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By Hemisphere, 9 March, 2010 6:31 AM

Welcome to the world of Serika Shirufiru. Welcome to Ikusa Megami Zero.

Released on June 13, 2008, Ikusa Megami 0 is the prequel of the Ikusa Megami series. It is entirely about the Godslayer, Serika Shirufiru, and his origins, detailing how he who was once human received the loathed and sought-after title of Godslayer, and of the tragedies that followed suit. In all sincerity, this is really one of the most epic eroges out there, and you owe it to yourself to play this one. Not just because this ties in to VERITA, which I’ve been going nuts over, but because it really is very good.

At the heart of Ikusa Megami 0 is Serika Shirufiru, the man who would later become the Godslayer, and throughout the game you control him (for the most part). He’s the pivotal character, and everything happens around him. Kind-hearted and very talented with his sword skills, Serika’s goal is to become strong enough in order to protect the weak and put an end to conflict. He’s similar to other morally upright characters like Emiya Shirou in that regard, though Serika is more compromising when it comes to doing what has to be done and is nowhere near as insufferable. He’s also very much a tennen boke, but not so much when it comes to the fuckans.

The story of Ikusa Megami 0 starts off with Serika and his comrades, comprising of his sister Kaya and his best friend Dalnoth, kicking monster ass as they investigate the matter of monsters attacking villagers. Cue to the first dungeon of the game which is a big tutorial, where Kaya ends up getting separated from the rest of the group only to be reunited with Serika and Dalnoth right before you fight the boss at the end, with some monster-on-girl fuckans in between. Serika later revisits the dungeon in remorse for having killed the resident water serpent, and in his wish to find its infant, he runs into a girl who goes by the name of Sateia instead, who believes that their meeting was destined to happen.

Oh, and he’s also the Yuusha candidate of Balhart, and after a ritual involving him coming into close contact with their “sacred treasure”, he is given the mission of finding a way to purify the said item, the same mission that his father was entrusted with – and failed at, long ago. During his journey to search for the method of purifying the treasure, he runs into several characters and finds out more about the true nature of Balhart’s so-called sacred treasure, and ends up becoming embroiled in something that would lead to several future tragedies.

I’m tempted to spoil the story for you, but I won’t because it’s something that you have to read through and experience for yourself. Admittedly, I’m relatively new to the mythos and world of Eushully so I didn’t get some of the things that happened or were discussed (which is a nice way of saying that the events in Omal mountain in particular confused the fuck out of me), so if you’re new to the entire thing, then heads up – you’re not gonna be able to understand every thing in the Eushully world all of a sudden just by playing Ikusa Megami 0. The story’s emotional value and impact, however, are not to be underestimated.

Discovering that Serika, who only desired power in order to protect those he loved and end conflict, ends up obtaining power by actually killing those he loved, and becomes a cause of conflict; as well as the deep realization that, in the process, he lost not only his purpose for power but everything that actually mattered to him yet gains a new purpose (the promise he made) in the process, was quite a moving experience, one that I was very much glad to play through. It’s much like 君が呼ぶ、メギドの丘で, only Ikusa Megami Zero’s emotional undertones go understated until you stop and actually think about what happened to Serika throughout the story.

While it’s epic in scale and impact, it’s not perfect. There are some parts that do feel awkward, like the “last” sex scene between Serika and Sateia – you’ll know it once you see it. In terms of pacing, the story’s got itself paced nicely – none of the buildups felt too slow or fast, while the immersion factor is such that once it grabbed me, I had a hard time tearing myself away from the game.

With regards to the characters, while Serika is the main focus and star of the game, the other characters are still very interesting and decently-fleshed out, like Sateia. Myself, I ended up being drawn to Rekushumi.

Gameplay-wise, the game’s easy to navigate through, and if you pay attention to the tutorial you’ll know everything there is to know about the system. The combat is simple and easy to follow, with the characters and enemies represented with both statues on the battlefield and cards to designate effects and damage taken as the battle unfolds (something that reminds me of 冥色の隷姫/Princess of Darkness). There’s a nice variety of skills to choose from, such as magic skills, summoning skills, and special attack skills, so you can mix and match your ass-kicking preferences.

Also, certain gameplay decisions can have an impact on the story – for example, depending on how much Steinrura soldiers you choose to run into and fight, their village will either survive or end up being destroyed.

The music is excellent, with some of the tracks sending chills down my spine during certain events or dungeons, while the voice acting is very much remarkable, as the performance and delivery of most of the seiyuus were just wonderful to listen to.

How about the fuckans? It ranges from the bizarre to utterly delishuz, and while some of the scenes might not click well with some people, 41 scenes is bound to make sure that at least some of them end up being memorable enough to replay.

You know what? I’m just going to start rambling at this point on, because this review will never do Ikusa Megami 0 justice. It’s really one of the most epic games out there, and if you’re after an epic experience with fun and challenging RPG gameplay and an emotionally engaging and riveting tale, then go get Ikusa Megami 0, and get hooked on it. HOOKED ON IT, I TELL YOU!

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By Hemisphere, 8 April, 2009 7:15 PM

Ugh…I hate it when I’m being lazy. And when you’ve got a thesis knocking on your door. But ah well, on with the show!

Akatsuki no Goei – I came into this one without any expectations, and ended up finishing three routes plus following up their afterstories in the span of two days. What the fuck.

The setting of Akatsuki no Goei takes place in a future Japan where the equilibrium between the rich and the poor is so completely fucked up that there exists two sides of Japan, the side where all the poor and desolate are left to rot, and the “normal”, prosperous side. The former side exists in a very dystopian state where every day is a battle for survival, while the latter is similar to modern day society only with more reverence and emphasis to those belonging to the upper class. It also follows that the dystopian side is sealed off from the “normal” Japan, and that the people there aren’t socially registered in any manner at all. So you can see that things are really fucked up, but people take it for what it is.

The male lead is Asagiri Kaito, who, unlike his companions eagerly into their training as future bodyguards, doesn’t really have his heart set on being a bodyguard. The game starts off with a brief introduction to a kidnapping scene which Kaito bears witness to, then cuts away to events two weeks prior, where his nature and reasons for joining the academy are disclosed. Kaito takes his leave from his bodyguard training and is set to become a free man until he witness the kidnapping attempt, during which he ends up following the kidnappers all the way to their hideout – not because he wants to protect the victim, but because he was looking for something “out of the ordinary”. So he beats up the thugs, gets the ojousama back to her home, and goes off – at least, he tries to leave. Turns out that the girl he ended up rescuing is a VERY distinguished personality, and she has other plans for Kaito, plans that involve him becoming her bodyguard despite his MOST adamant refusal.

Seriously? I really recommend this game. Kaito’s personality and character is COMPLETELY distinct and different from any other eroge lead I’ve seen – his personality is 50% of the reason as to why I couldn’t tear myself away from this one. The other 50% would be the heroines and the completely intriguing premise and execution of the story, not to mention the various  gags and exchanges between characters. Sure it hits some snags here and there, but it’s still a very good title, one that’s worth checking out if you’re desperate for something new and interesting. My favorite routes would have to be Reika’s and Tsuki’s, partly because I really like their characters a lot, and because of the events involved.

Battle Goddess 0/Ikusa Megami 0 – Just noticed that I haven’t written much about this one, so…yeah. Ikusa Megami 0 is the prequel to the whole series, though to be honest I really haven’t played any other Ikusa Megami titles aside from this one. But what I do know, however, is that this game is just about perfect. The gameplay system is easy and intuitive, battles are fun to get into, and the story is more than just riveting – it’s a very engaging saga, one that’s worth seeing from start to end. For those new to Eushully and their stuff, I can imagine it being more than just a tad confusing, so I would suggest you either get people who are familiar with their works to ease you into it, or to try out their other titles to get more understanding of the world surrounding BG0.

Nothing more about this one needs to be said, aside from it being a must. If you haven’t played this one yet, you should. You owe yourself that much.

At the very least, play it before Himegari comes out this month!

Edo Ranze – After Afker’s several proddings, I went ahead and tried out this one out of curiosity for the tsundere character. It’s merits goes beyond that though – it’s a lighthearted, completely amusing title from the guys over at AliceSoft. Unlike their standard eroges, this one’s purely ADV, and the fun lies in seeing the various GAME OVER scenarios as well as the hilarity in most of the events.

Plus, you’ve got some quirky characters in this one – and I mean, quirky. A loli ninja who gets off from seeing the main lead suffer, two gay guys who both serve as the princess’ loyal bodyguards, among others. It’s a small game judging from its size, so it doesn’t take much dedication to play through and finish unless you’re extremely lazy or have eroge ADD, like me.

Flyable Heart – Unisonshift Blossom’s titles have a fairly singular ambiance or feel about them, and if you’ve played Nanatsuiro Drops, I can say that Flyable Heart shares the same ambiance. It has really friendly characters, bright visuals, and cheerful, light-hearted expositions for the most part – also standard fare for Blossom’s stuff, which I’m not saying is a bad thing. Everyone else has also written a piece about Flyable Heart and I don’t feel like repeating what they’ve said in part because I am lazy, so just go and check out what they said about it.

Kururi, however, is much love. Which brings me to a rambling of sorts – with Unisonshift Blossom’s stuff, how come I ALWAYS end up liking the flat-chested characters more than ANYBODY else? In Peace@Pieces, Anzu and Death-sensei were the girls for me; Nanatsuiro Drops had me smitten all over Sumomo; now in Flyable Heart, Kururi’s got dibs on my heart, and then there’s Gumi! It’s not like I’m biased towards flat chests, as it’s more their personalities and characters that I REALLY end up loving, but the coincidence amuses me. It’s a conspiracy, I tell you.

Mahou Senshi Lemmtear Knights – I’m a newbie to Triangle’s stuff, so this would be my first foray into their eroges. I am NOT, however, a stranger to mahou senshis and the like, as it is one of my most sought-after fetish. If you’re after mahou senshis and ero, then this is a GREAT way to find out and see how the two mix. You play the role of the main baddie whose purpose is to enslave the heroines against him into his side. In order to accomplish this, you have a variety of demons and magic spells at your command, and said enslavement occurs after you engage in combat with the heroines.

There’s a LOT of mahou senshis in this title, which made me really really REALLY pleased. They even have En Ciel Rena in here! And playing as the baddie for the main role was, while a bit disorienting, fitting for the various eroscenes present. It’s just that, you know, I’d rather PERSONALLY see to the capture and enslavement of these bishoujos myself, with my own dick in tow, and not have fat old balding men or demon lizards do the job for me. But this is how Triangle does things, so…eh. I don’t exactly have a choice.

The bishoujos, however, are very much abundant, and very delicious to boot!

Tokino Senka -Would I be right in saying that this is Studio e.Go!’s last title? Tokino Senka involves Amagi Hayato, a young man from the future who wakes up in feudal Japan during a strong thunderstorm, only with no recollection of his memories. His sword skill, however, proves valuable in defending the country that he finds himself in, as well as his special ability to see events ahead of time. He allies himself with the resident lord, Akitsu Yoshihiro, and with him at their side, they set about to turning the tides of war around on their enemies.

Hayato’s a pretty quirky but likable character – he can be badass when he needs to be, and perverted whenever his male instincts call for it. It’s also worth mentioning that HE’S VOICED, which is a very welcome feature as his voice matches his personality very much. For the heroines, I ended up liking Kikyou, Yui and especially Karin the most out of them all, though I kinda wish that Hikage was capturable, or a secret heroine.

It has a decent battle system, which resembles an RTS, though units can quickly degrade into clusterfucks, which is hardly helpful when it comes to en masse battles. Unlike most RTS games, though, only the units are what you can command in this one – no need to build structures or harvest resources to be converted into precious war funds. Storywise, it later involves several “what-if” scenarios that, as a history buff, I found amusing. Like, what if the feudal Japanese armies employed Hoplite tactics? What if they had access to automatic rifles and grenades, or a tank?

WLO – Newprimus has already put up a brief write up of WLO based on his experience with the trial, and it’s already appropriate enough for an introduction as to what the story is about so feel free to read up on it if you want. In my playthrough, I was hesitant in choosing between Yuriko and Arisa, so I went ahead and followed my own advice: “when in doubt, go for the osananajimi“. And so my first playthrough was done with Aina’s route.

Let me get this out of the way first: I hated the protagonist. My god was he annoying, though thankfully he changes before you hit any of the girls’ major routes. Still, prior to that he was hair-tugging infuriating, and I swear I wanted to punch my monitor more than thrice. I lost count the seventh time I felt that raging urge rising within me.

It’s a pretty hilarious title though, and VERY in certain routes and events. I’m in Arisa’s route right now, and the scenes prior to as well as after the play just had me laughing so hard, and that’s just in the beginning of her route. Between Aina and Arisa, I’m rooting more for Arisa. GO ARISA! Her character is more interesting, and her route is more intriguing than a plain old boring osananajimi route.