A Quick Look At: Devil Gene R

Normally, this would be the part where I try to lighten the mood because I’m about to start off on a rant that will make me question the dental floss that connects my mind to this reality. However, this has not been a ‘JP Relaxes on the Porch with Iced Tea’ Weekend. I make REALLY good Iced Tea when the weather is nice.

Regardless, we must first go over DA RULES! “A Quick Look At” IS NOT an official review! It is simply me relaying my experience with a demo or another short EVN. I have to knock it all out within 1000 words and there will be no score. That’s just my opinion of where everything stands. So, let’s get this pain train on the road, shall we? This is Devil Gene R!

The Reject Demon: Toko Review

So, do I strike anyone who can enjoy a dumb, guilty pleasure for what it is?

…Yeah, I didn’t think so either. Look, I’m not going to go full Snob and say there is no place for that type of entertainment (trust me, there is). It would shock people to find what lurks in the back of my movie collection (yes Michael Bay has a home there). Guilty pleasures are a release valve for the human mind, allowing it to shut down and just enjoy something that appeals to the basics instincts. Without it, we’d be in a world full of neurotic intellectuals; although Christopher Nolan would’ve won an Oscar by now in that world…okay that world of neurotics doesn’t sound too bad after all.

That said, The Reject Demon: Toko is yet another installment in EVN guilty pleasures. But, even with that, it has to fit into the lines it set for itself in order for the reader to fully enjoy the absurdity of it all. So the question isn’t whether or not this game is good by my definition of ‘good’, but rather by its definition of good. What are those definitions? ‘Are the characters fun and entertaining enough to distract from the absurdity of the story?’, ‘Is the threat a viable one?’, ‘Do we want Toko to succeed in her fulfilling her destiny?’, and the most important one, ‘Is the relationship between Toko and Nadia appealing?’

Well, these are interesting questions to answer. So, let’s do our best to answer them together!

Rising Angels: Reborn Review

Earlier this year I reviewed Rising Angels: The Red Rose from IDHAS Studios. It was an average title that was ultimately the sums of its choices. Clearly it was also not the title KomiTsuku, the mind behind IDHAS, wanted to release so he went back to the drawing board to revamp the entire series.

Rising Angels: Reborn is what it says on the tin: a retcon of the RA universe with a new main character and a larger integration of IDHAS’ other stories and ideas. The game also hopes to not only connect with the larger EVN community, but also bring in science fiction fans as much of the plot can be traced back to that genre in particular. As a faction within English Visual Novels, Science Fiction is seeing something of a growth spurt with not only Reborn but also Touhou Mecha and the upcoming Sunrider project to boost its recognition among the throngs of bloody mysteries and otome.

But the ultimate question is still the ultimate question, ‘Is it good?’ Breathe easy Chief. Despite some missteps, it’s good.