Recent reviews by A Literal Mouse

Episode 2 of of the devil continues to nail the courtroom murder gameplay. I like that episode 1 was all about delving into the city's corporate overworld episode 2 Deals in how the city's organized crime behaves. Gameplay wise there isn't much different from episode 1 , it's still pretty solid. There are no puzzle solving sections this time which while I didn't hate them I don't bemoan their seclusion here either. The story is honestly pretty great. Sera is a great sidekick character, and I love Morgan as a protagonist as they are such an interesting character to be put in charge of “solving” murders. The way this episode starts is also fantastic, without putting in spoilers the game does a wonderful job at setting up investing and then executing on it. I also love the spin of having to deal with a case that has so much cop ire and having that additional layer of navigating opinions. Really surprised at how well it was able to balance the various factions at play. I love the building up suspense of what is to come, you can feel the ♥♥♥♥ is going to hit the fan hard. Not much without else to say without spoilers, but some really good moments in this one. Some of the references seemed overplayed but not to an annoying degree.

Of the devil chapter 1 is insanely good. I really like the writing on the show here. Honestly cyberpunk stories about AI sentience have been done to death so I was a bit worried when it was clear that was what this chapter was about. Thankfully there were some lines that I heard a million times before the game does a good job at having a unique enough prevention of it. It really helps that Morgan is such a unique protagonist to play as. Her perspective really makes any debate or encounter stand out. The chapter really does a good job of showing a world where you have to play each side to survive. Love all the new characters, Serra is such a good foil to Morgan. Her nativity paired well with the overall cynical nature of the world. AD_84 the judge bot is also just really fun, really make the court segments land. Really love the exploration here, really interesting areas all around. Being cyberpunk really helps the environment clicking because you never know what new lore or info you will randomly stumble on. The whole court segment rocks here, it does a good job at balancing the p Wright like balancing with more gimmicky deduction segments Ala dagan ronpa. I found myself a big fan of the black jack segment.
Overall really love my time here

Gameplay wise, this game is really cool. It sorta feels like a rhythm game crack, with just how much it can throw at you as since the buttons done really matter. I really like how intense the game can get without ever feeling unfair. I definitely see this game being put on my normal rhythm game rotation list.
The only negative game wise is I wish there was a little more variety in the music. It is more of a personal taste kind of thing, and there are some songs here I do like, but overall I don’t see myself wanting to play more for the music itself. Thankfully the gameplay is strong enough that I can still see myself playing it despite that.
I really like where the story is going, as of now only act 1 is out but it is a good start. I really like the issues the main character is dealing with. With her suffering due to having a physical relationship with the one she loves but wanting something more intimate. Her turmoil of having to decide if you should keep things the way they are despite it hurting her vs. a new flame that can give her more of what she wants despite not having the same spark as her original love. The writing here is really fun, and much better then what I was suspecting. While the game still has some way to go, and the story content is short enough currently it's hard to gauge where it will go, there is certainly a strong core to this game. Definitely worth checking out for rhythm game fans. I definitely will keep an eye for whenever this one updates.

I do think this is a game that falls heavily on your mileage. Depending on how much you personally love the writing, this could be one of your favorite games of all time or just kinda meh. I think I lean more towards the meh. I enjoyed the game overall, but I never really felt a deep connection to the plot and characters. I did really like the final sequence, while it's not one that is going to impact me in the long run, I think it was well done.
I really do like this game on a visual level. The whimsical nature of the art really does make the world feel fresh. The 3D God segments also rock as they stand out from the normal world sections. Another thing i really love is the real life sections viva the tvs, they really show the love that went into this game, art wise. The audio is also really solid; it really nails the mood in each location, and I think they do a good job with the animal crossing, especially gibberish. I see why people love posting the gods on social media. While none of them really did much for me, they were always a treat to see. I especially liked the god of art being a weird Dr. Seuss-like thing. They perfectly nailed making characters look and act unique. The last real area and then the following sequence were both really good. I feel neither was ground breaking, but they definitely kept me engaged, despite how little I was connecting to the story itself.
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As I mentioned, sadly, the story never hit me in a meaningful way. There is some good messaging about dealing with insecurities in a healthy way, but in terms of investment, I never did. I think part of the reason is the stakes felt way too high for a game that is honestly really short. The game didn't have enough time to really make you worry for each character's safety or the fate of the room. With how short the game is you really are not allowed any time with the characters, especially since, outside of a couple of characters, most are not recurring.
I found it to be somewhat tedious as well, trying to figure out what words go to the proper place, worse being the third area. I felt I was dragging myself just trying to figure out how I was meant to please the gods there. It wasn't the worst by any means, but it did affect the overall enjoyment.
I definitely think some people are going to love this game, and I definitely think it's one people should try for themselves. You can tell a lot of love and passion went into this game. The way it uses its art looks really great and unique. The devs also clearly put a lot of time into character design/ writing. I did have fun with the game and don't regret playing it. While I didn't personally super connect to it, I easily see others really loving it. It's a really cool project to have come out.

First off this game is not worth 45 dollars, there is not enough game here to warrant that price. In terms of content there are 4 minigames: Hurtling Hurdles, Blazing Baskets, Dodgeball Demolition, and Gourmet Gauntlet. Each minigame feels solid but is basic. Playing the story mode, you get tired of the minigames as there is really no change up and the game does nothing to really shake it up. For the most part they are serviceable enough to play for the duration of the game, ,I could see myself playing a couple games with some uma friends.Outside of that however, I could not see myself replaying any of the four minigames after I got done with it.
I was surprised to see that there was an actual story in this game. The story is not much but as an uma musume fan it was nice to see the 4 team stories. They play out largely the same length and style as you would expect from a umamusue seasonal event. So if you are coming for that there is a decent couple hours of content (not 40 dollars of it but still). I ultimately enjoyed my time with the game as it definitely serves as a decent fan service game for uma fans. I bought this game on sale for like 70% off and I think for that price I had a good time. The goldship minigame is a fun little vampire survivor like also.

No Sleep For Kaname Date feels like they made a game version of a filler anime. It has some entertaining parts, but it largely feels lacking in any of the substance that made the original game great.
There are some positives to be had with the game. While almost all of them are too simple and short, I did overall enjoy the escape rooms. I like the mix of AI and VLR game styles for those. I really enjoyed the designs for each escape room, as each was done in a manner that made you want to pick them apart for the solution. I also like when it lets you switch to multiple people as it leads to some fun mixed to the escape formula, though I wish it went further with it. I also love seeing Aiba and Date working together again. Sincerely, they are such a fun duo. I'm glad we get to see more of them here. I definitely like the idea of this game being a little side gap between 1 and 2, since it allows room for the characters to act more akin to the original game while also incorporating elements and characters for nirvana. The new characters are okay, not the most memorable, but certainly better than most of the Nirvana cast. Music still sounds fantastic, fitting the mood while also being music you would want to listen to in general. Finally, the unlock-able side stories are a really fun surprise.
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As I mentioned already, the story just feels like all padding. The plot really doesn't go anywhere new, and the places it does go are largely played safe. Without spoilers, the plot feels less of an actual case as it fails to build any ongoing suspense or intrigue. Each time tension is hinted at, it is instantly evaporated with either dialogue or pacing, making it clear that nothing is worth pushing for. It's also not helped that there are only 2 new characters that anything could happen to since it's a prequel to Nirvana. It may be argued that this game isn't trying to be the same solve-the-case game as the other two since it's a spin-off, but then it doesn't do anything new to make up for it. If you don't view it in the same light as the other games, it is still just nothing of substance. I also think with the escape rooms, the psyncs were unneeded, especially since there are some of the weakest psyncs in the franchise. The psyncs here feel smaller and are the most, just go from a to b to c gameplay is seen from them. The psyncs just make the lack of more escape rooms also more apparent, as it feels like they just needed to fill more time. Ultimately, the game feels like it has no punches to give, and this is shown by how the story just ends on a pure whimper. I wasn't expecting the highs of one, nor even the Roller coaster (good and bad) of two, but I was hoping for more than this. Really, an unfulfilling game in the franchise, which is a real shame.

I think, as a strategy game, Great Villainess is really cool. I do enjoy the aspect of supply lines being a main priority. The supply lines make it really satisfying to conquer the whole map, leaving only the boss for the final push. I also ultimately love how it is all one big map; it allows for a real sense of progression. The only complaint with the map is how it was incorporated into the final mission. Making it so you had to go though the whole map again, infested with enemies actually was the pits. I also really loved the characters; they all had a charm to them. To go along with that, while the plot never got really complicated, how the cast went about it was great. If not for the cast, I probably would not have seen it all the way to completion.
While the concept of the gameplay is good, I mostly found it frustrating with how many enemies swarm. While the supply line gimmick is neat, it is ultimately just annoying having to constantly play defense, only to use it when a random new enemy pops up. Most of the later acts really knew how to test patience, with bad enemy placement and poor communication of objectives. I still have a soft spot for this game due to its plot and unique gameplay, but in terms of actual gameplay, I had less and less fun as the game went on. Ultimately, a cool game, even if it's a game I would never want to touch again without ripping out some hair.

I think After School Afterlife is overall a fine game. It is a game that is charming enough as is, but I wish there were more depth to it in terms of content.

In terms of positives, I think this game really shines in its dialogue. The writing is really similar to Undertale in terms of comedic style, playing with expectations whenever it can. I found myself excited when I saw an interesting character design, as I was curious to see what they were going to say.I also love how the game is steeped in Singapore ghost stories and legends. It really helps this game stand apart, and I really love how the journal guide discusses elements. The game also looks really good; the backgrounds have impressive detail to them, and everyone feels well designed. This game does a great job at making you want to explore; everything really helps tell the story of the house. I also really like the couple of minigames that are here. The one in the kitchen area in practicauly was fantastically done, to the point I am still surprised how much effort was put in it. I really love the effort that is shown in this game; there is a good core to this game.

Unfortunately, I did find that I have some issues with the game. I really did like the side quest, so I got super bummed to find out there was at least 4 I was unable to complete. This is a mix of the game really being unclear how to go about some of these quests. A character would want an item, and I would scour the whole map only to find nothing. Worse off is I locked myself out of 3 of the 4 side quest as the characters I finally found, though other peoples playthough advance the quest, do not activate for me. While it ultimately does not matter too much, it is something I wish were clearer on. Something as simple as a quest log could help here. I also wish the game relied less on the teleporting platforms. Especially since, balance-wise, some of the jumps are much harder than anything else in the game. It does not destroy the flow completely, but it could be much better tuned. The biggest complaint I have is that I wish the story had not ended so anti-climatically. I don’t really expect the game to be much longer or anything like that for its asking price, I just wish any of the build up with the house or its inhabitants is dealt with in any way. The game's ending feels like a shove out the door, which is a shame because I really wanted to see how a resolution to the issues the different characters are facing would go. It really is a shame because while I feel this game is under developed, I do really like what I see. I don’t regret playing this one, and do recommend it. I will keep an eye out on anything the dev puts out in the future, because I do hope they expand on the good things that are in this game.

I really do love these cases, where an old Japanese game I never even heard of, seemingly out of nowhere, gets an English release. I went into this game really only knowing the base premise of it being a minigame collection. What I found while playing is that, although fairly bare-bones, the game offered an enjoyable couple of minigames, carried by its cute design.
Like mentioned before, the game is pretty lacking in content, as there are really only eight minigames to do. Each minigame never gets extremely complicated; a little hectic on max difficulty, but nothing crazy. The real gameplay loop comes from trying to get stats up fast so you can make max money on the minigames. This is to try to get as much stuff as you can for the house. I really do like the charm of it all. The main character is adorable in her actions, and it has all the charm you would imagine of a late 90s anime. The set time of 40ish days does a good job of preventing the minigames from getting too stale, as I feel any longer and I would have gotten tired of them. This game ultimately is not amazing on any level, but it does have a massive amount of pleasing design that I think it's still worth a look at. The sound design was also surprisingly really well done, I found myself hoping now and then to some songs, and really enjoyed the vocal song that plays during the idol minigame and credits.
The biggest props I have to give are just the fact that this game exists at all on modern marketplaces. I love the fact that a random game like this can just get a full official English translation, including new English vocals. I think the port does a great job of doing enough with the port to make the game a smooth experience, while doing their best not to alter the game in any way that is unneeded. I love the fact this game exist even if I don’t really see myself putting more then one 3 and a half hourish playthrough in it. Just really cool to see.

very cute and short rpg worth playing imo!