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keepforward · 3 years

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TMGS4 review from a longtime fan.

Fair warning: here be a completely subjective and disorganized ramble about the game.

TL;DR: GS3 is a peerles masterpiece. With the original team gone, and Konami being the black company that it is, it’s understandable that this sequel would lose some of its shine. Though it has its good points, it’s also got some pitfalls that are worth adressing.

Well, first things first:

WHERE DID ALL MY BAD BOIS GO!?

From Jin Tendo to Ruka and Kou (and even Teru could count, as he was pretty rough around the edges), I really admired how the previous games portrayed troubled youths with emotional issues that the MC would help them overcome with her love.

Second of all: I didn't really like Kazama's route. Being that I have a soft spot in my heart for the earlier games' protagonists, I really wanted to like him, too. Particularly in the second and third games, the "male protagonist" storylines really amped up the angst and character development towards the end of their route -- which I really enjoyed! Now and then, I still revisit Teru's scene where he reveals to the MC that he's leaving Sangosho, just to revel for a little while in the drama and teenage angst (and the voice acting, omg). The fact that you can later choose for the MC to try to give Teru a chocolate for valentine's day, resulting in her heartbroken visit to the now-closed cafe, is just the cherry on the cake, as well.

Ruka's route was even darker, revealing suicidal ideation, and the way a troubled youth deals with the guilt and trauma of losing his parents at a young age. The relationship between him and Kou was also solid; as, through their many interactions, you can really get an idea of how much they care for one another. Their fight over the MC and later reconciliation was so well executed that even something as trite as a love triangle, with two guys fighting over the same girl, became emotionally compelling.

This is all to say that, in comparison, Ryouta's route fell flat for me. In general, I feel like the game tried to do "throw-backs" to previous games -- though not always with the same success as its predecesors. The scene where you find him talking to his father on the phone, for example, immediately made me think back of Hazuki's scene from the first game. Towards the end, the part where Ryouta leaves for England felt similar to the way Teru peaced out on the MC, yet carried none of the same emotional weight. Unlike Teru's case, there was hardly any build up to Ryouta's departure. I wish we'd gotten to know his grandfather.

Throw back, or rip off?

In general, I found most of his events to be rather boring. Part of this might be because my japanese proficiency is pretty limited, but what I got was a rich young man (bocchan) who, at the most, worried about his father's somewhat unethical business attitude, but never really rebelled against it. And his hobby is... fishing (fascinating). His fixation with the MC was too big of a personality trait, and I didn't really enjoy how he kept harping on the MC for not realizing his feelings. He seemed constantly annoyed by the skinship love mode, as well. Bruh, I know they wanted to make it fun and such, but his constant "no"s just made me feel like I was molesting him. Not good. At the Christmas event, all that was going thru my mind was "tf is going on with his hands!?".

- He’s clearly leaning on something, but the perspective and position of the hands just feels weird...

His ending was just "okay". Following a guide, I've gotten his "true ending" twice (first only targeting him, later forming a friends group), and... can I just say the decision to have his past voice as a kid overlap with his current voice was not a good one? It just felt weird, and not too well executed.

I just don’t like how smug he looks here. It’s like he took protagonist’s house key away and is refusing to give it back. Lol.

The idea to make a group of 4 was a nice addition, and I like hat you can chat with them during lunch time. New dialogue options also open up during after-date events, which is always a plus!

That being said, the groups don't feel as "tight" as the ones you could form in GS3. Depending on what you choose, different groups can form, so it doesn't really feel like any of the guys have a strong friendship or bond between them (with the exception of Nana and Iku, who seem to have a lot of fun random events) that would hold/develop without intervention from the MC. There are also no walking-back-home conversations, and no group ends. It’s also a little disappointing that there’s no way to form groups together with the girls (Michiru and Hikaru).

You can form different groups with Ryouta, which, again, seems good in theory... but just leaves me with the feeling that he could not care less about his male friends, and is just along for the ride to stay together with the MC.

The CGs are another point I'd like to talk about. There are some I did genuinely like, but others where I can't stop noticing the weird perspective, unnatural posing, and weird proportions.

getting a headache trying to figure out why the wall is bending that way

I could let it go if it were just one or two CGs looking a bit strange, but when it's *most* of them, then I feel there's a problem. There are some that I feel have no excuse, like Nana's CG where he's taking off his glasses -- only his glasses disappear, but his hand remains in the same position. Not bothering to draw him with his arm down just seems lazy to me (!) for what is a pretty expensive game. Did he just put his hand up again, in the exact same position, after taking off his glasses?

Another pet peeve is that the CGs where you’re talking with the characters at the cafe are now no more than their regular sprites, only placed behind a table. Again, seems lazy. Surely it’s not that difficult to draw a still image??

I realize I've spent a lot of time dissing the game so far, so let's move on to something I did like: Nana's route. I became interested in it after reading a comment somewhere about the way he challenges gender stereotypes and was like... for real?

Yes. For real, and it's probably one of my favorite things of the game so far. I really enjoyed how he opened up to the MC about his cross-dressing, and his CGs are, Imo, better than Ryouta's (though still not completely free of the 'what is going on with these proportions?' syndrome).

That close up of his hand is so unflattering :(

Love mode skinship with him also felt more natural, as he actually asks the MC to get closer. There's still the chance to have a small conversation if you don't fill the meter to the max before getting home, but I found the reply options to be somewhat lacking. Sigh... in general, the removal of the angel / sweet devil dynamic feels like a step-back, and this MC tends to act as if the could have no possible idea, not a single indication of what romantic attraction could possibly *be*, often wondering to herself "huh, I wonder what X meant by that" after their almost confessions.

At least the previous games gave you some leeway on what the MC could be thinking, often just having her go “LI-kun...” after the boy in question stomped off in embarrassment; or moments like:

Going back to Nana, wowever, I also personally felt he was a tad bit... disperse. He was a teenage model who looked up and admired/resented Hazuki Kei, *and* he also cross-dressed, publicly passing as a female, *and* he was also an otaku who enjoyed games and had trouble relating to other people. These characteristics were somewhat tenously strung together, but, by the end of his route, I was left with the feeling that it might have been a better idea to focus on one or two of these characteristics and delve into the 'why' of it, rather than trying to do everything at once in an effort to make a character unique.

I’m also going to comment on the girls. Maybe I need to replay and pay them more attention, but... I didn’t like them as much as I loved Karen and Miyo. I’m not sold that they’re kinda “two for one”, where, for example, you can only give them both the same birthday gift, as this somewhat robs them of their individuality.

Another thing is that it’s difficult to get their CGs without specifically aiming for them (eg you have to join their clubs, or work for the same business). Michiru has a CG where you have to exhaust all conversation topics with her (until you reach the option to ask about love) before october of the 3rd year to get her CG -- mind you, all through random encounters walking back home from school, which the player has no way to influence or control except through trial and error, and a whole lot of reloading.

Only one of Hikaru’s CGs depends solely on her relationship with the MC, and, while I was super excited to see it, the result left me a bit unconvinced. In brief, Hikaru reveals that her always cheerful exterior is a front, and that sometimes she gets tired of it. Assures the MC that soon she will go back to being the same Hikaru as always. MC goes “ufufu!” and... that’s it? Come on, MC! At least tell her there’s no need to pretend in front of you, or something!? Yikes. In comparison, the MCs from GS3 and GS2 are FILLED with spunk and personality.

whoever designed the sweet devil mode deserves a nobel prize of gaming tbh. rip sweet prince, we will always remember you </3

Finally. The teacher. Unfortunately, the older I get, the less tolerance I have for this type of relationships, and I thought the decision to barely make Osako a LI in TMGS3 was a tasteful one (and it’s sweet how he actually encourages you to live your youth to the max!). In this one, I made the mistake of going on one of his extracurricular lessons, which triggered a CG event where they go on a date together. Later, you get an event that you cannot opt out of where they go on another date and he feeds her a fruit sandwich. Again, all that was going through my mind was "eww, inappropriate much???" while having Amanohashi flashbacks (I'm so sorry lmao).