My Playtime: 60+ hours
Genre: Visual Novel
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did. I LOVE IT!
I can’t believe how addictive this was.
You play as the dashing heroine, Cardia, who has a chance to
win 5 heroes’ hearts. From the moment that
Cardia woke up in a rundown mansion, she always known that she was a
monster. A monster that will kill
everyone she loves. But as she was
forced from her home by the royal military, Cardia welcomed a chance to
die. However, when Arsene Lupin
kidnapped her, hope began to take root.
As their plans progressed, new companions and new enemies will test the
relationships that could possibly change the fate of the world.
This was your typical visual novel. Again, I stressed that this not an adventure,
action or RPG video game. It is a
simulation game. It is reading. So, don’t pick this up if you are expecting
something else. There was no real new
mechanic to the game, except for the fact that Lupin’s route was not available until
all the other routes have been completed.
Which makes sense, plot-wise.
Each plot from the other guys had some part in Lupin’s route that
allowed for his route to go more quickly without going into deep details. But it made the game so hard. I love Lupin from the start and have to wait for
so long for him, made me want to rush through the other four's. However, I did love all the routes
in any case. These guys really love hard and
the emotions were so intense. How can
you not fall in love with each one?
Here’s the quick preferred order of routes, Hopefully, without spoilers:
Impey Barbicane: The engineer. Personally, Impey was not my type of guy. He was just too goofy to fall in love with
but he was perfect as the comic relief. He
made me laugh a lot. His scene with the
other guys were hilarious since they always make fun of him. I will admit Impey’s openness about
expressing his love differentiated him from the other guys.
Abraham Van Helsing: The human weapon. Van Helsing was awesome, kicked butt and
always showed up when Cardia needed his help.
He doesn’t want to care but he fell in love with her anyways. His storyline was sad but it works out in the
end. His extra scenario was my favorite!
Victor Frankenstein: Alchemist. Adorable.
There is just something about guys with glasses. He was the nerd of the group. Technically not a battler, he didn’t back
down from a fight. Victor used his
intelligence to protect himself and the group.
Pretty straightforward plot.
Count Saint Germain: Eccentric noble. His story was unexpected and completely
different from everyone else’s. It made
sense but it came out of nowhere. But I
will say that Saint Germain, despite his cool façade, loved the hardest. His scene to beg for Cardia’s life made me
wished that I had someone who loved me that much. It was heartrending. I rewatched that part a few times. I loved his eccentricities.
Arsene Lupin: Famous gentlemen thief. He was like Tuxedo Mask, coming to Cardia’s
rescue at the right times. He always knew
what to say, intelligent, funny, and charming and just the sweetest guy. His route incorporated everyone’s and made
the most sense.
I would like to mention Cardia. She was one of the the best heroine I ever
played as. She learned enough street
knowledge from the heroes that she can make quick, rational decisions in the
heat of battle. I likes her decisiveness
and lack of whining. When someone told
her to run, she actually ran. It was a
refreshing change from the helpless heroines.
My only gripe was that I wish there was a route for Herlock
Sholmes. I LOVE HIM! He was a great foil to Lupin and he was
absolutely awesome. I wished you
could’ve unlocked him.
The plot was really and definitely kept my interest from
start to finish. There were some slow
points as most stories do. The first 8
chapters were the same for everyone.
Your choices during these chapters decide which guy you will be
‘shipping with later. So the first
playthrough, I think I spent over 7-8 hours.
After that, I just fast forward through the 8 chapters, while picking
the right response, and getting to chapter 9.
Then the playthroughs became about 5-6 hours.
.
Now, for the technical stuff. Japanese audio only. All characters had voice acting except during
inner dialogues and Cardia. The voice acting was spot on. I loved
listening to them talk. English
subtitles. There were a few spelling mistakes in the end of all the
routes, but it wasn’t as bad or noticeable as Norn9’s. I do know Japanese and the translation was
good. Some wording was not
exact but close enough. There
was no lag time. Things ran
pretty seamlessly. Steampunk is usually not my style but art style here was beautifully drawn. The guys are super gorgeous. Graphics is your usual standard. The characters
are 2D and their expressions changed to fit the scene and line. Their mouths don’t move when they talk.
There were some extras to unlock. A few extra scenarios, BGM and a glossary. One thing - If your glossary doesn't unlock, go back to a route and look at your glossary in-game. It should unlock the glossary in the title screen.
If you are a fan of visual novels, get this game! It is awesome.
If you are a fan of visual novels, get this game! It is awesome.
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