vntako

[vntako]

vn* in a bottle: petit game collection vol.1

hm, i guess there's a bit of an irony talking about this before needy girl, but here we are. i played this with my darling and had a really nice time

this game is a spin-off of needy girl overdose / needy streamer overload. it's collection of 3 minigames and a developer's notes room. it's retro goodness, not that i'm that old to know. i did play toradora portable though, and that had some extra content similar to this. i guess that main difference is that you're paying for this extra content, huh. i feel it's pretty worth it if you really like needy girl

only one of the minigames is a vn, so let's talk about that last

break out kangel

it's kangel breakout. this one is entirely in japanese. it'd be fine if there wasn't a little bit of dialogue, but otherwise you're not missing anything

i'm not sure how common it is to have strip breakout as an extra minigame in vns, i've only played one other that has something like this, but it kinda feels like a staple to include if that makes sense? i could be wrong. i don't exactly know what to search online to find that kind of info, too

anyway this is just strip breakout. break the blocks, collect the falling power ups and uh remove kangel's seifuku. simple as that. she's ofc wearing smth under that, there's no nudity in this game

don't die, kangel!!

this one may generally be found to be more enjoyable than breakout. it's a shmup where you shoot your fans with meds. i like the art, it's super cute. though i could say about every kangel and ame art in this game

there's a bit of story that's mildly engaging, i found it neat. you're typically here for the gameplay though

the street is just a background, you stay entirely on this screen. you have pills to use as ammo, and your only objective is to not die (like the title tells you). after a few waves of nerds, a boss appears. and there's three bosses to beat

after a wave you get to pick a new pill. picking the same type of pill upgrades it. they're pretty self-explanatory. then it randomly shuffles some of it into your ammo every time you reload. also you reload with RMB, which also lets you dash a bit

it doesn't take that long to beat (this is stage 1's clear screen though). i had a fair bit of fun with this one. you do have to beat the boss, but you can let every other nerd just pass you

kangel's room

this is the credits. the people who worked on the game have stuff to say, so listen properly!!

ame's happy happy dating game

i couldn't screenshot this one properly, so please forgive the clutter. i don't really wanna crop it all so in exchange i offer you uh, you get to see my wallpaper

it's been that for a few months now

ame wants to go on a date with you, so you better choose well!! i think the most interesting part of this game is that it let p-chan monologue their thoughts. they're kinda messed up

ignoring the fact that i only took this screenshot now, you get to pick where you wanna take ame on a date for the next few days

since you get to pick, there's a good and bad ending, naturally. better not give her a bad time, mmkay?

i realized once some cgs showed up that this is where people have been getting those nice ame wallpapers from. the art for the vn is nice, it's really neat and clean, and ame looks super cute. the music is mixed a bit weirdly at times (kangel's theme is so loud) but overall i liked the aesthetic direction here

p-chan is here to give us a description of the world as someone really close to ame. however they describe things reflects how ame sees it. ame is fleshed out so much more than we see her in the base game through p-chan's monologues here (the base game does it great though lemme just clarify). i mean more to say that this format lets people stay and really be with ame past the webcam app on p-chan's screen. it feels a bit dangerous, to occupy the same space as her. and of course it is, ame being who she is. though that goes the same for all humans

i think the bad ending represents a lack of consideration and care one might have towards people. i went for it "just to see what it would be" without regard for how someone might feel about it. it tracks given the conditions for that bad end, too. impulse, disregard, the absence of seeing while doing.

going for the good end kinda feels like a chore, given you have to see everything in the game. though, it's supposed to feel more like a prayer, i think. a connection with ame, of sorts? seeking out and trying to understand her through the places she goes and hearing what she thinks. it might not be something you'd consider pleasant, but few things in life really are. even less so for humans. ame is a human

it's easy to connect with angels, all you need is the internet. i want to connect with human beings, too

[vntako]

got the game on steam and it has a photo studio. it's on a small discount rn, go get it here

vn in a bottle: her tears were my light

ah i've found something very nice

decided to read some short vns to figure out how to write one and i thought this first one i went for appropriately explicitly defined starts, middles, and endings as part of it's narrative. along with the whole time travel shebang (you play as time) i found this was a bit too appropriate for what i was deciding to write but thought hey this is the universe nudging me gently into finishing the thing.

the story starts with time all alone, and finding space. i love the whole love at first sight schtick, oh and there's an implication of fated lovers thing ("it's like i've met you before" and all that jazz)

space is very cute

i find it difficult to talk about this game without spoiling it bc it's really short and there's not much to say about the exposition apart from space being super cute (the whole thing is around ~30 mins for me, at least less than an hour)

well, to be a bit less vague, i like the story's themes of loneliness. relationships are a complex thing, and memories aren't so reliable sometimes. and people do ultimately change. we misunderstand, we discuss, we compromise. i like that the story reminds us to do our best to try not to leave anyone in our lives lonely.

oh the the fluff between the characters is great, i like a lot

OH forgot to mention the music, it's super good. it fits over the emotional parts so well, especially the true ending song geez. also there are vocal tracks in the extras using eleanor forte and they're really good i need them on like, spotify to put in a playlist (one of them is there, it wasn't my fav but this is pretty nice)

go play this game it's free on itch over here you can play it in your browser no downloads just a bit of loading time

her tears were my light by NomnomNami (itch.io)

spoilers beyond this point

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if it gets you to play it you should know you get to kiss the girls

so you have to save space from being killed by this other girl nil, and she has the power to stop you from rewinding so you gotta start at the start every time you try to save space

the whole "doing different things but always leading to the same result" (insanity) plot line is very appealing to me, and this vn has that. space is killed every time you try to reset. you reset anyway. wowza. i love that.

eventually, we find out nil and space are the same, which is implied by their similar appearances and parallels and stuff. i like that, that's cool, so at that point the goal for you is to reconcile the two of em despite them being polar opposites of each other (space is the girlfailure and nil is the girlboss)

it genuinely hurt me resetting out of the nil ending btw, i didn't get a screenshot but jeezums (nil is best girl sorry)

a few resets in you get to have this moment with space

it's great

i don't like that this kiss decides you abandon nil, though. well, you come around eventually.

you get the true beginning by talking things out with nil, making up for what you've done (even if you don't remember), and deciding not to abandon either of them. that's great, i like that a lot. talking is good.

nil is super cute

to talk a bit more, i like how nil gets so desperate to the point that time misunderstands her intentions. i think, that like happens a fair bit in real life. heck if someone forgot about me to go and have fun with someone else i would uh, die. time hears her out eventually and they come to a compromise and it all works out for the three of them. they both forgive each other. and space doesn't die (yay)

the true beginning is basically a poly ending and that makes this vn a 10/10

[vntako]

i didn't wanna just put the basic image tumblr provided here's a screenshot promoting ONE on discount (yes i haven't played it). and speaking of not playing vns i have played surprisingly little considering my interest in the medium. it's a bit surprising it's been a year since this blog was created (and even more surprising i've done nothing with it since *checks notes* january this year)

i'll use this time i have now to make a page of all the vns i've read (that i remember) (it's not a lot). thinking back since may 30 of last year, my favorite is probably uh canto V limbus company, if you'd count that. canto VI was really really good but i think i like the buildup in the beach intervallo, then the pure rage from ishy throughout her canto, leading up to her moment of clarity. also i really like ishmael. this segment should probs be for celebrating my pjmoon blog's anniv (yesterday, did not prepare anything)

page link here: https://vntako.tumblr.com/vns

too lazy to update stuff rn but you get the idea, it's nearly midnight here and i need to do my dailies

[vntako]

mixed miscellanea: under 30 minutes

short thoughts on ripples, negaeba, liar liar

"ripples" is—as its author describes—the beginning of a journey. it's only like, 10-ish minutes long, and it's free

sakevisual: Ripples

i find the story behind this vn helps reinforce its message. the story of a person deciding to make something for their friend to cheer them up is a bit cheesy i think, and an action with so much sincerity behind it. and ripples is very sincere about its message. the protag is a big jerk, but he meets a girl who shows him the sincerity in people. how like, people can be so wholeheartedly and so unashamedly honest in what they believe in.

i tend to like these kinds of stories where the characters act as mouthpieces for clashing philosophies. it's probably the whole dialogue aspect of it. talking to each other, hearing each other out, discussing, changing. i like to believe i can change the world, but a part of me vehemently denies that. mm. well, whether or not it's true, i don't think it's too hard to see that we make ripples (wao) in each other's lives no matter what we do

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"from the bottom of the heart" (negaeba kitto...) is a short story, shorter than ripples up there, this one is even less than 10 minutes

al|together 2008 "CROSS THE RUBICON" official website (insani.org)

it was translated along with a few other vns in al|together (i believe the first translation for narcissu was released in an earlier al|together, so the project is very dear to my heart). you can find downloads for this one and others in the link above. i don't actually have much to say about this one, it has a nice soundtrack, and i do agree with the author's sentiment in the Read Me.txt

sometimes a story is just a story, and not anything groundbreaking. this one tackles themes of regret and redemption. i feel a few elements were underused, such as the protagonist and the love interest having the same illness and being admitted at the same time that seems to set up for something more than what we got.

i can appreciate negaeba in that it's a story about weakness, i think. or something adjacent to that, probably? weakness and wanting to make amends, is perhaps a bit more precise. the story ends abruptly, and while i do think it certainly works as an ending to a story, i was left a bit unsatisfied with this one.

ooh, i will say i quite like the music in this one, though.

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"liar liar" is a short game made in 5 days. the author describes it as a test for technical code stuff exploding into smth else

Liar Liar by tokimekiwaku (itch.io)

a compelling plot is understandably not the main goal of this vn. despite that i found it kinda compelling. got the good ending on my first try and i thought the sequence of events was engaging enough. i find the art direction appealing too, it's super cute. went and did the other endings after too.

i wanted to play this a few years back in high school but never really got around to it for some reason. i had more fun with this than i expected ngl.

i didn't expect it to but you can look at this as a sorta women empowerment kinda story i think. both girls in the story are screwed over by guys in diff ways (cheating, stalking) and they exact their revenge upon them and the system by killing 'em. idk. it's something like that methinks.

vague spoilers for good ending here

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the good ending tells us that having a support system is a good thing and knowing you having someone to be there for you helps keep you safe. or smth like that.

[vntako]

Happy Birth!

A thank youuuuuuuuu

[vntako]

vn in a bottle: her tears were my light

ah i've found something very nice

decided to read some short vns to figure out how to write one and i thought this first one i went for appropriately explicitly defined starts, middles, and endings as part of it's narrative. along with the whole time travel shebang (you play as time) i found this was a bit too appropriate for what i was deciding to write but thought hey this is the universe nudging me gently into finishing the thing.

the story starts with time all alone, and finding space. i love the whole love at first sight schtick, oh and there's an implication of fated lovers thing ("it's like i've met you before" and all that jazz)

space is very cute

i find it difficult to talk about this game without spoiling it bc it's really short and there's not much to say about the exposition apart from space being super cute (the whole thing is around ~30 mins for me, at least less than an hour)

well, to be a bit less vague, i like the story's themes of loneliness. relationships are a complex thing, and memories aren't so reliable sometimes. and people do ultimately change. we misunderstand, we discuss, we compromise. i like that the story reminds us to do our best to try not to leave anyone in our lives lonely.

oh the the fluff between the characters is great, i like a lot

OH forgot to mention the music, it's super good. it fits over the emotional parts so well, especially the true ending song geez. also there are vocal tracks in the extras using eleanor forte and they're really good i need them on like, spotify to put in a playlist (one of them is there, it wasn't my fav but this is pretty nice)

go play this game it's free on itch over here you can play it in your browser no downloads just a bit of loading time

her tears were my light by NomnomNami (itch.io)

spoilers beyond this point

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

if it gets you to play it you should know you get to kiss the girls

so you have to save space from being killed by this other girl nil, and she has the power to stop you from rewinding so you gotta start at the start every time you try to save space

the whole "doing different things but always leading to the same result" (insanity) plot line is very appealing to me, and this vn has that. space is killed every time you try to reset. you reset anyway. wowza. i love that.

eventually, we find out nil and space are the same, which is implied by their similar appearances and parallels and stuff. i like that, that's cool, so at that point the goal for you is to reconcile the two of em despite them being polar opposites of each other (space is the girlfailure and nil is the girlboss)

it genuinely hurt me resetting out of the nil ending btw, i didn't get a screenshot but jeezums (nil is best girl sorry)

a few resets in you get to have this moment with space

it's great

i don't like that this kiss decides you abandon nil, though. well, you come around eventually.

you get the true beginning by talking things out with nil, making up for what you've done (even if you don't remember), and deciding not to abandon either of them. that's great, i like that a lot. talking is good.

nil is super cute

to talk a bit more, i like how nil gets so desperate to the point that time misunderstands her intentions. i think, that like happens a fair bit in real life. heck if someone forgot about me to go and have fun with someone else i would uh, die. time hears her out eventually and they come to a compromise and it all works out for the three of them. they both forgive each other. and space doesn't die (yay)

the true beginning is basically a poly ending and that makes this vn a 10/10

[vntako]

vn in a bottle: juniper's knot

jan 7 2024 edit: a link to the game (it's free)

Juniper's Knot on Steam (steampowered.com)

felt bad and decided to finish some vns in my backlog and ended up reading juniper's knot. iirc i usually see this recommended for being short(<1h), free, and not-so-terribly-anime, and generally hear it's of a certain good quality. i'm extremely impressed by the writing on this

the writing feels somewhere between prose and poetry sometimes, delicious. and the "dialects" the two characters have, the moments where one clarifies what the other meant are not too terribly confusing (which i would conceptually expect them to be). music, art, sounds are great

this vn is great and the emotional beats do not miss, i think. i feel like the pacing was pretty nice, not perfect but nice enough that i don't have any immediate criticisms (also i don't usually have criticisms but uh). and i think it's a really great story for what it is

somewhat spoilers but i should just make a tumblr blog for these considering twitter doesn't let us write anything

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stories related to loneliness, regret, and time are extremely appealing to me, personally. i did not expect to like this as much as i did.

the fiend is a cute

oh i love this line by the end, "i'm really glad you're a fool." or smth paraphrased can't be bothered to open it up. the fiend reminds me somewhat of my darling, or my darling as i perceived them as sometimes. as someone i view with many more interactions with the world, fond of cracking jokes despite having a cynical viewpoint ("Comedy"), and generally being a bit playful and teasing of the boy. oh right, she hates her existence too ("the biggest joke of all." or similar)

i can sympathize with the fiend too, why, why wouldn't you want to kill everyone and everyone adjacent to everyone who has ever wronged you? though mass genocide obvs isn't the answer, it's definitely a sentiment. my, to punish you for simply for existing, it's more than enough to stir up that sort of rage.

i like the boy's character fairly well enough too, and i think he serves his purpose as a simple man who's kind enough to help. in times of need, i'd like a person like that. and i'd like to be that kind of person when one needs it, too. not to say he doesn't necessarily have his own character, but i resonate with it less than the fiend's.

any miscommunication they had was solved by clarifying and talking it out, it's great