"A good intention is like the seed of a tree whose fruit we do not know." - George Bernard Shaw

Let's continue with the second part to East Tower series. This time, we got partnered up with Takashi in the VR attraction known as East Tower, and we get some new parts to this mystery concerning the hacker. This one is way more lighthearted thanks to the character of Takashi, yet the challenges it contains slightly differ from the ones before... they are a bit more... on the psychanalytical side, presenting more clues to the nature of this mishap. Being one of RoseVerte's older titles, East Tower series got on a promising start, and it continues more so on the nature of this mysterious hacker who previously infiltrated the game.

To establish a brief recap, our character is Sakuya, a girl who wants to become a boy so she can protect people she cares about. This stroke me as not so elaborate and somewhat shallowly handled in the previous chapter, yet let's say Takashi's playthrough sheds some more light into our specific decision and the encounter in the past that made us decide that we'd better be a boy. Sakuya - thanks to her dear cousin Dai, who is the Game Master for the local VR attraction East Tower - participates the game, posing as a boy, and when she gets in with other participants, the game gets conveniently hacked. From thereon, people get paired to overcome the challenges within the game, so they can get out.

Previously, we were paired with Akio - the know-it-all kid who turned out to be a businessman; and now, we are partnered with Takashi, the optimist cutie with the spirit of an ordinary high schooler. He is your generic good guy with some emotional challenge in the past, hailing from any shojo anime series thus far. He is the likable sort, the guy you can fit into any sappy love story. His avatar within the game is a lady - who is revealed to be his sister, later on, since he admires her so much - and she is a bit of a wreck in means of appropriate social content. He continuously blabbers whatever comes to his mind, presenting continuous comic relief moments. Yet, as I have noted previously, the challenges within this part are a bit more deeply thought, focusing more on perception and reliance whether than simple wits or teamwork. The gender issue is a bit better established here, compared to previous chapter also, presenting a mirroring condition to our own with a boy, who'd rather pose as a girl. Interesting, huh?

Is it me, or are art works actually better here, compared to the previous one? Maybe I simply didn't like Akio's portrayal... meh, well, it is somewhat better in CGs - in game avatars are still amateurish, but I'd take any improvement as they come. I'd still vote for a better soundtrack though, hearing it blasting every time you start the game kinda makes your ears bleed after a while. When it comes to gameplay, the choice options are a bit craftier in this one, actually forcing you to think before acting rather than going for the more obvious correct answer.

Any complaints? Nah, not really. This one was an improvement over the previous game, both in storyline and context, so I have nothing to complain about. We've got achievements, we've got two different paths to follow and some more clues concerning the big picture. Not the best VN around, yet still it strikes me as promising. See you for the next game in the series!

Please also check out Lady Storyteller's Curator page here - follow for regular updates on reviews for other games!

[b]"A good intention is like the seed of a tree whose fruit we do not know." - George Bernard Shaw[/b] Let's continue with the second part to [i]East Tower[/i] series. This time, we got partnered up with Takashi in the VR attraction known as East Tower, and we get some new parts to this mystery concerning the hacker. This one is way more lighthearted thanks to the character of Takashi, yet the challenges it contains slightly differ from the ones before... they are a bit more... on the psychanalytical side, presenting more clues to the nature of this mishap. Being one of RoseVerte's older titles, [i]East Tower[/i] series got on a promising start, and it continues more so on the nature of this mysterious hacker who previously infiltrated the game. To establish a brief recap, our character is Sakuya, a girl who wants to become a boy so she can protect people she cares about. This stroke me as not so elaborate and somewhat shallowly handled in the previous chapter, yet let's say Takashi's playthrough sheds some more light into our specific decision and the encounter in the past that made us decide that we'd better be a boy. Sakuya - thanks to her dear cousin Dai, who is the Game Master for the local VR attraction East Tower - participates the game, posing as a boy, and when she gets in with other participants, the game gets conveniently hacked. From thereon, people get paired to overcome the challenges within the game, so they can get out. Previously, we were paired with Akio - [spoiler]the know-it-all kid who turned out to be a businessman[/spoiler]; and now, we are partnered with Takashi, the optimist cutie with the spirit of an ordinary high schooler. He is your generic good guy with some emotional challenge in the past, hailing from any shojo anime series thus far. He is the likable sort, the guy you can fit into any sappy love story. His avatar within the game is a lady - [spoiler]who is revealed to be his sister, later on, since he admires her so much[/spoiler] - and she is a bit of a wreck in means of appropriate social content. He continuously blabbers whatever comes to his mind, presenting continuous comic relief moments. Yet, as I have noted previously, the challenges within this part are a bit more deeply thought, focusing more on perception and reliance whether than simple wits or teamwork. The gender issue is a bit better established here, compared to previous chapter also, presenting a mirroring condition to our own with a boy, who'd rather pose as a girl. Interesting, huh? Is it me, or are art works actually better here, compared to the previous one? Maybe I simply didn't like Akio's portrayal... meh, well, it is somewhat better in CGs - in game avatars are still amateurish, but I'd take any improvement as they come. I'd still vote for a better soundtrack though, hearing it blasting every time you start the game kinda makes your ears bleed after a while. When it comes to gameplay, the choice options are a bit craftier in this one, actually forcing you to think before acting rather than going for the more obvious correct answer. Any complaints? Nah, not really. This one was an improvement over the previous game, both in storyline and context, so I have nothing to complain about. We've got achievements, we've got two different paths to follow and some more clues concerning the big picture. Not the best VN around, yet still it strikes me as promising. See you for the next game in the series! Please also check out Lady Storyteller's Curator page [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/11672469/]here[/url] - follow for regular updates on reviews for other games!