I feel like I disagree a bit on Moko. I like the other two who have barely anything, truly damning on Kako's part everything considered, Moko is kind of an omnipresent support character.
MrSmartGuy posted...
It's been a day and I think I've listened through a video for the music of the final boss of the original playthrough, like, 30 times since then.
It's true that of the three of them, Moko is by far the one who does the most. I cannot think of a single significant action Ima actually took after the prologue except for opening a door and getting everyone killed by zombies, and turning Gaku in after the girls realized someone was screwing with them.
---
Not changing this sig until I decide to change this sig. Started: July 6, 2005
I'm not going to even hide it behind spoilers, people need to know. Box of Blessing is unbearable. If you know for a fact you are not going to do every route, avoid it at all costs, there's nothing of value there. Came this close to putting the game down and taking a break for a couple weeks about 2/3 into it.
I'd say it's the worst route period, because even if one or two short ones are worse.....they're short. Like, there's one obvious one that'd technically worse, but it's less than an hour for all endings so who cares.
And despite the similar name, no, it actually is very different from the route it's directly next too. Not even the same writer.
Finished two more routes. Playing these two specifically back-to-back is some...MASSIVE tonal whiplash.
047 003 007 006 001 008 050 009 041 002 049 042 011 005 012 023: Casual Route: Face Reality - The route itself isn't the GREATEST, but of the two options, I think it's almost more satisfying to see Takumi accept his impending death and go out fighting, rather than just go gently into that goodnight. It makes him seem stronger as a person to be willing to accept his death and the deaths of his friends in this manner. 051 024: Casual Route: Embrace Fantasy -On the one hand, this whole route is weird in that it's effectively Takumi having all agency taken from him as he sleepwalks through the majority of the game. But in another sense, he's effectively spent two-thirds of his hundred day tour in a fantasy land, completely oblivious to reality around him...so it's hard to think he made a BAD choice is dying alongside his friends, completely oblivious to the worst of the world around him. 010 052 046 048 022 014: Serial Battles Route: One More Time - This route sucks, but at least this ending has a sense of acknowledging that the choices you made led to a shitty outcome, and Takumi wants to go back and do a better job. 018 004 045 021 016 015 017 019 020 013: Serial Battles Route: The War is Over - This is a combination of the worst route I've played through thus far, alongside with an ending that carries a vibe of "Who gives a fuck?" It's just a generic ending that makes the torture of the previous 40+ days in-game feel like there was no decent payoff.
---
Inviso thinks all starters should be Fire/Fighting. http://i.imgur.com/oOSm64C.gif
I'm getting fairly deep into my first actual run through of the game, and I'm so confused as to what these decisions are actually doing. Don't answer this obviously, but I'm left wondering if at least most of the other routes also considerably speed up the rate at which the commanders are going down.
Except now I'm even more confused, because my first decisions were all about how to survive or a complete strategy change. But just now, I finished a battle and everyone is debating how to celebrate and the fucking dramatic MAKE A CHOICE thing just popped up for whether I want barbecue or fish. I checked the flowchart and there's a god damn branch here, and I wouldn't put it past Uchikoshi for one of these to be a horrible ending where everyone dies, and the other is the best ending in the game.
Are you saying that's a bad route because it's silly or because it's got stuff in it I shouldn't see before seeing other stuff? I'm open to switching if it's the latter.
Are you saying that's a bad route because it's silly or because it's got stuff in it I shouldn't see before seeing other stuff? I'm open to switching if it's the latter.
The former. Its just a funny and weird first one to get.
No, it also has a spoiler for other 'real' routes. It's maybe the worst first route you could do.
Does it? I don't remember that. The only thing I can think of is that Sirei drops the line about Karua never existing in one branch, but that just strikes me as the usual drip feed of info in any route.
I did not change paths. I stuck it out to the end. I really wish I would've recorded my reaction when Day 100 popped up on my screen. Not that anything after that was any less crazy, but the absolute shock from that initial thing threw me so bad.
So that certainly was something. 077 and 078 down.
Does it? I don't remember that. The only thing I can think of is that Sirei drops the line about Karua never existing in one branch, but that just strikes me as the usual drip feed of info in any route.
That's what I was referring to as well.
---
Not changing this sig until I decide to change this sig. Started: July 6, 2005
Just finished another long-ish route with a lot of endings...Box of Blessings.
047 003 007 006 001 008 050 009 027: Box of Blessings Route: Gaku's Harem - This is a joke ending, yet somehow it's one of the happier endings I've experience. This particular offshoot of the Blessings route is all about Gaku proving himself, and he does a decent job in that regard. So for his ending to be him reverting to scumbaggery and wishing to be a harem protagonist...and it not only works, but it's also a happy ending for EVERYONE...well-played, writers. 041 049 025: Box of Blessings Route: Blessed With a Miracle - This is just a pure, happy ending, and I'm more than okay with that. You win the battle, you get all the boxes, and you open the right ones to bring peace and resurrect both Darumi and Kyoshika. Really, the only thing that would make this one better is if Eva was here too. 002 042 029: Box of Blessings Route: A Brighter Future - Box of Blessings has three endings I really enjoyed, and this is the one where Shouma, who is probably my least favorite character in the game, gets to step up and be a badass. Sure, it renders the box plotline kinda pointless, but at the same time, I like that Shouma gets his moment, and it inspires an ending of hard work towards a better tomorrow, rather than just hoping for the best with a mystical wish. 011 005 012 023 051 024 030: Box of Blessings Route: Never Forget - I don't hate this one, and I think overall, this particular Blessings route is probably the most satisfying ending pair overall, because it has a strong central character in Shouma. My main issue that keeps this from being higher is that it almost feels like it got the least effort put into it; I don't think this ending even got its own ending image. 010 052 046 026: Box of Blessings Route: Cursed With Calamity - While this one is bleak and depressing, I don't HATE it the way I very easily could. This is the only ending that really addresses the fact that there are thirteen boxes and you need to open ALL seven correct boxes to get the good ending, and even ONE wrong answer will fuck you. In that regard, this ending does its job, but it's not quite good enough, given the length these routes are. 048 032: Box of Blessings Route: Something Inside - The pairing of endings from going "Defense Team->Nozomi's Team" has the worst duo of endings by far. You'd think pairing up with Nozomi and Takemaru like this would result in SOMETHING. Instead, you just don't find all the boxes and decide they're too dangerous, so you burn them. The only positive is that there's a mysterious creature that escapes one of the boxes, unseen by the characters, so at least there's SOME suspense there. 022 014 031: Box of Blessings Route: Better Off Without - This is such a lame ending. You spend the entire route looking for these boxes and then don't find all of them, so your characters just opt to bury them in the schoolyard and walk off like nothing mattered. None of the plot threads of the research you find, or why Eito killed himself are actually SOLVED. 028: Box of Blessings Route: The Value of Trust - Box of Blessings is effectively four routes with a pair of endgame decisions, and this particular route is all about Gaku wanting to prove himself and be better than just some loser...so naturally the game punishes you for choosing the option where not only do you not give him a chance, but you actively attack him to stop him from helping. It's a logical outcome, but it's still disappointing. 018 004 045 021 016 015 017 019 020 013
---
Inviso thinks all starters should be Fire/Fighting. http://i.imgur.com/oOSm64C.gif
Finished most of another path. Went back and made the decision to not leave the school after threatened, then decided we wouldn't play a killing game. I then made it all the way to Story Lock 3. I'm rather impressed with myself; I got both killers right first try. Then went back and got the Pinky Promise ending a few seconds later lol
Went back and kicked the power saw guy. And then I went and talked to Hiruko way later. Boy, that sure was a route, huh. I finally got the rockets to launch successfully!
Huh, I actually quite enjoyed the Casual route. It's not super long, and it's somewhat compelling, in a similar way to the Comedy route (and better than the really long branches of that one). Plus, everything gets even more interesting once Takumi enters the cage. Every scene with Eito is great. Maybe it's just because my expectations were low, but I definitely wouldn't put this on the bottom tier - I enjoyed it more than a couple of the routes that went on endlessly, like Slasher.
Finished the Conspiracy route. That was, uh, certainly a thing that happened.
According to another friend Gotoh never gets brought up again and this route is entirely unexplained by the end so that's... interesting... DLC bait I guess?
Anyway time to go back and make the clearly far worse and less appealing choice to continue onward why they gotta kill all the girls in the route with the most branches huh
I've officially finished half the endings in the game with completion of the Box of Calamity route.
047 003 007 006 001 008 050 009 027 041 034: Box of Calamity Route: Hollow Victory - I would say this is the strongest pathway for the Calamity Route, largely because it really taps into that serial killer/vibe of an "And Then There Were None" scenario. You get revelations about Hiruko's special abilities, and the cast gets picked off until it's just you and arguably three of the best waifus in the game...and one of the four of you is the murderer. This was not my first ending, so I knew Nozomi was corrupted, but still, brutal that Takumi came back solely to save her, and in the end, she had to die for the good of humanity. At least he got to ride off into the sunset with Hiruko and Tsubasa though. They survived. 049 025 002 042 029 039: Box of Calamity Route: One Step At a Time - This is the happiest ending of the Calamity Route, and I like getting a chance to have time with Eva in a positive manner. It's a good send-off for a character who is largely abused throughout the endings I've achieved so far. And it's also nice that Takumi convinces the others and succeeds in getting everyone on-board with saving the world and stopping the missiles, even if he's always going to bear that guilt for killing Eva in the first place. 037: Box of Calamity Route: Blood On My Hands - Resisting Gaku at the final choice of this particular route is SO much better than just trying to let him stab you. Not only do you get that final moment of killing the last survivor (though I think they never establish whether Ima is dead or not), only to reveal that Takumi was possessed and killing everyone the whole time is a well-handled twist. 011 005 033: Box of Calamity Route: Night of Despair - First ending I got on this route, and it's actually really intriguing. You go to rescue Nozomi, she gets murdered in front of you, and you pass out into a full-blown coma for the rest of the hundred days until the end, when you wake up to find a dying Hiruko, who tried her best to keep things stable in his absence. Evil Kako being the murderer at the end is a nice twist though...it's just hard to LOVE this ending because it's SO early in the timeline. 012 023 035: Box of Calamity Route: Misguided Pity - Yup, this is the ending where Takumi's just too down bad for Nozomi and would rather die than kill an alien species set on murder and mutilation. At least she gives him a nice ending before he dies though, effectively confirming all the positive thoughts he had (when she absolutely could've just half-assed it and killed him without question). 040: Box of Calamity Route: Echoes of the Dead - This ending basically has Takumi dead for the last week of in-game time, and then at the end everyone is back together to fully stop V'ehxness and Dahl'xia (with souped up attack powers), and it's kinda disturbing in the slasher villain sense, but doesn't leave a TON of memorable moments overall. 051 024 030 010 052 046 048 026 038: Box of Calamity Route: Ghost Unmasked - This ending is just kind of forgettable. It comes on the heels of seeing everyone dead except for Gaku...except then nothing really happens. Gaku tries to stab you but doesn't because Takumi has fully gone insane, and then you just laugh it off at that point. I mean, it kinda fits with Takumi slowly losing his mind over the course of the game...but it's just disappointing and feels incomplete. 036: Box of Calamity Route: Exorcize Plan - This definitely feels like the lamest ending to the Box of Calamity Route, largely because it's played for laughs, kind of...but they're not funny. It's just three weeks of game time dedicated to Takumi and Gaku outcasting themselves and repeating the same scene three different times, punctuated by the standard endgame battles. And then the ending just...happens. There doesn't feel like any REAL resolution to things, but at least you and Gaku are like...super-bros in this ending. That's...something. 032 022 014 031 028 018 004 045 021 016 015 017 019 020 013
---
Inviso thinks all starters should be Fire/Fighting. http://i.imgur.com/oOSm64C.gif
Oh, also finished Box of Calamities. Solid route with good mysteries. Not amazing, I just liked it from start to finish. Maybe a few too many branches? Not a big deal though. Wish some of these routes had less Gaku...
tcaz2 posted...
Anyway time to go back and make the clearly far worse and less appealing choice to continue onward why they gotta kill all the girls in the route with the most branches huh
And with completion of the V'ehxness route that, I've ALMOST made my way back to the very first decision of the game. Still one more choice to make, however.
047 044: V'ehxness Route: Here With You - This ending was amazing. Not only does it humanize V'ehxness by making her show that she cares just a LITTLE bit for someone else (and respects Takumi despite the fact that, by all rights, he should be a bug to crush under her boot), but more importantly, I love what this ending does with both Addamaque and Tsubasa. Like...Tsubasa as the sacrifice to start this route already felt the shittiest of the three options, yet the writers really built her up and established this bond between two characters who you would NEVER think would interact. And Tsubasa making that final stab was a great moment for her character, before ending the route on a sorrowful note for Takumi and V'ehxness. 003 007 006 001 008 050 009 027 041 034 043: V'ehxness Route: Making the Impossible Possible - On the one hand, this feels more in-line with V'ehxness' character, since she seems like a power freak above all else. But it was a LITTLE bit of a letdown since she basically wipes out EVERYONE and then has her battle with Takumi (for a bitter end, since she wins the war and literally has nowhere else to go with her skillset). Still a very cool look into the psyche of the main villain though. 049 025 002 042 029 039 037 011 005 033 012 023 035 040 051 024 030 010 052 046 048 026 038 036 032 022 014 031 028 018 004 045 021 016 015 017 019 020 013
---
Inviso thinks all starters should be Fire/Fighting. http://i.imgur.com/oOSm64C.gif
Multiple Eitos route complete. I dunno, this was really disappointing for me. After coming to like Eito over the course of the post-prologue game, he's a lot more like his prologue self here, which is much less interesting. Everything that happens before the endings is totally dull, and despite this route being much shorter than some others, it felt like it dragged real bad. The endings themselves were at least pretty good, especially the ending where Takumi commits suicide 500 times, which was just metal as hell. It's nice to have good payoff, but the premise was promising, so it's sad nothing really came of it.
Eva route beated. It was good. It was kinda generic in a way - there weren't any big twists, and everything that happened is pretty much what you'd expect going into it. The content was still enjoyable though, especially since Eva suffers so much in every other damn route.
Serial Battles - not super sure what you've hit, so don't wanna spoil this one yet, but it's extremely simple. Once I know you've hit the lock at the bottom path I'll tell you (maybe you've already said you have I'm just too tired to check)
Blessing - Literally just doing constant exploration mode to find what amounts to the dragon balls so you can make a wish at the end. It's all one big DB parody down to Gaku being Oolong and jumping in to make his wish for a harem. 2 of the endings on different splits literally share the same ending CG, that's how little they cared. There are EIGHT ENDING across FOUR SPLITS and for the most part they're ALL THE SAME.
Conspiracy - Matrix parody, literally red pill blue pill. Nigou hits their head and starts going on about how they're actually a secret spy for the anti-colonizing faction or whatever it was called, and they'll put you and everyone you can recruit in a secret second escape pod to take everyone home. Tells you to recruit people. You recruit Kurara. You kill Sirei. They say they were making stuff up but the important stuff is totally still true. You drive to the supposed pod and it ends without seeing anything. During that process above, you get like a dozen endings which are just "you made the wrong choice so you get tased by Nigou and pass out, the end." This all takes less than an hour to get every ending. Nothing comes of it. Unlike almost every other route it's arguable if this is even cannon as an alternate timeline.
Also, is there a summary of Serial Battles/Conspiracy/Box of Blessings routes somewhere? Probably won't play them, but I am a little curious.
Spoilers for those three routes.
Serial Battles: Ghost Boy kills Eito, but uses so much energy that the wall of fire goes down, so Vehx'ness sends waves of enemies every two or three days for the rest of the route. Dead bosses keep reappearing, and no one understands how, and the answer turns out to be that she found the machine that transports you to another timeline and just keeps bringing in still-living versions of the people you killed. The final boss is two of her at once.
Conspiracy: Nigou is damaged. When he's repaired, he comes to you and tells you that he's not Nigou, he's a secret extra personality implanted by a group on the artificial satellite opposed to killing the Futurans, and wants to help you escape without having to fight anymore. If you refuse the first seven times, he kills you in a different way each time. If you accept each time, he kills everyone off-screen.
Box of Blessings: It turns out that there are magical boxes that if you assemble them Dragon Ball-style, you can make one wish. These boxes are suddenly the most important thing in the world and both sides devote everything to finding them. You eventually succeed, and Gaku immediately uses the wish to revive two dead girls and make them fall in love with him and be part of a harem for him.
---
Not changing this sig until I decide to change this sig. Started: July 6, 2005
OK well I went back and changed my first choice after spending a bunch of time in the Kill Eito side, and within 3 choices, I am already dating three of the girls at the same time. I'm so good at this game.
I don't think anything in this game has made me laugh harder than Kyoshika's first day trying to romance me on Day 51, and I've already gone through the Comedy Route.