I'm not going to say the game was bad. Because it wasn't inherently 'bad'. It was just unbelievably, almost completely, exactly like Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side. You had chibis for activities, you based stats like you would in the game. You even ranked the academics in a slanted way like the game does, in a clearly Japanese based system that should measure more Canadian/American. Affection and dates, it takes place over three years (even using a plot point to skip the first one) and yet it lacks one thing Tokimeki DOES do.
The story starts out in every Tokimeki game with a backstory- a backstory that is culminated in the end no matter who you choose unless you really suck. Now - in this game I think it's good you went with Vi and the h@x to differentiate from Tokimeki. . . but it's. 1. not different enough. Everything from the interfac to the clothing system to relationships is virtually the same and I feel that cheapens your efforts alot. You didn't take the plot and change it, you took the interface and did a similar story. It's hard for me to cut you slack because of it. I am more likely to forgive 5 people for doing a supernatural romance as long as they all write differently and express it differently. Unless you added bombs this could not be closer to Tokimeki. 2. There is no culmination. Vi is obviously your 'mentor' type, taken again from Tokimeki to be your life mentor. But you never really talk to him, even if you're trying to get his ending. He comes, he leaves. There is no message there that says, hey wow this is what the MC got from this experience.
None of this means you didn't work hard. You obviously did! Your art has improved, your dialogue is funny, your music is well paced. But you lacked what Frozen Essence did that blew the pants off of me: There is nothing about this game inherently ..individual. The plot just seems typical 'I'm a normal girl who magically gets a super sidekick to go on shoujo adventures with me' throw in super powers and you're just a mahou shoujo. What disappointed me the most was that none of these love interests was particularly interesting to me. I thought you'd make a funny Twilight reference, instead you rolled with a fourth undead plotline and Chase going from stoic to absolutely weird. Dmitri is a boring and predictable character who is literally the embodiment of ex girlfriend tropes. Where is the shock and aw of the Zareh story? Where is the genuinely cute quirk of the main love interest who could have been predictable?
I don't want to seem too harsh. Trust me when I say, I'm way more picky than I should be. This game should not be free because the labor you put into it was far more than even some regular games I've seen. I feel like I should have paid for it, and the quality is good enough to be commercial. But . . .not because the story is genuine by itself. I only enjoyed playing Blaze's storyline, everyone else I trudged through.
Again, the worst part is really how identical to Tokimeki memorial it is. I think I'd be a lot more forgiving if it wasn't so blatant. But it...really really is way too similar to the game. I cant sit here and say it isn't good, it doesn't show significant programming expertise, or even that it's bad. But you know what it IS? A squandering of your talents. You are an awesome writer with great ideas, but this just falls short for me. I want to like it so bad, because I *really* love and respect your works and abilities, but I hope your next game is more like Frozen Essence.
The story starts out in every Tokimeki game with a backstory- a backstory that is culminated in the end no matter who you choose unless you really suck. Now - in this game I think it's good you went with Vi and the h@x to differentiate from Tokimeki. . . but it's. 1. not different enough. Everything from the interfac to the clothing system to relationships is virtually the same and I feel that cheapens your efforts alot. You didn't take the plot and change it, you took the interface and did a similar story. It's hard for me to cut you slack because of it. I am more likely to forgive 5 people for doing a supernatural romance as long as they all write differently and express it differently. Unless you added bombs this could not be closer to Tokimeki. 2. There is no culmination. Vi is obviously your 'mentor' type, taken again from Tokimeki to be your life mentor. But you never really talk to him, even if you're trying to get his ending. He comes, he leaves. There is no message there that says, hey wow this is what the MC got from this experience.
None of this means you didn't work hard. You obviously did! Your art has improved, your dialogue is funny, your music is well paced. But you lacked what Frozen Essence did that blew the pants off of me: There is nothing about this game inherently ..individual. The plot just seems typical 'I'm a normal girl who magically gets a super sidekick to go on shoujo adventures with me' throw in super powers and you're just a mahou shoujo. What disappointed me the most was that none of these love interests was particularly interesting to me. I thought you'd make a funny Twilight reference, instead you rolled with a fourth undead plotline and Chase going from stoic to absolutely weird. Dmitri is a boring and predictable character who is literally the embodiment of ex girlfriend tropes. Where is the shock and aw of the Zareh story? Where is the genuinely cute quirk of the main love interest who could have been predictable?
I don't want to seem too harsh. Trust me when I say, I'm way more picky than I should be. This game should not be free because the labor you put into it was far more than even some regular games I've seen. I feel like I should have paid for it, and the quality is good enough to be commercial. But . . .not because the story is genuine by itself. I only enjoyed playing Blaze's storyline, everyone else I trudged through.
Again, the worst part is really how identical to Tokimeki memorial it is. I think I'd be a lot more forgiving if it wasn't so blatant. But it...really really is way too similar to the game. I cant sit here and say it isn't good, it doesn't show significant programming expertise, or even that it's bad. But you know what it IS? A squandering of your talents. You are an awesome writer with great ideas, but this just falls short for me. I want to like it so bad, because I *really* love and respect your works and abilities, but I hope your next game is more like Frozen Essence.
