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323 people found this review helpful
8 people found this review funny
Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 16.4 hrs on record (8.2 hrs at review time)
Posted: Nov 5, 2015 @ 12:08pm
Updated: Nov 5, 2015 @ 8:53pm

Short summary for newcomers follows. For information pertaining to this specific release, see below the line.

This novel game is a mystery-thriller with an unreliable narrator--the combination of which is unbelievably engrossing. The title is actually a reference to Goethe's/Schubert's "Erlkoenig" (called Maou = devil in Japan) and Bach's "Air on the G-String"--no funny business, don't get the wrong idea. Obviously, classical music plays a major role in both the musical and story motifs revisited throughout the game.

Every chapter, there is a pending crime of escalating severity that the protagonists attempt to prevent, but the antagonist stays two steps ahead of them all along the way.
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This game is near and dear to my heart, as you might garner from my screen name--I was the editor of the English fan translation. This is what I think about the Sekai Project update, cut down to bullets so you can spend more time reading the game itself.

-Everything's at significantly higher resolution. There's a 2000 pixel tall Gonzou sprite, for crying out loud. 2K Gonzou. Think about it. "Marche Slave" never looked and sounded more menacing. The music is still a high point, but the richly colored, HD visuals are now a fitting complement.

-Because of the new aspect ratio and higher resolution, you see a bit more of the sprites (they're actually full-body, though you could never tell in the original release) and a lot more of the backgrounds. The event cgs are cropped just a little bit, but I went through every last one, and they all still look great--better, actually, at the higher resolution.

-The new UI is much sleeker and more modern.

-The translation is awesome, duh.

-The spirit of the game isn't "censored" by any means. Literally the only parts taken out of the adults-only source material are the adults-only bits. Anything that would be rated "R" in a modern theater is still in there, last I saw... expect the gritty and dark world the 2008 Japanese release had, and nothing less.

This is exactly the build I would release as an "Editor's Cut" if I had the balls and resources of Sekai Project. Well, except I might add an Eiichi yaoi route. I love that guy. Steamworks modders, get on it.

EDIT FOR CLARITY: The game still has mature content, and even explicit sex. It's just not AS explicit. (For example, there might be a black screen while the main character directs a sex act, but then instead of showing and narrating the act "to completion", the scene cuts away.)
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73 Comments
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Last Crusader Mar 3, 2017 @ 7:08pm 
steam needs an adult section, just saying.
Ready2 Dec 26, 2016 @ 8:38am 
Hello! Could you tell why there is no japanese script available for the game? I would love to get it to practice my japanese but I can only see audio as being japanese. Can you tell why is it removed and if there's a possibility to put it back? Thanks
Lightly Used 1993 Suzuki Jimny Jul 3, 2016 @ 2:49pm 
Well I am not surprised about the fact that some like it/want it, I am surprised that the rest "don't mind it".

But, I guess, we are talking about a demographic that has overall, to a smaller or larger degree, these aspects/factors of loneliness and sexual repression.

Well not much more to say about this topic, for now.

Thanks for your input guys; This has helped me understand a few things further, but, I guess, the journey isn't over yet.

Meanwhile... One of the new games on Steam, Sonicomi...

"Here we go again".
Fiel Jul 1, 2016 @ 6:22pm 
Yeah you're not an exception considering western market. I was thinking more about the target Japanese audience.

Tbh, i don't really know about the Eroge - ecchi relationship. Most probably they just have the concepts. Since the Japanese who watch anime don't care about the Ecchi, then they just add it for those who like Ecchi.

Imma delete some of my previous comments. This thread doesn't really need those.
Lightly Used 1993 Suzuki Jimny Jul 1, 2016 @ 5:51pm 
@Khoon

Well, thanks for the input. That kinda summarizes it... I think? Was mostly realizing the situation, but, was just confirming things.

I don't think I am the exception and in the minority - Western viewers find it weird that they are supposed to enjoy a story and then, suddenly, a porn scene (again, differentiating it from Western representations of sex in movies/tv shows).

Well, "average" viewers. The equivalent of the Otakus likely think the same as them.

@pondrthis

re: Khoon's words - Maybe he just doesn't have more to say; I think what he said is fair enough, if not anything completely new or game-changing.

re: eroge-ecchi

Well, ironically, I don't think you answered this.

I appreciate the cultural context (partially knew that), but, I was more asking about this theme in Otaku culture and how this whole Eroge phenomenon (that you two have explained to me) relates to the wider topics of Ecchi, sex appeal and sexual content in anime(-themed things).
pondrthis Jul 1, 2016 @ 10:57am 
@Khoon, you're rehashing the same argument and not answering Zankman's questions or arguments. Try to take a step back and add to the discussion, or we'll all have to take it to PMs. This isn't REALLY the appropriate forum for this discussion, but I'm willing to ignore that as long as the discussion moves consistently forward.

I have mod powers for my review, heh.
pondrthis Jul 1, 2016 @ 10:49am 
@Zank, re: eroge-ecchi connection

As far as I can tell, the only real connection there is Japanese (mainstream, not otaku) culture. In addition to being a sexually repressed culture, Japan believes that one's "public life," aka "reputation" or "persona," is separate and nonreflective of one's personal life, or "true self." One must always strive to present a collected and conformed quasi-individual, according to their ethos and mores. The counterpart to that demand on a person is that it's tacitly understood that people aren't actually just Japan-obots. Activities that we see as lacking in moral fiber--e.g., soliciting prostitution or purchasing deviant pornography--are "acceptable" in Japan as long as they're kept out of the public eye. One's private life, as long as it stays private, isn't to be judged in Japan precisely because they're so judgmental about the public life.

In other words, they're all REALLY GOOD at keeping their dark secrets hidden, lol.
Fiel Jul 1, 2016 @ 10:40am 
Oh and people do care about the story.
Maybe you should picture it like this. The story is the main point, the hentai scenes are the add-ons.

We classify the majority of the audience into two: Those who buy the VN because there H-scenes, and those who BUY FOR THE STORY but don't really care whether the scenes exist or not. (you are one of the exceptions)

And that's it. Since people who bought it for the story don't really care about the scenes even if they are there, then why not put it for the ones who buy the VN just for those scenes? They will not lose anyone for including the scenes, but they will lose a bit for not including them.

And if you're a well-known author. Then you don't need to include 'those people' who buy purely for porn and instead reach for a more respectable audience.
Fiel Jul 1, 2016 @ 10:19am 
Nukiges are just like hentai videos in word format. Not to mention these are the ones that usually contain dark themes such as Netorare, Rape, Tentacles, and other shts.

Most eroge, on the other hand, only have pure, full consent between both parties, kind of scenes.

Imagine in a hypothetical scenario where you can actually be 'in love' with anime characters. So how are you gonna do it? Just like in real life you don't want to fck a stranger. You want to have a girlfriend. Marry her. And then you do it in bed. What's the best thing you can hope for other than VNs? You can supposedly date them in these novels and do it all the way.
Lightly Used 1993 Suzuki Jimny Jul 1, 2016 @ 9:46am 
If it is basically porn why not play the Nukige VNs?

Do those also have too weak stories and poor immersion?

I immediately assumed that the purpose of porn in Eroge VNs was the same as it was elsewhere - to "satisfy lust" - but I wasn't sure; I didn't know that basically the entire VN playerbase was sociallysexually repressed Otakus.

I still don't get why they wouldn't just watch porn/erotica, be it real life or drawn, be it videos or images; Yeah, I get the "fake" aspect but are VNs so much better?

I like to keep sexual things separated from non-sexual ones, so, it confuses me that so many of them like to play these "normal" VNs and have porn scenes in them.

Do these VN players even care about the other qualities of a VN or is it all about the porn and it "feeling more real" due to the context the story provides?

pondrthis said that an author needs to be established via Eroge in order to even have their VNs without porn published - but why do VNs without porn even sell, then?