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i'm not even in the mood to do an actual review for now so i'll just say...
damn a lot of work's been put into this game. i played on release, left a few times, but somehow i always kept coming back. it's good. it's great. i just wanted to add the game to my favorites list, so here i am lol. play it if you can, because if you don't, it's an absolute missed opportunity.
it's a huge otome game, and a lot more resources have been put into it, including ideas that contribute to the entirety of tears of themis. i'll be breaking it down as usual since i have no way of organizing my thoughts otherwise.
① graphics: 4/5
- it's not very impressive when you look at it as a "game", but for games of this category (otome, specifically), the graphics are quite astounding. there's an option to set it to smooth, high quality, or ultra, so if you're not one to settle for less, go snatch that ultra setting. that, though, implies the possibility of switching to a lower resolution for people whose devices aren't exactly optimized for big games. there's actually not much to pick on in this regard, so perhaps the only factor that took a number away from my rating would be my personal preferences. i'm not very much into the art style of the game, as it looks stiff to me somehow, but the colors, movements, and other sets of visuals are frankly good. the background and character designs aren't too "new" or unique, but it goes along with the theme the game has been set to have.
② sound: 3/5
- before we get into the minor details, i'd like to announce the cast list for the guys is amazing. we have yuki kaji as luke pearce/minase natsuhiko, suwabe junichi as artem wing/sakyo shizuma, fukuyama jun as dr. vyn richter/moritsuki rei, and ishikawa kaito as marius von hagen/izumi kei. literally an all-star, so i have no complaints in that department as a casual seiyuu appreciator. that being said, the background music sets quite an atmosphere, but it's nothing special. it's what you would expect from a game, and that's it. regarding quality, though, i think it goes along with the graphics setting you've chosen, so it's not a problem either. there are no errors or glitches in the voiced lines.
※ the text did have bugs on the first day of the game's release, but they fixed it right after they handed out a survey! talk about efficient…
③gameplay: 4/5
- [before edit] reminding everyone once again that 3 isn't a low rating in my book, rather, it's the representative for "good" as it is in the little egg-shaped things on this app. so, the reason why i rated the gameplay a 3 is because it runs mostly the same way as other otome games and/or story-based games out there in the market.
there's the main story, there's subcategorized "cases" for farming materials needed to build your cards, there's a log-in system which gives you rewards, card stories, and a "visitation" option to raise your affection with the characters. all of these have been seen in similar games, so it's not going to be very hard for seasoned players to navigate. oh, don't forget the gacha.
the one thing i do like here is the trial system which appears once in every chapter of the main story. they added a minigame-ish segment (event) which turns the debate music retro, and an investigation segment. trial system is basically a simulation of a court trial, the minigame called trials of themis is an 8-bit version set in the age of greek gods and goddesses, and the investigation includes the "looking around the room to search for evidence which isn't really too challenging because they highlight the evidence" type of gameplay, the "looking closely at an object to spot obvious details", and "making connections", which is probably the one i enjoy the most among the three as it needs you to use logic (there's the option of clicking everything too, but…)
it's basically the theme of the game, though, so it's not like it was such a huge surprise to find them in there.
edited‼️i turned my rating from 3 to 4, as i initially completely forgot about the phone feature which allows you to look through the data you've run into while reading the story (i like archives), and you can listen to voice messages, video calls, and some other section which, again, has slipped my mind, through this phone. it is also possible to have chats with your contacts, which is a sure feature in otome games nowadays, but it sure is interesting in this one.
④ storyline: 5/5
- absolutely obsessed with good storylines; i've lowered the bar for my expectations regarding romance games in this particular area (i don't mean to offend, but they do usually have less substance than story-driven rpgs, or something like nier;automata. it's not as if i intend to put otome romance games under a bad light, as i've played quite a few before, which presents the fact that i base this on experience and not a hasty generalization from third party observation and speculation), but this one really does make me clap for mihoyo's story department all over again.
the direction can get predictable (at least for me), but the way they're executed is absolutely wonderful. of course there are cliches to elicit the ドキドキ effect, but that's part of the game. the SR card stories have been good to me so far, and the personal stories do help you discover the secrets of your oshi. i'm not too far into the main story yet, but it's been a remarkable ride so far. i like how i actually do something in the game while i read. besides playing rock paper scissors and old maid with the leads in the visit function. a word, though. they're not exactly bite-sized, and some concepts may be a little slippery for some (it involves the law, various industries in high society, and cryptic words from our local shrink which i find really fun to read), but i don't think it gets very technical, so it's nothing to worry about as long as your knowledge is broader than the average 6th grader's.
there's something happening in the shadows here, and i brought this point out to intrigue; not to spoil. checking for yourself would be the best ; )
⑤ value: 4/5
- ooh that's high! yes, it is. it does its job as an otome game, all the while introducing new concepts and a really wide range of possibilities for other like games under development to learn from. the size could be considered a little on the big side, but the fully-voiced main story and the graphics, along with the pleasing visuals, will make the investment in at least 3GB of your storage space worth it. they'll probably add more content in the future, but it's guaranteed to not hit the double digits, at least (genshin's a different category, so calm down). this has been a long enough review-- perhaps a little too long-- but i can say i'll keep playing this game for a while.
shortest review so far. i'm actually only adding this so i can drag the game over to my favorites list (lol), and i can say it's really good, but then again maybe that's because i haven't played any console games which i can make comparisons to. i actually only started going for bigger mobile games around late 2018 so please excuse my inexperience. anyways, the fact that they've casted amazing voice actors really helps my case. the characters are great for a weeb like myself. the themes are cool, the lore is ｒｉｃｈ as hell, and the music is just beautiful. yu peng-chen is a genius. you all know this game; why do i need to say anything else???
before i begin, i'd like to say i'm not a fan of turn-based games, but somehow this game still has me after about a week now. that already says something.
① graphics 3/5
- i mean, it's nothing special (with all the anime-style CGI stuff going on in the game industry today), but it's leaning towards the good side. the movements of the characters are very smooth, and the battle animations are still fancy without being a little too lengthy or unnecessarily flashy and long, thus delaying the overall flow of the game (as with most of its kind). it's just right, and you can turn off the ult animations in the settings if you get tired of them. i'm not yet sick of seeing them, though, and that, again, is saying something. either that or i don't use my ults very often when dealing with enemies lol. the interface is very friendly, and it keeps everything organized while still making the entire thing look fresh.
②sound 3/5
- average at most. i do LOVE their cast of japanese voice actors, though. i have no idea who voices the lord (the male one sounds like fukuyama jun, though), and you literally have characters voiced by nakamura yuichi (gojo satoru, kuroo tetsurou etc), kobayashi yuu (enkidu, sasha braus etc), and tomokazu sugita (gintoki, karasuma sensei etc) among others, as free characters! i haven't gotten to the end yet, but i'm pretty sure the evil empire leader is sakurai takahiro lol. anyways, the bgm is typical royalty sounding stuff and it really matches the vibe of the game, so can't say anything about that. the battle bgm is fine, nothing special, and the attack effects are also average. what else would you expect? the quality IS pretty good, though. not muffled now does it sound like they recorded with low budget mics or whatnot.
③gameplay 3/5
- as i've mentioned, i'm not a fan of turn-based games, so this is probably turning out to be biased for a lot of you, but hey, it's a personal review. anways, putting aside the fact that shaved a few points off in my book, the rest of the parts of the game which you can tinker with are absolutely fine. there's the usual gacha system but for equipment (most of the characters you'd probably want are paid, but there's also a contract system which really just requires patience and consistent activity), upgrading heroes and their stuff, and the coliseum activities which has you switching between offense and defense and honestly can sometimes be a bit of a hassle (lol). i won't say it's p2w. i'm getting by just fine with the generous rewards the game gives, plus, if you're patient, grinding levels won't be a problem since there's a convenient autoplay system. there's also fun bits of stuff to do like making decisions on political affairs, but that does get repetitive and lacking after the first time an issue pops up, so it's really just a bonus reward after all.
④storyline 4/5
- it's pretty good, actually! the characters have their own thing going on as well, but you can see they are absolutely loyal to their lord who never fails to settle things in a good way-- something you will see as you move through the story. it's a game of conquest and saving others, and that's why it can get a little clichéd, but the writers are somehow pulling it off with the variety of characters dancing around a somewhat stereotypical depiction of a "selfless" monarch who has a brain excellent for ruling a country.
⑤overall 4/5
- i enjoy it. it does have minor setbacks (including the impossibly high cost for the paid characters but those who have money to spend on games won't really see it as a problem lol) and areas to be improved on as is with all the other games out there, but it's doing what it's supposed to, and the screencaps and advertisements are true to what the game has to offer. basically, what you see is what you get. i'll definitely keep playing, and by saying this is probably the only turn-based game i've stuck out with this long so far, i hope i don't jinx anything in my brain that would suddenly have me uninstall it. it does that; don't ask.
Lovebrush Chronicles | Global
5.0summary: i played it for nearly 8 hours straight today
my god. i downloaded it on a whim expecting to lose interest in a few minutes and drop it (as i've done with games i've recently tried out), but i'm in love.
first things first: mc is fun.
a lot of people are usually put off from otome games because of the mc's lack of substance or character in general, but this one has an identity and a personality. she's not a self-insert; she's her own individual in this game. spoilers: she's not treated as a damsel in distress. the gender disparity between her and the MLs is not being shoved at our faces, reminding us instead of the fact that men and women can be friends normally without everything turning into an issue, lol. she's a looker too (i'm canonically gay and i appreciate that very much 🤣)
but of course that's not the only thing that makes me stay in a game.
the story is... something else. it looks like your typical plot at first, but you'll see how much more there is to it when you proceed further down the storyline, especially when you get to the character-specific story routes. i don't want to give any spoilers, but the script is quite well-written. the characters are just adorable little guys who want to live. and they're multidimensional. i can see their lives outside their interactions with the MC, because the writers didn't tailor them to seduce and only seduce the player.
P.S. for people who use english language and english voice: the localization is a little dry in some areas as opposed to the japanese voice, so maybe i'm pulling from two different sources to aid my judgment on this aspect. which means it might not be the same experience for everyone else. though this is coming from someone who is neither a native of english nor japanese. but then again in terms of politeness and familiarity, i am integrated into asian culture rather than the western culture, which is probably why i "relate" to the asian language better than the en.
graphics: good sh*t. the UI is also pleasing imo, unlike other otoge which have lazier interface. that puts me off from them sometimes tbh. the designs and the ILLUSTRATIONS? man. tbh can't believe we're just getting all this eye candy as we proceed through the story without having to spend in-game (or real) currency to see them. i'm not used to this level of intricacy and generosity especially-- side-eyeing cash-grabs-- when it comes to otome games (besides tears of themis, maybe, which i've lost interest in because the gameplay was *arduous*).
speaking of which, the gameplay on this one is not boring for me. of course there's grindy gameplay when it comes to events, but the story combat stages are quite easy to deal with, especially because they allow us to bring support cards from other players on the latter stages where we're still likely to have less built cards of our own. there's also a lot of stuff to do, which keeps me occupied for now (early game). i'm not sure what they'll do about this as the game expands (duration-wise) after the character routes have been finished. maybe they'll introduce new characters. idk. but if they leave it like that and introduce events only, i think it'll be fine.
sound: oh let me tell you the music is great. it's not just random, low-effort soundtracks slapped on there. i can say they actually put thought into the bgm and the sound effects. voice acting? mmm wonderful. they have a bigshot cast for jpn too. i wonder how much they pay? lol. it's all fully-voiced as well, including events and special card stories.
all in all: it's great. maybe i'm not an otoge veteran, but i've had my fair share of them throughout the years, which i can say allows me to make an appropriate evaluation of this game.