Dra†KoI Review

Title: Dra†KoI
Original title: 竜†恋
Release date: 2006-02-03
English release date: 2013-04-21
Developer: Nitroplus
English publisher: TLWiki (as a fan-patch)

Another review - another Nitroplus game. This time it's a small, short and completely insane piece named "Dra+KoI".

Actually, "Dra+KoI" has never been released as a standalone game, but rather it was included in "Sabato Nabe: Nitro Amusement Disc", together with a "Hanachirasu" fan-disc and "Nitro Wars". It was translated not so long ago by our resident troll Moogy and I finally got around to playing it.

Phantom of Inferno Review

Title: Phantom of Inferno
Original title: ファントム -Phantom of Inferno-
Alias: Phantom: Integration
Release date: 2000-02-25
English release date: 2003 (original release)
                                    2005-09-16 (New Package Edition)
                                    2006-02-28 (Phantom Double Pack Edition)
Developer: Nitroplus
English publisher: Hirameki International (original release / New Package Edition)
                               Anime Works (Phantom Double Pack Edition)

Not a single visual novel from “Nitroplus” has ever disappointed me and “Phantom of Inferno” is not an exception. While currently “Nitroplus" has a relationship with “JAST USA”, PoI was released by now dead and buried “Hirameki International” in the reviled DVD-PG format.

Phenomeno Review

Title: Phenomeno
Original title: フェノメノ
Release date: 2012-06-16
English release date: 2012-10-02
Developer: Nitroplus
English publisher: Suimin Chuudoku & Pin201 (as a fan-patch)

While the name of my latest venture into visual novel world is "Phenomeno", it has little to do with a Dario Argento movie and even less so with that film starring John Travolta. Instead it is one more VN from "Nitroplus" that caught my attention.

The "Phenomeno" novel was first released on the Internet as a collection of two scary stories. Later the novel was expanded with an additional story and published in "dead tree". "Phenomeno" the visual novel only turns the very first story called "The House that Grants Wishes" into a game. Actually that is a kinetic novel as there are no choices to influence your outcome and the text is a 100% carbon copy of the one present in the book. It's no wonder that after Suimin Chuudoku translated the book into English, a Russian guy named Pin201 took the translated text and made it into a patch for the game. Oh, and did I mention that the game is completely free? Must have slipped my mind.

Saya no Uta Review

Title: Saya no Uta
Original title: 沙耶の唄
Alias: The Song of Saya
Release date: 2003-12-26
English release date: 2009-02-24 (as a fan-patch)

2013-05-06 (commercial release)

2019-08-13 (re-master)

Developer: Nitroplus
English publisher: TLWiki (as a fan-patch)

JAST USA (commercial)

One hardly needs to introduce "Saya no Uta" - after all it is one of the most famous visual novels in the West and for good reason. No, shock value is not that reason, but rather the fact that it is a brilliantly written little piece of fiction that, while being quite short, still manages to pack a real emotional punch.

Deus Machina Demonbane review

Title: Zanmataisei Demonbane
Original title: 斬魔大聖デモンベイン
Alias: Daus Machina Demonbane
Release date: 2003-04-25
English release date: 2011-05-13
Developer: Nitroplus
English publisher: JAST USA

At long last! The time has come to review "Duke Nukem Forever"! I will fire up this game that has been so damn long in the making and proceed to kick alien ass, while basking in the masculine glory of Duke himself. Even the fact that I don't even have the fucking game won't stop me, as I have the next best thing - "Deus Machina Demonbane" - a visual novel that has been stuck so long in the publishing hell, that some people even lost hope to ever see it in English. Contrary to the detractors, the game was released (well, about three years late, but that's not the point; is it?).

When the great master H. P. Lovecraft penned his imaginings about horrors from beyond time, space and human understanding, he created vivid and frightening pieces of literature, but he made a huge oversight that diminished the appeal of those works quite a bit. Two of those oversights to be precise: his works lacked giant ass robots and scantly clad lolitas. Japanese being the most advanced nation in the ethereal realm, took it upon themselves to fix it.

Nitro Powah!

So, today JAST USA provided us an announcement of their future releases, which predictably involves lots of Nitroplus power. After the successful sales of Demonbane (damn, I'm only 1/3rd through it - the thing is looong) we are getting "Saya no Uta", "Kikokugai", "Hanachirasu", "Sumaga" and "Django". Despite the fact I've already played the first two, I'm definitely getting them all.

Also predictably we are getting the sequel to "Aselia the Eternal" called "Seinarukana". The last announcement in the lineup was somewhat unexpected. I happily reaffirmed myself to be a massive perv, as upon the announcement of "Starless" I cheered. I has lots of crazy shit and that is exactly what I expect from my nukiges.

With the coming of "Kara no Shoujo", "Aselia the Eternal", "EF", "School Days", "Yumina" and more I foresee those few years to be very interesting :-D

Who needs post boxes anymore?

Guess what? I come home from work, enter the balcony and find a friggin' package with my copy of Demonbane in it. Seriously? Postman (woman?) didn't find me at home and instead of leaving a notice in my post box just thrown it into the balcony. Who needs those post boxes anymore, they are sooo yesterday...
At least I finally got my copy. In fact, I had to pester JAST twice about it as they apparently somehow managed to loose me from the database O_o
Also JAST needed to use cases with sturdier pins. My disk was loose in the case and reading online many people have that problem. It has some light scratches, but installed fine. And no, I'm not gonna play it now. I still have "The Witcher: Enhanced Edition" to finish.... What? I'm a patient man.

Chaos;Head Review

Title: Chaos;Head
Release date: 2008-03-21 (2008-12-31 in English)
Developer: Nitroplus & 5pb.
English publisher: TLWiki (as a fan-patch)

Synopsis

Whose eyes are those eyes?


Nitroplus is a Japanese VN company that is best known for their quality titles mainly involving sci-fi, fantasy and horror themes. So I suppose, when this title was patched into English, my expectations were kind of high (especially as I previously played Saya no Uta). However, the thing is, C;H is much more of a 5pb. title than Nitroplus one (or at least I want to believe that other N+ titles do not fall so short).

So, the protagonist of the story is Nishijou Takumi, a nice and outgoing fellow, who was just minding his own business, when all his life went to hell (if you managed to read that sentence with a straight face, mad props for you).