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Messages - blueflower999

#1
Gaming / Re: Blueflower's Gaming Blog and Reviews
November 04, 2018, 06:09:50 PM
It's been a good bit. Because I took a lengthy break from the forums and also had a long period where I didn't play non-League of Legends games, there really hasn't been much for me to put here. However, the time has come. We're going to talk about a game that none of you (barring Maelstrom, who introduced me to it and let me borrow it) have heard of. But first, a little disclaimer.

Warning: The following game is extremely adult. While it appears to be unrated, the game would absolutely receive an Ao rating for adults only. My review will be SFW, but do not play this game if you're below 18. Seriously. Don't. You will regret it.

More specifically, to quote the lovely disclaimer the game greets you with before the title screen:

All characters depicted in this game are at least 18 years old. All persons, organizations, place names, etc. appearing in this work are entirely fictitious, and any resemblance to existing entities is purely coincidental.

You must be over 18 years of age to play this game. This game contains disturbing images and scenes of explicit violence and gore. Please do not attempt to copy, recreate, or mimic any of the criminal behavior described or shown.


With that out of the way, let's talk about a visual novel.

Wonderful Everyday/Subarashiki Hibi:

Wonderful Everyday (or Suba Hibi, as I will refer to it as) is a very lengthy and detailed visual novel game by KeroQ that's available on Steam for an admittedly hefty price of 30$. The visual novel genre is something that I have some experience with from games like Ace Attorney and Zero Escape (which have plenty of reviews in this thread from years back), but this game is a different beast entirely. It's considered to be one of the greatest visual novels of all time and is ranked very highly on the Visual Novel Database, above every game in the Ace Attorney and Zero Escape series.

I was intrigued to play Suba Hibi after Maelstrom told me it was the most disturbing game he'd ever played. I had played Doki Doki Literature Club (maybe I'll get around to talking about that game some day) the year before, and thought I was ready for something a little spicier. Boy, did this game deliver. Suba Hibi goes both higher and lower than DDLC: The disturbing parts are far more disturbing, the satisfying storytelling is far more satisfying, and overall the game has a much better sense of narrative. However, seeing as how DDLC is the closest game that I've played to Suba Hibi, I'll probably make a lot of comparisons between the two. Without any further ado, let's get into some specifics.

Gameplay: 0/10 Without a doubt, Suba Hibi is the worst "game" in terms of gameplay that I've played. Like, there's literally nothing here folks. Yes, there are choices. Sure, there are multiple paths that you can go down, kind of. But even that's pretty basic here. This isn't, say, Virtue's Last Reward where there are, like, a million different paths that you can choose to go down and you get to make choices pretty frequently that affect the ending. It also certainly isn't Ace Attorney where you walk around on your own and present evidence. This game is solely reading text and very occasionally making a plot decision. And by occasionally, I mean very occasionally. Even for visual novel standards, there really aren't a whole lot of decisions in this game that matter a whole lot, which is kind of a bummer. The game has a narrative that it wants to tell and it very rarely deviates from that. This isn't to say that there aren't any important choices or alternate paths, because there are and some are quite good. But you'll often find yourself playing for hours and hours at a time without any input from the player besides advancing the text. All in all, there are four choices in the game that have significant impact on where the story goes. For a game that can easily take over 50 hours to play through, that's an average of more than 10 hours passing without a consequential choice. Ouch. This goes without saying, but if you don't like reading, stay away from Suba Hibi. If you do like reading and enjoy other visual novels, though, stick with me.
 
Addictiveness: 8/10 Suba Hibi has a fairly engrossing plot. It likely won't rob you of sleep in the same way that games in the Zero Escape series can, but it's still pretty engaging, especially after a point. Admittedly the first 10 hours or so are pretty slow, but once the game gets rolling, it really gets rolling. A lot of questions hang in the air throughout almost the entire game, and there are some major plot twists to be experienced, as per the usual with VN's. Admittedly, there are a handful of scenes that are kind of a slog to read through. However, the majority aren't too terrible, and for every sloggy scene there are easily three very entertaining scenes.

And with that out of the way, it's time to talk about something important before I get to the story.

This game is pornographic, hence the presumed Ao rating. We're not talking like occasional nipples either. This game has everything you can imagine, including not one, not two, but twenty-four hentai/sex scenes (by the game's own count, the actual number can be debated but it's somewhere from 20-26 or so). The scenes range from mildly erotic (the entire game is full of still images, so it's not like full motion video or anything) to beyond horrifying. Do they detract from the game? Maybe. Some are a little repetitive and most can be easily skipped through. If you find porn morally repulsive, this game probably wouldn't sit well with you. Don't play this game for the porn, though. It has so much more to offer outside of erotic scenes.

Story: 9/10 This is a spoiler free review, so feel free to read even if you intend to play the game. To put it simply, Suba Hibi's story revolves around the same period of about two weeks told from a handful of different perspectives. The game is divided into seven sections with titles taken from Lewis Carroll works, especially Through the Looking Glass. These chapters are:

1. Down the Rabbit Hole I
2. Down the Rabbit Hole II
3. It's My Own Invention
4. Looking-Glass Insects
5. Jabberwocky I
6. Which Dreamed It
7. Jabberwocky II

In order the parts can be summarized as:

1. Very... anime-ish.
2. Suspenseful
3. Beyond horrifying
4. Depressing
5. Revealing
6. Pure
7. Closure

The game's story is incredibly well-written and explores lots of deep, philosophical themes. A lot of it actually goes over my head, but you can tell that tremendous thought went into the game's script, not just the scenario itself. It doesn't get a perfect 10/10 from me because there are a few plot threads that I don't feel wrap up as conclusively as I'd like, and there are a few aforementioned sloggy parts to the game. However, overall, the writing shines through and makes for a very entertaining read.
 
Music: 8/10 Suba Hibi has a pretty phenomenal soundtrack. Not every piece is worth writing home about, but the game has a surprisingly diverse quantity of songs. Some are incredibly creepy and disturbing for the more horror scenes, whereas others are gorgeous or relaxing pieces for the more upbeat and happy scenes. Impressively, only a few songs grew old on me after playing the game for fifty hours. This is pretty impressive, especially after games like Doki Doki playing the same three songs over and over again throughout the entire playthrough. Below I've listed a few of my favorites. Reading comments on these videos is highly ill-advised.

One of the prettier pieces
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A gorgeous piano piece
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This piece rivals Trepidation from Zero Escape for how terrifying it is
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The gorgeous piano version of the game's opening theme
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Character Design: 11/10 I just gave a score higher than ten for the first time because this game deserve it in this category. The characters in Subarashiki Hibi are unbelievably well written. Virtually none of the main cast are flat archetypes. Everyone is multi-layered, has a deep and complex personality, and feels like a real person. It's truly incredible how unforgettable the entire main cast of this game is. Everyone has development. Everyone goes through hell and back in this game and develops because of it. Even some of the minor characters are really likable and memorable as well. For the first time ever in a video game, I have a hard time picking who my favorite character is. In fact, I currently have a four-way tie for my favorite. Every other element of this visual novel has some flaws to it, but the characters and the writing are absolute perfection.

Humor: 7/10 While not explicitly a comedy game and certainly not as quirky as something like Ace Attorney, Suba Hibi did get a lot of laughs out of me. The game is full of pop culture references, awkward comedic scenes, and overall does have some funny writing. The story knows when to joke around and knows when to be serious. Most of the time, the game is pretty serious, but when it jokes around, it has a fun time.

Difficulty: 0/10 No gameplay, so no difficulty.

Other Memorable Features: The game has a pretty extensive collection of computer graphic art, or CGs, that are all viewable from the title screen once they become unlocked in game. This game boasts some absolutely gorgeous artwork that's definitely worth viewing after you've completed the main story. Additionally, all of the *ahem* lewd-er scenes can be rewatched from the title as well if you're, uh, into that sort of thing.

Overall: 9.7/10 Subarashiki Hibi is a masterful visual novel that has some notable flaws but excels at storytelling, writing, and especially character development. If you're over 18 and have time for a long one, jump right down this rabbit hole.
#3
12. Kirby - 2
17. Pokémon - 6
24. The Legend of Zelda - 2
#4
12. Kirby - 10
15. Metroid - 4
17. Pokémon - 9
21. Super Mario - 4
24. The Legend of Zelda - 7
#5
12. Kirby - 12
15. Metroid - 5
17. Pokémon - 12
21. Super Mario - 10
24. The Legend of Zelda - 13
#6
1. Ace Attorney - 7
2. Animal Crossing - 7
3. Banjo-Kazooie - 9
4. Castlevania - 4
5. Donkey Kong - 9
7. EarthBound - 5
9. Fire Emblem - 10
12. Kirby - 13
13. Mega Man - 14
14. Metal Gear - 5
15. Metroid - 11
16. Pikmin - 12
17. Pokémon - 11
18. Professor Layton - 8
19. Sonic - 9
20. Star Fox - 5
21. Super Mario - 13
22. Super Smash Bros. - 13
24. The Legend of Zelda - 12
#7
1. Ace Attorney - 8
2. Animal Crossing - 10
3. Banjo-Kazooie - 10
4. Castlevania - 8
5. Donkey Kong - 9
7. EarthBound - 9
8. Final Fantasy - 6
9. Fire Emblem - 10
11. Harvest Moon - 8
12. Kirby - 12
13. Mega Man - 12
14. Metal Gear - 10
15. Metroid - 11
16. Pikmin - 11
17. Pokémon - 10
18. Professor Layton - 9
19. Sonic - 10
20. Star Fox - 9
21. Super Mario - 14
22. Super Smash Bros. - 10
24. The Legend of Zelda - 10
#8
1. Ace Attorney - 10
2. Animal Crossing - 11
3. Banjo-Kazooie - 10
4. Castlevania - 10
5. Donkey Kong - 10
6. Dragon Quest - 6
7. EarthBound - 10
8. Final Fantasy - 10
9. Fire Emblem - 8
11. Harvest Moon - 10
12. Kirby - 10
13. Mega Man - 12
14. Metal Gear - 10
15. Metroid - 11
16. Pikmin - 13
17. Pokémon - 10
18. Professor Layton - 9
19. Sonic - 11
20. Star Fox - 10
21. Super Mario - 11
22. Super Smash Bros. - 8
23. Tales - 5
24. The Legend of Zelda - 10
25. Splatoon - 9
#9
1. Ace Attorney - 10
2. Animal Crossing - 10
3. Banjo-Kazooie - 10
4. Castlevania - 10
5. Donkey Kong - 10
6. Dragon Quest - 10
7. EarthBound - 10
8. Final Fantasy - 10
9. Fire Emblem - 7
10. Golden Sun - 5
11. Harvest Moon - 10
12. Kirby - 10
13. Mega Man - 10
14. Metal Gear - 10
15. Metroid - 10
16. Pikmin - 11
17. Pokémon - 10
18. Professor Layton - 10
19. Sonic - 11
20. Star Fox - 10
21. Super Mario - 11
22. Super Smash Bros. - 11
23. Tales - 9
24. The Legend of Zelda - 10
25. Splatoon - 10
#10
1. Ace Attorney - 10
2. Animal Crossing - 10
3. Banjo-Kazooie - 10
4. Castlevania - 10
5. Donkey Kong - 10
6. Dragon Quest - 10
7. EarthBound - 10
8. Final Fantasy - 10
9. Fire Emblem - 7
10. Golden Sun - 7
11. Harvest Moon - 10
12. Kirby - 10
13. Mega Man - 10
14. Metal Gear - 10
15. Metroid - 10
16. Pikmin - 12
17. Pokémon - 10
18. Professor Layton - 9
19. Sonic - 11
20. Star Fox - 10
21. Super Mario - 11
22. Super Smash Bros. - 11
23. Tales - 7
24. The Legend of Zelda - 10
25. Splatoon - 10
#11
Off-Topic / Re: DO WANT.
July 19, 2018, 05:17:50 PM
Please stop double/triple posting. It's irritating and unprofessional.  8)
#12
Off-Topic / Re: The Introduction Thread
July 13, 2018, 11:29:19 PM
Quote from: Dude on July 13, 2018, 08:25:01 PMoh please, like you read it either
of course i didn't but he doesn't need to know that ::)
#13
Off-Topic / Re: The Introduction Thread
July 13, 2018, 07:37:34 PM
Quote from: Dude on July 13, 2018, 06:27:54 PMtl;dr;
Aw come on, don't be rude.

Welcome Inkling  :)
#14
Quote from: Bubbles on July 07, 2018, 08:30:04 PMbump bc its tanabata again and i made another little bamboo wish plant :-) its so cute and i'm v happy

also realized i missed last year but dw i made my tree then too!! just forgot to post about it apparently
Yay happy Tanabata Bubbles  :D Hope Orihime and Hikoboshi grant your wish
#15
PC / Re: Kero Blaster Sale Topic
June 22, 2018, 01:00:22 PM
Quote from: BrainyLucario on June 22, 2018, 09:54:03 AMThere are also other games on sale too, but who cares
This isn't the thread for that. Can't you read?