EPTI finished up 2 more VN and decided to do another blog!
This time we have an old Key favorite: Air and an even older game released in 1997, Moon. by Nexton
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/30u1UWY.gif)
Air was Key's second VN and is well known. Well more so because of the anime
I have seen the anime prior to playing this game, but was pretty confused so I thought perhaps the VN would shed some light of it
Unfortunately, I think the VN was even less clear about what happens except for the very last scene with the boy and the girl on the beach. Here the boy has a little soliloquy that explains a bit more.
If you don't know already, the story is about Kunisaki Yukito and his journey to search for the girl in the sky. While traveling he ends up in a quiet little town where he meets the three heroines of the game, Kano Kirishima, Minagi Tohno, and Kamio Misuzu.
The anime was pretty faithful to the game and if you've seen the anime, you aren't really missing much. The only reason I kept playing was because Yukito is one of my favorite male protagonist by far. Everything he does is just so entertaining, yet at the same time, he knows exactly what to say or do to the girls. It's hard to put it into words, but he is portrayed way better than in the anime.
I particularly enjoyed Minagi's route. It is one of the few routes I played where taking the girl for yourself is an option, yet sort of a bad ending. Basically, the ideal end is giving her enough strength and support so she returns to her family, but not too much so she ends up relying on you.
I think it's really wonderful how they did it, even if the good end -> no HCG lol
Basically if you do it with Minagi, you get the "bad end" which just kinda has you second guess yourself.
The some of the CG in this game is kinda questionable
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/22GIBN1.png)
I agree...
but most of it is pretty good
The save/load is kinda old styled, but I'm just nitpicking here
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/CplVmFh.png)
I think most of the old games are like that so no worries
The game is pretty long, and took a while to get through.
I kinda disliked playing the final route, with the crow, because it's basically the same thing over again. Until you get to the end where new things happen.
Overall, I'd say a decent VN, but probably one of the more lackluster from Key.
Next we have Moon.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/NdlGi6x.png)
A pretty old VN released in 1997 by Nexton.
Apparently most of the staff that created this game later became the staff of Key which is pretty cool to know. Jun Maeda was one of the leaders in creating the game
The main story follows Ikumi Amasawa, who enters Fargo, a mysterious organization to try to find out the truth about her mother. The game starts up in a bus scene, where she meets Haruko Mima and Yui Nakura. Each of the characters entered the organization for their own personal reasons, but all include family members.
Pretty cool that even before Key, they decided to focus on family as a sensitive topic.
Anyways, so Fargo is a cult organization and the "volunteers" go to gain a "mysterious power". To gain the mysterious power, the girls undergo "mental training" which involves rape and machines that relive your past memories. However, before they enter the building, they are sorted into 3 categories. A, B, and C. A has the highest capacity and C lowest. C is treated the worst, with limited space and no bathrooms. A is treated the best but is very rare. Ikumi is placed in A, Yui in B, and Haruko in C.
The ranks are determined basically by how horrible your life has been
A ranks are treated with respect but they are only 2 members including Ikumi. They dont get raped but under go training with weird machine rooms called Minmes and Elpods. Basically they force you to go through past memories that you buried to protect yourself.
The three groups are not allowed to interact and are placed in separate buildings. However Ikumi learns of a secret passageway that connects all three. So the three girls try to help each other out and escape together once they accomplish their goal.
It's a pretty short VN. And it is short. But the pacing is really fast and I would categorize it as sort of thriller/mystery.
You navigate each day room to room and interact with what happens. The navigation is pretty awkward at first.
It reminds me a bit like Mappie from Rewrite but I guess it should've been the other way around lol
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/WX0HMBW.png)
It's pretty cool because you yourself is moving around the map indicated by the red dot.
However, the major gripe is actually moving. If you could use the arrow keys to move, it would've been FANTASTIC
However you have to click, East, West, South, North to move in those directions.
Unfortunately that sort of sucks, but you get used to it after a bit
It was enjoyable enough, but the story kinda sucks and is a bit shallow.
There are some plot twists that is pretty cool (truth about your mom and Ikumi)
The pacing of the game was really nice and the atmosphere it held was dark and mysterious
Music is simple, with very few tracks, but worked well
I know I keep mentioning this, but the pacing of the game was what made it so good
The way it kept getting you to get/move through the game was engaging
However, the ending was kinda meh, and I was really disappointed.
Overall, I'd say it was average at best, and if you have time it's worth checking out
So that's the end of this blog!
Hope you enjoyed it and I'll review some more soon~
Sorry about the early submit
I kinda rushed the last half so please excuse any errors
