[Group Play 2] Go! Magical Boy

[Auro-Cyanide]

Group Play is a weekly event in which one game is selected to be promoted within the forums to be played by us as a group. It provides an opportunity to promote some smaller games that would otherwise get lost, promote discussion and promote creativity. This isn't just about the creators of the games, but also us as a community. It acts as a way for us to analyse work as creative people and for us to develop the necessary critical language to develop and pursue our work.



This week's game is "Go! Magical Boy" by Alessio!

You can find links to the game here: Go! Magical Boy
And the Archive link incase the updated links don't work.



There are some rules to follow in the following discussion about the game.

- In your primary comment on the game, please try to mention one thing you liked and one thing you think could be improved. This is in the spirit of giving both encouraging and helpful comments to the creators. You may of course go beyond this with praise or critique. I can't enforce this rule, I'll just silently judge you.

- Please try to do one play-through or enough of the game to develop a solid opinion. Some things can be commented on early on, but things like plot might be best left until you finish the game.

- There is no rule as to whether you post here only or in the completed game topic. Feel free to do as you like. This is just a space to discuss this game while playing it at the same time as others.

- Please try to think about the game play as a whole, as well as the different parts that make up the game.

- Please be respectful to the game and creator. You don't have to like a game, but you should be respectful to the effort.

- Please follow the forum rules.



If you would like to make your own suggestions and haven't already, please feel free to PM them to me.

These are the current guidelines for suggestions:

- Anyone can send me 3 games (VN, KN Sim, whatever, just from these forums or related to) that they think are worth playing by PM.
- There can only be three suggestions per person and if a game gets suggested multiple times, they still only get one draw.
- You may suggest your own games.
- For now they must not be 18+, just because we want to encourage everyone to join first up. If it goes well, maybe something can be arranged for the big kids.
- Please try to make sure the game is short (around a max of 30,000 words). It isn't a hard and fast rule, but it's easier to make time for smaller games and it will give this a greater chance of success.
- They must be free and preferably available on all 3 platforms, again for easy access.

And with that, let the games begin!

[Auro-Cyanide]

So, I finished playing through one of the routes (No. 2). I hadn't heard about this game before since it was created loooooong before I signed up, but I can honestly say I really enjoyed it and I was even a little surprised by it.

I thought it was pretty well written. I particularly liked the humour in it and I really appreciated the non-whiny hero. Some parts of the story took a path I wasn't expecting and it was pretty funny because of it. The writing could be a little stiff at some points and there were a couple typos, but nothing that drastically decreased the enjoyment factor. I found it pretty easy to get through and some of the characters had very clear and distinct voices. I've already mentioned that I enjoyed the main character and while the other characters did fall into the classic tropes, they were pretty well done and I liked the girl who's route I did. She had some spark.

Music, sound effects and visuals were used to good effect, especially at the beginning. I feel they all went quite well together. The sprites could probably have had some more emotions, but the fact they blinked was pretty cool Overall I felt that while the visuals were not terribly polished, they did a really good job at helping to communicate the story. The music was nice, but a bit more variety would have been appreciated since it was a decent read. The ending song was a really nice touch though.

I thought this was a pretty great game and a lot of effort went into it. It was also a really interesting take on the genre (seriously, I loled at some points). I really liked the creators comments at the end too, it was nice to hear about the process, I always enjoy hearing about that type of thing. I'm really glad that this game got pointed out to me, it was the type of thing I was looking for

[Arelune]

Here goes

I did the routes in this order: Lara -> Iyona -> Aina
At least, I tried going for Iyona's route. How could I have known she was a fake choice!

Well... I enjoyed it. It was a fun story. The summary doesn't really do it good.

The writing at the beginning wasn't that great, but it got better.
What irks me the most is that most of the choices don't matter at all. You get shown a slightly different scene, but nothing more. The one that matters the most, which girl you choose, only changes the girl in the scenes. The action and dialogue stays mostly the same. If you played through one route, you don't have to do the other. It could have been more interesting if the scenes would have been more different.

Also sometimes they don't act as if they know each other for less than a week. Like this for example on the second day:
"It's not like you to sleep in class." How can you known that?

Ania's sprite expressions sometimes didn't match her tone. She seems to be smiling at weird times.

I did like the music, though as Auro has already said, a bit more variation might have been nice.

Overall I felt that while the visuals were not terribly polished, they did a really good job at helping to communicate the story.
The ending song was a really nice touch though

and I agree with this.

[CheeryMoya]

That only took forever to download :C I'm hosting a join.me session of me playing the game, so come on down if you want. Here's the link to watch:

https://join.me/422-832-371

I uh... have no idea how long I'll play this in one go, but we'll see how things come out. When you join in, make sure to change your name so I know who you are.

Edit: Okay, so I was reading this aloud in a monotone dramatic voice for my Skype group, and it hurt my throat and their ears having to listen to this... thing. At first, I had no idea what was going on. After meeting the woman, I had no idea what was going on. At school, I had no idea what was going on. When I met with Lara, I had no idea what was going on. Maybe it was because I skipped some explanation when talking to the woman, but the story takes itself way too seriously with a narration style that irks me. I don't want to have to read more than 2 lines of text in succession asking where this place is. At that point, it becomes filler text. The MC is so clueless to the point where I want to headdesk and just turn off the game, which I did after defeating a Shadow with Lara in the nurse's room.

Reading over some of the comments in the game thread and here, the general response was positive and full of praise. Did I download the same game? Or did I not play far enough into it so there'd be a "twist"? I know this game is rather old, being released in 2006, so standards have risen by then. But still, I can't help but feel like the game's writing is not as great as all the reviews say.

If it really does get better, I'll try picking it up again if I have the time.

[Auro-Cyanide]

That only took forever to download :C I'm hosting a join.me session of me playing the game, so come on down if you want. Here's the link to watch:

https://join.me/422-832-371

I uh... have no idea how long I'll play this in one go, but we'll see how things come out. When you join in, make sure to change your name so I know who you are.

Edit: Okay, so I was reading this aloud in a monotone dramatic voice for my Skype group, and it hurt my throat and their ears having to listen to this... thing. At first, I had no idea what was going on. After meeting the woman, I had no idea what was going on. At school, I had no idea what was going on. When I met with Lara, I had no idea what was going on. Maybe it was because I skipped some explanation when talking to the woman, but the story takes itself way too seriously with a narration style that irks me. I don't want to have to read more than 2 lines of text in succession asking where this place is. At that point, it becomes filler text. The MC is so clueless to the point where I want to headdesk and just turn off the game, which I did after defeating a Shadow with Lara in the nurse's room.

Reading over some of the comments in the game thread and here, the general response was positive and full of praise. Did I download the same game? Or did I not play far enough into it so there'd be a "twist"? I know this game is rather old, being released in 2006, so standards have risen by then. But still, I can't help but feel like the game's writing is not as great as all the reviews say.

If it really does get better, I'll try picking it up again if I have the time.

I think it depends how familiar you are with the genres the game is taking after/semi-paraoding? Many parts of it were definite call backs to it, from fantasy fiction (Bad shadow guys, chosen hero, dangerous task) to some popular shojo (Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, any other magical girl series). I don't think it's meant to be taken seriously, just that the main character was taking it seriously.

He WAS the magical girl from the genre.

[SusanTheCat]

Here is a recording of me playing for the first 10 minutes. http://youtu.be/NE1SdkRfO14

I liked the backgrounds. There were many of them and I liked the effect used on them.

The sprites were rather flat, but they remind me a bit of Moebius. The blinking drove me crazy. My eye would catch some movement, but by the time I looked at the image, the blink was finished.

The writing is funny and quirky. I love the banter between the friends. It could use some tightening up in places. Special during the exposition at the start. The lady is dying and she keeps repeating her self.

The music kept putting me to sleep. I felt like I was in a department store. The music wasn't bad. It is just muzzak. The ending theme was cool. http://www.mikseri.net/artists/?id=49637

I'd give it a 4 out of 5. With a bunch of polishing, I would pay for this game.

The Good: I liked the writing. The dialogue was fun and believable. Colour scheme.

The Bad: The muzzak. The blinking.

Susan

EDIT: I forgot to add that you can tell that a lot of work went into this VN. It was very well put together.

[CheeryMoya]

I think it depends how familiar you are with the genres the game is taking after/semi-paraoding? Many parts of it were definite call backs to it, from fantasy fiction (Bad shadow guys, chosen hero, dangerous task) to some popular shojo (Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, any other magical girl series). I don't think it's meant to be taken seriously, just that the main character was taking it seriously.

He WAS the magical girl from the genre.

I'm familiar with the magical girl genre, but to me the way this was written doesn't make it obvious that the game is a sort of parody. Could be me, but maybe a few hyperbolic exaggerations would help the writing.

As for the art, it was decent and nothing special. It wasn't terrible, and that's enough. The music I didn't pay much attention to since I was reading the VN aloud.

[Auro-Cyanide]

I think it depends how familiar you are with the genres the game is taking after/semi-paraoding? Many parts of it were definite call backs to it, from fantasy fiction (Bad shadow guys, chosen hero, dangerous task) to some popular shojo (Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, any other magical girl series). I don't think it's meant to be taken seriously, just that the main character was taking it seriously.

He WAS the magical girl from the genre.

I'm familiar with the magical girl genre, but to me the way this was written doesn't make it obvious that the game is a sort of parody. Could be me, but maybe a few hyperbolic exaggerations would help the writing.

As for the art, it was decent and nothing special. It wasn't terrible, and that's enough. The music I didn't pay much attention to since I was reading the VN aloud.

I wouldn't call it a straight out parody because of that reason. More like it is apart of the magical girl genre with some twists. It wasn't really commenting on or mocking the magical girl genre, just putting a different spin on it. I thought this made the overarching plot predictable and understandable even when the writing was weaker, while throwing in a bit of fun when it did turn away from the basic story structure. While those differences weren't put to particular use to deliver a message, it did make the story a bit more interesting to read in my opinion. The placement of the hero in the ending I got was interesting to me

because he got stuck in the back seat and wasn't the primary conflict resolution.

It was these small quirks that I found intriguing. I thought they could definitely have been fleshed out more and put to use in making actual commentary about either the story, the genre or the reader's expectations, but as they stood they weren't too bad.

[saguaro]

I, like CheeryMoya, am having some trouble getting into this one. It features many things I don't like to see in games (high school setting, teenaged protagonists, The Chosen One, The Great Evil [TM], etc.). Clearly a lot of people do enjoy those elements and I'm not the intended audience.

If I step outside my personal tastes, I can say that this might be an okay game for someone who likes the trope. An effort has obviously been made here (lots of backgrounds, transitions, etc.). But in the short time I've played, I'm already encountering false choices. I may take another shot at it before the week is up.

[Arelune]

I too liked it mainly because it was somewhat different than the usual Magical girl. Those 'twists' did both good and bad to the story. Like:

The placement of the hero in the ending I got was interesting to me

because he got stuck in the back seat and wasn't the primary conflict resolution.

That was interesting, but

it also make it somewhat anticlimatic:
I will fight! -> BAF! unconscious... -> Wake up and it's already ended
...Okay.

But in the short time I've played, I'm already encountering false choices.

Yeah, I disliked that too. Why not just make a KN then?

[Auro-Cyanide]

I too liked it mainly because it was somewhat different than the usual Magical girl. Those 'twists' did both good and bad to the story. Like:

The placement of the hero in the ending I got was interesting to me

because he got stuck in the back seat and wasn't the primary conflict resolution.

That was interesting, but

it also make it somewhat anticlimatic:
I will fight! -> BAF! unconscious... -> Wake up and it's already ended
...Okay.

But in the short time I've played, I'm already encountering false choices.

Yeah, I disliked that too. Why not just make a KN then?

That is true. Interesting technique, but without purpose to the story it does come off very anti-climatic. The only real reason I can think of for knocking out the main narrator in a story is to hide information from the viewer, hopefully for a reason. Without that it seems like the writer just didn't know how to describe what was taking place

I'm looking at you Twilight.

So yeah, I can definitely agree with that.

How do people feel about false choices? Are there exceptions to their use or do you pretty much feel ripped off by them all the time?

[Arelune]

The only real reason I can think of for knocking out the main narrator in a story is to hide information from the viewer, hopefully for a reason. Without that it seems like the writer just didn't know how to describe what was taking place

I'm looking at you Twilight.

So yeah, I can definitely agree with that.

Even with that reason it just seems to me like a bit of a cop out. I've seen it abused too often.Damn you Merlin BBC! Stop knocking out Arthur!
They almost never seem to deal with the consequences either. Uncounscious for more than 10 minutes? Something must be very wrong for that to happen.

How do people feel about false choices? Are there exceptions to their use or do you pretty much feel ripped off by them all the time?

Well, I dislike them. Don't say I have a choice when I actually don't.
Only reason for justifying it would be if there's an organisation (or something) that controls the life of the MC without his knowing. Like puppeteers they counter every choice you make so that everything goes their way. Then at the end the MC discovers this.
Or he could know, and then the goal of the game would be to find a choice they can't counter.
If it's only one or two choices I'm fine with it if they are used to show the futility of the situation. It doesn't matter what you do ... will always happen.

[saguaro]

How do people feel about false choices? Are there exceptions to their use or do you pretty much feel ripped off by them all the time?

I hate it, because to me it's a cop-out to present the pretense of a choice.

The main strength of this medium is interactivity, IMO. If it's a KN, fine. Treat it like a KN and don't put fake choices in there.

[Applegate]

It depends on the choices for me; if the choices aren't meant to be meaningful, I don't mind if they aren't either. Devil Survivor had lots of choices, and not all of them were meaningful. I liked the way they handled choice options. If the choice option is like in Katawa Shoujo, where you get a choice to ask about Misha's disability or don't... no matter what you pick you won't, and those kind of things annoy me and actually make me stop reading.

As for this week's group play, I'll say that this Visual Novel isn't for me and leave it at that.

[swinkee]

Just finished playing through one route a little earlier, and my thoughts are as follows:

+The writing style was good, especially if you like a sarcastic narrator, as I do.
+The art, while fairly simple, works quite well.
+The idea is an interesting take on an established genre.

-Characters were flat. There were scenes where you could've switched names around and it wouldn't have made a difference.
-Villains were unthreatening at best. Seriously, I did not at any point feel that they were even the slightest bit menacing.

*Music was okay. Inoffensive and bland, but fairly unobtrusive.
*It's set up to be a parody. It doesn't follow through as a parody, instead trying to turn serious.
*Genre conventions are nice, but breaking away a little more might have been nicer.
*

Dan was unnecessary. Would there have been any significant difference if Dan's role had been folded into Iyona's? I doubt it.

*

The ending (the whole not actually being the hero bit) did feel a little cheap, but the story isn't "you're the hero;" it's "you're looking for the hero" and having the main character become the hero would have changed the whole thrust of the plot.