Recent reviews by Yossarian

A relatively simple game (in terms of interaction) done in RPG Maker - the engine of which acts more of a sort of visual novel.

Join the adventures of Andy and Leyley or Andrew and Ashley, a pair of siblings stuck under a mysterious quarantine in a cynical world (Toxisoda!). Stuck in their apartment, alone, things slowly become out of control as they try to survive.

The writing is where this game shines. The banter between our two main characters is directly on point. It's always a blast to see what their next predicament will bring about. It starts usually with them arguing about the situation and then acting to get out of said situation... Given their fun banter, their hijinks almost always have a black humor vibe, akin to Quentin Tarintino's Pulp Fiction's Vincent Vega & Jules Winfield but siblings. Again, a narrative / plot heavy game, there is no combat and interactivity is very minimal. Despite that, the story is unique. I have not come across anything like it.

The art style is very interesting, the CGs and sprites. There are a myriad of character CGs for Andrew and Ashley drawn for the conversations that are expressive with their facial expressions & body language. The style for the CGs is somewhat basic but unique and effective. The dozen or so music tracks fit with the game and a few are nice "bops" that fit like a glove.

As of this writing, chapter 2 of the game was released and certain people think the dream (many online who have no context don't realize it's a hypothetical dream sequence) sequence is controversial, however before that point, our two protagonists do plenty of things that are actually controversial - without giving spoilers - don't toy with dark forces & watch out for Prion disease (as just a few things they get up to)!

I have very high hopes for this one man developer that chapter 3 will hopefully feature more interactivity in terms of gameplay mechanics in certain sections to enhance horror and to be more than essentially a visual novel. Regardless if the dev decides to implement more interactivity or not, I'm eagerly anticipating where the story goes, because this one is most certainly unique if not in premise, then in execution.

7/10 - want to hear more excellent Andrew & Ashley banter while trying to survive cynical and bleak world and I eagerly await to see what they get up to in the future chapter 3

The skinny on Higurashi When They Cry at least this first Visual Novel is:

1) Excellent story concept
2) Poor story pacing (although I'm not a VN player, it took me nearly an entire day to play) versus 20 minutes per anime episode
3) It's a visual novel (one with no game choices, straight up novel)
4) The sounds are good at building suspense, but overly slow story pacing (arguably 'story building') but again, a timesink given this is only one chapter.

Granted, I am not a person who plays Visual Novels, with the exception of the excellent Doki Doki Literature Club which if you're looking for something thought-provoking and suspense-horror based, is somewhat similar. Check it out if you haven't.

If you are hardcore into Visual Novels and don't mind very long pacing (maybe the author gets better at it in future installments, this is his debut VN) and looking for the elements listed above. Go for it.

Otherwise, I recommend the anime, there is a 2006 anime series (by Studio Deen - 2 Seasons, 26 & 24 episodes) and a new 2020 series called Gou (Passione, licensed by Funimation that is running now Oct 22. Presently on epsidode 11 out of 24 planned) with some changes in plot from the two animes. I assume these series follow the visual novels. It is a great story worth exploring. There is also a light novel and manga written by Ryukishi07 but I haven't read or picked up a LN in years.

tl;dr: Good story by Ryukishi07, first VN seems a bit slow but VNs aren't my thing. Current to review new anime is almost half-way finished (episode 11, can check it out by going to Funimation's site, not sure where to get the old Studio Deen anime). Research the LN and manga yourselves. :P

Awesome FPS where L4D, KF and SWAT4 bump heads for exhilarating 4 person co-op gameplay. Fast RPG-like unlock system for weapons, accessories, etc. Heavily inspired from the Robert DeNiro & Al Pacino action thriller "Heat": "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."