Showing posts with label Action. Show all posts
Tournaments – Genre Deep Dive
Elimination Matches
Competitions
and Tournaments act as a sub-genre for a fairly limited group of
stories with it being inherently part of the sports genre and
particularly popular in all sorts of action shonen titles. It has an
enduring appeal which keeps it popping up time and time again and so
it should come as no surprise to find it in the visual novel space.
One of the biggest advantages it offers is the way it provides a
reason for the larger than life cast to clash with one another and
generate the narrative drama needed to keep the player invested. Due
to the heavily regulated nature of a Tournament, it can have clear
boundaries as well as heroes and villains without needing to bring in
the moral complexity of the real world. The match structure gives a
natural vehicle for pacing across the experience with its moments of
tension and calm conveniently building towards the climax. Let’s
step into the stadium and discover why this sub-genre remains a
staple in fiction.
Battle Of The Egos
The
mixture of smaller rounds between groups or individuals and the
larger scale rising stakes makes the perfect stage for the larger
than life characters found in visual novels to show themselves off. Finding a
place to properly showcase the colourful personalities who drive the
story can be a complex challenge and it is here the standardised
structure of a Tournament helps alleviate this tension by providing a
space where they can be believably forced to interact. This is
especially true for any competition involving combat where the
beliefs of the combatants clash as they exchange blows and their
hearts are put on full display for the player. Since there is no
actual danger to the contestant’s lives, both the victor and loser
gain valuable lessons about themselves so they can continue their
character development as opposed to the finality of conclusion in a
more serious situation where the stakes were higher. The Majikoi
series is defined by its absurd and over the top cast so it can make
use of the Tournament genre to parade them around which it does in
Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai! S. Here the old members and the new
comers get a chance to demonstrate their identities and motives one
after another in an orderly fashion where they get their undisputed
moment in the sun. Beyond the battles themselves, the cast get a lot
of time to scheme and bounce off one another to sell their
contrasting egos and values. When it comes to character
development none stands out more than Momoyo since
the whole event and the involvement of Tsubame were all done with the
aim of getting her taste defeat and grow as a person. This major push
forwards for a main heroine acts as a capstone to the other smaller
arcs distributed among the rest of the cast over the competition’s
duration. It brings into focus the many entertaining battles which
occurred and how it has brought the cast together as a community.
 |
| Combat forms the backbone of most Tournaments |
When focusing on a Tournament between factions rather than
individuals the scope of the colourful interactions narrows to the
group the player is following. Yumina the Ethereal’s election war
is a prime example of this trend with it being firmly locked onto the
debate club and those they fight and not playing attention to what
other clubs are doing at the same time. In taking this approach the
game achieves several important aims chief among them being to allow
the characters a chance to endear themselves to the player in a
relatively low stakes environment before the big twist of the second
half throws them in the deep end. By having the focus being on how
their personalities clash with the current opponent, the scope of
interactions can be controlled in order to give a better showcase of
their thoughts and the outline of the arcs which will come to define
later on. Another aim which plays into this smaller scale is the way
its conveyor belt of opponents maintains steadily escalating
challenges and tensions for the narrative. When a new antagonist comes
to confront the debate club they are immediately a threat while also
making the competition as a whole easier to keep track of in a way a
Tournament which jumps between contestant could not achieve due its
sprawling nature.
Controlled Environment
Boundaries
and structure are what give the Tournament genre its distinct and
easily recognisable feel. Regardless of how outlandish the nature of
the competition, all of them adhere to the same basic form the player
has experienced or witnessed in their own lives. This ensures the
game will have at least this base level of grounding in reality it
can then springboard off in order to sell their own unique premises.
It is also a fundamentally ‘safe’ environment, in that the rules
generally protect the contestants from harm which makes the stakes
rely more on the emotional weight of the contestants success rather
than on an immediate sense of danger. These combine to create and
easy to understand and focused narrative space where a variety of
character arcs can be neatly lined up alongside the rising tide of
competitive drama. ‘Sports’ style Tournaments are the most common
structure found in this genre, these being individuals or small
groups fighting each other and the winner progresses to the next
stage. This frequency is primarily because they are simple to understand and
generate excitement when compared to the ‘Humanities’ style where the
entrants submit something and then are given a final standing on a
set date rather than having to directly contend with other people.
A
popular example of the Sports type is Aokana - Four Rhythms Across
the Blue and its Flying Circus which even referring to its
contents as athletes. The spectre of this big event cast a shadow
over the story and the lives of the characters even when it is not
actually taking place. Since the baseline expectations for what the
Flying Circus will entail is established early, the title can have
its individual events parsed through this rigid lens
in order to make each heroines engage in the event specific to them while adhering to the same overall outline. By being a ‘Sports’ type, the cast can be conveniently placed opposite other contestants who
can push them to develop or challenge their values without it coming
across as contrived. These opponents are established earlier in the
narrative and their interactions with the main cast are believable
since they are all heading towards the same destination but only one
of them can make it all the way. A desire to win defines much of the
cast with it pushing the ideas of how competition can lead to healthy or unhealthy growth and traits depending on the way a character
chooses handle their feelings.
 |
| Sci-fi Sports are such a strange beast |
‘Humanities’ type competitions are
an even stranger beast since most exist to enhance already established narrative tension. Sousaku Kanojo no Ren'ai Koushiki utilises them
multiple times across its story from writing competitions to
popularity polls. Each one is placed in the context of the
protagonist’s relationship with another character and the emotions
surrounding them. It provides a legitimate reason for the cast to
clash while not bringing in any negative associations given such
competitions are more of a chance to show off their skills rather
than undermine each other. The game makes sure to frame it in this
positive light as an opportunity for mutual growth and sorting out
their complicated feelings. Rather than lingering and building up the
drama like in a ‘Sports’ type, this is an affair which creates a
small bit of tension before rapidly disappearing when the story wants
to move on.
Build Up And Cool Down
Perhaps
the single most valuable part of the Tournament structure from a
developer’s view point is the natural peaks and troughs created due
to the round system it employs. When a new round starts the
participants are generally announced meaning the characters get to
know who they are up against and this begins the rising tide of
emotion. The two opposing groups then get more interactions and
emotionally clash over who is going to be the winner. Then the
climatic of the curve comes in the actual match and it outcome before
plummeting back down during the cool down following the victory. Some
form of this cycle appears in almost all titles with a Tournament of any kind unless they are engaging in subversion or only
want it for a short duration. The reason this structural outline is
so important lies in how it offers a quick and impactful skeleton on
which the developers can hang the meat of the narrative without
having to constantly worry about pacing the overall experience.
Obviously they still need to consider it on the smaller scale and
towards the finale where their own unique spin needs to be more
apparent in order for the player to not lose interest due to the
structure's repetitive nature.
Koiken Otome leans heavily into this
structure for large part of its playtime in order to fill the void
created due to a lack of external threats. Instead it puts the
emphasis on the cast’s pursuit of personal improvement and rivalry
with their peers. This lack of danger means the ups and downs of each
round serve as the main pacing mechanism while allowing an extremely
protagonist centric flow of events in order to ensure he gets enough
interactions with the heroines. One trait the game inherits from
others in the genre is the way attending a magic or superpowered
school always leads to some kind of battle Tournament so as to frame
this activity as a legitimate competition rather than training child
soldiers. The lack of danger hold an important position here since if
there was a chance of real harm then it would bring up moral issues
such titles are not equipped to address.
 |
| Every section ends with a master + servant battle |
Not all games using this
structure are so devoid of threats and Fate/EXTRA demonstrates how
the spectre of death can elevate this outline. The holy grail war on
the moon uses the round based style where two masters are put up
against each other and the survivor gets to advance to the next
stage. Having this mixture of large scale competition and single
adversary focus gives the room to create a sense of escalating danger
as the contestant numbers dwindle and allow the player to get to know
each master on a personal level. It also lulls the player into a
false sense they know what is coming only for the game to
increasingly subvert it as the quality of the opponents ramps up.
Since each master is both a danger to the player and someone they
sympathise with, the structure gives an inevitability of each final
battle and helps it hold both the cathartic release from death and a
sadness at the loss of the person they have grown to care about.
Conclusion
When
pitting two people against one another their beliefs and motives can
be more clearly viewed through their actions and it is this which the
Tournaments genre in visual novels capitalises on. It provides a
stage on which the colourful cast can act out their play while
allowing both sides to experience growth and continue their journeys
after the match. The structural outline of a Tournament gives the
story a perfect framework to naturally curate its narrative pacing so
can focus on its own unique twists. Competitions of all kinds offer a
sense of familiarity to what might otherwise be an outlandish setting
and helps being the wild conflicts onto an understandable level for
the player to empathise with. As a sub-genre it combines flexibility
with rigidity to form a diverse space for storytelling so it is no
wonder it is popular with both players and developers.
DRACU-RIOT! Review – A Thirst For Romance
Genre – Romance, Urban Fantasy, Slice of Life Play Time – 40 hours Developer -Yuzusoft Steam VNDB
Drinking Deep
After
what seemed like an eternity of being trapped in translation hell,
Dracu-Riot has finally been released and players get to experience
one of Yuzusoft’s older titles, but was the wait worth it?
Dracu-Riot’s effective blend of romance and action creates a smooth
escalation over the course of the common route and into the heroine
routes and makes the most of its vampires to allow each conflict to
feel impactful and unique. Having clearly defined heroines and routes
with only a minimal amount of overlap was a priority for the game
with the emotional through line for each heroine being different and
even the arcs given to the protagonist challenging slightly different
parts of his identity. Couple this with a strong core group of
characters and a set of sympathetic antagonists and the result is an
extremely well rounded package. In terms of visuals it is more of a
mixed bag as even with the face lift this release received it is
clearly an older title with a certain static feeling to many sprites
and CGs. Beneath these elements there is a general unevenness in
terms of character writing, the powers available to vampires and
unwillingness to commit to the concepts of its setting. Are these
shocks to the foundations enough to sink this island of vampires to
its watery grave? Let’s partake of the blood and find out.
In The Depths Of Night – Narrative And Themes
Utilising
action effectively within a visual novel can be a difficult task so
it is a testament to Dracu-Riot’s quality that it is able to tread
this fine line with finesse. It understands how to bring the most out
of the superpowered vampires to create a feeling of danger without
overpowering the romance which is the story’s core focus. There is impeccable pacing as the narrative jumps back and forth between these
pillars to keep the player on their toes and slowly escalating the
danger and drama for a natural ride towards the climax. In the
common route the battles start as small scale scuffles which rise in
stakes until a route is entered where they take a specific aspect of
the action and zoom in on that to make each route feel distinct. This
can be anything from a deeper exploration of the protagonist’s
lycanthrope powers to getting to personally experience the effects of
the vampire drug. Each route also gets a big reveal specific to it
to help shape its identity in a way both complementing the other
routes while also contrasting against the other reveals to create a
complete picture of what is going on. This provides further incentive
for the player to play through all of the routes, rather than just
the ones for the heroines they like, in order to fully appreciate
what is happening behind the scenes.
 |
| Danger is around every corner when vampires are around |
Underpinning these elements is a
line of strong emotions and focused theming made to allow the heroines
shine in their own unique light. Yuzusoft knows their players want a
lovable romance when coming to their games so highlighting the
feelings of love each character experiences front and centre. The player
gets to spend a lot of time in the route heroine’s head to sell the
genuine and innocent nature of their love and the weaknesses which
form the backbone of their character arc. It also helps that Yuuto,
the protagonist, has his own set of character arcs spread across the
heroines to match their stories while struggling with the trials put
before him. It gives a greater sense of Yuuto and the heroines as a
dynamic set of people who react differently to different conflicts
and challenges. The overall shape of the narrative is put together
with a lot of care to ensure the right emotions are communicated at
the correct time for them to feel impactful and a suitable escalation
of what came before.
 |
| We are always told never shown |
Issues
within Dracu-Riot’s narrative are all relatively small in scale due
to how well the overall title manages its load, but there is no
denying these failings do add up over time. The actions scenes are
effective used within the story yet lack in the moment to moment impact due
to the writing in them being somewhat stiff in execution. Perhaps
this is to be expected from a studio mainly focused on romance yet
they will later prove they can write such scenes with titles like
Senren Banka which has stronger textual action. The sub-heroine route
is similarly weak due to the heroine in question being a minor side
character with no real presence beforehand so they have to speed run
a romance for a character the player barely knows. As you can imagine
this leads to a very bumpy experience and fails to justify the actions
of the pair properly leading to it feeling very fake. Then there are
the issues surrounding powers and world building. Dracu-Riot tends to
forget the powers available to the characters when it it not
convenient for them to have these abilities. Yuuto is the worst
offender as the game constantly forgets he has multiple powers for
the sake of create a dramatic situation without justifying why he
cannot just resolve the problem with a power he possesses which would solve it.
 |
| Nothing outside of this island matters |
There is an uncomfortable relationship between the world building and
what the narrative seems to think is important. For example the
player is shown the discrimination against vampires in the city but
is assured it is worse outside in the wider world. Yet this is
something the player never experiences since Yuuto did not even know
vampires existed before coming to the island and even when he does
leave as part of some routes there is a time skip so as to not have
to deal with the outside. This aversion to addressing the world
the game has set up and the overall light tone of the story are in
constant tension to a distracting extent. It wants to hand wave
anything away things which might undermine its desired themes or character
moments while still having these darker conflicting aspects. On a
more minor point, there is an overuse of ‘lucky pervert’ moments
with each heroine being on the receiving end of at least one and it
feels forced for the sake of audience expectations rather than doing
anything for the story.
Vampiric Relations – Characters
At
the centre of Dracu-Riot is the dorm group consisting of Yuuto and
the heroines and their interactions form the pillar supporting every
twist and turn of the story. They come across as genuinely caring and
supportive of each other with the exact nature of this support
changing based on the situation and the heroine route. In Elina’s
route they mistakenly believe her to be pregnant and pool together
their money to help her and in Miu’s route they band together to
rescue Yuuto when he get trapped under a collapsing building. This
adaptability gives their likeable qualities a sense of life beyond
simply being good people and showcases them as a makeshift family unit
with a deep bond amongst them. It also helps that the relationships
between each heroine and Yuuto have their own texture so the
reactions to their pairings can be varied. Providing these connections
offers an avenue for conflict which plays into what has already been
established about the route's pair and act as a test to demonstrate the
strength of their love with everything from insecurities, in the case
of Elina and Rio, to a challenging of ideals, in the case of Mera.
Even the antagonists have a sympathetic angle to them through their
motives and a belief they are doing the right thing. It allows for a
single bit of moral ambiguity which never clashes against the cast in any
complex manner, since the antagonists are still doing something
clearly wrong, yet it is just enough to create a tinge of guilt to the
cast’s victory. This all combines to create a set of characters which are easy
to invest into and pay it back with entertaining banter and heartfelt
moments.
 |
| Miu's attempts at teasing are always a joy to watch |
Nicola
is an oddly constructed character and marks the only characterisation
weak point in the title. Outside of her sub-heroine route she is a
strong addition to the dorm group, but the moment she enters her own
route everything unique about her is stripped away. They start out a
little obsessed with the mythos of vampires and wanting to be cool
just like this fiction to the point of dressing like a man to match
it. This is a fun little quirk and is played off of for humour
throughout the game without ever coming across as mocking her.
However, once Nicola enters her own route all of these unique traits
are completely washed away in favour a blushing maiden who dresses in
female clothes and bends to Yuuto’s interests. It is presented as
being changed by love but is speed and extent do not come across as
believable nor even a positive presentation of this change since she
just gives up everything she is for this one man. This come across as
particularly bad when put next the other heroines who all get a
gradual and smaller shift in their personalities and they also change
Yuuto alongside them in a mutual way to reinforce the idea that they
are in love. As such she stands out like a sore thumb due to this
contrast not fitting within the game’s thematic and tonal
presentation of romance.
Lit By Moonlight – Visuals, Audio And Technical
Rather
than being simple localisation of the original title, this release
makes some touch up to bring Dracu-Riot more in line with the recent
technical quality of Yuzusoft’s catalogue. The biggest of these
changes is the increased resolution of the visual assets which now
pop with colour and life on modern screens with greater clarity then
their original counterparts. While this alteration no doubt improves
the visuals, there is still a noticeable level of awkwardness to
certain portrait poses and CGs giving this game away as an older
title. The higher fidelity merely draws more attention to these
moments than they might have otherwise received. Such blemishes do
not hold prominent enough places to be actively distracting and
instead once every so often the player is reminded of the game’s
age.
 |
| Almost the entire game is set a night |
Despite this age Yuzusoft’s signature light and vibrant use of
chibi CGs to highlight their humour can be seen throughout Dracu-Riot
and ensures the jokes land with the appropriate visual punch. From a
musical stand point the use of character themes for each heroine when
they are the main focus creates an easy to recognise auditory
language to communicate exactly what kind of scene the player is in
for. They perfectly captures the essence of their heroine from the
energetic and odd No Limit for Elina to the innocent and confident
Growing for Mera and stick with the player long after the story had
finished. Beyond these tracks the OST is a fairly normal slice of
life affair with a small touch of vampire fantasy added in to sell
the title’s twist on the standard formula. This makes for a musical
score filled with energy and capable of swapping into dramatic action
when needed without coming across as tonally incoherent due to the
fantasy undertone consistent throughout.
Conclusion
Yuzusoft’s
titles all want to be more than just simple slice of life romances
through adding in a dose of spice and Dracu-Riot is one of their best
attempts at this structure. It utilises its vampiric action to create
an escalating sense of danger which compliments the increasing bond
between Yuuto and the heroines. Each route is given its own threats
and character arcs to keep things feeling fresh and they combine to
create a complete picture of this world. The visual touch ups go a
long way to making this game comparable to its newer peers while
meeting the audience’s expectations for Yuzusoft. All of this is
supported by a cast of sympathetic characters, both friend and foe, who
form a dynamic and engaging space for banter and conflict. It is a
shame it does not properly commit to the consequences and ideas it
brings up and instead side steps them, but it is not enough to
prevent the player from being swept away by the impeccable pacing.
Overall Drau-Riot is Yuzusoft at its best as they display why they
are one of the dominant forces in this genre.
Verdict -
Carves out an exciting balance between its romantic drama and action scenes while maintaining Yuzusoft’s comfortable slice of
life core. Yet when it comes to its themes and some characters there is a
noticeable weakness in their execution.
Pros -
+
Vampiric action is used to create a well paced and exciting
experience which knows when to step aside to let the romances shine.
+
Each heroine undergoes their own distinct arc with Yuuto and has to
deal with different threats so each route has its own identity.
+
A loveable group of heroines and supporting characters are put up
against sympathetic antagonists who nicely challenge them to grow and
engage in entertaining dynamics.
+
Updated visuals and an excellent use of character specific tracks and a loosely fantasy soundtrack create a memorable experience.
Cons -
-
A weak sub-heroine route and an inability to properly commit to its
world building and themes do drag the overall narrative down.
-
Due to the weak sub-heroine route, Nicola sticks out like a sore
thumb for her poor characterisation and inconsistent presentation
when placed next to the otherwise excellent cast.
-
While the updated visual are good they still have a certain lack of
polish to them due to their age resulting a few odd portraits and
CGs.
The Pillagers Of Raillore Review – Two Lives Divided By Disaster
Genre – Medieval Fantasy, Action, Superpowers Play Time – 20 hours Developer - 3rdEye MangaGamer(18+) VNDB
Stealing Your Future
The
technological marvels and achievements of the modern world have faded, its cities now lie in ruins and humanity has return to living in
medieval conditions. The existence of various kinds of superpowers
called Dunamis have shaped this new world and the ruins of the past
are pillaged for anything of value. In this world two young men
living vastly different lives find themselves swept up in the tides
of change and must utilise their unique powers to navigate these
choppy waters. Raillore jumps between the perspectives of these two
protagonists and it is through their eyes the player will witness
this vibrant world with its own social problems. There is a strong
theming around acceptance of others and the damaging effects of
discrimination which helps add texture to even minor characters.
The cast surrounding the two protagonists are endearing and form
entertaining dynamics to further push the groups character arcs and
solidify the side of the world they occupy. When it comes to the
supernatural battles 3rdEye continue to be one of the best at
capturing the intensity and momentum of combat in a visual novel
form. However, there are a number of quite large issues with Raillore
from the protagonist’s stories being detached from one another to
its intrusive sexuality. Are these problems the death blow to this
imaginative world? Let’s steal someone’s power and find out.
Divided Down The Middle – Narrative and Themes
Front
and centre of Raillore’s narrative presentation are the twin
stories of its two protagonists, Reno and Graydric, and their
individual journeys form the solid core around which everything
rotates. Their joint trauma steaming from a catastrophe which
occurred during their childhood leads them down vastly different
paths. Reno ends up as part of the Regulatory Corps while Graydric
sinks into the underbelly of society. Their isolated stories give
them the space to explore these two characters as they unpick the
damage that has warped them. For Reno, he must face this
unwillingness to live without the orders of others while Graydric has
to learn to love himself again after all he has done and accept the
affection others have for him. Neither are initially willing to do so
and their attempts to run away from it even as it catches up to them
gives them strong arcs which feel earned while justifying their long
length. These contrasting looks at the same world allow for a more
nuanced presentation of the various problems it faces and the state
of humanity beyond the walls of Raillore. It frames the characters’
actions within this clashing of circumstances and this helps justify why
their beliefs have ended up the way they are and create a baseline
level of sympathy towards the suffering they undergo. The unveiling
of this world is also slow so there is always something new for the
player to experience even in the later parts which supports
the narrative idea of this as an expansive place filled with all
types of people. Showing these different groups gives the game room
to push its core theme about acceptance and the dangers of
discrimination through both its world and its characters. The
existence of Errors and the use of the threat they supposedly pose as a
justification for terrible treatment is the main way this theme
influences the cast since some become Errors and have to grapple with
this reality. Most of the first half of the game is focused around
this conflict over the existence of Errors and it utilises this time
well to create an emotionally resonant argument against this
discrimination while still making people’s lingering fears feel
somewhat justified. This theming around discrimination is hardly
revolutionary and plays out much as one would expect for it, but its
sincerity and how it is tied into the narrative stakes and character
arcs lend it a memorable quality and a good remainder as to why this
theme is so timeless.
 |
| Acceptance is core to Raillore's theming |
Cracks
start to show when it comes to the transitions between these two
protagonist’s POVs and the way the game handles the points where
their stories intersect. These transition are not smooth in the
slightest with one character’s story coming to a sudden and
juddering halt to swap to the other protagonist so they can have
their turn. It is also unwilling to go back in time and show events
from the other POV and instead continues from the present just
swapping character, but the result is large chunks of time from each
protagonist’s story just being missing and the game have to rapidly
catch the player up to speed. As you can imagine every time this
happens there is a sizeable period where there is confusion about what is going and it draws the player out of
the experience as they have spend time adjusting to the new
information. Another strange choice which plays into this disconnect
is the lack of any pause given where the player is encourage to view
the side episodes which unlock at regular intervals. Instead the game
just continues on and it would not be surprising if the player
completely forgot about them and just barrelled straight onwards
since that is what it encourages them to do. This is a shame since
these episodes do a lot of work for the side characters if viewed
during the sections they are unlocked. Then there is the issue of the
divide between the first and second halves of the story. The problems
around the Errors discrimination have begun to be resolved and the
major players of the narrative have all been put to rest with a
vaguely hopeful future ahead of them. This appears to be a perfect
point to end the game since everything the player was invested in has
met some kind of resolution, but then the game plays a second opening
and just continues onwards. No big twist occurs, no shift in our
understanding to justify a new conflict, it just keeps going.
Eventually, it does create a new solid threat and build on the characters’
arcs, but for a long period there is a jarring sense that the game
should already be over since its main theme and narrative push have
been put to rest. There is even a big fight at the end of the first
half which feels climatic enough to be the final battle since it is
against someone the characters have a meaningful connect to. These
sources of friction in the experience of playing Raillore make it
very bumpy and impede the player’s ability to invest themselves
into the experience.
Yet
there is a more fundamental issue with Raillore’s narrative in the
form of narrative event happening for the sake of the plot rather
than being driven by the characters. A majority of the time when
something important or dramatic happens it is done solely to push the plot rather than being caused by character action or the
consequences of it. In the first half of the game this is not as
present an issue since it can rely on the novelty of the world and
growing escalation of stakes work to conceal this plot centric
attitude. However, in the second half a lot of events and actions
just happen to make for a dramatic moment only to never be brought up
again or otherwise just swept under the rug in favour of the shiny
new twist or battle it has put in front of the player. Without going
into too much detail for the sake of spoilers, there are a series of
plot twists towards the end of the game which almost appear to come
out of nowhere and be disconnected from everything else, all for the
sake of having a final superpowered fight which feel out of place
against the otherwise human and emotional story before this point.
 |
| This pair have great chemistry when they actually get to talk properly |
Another
more minor issue is the way it handles its erotic scenes and how they
feel slapped into the main plot out of obligation. They all begin out
of nowhere, one moment everything is normal and then suddenly
everything is erotic. It is odd to say the least since the
justifications for them are weak at best and almost all of them are not
mentioned ever again once the deed is done. Then there is the
non-consensual undertone to all of the main story scenes on the part
of the male characters. Reno cannot give consent since he is
incapable of saying no to anything people ask of him so it becomes
very uncomfortable when the women who know this fact proceed to
engage in erotic activities with him as they exercise this control.
While Graydric is a normal person and can consent, he somehow ends up
with even more non-consensual scenes, one of which even has him being
tied up while he was unconscious. These are never directly presented
as non-consensual since the game does not seem to care enough to
consider the context or content of them. Yet it is not a great time
for the player to be thrust suddenly into something so awkward to
witness.
Interlocking Lives – Characters
Surrounding
each protagonist is a separate ensemble of characters and while some
do cross over between the pair, the majority stick to their lanes. As
such they are highly focused on being connected to their
protagonist’s story and intertwined with the themes of their side. The character arcs of these groups also tend to mirror
their protagonist's own by taking their core ideas and tackling them from a
different angle. Reno and Tilt both have to grapple with what it
means to choose a path for themselves. While Reno must escape an
unwillingness to do so, Tilt has to confront the truth that the
choices she been making have not adhered to the ideals she thought
they held. Having such a dynamics spread of character conflicts which
push in the same direction allows for the cast to clash and support
each other in an organic manner and sells them as a cohesive and
caring group. It also makes playing as each protagonist feel distinct
since the cast they interact with is so vastly different in feel
to see interact and displays the variety of people
who live in Raillore. This is all extremely important since the game
relies heavily on its character moments to fill the space between
major plot beats and this down time is frequent enough to the point
weak characterisation could have severely undermined the whole
experience. Banter between these characters is entertaining since
they are more than willing to push back against their protagonist and
the emotional tension of the arcs keeps it feeling fresh.
 |
| Ollstatt is perhaps the only good antagonist |
By
far the weakest group of characters are the villains who range from
comically evil to poorly developed. They seem to solely exit for the
sake of introducing conflict rather than having justifiable reason
for their actions. Flat is the simplest way of expressing this lack of substance, they
lack any sense of existing beyond their presence on screen which
stand out in stark contrast to the main cast’s strong identities.
This is a massive issue because the second half of the game is
primarily driven forward through their actions so this absence of
proper characterisation gets pushed in the player’s face. The
weakness of these characters can be seen through one of the recurring
antagonist’s Ellikate who is Graydric primarily opposition. Outside
of being generally sadistic and obsessed with Graydric, there is
nothing to his character and he pops up whenever the plot needs
something evil to happen in order to motivate the cast. His
connection with Graydric is weak at best and is only loosely expanded
upon throughout the entire game so their final confrontation feels
unearned and an emotionally hollow. This is not helped by the fact
the game has to stop the finale briefly so he and Graydric can have
their final fight since he has nothing to do with the main plot at
this point. Unfortunately this acting in the service of introducing
conflict is not solely confined to villains as some of the main cast
will act completely nonsensically in order to create drama. The
character who suffers the most from these twists is Rurunia. She has a plot
twist late in the game which is designed to recontextualise her
actions but actually just makes her look stupid since her plan is so
contrived and relied on a lot of things going right for it to work.
This also leads to her wildly jumping around what role in the
narrative she occupies depending on what the plot needs from her at
that moment and is a symptom of the poor executed nature of the
finale. No other main cast member has it quite as bad as Rurunia, but
many do have moments of stupidity which feel similarly
detached from what would be reasonable for them.
Jumping Into The Action – Visual, Audio And Technical
It
should come as no surprise that the action scenes in a game focused
around big action set pieces are extremely well put together. There
is an extensive use of movement through all aspects of the visual
presentation in order to communicate a battle’s impact and position
of each participant. This is achieved through a clever use of cuts
between images, moving the camera around and a rapid swapping of
character sprites. Cutting between images is used as a means to show
the position of the currently speaking or acting character and often
changes mid sentence to match their continued momentum within the
fight. Meanwhile the camera is zooming and out while shifting around
to match what the protagonist is looking at or show how much they are
being knocked about. What draws all of this together is the wide
variety of character portraits Raillore has specifically for these
action scenes which show the cast in action poses perfect for using
in a lot of different contexts. The soundtrack does an excellent job
at selling the tension and energy needed for these scenes to work and
it immediately tells the player exactly what is about to go down.
Having a generally vibrate fantasy aesthetic to the visuals also
reinforces this energy and pushes the potentially lethal nature of
these conflicts as the magical powers shoot off in all directions.
3rdEye’s expertise really shines here and everything they have
learned from their previous titles has been refined into a smooth and
engaging dramatic clash.
 |
| It is very clear from one look what her outfit aims to present |
If
there is one aspect which brings the visuals down it is the game’s
failure to understand when it is appropriate to display its ‘sexy’
parts. In particular the shoving of panty shots into the face of the
player during actions scenes where they receive a face full of
underwear when they should be focused on the tension and danger of
the situation. These are sudden flashes rather than a prolonged
exposure but the damage they do to the intended feel of an action
scene cannot be overstated. It creates a weird whiplash between male
and female battles with the former being complete consistent in tone
while the later can feel like watching a strip tease. This leads into
how aggressively sexy some of the character’s outfits can be. The
majority are of the mild variety such as Fi and Tilt with the
customary chest hole which is silly look, but well within
what is expected of an eroge and it is easy to put aside. However,
there are character’s like Easla Eilain who the game treats like a
sex object at times. Her outfit barely constitutes clothing with
how much skin it shows and the impossible way it is held together. If
it where only this then it would barely be worth noting but what
makes this uncomfortable is the way everyone ogles her and her sexiness is a constant thought in Greydric’s mind over any
thoughts about her as a person. She does not use this attractiveness
as a weapon or even seem aware of it and it is only through a male
gaze that she is considered this way so making her a victim of it
rather than it empowering her. What makes this worse is the fact she
is a main character in Greydric’s story so is constantly on screen
and regularly subject to this treatment by the game and it is detracts
from her strong personal arc. Coupled with the previously mentioned
sudden erotic scenes, it is clear Raillore has no idea how to handle
its status as an eroge and flails around desperately trying to met
its obligations to the genre.
Conclusion
Creating
a compelling superpower action narrative in a visual novel is no
small feat and the creativity 3rdEye put into Raillore cannot be
overstated. The strong focus on a pair of protagonists allows for
emotional moments to naturally arise around which the combat can take
place and helps give it a greater punch. Clever use of movement and a
larger pool of character sprites provides a reliable sense of what is
happening on screen and where each character is in relation to one
another while also offering quite a spectacle. Surrounding each
protagonist are a cast of characters who’s struggles give context
to the conflicts and invest the player in the outcome so they are on
the edge of their seats at every clash of blades. This is not a game
without issues from its uncomfortable relationship with its sexual
content to the messy way characters serve the plot and these do drag
down the experience in a distracting manner. This brings us to the
elephant in the room, 3rdEye has released another game called Sorcery
Jokers which is extremely similar to Raillore in terms of the plot
structure, overall tone and content and it does not suffer from
the major problems of Raillore. While it does have issues of its own,
they are relatively minor compared to Raillore’s to the point at
which it would be a struggle to recommend Raillore when Sorcery
Jokers is just a better version of it. Raillore is more for a player
who has already finished Sorcery Jokers and wants more of the same
but does not mind the drop in quality.
Verdict –
Dynamic action is supported by a duel protagonist set up to
create a heart pumping and high stakes fantasy narrative. Yet its
many flaws and the existence of a better version of the experience in
Sorcery Jokers make it difficult to recommend.
Pros-
+
Engaging stories for each protagonist with strong arcs and an interesting world to back it up and justify their actions.
+
Lovable cast surrounding each protagonist who have their own stories
and reasons to grow and change.
+
Excellent action scenes which use a smart mix of movement and asset
positioning to great effect while being backed up by a suitably
dramatic soundtrack.
Cons-
-
The duel protagonist structure results in the narrative constantly
starting and stopping due to the disconnected nature of the two
character’s stories.
-
At the end of the first half there is a perfectly good ending point,
but the game just continues on despite all narrative momentum having
come to a stop.
-
Villains are weak and exist just to have something for the cast to
battle.
-
Cast serve the plot rather than themselves and perform all kinds of
nonsensical and contrived actions as a result.
-
Does not understand how to appropriately use its sexual element
leading to distracting panty shots in serious battles and jarring
erotic scenes starting out of nowhere.
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