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CremePudding posted:Saki makes her outbursts and people back off for like one sentence before resuming walking all over her, or knocking her out, or doing their villain exposition and making dramatic evil faces. I recorded the final two stages earlier today and then started working on a "Final Thoughts" bit. This is something I included in "The Bad" section. The game presents the Get Mad segments as some kind of important game mechanic, but in reality it has no narrative impact at all. We have been having Saki get mad at every opportunity, but it doesn’t change the way other characters see her or result in any changes to anyone's behaviour. It's just pointless. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 22:27 on Aug 23, 2021 |
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Aug 23, 2021 22:24
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It's also supposed to tie into the title - as mentioned in the OP this game is titled Bomb Decision in Japan, and her 'get mad' yell is 'What kind of decision is that?!'. Kind of funny to give it that kind of importance considering what a weak gameplay element it is.
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Aug 23, 2021 23:09
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The one time I remember seeing the get mad choice affect something other than its own isolated 5 second moment is the time where doing it was vetoed due to it causing Saki to lose Bloodstained Hospital...
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Aug 24, 2021 04:17
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Polsy posted:It's also supposed to tie into the title - as mentioned in the OP this game is titled Bomb Decision in Japan, and her 'get mad' yell is 'What kind of decision is that?!'. Kind of funny to give it that kind of importance considering what a weak gameplay element it is. It's a major disappointment. Saki is supposed to the be the outsider of this whole thing. She's meant to be the one that can look at everyone's faults and call them out when others won't or can't. Her "Get Mad" moments are, like you said, tied in with the title of the game. Saki is the bomb that can either blow everything up and make people take notice, or fizzle out and maintain the status quo. But her getting mad doesn't actually result in that. We just get a goofy shot of the guy looking freaked out, an "I'm sorry", and then the narrative realigns and continues as normal, the same as if Saki had kept quiet. So what's the point? The only "Bomb Decision" that gets made is when Saki does her Insight thing. NyoroEevee posted:The one time I remember seeing the get mad choice affect something other than its own isolated 5 second moment is the time where doing it was vetoed due to it causing Saki to lose Bloodstained Hospital... That one was kind of a dick move, because for basically every other "Get Mad" moment, what you choose doesn't matter. At worst, it results in a missed Affection Point.
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Aug 24, 2021 16:28
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Update LIII: Motivations We’re almost done. We only need to suffer a little longer and we will be free. I recorded these last two stages in one go and I’ll tell you right now, I don’t think anyone is going to like how this all gets resolved.   (Where am I…?) For a moment I was disoriented by my unfamiliar surroundings. But it wasn’t long before I remembered where I was: locked up at the top of Castle Hogstein. I’d fallen asleep trying to sort out everything I’d learned, or at least that was what I assumed had happened. (…Huh, I guess the elevator is working now.) As I started to wake up, some of what I’d been thinking about began to come back. (The crash was orchestrated by Urabe’s dad, which is why Makoto hates him so much. I can see how he’d feel like what he’s doing is justice…) Now that I knew everything, though, there was no going back. I needed to talk to Makoto. I was still deep in thought when the elevator dinged its arrival and the doors slid open to reveal Makoto with a tray balanced on his hand. Morning! Oh! Um… You’re probably pretty hungry, right? I thought I’d bring you some breakfast so we can eat together. He must have come from the restaurant, because the tray was piled with slices of toast, omelettes, fruit, juice, and more. As I took the tray from him, I noticed a whiff of lemon. That smell… Not really, but we need something to pass the time until Stage 7. (Well…)*Choice time* Yeah, I’m a little curious. Oh ho, so you have taken an interest in me. That makes me happy.Stockholm syndrome will do that. *Affection up*  Anyway, my mom used to wear it.  …I suppose you could say it’s kind of the smell of my family. It helps me relax. I guess it helps keep me from forgetting them. …What was your sister’s name? I didn’t have any particular reason to ask, but I felt like I had to say something. Akane. I know every brother probably says the same thing, but she was a real sweet kid.I sure as hell don’t remember ever uttering that. He suddenly looked up at me, and I almost jumped. If she was still alive, I think she would have been like you. …Well, not really. She was kind of frail. Was she sick…? Well, sort of. She wasn’t sick all the time, but she’d get cold and stuff a lot.So a completely normal child, then. Got it.  I still remember how her smile looked… … Oops, sorry. Got a little sentimental there. Shall we eat? I got you a fork. Thanks. (He really loved them, didn’t he…)Well good for him. That doesn’t excuse the fact that he’s currently holding a bunch of innocent people hostage. After what had happened to him, I could hardly blame Makoto for how he felt. (But this whole… thing he’s doing isn’t going to help anyone.) I knew that I had to stop him, but… how? *Fade transition, although we haven’t changed locations* That tension made it hard for me to enjoy my breakfast, and I got the feeling it was weighing on Makoto as he ate too. In the end, we only managed to eat about half the tray. (What am I going to do now…?) It was already the sixth day. I hadn’t been able to get in touch with the others for two days. They were probably worried about me. (I should just ask him…) Makoto—…?! The glass in his hand had toppled to the floor and shattered, juice quickly forming a pool in the remains. …And Makoto himself was crouched down over it. What’s wrong?! Ugh… Nothing! Sorry. I began to unzip his overalls. I had to know. Dude, just shut up. Please. This isn’t a joke! Show me your stomach! (I knew it!)”He’s got an outie!”  There was a wet, red stain on his undershirt, and it was growing by the second. It was the same place he’d been holding the other day in the storage room. The wound from the explosion… (I thought he’d been lying about getting hurt too, but…) You need to get this treated immediately! He pushed my hand away and shook his head. No point in patching me up. Once I’m done here, I’ll have fulfilled my purpose. All I need to do is stay alive until then. So don’t… worry about… me…*Makoto proceeds to drop like a bag of rocks* No… Makoto! Hey! Wake up! Makoto! His chest was still moving, but his eyes were closed and his suddenly pale face was covered with a sheen of sweat. (Dang it, I can’t do anything for him here!) I had to take him somewhere to get him help, but where? (Oh! The restaurant!) There were always piglets there. They’d probably be willing to help me.Do they even recognize him without the Hogstein costume and voice modulation? I guess they must, considering that he had one of them dressing up as a second Hogstein. If they didn’t… well, I’d think of something. I hefted Makoto’s limp body over my shoulder and started for the elevator. (No! I’m not ready to give up yet!) I put my other arm around his waist and held him tight. With a grunt, I pulled us both into the elevator. The restaurant wasn’t too far. Makoto was getting heavier by the second, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. …You… Huh? I leaned closer. You’re… greedy… …What? Every time I saw you over the cameras, you did something interesting. But not Saki. Not you.Some would say that was a very stupid thing to do given what was at stake. You weren’t about to submit to reality. You didn’t stop trying to rescue your uncle and the hostages, or stop the bombs from blowing up the park. You refused to quit and leave your friends behind… and now you’re trying to save the guy who lied to you and almost killed you. You won’t give anything up… See? Greedy… … I wanted him to quiet down so he didn’t make his wound worse, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him to stop. You don’t ever give up, no matter how bad things look. Just… boundless optimism… You’re a terrible enemy for me. (Is that a compliment, or is he mad…?) … …We’re almost there. Just hang on a little longer. For the rest of the walk to the restaurant, Makoto was silent.  …?! I slammed open the door of the restaurant, surprising the piglets inside. It didn’t take them long to realize why I was there, though. As soon as they saw Makoto, they began to panic. He’s wounded. Here, help me get him up on this table! ! The nearest piglets rushed over and took Makoto from me. As they maneuvered him into [sic] the table, I turned to one of the other piglets. Do you have a first aid kit and bandages? …! …! He nodded quickly, and broke into a weird, loping run. I’m sorry, but I need to take your shirt off. This might sting a bit… Uhnn… guh… …Sorry… I worked slowly and carefully, trying not to touch his wound, but I’d only gotten it about halfway up when I froze. (He’s… covered with scars…) This was my reward for being the only survivor.I think that was supposed to be a flashback line, but it didn’t flashback to anything, so it sounds like Makoto is just saying that out loud. Apparently his “reward” hadn’t been limited to his arm. He would have been so young when it happened… How could a kid who’d just lost his entire family get hurt this bad and live? (Is there anything I can do to help him…?)You should not be helping him, Saki. He is insane and trying to kill a bunch of people. *Fade transition to show time passing* …And done. With the piglets’ help, we’d gotten him bandaged up pretty well. That should do it. Thanks for all your help. …! They gave me a thumbs-up, then returned to their various posts. (Do they know that he’s Hogstein?) What was their relationship to him anyway? Why were they so obedient? Oh… Saki… You’re awake! Are you feeling better? Yeah… yeah, I think I’m all right now. Thanks. He sat up slowly, trying not to strain his stomach. We’d stopped the bleeding, but it had to still be painful. It looked like even breathing hurt him. Why…? It’s not like you’re going to get anything out of saving me. That doesn’t matter. I couldn’t just… leave you there… …You’re confusing me. Maybe you haven’t figured it out yet, but I’m a pretty contrary guy. If you start taking what I say literally, you’re gonna be in trouble. Ha ha, although I guess I’ve put you in enough trouble already, huh? … I’ve been thinking. Whatever your reason is, I don’t think it’s right for you to try and take someone’s life. Especially if they don’t have anything to do with that crash. Nothing to do with it…? Oh, you mean the hostages? So your uncle’s going to be fine. Don’t worry. I shook my head. I’m not just talking about the hostages. You’re making a bunch of people suffer, and except for Urabe and Shirabe they don’t have anything to do with this. You seem to think it’s horrible that Urabe’s father let innocents get caught up in his attack, but aren’t you doing the same thing? Makoto just stared at me blankly. They are connected to the crash. Every one of them. Huh…? Take Subaru Shidou, for instance. His dad was the cop who was investigating the case. He came to visit me a couple times to ask a few questions. He probably visited Kouta Meoshi too. Meoshi? Why? He was the only eyewitness, but his testimony never went public.Then how did you find out about it? Towa Wakasa was the only person on the bus that survived the crash. As for Ryusei Mitarashi… Well, Ryuji lost both his parents in the crash, so he’s definitely connected to it. I was stunned. He was right— they had all been involved. This was the connection that I’d felt before, even if I hadn’t been able to identify it. It was no coincidence that he’d picked those particular people for his game… Makoto smiled at me. See? The only person who doesn’t have anything to do with it is you, Saki. The other six I brought here, so they could play my game. Brought? How…? Urabe and Shirabe I understood, but what about the other four? Shidou and Wakasa had come for work, Meoshi for the DLC, and Mitarashi for, well, the park itself. I’d heard each of them say they’d come to the park for a reason. (Is he saying he arranged all of that, just to get them here?) Makoto smiled again. See? I told you I’ve spent my life working toward this.That is not an explanation for how you managed to lure some of these guys here. You’re telling me that you called up the nearby police department and said “Yes, hello. It is I, famous game designer Keiji Inafune. May I request Subaru Shidou, and only Subaru Shidou, to act as the sole member of security for a theme park opening? You guys do that, right? Private security contracting?” My game wouldn’t be complete without everyone connected to the crash. That’s why I can’t let them go. As he spoke, he stood up and began to head toward the door. You shouldn’t be walking around yet! You need to rest… No, I don’t have time. There are things I have to do. I have to go. Despite his determination, though, he was still clearly unsteady. I couldn’t bear to watch him struggled like that, so I stood up myself and ran to follow him. You’re still going to come with me? … You’re probably going to regret this. I said nothing, just pulled his arm across my shoulder and began to walk. I understood how all the participants, except for me, were somehow connected to the bus crash twelve years ago. But what I didn’t understand was why there were here. Although they were connected, they hadn’t caused the crash, and several of them were victims in a way, just like Makoto. Why was he so determined to torture a bunch of people who had nothing to do with the death of his family?Crazy people generally don’t think the same way as you do, Saki. Trust me, Makoto has his reasons… however bafflingly stupid they may be. Guh—! I turned to look at him. Are you okay? Huh… Maybe those pain killers aren’t as strong as I thought. That’s why I told you not to get up. But… reason doesn’t really apply here anymore.At least you’re admitting it. I got the feeling he was talking about the game, not about his wound. Phew… Are you okay? Yeah, I’m fine. I think the painkillers are starting to kick in. Now that I’m all patched up it’s not that big a deal. But if you’d just left me earlier… I’d be in it pretty deep by now. You’re a lifesaver, Saki. His voice was light and cheerful, like he was joking with me. It was hard to believe he was the same person who’d been snarling with hate the day before. And there we have it. The legendary “I know the real him. I can save him” thought process of a teenager. I took a deep breath. Um, you remember what you were telling me earlier? You’re gonna have to be more specific. I’ve told you a lot of stuff lately. About how all the participants were involved in the crash somehow, which is why you brought them here. I…Choice time. We most certainly do not “understand where you’re coming from,” so that means… I still don’t think it’s right. … I mean, yeah, they’re connected to it, but… it’s not like any of them did anything bad to you, right? My voice shook a little near the end, but Makoto listened intently, his face impassive. …I thought as much.*Affection Point up* Please, just let them go. They’re innocent… aren’t they? Innocent? His face and voice were suddenly cold.Is everyone ready for some raw, unfiltered, pure stupid? Because here it comes. We’re about to get some answers that we’ve been desperate for. Take it away, crazy man!  Why?! Each one of them is guilty. Guilty of what? …Come over here. I’ll explain. He stood up and, with one hand holding his stomach, walked slowly to the console and pressed a button. A new image popped up. (Shidou, Wakasa, Meoshi, Shirabe… Urabe?! At least they’re all safe…) They’re in the middle of the game for day six. Ryusei Mitarashi seems to be absent again. I guess he hasn’t healed up yet? …Did you let Urabe go? No. They did. They played for his life in yesterday’s game. When they beat it, he was released. How noble of them to risk their lives for a traitor! His tone was bitterly sarcastic. They were in what appeared to be a dressing room. I could see lots of… not quite clothes, more like… animal suits. They were all standing, facing Meoshi. Were they having a discussion or something? Watch. The image seemed kind of pixelated. Ayumu Shirabe. His crime was to harass the bereaved families of the victims. He wrote an article about the crash, but it was just sensationalized crap. (Did he really do that…?)We already knew this one. It’s pretty much the only Hogstein motive that we’ve gotten a clear answer on, even if most of it was built on a misunderstanding. To be clear, however, Makoto is still correct that Shirabe harassed the victims’ families. Even if his original story was published, full of nothing but dry facts and direct quotes, it wouldn’t change the fact that he capitalized on the tragedy of others in service of his career. Plus, we know from Shirabe’s ending that he continues to hound the families of the victims after all of this is over with. Saki says it is “to apologize,” but she also says he keeps hunting down information on the crash, which I highly doubt would mean a complete exclusion of the original victims’ families. Something about his explanation didn’t make sense. Would someone who’d spend [sic] twelve years searching for the truth really write something like that?Uh, yes? It’s been 20 years and there are still people doing up pieces on 9/11 conspiracy stuff.  Whatever, Shirabe is old news. We want the goods on everyone else. What were their “crimes”? Subaru Shidou left his partner to die. I’d been in contact with his partner, who had been helping me gather information. He told me about Shidou. You know he admired him? But the bastard still let him die like a dog. That didn’t sound right either. I’d never met anyone as dedicated to protecting others as Shidou. How could someone like that leave his partner to die?...Well, okay. I guess you could reasonably be mad at Shidou if you believed that he got his partner killed through recklessness or incompetence, if said partner was someone who had been helping you get information on your family’s killer.  He was the only eyewitness. His testimony could have gotten the attention of the media, or forced the police to investigate further. Then, maybe, the truth could have come out. It was true that he’d been an eyewitness, but he’d been a kid back then. Wasn’t it a little harsh to expect that kind of dedication to justice from a child?…Okay, I guess? But the involvement of the mysterious other car wouldn’t have prevented Urabe’s dad from getting the politician to sweep it all under the rug. The media wouldn’t have suddenly latched on to the story because it went from “accident due to driver error” to “accident due to hit-and-run.” Plus, it was the testimony of an 8-year old. Besides, Makoto himself had said that the truth had been covered up by the police. If that was true, why would Meoshi’s testimony have changed anything? Some show where they play a bunch of clips of shocking stuff for celebrities. He was on one where they showed footage of the crash. Do you know what he said when they played it? “I’m bored. Can I go home already?” He was in the crash, he saw people die! But he dismissed the whole thing, just like that. I can’t forgive him.While that is a dick move, he’s a vapid boy-band member. Not exactly unheard of for them to say or do something incredibly stupid. Also, not to further defend Wakasa or anything, but he was, what, seven years old at the time? (Oh… I do think maybe I heard something about that once…) The internet had picked up on it, and the clip of him saying it had spread like wildfire. I’d only heard about it because one of my friends was a huge Junior Jr. Boys fan, though. It hadn’t occurred to me that it could have been Wakasa. I’m sure the crash wasn’t the end of it, and whatever else he’s done there’s no doubt that it’s vile beyond words.So Urabe’s crime is that he didn’t assassinate his own father the second he learned of the bus thing?  After the crash, he changed his name to Mitarashi, his mother’s maiden name, and has been calling himself Ryusei instead of Ryuji, his real name. He might as well spit on his family’s grave.Okay, now this is just totally stupid. Ryuji is a loving Host/Escort. Of course he’s not going to use his real legal name for that, you dumbass. Besides, it’s none of your drat business what he does with his life. He wasn’t involved in any way with the accident other than by proxy (through his parents dying in it). Running away from your past is wrong, but look at him. He’s turned his back on everything he was, even the name his parents gave him. The screen clicked off, and Makoto just stood there for a moment, his hand clenched into a tight fist. (How much of all that is true?) Even if there was some truth, everything he’d said seemed to be heavily colored by his own point of view. And he would have been so young when the crash happened. He might not have even known he was involved when he saw the footage. When Urabe had confessed his guilt to us, his face had told me that he’d been suffering with the knowledge for a long time. Was it really right to judge him so harshly for that? The same went for Mitarashi. Even if he had changed his name, there was no way he’d been trying to “escape.” I doubted very much that he was completely indifferent to the pain of losing his parents either. (I know they’re not as bad as he thinks they are. I know them.)Saki says this despite (in this route) having zero knowledge about any of their backgrounds. And there was something else I’d realized. Makoto… why did you decide to have this game? I just told you. You still don’t get it? You told me you can’t forgive them, yeah, but if that’s the case why go to all this trouble? I had a feeling I already knew the answer. I… Is it because you weren’t sure? You’re not sure if they’re really guilty enough to deserve the punishment you want to give them. But forgiving them feels like betraying your family, and all the other people who died in the crash. That’s why you made them do all this, so that they could determine their fate, even if they didn’t know they were doing it. N-No! You’re wrong! I… I need them to feel the pain of all the people who died for the sake of someone else’s greed. That’s what the game is for! I want them to die in misery! What?! (No, nobody deserves to die, whatever the reason…)Hard disagree on that. (Makoto knows what it’s like to lose someone! How can he possibly justify thinking they should die in misery?!)  He stumbled backwards, tripped, and fell. You’re totally wrong! Nobody has the right to kill somebody else, whatever the reason! Urgh…! He grabbed at his stomach while his face twisted with pain. I-I’m sorry! Does it hurt? …I’m fine. He waved away the hand I offered, pulled himself shakily to his feet, and began to walk toward the elevator. Makoto! … I… I don’t want to… (Huh? What did he just say?) Oh, gently caress off, Sweet Fuse. What can I do? He looked up at me, and in his eyes I could see a desperate plea for help.You know who else is desperately pleading for help? The hostages. You know, the ones that Makoto is holding captive. …I don’t know. He gently removed my hand from his sleeve, and stepped onto the elevator. …Do whatever you want to do. (Easy for him to say, but… what do I want to do?) I was all alone. (Wait… Is there something on the floor?) I knelt down and picked it up. …Is this a locket? It was a old, worn pendant with the chain cut off. The shock of hitting the ground seemed to have knocked the cover open a crack. (Is this Makoto’s?) Maybe he’d dropped it earlier, when he fell. I felt a bit guilty about opening it, but… It took only the slightest touch. Inside was a picture of a family. (Could this be his family?) The father’s face was kind, and the mother looked warm and gentle. The boy had to be Makoto, which made the girl his sister. They looked… happy. (There’s something written on the back…) T.M. Revolution? (This must have belonged to one of them…) I remembered that I’d often seen Makoto stick his hand into his pocket. I hadn’t thought much about it before, but now I realized this must have been why. He didn’t want to forget his family, or the rage and sorrow he had for the crash that had taken them away from him. (…I have to give this back to him.) He needed to have it. I called the elevator. The front doors were open. He’d said I was free to leave… We absolutely should leave, but obviously the game wouldn’t let us. Or it’s a game over. Either way, we know we’re going to be forced into this, as much as we all might disagree with it. (…No, I can’t leave.) I knew what those tears had meant. Even if he couldn’t admit it to himself, Makoto was struggling really hard, and I was probably the only person who could see it. (Then I’m probably the only person who can save him.) I was going to stay. It was day six of Hogstein’s week of games. The next day would be the last one. I didn’t know how it would all end, but I knew I had a chance to make it a good ending. (Makoto…) Could I save him? Could I help him find peace? As I pulled the door closed, I prayed that the answer was “yes.”Well, there you have it. Next time on the Sweet Fuse LP: The last time of the Sweet Fuse LP.
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Aug 27, 2021 13:30
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... at least they acknowledged that his reasoning for involving the other guys was kinda nuts?
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Aug 27, 2021 14:13
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gegi posted:... at least they acknowledged that his reasoning for involving the other guys was kinda nuts? Honestly that's all I can ask for at this point. I know I'm not getting anything else so I'm glad at least that happened.
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Aug 27, 2021 14:44
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This game is con-fuse-ing.
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Aug 27, 2021 18:06
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gegi posted:... at least they acknowledged that his reasoning for involving the other guys was kinda nuts? They did try and make it sort of justified, but overall they have basically admitted that the guy is crazy. The final update veers a bit towards a split-personality/bi-polar situation. Blaze Dragon posted:Honestly that's all I can ask for at this point. I know I'm not getting anything else so I'm glad at least that happened. That's basically the tag line for this game. "I know I'm not getting anything else, so I'll just be happy that my lowest expectations were met." Quackles posted:This game is con-fuse-ing. No puns! I revoked them from the game because it got too stupid. It doesn’t deserve cute title puns anymore. 
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Aug 28, 2021 01:14
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Update LIV: Sweet Fuse Fizzles Out Let’s finish this! For real this time!  Saki apparently just decided to have a nap in the middle of the throne room. (This is it. This is the last day.) So, you decided to stay.Against better judgement, yes.  I guess I convinced you to stay through till the end, even though you don’t have anything to do with any of this. It sounded like an apology, but I wasn’t sure. Now that I know the truth, I do have something to do with all of this. Is that so? Well, I’m just glad this breakfast won’t go to waste. Go on, eat. It’s still warm. Thanks. …Um, Makoto…? Yeah? I’d like to talk to you after breakfast if… that’s okay? Sure. Hope it’s nothing bad, though. Uh… He laughed, and handed me one of the trays.*Fade transition*  … I know I’m just repeating myself here, but… I think you should stop the game. You keep saying this is punishment, but if what’s pushing you to do all this is anger and grief from what happened to your family, then it’s just revenge. So please, please, stop this. It’s hurting you too. Hurting me…? All I want to do— all I’ve ever wanted to do— is get justice for what happened. If I can do that, I don’t care what happens to me. If you’re worried about me, why not let me do the one thing I want to do?Can’t argue against that logic. …I will, if that’s what you really, truly want. Please… just stop. Stop…? I can’t. I… I…! I’ve dedicated my life to punishing him for what he did! Even… even if I did want to stop… He’d started to hunch over as he spoke, and his face and voice seemed to twist and change as he talked.We got a Jekyll and Hyde situation here, it seems. Ugh…Saki, for the love of God will you just let him have Urabe’s dad? I think convincing him to let everyone else leave is more doable than trying to score a hat trick by securing Urabe’s dad as well. (Is… is he fighting with himself…?) Was the part of him that was totally controlled by hate and revenge fighting the part that wasn’t?This is such a bullshit copout. You all know drat well that they are going to use this stupid “good side/bad side” crap to justify a romance ending. (If that’s what’s going on, then… what is it that he wants now?) You’ve gotta be kidding me with this… (There’s one thing I don’t understand… Why didn’t Makoto just take revenge on Urabe’s father? Or more specifically, why did he decide to run this game instead, and bring all the people involved to the park? He gave me some plausible reasons, but I don’t think they’re the real ones. Besides, I saw him cry last night. He’s struggling with something… That has to be it. Otherwise, why would he say that he couldn’t stop even if he wanted to? If I could just figure out what he really wants!)  The correct answer was “stop”… apparently…? I guess? (That’s it! He does want to stop! I just have to help him realize it.) There was more to it, though. (All this time I thought he started this game because he had doubts, but that might not be it at all…) (Of course…) You wanted people who understood what you’d been through to stop you. That’s why you did all this. N-No! That’s not it at all! They all had to be punished too! They had to suffer, for all the people who died! I seemed to have hit a nerve. But he was still totally focused on revenge, and it was keeping him from realizing the truth. Unless I could figure out a way to get rid of all that hate, I didn’t stand a chance of actually changing his mind. (But how am I going to do that? …Wait… Yes, that might work!) I pulled out my phone. I sped through my contact list and hit Shidou’s number. …Hello? Shidou?That feeling you’re getting? Yes, it’s accurate. This is actually Saki’s plan.  This—! Where are you?! Even though it was early in the morning, he’d picked up almost immediately. I’ve been trying to reach you ever since you disappeared. We were all worried something had happened to— Hold on, Shidou. I need a favor. He picked up the serious tone of my voice immediately, and went quiet to let me talk. Could you get the other guys? There’s something I need to talk to you about. Of course. You don’t even need to ask. He didn’t even pause to consider my request. (Really…?) Hold on a minute. I could hear him explaining what I’d just told him. There was a muffled outcry when he finished, but it quickly quieted down. So, what did you want to talk to us about? Could you put it on speaker? I want everybody to hear me. Done. Anything else? … But I’d like you to try your best, okay? Out of the corner of my eye I saw Makoto twitch. If I’d misjudged things, there would be no going back. There was a chance I’d totally screwed up, and Makoto was right. But I didn’t think he was. After what I’d been through with the men on the other side of that phone call, I trusted them completely.Just a reminder: The Saki of this timeline has only spent 3 days with those guys and didn’t spend the majority of her free time with any specific one. I put my own phone on speaker, took a deep breath, and began. …! Makoto raised his head to stare at my phone. …How did you know about that…? Please, just tell me the truth. There was a long pause. It was my impatience that got him killed, so if you want to say I left him to die, that’s fair. After he died, I made a promise to him that nobody else would get hurt on my watch. I learned to stay calm and put others before myself, so that it would never happen again. Makoto shuddered. So it was true that Shidou’s partner had died, but he’d turned that tragedy into new determination to keep others safe, and maybe make up for what he’d done. …Shirabe.  … I did write an article about the crash, but it wasn’t meant to do any of that. I was trying to make sure the story of the crash didn’t just disappear into the rest of the crap. …But my article wasn’t published. After I turned it in, my editor re-wrote half the drat thing to make it into a sensational, mud-slinging expose. Reading that filth made me sick. (…) …Meoshi. Did you refuse to testify as an eyewitness to the accident? When he finally spoke, his voice was thin and weak. It… it’s not that I was refusing, I was just… too scared by all the adults to say anything… I told one of the detectives what I’d seen later, but… by then the case had already been closed. I should have told the truth sooner, I know I should have. I still feel awful about it. … Makoto looked stunned. Wakasa, did you say something bad about the crash on a TV show where they showed you footage of it? I-I… I heard his voice almost crack. I didn’t know I’d been in that crash until these guys started talking about it yesterday. I was too young to remember anything when it happened… But still, I shouldn’t have said what I did. It was a mean thing to do, and I feel really bad about it. Are you there too, Mitarashi? Yeah. Did you abandon your name because you were running away from the pain of the crash? Wh-What?! No, are you nuts!? So you really think I’m gonna turn my back on that just so I wouldn’t have to deal with the pain of them dying?! My last name changed because my mom’s mom took me in after they died, and nobody in my line of work uses their real name. I’ve never abandoned the name Ryuji Kishiya. Not once. … His voice was quiet. Urabe… It’s all right, Saki. Please, do what you know you must. Urabe… Did you keep ignoring what your dad was going even after you found out about it? … …I assume you are listening as well, M2? … And in doing so, I put the lives of those I trust in jeopardy. I deeply regret all of these things, now. Pretending to be ignorant of my father, but also agreeing to your mad plan. But I will run no longer. As soon as this game is concluded, I will turn myself in and confess all knowledge of my father’s crimes. So please, M2, I am begging you— He snatched the phone from my hand and slammed it shut. What do you think making me listen to all of that is going to do?! I had a feeling it had already done it. Makoto had realized that the crimes he’d blamed my friends for didn’t make them the monsters he thought. Makoto… He’d buried his head in his hands and started to shake as I put my hand on his shoulder. He didn’t brush it off. I… I… Please, just listen to me. Do you really think what you’re doing right now is what they’d want?Against the guys? No. Against Urabe’s dad? …Probably. If I was one of the victims, I’d definitely be cheering on at least that part of Makoto’s plan from the afterlife. How would I know that?! …Here, I’ve been meaning to give this back to you. I gently placed the locket I’d found the day before into his hand. I found it upstairs. You probably dropped it when you fell down. Dad… Mom… Akane… Makoto… do you think your family would have wanted you to get revenge for them? My family… What is it you want, Makoto? Tell me what you want!”To murder Urabe Sr.!” He tried to turn away, but I grabbed his shoulders and forced him to meet my eyes. Makoto1 N-Noooooooo! I… I don’t want to do this… I don’t want to do any of this… He broke down into coughing sobs, and all of the hatred he’d shown before seemed to pour out of him with the tears. gently caress this game. I put my arms around him and held him tight as he cried. It’s okay. It’s okay… I know it hurts, but you can beat that.Too bad, Sweet Fuse. I’m not going to feel bad for this dude. You can’t wash away all his sins just by having him cry. I can’t… If I could, I wouldn’t have ended up here in the first place. Maybe you can’t on your own, but what if someone was there to help you? To help me…? Double “gently caress you” for this. I expected it, but that doesn’t make it any less stupid to see happen. When you need help, you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for it. If people care about you, they’re always going to be happy to lend a hand. …Will you… help me? I nodded, and tears began to stream down his face again.*Fade transition for no reason*  He laid his head down in my lap, just like he had in the storage room. His eyes were red, but he’d stopped crying. It just never occurred to me that I could just ask someone for help. I couldn’t see myself as anything other than totally alone after the crash. Even when people were nice to me, or tried to help me, I still felt like I was alone. …Where did I go wrong? He tightened his hand around the pendant. What do I do now, Saki? That’s easy. You stop this game. It was your misery and your desire for revenge that started all this, right? … R-Right…? He’d just been staring at me in silence for the last few seconds, and I was starting to lose some of my confidence. The look on his face was both happy and exhausted. I’d never seen anything like it before. Yeah. I finally get it. You were right all along. Maybe I did want someone to stop me, just like you’re doing. Some part of my mind knew that you were the only person who could do this. …And what do you know? You did it. I guess I’ve got pretty good instincts, huh? He smiled, and gently touched my cheek. Although you’re probably the kind of girl who ends up stuck with a good-for-nothing guy. What’s that supposed to mean?He’s not wrong.  (Wh-What the heck am I supposed to say to that?) He laughed. But if you weren’t, well, you, I never would have gotten all… this… figured out, so… thanks. …No problem. … Is something wrong? For just a moment I thought I saw a shadow flicker across his face, but then it was gone. No, no it’s nothing. He stood up. It’s 11:30… That meant the game hadn’t started. If he ended it now, then everyone would be safe. I’m sorry about this. And Saki is once again exposed to sleeping gas. Why…? My legs wobbled and then gave out, but Makoto caught me before I could fall. But there’s one more thing I need to know. I checked my phone. It was almost 7pm, which meant the game was almost over. (Where’s Makoto?) Had he stopped the game? I was still wondering how I might find out when the elevator doors behind the throne opened and Makoto stepped out. Makoto! I ran up to him. What happened? Did you…? I let everyone go. The piglets showed them out. They’ve left the park by now. Great! That’s awesome! He’d stopped the game on his own. Maybe now he could finally be free of his past. …But there was something wrong. His face was blank, and when I looked up into his eyes, they were cold. …Did something happen? … I ended the game, but… it’s too late now. Too late for what? …After I put you to sleep, I talked to Kimimaro’s father. I told him that everything that had happened had been part of my plan to take revenge on him, and that I wanted him to suffer like my family had. I was going to release him too, with all the other hostages, but before I did… I wanted to hear him say it. Hear him say what? A single word would have been enough. I just wanted an apology, even a simple one… All I wanted was something— anything!— to tell me that he had even a sliver of regret for killing all those people! I could have forgiven him! Makoto stopped and swallowed hard. I watched him lie to my face about murdering my entire family. Whatever forgiveness I might have had for him is gone. The game is over, but he and I have business to settle. What do you mean by “business to settle”…? You did so much for me, and I appreciate it, I really do. I’m sorry it had to end this way. He looked down. I locked him in the room at the top of the castle. No!Yes! There’s only a few minutes left. You need to leave, now. Wait… what about you? …I’ll stay behind, and die with him. It’s going to be a big explosion. You need to get as far away as you can. As he spoke, I felt anger boiling up in my stomach. (I thought he was going to let me help him… But he still just bottles everything up! And now he wants me to leave him alone to die?!)Ladies and gentlemen… the final—   You have gotta be kidding me! I grabbed onto the front of his shirt. You really think I’m gonna just run off and let you die?! I-I’m sorry, but— But nothing! You know what it’s like to lose someone! How could you possibly ask me to do that?! Saki… I knew I shouldn’t do it, but I couldn’t stop myself! I’m sorry for dragging you into all of this. I shook my head. My phone said there were a few minutes until 7pm.Please… please tell me you aren’t about to suggest what I think you are… We still have time to stop it! …I just can’t fight you, can I? He gave me a crooked smile and nodded. (We have to disarm the bomb!) Makoto and I rushed into the elevator, and headed for the top floor.HE IS A COMPLETELY UNREPETANT PILE OF HUMAN GARBAGE! WHY IN THE EVER LOVING gently caress ARE YOU TRYING TO RESCUE HIM?! Nobody is this goddamn pure-hearted!  There was no way I could sympathize with a monster like that, but I couldn’t just leave him to die either.This is Batman levels of bafflingly stupid adherence to “Thou shalt not kill.” Besides… if we didn’t save him, Makoto couldn’t be saved. (Where’s the bomb?!) Come on, Saki! We can’t disarm the bomb in time; we’re just going to have to grab him and run for it! The castle’s tall enough that we should be safe from the blast if we can make it to the ground. I nodded. We had to hurry. As we moved toward the man on the floor, he started to wriggle away from us. Hold still! One sec. With a grunt, Makoto drove his fist into the man’s stomach, pushing out a coughing wheeze. That’s just the first taste. Once we get out of here, I’m gonna make sure the law delivers everything that’s coming to you.Except that isn’t going to happen. This guy has friends in high places and you are attempting to reopen a cold case from 10 years ago and get him convicted for it based on testimony from two people who arranged a hostage taking and terrorist bombing on a theme park. My bet is even if you do manage to get him behind bars, he likely gets out before you do. The man fainted, although whether it was from fear or from getting punched I couldn’t tell. Makoto hefted him onto his shoulder. Let’s go! There’s only a minute left! Hurry hurry hurry!*The screen shakes* …! The moment we reached the hall I heard a distant explosion, and the elevator doors creaked open. Run! He didn’t need to tell me twice. We took off, Urabe’s unconscious father bouncing on Makoto’s shoulder. The ceiling was beginning to crack and fall around us. We’d just reached the center of the hall when— Look out! Huh? Makoto! He’d only just barely escaped getting hit, with one of the bars of the chandelier only inches away from his knee. Urabe’s father had escaped unscathed too, and was lying limp on the floor next to me. Keep going! The ceiling was collapsing faster now, and making a wall of debris between me and Makoto. But…! The roar was becoming deafening. Just go, Saki! …!  Despite the power of the explosion, the outside of the tower seemed mostly undamaged. Urabe’s father had already disappeared. He must have run off with his arms still tied up while I wasn’t watching.Well then, justice served I suppose. Oh, Makoto… I could still hear the rumbling of the tower collapsing from within. Debris from the ceiling had completely blocked up the entrance. Makoto… I would never see him again. That was when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I’d totally forgotten that there was a back door to an underground tunnel that goes to a secret attraction. He grinned sheepishly and rubbed at the back of his head. So, uh, I made it out after all. A little more concern for my own feelings would have been nice, but I was so happy to see him that I didn’t care. Before I even realized it, I’d thrown my arms around Makoto and was holding him as tightly as I could. I’m so so so so so happy you’re okay! Glad to see you’re full of vim and vigor yourself. Everything in the right place? All I could do was nod. I felt his arms wrap around me too.Don’t you loving dare… …I wanted you to stop me, and some part of me was hoping that you could save me. You’re sweet and optimistic, you never give up, and you don’t have a dishonest bone in your body. From the moment we met I couldn’t take my eyes off you. I… know I probably don’t have any right to say this but… I’m in love with you, Saki. Makoto… One last thing… I hope you won’t mind… Huh…? Go to hell, Sweet Fuse. Suddenly his lips brushed against mine, so softly I barely even felt them. My eyes opened so wide I thought they might fall out. Makoto just smiled. Sorry. Just a little… going-away gift, I guess. It’s time to say good-bye. Good-bye? I could hear a police siren in the distance. Shidou had probably called it in after they got out of the park. Once they reached us, there was no doubt that Makoto would be going away for a long time. I know, but I’m ready for it. I won’t run away anymore. I’ll wait for you. …Seriously? Yes. He opened his mouth, stared at me, then shut it and embraced me again. No, I don’t. … …I’ll come back to you, no matter how long it takes. Good. …Even when we’re apart, we’ll still be together. Don’t ever forget that. He smiled again and squared his shoulders. That smile reminded me of the picture in the locket. I’d finally gotten to see the boy in that picture, with his happy smile. Thanks, Saki.  I want everyone to know that I hated that. Just… everything about it. It’s hard to believe I came into this whole thing with a bit of excitement and wonder.  The thing is, it’s not that bad of a game, so long as you only play 1 or 2 routes. I didn’t truly start to get salty with Sweet Fuse until… maybe Urabe’s route? The cracks were definitely starting to show before then, but Ryuji, Towa, and Meoshi’s routes were fine. I think where the writing starts to really crumble is when we approach any of the plot-important routes. Urabe gets forgiven far too easily, especially in his own route where he basically kidnaps Saki and develops a psychotic obsession with her. Don’t even get me started on the route we just witnessed. Makoto’s route was a total mess. Speaking of which, you want to know what he does in the bad ending?     In Makoto’s bad ending, Saki doesn’t get through to him and he pulls a sudden double-murder suicide because he doesn’t want to die alone. Saki just accepts her impending demise and still tells Makoto that she forgives him for what he’s done. This is the only route ending where Saki dies. Even in Urabe’s route, where everyone else is killed, Saki still survives.  So have fun with that knowledge. Even insane Urabe didn’t go so far as to kill Saki, but Makoto does.  It’s a shame, because I still really love the premise of this game. It’s just the right amount of goofy. The choice of art style helps with that, as it leans more towards a comic book style with all the heavy bordering on characters. The character designs are also really nice. I love the look of characters like Saki, Shidou, and Ryuji. I still feel as though Shirabe’s weird camo pants ruin his whole ensemble, but hey, you can’t please everyone.  The music is also solid and they managed to pull in quite a few high-profile voice actors. I’m not sure if they were all as big name in 2012 as they are in 2021, but there’s no doubt that many of them have voiced some iconic roles. It’s just such a shame that the mystery and antagonist are so badly handled. Other people in the thread have pointed out that Hogstein is really no threat. He buckles too easily when confronted (especially by Saki) and he doesn’t follow through on his threats. He also doesn’t kill or harm anyone outside of bad endings/Game Overs (not directly, anyway).  There were also several complaints about the “Get Mad” moments. Despite being presented as a major component of the game, “Get Mad” doesn’t actually do anything. I’m pretty sure there’s only one moment in the game where “Get Mad” can lead to a Game Over. Outside of that, choosing to have Saki get mad and yell at people doesn’t result in any noticeable change. The character she yells at will back down or cower for about 3 seconds before going right back to what they were saying. Choosing “Restrain” is similarly useless, because whatever bullshit Saki intended to call out will just be pointed out by a different character. But anyway, I’m also just screaming uselessly into a void. This game came out in 2012. There’s no chance of it ever seeing a sequel or anything at this point. Comcept drunkenly stumbled through Mighty No. 9, Soul Sacrifice, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, and ReCore, then got absorbed by Level-5 in 2017. Idea Factory and Otomate, on the other hand, have struck gold with the Code: Realize and Hyperdimension Neptunia series.  But hey, we managed to get through every route in the game. The $2 it cost me to buy this when PSP stuff was being guttered eventually got justified. That’s… something… kind of. Thanks for joining me for this LP. Unfortunately, I think it’s a little too shoddy for me to archive, so this will likely be the only place to find it in the future. There are a bunch of updates that spill over into multiple posts and I never did get the character art to look as good as I wanted.
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Aug 30, 2021 19:08
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It set up tantalising hints of a dark, intense premise (and dark stuff is very popular in otome afaik) but then dialed it way back to kiddie levels of threat and logic, turning it into a heap of meh. Like, the piglets NEVER made any sense. Should probably not have attempted a death game spin in the first place.
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Aug 30, 2021 19:36
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Psycho Knight posted:Thanks for joining me for this LP. Unfortunately, I think it’s a little too shoddy for me to archive, so this will likely be the only place to find it in the future. There are a bunch of updates that spill over into multiple posts and I never did get the character art to look as good as I wanted. If there's one Get Mad moment that accomplishes something, let it be this one. Archive this damned thing. You suffered through the terrible writing of every route, you transcribed everything, paying attention to even the constant grammar errors. You gave your own opinion on how badly the game stumbled every step of the way, and now you want to let it go to waste? This deserves to be preserved. If not for respect for your own effort, then so no one else needs to play this. But yes, this game sucked. This route especially. This game does not know how to deal with morally ambiguous characters so instead it writes assholes to genuine monsters and expects you to just forgive them completely. It doesn't work that way. I can only imagine how worse it would've been if Makoto was an actually competent antagonist, considering even with how bad he is, it's still impossible to believe things could end this way.
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Aug 30, 2021 19:50
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Psycho Knight posted:Update LIV: Sweet Fuse Fizzles Out Blaze Dragon posted:If there's one Get Mad moment that accomplishes something, let it be this one. Archive this damned thing. You suffered through the terrible writing of every route, you transcribed everything, paying attention to even the constant grammar errors. You gave your own opinion on how badly the game stumbled every step of the way, and now you want to let it go to waste? This deserves to be preserved. If not for respect for your own effort, then so no one else needs to play this. Seconding this. Whatever's wrong with this LP, it's not any issues caused by the LP itself. You went above and beyond what this game deserves, and if anything, this should be archived so no one else needs to actually experience it in full. On that note, thank you for sticking with this. This game was really intriguing for the first few updates or so, but this has to be a squandered potential of the n-th level. So many missed opportunities - from actually having gameplay of each stage, to not having the characters wear the animal costumes for more than 10 seconds (so they don't need to create new sprites for them). Neither of these things would have actually saved the game, but at least having some memorable things would have taken the sting out of playing through it.
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Aug 30, 2021 20:26
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Blaze Dragon posted:If there's one Get Mad moment that accomplishes something, let it be this one. Archive this damned thing. You suffered through the terrible writing of every route, you transcribed everything, paying attention to even the constant grammar errors. You gave your own opinion on how badly the game stumbled every step of the way, and now you want to let it go to waste? This deserves to be preserved. If not for respect for your own effort, then so no one else needs to play this.  All the issues here come from the game itself, not how you handled the LP. Sweet Fuse isn't exactly a well-known game, so saving your answer to the very basic "is game good?" question has a decent chance of helping people who might consider plonking down some money on it. Psycho Knight posted:Idea Factory and Otomate, on the other hand, have struck gold with the Code: Realize and Hyperdimension Neptunia series. Is Code: Realize any good? I've seen the name enough to recognize it and know it's popular, but being mentioned in the same breath as HDN doesn't sound promising.
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Aug 30, 2021 20:31
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I know the LP's done, but it's super frustrating that Saki got knocked out after she had a heart to heart again. It's bad enough that Urabe did it, and that was at least justified by a misguided sense of protection, even if it also implies that Urabe has very little respect for Saki. Here? Makoto even left her inside the building where she could be blown up as well. It wasn't even that she was carried out along with other hostages and came back running to stop him. He just left her right there where she could be blown up, and she just woke up by luck to get the details minutes before the explosion. Like, we are so far beyond a healthy relationship or having any respect for Saki, Makoto just flat out doesn't give a poo poo about Saki. You can't even say it is Stockholm syndrome. And this made it into a commercial Otome game of all things. I think this is archive worthy though? The LP is fine, it is the game that sucked, and lousy games usually make for a good read
CremePudding fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Aug 30, 2021 |
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Aug 30, 2021 20:38
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Thanks for sticking with this till the end.CremePudding posted:I know the LP's done, but it's super frustrating that Saki got knocked out after she had a heart to heart again.
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Aug 30, 2021 20:39
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I vote for archiving. Thanks for sticking with it.
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Aug 30, 2021 22:19
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Been a bit since I posted in here, but I also vote for archiving! The game was...subpar, but the LP was not. Also I'm surprised there's not a bonus scene of Saki just waiting outside Sweet Fuse Penitentiary for Perfectly Normal Boy Makoto to get outta prison. Honestly, what this route really needed was for Saki to just go full evil. It shows up a few times in otome games, where you can just decide "morality is for chumps" and go be evil with the "evil/bad boy" romance path, so I kept waiting for Saki to go, "Actually, yeah! Let's blow up the whole park and then go rob a bank!" That would've been better than *waves hand at ending*
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Aug 31, 2021 02:04
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Kobanya posted:Been a bit since I posted in here, but I also vote for archiving! The game was...subpar, but the LP was not. I was actually expecting something like this. Complete with Countess Hogstein out of nowhere.
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Aug 31, 2021 02:28
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Space Kablooey posted:I was actually expecting something like this. Complete with Countess Hogstein out of nowhere. That woulda been cool, not gonna lie. I'm kinda disappointed it wasn't the case.
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Aug 31, 2021 02:45
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Thanks for the LP! I agree you should archive it, if only to prove to the world that it was done I was really hopeful for a moment there when Urabe Sr was about to be bombed in a murder suicide but alas.
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Aug 31, 2021 03:07
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Yeah have this archived. The game itself squandered a lot with the overall plot, but I'd say the LP itself covered pretty much all it could.
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Aug 31, 2021 03:35
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Holy poo poo, what a wet fart. Game had some potential but I agree with you that it's really only good for 1 or 2 runs. I don't think it helped that we ended up with imo the best guy first run. Thanks for doing this and yeah archive it
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Aug 31, 2021 05:07
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Mecca-Benghazi posted:I was really hopeful for a moment there when Urabe Sr was about to be bombed in a murder suicide but alas. I know Saki is as pure as the driven snow and all that, but come on. That setup was begging for them to just leave that bastard to die (or argue about it for long enough that he just explodes anyway). I could not believe what I was seeing when Saki insisted on risking her life to save that dude. The entire game has been telling us how much of a complete waste of skin Urabe Sr. is, but then doesn't give us any kind of payoff where we find out for sure that he paid the price for his crimes. The closest we get is Urabe's ending, where it's mentioned that his dad is under investigation. Kobanya posted:Also I'm surprised there's not a bonus scene of Saki just waiting outside Sweet Fuse Penitentiary for Perfectly Normal Boy Makoto to get outta prison. Honestly, what this route really needed was for Saki to just go full evil. It shows up a few times in otome games, where you can just decide "morality is for chumps" and go be evil with the "evil/bad boy" romance path, so I kept waiting for Saki to go, "Actually, yeah! Let's blow up the whole park and then go rob a bank!" I think the reason for there not being a scene like that is because then they would have had to commit to explaining how long Makoto was locked away for. Urabe got off with 2 years, but he was only an accomplice and also had a lot of info to offer. Makoto was the mastermind and, even if he didn't actually kill anyone, is still guilty of a shitload of serious crimes (mass kidnapping, possession/use of several illegal items such as firearms/explosives/chemicals, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, terrorism, destruction of property, hijacking public broadcast signals, etc.). The writers would have had to come up with a reasonable term of imprisonment and then design aged-up appearances for Saki and Makoto in order to do a CG. CremePudding posted:Like, we are so far beyond a healthy relationship or having any respect for Saki, Makoto just flat out doesn't give a poo poo about Saki. You can't even say it is Stockholm syndrome. And this made it into a commercial Otome game of all things. This is true. There is no relationship here between the two of them. Saki just suddenly decides "I guess I'm in love with him now." Makoto, meanwhile, is clearly suffering from mental health issues and is not in a stable state of mind. He tells Saki he loves her just as easily as he condemns her to death in his bad ending. He also leaves her passed out in an area of the tower that definitely collapses during the explosion. As you said, it's only by pure chance that Saki woke up in time to not die. Even if Makoto returned in order to move her outside, he sure as hell took his sweet time doing it considering there was only a few minutes left before everything went to hell. Like you pointed out: Urabe, at the very least, cared enough about her to put her somewhere safe when he left to get himself and everyone else killed. Space Kablooey posted:On that note, thank you for sticking with this. This game was really intriguing for the first few updates or so, but this has to be a squandered potential of the n-th level. So many missed opportunities - from actually having gameplay of each stage, to not having the characters wear the animal costumes for more than 10 seconds (so they don't need to create new sprites for them). Neither of these things would have actually saved the game, but at least having some memorable things would have taken the sting out of playing through it. I mean, maybe it's my fault as a player for going through every single route. The game really does appear to be developed with the understanding that you'll only go through 1 or 2 routes before stopping. If we had only done Ryuji's and maybe one of Towa/Meoshi/Subaru, then I think we all would have walked away with a better opinion of the game. But, on the other hand, the game shoves it in your face that there is a mystery here to be unraveled. How can you not play through every route when it's clear that some guys have more plot important details to offer than others? Bloody Emissary posted:Is Code: Realize any good? I've seen the name enough to recognize it and know it's popular, but being mentioned in the same breath as HDN doesn't sound promising. HDN is Idea Factory's baby. I only mentioned it because it's their premiere (money milking) franchise. Code: Realize is Otomate's (which is part of Idea Factory) breakout title. It received two fan discs, has been ported to PS4, Switch, and mobile, and got a 12-episode anime adaption that was decently received. I've never seen it as anything special. I think it gets a lot of love because it was a solid title. It has a steampunk setting, which I think is overplayed (I don't hate steampunk, but it also doesn't earn any interest points from me unless something unique is being done with it). The premise is kind of interesting, if a bit  (the main girl has poison blood or something that kills or rots anything she touches). They also base the romanceable guys on fictional figures like Arsčne Lupin, Sherlock Holmes, Victor Frankenstein, and Van Helsing. Granted, outside of sharing the same name and some personality traits, they don't really do anything with that idea.I thought it was okay. That's all I can really say about it. I sure as hell don't remember anything from it other than the character names, I can tell you that much. gegi posted:It set up tantalising hints of a dark, intense premise (and dark stuff is very popular in otome afaik) but then dialed it way back to kiddie levels of threat and logic, turning it into a heap of meh. Like, the piglets NEVER made any sense. Should probably not have attempted a death game spin in the first place. That is one of this game's biggest weaknesses, I think. The entire premise is something that isn't suited for a CERO B/ESRB T-rated outing. It's kind of like going to see a PG-13 slasher flick. Sure, characters might die, but you know it's mostly going to be jump scares and off-screen kills because they can't actually show you anything that would bump the rating to an R. The funny thing is, Otomate later put out a title that was basically an M-rated Sweet Fuse. Collar x Malice takes the same basic idea (a group of guys + a girl are trapped in a place and threatened with death unless they can solve the mystery behind a terrorist group before time runs out) but packages it in an M-rated title. Personally, I thought it worked a bit better than Sweet Fuse did, probably for that reason. I have heard the requests to archive, as well as the weaponization of Sweet Fuse memes against me, so I will do what I can to get this thing into archive shape. The character icons are unfortunately a lost cause at this point, because my upcoming Fall semester is loaded down and I do not have the time to devote to polishing them and then replacing all of them across 54 updates. I will try and fix the update overflows, though, and make them into proper single-post updates. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 14:24 on Aug 31, 2021 |
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Aug 31, 2021 14:22
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Man, this game really did just kind of fizzle out. Ironic, considering it ended with an explosion. Still, you made it entertaining considering you didn't have much to work with. I agree with archiving it. I mean I found out about you from LP Archive (Conception 2) and made the jump here mostly for Dark Id and you so who knows it might get you some more fans.
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Sep 5, 2021 14:11
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