Operation Backlog Completion 2024
Feb 282022
 

For our final review of this year’s Valentine Video Games Festival, we’ve got a big one to discuss: Cupid Parasite, an otome in which the main character is literally Cupid.

Cupid is a young goddess who realizes that humanity has made all sorts of advancements on its own, but the gods won’t acknowledge that. So she descends to Earth to prove that she can bring couples together as a human, without using her bow.

Under the name Lynette, she becomes an advisor at Cupid Corporation, a prestigious matchmaking company, and her big opportunity comes when she’s asked to take charge of the matchmaking for five male clients who have been nicknamed the “Parasite 5.”

From an actor so obsessed with mythology that he can’t stop talking about it for five minutes, to a businessman who refuses to appear in person and sends a representative in his place, the Parasite 5 have proven to be so troublesome for the company, she’s guaranteed a promotion if she can help them find love.

Cupid Parasite is a romantic comedy, and it is funny. There were parts of the common route that made me laugh out loud, and a lot of the routes had equally funny moments.

(The secret route was also so much funnier than I expected.)

When I finished my first route, I was already satisfied. I enjoyed it so much that I would have considered it a game worth playing even if I didn’t like the rest. Little did I know he wouldn’t even end up being my favorite, with a couple of the others unexpectedly rising to the top.

Click for my attempted Cupid Parasite route ranking
Allan has to be near the top, which I did not expect when I first saw him. He’s either first or second, with the secret route taking the other spot. I felt guilty doing any other route after Allan, but then the secret route ended up being incredible too.

Ranking in third is Shelby, whom I went for first and expected to be my favorite. He’s wonderful.

Fourth has to be Raul, because he’s just so much fun.

And then Gill and Ryuki take up the final two spots, probably Gill fifth and Ryuki sixth. Gill was sweet but a little annoying (on the other hand, the CAR SCENE), and Ryuki had a nice story but just didn’t appeal to me as much. …He also suffered because I did his route right after Allan’s, though. Sorry, Ryuki.

This is one of the rare ones where I’d say I loved every route. I liked some more than others, but even my least favorite was still good.

(Although for a minor thing that bugs me, how did they give a character the last name Lovecraft and not acknowledge H.P. Lovecraft at all?)

The romances all feel natural, and their stories go in different directions depending on whose route it is. They’re fairly lighthearted, although a few have more serious plot stakes, and some of the “normal” endings are arguably more interesting than the best endings.

I also appreciate that it doesn’t keep the protagonist in the dark for too long. Certain characters have secrets that the player learns before Lynette does, but once you’re actually on their route, she usually finds out pretty quickly.

I had so much fun with Cupid Parasite, it’s already one of my favorite otome games despite not having as strong a focus on plot as my usual favorites. It’s romantic and hilarious, and I love these characters so much. A fandisc was recently announced for Japan, so I can only pray it gets localized.

What better way to end the romance game festival than with an excellent otome where you play as Cupid? Today is your last chance to enter this year’s contest, so check out the details and leave a comment below with your thoughts on Cupid Parasite!

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Feb 252022
 

Today we’re taking a look at another otome, this one being A New Don.

The main character is Fia, a young woman growing up on a hog farm whose dreams of going to the city come true in an unexpected way when she inherits the leadership of a mafia family.

It’s a short visual novel with several choices that let you get to know either Andino, the old Don’s right-hand man who has some secrets to hide, or Giacomo, the old Don’s grandson who hates Fia for taking what he thinks should have been his.

Several choices can also lead to death, so it’s a good idea to save often.

A New Don does a good job with its setting and story, and with making its major characters sympathetic. There are some fairly emotional moments. I did feel like the romantic chemistry could have been built up a bit more; it feels less like burgeoning romance so much as shooting people together until you realize you want to kiss.

(Then again, maybe that fits the setting.)

One of the things that drew my attention to this visual novel was that it’s by Heiden, the same developer who made Dr. Frank’s Build a Boyfriend, which I really enjoyed. A New Don isn’t nearly as funny and lighthearted as that one, although it does have some moments of humor (especially since you have a giant hog as a pet).

Overall, A New Don is an enjoyable otome that you should play if you’re looking for a short crime story flavored with some romance.

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Feb 232022
 

Last year I mentioned that I’d picked up the third LoveKami game in another visual novel bundle, so let’s keep the tradition going and talk about LoveKami -Healing Harem-.

Like its predecessors, it’s set in a world where goddesses have come to Earth to learn more about humanity.

It starts when the protagonist helps out a Tatarigami, a goddess whose powers bring trouble and misfortune, and she immediately declares herself to be his wife.

This causes conflict with the region’s guardian goddess, who is a reformed Tatarigami, and another goddess close to the protagonist (who also brings misfortune, but more in a “bad luck” sort of way than the dark powers the other two have), who then declare themselves to be his better half and mistress respectively.

As usual for the series, Healing Harem is largely a kinetic novel, with a single choice partway through that puts you on one of the three routes.

It goes all in on the fanservice, and as you might guess from the title, it doesn’t even try to pretend it’s anything other than a harem fantasy. Two of the routes specifically involve the goddess in question dealing with her jealousy of the other two, although the remaining route focuses more on the goddess wanting to do nice things for the community.

The story is lighthearted and has some interesting moments, although the romance feels a bit odd since all three are already in love with the protagonist to some degree.

(One of them is also a yandere, and her route basically runs with that as a character quirk you must accept.)

Healing Harem’s story setup makes me wonder if it would have worked better as a fully kinetic novel with all three stories occurring at the same time, since the route structure doesn’t make as much sense when they’re a harem anyway. Anyway, it’s a more interesting story than Divinity Stage, but not as entertaining as Useless Goddess.

So if you’re there for the fanservice or the jealous harem fantasy, or really like the LoveKami universe, LoveKami -Healing Harem- makes for a decent addition to the series. Are there any diehard LoveKami fans out there? And don’t forget, the previous two LoveKami games are among the prizes you can win just by leaving a comment in this year’s contest!

(Meanwhile, on the other end of the visual novel spectrum, an official tweet suggests we might actually get the Chaos;Head Noah/Chaos;Child bundle in English!)

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