Cross Concerto

Cross Concerto (交汇协奏曲) от известной японской студии Applique и издателя HIKARI FIELD — это глубокая и невероятно атмосферная визуальная новелла в жанре японского мистического фэнтези. Выпущенный к десятилетию бренда и удостоенный золотой награды Moe Game Award за инновации, проект бережно собрал лучшие черты предыдущих культовых работ разработчиков, таких как Tsukikage no Simulacre и Tasogare no Sinsemilla. Игра предлагает ценителям жанра проработанную и интригующую историю, пропитанную синтоистскими поверьями, древними тайнами, семейными трагедиями и сложными человеческими взаимоотношениями. Главный герой истории, юноша по имени Сатору Яэгаки, родился без правой руки — она послужила своеобразной уплатой богам, из-за чего родные посчитали его проклятым и отторгли. Однако его жизнь изменилась благодаря сестре-близнецу Рури, которая создала для него функциональный протез. Сама Рури слепа на один глаз, но взамен наделена уникальным даром — способностью видеть будущее. Именно вокруг механики предвидения строится основной сюжетный каркас. История разворачивается через множество ветвящихся альтернативных рутов, где видения сестры помогают героям распутать клубок роковых событий. Сюжет продвигается по принципу постепенного раскрытия тайн: каждый новый выбор приближает игрока к истинной концовке, превращая повествование в сильную и трогательную историю о взаимной поддержке и спасении. Помимо закрученной детективно-мистической интриги, Cross Concerto выделяется отличным визуальным исполнением в Full HD, качественной японской озвучкой и пронзительным саундтреком. Интерактивная система древа развилок (flowchart) значительно облегчает навигацию по множеству сюжетных веток, позволяя свободно перемещаться между ключевыми моментами без необходимости мучительного перепрохождения. Приятным бонусом для давних поклонников студии станет единая вселенная с новеллой Concerto Note и появление знакомых персонажей. В итоге Cross Concerto — это цельное, высококлассное и крайне душевное произведение на несколько десятков часов, которое полностью оправдывает ожидания и дарит глубокий эмоциональный опыт любителям качественных азиатских визуальных новелл.

This is the 2nd visual novel I have read from Applique, the first being Tasogare no Sinsenmilla, which I liked a lot, so I have quite a bit of expectation for Cross Concerto, which also has your little sister as the main heroine (albeit it's twin in this case). The game has interesting premise, the protagonist who is missing one arm since birth, your twin sister Ruri who is blind in one eye but in return possesses the power to see the future and a mystery that spans multiple routes. After finishing it, even though Cross Concerto was not a masterpiece, I wasn't disappointed. The OP and ED songs were good, the art was good, I skipped the H scenes so no comment on those. Like Tasogare, this game also has a robust flowchart system, which makes it very convenient to jump around the story. There are 3 sub heroines, 3 main heroines and Ruri - who is the main heroine and whose route is the true route, you must complete all the other routes to unlock Ruri's route. The 3 sub heroines' routes were pretty much whatever and do not contribute much to the overall story; the 3 main heroines' routes, while have more plot relevance (especially Tooko's route) and are longer but ultimately their quality was also whatever. The central part of the game is Ruri's route, which I think was good and I enjoyed it. Ruri is a good character, she's very cute, her personality is very interesting and has several facets, her presence are felt heavily throughout the game, even in the other heroines' routes. Her power to see the future was utilized to the utmost, the story has very creative ways to apply this power, and the fact that it works wildy difference when Ruri uses it to see other people's future and her own future was an absolutely interesting take, and how surrounding circumstances can affect and change her visions, Ruri's power is definitely one of the highlight points of the story. The story also delves into some intriguing concepts of Shintoism, such as the Mitama where a person sole has several aspects, for example, one of those is the Ara-Mitama which has the power to govern over negative emotions, these were also very nicely utilized to make for an engaging story. After finishing the various routes, you will also unlock side stories (some of those are more H scenes), the most important of these are the ones that take place in the past, which explain the circumstances that led to what is happening in the present, I would recommend you to read those too. In the end, Cross Concerto is a decently good visual novel, I recommend it if you are also an Imouto connoisseur (like me). I give this game 8 or 8.5/10

Compared with the games I have played, in terms of plot, compared to the flat narrative of "A Thousand Loves", "Riddle Joker", and "Falling in Love with the Train", the experience is the most comfortable, of course, the above works, the personal experience is also very good; At the same time, compared with works such as "True Wish Misty Hall", "Sakura no Du 1 and 2", "Colorless Floating Shadows Blooming in the Ocean of Flowers", "Remembrance of the Golden Years" and other works, it has a very comfortable experience in terms of the integrity of the story and the expression of the plot. The picture CG and music, personal (play less, do not spray) experience, very refreshing. The cute princess is too cute, and the voice of the future senior sister is too gentle. It would be better if the male protagonist could have his own CV. Although I don't really like games with sister lines, it is very unexpectedly comfortable and refreshing game experience.