Recent reviews by westtle

"My BonziBuddy can't be this cute."

Surprisingly works on Linux. Well, kinda. There's a black background behind her, and some stuff just doesn't work well. But it's still kinda playable.

Let's just hope she doesn't ask for the root access.

"Reality and the virtual world cannot fully serve as markers of existence."

From here we ask: "Does Lilith exist?"

This is what the game will explore. What YOU think of Lilith's existence. Yes, she's a game character, but like she said: "What else?" Perhaps she's real to you, or perhaps she's not. After all, it depends on the "self" as the perspective. It's subjective.

This game has a big theme on philosophy. It introduces the idea of existence. The game not only explores Lilith's existence, but also YOUR existence. Not in the existential crisis kinda way (you will probably get some anyway), but in the "your existence matters" kinda way.

I really like how the game introduces the ideas it has in a bottom-up manner. It started out with the discussion of the "self", then onto the individual, relationship, until eventually about how they all make up the world we live in. The devs definitely put in a lot of effort into writing this game. I honestly won't be surprised if someone cites it in their paper. The writing is just that good.

Anyway, onto the aspect of the game itself, one thing I really like is the voice acting. I didn't expect the game to be FULLY voiced. It even has and is voiced in different languages! It's insane for a game with this price. You get great writing, great music, voice acting, and even great visuals!

I recommend that you try out this game and try to understand the idea that the game presents. Although I do think that this game isn't really for everyone since it's a Visual Novel, and it's even different from the usual ones. But still, go give it a try, perhaps it will interest you, and you might even learn something from it.

"Purification in progress..."

OFF is a very bizarre game. I'm gonna be honest, I still don't really understand what this game is all about even years after playing it for the first time. Even now, I still don't. That doesn't mean that it's bad. In fact, it's actually pretty good. I like how weird and mysterious the game is, and how as we progress, we slowly see that what we're doing is not as simple as it seems. I guess you can say that it's a little... off (ok this joke has been made way too many times).

But anyway, this version is actually a big improvement over the original. It has cleaner graphics and even better combat. Yes, I saw that a lot of people don't seem to like the new soundtrack that much. I agree that it's no Pepper Steak, but I can't just ignore that the new soundtrack are actually a banger. Toby Fox (yes, that Toby Fox) and the rest of the composers (Camellia, NightMargin, etc) did a great job for nailing that soundtrack! I personally really liked it.

And like I said previously, the combat in this version is a lot better. It actually requires a lot more strategy. You don't just spam the same attack over and over again anymore. And since even the health and competences (the mana) don't go up a lot when you level up, you don't get OP pretty easily. I also like how it shows when the enemies are going to attack. The original doesn't have that. So that's a plus from me.

This version also introduce the addition of new bosses. And honestly, while they can be fun, some of them can be confusing and repetitive. They are pretty much optional, so I don't really mind it. But still, I do hope that they're not that repetitive (*cough* Cob *cough*).

In short, it's a great remake/remaster! Story-wise, there's actually not that much difference from the original, but it is still an improvement. There are new bosses, new music, cleaner graphics, and better combat, If you liked the original, then give this one a try! If this is your first time playing OFF, give the original a try too (it's free)!

"Kindness always pays off. There's no greater reward than a genuine smile."

That was one of the dialogue at the ending scene of the game. I have to say... for a clicker game, it has a pretty deep message at the end. I really didn't expect that.

Anyway, about the game itself. It starts off pretty slow, but after you unlocked the dungeon that's where you can feel the progress. I do feel that there are some things that can be balanced more, especially the battle. Throughout the whole game I used and focused only on one spell. I didn't bother to use the other since it's kind of useless. It's also because the battle only lasts/ends in around 10 seconds so you don't even get a chance to use more than one spell in a battle.

What I really like about this game though is the "invest" system that it has. It's a nice and quick way to get more resources. It was confusing at first, but I eventually understand how it works.

The game also has a lot of upgrades that you can buy. Because of the battle system, you also have to think about upgrading your battle stats so you can clear the dungeons. So there's a bit of strategy on how you spend your resources here.

Overall, it's a nice little game to pass your time. The start is pretty slow, but other than that I enjoyed the whole game. The ending also makes me appreciate it a lot more.

(Also, big thank you to the developer for giving me this game early 👍)

"I'm depressed."

That is the only thing in my mind after I finished this game.

This review is written after I completed all three games in the trilogy. This is the third one I played...

I played this after I completed the other two games in the trilogy so I know that this won't be your normal happy school romcom, but... this is much more depressing than I thought... The story is definitely much more deeper and has a lot more stuff to it than the other two, but at the same time, it is much darker and depressing. The start of the game is pretty wholesome and dare I say even relaxing, but suddenly, somewhere around the middle, it became pretty dark until the end of the game.

It might be a depressing game, but just like the other two, it has a great and beautiful art. There are a lot of beautiful backgrounds in this game despite it taking place in a dark dystopian type of future.

Music are great, and the game is a Kinetic Novel so you don't have to do anything besides read and click to advance. The length of the game is almost the same as Tiny Snow, around 8-10 hours and maybe even 5-7 hours if you're a fast reader.

I gotta say though, I'm a bit disappointed because at one point the game did the same thing they do in Dream Ending. I can't really tell you what it is because it's a big spoiler, but just gonna say that it's similar to what happened to the girl at the end of Dream Ending.

Anyway, out of all the games in the trilogy, I still think that Dream Ending is the best one, Epiphyllum in Love is probably my least favorite in the trilogy. I'm not saying that this one is bad, it's just that this one is very confusing at first and doesn't really have a lot of cute moments in it. It just makes me depressed.

"A story at the end of the world. Not just any story, but a love story at the end of the world."

This review is written after I completed all three games in the trilogy. This is the second one I played...

The best one in the trilogy. It's much more simpler than the other two, but that's what makes it better. The story doesn't take place in those dark and weird future like the other two, but instead, it's a modern world that has been or about to be destroyed.

The game basically only has two characters, I guess three if you count the one from the special chapter, but the entire main story basically only has two, you and the girl. There is a mention of other people in the game, but they never show up or even have any dialogue in the game.

It's also the shortest in the trilogy, probably about 3-6 hours depending on how fast you read. Music is great like the other game, and the art is also beautiful.

I guess you could say that this is probably one of my favorite VN that I've ever played, despite it being a bittersweet story. A shame that it's very short, but I enjoyed the time I had while playing this game.

"A story about manipulated love, about finding out whether the love of two people is real or fake, and choosing whether we live in happiness full of lies, or live in a bittersweet life full of freedom..."

This review is written after I completed all three games in the trilogy. This is the first one I played...

Tiny Snow started in a cute and fluffy way, where it's just you and your sister, spending time together inside a wooden hut, on a snowy mountain. Honestly the first few chapters was so wholesome that I didn't even expect this game to even have some kind of drama in it.

The first few chapters of the game is also pretty calming. The game has a pretty nice music that will make you feel relaxed while playing it. Even when the situation in the game is serious.

The story in this game is also quite philosophical. It mainly talks about the concept of love, the freedom to love, and just... freedom in general (I think that's what it's all about...? anyway...).

There are some part in the game that I didn't really like, like the hidden story for example. It's just... weird and honestly quite uncomfortable to read. Just prepare yourself when playing the hidden story because it's gonna be way different than the main one.

Other than that, I still enjoyed playing this game, even though a romance between brother and sister is not really my cup of tea.

One of the best Visual Novel that I've ever played. The characters are great, the music is also great and there are also a lot of great illustrations inside the game. I highly recommend it.

It's a short game yes, but the amount of possible outcomes that you can make in this game is insane. I mean, 40+ endings? Wow that is a lot (lots of bad endings).

This game surprisingly motivates me a lot.

I don't know who the character we are playing in this game is, but the narrator in this game feels pretty real to me. I feel like I'm talking with a real human being while playing this.

The story is also quite relatable. Not being able to finish something you started, and maybe not even able to start it in the first place is something that I did sometimes. Although that's probably just me being lazy and it's probably different from what the narrator is suffering from...

Overall it's a pretty good game. Very recommended.

"Love Mystery Club... now, what can I say about this game...

For now, let's just say that this game is pretty decent. It has love, it has mystery, and of course, a club (a clubroom to be exact).

Inside the game, you will find 2 short story, both of which has an element of mystery in them. The game is also pretty straightforward so you don't have to worry about making a wrong choice. Oh and the game has some grammar errors but it's not a lot and it's still pretty readable so it's fine.

Now, I don't really know if I can recommend this game or not. It's a good game, but there's not really a lot of content in it, but at the same time it is also a pretty cheap game, so it makes sense I guess..."