Real Rode Portable – Alvand and Naoya GET! (spoilers)

real rode portable coverReal Rode Portable is an RPG/otome game about an RPG/otome game fan named Nina who gets sucked into her favorite game “Rode”. In that fantasy world she gets to meet and squee over all her favorite bishies while helping them take down the evil demon king threatening the land.

The first playthrough takes about 20 hours, which is far too long for a bland fantasy game like this, but the second run was much shorter because of the game format that let me skip roughly 90% of map battles. Nina and the other characters also carry their stats and levels over, which makes things much faster. However because of the way the “Training” system works, Nina rapidly gets much stronger than her companions, making them little more than dead weight by the middle of the second playthrough. I would have dumped them altogether, but they make good meatshields and they do get some useful hits in sometimes.

Now, where to start writing about Real Rode. I suppose an explanation of the system is in order. No, wait, first the love interests. For the purposes of this post, Alvand is the blond guy on the cover and Naoya is Nina’s boyfriend from real life who somehow got sucked into the game as well. Do please go on, this is most interesting →

Finished Real Rode Portable but…

I’ve been meaning to write about Real Rode Portable for the past couple of days, but then I kept feeling like I was near the end. “Since I’m almost done I’ll just finish up and write a review” I kept thinking, and the days just flew by. Well now I have finished the game and I still don’t feel like writing anything about it. Hmm, what excuse shall I use now?

…I’m too lazy to think of one so I’ll just tell the truth: I finished the game and I’m too lazy to write about it now but I will probably write something about it some day. It wasn’t exactly bad but eh. See, it’s not that otome RPGs can’t be good, it’s just that all the companies that try to make one just half-ass them and thus just put the nails in the coffin of an already stillborn genre. But that’s a matter for another day. Now for another evening of wallowing in sloth. Hasta luego!

Castlevania Aria of Sorrow + Real Rode Portable

Actually I have all but ditched Aria of Sorrow entirely to focus on Real Rode Portable. I started Castlevania, ran around a bit, killed the first boss, but then I felt like I was missing something. The game lacked a certain feminine touch. The last three or four games I’ve played have all featured female protagonists, but none of them were the least bit ‘girly’. I wanted that ‘girly’ factor for a change, which is why I had to put Aria of Sorrow away for a bit. I’ll be back later.

That said, Real Rode Portable isn’t that girly either. It’s an otome game all right, with more bishies than I can shake a stick at, but it’s also a full-fledged RPG. Enemies, dungeons, equipment, levels, the works. As with other otome RPGs (Arabians Lost, Harukanaru series, Neo Angelique) the enemies are complete pushovers and the game is super newbie-friendly (except equipment costs a head and a torso). I took some screenshots meaning to explain the system today, but now I’m feeling too lazy to do so… not tomorrow. Maybe the day after.

It’s just occurred to me that I keep saying I’ll play game X and then I end up playing game Y instead. Here’s the latest-latest schedule of affairs. Real Rode –> Castlevania –> Princess Maker 3 –> very likely Summon Night 4 because I haven’t played an SRPG in a while, unless I can get my PS2 to work again, in which case I’ll play Dragon Shadow Spell. After that we’ll see.

Quick thoughts about Atelier Lise

atelier lise_frontI replayed Atelier Annie a while back, I replayed Atelier M, E & Anis recently and just the other day I finished replaying Atelier Lise. As with the Anis game, Lise is one of the earliest Atelier games I played, back when my Japanese was still slightly shaky and I didn’t have the patience to read each and every line the characters said. As a result I plunged headlong into disaster time and time again and walked away from the game utterly frustrated and defeated.

Now older and wiser and bolstered by the experiences of other  Atelier games I decided to do things right this time and 1. Actually pay attention to the events and 2. Work on my alchemy no matter how boring it seemed.

And it paid off quite handsomely. I easily got the best ending where Lise makes the Arcanas gem and buys her kingdom back. Thus I got to see the ending sequence, where they discover it was one of their ministers who had embezzled the kingdom’s money, after which they bring him to justice. And they all live happily ever after. I was also one battle away from the Defeat All Bosses ending, and I have a save that I could use to get that ending any time I please. What amazed me was how simple it all was. As long as you visit the town square from time to time, keep raising your alchemy level and follow up immediately on all rumors it’s quite easy to get the best ending on the first playthrough. What was I doing all this time? Truly it is said that a bad workman blames his tools. Do please go on, this is most interesting →

Thoughts on Valkyrie Profile Lenneth after ragequitting because I couldn’t stand the platforming any more

valkyrie profile yumei freiThe title says it all, doesn’t it? So that’s the end of this post, good bye, see you all next time. ^_^

Though I suppose if you really want to know what happened I could humor you a bit. I was 27 hours in, deep inside the Jotunheim dungeon. There’s this room with these vanishing ice platforms and some torches with fire in them. You’re supposed to jump up on those platforms, make your way to the torches, grab the fire in them, bring them back to a torch at the bottom etc etc. I struggled and struggled and got one or two of the fires and then something in me just snapped. ENOUGH WITH THE STUPID PLATFORMS ALREADY! Do please go on, this is most interesting →