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I finished all those Consulting Detective games. They were pretty good for an afternoon distraction. Only 45 mins to 2 hours each. There aren't too complex, it's easy to figure out the culprit and it's more a case of figuring out what could be relevant to the solution, following the clues and refining your 'solution' to take as minimal moves as possible. The fact that you get an achievement whenever you get a major clue certainly helps. I shudder to think how much trial and error you'd need to figure out which ones counted before achievements. Out of the three, Tin Soldier is much weaker and shorter than the other two. The Mummy Murders was the best one, with some pretty good red herrings. Also, Holmes blatantly cheats. His solution at the end of each game clearly references clues that you don't learn in his 'perfect' solution. 
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May 6, 2023 23:52
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gimme the GOD drat candy posted:i like how there's no player character or intervention or anything. you, the player, figure out what is going on and that's all.
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May 8, 2023 00:08
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gimme the GOD drat candy posted:i like how there's no player character or intervention or anything. you, the player, figure out what is going on and that's all. This is pretty much the same thing with Her Story (and Immortality too I'm guessing, haven't grabbed that one yet). I suppose Her Story goes one step further by not even requiring you follow the events linearly, it's possible (though unlikely) that you'll luck into particularly juicy clips in the first moments of your investigation and it'll be more like filling in the blanks than waiting for the big twist to drop.
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May 8, 2023 01:18
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I picked up Misericorde and I'm absolutely enthralled. Dunno why there seems to be a genre of "Medieval/Renaissance mystery games" now but I'm here for it
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May 8, 2023 02:10
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Oh noo I finished it and now have to wait for Volume Two
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May 8, 2023 17:38
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Regy Rusty posted:I picked up Misericorde and I'm absolutely enthralled. Dunno why there seems to be a genre of "Medieval/Renaissance mystery games" now but I'm here for it Any comes to mind other than Misericorde and Pentiment? I guess the abbey of crime but that's pretty old. But generally the answer is the Name of the Rose (either book or movie) is a great and striking story to get a feel for that kind of setting, and , murder and religion go hand in hand but on top of that a religious setting is rich in elaborate rules so it's interesting to write a murder mystery in that kind of setting.
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May 8, 2023 18:10
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I want Pentiment on PS4/5 so badly, but it's an exclusive apparently. I guess that'll be the first thing I play when I get my Steam Deck later this year!Regy Rusty posted:Oh noo I finished it and now have to wait for Volume Two  , but they're both  I'm ALMOST done (Angela just menaced me with a knife and then went "Lol jk") and I don't want it to eeeeeeeeennnnd!!!!
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May 8, 2023 18:18
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Chev posted:Any comes to mind other than Misericorde and Pentiment? I guess the abbey of crime but that's pretty old. But generally the answer is the Name of the Rose (either book or movie) is a great and striking story to get a feel for that kind of setting, and , murder and religion go hand in hand but on top of that a religious setting is rich in elaborate rules so it's interesting to write a murder mystery in that kind of setting. No those were the two I'm thinking of it's just striking that they came out so close to each other.
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May 8, 2023 18:20
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Regy Rusty posted:I picked up Misericorde and I'm absolutely enthralled. Dunno why there seems to be a genre of "Medieval/Renaissance mystery games" now but I'm here for it Regy Rusty posted:Oh noo I finished it and now have to wait for Volume Two I just finished it myself. I thought it was an absolute gem of a game. What a fantastic recommendation from the thread! Does anyone have any theories about Culprits? Personally, right up to the very end I was highly suspicious of Hedwig herself. No clue how she could do it but I was immediately suspicious when one of the first things she does is tell a story about how you can alter a story while retelling it. Also, she has extreme bursts of anger, moments where she does odd things that the narration glosses over and is surprisingly good with a sword. But then her and Flora got attacked and that's much less likely now. I'll note that Eustace and Angela's testimonies of the murder directly contradict each other entirely. So one of them is lying. And Darcy is definitely more involved than she's letting on. She had to have been in on the 'prank' Eustace allegedly pulled at least.
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May 8, 2023 23:45
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Nephthys posted:I just finished it myself. I thought it was an absolute gem of a game. What a fantastic recommendation from the thread! Did you saw the hidden scene? It touches on that a bit. Snooze Cruise fucked around with this message at 00:08 on May 9, 2023 |
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May 8, 2023 23:54
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Regy Rusty posted:No those were the two I'm thinking of it's just striking that they came out so close to each other. I think period pieces just tend to be common in the genre, plus Obra Dinn has made made it bit more trendy lately. So you just end up in a classic Deep Impact and Armageddon group mind type of thing here.
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May 8, 2023 23:59
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Snooze Cruise posted:Did you saw the hidden scene? It touches on that a bit. Just found it. I assume it's implying that there was at least one scene where Hedwig and Flora fight over the cat that she omitted from her story. I don't see the relevance of the plane scene though. Or how the first scene plays into anything.
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May 9, 2023 00:05
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Also I wrote up a bunch of thoughts on Misericode here when it comes to mystery/spoiler stuff. The Scooby Doo theory, well at least that version of it, is probably wrong. The trip was recommended for December, when the majority of the game takes place in November, so timeline wise its a bit off. Though now my new pet theory is littleoldme, the character from the hidden scene, is going to be showing up in December. Snooze Cruise fucked around with this message at 00:17 on May 9, 2023 |
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May 9, 2023 00:11
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How much interactivity is usually in the kinetic-novel type mysteries like Misericorde and Umineko? I'm curious but feeling a little bit of trepidation since my only past experience with a kinetic novel was one that rambled on for about an hour before a single dialogue option and rambling straight on afterwards until the end
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May 9, 2023 13:20
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Pingcode posted:How much interactivity is usually in the kinetic-novel type mysteries like Misericorde and Umineko? I'm curious but feeling a little bit of trepidation since my only past experience with a kinetic novel was one that rambled on for about an hour before a single dialogue option and rambling straight on afterwards until the end I don't know about Misericorde but Umineko is several War and Peaces long with almost zero interactivity. (The interactivity is publicly posting about what you think is happening in the When They Cry diary thread). The first episode has a big slog of an opening and there's very rambly bits all the way through. One of the best experiences of I've had playing a game though and that's not a unique experience for those who've completed it.
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May 9, 2023 13:31
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Pingcode posted:How much interactivity is usually in the kinetic-novel type mysteries like Misericorde and Umineko? I'm curious but feeling a little bit of trepidation since my only past experience with a kinetic novel was one that rambled on for about an hour before a single dialogue option and rambling straight on afterwards until the end If its called a kinetic novel, it doesn't really have interactivity. That's what the label means. Its just a novel with pictures, audio, and sometimes animations.
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May 9, 2023 13:39
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Snooze Cruise posted:Also I wrote up a bunch of thoughts on Misericode here when it comes to mystery/spoiler stuff. Catherine being killed because of something she read in the letters is the closest thing to a real motive I've been able to sus out so I agree with you there. Eustace alludes to there being some greater conspiracy at work and Catherine was trying to be politically active so I think it's probable that's related to why she died. Darcy mentioned that there was a fire she had to put out. Nobody else mentioned a fire so it could be a lie BUT nobody has found the letters Catherine was stealing so someone could have been burning them. Or Darcy burned them and planted the cloak, she's my biggest suspect right now. I feel like Katherine HAS to be a red herring. She's just too obviously suspicious but also easily explained away. The fact that her husband was killed in the exact same way Catherine was though makes me think it has to be related and points to the older members. I noted that Superior, Charity and Marta all transferred over from Bournegrove so they could be working together more than they let on. Also good point about Hedwig's surprising athleticism and the weight of the sword. Moira is the one who found it the heaviest, but she's also the only person the narrator has explicitly mentioned as still in the abbey and on good terms with her so who knows. Pingcode posted:How much interactivity is usually in the kinetic-novel type mysteries like Misericorde and Umineko? I'm curious but feeling a little bit of trepidation since my only past experience with a kinetic novel was one that rambled on for about an hour before a single dialogue option and rambling straight on afterwards until the end Zero. They're both just novels. You can check character profiles and that's it. Nephthys fucked around with this message at 13:59 on May 9, 2023 |
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May 9, 2023 13:51
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Technically it does have some interaction in the final episode but yeah, its basically a novel the community was encouraged to discuss and solve as they went.
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May 9, 2023 14:03
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Yeah there is absolutely no interactivity in Misericorde. It is literally a novel with pictures and music. I'm totally into that sort of thing so I loved it, it's well written and gripping and that's all I need from a mystery.
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May 9, 2023 17:08
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Pingcode posted:How much interactivity is usually in the kinetic-novel type mysteries like Misericorde and Umineko? I'm curious but feeling a little bit of trepidation since my only past experience with a kinetic novel was one that rambled on for about an hour before a single dialogue option and rambling straight on afterwards until the end If it's advertised as a kinetic novel, there are zero or near-zero dialogue options in the game. (Sometimes people will make an exception if there's one or two choices and they have absolutely no impact on the plot, but generally there should be no options) You could maybe technically still have interactivity in the form of some kind of minigame breaks as long as, again, they do not branch the plot at all. I can't think of any off the top of my head that do this, but it could still be technically listed as kinetic, I think. Mystery VNs that have a few choices for interaction but still only one ending are more commonly referred to as "Linear" rather than kinetic. Magical Eyes -Red is for anguish- (which I don't recommend because it was supposed to be the start of a series but the series never continued) is a single "mystery" with only one ending. What it does for interactivity is occasionally make you pick where to go next on a map, with there often being only one option to choose, or SOMETIMES an optional scene available which is just, like, extra chat with the obligatory cute girl sidekick, no effect on the plot. And at the end of every chapter, the game would ask you a few quiz questions to see if you were paying attention to the story, and I think you got some bonus if you got all the answers right. It's therefore not a kinetic novel and there are no bad ends, but it has a little bit of interactivity in it.
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May 9, 2023 19:35
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Nephthys posted:I noted that Superior, Charity and Marta all transferred over from Bournegrove so they could be working together more than they let on. This is an interesting thought. Soup does have her #HomophobicMoment but that doesn't necessarily preclude her from working with the dykes. Though I do get the read that part of why Soup puts trust in Hedwig isn't strictly she has the perfect alibi, but that being locked in her cell has kept her untainted. Which would be a misread on her part since Hedwig seems to have some inclinations.
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May 9, 2023 19:36
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Finished Misericorde last night. Arghh I hate cliffhangers so much!  And what the gently caress was that hidden scene? 
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May 9, 2023 20:41
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I'm a bit confused - how exactly do you get a hidden scene if there's no interactivity? Do you just wait after the credits?
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May 9, 2023 22:23
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The hidden scene is technically interactive I guess but it's not part of the main game, you unlock it by looking through the gallery after you beat it
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May 9, 2023 22:28
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Snooze Cruise posted:This is an interesting thought. Soup does have her #HomophobicMoment but that doesn't necessarily preclude her from working with the dykes. Though I do get the read that part of why Soup puts trust in Hedwig isn't strictly she has the perfect alibi, but that being locked in her cell has kept her untainted. Which would be a misread on her part since Hedwig seems to have some inclinations. That could be some projection or self-hating on her part. After all, apparently it isn't unusual for Angela to spend hours in her office 'complaining'. 
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May 9, 2023 22:56
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Refresh me on this nun-murderin' bit: someone upthread (or maybe in the VN thread) pointed out that Angela's and someone else's versions of the night of the murder directly contradict each other. I forgot to take notes during the conversation with Angela, so would one of you gracious oblates refresh me on the contradiction(s)?
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May 9, 2023 23:01
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Read After Burning posted:Refresh me on this nun-murderin' bit: someone upthread (or maybe in the VN thread) pointed out that Angela's and someone else's versions of the night of the murder directly contradict each other. I forgot to take notes during the conversation with Angela, so would one of you gracious oblates refresh me on the contradiction(s)? I think that was me. It's Angela and Eustace. Angela says she was in the Superiors office when Charity found the body. Charity then reported the murder to her and the Superior. Angela left the office to look for the culprit and ran into Eustace coming up from the cellar (reminder: there is a secret passage between the cellars and the kitchens). Angela then finds James. Eustace on the other hand says that Charity found the body and freaked out so that others came out. Everyone split up to look for a culprit except for Charity who was being calmed down by Marta. Eustace claims that she then ran into Adela coming out of the cellars before Eustace herself informed Angela and the Superior about the murder after searching for a while. Angela then finds James. It's also worth noting that Eustace says Catherines body had defense wounds and was covered in blood while someone else (I think the Superior) says she hadn't fought back and the body was clean. Between the two, I trust Angela's version more personally. She wants Hedwig to investigate the crime, giving her a false story that could easily be contradicted would be dumb. Nephthys fucked around with this message at 23:57 on May 9, 2023 |
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May 9, 2023 23:36
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So for people who finished Misericorde and seen the secret scene, there is a new CG up on the game's twitter that answers some questions that was orginally meant to be in the game. https://twitter.com/MisericordeVn/status/1656485822491934720  So the simplest answer to this is the game pulled some sleight of hand with the secret scene. Its not that time jump forward, but backwards and that littleoldme in the nun outfit is a misdirection in that its actually the most modern point in the timeline so far. We the reader are accessing this information at that point of time as well, and Hedwig handing off the documents was another point of misdirection.
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May 11, 2023 04:04
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuGJOdyoLo4 Aviary Attorney A visual novel set in 19th century Paris where you play as a bird lawyer named Jayjay Falcon and his lackey Sparrowson searching for clues around the city to help defend your clients in court. It's on Steam and Switch. https://store.steampowered.com/app/384630/Aviary_Attorney/
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May 11, 2023 16:17
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A Normal Lost Phone and it's (standalone) sequel Laura's Story. You find a phone and dig around in the messages and settings to find out the truth of the owner.   Word of warning in that it deals with domestic and serious real-life issues.
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May 11, 2023 19:03
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Inspector Gesicht posted:A Normal Lost Phone and it's (standalone) sequel Laura's Story.
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May 12, 2023 02:28
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Nephthys posted:Kara no Shojo - Hard Pass I really loved elements of this - the horror of the "artwork" as it is created was really striking, but oh boy such a hard agree on the context of the sex scenes and how you basically as an adult have to actively pursue romantic relationships with teenage girls to progress the plot. Plus, the ramp up to a lot of them is so spurious, especially an early one which was kinda hilarious where you ask the big-boob mortician if you can use her phone, and she lets you use her phone and then immediately as you hang up is like "well i need that favour repaid so we're gonna shag now" and off you go, sex scene with the big boob mortician.
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May 12, 2023 14:31
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Hentai garbage is a plague on VNs, although the sequel is much better in that regard - there's way less of it, and it's more "in service of the story", that is not to say I didn't mash that skip button anyway.
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May 12, 2023 15:18
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Lord Bob posted:Plus, the ramp up to a lot of them is so spurious, especially an early one which was kinda hilarious where you ask the big-boob mortician if you can use her phone, and she lets you use her phone and then immediately as you hang up is like "well i need that favour repaid so we're gonna shag now" and off you go, sex scene with the big boob mortician. Oh man, that one is especially bad considering she's just finished autopsying a murder victim. And it's also pretty apparent that she's more or less coercing him into sex against his will so that's another big yikes. I was very glad that Raging Loop avoided sex scenes altogether. There's a questionable 'romance' but it's entirely sexless and innocent and much better for it. I was going to try Root Double next but I got 45 minutes in and something just turned me off about it. I've heard it's really long and I'm not really in the mood for a lengthy visual novel. Nephthys fucked around with this message at 15:40 on May 12, 2023 |
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May 12, 2023 15:32
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Nephthys posted:pretty apparent that she's more or less coercing him into sex against his will so that's another big yikes. At least that part of it was a fun trope reversal compared to what the endless boner detective gets up to for the rest of the game. Yeah that's right, he deserved it. I'm a filthy boy who quite enjoys the hornier side of VNs sometimes; they can when at their best use the framework of titillation to explore something more in the story (I admit this is... rare, due to the vast vast volume of VNs and how many of them are just horny for horny), but kara no shojo was barely doing that if at all. There was some very lightly interesting stuff in the mentally damaged schoolgirl who becomes hyperfixated on boner detective to the point where she kidnaps and rapes and... from memory stabs him to death? I forget if that's how that sequence ended or not. But even that was not really.. doing much with it beyond some somewhat more messed up jerkoff material.
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May 12, 2023 16:20
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woodenchicken posted:Hentai garbage is a plague on VNs, although the sequel is much better in that regard - there's way less of it, and it's more "in service of the story", that is not to say I didn't mash that skip button anyway. Is the sequel tied to the first one at all, or can you jump straight in to the second game?
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May 12, 2023 17:53
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Read After Burning posted:Is the sequel tied to the first one at all, or can you jump straight in to the second game?
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May 12, 2023 18:37
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I am personally a fan of the first Kara no Shoujo game and prefer it to the second but you really have to be on board with a lot of hentai nonsense in order to handle the first game. I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone who isn't already pretty deep into that stuff. Bizarrely, the game itself feels like it has a very mixed opinion on a lot of its sexual content. For most of the characters, getting the sex scenes will make you feel worse. So much worse. They're almost a punishment rather than a reward. The second game leans so hard on the hentai trope of ALL sisters want to have sex with their brothers! that it stops being a thematic element and just becomes ridiculous. It's more popular with english VN fans than the first one is largely because the mystery aspect is far, far easier and less involved.
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May 12, 2023 23:09
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So the first game is "more sex but also more mystery", while the sequel is "less sex but also less mystery"?
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May 12, 2023 23:18
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Nephthys posted:I was going to try Root Double next but I got 45 minutes in and something just turned me off about it. I've heard it's really long and I'm not really in the mood for a lengthy visual novel.
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May 12, 2023 23:20
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