My First Playthrough

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Figured I'd post my reactions here, as I have with Pixelfade's past titles (except Crystalline, for which I failed at a video and voice LP).

It took a moment for me to get adjusted. I *do not like* the animations. Hated them in Crystalline, hate them here. I think maybe they're slightly better than they were in Crystalline. Boob jiggle isn't quite as distracting. But the "breathing" is, along with the highly mechanical nature of things like arm crossing and such. Just wanted to get that out first.

That said, once I got fully into the text, I started fully enjoying myself. I had almost forgotten why I'm supporting them on Patreon... but this is why. I love the banter, the puns, the memes... it's all good stuff. And I love Kaori's dad. "Are you lost?" lol

Choices: I'm trying to go with a "normal" style playthrough. Generally going with a mix of puns and politeness. It's actually kind of hard to make certain choices. I tend to just want to play it cool, try not to freak her out, but I learned in Ace Academy that that isn't always the right choice with Kaori.

I do want to say they found a gem in the voice actress playing Kaori's mom. Hers is easily the best voice in the game, and possibly the series.

At the end of the day, night falls. It is, indeed, cuddle time.

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Day 2:

Hey, is that "No gifts, but actually gfts" thing actually a thing? My literal-mindedness wants to know.

When he decided to call for help in picking a gift, I damn near cheered. Knew exactly where that was going... SHOOOOOOOOOOU! :D Also correction: Shou has the best voice.

"With both our talents combined..." Snowman scene had me wondering if combining robots is a thing in this setting. :p But then we have to argue over who should form the head.

"A familiar, simple, Japanese meal. It really does feel like home." So I guess Japan is home now? Weren't you raised in America?

ROFL, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, is her mom seriously trying to get us genuinely drunk... so we'll have sex?

Drunk scene was drunk. Pretty stereotypical, but still fun.

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Christmas Day:

I got a real kick out of her dad futilely trying to point out that maybe they should tone down their usual antics with a guest in the house. Big "nope" on that one. :p

There was a moment when I found myself thinking, "It's a very rich people Christmas." Then again, of course it is; dude owns his own giant robot. Moving on.

He doesn't know how to ice skate? Hmm. Well, "Let's give this a shot."

Chrismas movie tradition? Not uncommon. Then they start asking, "But what to watch" and I'm like "Oh, I see where this is going..." lol. Went with "A Wonderful GEAR", though I'm a bit disappointed my favorite is missing: GEARing Places. (Or was that Trading GEARs?)

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Day 4:

Yoga. That is all I have to say. Yoga.

Also, have I seen that bedroom background before? It's been a while since the last time I played Ace Academy, but it looks familiar, maybe from the Valerie playthrough.

Not a whole lot on this day. That said, I'm kind of hungry, and the fish sounded really good.

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Day 5"

Cool ice sculptures. And... GINGLAIN?! Pretty sure that was the bard in Crystalline. Kind of a shame they didn't use his model. It probably would have worked as-is. I wonder what he's doing here?

So I ask where we're staying, and she says, "It's a surprise". What I want to say next is "Is it an igloo? I bet it's an igloo." Surprise! It's an igloo! That is made from... glass panels. And has a solid door. And not a bit of ice in it's construction.

Pixelfade Kaori, do you even know what an igloo is? :p

And then they spend the night... entangled under the covers? Pretty nonspecific as to what exactly is going on there. I'd be surprised if they didn't, but then I'd also be surprised if they did and it went by without remark.

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Day 6:

Me: So where is it?

Her: It's right there!

Me: What, behind the rabbit?

Her: It IS the rabbit!

Me: ... You got me all worked up for nothing. (Different voice): I soiled my armor, I was so scared.

Her: You don't understand, that's the most foul, ill-tempered rodent you ever laid eyes on!

Me: ...

Then she starts going on about glowing red eyes and horns... is she messing with me?

Okay, apparently no, she isn't. This is Hannelore and alpacas all over again...

That scene with her and the beaver tail (any Canadians want to tell me if that's a thing?) was kind of adorable.

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Day 7:

"Vicky's Confidential" lol. Nice synonym fake name. Also, I really wanted an answer that was more along the lines of "Let's not be hasty..."

Gig Guk. Gigguk. Wait. Is that actually Gigguk? Like, the actual Gigguk doing the voice for this character? Or just someone doing a decent impersonation? Eh, I'll look it up later. Also, lol. No, it's not anime that's trash, it's your waifu. Or mine. Whatever. :p

I like her dad even more after the mini painting scene.

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Day 8:

Is this a dream? Pretty sure it's a dream. Is it a dream?

Yup, it's a dream. If this were an older anime, he'd wake up awkwardly groping her, then get punched into the stratosphere. Little twinkle of light at the end.

One Night Vampire sounds like a really complicated version of Mafia.

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Day 9:

Her: Oh, I have some more anime here, as well as some games.

Me: A game sounds fun. What do you have?

Her: Hmm... Oh, I know! (Begins to load game). It's an action/RPG type thing. I think you'll like it.

Me: Okay, you and more mom have fun!

Her: You too.

Game: So, you're finally awake...

Me: Damnit Tod Howard, you got me again.

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I want a fire breathing doggo robot.

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Okay, I gave her the ring. Game over.

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Not bad. Only took a few hours to get through, but it was a fun read. I enjoyed most things about it, including:

The music. For the most part, it was just decent, but I really liked that part with the... I guess rapid melody? It's the theme that is used through most of the game.

The art is excellent, as usual. I even got used to the animations, so maybe they're not terrible, just different. I still think they're unnecessary, but with practice, they may actually become genuinely good.

The writing is what I've generally come to expect from Pixelfade, very entertaining.

So on to the credits. Yes, that was, in fact, an actual Gigguk cameo. Cool. And then... oh yeah, the supporters section. And I'm in it. That's kind of cool.

Here's hoping Pixelfade's next project is another proper multipath VN. Afterstories are cool and all, but for me, it's the multipath that I enjoy most.