☕︎ Recommended beverage: Strawberry Kiwi Soda ᝰ.⊹ ࣪ ˖
We just had the June of announcements. With all these shows and directs over we have a pile of new games and release dates we can anticipate over the next months.
The biggest one for me is definitely Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave! Finally we have a release date and the reveal of the Collector's Edition (which I had to pre-order ASAP)
I was a bit sad that we only got a glimps of Atelier Karia: The Night Kingdom & the Guide of Memories in the western Nintendo Direct. It was so short I in fact totally didn't missed it 😭 Fortunately the JP one had a lengthier trailer and Koei even did a presentation to show us even more of the game play and characters. I haven't finished Yumia yet but I really need to do that soon.
Other ones from the Direct specifically I want to check out are FF Resonance, Muramasa: Revenant Blades and Xenoblade Genesis.
A FF in 2D/HD style feels like it's going back to the roots and I have to see it for myself. With Genesis I'm mostly awed by the presentation of the game. I'm still on the fence if I should get it when it comes out or wait for some reviews first because of my lack of involvement with the Xenoblade franchise. I would love to dive into it at some point but have to many and games to check out and I would love to give it my undivided attention.
Speaking of other franchises and story I dipped my toes into: Final Fantasy VII Revelation. I just finished Crisis Core last month and plan to play the original next,after that the movie and 'Remake' on PS5 which is really time consuming to get through.
And last but not least the Persona 4 Revivial and Persona 6 announcements. I really hope Revivial will be my gate back into P4. I never finished Golden back on the Vita because the dungeons where just not my kind of tea and thus it was never finished.
The changes which we saw in a recent presentation by Atlus are giving me hope that I can get to the end this time and even experience some more of the absolute banger that is the Ost. Persona games just have one of the best music in their games which won't leave your brain for ever. (Every day is great at your Junes! ♫ᝰ~)
Persona 6 on the other hand looked really dark and spooky which is kinda nice for a change! Can't wait for Atlus to show us some more of this entry.
May was such a fun month I continued my nostalgia vibe and dipped my toes into a new absolutely massive story.
After stalling for almost a year I finally sat down and 'finished' Octopath Travler 2. This game took everything from the first game and made it better. There is almost now game that did it as well as OT2 💜
I choose Partitio as my main protagonist and it ended up being perfect - the best BP Battery 🫶 The stories this time around were even more intriguing and interwoven than in the first game. Which was amazing and made the game an even more polished.
I set finished in quotations because I can't for the love of tea beat that last final boss. I had the same issue with the first game, so I searched for a video on Youtube to get the whole conclusion.
I would love for them to include some kind of easy mode for story enjoyers so we can experience the ending for ourselves too.
The nostalgia part this month: Amnesia LaterxCrowd. This game has been in my backlog for 4 years and I replayed Memories the last time ~ 2017. Seeing everyone again was great, with it being my first otomate title I played back when it came out gave me heavy nostalgia.
Having some new stories has been great and we also saw more of the Oshi: Cage-kun 😌 Absolute peak if you ask me.
The only down side are those mini-games. I'm so glad we don't do those anymore. Some are kinda fun but if they're necessary to play to unlock other things I just have to hate them with a passion. I still have trauma from the first game lmao.
My first really dive into FF7 with Crisis Core Reunion.
I'm really glad I started the series with Crisis Core and chose the time accurate timeline. Thanks to the I have a fundamental understanding what is going on and the timeline makes more sense for me that way. Now I can start playing the original FF7 with a connection and feelings to the characters. 🖤 Still cried like a baby after the credits rolled. This is my second FF game and they really know how to give us pain and grieve. 😭
The first half of this year is almost over and what a time it has been.
So many games to play and even more games announced.
That's why I thought I would do a little recap of games I played these past months (while neglecting this blog) 🌻💐
First of: my year started amazing with my continuation of Mistonia's Hope - The Lost Delight. It was the last game I started in 2025 and after been in detective mode from playing Uchronia, I continued that with this one too. The story was just so compelling and had so many great conclusions, especially the first few routes I played. The bad ends where amazing and made so much sense for Aprose to turn out like that. I even got a new fave with Lucas, which I saw coming from a mile away 💜 and I enjoyed Lucas's route so much that I replayed it directly after finishing it. I also got pleasantly surprised by Alfred and Linus!
Atelier Marie Remake the one Atelier I was procrastinating to get because I wanted the physical edition. I don't know why they wouldn't give us one in the west but I was lucky to find an Asia copy locally so I didn't have to import it. The waiting payed of then.
I had so much fun playing this one. It reminded me of Nelke with its managing aspects. I've finished my story objectives with my second playthrough for now but will play it again after some time to see more story bits for other characters.
I was itching for a tactical game and with The Diofield Chronicle in my backlog I hit gold. This game didn't let me go until I finished it completely (or it me, I'm still in denial about that). It has such a complex story with small hints for the overall lore and so many plot twist! Absolute amazing game with great design and such a well thought out tactical gameplay. Even though I'm normally not one for a real time tactical gameplay, Diofield proved to me that it is possible for me to play games like this too.
Battlefield Waltz is an otome classic in my eyes. I still remember the time when it came out in Japan in 2014 and I was so sad we would probably never get to play it and read reviews and essays about the game and story. I'm glad I forgot most of it in those 11 years because we finally got to play this game 😭It is pretty basic but that's not a bad thing because I got this deep nostalgic feeling from this game even though I never played it myself. Also really important: Everyone wields some kind of weapon but the most lethal weapon is not the cursed sword but the LIs blushing or crying! These kind of CGs and sprites where just amazing a 10/10 just for these alone.
Titel: Illusion of Itehari
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Hours played: 70h
This game had me in my detective mode while playing the whole time. Making notes and writing down my theories. I haven't had this much fun with an otome in a while.
On top of that, the presentation and stylistic choices. We have an amazing opening theme, which was unskippable for me. Also a gorgeous menu design and artwork by beloved RiRi, who never disappoints with her absolutely amazing artwork.
Another really important part was the Live2D animation for the sprites. Really had me wondering why there are so few games that use it. Of course it’s really time-consuming and expensive but the overall atmosphere and the characters have so much more life to them. It’s hard to go back to ’normal/stiff’ sprites after this because just seeing their facial reactions and everything makes it so much more immersive.
The VA’s for this game was top notch. We have Nobu, Egu-tan, Souma and Matuoka in the main roles and also Kobayashi Chiaki who I was happy to hear more off. (can’t wait to hear him in the upcoming Otome Daoshi again!) Even the side characters got some amazing VA's with Toshi, Fukuyama Jun and Hino Satoshi! The latter finally being in an otome we got localized again! 🎉
Some thoughts and light spoilers ahead:
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My favorite character ended up being Tsuyukusa. 💛 His overall storyline and his character were just totally up my alley and gave me everything I hoped for. I actually thought Yori would take this place and he made it kinda hard at the end of his route, not to give in, but some stunts he pulled were just a big no-no… he is beautiful though. (I will give him that at least)
At least he is self-aware fr --
Tobari was my first route and the reason I got hooked. His story was such a roller coaster with some twists already announcing themselves miles away but they still hit my heart spot on. Especially that one bad end CG had me crying way too much.
The most dependable (overprotective) butler award goes to Awayuki. He and his secret side to him, which was kinda cute. His relationship with Hinagiku was on another level concerning for me though but still kinda cute. Who doesn’t want someone like him being this loving with you?
Yashiro was really subtle throughout all the other routes and then gave us so many AMAZING CGs in his, which had me overthinking my favorite again. There was just a small spark that didn’t reach me so no first place for him but he had the most chemistry with Hinagiku in my opinion.
Poor Yashiro at the mercy of the butler.
And the real stars of the show are two side characters for me, who will get more time to shine in the FD. I really hope we will be graced with a localization announcement soon, because I need them in my life.
Baby Tsuwabuki, just let me squish his cheeks. I need to see Hinagiku and him together!
Titel: Jack Jeanne
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Hours played: 110h
I played Jack Jeanne on and off for over a year because of its massive playtime and it actually made it more fun like this. With the common route being this long and repetitive for every character, just had me revisiting the lovely stage plays and characters over and over again when I was in the mood for it.
On the mention of the plays: the rhythm game was so much fun! The amazing soundtrack played a big part in this and the emotion they conveyed with their stories. I cried every time without fail while playing the Winter and Univeil performances. 😭
It’s also one of the first games to grace us with the management system, which I have a love/hate relationship with. I always wanted to try one, but with it being really linear, if you know what to do to get to the character you want, it just a repetitive chore.
The story seems like one we’ve seen a couple of times before, with Kisa hiding her gender in an all-boys school, but it has so much heart and just an overall lovable cast that it can be as cliché as it wants to. Also don’t be fooled like me and think that there can’t be any plot twists that can surprise you 🤫
And now for the individual characters. Spoilers ahead:
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Suzu was my first route and the perfect start to the game. Right from the start you get caught up in his upbeat personality and just can’t help but fall for this cutie. He is kinda clumsy but he has so much heart and always works towards helping others out.
The chemistry between him and Kisa was just over the roof and I loved how he was protective towards her from minute one. His reaction to realizing his feelings and finding out that Kisa was actually a girl was just so wholesome and had me squealing while experiencing it.
Sou’s story was a whole roller coaster of feelings with his character development. While he struggles with himself, there are moments when I wanted to cry for what Kisa and Sou were going through but only some moments later I wanted to hit Sou so bad because of how he wanted to work through his problems. I was so glad Suzu called him out on his behavior and got him to find his place in Quartz at the end.
One of the bigger surprises in the cast. Shirota comes off as someone who doesn’t concern himself with others but he turns out to be one of the most caring characters and helped Kisa throughout the story. He observes everyone around him to help them out with their problems and grows to be a pillar of Quartz like no other. His performance in the winter play is actually the reason I had to cry every damn time. The way he knew Kisa was hiding something and him not only forgiving the character she plays in the play and Kisa in that one scene has me bawling without fail.
Kai the Jack Ace of Quartz was someone who thought of himself as someone who could only support others on stage. What I didn’t expect was his sad background and the reason why he was so withdrawn from himself at the beginning. Seeing him learn more about himself through the experiences he has with Kisa and the drive they have to get better in their respective roles was just so much fun to witness. Him having such a nice character development and actually wanting something for himself was just amazing.
Oh holy mother! Fumi won my heart the first time I saw him and this guy was everything I wanted. He is actually the one that was partnered with Kisa’s brother some years ago and the one I thought would find out first that she was actually a girl. In every route he was only supportive and actually regretted not being able to be paired with her in other routes. So seeing them finally together as a pair on stage made me emotional. 🥺
Kokuto the brain behind every play Quarts performs is my biggest surprise in this game. I never saw his background story coming and it had me chained to my controller. The inner fight Kisa has with herself because she was someone that Kokuto actively avoided had her second-guess herself multiple times. His story was so emotional, it really was not something for the faint of heart. For me, only his happy end exists in this universe and I will fight for it!
What I actually expect from the second game is a route where we can be partnered with the characters from other classes. Even if it’s going to hurt when Kisa turns her back to Quartz I really need to see more of Kasai. The dedication and drive this guy has to be partnered with Kisa is just way too strong.
And the best teacher of the year award goes to Enishi. The way he fights for his children in Quartz and how laid-back he is just had me admire him so much.
Well, these are my thoughts on Jack Jeanne. If you get a chance to play this lovely, diverse game, do give it a try! I can only highly recommend it just for its characters alone.
My December was all over the place with me trying to finish some games before the year ended and still playing the games I was in the mood for. But I managed to finish 4 games and even started two new ones at the end of the month.
The first game I wanted to dive right back in was Jack Jeanne. I saved up Fumi and Neiji for last because those two were the ones I was most interested in and they didn't disappoint. Finishing the game now after almost playing it on and off for a year has me feeling a bit sentimental. I really hope we do get the second game if it releases at some point.
The next one I planned to finish was Illusion of Itehari. With just Yashiro and the Truth route left, this one was done in just some days and sadly I wasn't too happy with how Yashiro's route turned out, but that's a topic for my review.
I wasn't spared by the Steam sale either and got Unpacking to wind down on the weekend. It was really short but still a fun puzzle game for a cozy afternoon.
My most anticipated game of 2025, Atelier Resleriana RW and it showed me exactly why it was. I tried to save it up for last and glad I did with the latest free update it got. I didn't get the now available Resna and Valeria DLC yet, but maybe I will get it at a later date to experience their bond stories too.
The two new games that I started were Ni no Kuni and Mistonia's Hope.
Ni no Kuni was actually on my list for a very long time, but the last shove I needed was the recommendation by a friend who normally doesn't like story-driven games. It is incredibly charming, which is no surprise with it having the Ghibli art style and overall vibe.
Mistonia was actually the game I was hoping to get for Christmas and my little elves didn't disappoint. I have been knee-deep in this game since I got it and can't lay my controller down at all.
November is my favorite month of the year, when I take my longest holiday of the year to mostly catch up with friends and of course, finish some more games before the year ends.
The first few days were filled with Stardew Valley. I always come back to it during this time of the year. With its cozy atmosphere, it’s the perfect game to get into a few restful weeks in this season.
Another fun happening was the Baldurs Gate 3 weekend session I did with a friend of mine. We finally finished our first run and had such a blast. Not only on this weekend but every hour we put into this game over the course of the past months.
One of these absolutely hilarious moments was this:
Highlight of today: her becoming a block of cheese 🧀🐭
We were laughing for 10 minutes and then she triggered a fight thanks to bumping again
The one game I wanted to finish on my vacation was Illusion of Itehari or Uchronia. It was my most anticipated otome game of the year and it didn’t disappoint at all. Even though I wasn’t able to finish it completely, I cherished every minute with this game just because I had so much fun playing detective and piecing together every piece of information I got.
The reason why I wasn't able to finish it as planned:
I had to replay Tsuyukusa’s route from the beginning right after finishing his route for the first time because I came to love him just this much. The last time I had the urge to do that was last year with Koyo from 9 R.I.P.
I was able to complete not one but two games from my backlog Tales of Arise and Bayonetta. 🥳 Both were new series I dipped into and was pleasantly surprised by.
More thought on both, here:
While I was waiting for the new upcoming releases, I thought it would be nice to continue one bigger otome I had lying around for some time now: Jack Jeanne, and this time it caught my full attention. To the point where I was disappointed I didn’t start it sooner.
I was able to finish Sou, Mitsuki and Kai’s routes in the time I had with it and was caught off guard by Mitsuki and Kai. I already knew Mitsuki would be a caring character but Kai got me with his story and how both Kisa and he were able to grow together. Especially seeing Kai’s development was such a blast. He is my favorite character and route to this date (still have to play Fumi and Kokuto tho).
October was kind of slow for me with waiting on my highly anticipated games and having caught the flu in the later half of the month.
Ultimately I got to play around 40 hours of Atelier Resleriana RW when it arrived and had trouble laying my controller down once I started playing. RW is everything I wanted from it and even more (alas, it does have its issues for example the camera placement at certain points).
Illusion of Itehari or Uchronia was another game I was waiting for. I started my first playthrough completely blind and ended up in Tobari’s route. No complaints for me because he is voiced by Nobu ♥ I later found out I wouldn’t have been able to get in the route I was aiming for because only Tobari and Awayuki are available from the start. 🤣
☕︎ Recommended tea: Apple Blackcurrant tea ᝰ.⊹ ࣪ ˖
Titel: Bayonetta
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Hours played: 15h
This game has haunted me for years now. After my sister got into the series, she hasn’t stopped gushing about it and because of that I was expected to give it a try at some point. That point was now.
I already had some questions regarding the story before starting the game and I wasn’t disappointed and got most of my questions answered about the story in this first installment of the series.
The level design is pretty linear, has a straightforward system and most of the boss battles have some kind of gimmick, which spiced up the battles. Riding a motorcycle or a missile weren’t on my bingo card for this game.
The battle system is so stylish and fun to look at, even for someone like me, who just wants to button-smash sometimes and can’t remember a good combo for the love of it. Even though I’m bad with game systems like this, this game rewards you regardless with hilariously with climax attacks when the health-bar of the enemy is low. The stylization of this game is just such an experience and I’m glad I caved and finally got around to playing it.
Story-wise it was a bit confusing at first, but the last chapter really cleared up most of the questions and even got me excited for the second installment.
Bayonetta is just such an icon. Her whole demeanor and taunts are just such a power move. No wonder people like Luka (and myself) fall for her. She is the whole reason why I definitely will come back to the series to play the second and follow-up games at a later date. ♥
Titel: Tales of Arise
Platform: PS5
Hours played: 71h
Some years ago I decided to dive into major JRPG series like Final Fantasy, which have been going on for such a long time that they’re almost frighteningly massive, and I never got into when I was younger. Finding a good starting point with such big series is always such a daunting task to do.
When I was thinking about giving the Tales series a try, I took the same approach as I did with Final Fantasy: Go for the new shiny one.
Well, Tales of Arise was already three years old when I picked it up last year and had it lying in my backlog for some time before I got around to playing it but now that I've finished it, I’m glad I chose it as my first game in the franchise.
Starting the game with Iron Mask in one of the towns that was enslaved by Renans to harvest Astral Energy of the planet had such an impact. Stories that revolve around an intriguing political plot always have my attention, if done right. And that they did. It kind of slowed down for me and got a bit frustrating in the middle, hence why I dropped it for some months, but it picked up its pace again after big story revelations.
I’m usually not one for real-time fighting systems but this one was kinda fun. Even though I’m a button smasher at heart, I was able to get into it a bit more than I thought thanks to the importance of dodging at the right time. What was also a welcome surprise was the auto-function I could use when I was grinding some levels in the latter half of the game.
The graphics and world design were breathtakingly beautiful. It was always fun to explore new parts of maps and towns. What also enhanced those stunning views was the OST. They really gave so many scenes and areas so much character and even had me getting goosebumps with how much they set the ambiance.
What I loved most though were the skits in between exploring and resting. They gave us the chance to get to know every character some more and have some funny antics in between some heavy story parts to lighten the mood.
It also gave the characters some time to get to know each other and set their differences, be it racial or social standing, aside and get to know each other. The overall character development had its ups and downs, with some characters who would have needed a bit more time, but was overall done great. My favorite character turned out to be Law who had an amazing development and always had me grinning to myself with some of his antics.
Just look at them training lmao
So I grinded some more today and I may or may not be to overpowered now? It seems the side-quest bosses are a bit stronger than those from t
What blew this game out of the park for me was the conclusion. We already got some small relationship snippets here and there but I didn’t expect them to give us their full-on romance at the end. Most games only hint at it or one of the characters dies before they can even think about deepening their relationship, so seeing this made me so happy.
Definitely going to give another Tales title a try (probably Berseria) and hope it will be just as much fun as this one.
This Nintendo Direct started really slow for me. Not too much I was interested in but they dropped the game I was waiting for at the end.
Games I want to look into:
HYKE: Northern Light(s)
I’m such a sucker for cute pixel art, so this is a no-brainer for me to check out. I hope there will be a demo available at some point to try out its action RPG elements.
The story is set in a world that was devastated by the war between humans and witches and revolves around Hyke. She follows in her mother’s footsteps, a witch, and continues her journey around the world.
The character design is stunning and like I said, those chibi character models are super adorable. Definitely going to keep an eye on this one.
Suika Game Planet
MORE SUIKA!! This game is just so relaxing and now with the new planet mode, it looks even more fun, so this one is going into my cart in the eshop 🤭
My Highlight:
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave
I was praying for a new Fire Emblem title but kept my expectations in check and was screaming when I saw the first glimpse of the trailer. Never expected to see this one have some kind of connection to Three Houses but revisiting such a beloved world, in some kind, again has me hyped! The only downside is that I don’t own a Switch 2 and wasn’t going to get one … but FE is like a favorite of mine, so they got me there.
I was going totally blind into this one and was hit with an underlying dark story I didn’t see coming. Nonetheless, I’m all here for it. The gameplay is simple and choosing the tea blends is so much fun. The story has me intrigued, so I’m definitively giving the full version a try.
Atelier Yumia - Demo -
A bit late to Yumia but I’m still going to push it back a little bit before buying. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to try the demo tho. 🤭
I was already aware of the bad reputation alchemists have in this installment, but seeing how Yumia is treated had my heart bleeding. She just wants to be helpful and only gets such bad vibes thrown in her face. I wouldn’t continue trying to be good to others in her stead, but she is a good soul, so she doesn’t do that. (Don’t be like me; be Yumia) The fighting system is more fun than Ryza’s for me but her synthesis … I know they’re trying new things but seeing the girls with their cauldrons always gave me such a comfy homey feel, which is now completely gone. Yumia looks absolutely stunning while synthesizing but that’s it. Maybe I need to try it some more, but we will see. The exploring was fun and I’m probably going to explore some more, so that my progress will carry over to my main game as soon as I get my copy.
It was almost one year ago that I started playing Tales of Arise as my first Tales of game. I had to pause the game in the middle because I got a bit frustrated with one character at the start of this year, but I’m glad I picked it up again. It was able to chain me to my TV and became a staple for the past weeks for my evenings.
Bustafellows Season 2
My game of the month for sure. An almost perfect continuation for an already great game. I really hope they are doing a season 3 in the future. More thoughts on this one here:
Review
☕︎ Recommended tea: White tea - Strawberry & Vanilla ᝰ.⊹ ࣪ ˖
Titel: Bustafellows Season 2
Platform: Switch/Steam
Hours played: 50h
F
The reason I’m not giving in to my urge to get Yumia after trying her demo is the upcoming Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian! My ultimate fave Sophie, is on the cover and was shown as one of the first characters. So, of course, I have to get this game ASAP to see more of her! Also, we are back to a more round based game and we see a lot of mechanics already used in the Res mobile game, which I loved. The town development and shop management parts are also intriguing and remind me of Nelke (which I played for an ungodly amount of hours).
Another one on my list for September is Utakata no Uchronia or Illusions of Itehari. I’m so excited about what LicoBiTs cooked with this one and the things I have seen are mostly positive, so my expectations might be a little bit to high. I’m mostly happy to see an otome character voiced by Eguchi Takuya and Yori is also my most anticipated character… I really hope I’m not setting myself up for a big disappointment but we will see, I guess.
Titel: Bustafellows Season 2
Platform: Switch/Steam
Hours played: 50h
First thing: I don’t know why it wasn’t one of the first games coming to my mind when talking about my favorite otome till now. That’s going to change for sure. Of course, it's not perfect, but it is damn near being it now with this Season 2.
This sequel gives us more story than we could ask for and maybe even a potential opening for a third season? I would definitively welcome it with open arms.
My short thoughts about the individual routes and minor spoilers ahead ~
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Another remarkable point for this game is that most of the guys are going to therapy. I don’t know why, but it makes me so happy to see them take this step and show that, with all the things these guys had to go through, they’re able to work on themselves.
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His route was my favorite. I wasn’t able to put my Switch down. I literally had to know how it would end in one sitting. He is still a snarky diva in my eyes but having even more insights into his character and past made him more likable for me. (Even tho he still rates Teuta in scores sometimes)
Mozu
We do not talk about this route in this house. What they did to him and his route was absolutely unfair. We see him as a guy who can understand people's feelings to a certain extent in the other routes but he is so blind in his own route! I got so angry I had to snack on something to contain my rage. 😐
Scarecrow
This cutie patootie. His route was another favorite of mine. It showed how the internet isn’t always a good place to be in and made me realize I should touch more grass… The theme hit really close to home and showed how good the writers are at portraying such real-life problems. A really big contrast to the route prior.
Limbo
AAAAAH. The chemistry between those two. They definitely are my favorite ship in this game. Just their whole self-perception and how they handle their relationship got me swooning. That’s what I like to see. Two individuals who enrich the life of their partner.
Shu
Of course he had to be my last route, even tho I unconsciously started the game with him because I didn’t get, that with choosing the cat’s name you would choose your route. Not one of my brightest moments for sure. Nevertheless, I was swooning all over again, when I restarted his route. I just love how he carries himself and only shows his soft side to people who are dear to him. Also his occasionally sweet gestures towards Teuta and how he lets himself be more vulnerable with her.
The epilogue was so intriguing and unraveled a lot of questions for a specific topic that is brought up a lot of times in each route. It was also nice to be able to play it with each of the guys to see how each of them reacted to a certain scene.
Overall, this game is a must for everyone who loved the first game and if you haven’t given the series a try yet, it is the best time to start now. ♥
☕︎ Recommended beverage: Citrus-Pomelo Soda ᝰ.⊹ ࣪ ˖
The new Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase aired today and I was pleasantly surprised. I had no expectations for this one because I’m mostly waiting for a new Fire Emblem but Square Enix saved the day.
Some games I want to look into:
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
I only got into Final Fantasy with XVI so I don't have too many FF games in my repertoire but I do love a good tactical game! So I really need to read up on it some more and check it out when it's released in December.
Kemono Teatime
I think this was only shown in the Japanese Direct but it immediately got my attention. It's a cafe management game with pixel art and also comes with English language support.
Tea, cute sisters, and an illustration by NOCO, are enough reasons for this game to go on my wishlist.
My Highlight:
Octopath Traveler 0
I just started the latest game in the franchise, and there is already the next one on the horizon. It’s a sign that I should continue my playthrough of the second game ASAP.
It’s fascinating that they almost took the same path as Koei Tecmo with the upcoming ''Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist and the White Guardian'' and took parts of their mobile game. I never got around to try the ''Champions of the Continent'' yet but seeing so many people speak positive of this fact gets me more excited for the game.
July has been a slow month gaming-wise thanks to my IRL cutting into my gaming time. Still I squeezed some games into the few hours I had. So I started one game I had in my backlog for some time: Octopath Traveler 2 and a new release I was anticipating for months Bustafellows Season 2!
I played the demo last year in December and loved Partitio’s route so much. The struggle he had to get through things while being this young to help his dad build up the town to where it got in the current time just to find out that they were betrayed by someone they thought they were close to. It intrigued me to find out how far he would come with his talents outside his town and if he will be able to confront the very same person who betrayed him, his father and the whole town.
Now that I started the game for real, I had to choose him as my first route again to see if my feelings from back then were still the same, and I still can’t wait to see how his story unfolds.
Two other favorites are:
Throné: This badass woman was raised as a member of the Blacksnakes, a crime organization, and has to work there as a thief and assassin. She hates violence and would love to have her freedom, which is a hard thing to obtain if you have a collar with two different locks around your neck. Each lock needs to be opened by the key held by the ‘father’ and ‘mother’ of the Blacksnakes.
After seemingly being chosen as one of the candidates to succeed ‘father’ and needing to kill a companion and partner so that she doesn’t get killed by him herself, she sets off to finally regain her freedom and stop this useless bloodshed. Though starts her journey to search for ‘father’ and ‘mother’.
Ochette was the character I almost had no interest in, but meeting her… how can she be this cute? I fell in love with her almost instantly upon hearing her speak.
Being burdened with her training as a hunter since she was young and in the current time, learning about the prophecy regarding the Night of the Scarlet Moon and even fighting a monster who has a connection to said prophecy, she doesn’t lose her happy-go-lucky personality. She even sees her quest to bring the three creatures of legends to her island as more of a fun adventure. (Wish I had her resilience.)
Me gushing about her:
Omg Ochette was the character I was the least interested in and now that I met her... she is the cutest one yet 🥹😩
BustaFe 2! Finally 🥰 I got around to it these past days, and I’m already hooked. My start was a bit random because I didn’t realize you would choose your route while choosing the name for the cat. I’m still happy about my choice, because I just had to take ‘Cat’ as the name just because I knew Shu chose that name back in Season 1. Maybe it was an unconscious choice to get me hooked, or I just didn’t want to understand the intent to start with my favorite LI even though I don’t normally do that with sequels and fan discs.
Season 2 already shines with its storytelling and immersive style. Having the character sprites turn their back on you and change their angle is just such a nice touch that gets you even more into the storytelling. It’s the small details. I certainly need to get used to the UI design again after playing so many Otomate titles in the past months. I much prefer this kind of design, though. It just fits the game to a T and just gives that certain bit of extra something.
I was also pleasantly surprised that this time KENN sings the opening song as the in-game artist "bestie." My bias is showing again but he just sounds so good in every song. ♥
