VenusBlood HOLLOW International

Fantastic game. Great story with gameplay that makes you think. Few pull it off this well. I recommend getting the UI mod.

Premise: I have finished essentially the whole game but am missing some minor CGs, so we can safely say I have seen everything worthwhile. Also, don't look at my playtime, seriously, it's not accurate lol. VenusBlood HOLLOW, damn, what a game, I actually started it a couple of years ago, but never truly wanted to see it end, until not long ago; and people need to stop judging it in such a surface-level manner solely because of the one thing Dualtail is known for, as liable as that still is. It is not every day you find such a genuine, albeit also malicious but strong, male leader figure, especially on a VN. Personally, I definitely recommend learning about Leonhardt yourself as he is one interesting figure to compare oneself too. And he certainly is something else in the law route. If it's what you're into, it also offers that aristocratic and elitist flavor, also with added content and dialogue related to issues such as discrimination, inequalities and hierarchy in general. Unfortunately I do have an intuitive feeling it could have been better applied still. Either way, contrary to how I usually write my reviews, I will be going over the general opinions first, and then the more personal stuff after, as it may end up longer than usual. The soundtrack is strong, but its only weak point is its inevitable repetitiveness solely because of the length of the experience, that's all that needs to be said. I also purchased it, and there's reason. The gameplay, honestly, I never liked it much; I simply cannot recommend the game and mention it as a factor, both together simply do not stand in my eyes; even if it's otherwise not shabby at all in how it works. Mine is a subjective opinion either way. The story, yeah, it's really good - but beyond that, it's respectable in how clear the effort from the team behind it is in making it stand on its own two feet. The characters themselves: Overall, I cannot deny they are generally good. But for some specific, intuitively discernible reasons, kind of lacking, depending on who we are talking about. Either way, they are coherent and each have their own motivations and distinct backstories. The graphics are some of the best Dualtail has ever shown us; to be brief, they are pleasant, but the backgrounds some could still consider subpar in feel compared to the characters and CGs, which can also occasionally feel rushed, but are nonetheless distinct and well-made. Overall, my objective rating gets to around 8.5 / 10 - but subjectively it's a solid 9.5 at a minimum. (What can I say, below is essentially a huge compliment and analysis towards a genuinely fascinating albeit messy character who is as bad as he is good. A not-so-wasted opportunity that still feels that way for reasons I will be explaining). The thing that has fascinated me the most about this VN are the characters. Especially if you look at them from a psychologically-oriented point of view; I won't make this too long or too detailed. As you can continue where I will be leaving off yourself, so long as I managed to sufficiently pique your interest of course. I will also be adding any needed context for my words to make sense. Going by the greatest example I can use, Leonhardt Arknoah is the one mind that made me think for hours as I was exploring this VN; if you know anything about the theories regarding cognitive functions, essentially from what I personally believe, we all share the same state of living consciousness but each has a specific mind archetype that processes and perceives reality in a particular way and to a certain degree, also resulting in specific personality traits and preferences, that's quite literally it; and Leonhardt is the one archetype that works like this: (Also, for whoever know him, Rance is the same one). Mind's main focus on external reality with total confidence; flexible logical thought, immature and complicated social awareness, and in general, very problematic aspects related to issues…

I enjoy the team building, combat, strategy, campaign length, and the overall handling of the story. The main character is a sadistic assaulter from the beginning and this can be toned down through character choices to a small extent. I was repulsed by the main character initially but eventually I could tolerate him as an inhabitant of this dark setting. The story is way more engaging than I was expecting because so many things aren't as candy-coated as they would be in another title. I don't care for the eroge aspect but I really appreciate how it made the writing feel less constrained. The characters feel less stiff and plastic than what I'm used to. Many great decisions were made with this title and nearly everything exceeded my expectations. I purchased this for the combat and I'm satisfied with the difficulty, frequency, complexity, scale, customization, and challenge available. As long as the translations are good, I intend to play any of the related titles with the same or better combat quality; this is my first game in the series.