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  • Locked thread
Mega64
May 23, 2008

I took the octopath less travelered,

And it made one-eighth the difference.

Wicked Them Beats posted:

This LP also got me to play the game.

Here's my review:

JESUS loving CHRIST :stare:

Ditto.

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McNally
Sep 13, 2007

Ask me about Proposition 305


Do you like muskets?

Wicked Them Beats posted:

This LP also got me to play the game.

Here's my review:

JESUS loving CHRIST :stare:

Same here. If I had to add anything, it would be "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"

Arcade Rabbit
Nov 11, 2013

Personally, I actually feel the warnings helped a bit. You see this cute, uobeat, generic looking VN cover, and think it's nothing. But then you see warnings plastered everywhere. Website, steam page, start screen. Everywhere. Yeah it makes the subversion of expectations really clear, but I feel like thats a necessary sacrifice considering how close to the hilt they play it at first. Like you're waiting for the shoe to drop, waiting for the crazy to start, and then it does and its done incredibly well. But without that warning, most people would have written it off. You'd still have the whole "no spoilers shut up just play it" from other people, but that's not as effective to me as the game itself flatout saying "Be careful!"

Dr. Snark
Oct 15, 2012

I'M SORRY, OK!? I admit I've made some mistakes, and Jones has clearly paid for them.
...
But ma'am! Jones' only crime was looking at the wrong files!
...
I beg of you, don't ship away Jones, he has a wife and kids!

-United Nations Intelligence Service

Arcade Rabbit posted:

Personally, I actually feel the warnings helped a bit. You see this cute, uobeat, generic looking VN cover, and think it's nothing. But then you see warnings plastered everywhere. Website, steam page, start screen. Everywhere. Yeah it makes the subversion of expectations really clear, but I feel like thats a necessary sacrifice considering how close to the hilt they play it at first. Like you're waiting for the shoe to drop, waiting for the crazy to start, and then it does and its done incredibly well. But without that warning, most people would have written it off. You'd still have the whole "no spoilers shut up just play it" from other people, but that's not as effective to me as the game itself flatout saying "Be careful!"

I for one would say that's a large factor of what draws you in, and to an extent provides an excellent source of tension up to Sayoricide. You know from the get-go that something has to go wrong, but the game keeps playing itself straight for quite a while.

This game has an excellent understanding of what tension is. Tension is when you know that something bad is going to happen, you just don't know what.

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?
What's clever about that sequence is how it uses a double fakeout to put you off guard even if you know that there's something dark coming. The conversation about Sayori's depression hits, and you think "oh, this is what the warnings were preparing me for," letting you relax a little before getting blindsided by... whatever the hell is happening now.

SleuthDiplomacy
Sep 25, 2010
Yesssss this game absolutely hosed me up when I played it. My roommates all laughed at me when I started it up, but they noticed my increasing state of alarm right after Sayori's suicide and we finished the whole thing in one sitting. It's been almost a month and this game still makes me think, still makes me have trouble sleeping.

Cuntellectual
Aug 6, 2010

malkav11 posted:

On the other hand, I'm not sure I agree with the folks saying it could be reduced by half. I don't think now is the time to discuss why, though.



While not everyone will agree, I think it's pretty reasonable to say that Sayori is pretty likable on her own merits. Putting aside dating sim waifu stuff, her (fake? coping mechanism? personality isn't the sort of person I'd mind hanging out with irl.

The reason Sayori's death has an impact isn't (at least for me) because "oh hey someone died in a cute anime game" but because it was a completely realistic and tragic moment of someone you like being depressed without you knowing it and committing suicide. Without a leadup to get an idea of what the characters are like, the emotional impact is lost.

Arcade Rabbit posted:

Personally, I actually feel the warnings helped a bit. You see this cute, uobeat, generic looking VN cover, and think it's nothing. But then you see warnings plastered everywhere. Website, steam page, start screen. Everywhere. Yeah it makes the subversion of expectations really clear, but I feel like thats a necessary sacrifice considering how close to the hilt they play it at first. Like you're waiting for the shoe to drop, waiting for the crazy to start, and then it does and its done incredibly well. But without that warning, most people would have written it off. You'd still have the whole "no spoilers shut up just play it" from other people, but that's not as effective to me as the game itself flatout saying "Be careful!"


I know a lot of games like Sakura Spirit are jokingly tagged with HORROR and BLOOD AND GORE and stuff so the possibility of it being a joke came up in my mind.

Besides, how dark could a game written by some dude who made Smash Bros mods really be?

Cuntellectual fucked around with this message at 21:33 on Oct 22, 2017

Arcade Rabbit
Nov 11, 2013

Depends, are the mods for Brawl or Melee? :v:

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
...oh god.

How many people did you start Literature Club with, Monika?

Double Punctuation
Dec 30, 2009

Ships were made for sinking;
Whiskey made for drinking;
If we were made of cellophane
We'd all get stinking drunk much faster!

Arcade Rabbit posted:

Depends, are the mods for Brawl or Melee? :v:

It turned Brawl into Melee. I am not joking.

ChaosArgate
Oct 10, 2012

Why does everyone think I'm going to get in trouble?

Actually he worked on both brawl AND melee mods!

l33tc4k30fd00m
Sep 5, 2004

Ahh yes this is the stuff. Going to have to play this myself as well.

chiasaur11
Oct 22, 2012



ProfessorProf posted:

What's clever about that sequence is how it uses a double fakeout to put you off guard even if you know that there's something dark coming. The conversation about Sayori's depression hits, and you think "oh, this is what the warnings were preparing me for," letting you relax a little before getting blindsided by... whatever the hell is happening now.

Yeah. Even knowing something is going to happen, you don't know that this is going to happen.

Besides. Classical tragedy tended to come with a warning label too. Part of the point was the tension between the innocent happiness now, and knowing that it was all going to fall apart.

Roar
Jul 7, 2007

I got 30 points!

I GOT 30 POINTS!
13.

BGM: Dreams Of Love and Literature



So I decided to go with column B since the majority of the votes were looking for a more light option after the tragedy with Sayori, even though C technically won by one vote. Captain's prerogative. Besides, this'll give us an entirely new cutscene instead of just a slightly modified version of one that we've already seen. I can absolutely not be assed to remember which words I used, but they ARE in the video at the end of the update if you’re interested.

Natsuki's super-slow jumping isn't a glitch and I have no idea why it's showing up that way. This gif just doesn't want to work for some reason.


BGM: Ohayou Sayori!

: “Hi again, Mitayo!"

: “Glad to see you didn't run away on us. Hahaha!"

That's only because he literally doesn't know can't remember any better.

: "Nah, don't worry. This might be a little strange for me, but I at least keep my word."

Well, I'm back at the Literature Club. I was the last to come in, so everyone else is already hanging out.

Not everyone. :(



: “I hope this isn't too overwhelming of a commitment for you. Making you dive headfirst into literature when you're not accustomed to it..."



: “You already had to be dragged here by Monika. I don't know if you plan to just come here and hang out, or what...but if you don't take us seriously, then you won't see the end of it."



Uh, Monika, you’re kinda blockin’ the text here, Honey.

: “Natsuki, you certainly have a big mouth for someone who keeps her manga collection in the clubroom."

This is a slightly more abrupt response than the last time we saw this scene.

: “M-M-M...!!"

Natsuki finds herself stuck between saying "Monika" and "Manga".

: “Manga is literature!!"

Swiftly defeated, Natsuki plops back into her seat.

: “I'm sorry, Mitayo...we'll make sure to put your comfort first, okay?"

Yuri shoots Natsuki with a disappointed glance.

: “Um, anyway...now that you're in the club and all...perhaps you might have interest in picking up a book to read?"

: "Well...I can't really say no either way. Like you said, I'm in this club now. So it only feels right for me to do something like that, if you ask."

: “W-Wait...I didn't mean it like that! Uu...if you don't really want to, then forget I said anything, I guess..."

: "Ah--No, it's not that, Yuri. I want to try to be a part of this club. So even if I don't read often, I'd be happy to pick up a book if you wanted me to."

: “A-Are you sure...? I just felt like...well, as Vice President and all...that I should help you get started on something you might like."

I love that Yuri brings up that she's vice president at literally every opportunity.

Yuri reaches into her bag and pulls out a book.

: “I didn't want you to feel left out...so I picked out a book that I thought you might enjoy. It's a short read, so it should keep your attention, even if you don't usually read. And we could, you know…"



The only sad part about us not going with Yuri this route is that the book Yuri gives us is DRASTICALLY different. We'll go over that in a future update.

Th-This is...how is this girl accidentally being so cute? She even picked out a book she thinks I'll like, despite me not reading much...

: "Yuri, thank you! I'll definitely read this!"

I enthusiastically take the book.

: “Phew...well, you can read it at your own pace. I look forward to hearing what you think."

Now that everyone's settled in, I expected Monika to kick off some scheduled activities for the club. But that doesn't seem to be the case. Yuri's face is already buried in a book. I can't help but notice her intense expression, like she was waiting for this chance. Meanwhile, Natsuki is rummaging around in the closet.

There's a small but significant difference here - literally none of them seem interested in the others. At least when Sayori was here, there was SOME chatter; now, though, they're all focused on their own things entirely. This club is in shambles.

-----



I am a firm, card-carrying member of Team Natsuki so I can't say how happy I am to be going through this...even with the game issues. :shobon:

I hear Natsuki utter an exasperated sigh from within the closet. She seems to be annoyed by something. I approach her, in case she needs a hand.

BGM: Play With Me!

: "You looking for something in there?"



Eeeesh. Not even Natsuki’s scenario is safe from the code glitching.

: “She never puts my stuff back in the right spot! What's the point in keeping your collection organized if someone else is just gonna mess it up?"

Natsuki slides a bunch of stacked books and boxes across the shelf.

: "Manga..."

: “You read manga, right?"

: "Ah--...Sometimes..."



Manga is one of those things where you can't admit you're really into it until you figure out where the other person stands.

: "...How did you know, anyway?"

: “I heard you bring it up at some point. Besides, it's kind of written on your face."

What's that supposed to mean...?

It means you look like an otaku. Coming from Natsuki, take it as a compliment.

: "I-I see..."

There's a lone volume of manga amidst a stack of various books on the side of one of the shelves.Curious, I pull it out of the stack.

: “There it is!"

Natsuki snatches it out of my hand. She then turns to a box of manga and slips the volume right into the middle of the rest.



: “Seeing a box set with one book missing is probably the most irritating sight in the world."

I can see where she's coming from. I have two full complete sets of a manga and two editions of one of those sets were from a different printing and it looked out of place and awful. I spent actual money to replace them because it bothered me so much.

: "I know that feel..."

I get a closer look at the box set she's admiring.

: "Parfait Girls...?"

It's a series I've never heard of in my life. That probably means it's either way out of my demographic, or it's simply terrible.

No, Parfait Girls is not a real thing. It sounds completely believable, though.

: “If you're gonna judge, you can go do it through the glass on that door."

She points to the classroom door.

: "H-Hey, I wasn't judging anything...! I didn't even say anything."

: “It was the tone of your voice. But I'll tell you one thing, Mitayo."

: “Consider this a lesson straight from the Literature Club:"



I don't like lessons from the Literature Club :(

: “In fact--"

Natsuki pulls out the first volume of Parfait Girls from the box.

: “I'm gonna show you exactly why!"

She shoves the book right into my hands.

: "Ah..."

I stare at the cover. It features four girls in colorful attire striking animated feminine poses. It's...exceedingly "moe".

Oh boy. :rolleyes:

: “Don't just stand there!"

: "Uwa--"

Natsuki grabs my arm and pulls me out of the closet. She then takes a seat against the wall, beneath the windowsills. She pats on the ground next to her, signaling me to sit there.

: "Wouldn't chairs be more comfortable...?"

I take my seat.



: “We can't read at the same time like that."

I'm starting to wonder if the dev didn't just really like the work he did on the classroom floor.

Also, what is it with you girls and reading the same book at the same time? You have a whole collection of books! Pick a different one!


: "Eh? Why's that? Ah...I guess it's easier to be close together like this..."



Natsuki crosses her arms and scootches an inch away from me.

So tsundere. A nice change of pace from gothic Yuri and...Sayori... :(

: "Sorry..."

I didn't exactly expect to be sitting this close to her, either...not that I can say it's a particularly bad thing. I open the book. It's only a few seconds before Natsuki once again inches closer, reclaiming the additional space while she hopes I won't notice. I can feel her peering over my shoulder, much more eager to begin reading than I am.

: “Wow, how long has it been since I read the beginning...?"

: "Hm? You don't go back and flip through the older volumes every now and then?"

: “Not really. Maybe sometimes after I've already finished the series."

Yeah, you don't generally need to do a reread when you're actually reading the series for the first time, Mitayo.

: “Hey, are you paying attention?"

: "Uh..."

I am, but nothing's really happened yet, so I can talk at the same time. It looks like it's about a bunch of friends in high school. Typical slice-of-life affair. I kind of grew out of these, since it's rare for the writing to be entertaining enough to make up for the lack of plot.

I unironically love slice of life anime. I don't watch or read that much in general, to be honest, but that's generally the genre I go with.



: "...Are you sure this isn't boring for you?"

: “It's not!"

: "Even though you're just watching me read?"

: “Well...! I'm...fine with that."

: "If you say so...I guess it's fun sharing something you like with someone else. I always get excited when I convince any of my friends to pick up a series I enjoy."

: "You know what I mean?"

: “...?"

: "Hm? You don't?"



: “...that's not...well, I wouldn't really know."

: "...What do you mean? Don't you share your manga with your friends?"

: “Could you not rub it in? Jeez..."

"Not all of us HAVE friends, okay?"

: "Ah... Sorry..."

: “Hmph. Like I could ever get my friends to read this...they just think manga is for kids. I can't even bring it up without them being all like...'Eh? You still haven't grown out of that yet?' Makes me want to punch them in the face..."

: "Urgh, I know those kinds of people...honestly, it takes a lot of effort to find friends who don't judge, much less friends who are also into it...I'm already kind of a loser, so I guess I gravitated toward the other losers over time. But it's probably harder for someone like you..."

: “Hm. Yeah, that's pretty accurate."

...Wait, which part??

The part where you're a huge nerd loser, probably.

Jokes aside, this is one of the few insights we get into Mitayo's life before the Literature Club. He's not cool and popular, though most of the members aren't - just Monika, really.






Uhhhhh. :staredog: This is...one of the first glances we get into Natsuki's backstory.

: “At least it's safe here in the clubroom. 'Cept Monika's kind of a jerk about it...ugh! I just can't win, can I?"

: "Well, it paid off in the end, didn't it? I mean, here I am, reading it."

: “Well, it's not like that solves any of my problems."

: "Maybe...but at least you're enjoying yourself, right?"

: “--...So?"

: "Ahaha."

: “Jeez, that's enough! Are you gonna keep reading, or what?"

: "Yeah, yeah..."

I flip the page.

...
......
.........
............
...............

Time passes. Natsuki is strangely quiet now. I glance over at her.



I thought you said this manga was good. It can't even keep YOU awake!

: "Hey, Natsuki..."

: “Y-Yeah...?"

Suddenly, Natsuki collapses straight into me.

: "H-Hey--"

Oh God, I was just kidding. Are you okay?

BGM: The music is suddenly static-ridden.



I...will take that as a no.

BGM: Music stops abruptly.



: “Natsuki, are you okay?"

: “..."

: “Here..."

Monika reaches into her bag and pulls out some kind of protein bar. She throws it in Natsuki's direction. Natsuki's eyes suddenly light up again. She snatches the bar from the floor and immediately tears off the wrapper.

: “I told you not to give mmph..."

She doesn't even finish her sentence before stuffing it into her mouth.

Looks like she has some blood sugar issues...? And…other things, maybe???

: “Don't worry, Mitayo.”



: “It just happens every now and then. That's why I always keep a snack in my bag for her. Anyway...!"

: “Why don't we all share poems now?"

BGM: Okay, Everyone!



We'll, uh, continue with the poem delivery next time...though I think that our priorities might not be in order...

As usual, if you have any recommendations for who to talk to first, lay em' on me - but it's not a huge deal either way.


Raw Video File: http://www.polsy.org.uk/play/yt/?vurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DR4mDbdDNQcQ&autoplay=1

Roar fucked around with this message at 00:20 on Oct 23, 2017

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?

You're not you when you're hungry.

Grab a snickers.

ultrafilter
Aug 23, 2007

It's okay if you have any questions.


We should probably the school counselor, even though this might be a little out of their league. But let's start with Natsuki, just to keep the momentum going.

Cuntellectual
Aug 6, 2010
Natsuki's a sweetie. :3:

I have to say, more so than the glitching in and of itself, the sudden cursing kind of startled me. Something about characters saying wildly unusual and out of character things weirds me out. I guess it's because it's more realistic than visual glitching.

Also, the way Yuri keeps bringing up how she's ~VICE PRESIDENT~ is adorable. Like she's never had that much responsibility before. :allears:

On a last note, it's subtle but the fact that MC-Kun's only friend was apparently Sayori makes this whole retcon even more depressing. Apparently in this continuity he has never had ANY friends.

I know it doesn't matter too much, but might as well write another poem for the road. It's not Haiku because I suck at those, so whatever. Technically a bunch of other poems that were written were Senryu instead of proper Haiku anyways. Maybe it'll still count. :v:

Natsuki is cute,
Or would kawaii be more apt?
Doki-Doki, our goon hearts

No other will do,
Not Monika or Yuri;
Sayori? Pardon? Who's that?




:eng101: That type of poem is a Sedōka, a kind of Waka. Waka are a type of Japanese poem, but I'm not sure what exactly links the classification. Either way, a Sedōka is formed from two Katauta, which are 5-7-7 syllables as opposed to a Haiku's 5-7-5, and aren't related to themes of nature. Sedōka often take the form of mondōka (which are dialogue poems) or an exchange between lovers. Mondōka kinda sounds like Monika and Doki, and this is a dating sim, so it's kind of appropriate, right? :v:

Note: I'm not an expert on Japanese or poetry, so some of that might be wrong.

Cuntellectual fucked around with this message at 01:03 on Oct 23, 2017

ArcadePark
Feb 4, 2011

Damn it, It's all your fault!
Like you said, Just Monika

TheGreatEvilKing
Mar 28, 2016





Yea, the sudden "my dad violently abuses me" is more disturbing than the glitch stuff.

Monika maybe we can keep the other 2 from dying?*


*I concede I was totally wrong about this before.

Cuntellectual
Aug 6, 2010

TheGreatEvilKing posted:

Yea, the sudden "my dad violently abuses me" is more disturbing than the glitch stuff.

Monika maybe we can keep the other 2 from dying?*


*I concede I was totally wrong about this before.

It's extra creepy because nobody else seems to, you know, notice it. Not even the MC.

BaDandy
Apr 3, 2013

"This taste...

is the taste of a liar!"

Cuntellectual posted:

It's extra creepy because nobody else seems to, you know, notice it. Not even the MC.

Yeah, it's easy to miss too if you're so caught up in being scared or unsettled in the moment.

SoftNum
Mar 31, 2011

JFC I love this game

malkav11
Aug 7, 2009
I might have just been imagining things but it didn't seem to me like the glitch text shows up in the log. They'll have said something innocuous instead.

chiasaur11
Oct 22, 2012



malkav11 posted:

I might have just been imagining things but it didn't seem to me like the glitch text shows up in the log. They'll have said something innocuous instead.

Sometimes. Usually.

Not always.

Chillgamesh
Jul 29, 2014

It's one of the more devious ways the game fucks with you - a lot of the text in this part is the same as the previous section of the game, so you're clicking through it quickly because you already read it, then a character says something hosed up like what Natsuki just said but you're only skimming the text. So you see it, you know you saw it, but you open up the history to confirm that she really said it and there's nothing there.

Hypocrisy
Oct 4, 2006
Lord of Sarcasm

Monika.

Snorb
Nov 19, 2010
You know what, let's share our poem with Natsuki, but...

Screaming eyeless face?
I don't think they make a cream
For that, Natsuki.

Snorb fucked around with this message at 04:15 on Oct 23, 2017

BaDandy
Apr 3, 2013

"This taste...

is the taste of a liar!"
Monika Monika Monika*

*that means the vote's counted 3 times right? No?

ArchWizard
Mar 27, 2009

There's the Roy I know and love.


There once was a girl named Natsuki
Who was a real anime cutie
By which I mean
She looks barely 13
And your pedo rear end better scoot-ie

An argument could be made that Natsuki deserves a chance to cool down but I suspect the order in which you present your poem to the girls doesn't matter in that way.

ArchWizard fucked around with this message at 04:35 on Oct 23, 2017

Double Punctuation
Dec 30, 2009

Ships were made for sinking;
Whiskey made for drinking;
If we were made of cellophane
We'd all get stinking drunk much faster!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-fRuoMIfpw

chitoryu12
Apr 24, 2014

i want to get off monika’s wild ride

SirSamVimes
Jul 21, 2008

~* Challenge *~


So how many times did you have to reload to get the random Natsuki effect happening? (spoiler about background mechanics of something from the previous update, not future events)

Kite Pride Worldwide
Apr 20, 2009



Let's butter Monika up so maybe bad things stop happening :ohdear:

Dr Pepper
Feb 4, 2012

Don't like it? well...

Kite Pride Worldwide posted:

Let's butter Monika up so maybe bad things stop happening :ohdear:

I have to wonder if that's even possible. :ohdear:

Avalerion
Oct 19, 2012

Monika.

Not into Natsuki's character type at all.

Mikl
Nov 8, 2009

Vote shit sandwich or the shit sandwich gets it!

Roar posted:

As usual, if you have any recommendations for who to talk to first, lay em' on me - but it's not a huge deal either way.

Yes it is. Go talk to the school counselor right now.

AfroSquirrel
Sep 3, 2011

Oh sweet there's a thread for this.

This game definitely made my heart go doki doki in unexpected ways, and I look forward to sharing that with other people.

Roar
Jul 7, 2007

I got 30 points!

I GOT 30 POINTS!

SirSamVimes posted:

So how many times did you have to reload to get the random Natsuki effect happening? (spoiler about background mechanics of something from the previous update, not future events)

First time, actually. I’m not sure that that’s randomized since it’s happened every time I’ve gone through this section, but I could just be ‘lucky’.

Phimose Knight
Mar 5, 2013

Roar posted:

First time, actually. I’m not sure that that’s randomized since it’s happened every time I’ve gone through this section, but I could just be ‘lucky’.

Yeah the effect is scripted.

I just played this game based on the recommendation. Just go for Monika. I actually didn't do this route on the second go-around. Can we get a :gonk: suki?

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inflatablefish
Oct 24, 2010

Mikl posted:

Yes it is. Go talk to the school counselor right now.

We are so far beyond that right now. Go talk to an exorcist, or preferably the Ghostbusters.

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