Import Games for Adults Halloween: Kansen 3 ~Shuto Houkai~

Kansen 3 ~Shuto Houkai~ Review

 

                Well, another October another Halloween, so it’s only fitting that for the first of this year’s reviews I offer my thoughts on the third game in the Kansen series. Those of you who have read my previous reviews know I enjoyed the first game and was greatly disappointed in its sequel. Ordinarily I would have been wary of trying the next game, but I’d received reliable assurances that this would be better than the second game and some of the fanbase even consider this to be the best of the entire series. While I still have two more games to go before I can decide the latter part I can say that this game is much better than the second one (I’d even say some elements of Kansen 3 are what the second game wanted to be) and it also manages to surpass the first game.

Pros: Well written and diverse story, likable and memorable characters, excellent artwork.

Cons: The true ending routes could have used a little more diversity in their story, those @%$#*&^ time limits!!, game bugs.

WTF?!: If you’re trying to do something secretly, I don’t think this is the best way for one of your associates to dress.

                Kansen 3 takes places four years after the events of the first two games; Japan seems to have recovered from the outbreak and the survivors are trying to move on with a normal life. However, a new strain of the infamous zombie virus has emerged and Wataru Ayase and his group of friends will be caught in the middle of the outbreak.

                The second Kansen game I will admit did try to be better than its predecessor, but it just didn’t have what it took to back up much of what it brought to the table. From what I’ve heard the game was still a hit in Japan but not as well received as its predecessor, and if that’s true Kansen 3 is pretty much proof that the creators listened to whatever criticisms they got as we get a far superior story and characters you actually want to read more about.

                From the start, Kansen 3’s story draws you in first with an interesting setup regarding the return of the zombie virus that helps in building suspense when the story moves on to the more peaceful part of the beginning concerning Wataru and his friends. The glimpses you see of what’s happening in the background really help with invoking a feeling of tension as you wonder just how much time is left for the normal life Wataru and co. are enjoying and once the virus hits just how bad is it going to be. Still, it’s from that beginning part that we start to see each way the game trumps its predecessor.

                To begin with, the game really does a good job in establishing the lives Wataru and co. are leading before the outbreak starts, introducing several characters who they know well and how they figure into their daily life. This helps in getting you to feel for the core cast as that life is shattered and it becomes apparent that there won’t be any way that those normal days will come back as so many of these people they know get infected no matter what. It also helps in keeping you in suspense at to what the fate of the Wataru and co. will be as they try evading the zombies, find shelter, and avoid getting infected themselves.

                This brings us to the next story element Kansen 3 does better than its predecessor’s: the setting. Unlike in the first two games where the city where the outbreak occurs is just there to be the location, Kansen 3 provides the player with a good look around the city at the start so as to show locations that will be important later (there’s even an in game map function for each area of the city you’re in, even if it serves little purpose). Seeing the city helps in establishing the chaos brought on by the outbreak since you’ve seen how things used to be just before along with strengthening the aforementioned loss of the characters’ normal everyday life as the game does a good job in conveying the attachment most of them feel to it as their hometown. Finally, the city setting gives the game a more open feel than its predecessors and it makes for an interesting opposite to the first game’s school setting and how isolated the characters in it were.  This is a change that makes sense considering that in the first game the isolation of the setting went along with how little both the characters and player knew about the virus while the openness of Kansen 3’s setting goes along with how both the characters and player know a lot more about the virus now.

                When it comes to characters, Kansen 3 does a great job and this is the main story element where I would say that we see either what the second game wanted to be or should have been. Like in the second game, we have a larger and more diverse cast of characters, but the creators this time made sure to make all of these characters likable and/or interesting (the one exception to that is also handled well in that they downgrade him to comic relief for a good portion of the game). Even the redshirts introduced at the beginning of the game are given just enough background and personality when it comes to how they relate to Wataru and co. that you actually feel bad when they get infected. The creators also make an interesting change from the previous games by having the Wataru be a more average and reserved person who develops into a more heroic role as the game goes on instead of being a proactive guy who leadership comes naturally to and required only minimal character development like Yasuyuki and Hiroshi. I’ll admit I was skeptical about this change at first, but it didn’t take too long for Wataru to grow on me and after seeing how well his character development fit into the plot and in advancing his relationship with the heroines of the game I’d say this is a good example of taking a chance with making a change that pays off.

                In the area of romance, I’d say that Kansen 3 does a little better than its predecessors (though I suppose you could say “a lot better” in comparison to the second game), having three romanceable heroines this time with each of them having a good story to their route. The game does give a good set up for each heroine to have a relationship with Wataru by the game’s conclusion and their route’s stories do a good job presenting and developing their characters. Kansen 3 also takes a step forward from the first game by doing something few eroge are willing to do, have a subpairing where one of the MC’s friends and a nonromanceable heroine form a relationship over the course of the game. That particular subplot makes for a good story, though I do think one part kind of falls back on a cliché. As for which of the routes I like the best, that’s a bit of a difficult choice since all three routes are well written and each heroine so likable. If I had to narrow it down, it would be a tie between Ren and Margarita for which I like best. While I really like Yuuho’s route, in fact the way the overall game’s story is written kind of favors her, the route has two problems for me. First, some of the melodrama in her route is pretty eye roll inducing (though to be fair most of that is on Wataru than Yuuho), and second, while not as much as Alice in the second game, Yuuho also has moments where she comes off as a clone of Yu from the first game from some initial aspects of her character. Now while the game’s writer takes steps to fix that as the game goes on, you can’t help but wish that the writers of the Kansen series would make a different main heroine.

                With all this praise I’m giving, I’m afraid that I now have to point out the one glaring flaw that this game has in the area of story: very little plot diversity in the true end route.  Don’t get me wrong though, except for that there is still plot diversity as early on there are branching points that lead to a shorter more bittersweet route for Yuuho and Ren individually which are definitely worth reading. Also the true end route makes for a good and satisfying conclusion. It’s just that with the true end route for some reason you only get a few unique scenes late in the route that corresponds to the heroine you have Wataru romance but it doesn’t really affect the main story at all. Even the epilogue is the same and you don’t get even a unique CG for the heroine of the route.

                Now let’s talk about the system for this game as I’m afraid this is where it really got a strike against it. For starters, Kansen 3 is plagued with bugs; mainly the kind that cause the game to crash. The main three I encountered were as follows: if you click the game window too soon after you start the game will crash instead of skipping to the start menu, sometimes if you’re playing the game and decide to load a previous save like if you made the wrong choice and want to correct a mistake the game will crash, and sometimes while you’re skipping through previously read text the game will crash. Fortunately, the first one is avoidable and the other two don’t happen too often, but the worst of the bugs I encountered was one that caused the choices at a certain point of one of the routes to not appear, leaving the screen empty and the game practically frozen. Fortunately there is a patch that fixed that (but sadly not the crashing bugs), but applying it erased all of my save files and I had to start over.  

                The second problem I have with this game’s system is the return of the timed choices, and this is one area where I can say Kansen 2 did better in. While they were annoying in Kansen 2, at least there was a continue option that came up after the bad/dead end finished that took you right back to just before the timed choice. The creators of Kansen 3 for some reason decided to remove that, so if you haven’t saved for a while and the timed choice comes up, you’d better hope you pick the right choice within that three second time limit or be prepared to retread your steps.  Now if anyone’s going to say anything like this makes the game more difficult or challenging, maybe but it’s not the good kind of difficult or challenging that leaves you with a sense of satisfaction at overcoming it like a boss fight or enemy rush but rather the aggravating kind of difficult like quick time events that either kill your character instantly if you get it wrong or prevent you from killing a boss.  My advice to any who play this game is save often and if you have a walkthrough handy make sure it indicates when timed choices are coming up.

                In the area of presentation, Kansen 3 does excellently with artwork and music far superior to the previous two games. The voice actresses all do a great job in their respective roles too. Speaking of which, I do wish that the Kansen series would start voicing its male characters; I mean it’s an established series now with all but the fourth game receiving an anime OVA adaption so you’d think by now they’d at least give voices to the major male characters.

                As for the ero scenes, they’re all really good be it the romance scenes or the zombie related ones (assuming you’re a fan of the darker sort of ero scenes).  

Character Profiles:

Wataru Ayase

An ordinary school student whose hobby is stargazing, Wataru is an all around good natured and reliable fellow well liked by his friends. The events of  the outbreak four years ago have given him an appreciation of the peaceful life shared with his friends and family.

Yuuho Kannagi

Wataru’s childhood friend and classmate. As a result of her looks, good grades and excelling at swimming, Yuuho is very popular at school. Unbeknownst to her, Wataru has a crush on her but has not worked up the courage to confess.

Ren Ayase

Wataru’s stepsister and another part of his circle of friends despite an illness that frequently keeps her at home. A modest and quiet girl, Ren has developed a talent for playing the violin which she inherited from her late mother and it’s one of her most treasured possessions. Harbors a secret crush for Wataru as he frequently took care of her while they were growing up.

Margarita Vasquez Homura

The daughter of one of the embassy staff of a South American nation* and a recent transfer student to Wataru and co.’s school. Is part Japanese on her mother’s side and even briefly lived in Japan as a child, and part of the reason for her transfer is to relive a part of those memories. Practices martial arts as a hobby.

Mizuki Kugayama

Childhood friend of Yuuho and Wataru, Mizuki had dreams of becoming a singer and had also begun going out with Kousuke before suddenly disappearing without any word for years. Has recently reappeared in town working for Jin and his gang.

Kousuke Sai

Wataru’s best friend and Mizuki’s boyfriend up until her sudden disappearance. While a good and reliable friend, can be a bit of a hothead.

Jin Magatsu

High ranking member of a yakuza gang, Jin has been given the task of secretly transporting a girl who may have some connection to the viral outbreak four years ago.

Shigeyoshi

Jin’s main subordinate. A crude and perverse man, Shigeyoshi is mainly kept in line by his fear of Jin.

 

Tadahiko

A high ranking member of the local yakuza gang (different one from Jin’s), Tadahiko is a well respected member of the community and has known Wataru and co. for years. Both Wataru and Kousuke look up to him.

 

In Conclusion:

Kansen 3 is a true return to form for the series, improving on almost every aspect of the first game that made it so good including story, characters, and artwork. While it isn’t without its flaws in the area of story and system, most of the latter problems can be fixed or easily worked around. I highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoyed the first game (and parts of the second) or even if you want to experience a zombie game that isn’t just about killing zombies and enduring QTEs as Kansen 3 makes for a decent entry point to the series (though fair warning, you will miss out on a big reference to the first game).

Final Score: 8/10 Awesome

Author Recommendation: Buy it now.

                As for the anime OVA, I’d say that the first episode is an okay adaptation of Yuuho’s true end route. It has problems though such as skipping over the beginning of the game and taking odd liberties with the original story such as killing off two characters that don’t die in the game. The second episode is an odd combination of one of Yuuho’s bad endings and Maragarita’s bad ending. Don’t really know what to say about that one.

*On a side note, there's an odd writing flub where Maragarita, who's native tongue is probably supposed to be Spanish considering her nationality, reverts to speaking English at certain points like it's her native tongue. Sadly I couldn't provide any images since those only happen in her ero scenes.

Import Games for Adults Halloween: Kansen 2 ~Inzai Toshi~

Kansen 2 ~Inzai Toshi~ Review

            The first Kansen game was a good example of making a good survival horror themed eroge with its likable cast of characters and a story to keep you on edge for both main routes (not to mention it made a pretty ridiculous sounding zombie concept something you could take seriously). So naturally, it was a hit, despite the fact that it was obviously made on a budget. The next thing for Speed to do in light of that was to make a sequel, which was released June 15, 2007, and from the start it shows how they put work into making it bigger and better than its predecessor with a bigger setting in a large mall (pretty obvious what that’s a tribute to), a bigger cast of characters, improved artwork, and a longer story. Sadly, all that effort failed as Kansen 2 turned out to be a shining example of how bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better.

Pros: Some of the main characters are likable, better artwork than the last game (for the most part), Maya’s route, story revelations behind the outbreak are interesting, character POV switching was an interesting idea.

Cons: A number of the game’s characters have no real plot importance, Alice’s route, Miki and Naomi are unwinnable, no ero scenes in the good endings, other ero scenes feel gratuitous, Infection route’s endings are disappointing, timed choices, the zombies look ridiculous.

WTF?!: These are the game’s zombies…scary huh?

            Kansen 2 takes place at about the same time as the first game, starting a couple days before the outbreak. You play primarily from the point of view of student Hiroshi Ohkura as he and his friends go on a class trip to the city’s supermall for a look at possible future career choices. Soon the outbreak occurs and Hiroshi and co. end up having to work with the few remaining uninfected that they meet in the mall to somehow make it out alive.

            All of this sounds like the setup for a very good zombie story and at first it looks it too with the game introducing a very diverse cast of characters brought together by this one disaster and having to cooperate to survive. Unfortunately, the story runs into two main stumbling blocks: the characters and its higher ero content. The problem Kansen 2 has concerning its characters is that it doesn’t really handle them well. While most of the core cast is likable only a few of them are given good story roles, while the rest kind of get shafted as characters go. This includes one of the two winnable heroines, Alice, who already has the problem of coming across as a clone of Yu from the first game. I will admit that the writer at least tried to deviate from that problem later so I won’t count it as a major flaw, considering the flaw concerning her character lies with her route. Let me start by saying this, both endings for her route are good ones as we get either a nice bittersweet conclusion or a dark almost cliffhanger-ish conclusion that hints at more going on behind the outbreak and its containment. These two endings are sadly marred by a story from Alice’s POV where very little except ero scenes happen and she has to interact with two of the three most useless (and unlikable) characters in this game, which really lessens the effect of both endings.

            Speaking of heroines that get the shaft, Kansen 2 also suffers from having two heroines not being winnable, but for different reasons. The first case is with Miki, who we’re introduced to fairly early on and not only is she a likable character, but she also has interesting story behind why she’s at the mall with her trying to find her boyfriend who she was waiting to meet when the outbreak occurs. Sadly the game only uses her character as rape bait and nothing else, even the so called “conclusion” to her subplot in the Infection route is handled badly. Now I realize in a comment concerning the first game I said I didn’t mind Tomomi being unwinnable since the story already has her in a relationship, but in that case we know both her and Yuji pretty well, making their being unavoidably infected such a tragedy while in this game we never see Miki’s boyfriend except in one scene during the Infection route so there’s no emotional investment there. Considering one of the main dramatic themes in the Kansen series is the main characters having to deal with the loss of friends and loved ones as a result of the outbreak one could have easily given Miki a route based on that, so really she comes off as a missed opportunity.

            Speaking of missed opportunities, we now move on to the second unwinnable heroine to get the shaft (no pun intended), Naomi. My main problem is that her only role in the game’s story is in the Infection route as we play through it primarily between her and Hiroshi’s points of view as Naomi is an SDF soldier sent into the mall to look for and rescue any survivors shortly after all the main characters get infected. What’s interesting is when Naomi encounters Hiroshi and co., Hiroshi is able to maintain his sanity and is able to get some of the group to keep theirs and rather than try to kill them, Naomi ends up making it her mission to get them out to try and get them treated while there’s still time. The writing for the route does a good job in showing that Naomi’s choice to do this isn’t one based on compassion alone due to the aforementioned portrayal of Hiroshi and co. plus her willingness to go the extra mile to save them not only helps in portraying her as an awesome character considering how much the odds are against her, but it also gives some subtle depth to her character as you wonder how much her motivation is backed by not wanting the rest of her team to have died in vain. It’s no exaggeration that Naomi makes the Infection route so memorable, but the problem is the two endings; they’re both insultingly abrupt and Naomi is just suddenly removed from the picture. If the writer was trying for a tragic conclusion, then I’m afraid that failed because of how abrupt both endings are as it leaves you with more of a “that’s it?” kind of feeling than anything else. Actually no, it does leave you with one more feeling; after completing the Infection route and you reflect a bit about it, you wonder why the writer didn’t have Naomi in the main story as there are a few characters  that could have easily been written out, which brings us to the next flaw.

            Perhaps the one of the most significant flaws Kansen 2 has concerning its characters is its inclusion of three characters who are completely useless to the plot. The two biggest offenders (and also the ones that made Alice’s route suck) being Ryuya and Chihiro Nagasaki. Part of what makes Ryuya such a useless character is that his role in the story is supposed to be as a villain, but that role is pretty much confounded by the fact that the way Kansen 2 is written it doesn’t really need a villain as the zombies are more than enough of a threat. Now I know you can have an effective human villain in zombie stories; someone who comes off as a different but still very significant threat to the characters, but in Ryuya’s case, he just doesn’t have the character for it. The only thing that makes him threatening to the other characters is that he happens to have a knife on him while the others are unarmed, but what really makes him such a crappy villain is the fact that his only motivation throughout the game is to molest anything female that he sees to the point that he barely seems to care about the zombies. This makes him more annoying than villainous, but in all honesty the main thing that makes Ryuya useless as a character is that overall, he barely does anything storywise. He mainly just features in Alice’s route, and is barely in Maya’s, and his only real role in the Infection route is for Naomi and Hiroshi to yell at him from time to time.

            Moving on to Chihiro (notice I have no gripes about her being unwinnable), she actually suffers from about the same problems I have with Ryuya, including really only featuring in Alice’s route and contributing nothing to the overall plot. However I have two main problems with this character, the first being that similar to Ryuya she’s also attracted to just about anything female plus she has a snooty disdain for anything male. I won’t play any anti-homosexual stereotypes complaints card since I don’t know enough about the issue to make an appropriate argument, but I really hate the man hating bitch character type since it more often than not results in an annoying character and Chihiro is sadly no exception since that and her attraction to Alice are the two main aspects of her character. My second problem is that unlike Ryuya, we see a glimmer of likability in Chihiro in the Infection route where she actually has a couple of amusing moments interacting with the main cast like when she basically has them raid the mall’s clothes shops since they need new clothes and no one’s really going to care now. We actually get to see Chihiro have an actual conversation with the other characters rather than her drooling over Alice like in the rest of the game and subsequently this is one of the few scenes where she acts like a believable character rather than a heroine whose only real purpose is to be in ero scenes.

            Finally we come to the final useless character that the writer didn’t even bother to name; basically Hiroshi and co., while fleeing the zombies, come across this girl hiding from the zombies who they decide to take with them despite the fact that she’s obviously mentally unstable. Now originally my problem with this character was that their taking her with them even though she’s obviously been infected seemed pretty stupid, but considering they don’t find out about the infection until later I’m willing to let it slide on the grounds that the group did it out of compassion. My guess is that maybe she was supposed to be a tragic sort of character who we see is doomed to become a zombie and slowly lose her remaining sanity and our not learning her name was supposed to add to the tragedy, but if that’s the case the writer failed to accomplish that as first the character’s lapses between sanity and insanity come off as annoying rather than dramatic so they don’t illicit much sympathy for her either and second the character has absolutely no impact on both the story and the characters. This is seen best when she finally leaves the group so that the infection can run its course away from them; this is supposed to be a dramatic scene where we see a character sacrifice herself for her companions but this scene falls flat because we never see her get close to Hiroshi and co. and she barely interacts with them so there isn’t much of a sense of loss and finally after this scene and Hiroshi and co. move on to the next part of the mall, this character is never brought up again. In the end you’re left wondering just what the point was.

            Now having said all that, you might think I utterly hate this game, but there is one redeeming story element besides the majority of the Infection route: Maya’s route. This is the only all around good one from its start as not only does Maya make for a good sympathetic heroine as the writer did a good job in demonstrating the personal loss she goes through as the result of the outbreak, but the character development in the route is handled well in how we see Maya bond with the rest of the group as well as how we see develop from the shy introverted girl we initially meet into a significantly stronger young lady. Also well-developed is the Hiroshi and Maya’s relationship as it does a good job in first establishing it as friendship brought on by Hiroshi having a role in helping in encouraging her to survive (it also helps in establishing him as her first real friend) and when we finally see the beginnings of romance at the end of her route it feels believable because of all they’ve gone through to make it out alive and as it becomes apparent that they’re both really all they each have by the end. There’s really only one flaw to this route, but I’ll get to it later.

            Now while the game doesn’t have any real gameplay it does have it that you can change character perspectives at certain points in the story and you unlock more as you complete routes. It makes for an interesting addition as we learn a bit more about some of the characters (it is interesting to see things from Yuki’s perspective) and a little background info about the virus. Sadly this isn’t used as well as it should and its main purpose is to unlock ero scenes. A new addition that wasn’t in the original game, which I sadly have to count as a con, is some of the choices are timed. The reason this is a con is because it only gives you three seconds to make your choice, a bit of problem if you’re only semi-literate, even if you are using a walkthrough as you need to read the choice fast if you want to make the right choice. I get it was supposed to add an edge to the choice making, but three seconds is way too short and comes off as an annoyance instead. I realize Mass Effect 2 had those dialogue interrupts that lasted about that long, but that did not result in a game over if you missed it, and while other VNs like the Moero Downhill Night series and the Sakura Wars series have timed choices those at least gave you enough time to read the choices. I will say that the game at least gives you the option to continue right before the timed choice after the game over, but it’s still annoying none the less.

            Presentation-wise, this game does a lot right. For the most part, the artwork is superior to the first games as the characters are better drawn and the music, while mostly the same as the first game’s, does have better sound quality. There’s only one problem in the art department; as can be seen in the WTF?! back at the top: the zombies look ridiculous. In the first game, the zombies looked off but still came off as creepy and intimidating, but in this game, they just look silly, including the core cast that gets infected. This makes for a really bad contrast with the first game because in that game, when one of the core cast got infected and the group ran into them it was unsettling not only because you’d grown to like them over the course of playing but also because the way they looked and acted as zombies was almost like a twisted mockery of their original personality. In Kansen 2 we only see this happen to one character, Yuki, but all the other characters that get infected don’t have that depth of change and they don’t look any bit intimidating (I dare you to take a look at an infected Miki’s character portrait and not laugh).

            Finally we get to the ero scenes and this is one of the few cases where I have two cons that seem so opposed to each other. While the artwork and voice acting is pretty good, the problem is that the ero scenes just come off as gratuitous. In the first game there was some actual purpose to each scene such as showing the incoming danger of the outbreak or the horror of seeing a friend so utterly changed by the infection, while in this game, the ero scenes just feel like they’re there just to be there; like the game is more interested in showing ero scenes than telling a story. This ends up making the game come off as boring at certain points, which is not a good thing for a survival horror themed game. My next complaint is that for all the ero scenes this game has strewn throughout its story, there are no ero scenes between Hiroshi and either Maya or Alice in their good endings, only in final bad ending for their routes. Some of you may wonder why I’m complaining about that just after complaining about the gratuitous ero scenes, and the reason is simple: if any ero scenes were of importance to the plot those would be it. To better explain, in the first game the final ero scene that occurred between Yasuyuki and either Yu or Hitomi served not only as a way of showing them taking the solidifying step in their relationship that had been built up from almost the beginning, but it also served as a culmination of sorts of the pair making it through all the danger and drama of the route and serves as not just some sort of reward or salve for the loss they experience but also as a setup for them moving on past the events of the route. The lack of this in Kansen 2 essentially lessens the effectiveness of the good endings, and while I understand that with the way both endings are written an ero scene would have been hard to include in the main part of the end of the route but an epilogue could have worked.

Character Profiles:

Hiroshi Ookura:

The main character of the game, Hiroshi ends up being the un-appointed leader of the group of survivors after the outbreak begins. A good natured fellow to a fault, Hiroshi can’t abandon someone in need.

Alice Hayami:

One of Hiroshi’s friends and classmates. Gets along so well with Hiroshi one would almost assume they were a couple.

Maya Jinguji:

The daughter of the head of a large company, Maya has lead a pretty secluded life and main company is her dog, Jean, and her grandfather. Has seen Hiroshi, Alice, and Yuki while walking her dog and has wanted to actually meet them, but never has had the nerve to do so.

Yuki Kobayashi:

Another of Hiroshi’s classmates, and his best friend. Is very popular with girls as they consider him a pretty boy, though he doesn’t seem all that interested by that.

Miki Anzai:

A recent graduate from medical school, Miki works in the nearby hospital and is currently in a relationship with one of the medical staff. Like Hiroshi, she also feels a need to help those who need it and takes it upon herself to help Hiroshi and his friends escape.

Chihiro Nagasaki:

Popular, athletic, and intelligent, Chihiro is admired by the many girls at her school like an idol and she’s more than happy to return those feelings of her admirers. Hates men.

Naomi Tsuruta:

A soldier from the JSDF sent in as part of a team to find any survivors. After she barely escapes her team being annihilated by the horde of infected, she encounters Hiroki and his friends, unaware of their being infected.

Ryuya Sugou:

A truck driver for a local transportation company, Ryuya is a vulgar and selfish man who has no problem using the outbreak as an excuse to satisfy his own self-interests, especially concerning any women he may encounter.

Girl:

Hiroshi and co. encounter her while hiding from the infected. Shows obvious signs of being mentally unstable from the start.

In Conclusion:

Kansen 2 is a game that I really wish I didn’t have to render such a harsh judgment upon. It’s obvious that the creators put work into it in order to make it a game to surpass its predecessor. However before it can even take the first step forward, it stumbles back and falls on the weaker story and characters, and bumps its head on the bad placement of ero scenes, not scary zombie designs and timed  choices. It does get credit for picking itself up with Maya’s route and an improved (but sadly flawed) Infection route. While those two elements save it from being a horrible game, it’s still not that good a game, and (especially considering the price for importing) I only recommend it to people who really like the Kansen series and want a little more background information concerning the virus.

Final Score: 5/10 Average

Recommendation:  Avoid it.

As for the two episode anime, I will say the first episode is decent. However, there are two things I’m not particularly fond of in it, both of which I’d consider just my luck. First, considering how much I liked Maya’s route, guess who’s completely written out of the story? And don’t tell me it’s because her character design looks too loli, they could have easily changed how her character looks to make her look older in that case. Then again since the anime adaptations always follow the bad ends, maybe it was for the better. Next, the second episode focuses on Chihiro…enough said.

Playable Import Games for Everyone Halloween: Aoi Shiro

Aoi Shiro Review

 

            For our next review for Halloween 2011, we’ll be taking a look at the all ages yuri VN Aoi Shiro, released by Success on November 21, 2008 as a PC port of the previously released PS2 version (released May 15, 2008) that was given an English patch September 18, 2009. It apparently has some popularity considering it’s spawned a manga adaptation of Nami’s route, a web novel adaptation of Yasumi’s, a manga sidestory and a drama CD. If you’re looking for a very good horror/dark fantasy story set in modern Japan that draws heavily from Japanese mythology or just want a good introduction to the (sadly niche) yuri genre of VNs, then this is certainly a game worth checking out.

Pros: Good story especially if you’re into Japanese mythology, excellent cast of characters, splendid artwork, great music.

Cons: Some story elements may fly over your head if you’re not familiar with Japanese mythology, not all heroines are winnable.

WTF?!: Someone should check to see if that fourth wall needs fixing, I think she sees us.

            In Aoi Shiro, you play as Shouko Osanai, captain of Seijou Academy’s kendou team. Said team is staying at a temple in a seaside town for a training camp, but soon after they arrive strange things start happening at night and some may be supernatural in nature. Your choices will reveal the mysteries of these occurrences and how they tie to the people Shouko knows or comes to know, as well as long buried memories of her own.

            I’ve always had a fondness for stories that draw from mythologies, especially if it’s set during modern times and Aoi Shiro certainly delivers that and for the most part does it right. You’re introduced to the basic myth that the game’s story draws from and it does help in making the story accessible to those who aren’t that familiar with the mythology, but the writer for the game actually utilized these myths well in telling the story for each route by including something different connected to the myth in each of them, which really helps in making the story diverse (the game has 56 different endings).

            Now the mythology isn’t the only element of the story that makes it so good; another aspect would be how good the writer did in establishing an atmosphere for all the scenes. Of course the creepy horror atmosphere is well established when night falls and we start seeing hints of a supernatural presence, but we aren’t shown that right away as the game takes time to build things up as Shouko is left to wonder and find out whether or not the supernatural stuff is real or just the result of imagination or coincidence and I would say that the payoff is worth it. It isn’t just the horror part though, the scenes showing Shouko and co. doing ordinary things during the daytime hours does generate a more relaxed atmosphere, helped by both the characters interacting and the music and the scenes in the place where the climax of the story takes place does a good job do a good job in depicting a sense of mystery and wonder as it’s at that point that the fantasy elements of the plot are in center stage.

            Naturally what helps in making the plot so effective are the characters, and I’d say they’re well written. Shouko is pretty as our main character as the game does a good job in portraying her as a normal and down to earth girl and she makes for a pretty competent heroine throughout the game. In fact, the writer helps to introduce that by showing how she takes her responsibilities as her school’s kendo team captain, which also gives credence to her having martial arts skills and the willingness to use them to fight the monsters that show up later on. Relating to that, the writer did make sure to keep her skills limited in that while she can put up a good fight, most of the heroines with the more advanced martial art skills still outclass her as do the major antagonists, which also help in making the fight scenes more effective and awesome.

            Now concerning the winnable heroines (click here for profiles),  I have to say each one is awesome in their own way from how badass Kaya and Kohaku can be to how Yasumi can surprise you with what she can do through her own determination. Each heroine develops an interesting relationship with Shouko and each one is unique in how it’s portrayed. We see a more traditional romance from Yasumi’s (who I’ll admit is my favorite heroine in the romance standpoint), a more rivalry based one from Migiwa’s, and an admiration based one from Kohaku’s. Kaya’s I found to be interesting in that it isn’t really a romance route (at least from my perspective) but focuses more on a familial relationship instead. All these routes (and to an extent the various normal and bad endings) serve a purpose in their each revealing something storywise before Nami’s route is unlocked (didn’t say anything about that one to avoid spoilers) and then the True Ending is unlocked and it manages to tie all those story elements together well enough.

            As good as the story is though, there are a couple of flaws to it. The biggest, to me anyway, is that the story is so heavily steeped in Japanese mythology you may end up not getting a few things if you aren’t familiar with it, especially in Kohaku’s route. This doesn’t by any means ruin the story or make something not make any sense, but it is something to keep in mind. Then again if it gets you interested in checking out more about Japanese culture and mythology and subsequently gets you to learn something maybe it isn’t such a flaw. Anyway, the second flaw is that not all the heroines are winnable, and while I admit you don’t feel much of a detraction in this case considering how awesome the winnable heroines’ routes are storywise, I still liked both Momoko and Ayashiro and it would have been interesting to see if they’d been pursuable romantically.

            In the area of presentation, Aoi Shiro scores really well. The artwork for this game is fantastic with each CG and background looking like it was a still from a good quality anime. The character designs are great too with not a single character looking alike and that the portraits are animated similar to Edelweiss is a good added bonus. The music is also excellent be it the opening theme or the regular themes that partner well with the writing in establishing the intended atmospheres throughout the story. Finally the voice acting is great too as the voice actors, which include big name ones like Noriko Hidaka and Rina Sato, do a marvelous job in portraying their characters.

 

In Conclusion:

            Aoi Shiro is definitely the game to look for if you want a good blend of fantasy and horror set in modern times as well as a very good introduction to the yuri genre of VNs. Its great cast of characters really help in making the story an enjoyable read, even if the Japanese mythology elements may be difficult for some to understand without familiarity with it, and it’s certainly appealing on the visual and audio level with its artwork and voice acting.

Final Score: 8/10 Awesome

Recommendation: Buy it now.

 

If you really want to see what this game has to offer before buying it, then simply download the demo here:

http://storage.distribution.ne.jp/success/aoishiro/AoTSetup.exe

and the English patch for said demo here:

http://www.solelo.com/download/aoishiro/aoishiro demo eng.zip

Now you may have more luck finding a copy of the PC version (the site I got mine from went out of business), but if not then you should be able to buy it from the Japanese dlsite (google translate is your friend) as the copy should be compatible with the English patch.

http://www.dlsite.com/soft/work/=/product_id/VJ004777.html

 

 

Import Games for Adults Halloween: Kansen ~Inyoku no Rensa~

Kansen Review

 

(sorry, but this was the closest thing to Safe for Work substitute for a cover that I could come up with)

            Here we are now at part 3 of the Games for Adults Halloween 2011 reviews. Well, we’ve covered vampires so now we’re moving on to another major monster, the zombies. Wait don’t click that back button, this isn’t what you’re thinking…well, okay maybe a little of what you’re thinking but this doesn’t involve the undead kind of zombies (though I’m guessing that’s not very reassuring) but rather the living infected kind like the Las Plagas of Resident Evil 4 and 5 or the zombies of 28 Days Later. Released April 21, 2006 by Speed, Kansen ~Inyoku no Rensa~ would be the first in what is currently a series of four games (soon to be five come November) depicting a new type of zombie plague in modern Japan. Clocking in at about 10-30 hours of length, Kansen has certainly proven to be an interesting read and has me very curious about the rest of the series.

Pros: Interesting story, core cast is pretty well written and explored, diverse plot per route, good CG artwork.

Cons: Character portrait artwork isn’t all that great at times, glitchy sounds at some points, game system feels dated, can only save one heroine per route.

WTF?!: A zombie Eminem?!?!

 

            In Kansen you play primarily from the point of view of Yasuyuki Katou, a silly but all around good natured student as he and his friends at the school’s Movie Research Club enjoy an all night movie event at the school during the summer. Unbeknownst to them a zombie plague has begun to spread within the city, and these zombies aren’t the kind hungry for brains…

            What Kansen essentially tells is a story of a zombie rampage in which these zombies, rather than an infinite hunger for flesh and brains instead have an endless drive for sex and transmit their infection through intercourse (or even the briefest contact of bodily fluids). The story does a very good job in presenting this zombie outbreak as something to be taken seriously, making it both an effective story element and threat to Yasuyuki and company. The relaxed and peaceful start of the story does well at introducing the characters and doesn’t really feel overly long, and the scenes that show the spread of the virus in the city outside the school really do a good job in showing the danger start to gradually close in on the school where Yasuyuki and his friends are unaware of it and the suspense after it’s finally revealed to our heroes is also well done as they try to find a way to escape. One element that is used very well for this in the story is the isolation of the group in a building that’s both filled with and surrounded by these zombies (who by the way also possess varying degrees of intelligence depending on how long they’ve been infected) and their only connection to the uninfected world is a radio broadcasting information to any survivors. This is used to portray some pretty realistic reactions to the outbreak on part of the characters in which they don’t know for sure what’s wrong with the people in and outside the school and don’t learn until late in the story that the cause of all this is an infection. The lack knowledge makes for a very good way of putting the group at disadvantage when going up against the zombies since it has them even more vulnerable to infection as they don’t know to take steps to avoid it.

            Also well done where story is concerned is how well romance is integrated into the plot. The romantic development between Yasuyki and either Yu or Hitomi is for the most part pretty well placed into the zombie plot as it never really clashes with the main story of the group trying to survive. The division between the two routes occurs fairly early in the game and makes it that each of these routes tells its own unique story with each heroine relating to Yasuyuki in a different way and in both cases the relationship developed is believable and really has you hoping for the pair to make it out alive and sane. Now while I do like both routes a lot, if I had to choose my favorite of the two it would be Yu’s route. I have a few reasons for why I like it the best, first it follows the classic zombie movie formula better with a group trying desperately to survive, second I found Yu to be a stronger heroine with believable emotional limits concerning the situation and Yasuyuki’s being a source of support for her during those moments I thought made for a good scene that established a believable relationship between the two, and finally the ending made a bit more of an impression on me than Hitomi’s (though I do wish a little more was shown than told).

            Next, the rest of the cast is also well presented with them all being likable (some despite their flaws), making their characters and interactions with each other in the prologue all the more believable. As a result you end up liking these characters and feel bad when they do get infected, and like Spoony pointed out in his Final Destination 5 Vlog, that makes for good horror and even suspense, not to mention both routes at the end do a good job driving home the feeling of loss for at least Yasuyuki. Still, the game’s writer actually went the extra mile with this not just in providing routes where the goal is to escape, but after you complete Yu and Hitomi’s routes (get their good endings) you unlock another route called “Infection” in which Yasuyuki gets infected from the start. Now when I first heard about this route, I was sure I was going to hate it because I figured it would just be there to show ero scenes, and while it does show a good amount, the writer actually put together a decent enough story to it (though I do think the way in which Yasuyuki gets infected feels a bit tacked on). First the route has it that you can see things from the POV of other characters besides Yasuyuki which does offer interesting character info here and there, second it actually does a good job showing the character degeneration into a zombie along with how things look from a zombie’s (of this game series’) perspective like showing how they view and talk with other infected people. Also, in the case of the former, we also get a bit of dark comedy such as a scene in which Yasuyuki and Risa forget what 7 times 8 is which doubles as both a humorous scene and an indication of just how much the infection’s getting them to forget and it only seems like a minor inconvenience to them.

            In the area of story, the only real flaw is that Yasuyuki can only save the heroine he romances in her respective route. I’m pretty sure the reason for that is because the creators wanted to follow the traditional “only two survivors” rule of horror films that this game’s story seems to almost be written in loving tribute to, which I don’t have that big a problem with. It’s just that it makes the story feel a bit limited in my opinion, making the game only passable in the story diversity department.

            I’m sorry to say though that the main area where this game takes a hit in the flaws department is in the area of presentation. Now let me first get something out of the way, the CG artwork and the voice acting in this game are both excellent and a few tracks of the music are pretty good. The first flaw has to with the character portraits, if you take a good look you’ll see some of them look a tad unfinished like the artist still needed to put a couple touches here and there. The next couple flaws probably have something to do with each other in that first, the system the game uses just looks and feels dated, even considering the game came out in 2006, which makes for an odd contrast considering that aside from the aforementioned character portraits the game looks pretty good. Second, the music playing for this game gets glitchy at a number of points with the sound flickering and/or repeating. Fortunately this doesn’t happen with the voices though.

            As for the ero scenes, they’re all pretty good being well drawn and acted. While there’s a large number of ero scenes in this game considering the story, the writers actually did a good job in writing them into the story so that they make sense and don’t feel gratuitous. Now considering the story most of the ero scenes in this game are rape scenes, but there are consensual romance scenes to be found between Yasuyuki and the heroine of the route you’re on and those do a good job in portraying the two having reached that point in their relationship despite the disaster going on around them.

 

*Character Profiles (click hyperlinks for images):

Yasuyuki Katou:

A successful and popular second year student, Katou has secretly harbored romantic held feelings for Yu, a close childhood friend who always seems out of reach. His reason for joining the club was simply because it would give him a chance to be around her during the afternoons. After months of indecisive waiting, Katou has finally convinced himself that the time has come to reveal his feelings.

Yu Yamagishi:

The daughter of an influential politician and a famous drama actress, Yu is the quintessential sweetheart: beautiful, charming, kind and outgoing. Many students long to win her favor, but few have ever gathered the courage to approach the most sought individual in school. Those that have are politely told her heart is set on another, though she never reveals who that person is.

Hitomi Saeki:

Hitomi is something of an overachiever and perfectionist, holding the prestigious offices of Student Council President and Chairman of the Second Year Classes. Most see her as too serious and micromanaging, but she reveals a different personality whenever around Katou: that of someone who listens intently to every word.

Risa Shindou:

One of the school’s senior science instructors and an adviser to the Photo Club. The sultry Risa is a sex symbol amongst male students, although her no nonsense personality strikes fear into everyone.

Tomomi Igarashi:

A third year student, Tomomi is a close friend of Katou and Yuji. Despite her standing as a class senior, she has an incredibly meek personality and is the kind of person that an individual will forget about when she leaves the room. In contrast to her small frame, Tomomi has a surprising impressive bust size that few are aware of.

Yuji Tanaka:

Yuji, a third year student, is one of Katou’s oldest and dearest friends. His flamboyant nature and rebellious outlook make him fairly popular with the student body, but a supervisory nightmare with teachers and faculty members. Tends to take action without considering the potential outcome.

 

Shinya Takeuchi:

Shinya is a second year student whom many regard as nothing more than a nerd and loser. As a friend he’s completely unreliable and selfish, but Katou tolerates his presence due to a sense of pity - no one else will. He lusts after his teacher, Risa Shindou, but has no illusions that he has zero chance of appealing to her.

Satoshi Kishida:

The massive Satoshi is the school’s lead gym instructor. Many students enjoy making fun of his appearance and seeming lack of intellect, but never directly in his presence. There are rumors that he was responsible for a series of terrible incidents from years ago. Friends with Risa Shindou.

 

In Conclusion:

Kansen is a game that manages to take a concept with zombies that one would initially believe doomed to failure and make it work. With its cast of likable characters, the writer for this managed to create a game that has a feel very similar to the classic zombie movies, and I’m pretty sure it was written with that in mind. Sure the character portrait art could have used some work and the music system is glitchy, but they don’t ruin the playthrough experience. I do wish that there was more story diversity in the main two routes, but that’s only a minor problem since both routes are still really good. This game was likely made on a budget, and for the most part it succeeds over whatever limits it had.

Final Score: 7/10 Great

Recommendation: Buy it now.

 

*On a side note, the character profile info is from a friend’s character descriptions from a review site long dead. I did ask him permission to use them and he said I could.

As for the anime OVA, I found it to be just okay. Considering it’s only two episodes long and each episode is just a standalone adaptation of one of each heroine’s bad ends, it doesn’t have the same suspenseful atmosphere that the game had even if the animation and voice acting is pretty good. I recommend just playing the game, but it isn’t a bad adaption if you’re curious.