{H} Opinions on "A drug that makes you dream"

[papillon]

Like I said, I like Aeka, it's the MALE character I'm not so fond of!

[monele]

Wrong, she is the best pick

I think what papillon means is that the PC is not

[Enerccio]

Like I said, I like Aeka, it's the MALE character I'm not so fond of!

tell me after you finish her route love it, totally

[Ignosco]

I've only played Aeka's path so far - based solely on that, this is by a long way the best H-game I've played (and I take back most of my earlier comments about the demo) . When I first heard about Yume Miru Kusuri I had really high expectations, and what I've experienced so far has surpassed these.

[rocket]

This is the first commercial VN I've played so take my comments with a grain of salt...

I seems to be someway down Aeka's path, not sure how much since I've been assiduously avoiding spoilers. I actually found her to be incredibly sympathetic, which is why I found hooking up with her the first time to be totally disturbing. I mean, I'm clearly taking advantage of this poor troubled girl and it's not like I'm being any nicer right now... Between that and what's happened with my "over 18 year old" younger sister - I had to joke and say this isn't a dating game, but a depravity simulator. ^^;;

Still, I find the game fascinating, and a lot of the self-referential stuff is hilarious. They definitely are poking fun the conventions of the genre!

[Ignosco]

While Mizuki's and Nekoko's paths weren't as good as Aeka's, this is still by far the 2nd best commercial VN I've played (behind Ever 17). In objective terms, there are definitely improvements that could be made, particularly to the script (which needs to be a bit more non-linear in places, and in a few places it seemed that there was a bit too much humour, given the subjects being dealt with) - it would be great if there were more CG's too.

My recommendation is probably somewhat biased (although this is still one of the very best commercial VN's out there), as the way the 'case studies' are examined/described/dealt with for me is just about perfect. Oddly enough, the OELVN that I think best compares to Yume Miru Kusuri is probably Gakuen Redux, I guess because of the way the protagonist's internal narrative is treated.

The above paragraphs are rather clumsy - a much more eloquent review of the game, that I agree with for the most part is here - http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin ... 13243.html.

For anyone that hasn't played it - I'd highly recommend aiming for the Bad Ending for each character first, as for two of the characters, the bad endings are a short divergence from the first part of the good ending, and as such, they won't have nearly the same emotional impact if you get the good ending first.

[Ignosco]

Just a few more thoughts...

Assuming the writer of Kana is that same person who wrote Yume Miru; The script of the latter in many ways is a big improvement over the former - it feels that the writing is more sophisticated, and the quality of the translation is much better. It's also a much more ambitious script with what it tries to achieve, and while it doesn't always succeed, it's still a rather magnificent failure.

I can see why the author included a character like Aya

as the sort of quasi-sexual etc tension involved is one way of creating distance between characters... I can't help but think that there must be a better way of achieving the feeling of being cut off within a family - especially when most of the moments earlier on in the story refer to her underdevelopment and seem to be put in as fanservice. Another problem with those sorts of scenes is actually 'justifying' them - as although at some points Kouhei has trouble differentiating between reality and dreams, it's difficult to really make those moments come across... as a VN often uses an even more 'intimate' first person than other forms of writing, where the player sort of 'becomes' the protagonist, it's hard to convey Kouhei's feelings when the player is clearly more lucid at that point...

Favourite moments:

The most powerful moments for me were the three scenes where Kouhei used drugs, particularly the final scene on Nekoko's path. It's probably the greatest/most beautiful scene of 'escapism' that I've ever seen, and just that one extra picture on her bad ending where she took her hat off... I completely lost it at that point.

[Dragon]

I've only seen games like this on J-list on and all that. It looks intresting and I really want it. But is there a way to download games like this for free? Because, I'm flat broke right now. I can't even afford an old-fanishoned game.

[DaFool]

http://visualnews.net/demo-downloads/#ymk

And I'm here still trying to figure out how to venture out and make a profit from original eroge

[Hudzon]

his is still by far the 2nd best commercial VN I've played (behind Ever 17).

Haha, I actually bought both of them on the same day! I agree that Ever17 was AMAZING (by the way, are the other two games in the series translated and are they just as good?).

Unfortunately my computer broke right after that so I haven't actually tried YMK yet.

Booohooo, I can't wait until I get my hands on it

[Ignosco]

his is still by far the 2nd best commercial VN I've played (behind Ever 17).

Haha, I actually bought both of them on the same day! I agree that Ever17 was AMAZING (by the way, are the other two games in the series translated and are they just as good?).

Hirameki is trying to get the license to translate Never 7 and Remember 11 at the moment from what I've heard. Judging by the scores on Erogamescape, they aren't quite as good as Ever 17 (which has one of the highest scores out of any VN, maybe even the highest). I think all three games take place in the same universe, and the timelines for each interact in some way - so hopefully a few of the less explained phenomena will show up in the other games. It's definitely the series I'm most looking forward to, and hopefully 12 Riven will end up getting translated as well (start of a new series, but some of the game 'mechanics' look like they will be similar).

Edit: Just checked the scores - As of September 5th, the highest ranked version of Ever 17 has the 5th highest mean score, and the 4th highest median score. Interestingly enough, Kazoku Keikaku is the highest ranked H-game by mean (well, it was first - now it's second, just behind Gun Katana), but it isn't even in the top ten if non-H games are included.

Edit 2: KK back in first place for H-games

[DaFool]

I'm about to conclude Aeka's path now, and I am really impressed with this game. Warning: Spoilers and 18+ below

Sure, the writing could use a lot of trimming...I'm often muttering for it to get a move on. I finished Mizuki's path first, then Nekoko's, so it's like I'm saving the best for last. The Sempai route was definitely too long, especially with all the not-too-relevant choices (especially during sex, I mean, seriously now). I liked the end, though, since it was very touching and the protagonist really grew up. As for Nekoko's conclusion -- though a bit improbable, was more satisfying than I expected.

In the end, I understand the protagonist Kouhei now. The fact that he was a faceless transparent ass in the beginning showed just how far he transformed and grew up by the time the particular girl's scenario is being wrapped up. He was also written well enough that you really do start to feel for the girls -- as the gameplayer -- instead of being forced into feeling for them, that's because of Kouhei's ambivalence.

This was actually the first time in an eroge that I thought that the sex scenes were just too damn long. Many scenes, I was at the edge of my seat wanting to know what will happen next, but before the next plot development...but first, let's have sex!. Urrgggh! It also didn't help that the writer seems to have an affinity to the lolicon anal variety. My conclusion: not a game to fap to, folks.

This is definitely one of the least 'moe' settings and stories you can imagine. I mean, in the Aeka path it's the first time I really, really get to hate fictional characters, which is rare in anime. I even have a distaste for Sayama (what a goody-two-shoes bitch). So don't get me started on Nanjou! And even with Nekoko's path... Nekoko's supposed to be moe, but I feel more like What the f--- is wrong with her and makes me curious to know what's going on.

This work is not one where you can sit back and relax and enjoy the cuteness. It may not be realistic, but I give it extra credit for being very daring to push the boundaries of storytelling -- at least in ero-gaming.

[Hudzon]

Hmm, I finished Aeka and Mizuki;

I absolutely loved the first. It was very life like and made me feel strong emotions for the characters. (I suppose the fact that I went through a similar situation as Aeka contributed to that);

I wasn't too impressed with the council president path. It felt like they could've had something there, but instead of concentrating on character development they showed her having sex in every dialougie. I haven't gotten the best ending yet, though. She keeps dying on me
Can anyone give a hint without revealing any spoilers?

Starting Nekoko now...

[Ignosco]

For Mizuki

Go along with whatever she suggests. If you're stuck on her path, it's probably easiest to use a walkthrough, as your choices only affect the ending you get, not the flow of events.

[Hudzon]

Ah, I've done it Thank you for the help!

Yes, the ending is quite nice, I agree.