Just finished Hydra S3 and...

...and I have four questions.

1.  What did you think?  Did you love it?  Because I loved it.

2.  Am I the only one who wants to revisit a Hydra/MC/Hades triangle after that look he gave the MC before he escorted Zeus away?  You know what look. This look:

3.  Does Ladon EVER shave or change his clothes?  Even as a guest at the wedding he looked like he’d been dragged out from under a frat house pool table on a Sunday morning.

4.  We haven’t seen Poseidon yet.  In my head he often looks like Oh Ji-Ho.  Do you cast the “heard but not seen” gods in your head while you’re reading?

CS xo

Destiny Ninja 2: Ayu’s Route (Spoilers)

Like Ran’s route, I tried to get through Ayu’s without spending a dime (being a writer doesn’t pay as much as one might think).  It meant, of course, that it would take me eons to finish the story because I had to collect the Zeni to get the avatar items required.  First you get the Zeni, then you get the power, then you get the women.  Or woman, as the case may be.

Destined to Love and Midnight Cinderella...

Alright, let’s do this!

Midnight Cinderella:  mSmfBeT2

Destined to Love:  P2018G2N3

Onward!

CS xo

Cybird’s Destined to Love, Midnight Cinderella

Just started playing Destined to Love from Cybird.  As usual, I picked one of the two redheaded love interests currently available - aaaand as usual, my romance with Ryoma Sakamoto is off to a bit of a rocky start because his sullenness and aloof nature keep clam-jamming the MC’s efforts to get close to him.  But I’m stubborn, and I have a thing for men in black boots, so bring it.

The writing is good so far, and the premise is intriguing.  I’m just hoping the pace picks up now that I’ve selected a route.  It’s my first Cybird otome, so I’m looking forward to finding out.  I’ll be playing it alongside another Cybird game, Midnight Cinderella...

  I haven’t been a princess in forever.  I admit I’m a little excited.  If you’re out there, Midnight Cinderella fans, do you have a route recommendation?

CS xo

Yayoi sums up how I feel about Ayu’s route so far perfectly.

Review of Gangster’s In Love: ASH’s Route

Arabian Dreams: Vafa (Spoiler-Free Review)

First off, what a breath of fresh air Arabian Dreams!  The backgrounds are beautiful, the character designs are stunning, and the music is gorgeous.  While we still have a long way to go as far as POC in Shall We Date games is concerned, it was nice to see some characters that aren’t as pale as Vafa (which is often played for laughs). Vafa is a jinn/genie who hasn’t seen the sun in an awful long time.  As such, he’s eternally looking for the perfect opportunity to get a tan.  

War of Prayers, Liam (Spoiler-Free Review)

First, let me just get this off my chest and out of the way -- the story was eight bucks.  EIGHT BUCKS!

War of Prayers looks beautiful, and I loved most of the music.  There was this weird elevator music that would play during “casual” moments that seemed incredibly out of place, but overall, I quite enjoyed the music.  And the character designs are beautiful (though the missing lips took a little getting used to - everyone looked as though they were grimacing).  

Hold me, Rindoh. Hold me tight.

Oz+ (aka Nope)

Nope.  Just...nope.

I’ve chewed my way through many otomes.  I always finish at least one route.  I think this is the first time I’ve quit an otome midway through the first route I choose, but it just couldn’t be helped.

I feel like Oz is a culmination of everything that annoys me about “free” otomes.

- A single story ticket doesn’t get you anywhere.  I remember when I first started playing Destiny Ninja 2, a story ticket would give you a substantial amount of plot movement compared to some of SWD’s past “free” titles.  I thought, “This is great. Shall We Date’s finally throwing broke asses like myself a bone.” Nope.  The episodes in Oz+ are incredibly short.  I could spit and get through five story tickets before it would even make a splash.  Okay, I exaggerate.  But not by much, I’m afraid.  The MC spent two story tickets alone listening to Leonardo bitch about how someone stole his eggs at breakfast.  So you don’t lie awake tonight wondering who could have stolen them, it was Toto.  Toto deserves a mountain of eggs for being stuck in the middle of this mess.

- The prompts to make choices that move your place on the Love Meter forward make no damn sense.  Does my knowing that the Land of the Winkies’ main export is minerals bring a greater level of intimacy to my relationship with Heartmann?  Because that’s the most absurd kind of otome foreplay I’ve ever been privy to, and I’ve played Amnesia, fer chrissakes.

“Show your boobs” was not an option, so I ended up picking “Wave your hand.” Waving only got me a three on the Love Meter.  Heartmann is playing pretty hard to get for a straight guy living in a world that’s so devoid of potential future mating prospects that he had to wait for the only girl he’s ever been in contact with to reach legal age, then join a search and retrieve party to lure her back to his country with the promise of a massive birthday party. A three, my ass.

- Want to use the game’s currency (Spinels) to pay for all the items you’ll need to get through the story?  Godspeed.  If you want to buy the “simple party dress” required for Crowlie’s normal story, it’s 35,000 Spinels compared to 490 coins (520 coins cost $6.99 USD).  So unless you possess the patience of a monk (which I don’t), you’re going to end up feeding some serious real-life dough into this game.

- The avatar items up for grabs when you “blow a whistle” kind of...blow.  Does Heartmann need an axe with handle tips in five different colours?  No.  You know what he does need, though?  Shoes.  He needs a fucking pair of shoes.

Welp.  Looks like I’m going to have to hope a pair of shoes pops up on the next whistle blow, otherwise the Tin Man’s very human feet are going to get very cold come Winkie Winter.

-  There are two endings you’re striving for.  The “farewell” ending and the “true” ending.  If that isn’t a cash grab by emotional manipulation, I don’t know what is.  At the speed I’m currently moving through this route, I’ll be lucky if I manage to get the “Death by Firing Squad” ending.  If you want to pump up your love meter by a mere seven points, it’s going to cost you 300 coins ($3.99 USD).  

- The story thus far is so incredibly boring.  Fine, yes - I’m only on chapter five, but come on. Nothing even remotely intriguing has happened to keep my interest.  Five chapters in and my MC still hasn’t bothered to ask how or why Solomon decided to transform the Oz gang into humans, or why he was so insistent she have a boyfriend for her birthday.  But, hey - at least she knows that Winkie Country’s main export is minerals, so YAY.  

So, yeah -- Oz+ just isn’t for me.  I can’t even be bothered to finish the route, and Shall We Date’s greed has left the worst taste in my mouth.  I think it’s pretty much turned me off of future SWD “free” titles for good.