SHUFFLE! Essence+

[DJLowrider]

Too bad this game won't be translated for a LONG while and even if it were to be translated I can see Really Really & Tick tack being translated first since it's the chronological order of things.

If/when I can get my hands on the game and play it, I may at least take some notes regarding plot points in the game which I'd be willing to share. If there was enough interest I might even consider attempting a script translation. Granted it's not a playable game translation, it's better than nothing.

hope it could be a real harem route if it does have a bonus route, one with all 12 at once LOL!

Doubtful there would be a full harem route simply because...

Spoiler for Why no full harem route in the game?:

...Asa makes it painstakingly clear when you're on her route that she is not interested in sharing Rin with anyone, even Kareha. I'm willing to bet Sakura will probably be of the same mindset as well. And after how Really? Really! ends I'm betting Kaede wouldn't be too keen on the idea either, assuming they keep some of her character changes from that game in this one. No idea about Nadeshiko, but I'm guessing she won't be sharing either.

So at most you're looking at an 8-girl harem if you can get one at all: Sia, Nerine, Kareha, Tsubomi, Primula, Daisy, Ruri and Mayumi.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by DJLowrider

Doubtful there would be a full harem route simply because...

Spoiler for Why no full harem route in the game?:

...Asa makes it painstakingly clear when you're on her route that she is not interested in sharing Rin with anyone, even Kareha. I'm willing to bet Sakura will probably be of the same mindset as well. And after how Really? Really! ends I'm betting Kaede wouldn't be too keen on the idea either, assuming they keep some of her character changes from that game in this one. No idea about Nadeshiko, but I'm guessing she won't be sharing either.

So at most you're looking at an 8-girl harem if you can get one at all: Sia, Nerine, Kareha, Tsubomi, Primula, Daisy, Ruri and Mayumi.

Yes, however...

Spoiler for more speculation based on the endings of the original game:

...on some of the other routes (for example, Sia), there's certainly a little more than a suggestion that it's still "open season" on Rin despite him having a girlfriend. So the attitude of the other girls seems to depend mostly on who he ends up with; if a given girl "wins" she may be more or less willing to share, but if a given girl "loses" she may still be willing to accept "second place"... I guess you could say that's a bit of inconsistency on the part of the writers, though (either that or the girls are just that desperate! )

Of course, that doesn't count the other way of having a "full harem end" in the game, which would be the "it was all just a dream" fantasy situation (or wait, we already had a game like that...). Since it's a game of "possibilities", there's always a way to excuse things.

But anyway, truth be told, I sort of doubt we'll get that sort of ending in any case. I'd more likely expect some "hidden characters" to be unlocked, or possibly some sort of "True Ending" (though this is less likely for Shuffle).

[Micchi]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Yes, however...

Spoiler for more speculation based on the endings of the original game:

...on some of the other routes (for example, Sia), there's certainly a little more than a suggestion that it's still "open season" on Rin despite him having a girlfriend. So the attitude of the other girls seems to depend mostly on who he ends up with; if a given girl "wins" she may be more or less willing to share, but if a given girl "loses" she may still be willing to accept "second place"... I guess you could say that's a bit of inconsistency on the part of the writers, though (either that or the girls are just that desperate! )

Of course, that doesn't count the other way of having a "full harem end" in the game, which would be the "it was all just a dream" fantasy situation (or wait, we already had a game like that...). Since it's a game of "possibilities", there's always a way to excuse things.

But anyway, truth be told, I sort of doubt we'll get that sort of ending in any case. I'd more likely expect some "hidden characters" to be unlocked, or possibly some sort of "True Ending" (though this is less likely for Shuffle).

Spoiler for Possibly...:

Kikyou? (Separate route from Sia). Although I don't see why you'd need to finish all 12 routes in that case though...

Or maybe Itsuki is actually a trap!?

[BlueGenome]

Originally Posted by DJLowrider

Granted it's not a playable game translation, it's better than nothing.

Right now I'm running the games through AGTH and ATLAS, which works okay. You have to fill in the gaps and it annoyingly drops name suffixes (-kun, -chan, etc.) but you can hear those anyway.

Any notes would be appreciated, but don't feel pressured or anything.

Spoiler for re: DJLowrider; Original Shuffle!:

Originally Posted by DJLowrider

...Asa makes it painstakingly clear when you're on her route that she is not interested in sharing Rin with anyone, even Kareha.

I found Asa's reaction a little different here. Her voice when replying to Kareha was kind of "not you too!", but she didn't seem all that upset. Although that's just my impression. I can imagine her being talked around; it'd be difficult though. Ditto with Nadeshiko: actually, she'd probably be harder again.

Spoiler for re: relentlessflame; Original Shuffle! & Really? Really!:

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

So the attitude of the other girls seems to depend mostly on who he ends up with; if a given girl "wins" she may be more or less willing to share, but if a given girl "loses" she may still be willing to accept "second place"... I guess you could say that's a bit of inconsistency on the part of the writers, though (either that or the girls are just that desperate! )

Primula's and Asa's routes are especially like this. Kaede was weird in R?R!; despite living in the same house and having slept with Rin 2/3 times, when Asa declares another 'war' over Rin she pretty much just steps back into her situation at the beginning of Shuffle!. I guess Status Quo Is God.

Spoiler for re: relentlessflame & Micchi; Original Shuffle!:

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

I'd more likely expect some "hidden characters" to be unlocked, or possibly some sort of "True Ending" (though this is less likely for Shuffle).

Originally Posted by Micchi

Kikyou? (Separate route from Sia). Although I don't see why you'd need to finish all 12 routes in that case though...

I agree with Micchi here.

Originally Posted by Micchi

Or maybe Itsuki is actually a trap!?

MEIN EYES! R?R! was bad enough. Pass the brain bleach...

tl;dr Harem unlikely.

[kniteowl]

it's on sale now but we're left with nothing but a white screen...

[Reo]

Juz as I thought Navel might suddenly unblock foreign IP, and it really does unblocked! 0_0
Although I dono the reason(i guess is they still want foreign to buy their product), but this is so happy! ^_^

Juz noticed it was juz released about 4 hours ago...


EDIT: There's a question I want to ask, does Primula actually changed? becoz i found that Primula sound like a active girl on the Navel Official...

[kniteowl]

^If you played the original Shuffle, and did Primula's route, she becomes more I dunno the right word... emotional. She expresses her feeling more if you play her route.

Apart from that she pretty much tries her best to stay emotionless unless you play her route, with the exception when you buy her that Stuffed Animal Neko.

[BlueGenome]

Hooray for release! Now to wait for the game to show up on Paletweb...

Originally Posted by Reo

There's a question I want to ask, does Primula actually changed? becoz i found that Primula sound like a active girl on the Navel Official...

As kniteowl noted, she (re)gains her emotions if you play her path. Since you haven't played it yet, I'll say no more. Except that Primula is sexy-awesome.

[DJLowrider]

Originally Posted by BlueGenome

As kniteowl noted, she (re)gains her emotions if you play her path. Since you haven't played it yet, I'll say no more. Except that Primula is sexy-awesome.

Why isn't your title "Mr. Lolipedofin"?

I can't say as I agree with the "sexy" part, but Primula's route is undoubtedly the most entertaining of those in the original game. I'm looking forward to seeing if the hilarity continues in her extended route in Essence+.

[kusanagiryu]

According to this walkthrough:

http://seiya-saiga.com/game/navel/shuffle_e.html

It seems that Ruri doesn't have her own route. WTF?! And this dispels any thought of the possibility of a harem ending i believe. Each girl only has one ending to it. (Minus Shia's alternate ending).

[relentlessflame]

It's still possible (though not necessarily very likely) that some hidden route remains to be found, given that the game only came out technically yesterday. I remember that some of the hidden routes in D.C. II P.S. took about a week or so before surfacing (since people have to try various combinations to find them). Though I suppose we'll also find out once someone sorts through the CGs.

[kniteowl]

Originally Posted by DJLowrider

I can't say as I agree with the "sexy" part, but Primula's route is undoubtedly the most entertaining of those in the original game. I'm looking forward to seeing if the hilarity continues in her extended route in Essence+.

I LOL'ed the most in her route... it was so funny I had to play her route again... although I was expecting Asa's route to be the funniest, I was pleasently surprised by Primula's route.

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

It's still possible (though not necessarily very likely) that some hidden route remains to be found, given that the game only came out technically yesterday. I remember that some of the hidden routes in D.C. II P.S. took about a week or so before surfacing (since people have to try various combinations to find them). Though I suppose we'll also find out once someone sorts through the CGs.

Yes we all know that only Keima-kun (from "The World God only Knows") would be the only person in the world who could unlock the entire game in one night, if he turned "GOD MODE" and had 6 copies of the game to play all the different routes simutaneously.

[Riker]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Though I suppose we'll also find out once someone sorts through the CGs.

I've looked through the cg pack, there are some CGs of Ruri but not as much as the other girls and also no 18+ ones.

Spoiler for And there's 2 new CGs of Ama. Yay! \o/:

[BlueGenome]

Lots of requirements to unlock the various paths. IS INTERESTING.

Kikyou has no proper path? IS DISAPPOINT.

Nadeshiko has an ending? IS WIN.

Originally Posted by Riker

Spoiler for And there's 2 new CGs of Ama. Yay! \o/:

New Ama CGs? IS AWESOME.

Originally Posted by kniteowl

Yes we all know that only Keima-kun (from "The World God only Knows") would be the only person in the world who could unlock the entire game in one night, if he turned "GOD MODE" and had 6 copies of the game to play all the different routes simutaneously.

Keima-sama? IS CAPTURE GOD.

[PhoenixG]

Well Kikyou does have her own ending, but it's stuck to Sia's route almost till the end.

Nadeshiko's route is really short and IMO it really forced.

Of all the new routes I like Daisy's route the most. Although you need to see all the other endings (minus Nadeshiko) to unlock this one.

[kusanagiryu]

Sakura and Daisy's routes are easily the best in the whole game. (No coincidence that they are the only new characters)
It's disappointing that Ruri didn't get her own route. She really deserves more love.

My heart aches for Kaede... I wish i could just reach out and hug the poor girl. She ends up with what is easily one of the worst routes in the game. Remember her route back in the original Shuffle? It's EXACTLY the same. What with all the reused cgs from Really! Really? you think they'd actually bother to explain her past with Rin with a little more depth. But heck no!

Don't get me wrong. I love Kaede. She's my favorite girl. I'm just mad that Nave didn't improve on an existing character when they had the time to include new characters. After what I've seen in Really? Really! I KNOW for a fact that Navel is capable of doing better.

Heck her character was more fleshed out in Sakura's route, which of course was a very good one. I almost wished Rin could take both Sakura and Kaede. It's just too painful to see Kaede dejected like that, especially if you've played Really? Really! and know the backstory to her past. Though i must complement Sakura for her being considerate enough to make that promise at the end. (Spoiler, so I won't elaborate. It was... a beautiful and emotional end. Literally had me in tears.)

Daisy's Tsundere character is so cute it makes me feel all fuzzy inside... Dere dere...

Oh and regarding Nadeshiko:
WORST . ROUTE . EVER!
Play the game and see for yourself. I kid you not.

[DJLowrider]

So here's my full review for the game, the great, the good and the bad. Spoilers will be hidden where necessary of course. I'll start with the bad just to get it out of the way.

The Bad

The so-called "extended routes" for the original five girls were...lacking. At best. Honestly there was hardly anything of value added to any of their routes with the sole exception of...

Spoiler for The only interesting extended route:

...Nerine's two-part ending where we learn that Licoris isn't dead, she's just taking residence inside Nerine just like Kikyou in Sia.

Nadeshiko's route was an utter disappointment.

Spoiler for Why did it suck?:

Incredibly short, terrible story, and her ending used a recycled still from Really? Really! All this isn't to mention that Nadeshiko's VA is horrible for ero scenes.

No route for Ruri was a real let down. Student council presidents need love too, damn it. Just ask Tomoyo. Come to think of it, Ruri sure does look a lot like Tomoyo...

Having the identity of the "Mysterious kimono girl" spoiled the first time I saw an end credit sequence in the game was a big buzzkill.

You could tell in the audio where they simply re-used clips from the original game and where the new audio was. It's a nitpicky point, but audio is so important to this game it's worth mentioning.

The Good

With the exception of Nadeshiko's route, all the new stuff (or at least new-to-me since I didn't play On The Stage) was solid. I didn't think I'd like Mayumi or Tsubomi's routes but they were still quite enjoyable.

We got a fair bit more character exploration on many of the long-standing characters, especially Sia/Kikyou.

I really like that they pulled together the full story continuity from all the previous games. The story as a whole feels more complete as a result.

Spoiler for One of my favorite scenes:

Yay for the Sage/Cineraria scene! That was major wish fulfillment on my part. Now if only they could throw Ama into that mix too...MILF brigade ftw!

The Great

Daisy's route was both fun and very engaging.

Spoiler for What made it great?:

Plots involving Eustoma's brother's family, Erika being the mystery girl and being over 1k years old, Ruri training Rin in magical combat and probably the most epic ending the series will ever see, on more than one level. It begs for Ruri to get her own route though. Daisy herself is a lovely little tsundere, and a gamer girl on top of that. I guess even the Realm of Gods can produce hikkikomori.

But it couldn't touch the wonderfulness that was my favorite route in the game. That being Sakura's route.

Spoiler for Why it rocked:

They really made an emotional connection there and told a fantastically romantic story between her and Rin. Not to mention hers is the only route that ends with a marriage and a child!

Overall it was a very entertaining VN and I look forward to going back and starting some translation work on it. I'm not sure it lived up to its hype entirely, but the truly new content was good for the most part. It just could have been better in a number of ways.

Last but not least, my new personal heroine hierarchy. I have a new #1 girl for this series:

1) Sakura
2) Asa
3) Daisy
4) Kareha
5) Nerine
6) Mayumi
7) Tsubomi
8) Primula
9) Kaede
10) Kikyou/Sia
11) Nadeshiko

[Sian]

uh ... no Mayumi on your rankings? :P

[kniteowl]

So there are only 11 routes & endings?

[kusanagiryu]

Come to think of it, Ruri sure does look a lot like Tomoyo...

My thoughts exactly... One could even say she's a direct rip-off of Tomoyo.

The facts:
-Hair color
-Tone of voice
-Combat capabilities
-Student Council President