Operation Backlog Completion 2026

Celebrating All Things Romantic: I’a I’a Cofflhu Fhtagnyaa

 Celebrating All Things Romantic, Reviews, Video games  6 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Feb 082021
 

When you read the title I’a I’a Cofflhu Fhtagnyaa, you probably think one of two things: either “What is that nonsense supposed to mean?” or “Is that some sort of coffee Cthulhu joke?”

Yep, it’s a play on “coffee” and the “Cthulhu fhtagn” chant.

I’a I’a Cofflhu Fhtagnyaa follows a young man named Skar (or possibly Ska or Scar) who takes a job working a strange coffee shop recently taken over by a woman named Nako (or maybe Naiko). He meets two friends of hers and soon learns that something about this coffee shop is very strange…

…because the three girls are actually incarnations of Nyarlathotep, Hastur, and Cthulhu.

They’re fairly benevolent despite being eldritch abominations, which might be explained by there actually being more than one Cthulhu, etc., but since it also uses “Cthulhu” as a general term for all three, I’m not positive about that. You get a chance to back out for an early ending, but if you choose to stay on at the coffee shop, another choice will put you on the path of romancing one of these three entities.

When I saw this weird Cthulhu romance game pop up on Steam, I had to check it out. Unfortunately, the English translation is bad.

Really bad.

I’ve read visual novels with translation issues before, but in this case I believe it was machine-translated, because the whole script feels more like it was run through Google Translate than actually translated by someone.

It actually adds some unintentional humor, but it also makes it challenging to read. In addition to the awkward lines, the translation routinely mixes up pronouns and even changes character names.

There are a few other issues as well, such as a lack of proper text-wrapping, an odd screenshot delay that resulted in most of my screenshots having blank dialogue boxes, and a problem with the settings where the voice volume slider and the sound effect volume slider are swapped.

All of this is a shame, because it actually has the potential to be good. It’s pretty funny at times (when I understood what the dialogue was trying to say), the routes themselves are distinct from one another and have some sweet moments, and I’d recommend it… if it was readable.

For now, I sadly suggest passing on I’a I’a Cofflhu Fhtagnyaa, but if it ever gets a proper translation, it will be worth a look!

Oh. And you have to like tentacles. That comes up a few times.

Share your thoughts on I’a I’a Cofflhu Fhtagnyaa in the comments!

Celebrating All Things Romantic: Nekopara Vol. 2

 Celebrating All Things Romantic, Reviews, Video games  2 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Feb 052021
 

Three years ago, I played Nekopara Vol. 1 and Vol. 0 and found that they were silly yet oddly endearing stories, so this year I finally followed up with Nekopara Vol. 2.

Picking up after the events of the first volume, the protagonist is now managing La Soleil alongside the whole family of catgirls and trying to help them get along.

While the first Nekopara focused on Chocola and Vanilla, those two have a supporting role this time around, while Coconut and Azuki take center stage. The story starts out surprisingly strong compared to the previous one, as Coconut is struggling with self-esteem issues due to the mistakes she makes around the shop and Azuki’s harsh attitude toward her.

It has some genuinely sweet moments alongside the silly fanservice antics, although eventually the story loses its focus and becomes more about Coconut and Azuki recognizing their romantic feelings for the protagonist.

The romance focus is to be expected, considering the sort of game this is, but the ending felt abrupt to me. I thought there was more story yet to come, so I was surprised when I realized the dialogue was wrapping everything up for the volume’s conclusion. Of course, the 18+ version should be a bit longer since it has extra scenes (although the all-ages version makes it clear enough when those moments occur).

And once again, I’m impressed by the quality of the visual novel itself. The art and animated sprites look great, and even the ability to pet the characters at any point to get a voiced reaction from them shows that a lot of work went into it. People often look down on Nekopara as an example of bad or stereotypical visual novels, but it’s certainly not some cheap effort. Let’s just say it has a specific audience in mind and is laser-focused on giving that audience a good time.

Nekopara Vol. 2 is cute and silly, best-suited for catgirl fans but enjoyable enough even if you just want some lighthearted romance you don’t have to think too hard about.

I probably will pick up Vol. 3 and 4 someday, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, share your own thoughts on the Nekopara series and Nekopara Vol. 2 in the comments and don’t forget that every comment brings you closer to winning a prize in this year’s contest!

Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen – Slow Build to an Exciting End

 Reviews, Video games  1 Response »  Tagged with: , , ,
Jan 252021
 

After Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen was released last year, I bought the Vita version and concluded my playthrough this weekend.

Prelude to the Fallen is a remake of the original Utawarerumono, although with no sex scenes (the original was an eroge).

I was waiting for this for a long time because I’ve heard excellent things about the later games in the series, Mask of Deception and Mask of Truth, but it’s highly recommended that you’re familiar with the original’s story first.

It is a visual novel / strategy RPG hybrid, with a stronger emphasis on the visual novel side. Don’t get me wrong, there are a number of battles over the course of the story and it’s an important part of the gameplay, but the battles are pretty basic and much more time is spent reading.

You play as Hakuowlo, a man who wakes up with no memory after suffering grievous injuries, wearing a mask that can’t be removed.

After being cared for by the people of a small village, Hakuowlo decides to stay there and make a new life for himself. The stakes start out low, with him helping the villagers with their farming and resisting the corrupt leaders making their lives difficult, but they gradually build higher and higher.

That’s important to keep in mind, because Utawarerumono moves slowly. There are a lot of slow-paced, almost slice-of-life sections, and it takes a while to really become exciting.

When it gets there, however, it takes some crazy twists and turns that I never saw coming. That slow build-up lead to a genuinely epic conclusion. The main characters are also pretty likeable, so the slower sections are enjoyable in their own right even if some of the sections (especially the early villains) feel a bit lacking.

I enjoyed Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen and I’m happy I was able to play it. It’s out on Steam now, as well, with an improved translation (which is good, because a couple lines felt really out of place). Now I’m looking forward to moving on to Mask of Deception in the future!

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