independent but all you really want is a nice boyfriend to depend on.
Yeah okay, not all the games in this category are like that, just 90%. But it should be 100% because wooing bishies is fun!

Advance warning: this post is over 9000 words long! Do please go on, this is most interesting →

Entaku no Seito – Forgot to mention one massive flaw

students of roundDon’t you hate it when a game keeps you from progressing until you go and grind, or until you return to an earlier stage to pick up some random item you didn’t get the first time, or until you talk to some guy in a corner of town you hadn’t even noticed before, that sort of thing? You hate it, don’t you? Then maybe you should think a bit before playing Entaku no Seito. Just a bit.

Flush off my victory against Ol-Ohma my eyes were so full of stars that I couldn’t see the bad stuff too well, but when I started playing the epilogue the problem came up again. Even before that there was a part where I had to dig out a FAQ and look up the locations of all 7 pieces of a legendary weapon. After that I had to raise a certain character’s affection to a certain level to use another legendary weapon (which sucked anyway). Do please go on, this is most interesting →