Quote:
Originally Posted by Balzac
I feel like this year didn't have that much in store (with the possible exception of Rewrite and Eustia) and as a casual appreciator of the niche, this has me looking not too optimistically for the next.
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Well, it may be too forward of me to make any sort of recommendations since it's such a personal preference medium, and I know that whatever is recommended someone else will hate (probably for good reasons)... but I can propose at least two "decent" 2011 games that I think should have a fairly wide appeal and be worth at least trying the trials for. They may not be "home runs", but they're at least "base hits" in my mind.
First is Clochette's
Kamikaze Explorer. Now this game's selling point is rather obvious (just open the link and you'll figure it out), and that's actually why I never gave this game a chance in the first place (because, like... really?
) But, after having it strongly recommended by a friend, I gave it a chance. And to my surprise, the characters were a lot of fun, and the story was also fun and pretty interesting. The theme involves students with supernatural powers, and some minor political intrigue that causes trouble. The production values are also very high. Some might call it a "chara-ge" or "moe-ge" (which suits me okay...), but at least there's more to it than just that, so it's worth a chance even if those aren't your usual style.
Second is Ricotta's
Walkure Romanze, and this is one that was just released (should get my copy in the mail shortly). I actually never played their previous game, Princess Lover, or watched the anime, but I gave the trial a chance based on the fact that two of the writers worked on a previous game I liked a lot. The funny thing about this game is that the characters remind me of archetypes from the early days of eroge in a way. The story centers around a jousting tournament, which is a bit of an usual subject (and I suppose is a plus if you like girls in armour
), but this adds a bit of tension to the story and provides a framework for the relationship with the different heroines. Again, it's not like it's totally free of clichés and you probably will see some of the twists coming... but I think it's pretty enjoyable. The production values here too are very high.
The reason I'm suggesting these is because neither one of them is in my usual "comfort zone" for eroge pre-order picks, but I think they have some appeal that transcends their target audience and many people may find something to enjoy within them. (Or you may hate them, who knows...
) Some other things to try... have you tried Grisaia by Frontwing? Or Irotoridori no Sekai by Favorite? If you're okay with an over-the-top romance moe-game, LoverAble by SMEE is top of its sub-genre (but an acquired taste for sure). I'm also pretty partial to the theme, setting and art of Sukimazakura to Uso no Machi by Propeller. And if you have a PSP, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Mashiro-iro Symphony's PSP version (which is good to play whether or not you played the original).
All in all, I guess I would say that this year has perhaps been a bit short of "blockbusters", but there have been a number of decent works in a variety of sub-genres that are at least worth giving a try. Of course, like I said before, it all depends on personal preference. As with all recommendations, always start with the trial before placing any orders.