Narumi Nitpicks: Aoishiro
Just got done finishing the Grand Route for this after god knows how long, and I have to say I loved this VN a lot. A big budget VN with great productions values and actually has a good intriguing story to complement its presentation.
As with my favourite VNs, its a mystery novel with a lot of comfy slice of life moments in the beginning to ease you in. One of my favourite things Aoishiro does is how it shakes things up in each route making otherwise familiar scenes in feel more naturally integrated (a character may make some different comments based on something you said earlier). I really like this attention to detail you don't see very often. I also like how each main route is integrated into the overall storyline. Unlike other "pick your fav girl" VNs I've played, the routes to each main love interest is very naturally written and doesn't feel like you're picking off a list of candidates. In some routes you won't even meet a love interest from a completely different route. Very strong writing.
Many props to the slice of life stuff. It is genuinely relaxing to read through discussions of food or just vacation-y ongoings of the Seijou girls accompanied by the amazing soundtrack. I have a fondness for the countryside, so reading this really calms me. Sometimes it feels as if I could smell the ocean waves or the untouched forests. Masterful stuff there.
The voice acting is superb. I rarely skipped through the text boxes as I normally do just so I could fully listen to the dialogue. Sharp writing and likable characters help too, but the performances really bring the characters to life. Somehow, especially in the slice of life moments, this made the VN incredibly immersive. It's a real treat on the ears.
Aoishiro is just choked full of content. Tons of possible endings, unlockable routes, and even a bonus minigame which isn't very good. This all makes for a very meaty game. You can even adjust it so that any character can be the system voice. With many different voice lines depending on when you start the game, what point of the story you're at etc.
As with my favourite VNs, its a mystery novel with a lot of comfy slice of life moments in the beginning to ease you in. One of my favourite things Aoishiro does is how it shakes things up in each route making otherwise familiar scenes in feel more naturally integrated (a character may make some different comments based on something you said earlier). I really like this attention to detail you don't see very often. I also like how each main route is integrated into the overall storyline. Unlike other "pick your fav girl" VNs I've played, the routes to each main love interest is very naturally written and doesn't feel like you're picking off a list of candidates. In some routes you won't even meet a love interest from a completely different route. Very strong writing.
Many props to the slice of life stuff. It is genuinely relaxing to read through discussions of food or just vacation-y ongoings of the Seijou girls accompanied by the amazing soundtrack. I have a fondness for the countryside, so reading this really calms me. Sometimes it feels as if I could smell the ocean waves or the untouched forests. Masterful stuff there.
The voice acting is superb. I rarely skipped through the text boxes as I normally do just so I could fully listen to the dialogue. Sharp writing and likable characters help too, but the performances really bring the characters to life. Somehow, especially in the slice of life moments, this made the VN incredibly immersive. It's a real treat on the ears.
Aoishiro is just choked full of content. Tons of possible endings, unlockable routes, and even a bonus minigame which isn't very good. This all makes for a very meaty game. You can even adjust it so that any character can be the system voice. With many different voice lines depending on when you start the game, what point of the story you're at etc.
The game does feel quite unfair in terms of difficulty however. Just one wrong choice early on can doom you many hours later. I ran into my first game over while pursuing Nami's route because her route had to be unlocked prior to that. I consulted a guide for every other character though.
Still this forced progression of needing to complete certain characters to unlock others does lend it self to some interesting storytelling. For instance, Kaya's route (unlocked after Migiwa's route) has a callback to Migiwa's route that only makes sense if you had played Migiwa's route before. Things like these truly make the many routes worth pursuing just to see how they all connect.
The grand finale true end does feel a tad bit lacking though. Was expecting more of a bang. Not entirely unsatisfactory, but was still hoping it could have more substance to it. Also, as with any story I enjoy, I wished the story could be longer. And despite being a yurige there was surprisingly very little romance in this. Most of the story is focused on resolving the core mystery.
Aoishiro has been one of my favourite VN experienes of the year and is a reminder of why I love VNs so much. It's long drawned out pacing is perfect for the medium and playing it with a controller just feels good. Highly recommended.
8/10
I end this review with one of my favourite tracks in the game.
Comments
Post a Comment