Can I just talk about how I wanted to romance Hatch but Book 2 happened and I just went boi
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Shit
I just realised
A handsome older man
is called a silver fox
Shit
23 Likes
i beat it all from last night to just now and iâm honestly a bit disappointed with the second half. overall i still enjoyed it a lot (as seen by the fact iâve been playing it nonstop), but i felt like things got weirdly cut off.
[spoiler]honestly i was a bit⌠surprised? at how romantic some of masami/masashiâs interactions with the pc could be from the pcâs side? itâs a bit odd because some of the interactions seem very like theyâre being their guardian and sometimes it seems, idk, romantic.
ALSO i explicitly had the pc do nothing with momoko because even if sheâs a pervert, she wonât betray her friend like that, but no, hatch gets mad no matter what, yahoo?[/spoiler]
2 Likes
Heâs mad not because of whether or not you did anything with her but because she loves the MC instead of him which I can relate to; happened with a friend and the girl I liked though I got over it after a couple of days.
5 Likes
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, some scenesâthe Shogi drama, the trying to hook Momoko and Hatch up, the small moments of friendship with the gang (especially the slowly-building romantic hints between my ronin and Masashi)âwere really good. I liked that my ronin could be completely understanding and non-judgmental towards Momoko about her feelings, even though she didnât return them. The part at the end of the game where the statsâ names were flipped was pretty neat tooâdoes your Atunement always drop so low, or did I just get unlucky?
On the other, some things seemed railroaded, especially the part where I HAD to go on a âdateâ with Momoko instead of Masashi. I get that she needed to tell me she wanted to confess, but she couldnât have stopped me on the way out or back? Why couldnât my protective ronin, who prioritized Masashi above anyone else, who cared about him more than anyone else, actually hang out with him? His annoyance at being âabandonedâ would have made more sense if it had been a conscious choice on my part rather than the story forcing it onto me.
And the ending was very disappointing. All that build-up for a fight, and we get a murder mystery we wonât even be able to solve for another year. It feels like a genre shift, and not in a good way. I also thought I recalled the author saying we would get to kill two demons this book, but we donât even get through one. It makes me worried about the author reneging on his word, as well as the future of the seriesâis it going to continue being dragged out in what feels like filler? Because thatâs what most of this episode felt like, to me.
It was very well-written, donât get me wrong. But it didnât really live up to my expectations.
23 Likes
When I loaded up the game from Book 1, it says that Iâve enveloped myself in the Ittou something style, but I didnât. I used my own techniqueâŚ
Hey, dont know if anyone else has this problem but when uploading my save into the Steam version, my summary keeps saying that I summoned the jinto guard and used the forbidden style when I called for the priests and refused to go down that path?
been trying to romance ninja is does it work or nah
Finished my first playthrough (early in the morning) and here are some of my disjointed thoughts.
[spoiler] Itâs not as pleasant a read as Book 1 (after all bringing the group together is a far nicer reading experience than watching it be torn apart with individual characters cracking under pressure), but I really didnât mind the shift in tone.
What I liked: * the writing. I especially appreciate the clarity in action sequences and setting descriptions. Also loved the slow build up of the creepy atmosphere on the island (reminded me of the Samurai Champloo episode in the mine).
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continuity! All the little (and bigger) nods to Book 1 were a delight.
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the villain(s). Felt like more of a substantial threat than Shiroyama and her yakuza and Iâm definitely looking forward to their complete and utter defeat.
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the humour. I wasnât sure anything could top the koi fish as weapon sequence from the first book, but interrupting Sadaoâs grand entrance did. It was so satisfying.
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the ending. I found Book 1âs ending a bit frustrating mostly because of how abrupt it was and the fact that it didnât leave me with much room to theorize. And I do love to theorize. So Book 2âs ending is right up my alley from that point of view (I already have a theory that I reaally hope is wrong).
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culture! Great immersion in general (Shogi matches and the kabuki scene in particular).
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the changed stats were such a neat device. Adored the awkwardness they added to the already weird island.
What I was a bit Eeh about: * while Bashoâs exposed manipulations made the story feel less railroaded in hindsight, itâs still more railroaded than Book 1 (though I didnât mind the Momoko romance -even if sheâs not the character Iâd have the MC begin a relationship with- as I liked seeing a gradual and non-judgemental handling of her unrequited love rather than an abrupt dismissal of her feelings. And in the overall scheme of things it wasnât even that big a part of the story and it did have plot purpose).
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Hatch was used too sparingly in this one and the only problem that I had with the ending was that his predicament didnât pack the punch it would have if his character had been developed.
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I would have liked some more emphasis on Momokoâs guilt and some more build up to her decision to return to Jijinto (which I loved, btw, and I hope weâll see her again soon in a more peaceful state of mind).
What I loved and will forever gush over: The Kondo Kishi chapter. All of it. The writing was up there with the best moments in A Study in Steampunk (which is my favourite hg/cog). The atmosphere, the character interactions, the dialogue, the choices. Perfectly crafted.
Overall, I think I will appreciate Book 2 more after my second playthrough and even more after Book 3 provides further context to the events. And thank you for writing this series!
Oh, I forgot a plus: cats 
[/spoiler]
15 Likes
[spoiler]What happens when a swan, firefly, and red panda land on Fantasy Island and create the most kawaii gang ever?- honestly, should be a tagline.
I knew only trouble could come of my cheekie-chan ronin meeting an ardently arduous Mr. RoarkeâBaron. And now that Momokoâs fled to greener pastures, itâs just me and the boys. (giggles)
I did expect the story to railroad, and normally should be aroused to uneasiness, but here, and I seem to be in the minority, 'tis not at all a bother. My love for the characters, and now shogi, just seems to transcend it all away. I am, in fact, super mellow and am gloriously open to their story going on foreverâŚ
Almost as if I were dreamily entangled on a pleasure filled island of some sortâŚ
Hey!
Now, even though it never comes up in-game, there was an already mentioned issue on the text of leaving Ume to her fate with the guards merrily galivanting on their way when truly I interrupted after the first attack and ended up killing the brutes, admittedly after some initial hesitance by MC. Talk about nuances.
Also, MC used the spirit animal to vanquish the demon of inappropriate tongues and stretchy necks and the story gives me the impression that they went full on Jigoku instead.
And yet, I shall have to fine comb, but my MC is a protective, calculating, charming pervert with finesse and some attunements, or lack thereof, didnât seem to always resonate for me, unless I tweaked my reasoning. Which isâŚuseless without examples, mea culpa.
Buglet: âOh?â Masashi placed her hands against his hips.[/spoiler]
11 Likes
How can I keep playing from book one? I played (multiple times) on my Google Chrome Webstore version, but it keeps saying there are no saves found. 
Do I have to start all over again? 
Oh boy, where do I start?
First, let me start with what I enjoyed (without getting too deep into spoiler territory). I loved the interactions between Masashi and the PC. It was, as a matter of fact, my favorite highlight in this book. I enjoyed seeing Masashi mature and the relationship between him and the PC grow. I enjoyed Saburoâs character, for how briefly he was in the story. I loved Hatch and his development, for as little of it as we got to see, especially when he was interacting with the PC. I loved the Shogi, as it highlighted Masashiâs strengths and the PCâs weaknesses and allowed them to work together.
Now onto the things I didnât like, and boy there was a lot of them.
I didnât like how completely railroaded the story was. I can understand some railroading, as itâs necessary to progress the story, but the amount of railroading in this story especially compared to the first one had me so frustrated I had to take frequent breaks just to continue. I didnât like how, despite having an impulsive and protective ronin, my character seemed to be abandoning Masashi at every interval and never had the option to just say âscrew youâ to Toshio and bring Masashi with me to the kabuki theater.
Now for what I absolutely hated.
[spoiler] Momoka. I didnât start this story out hating her, but I ended it absolutely loathing her. The reason being 60% of the railroading that occurred in this story was for her. She had to come with us to the kabuki theater. She had to confess to us, not caring about our PCâs feelings on the matter, and then up and leaves without so much as a âsee yaâ to Hatch who just proposed to her. She was completely selfish in this story with few redeeming qualities in this one and I couldnât have been happier to see her go.
That being said, I hated the âromanceâ in this one. I hated that I was forced into this romantic situation with Momoka. I hated that I couldnât develop any romance with anyone else, even the psycho ex that was so obsessed up our PC that he carved his name into your stomach. I hated that I was punished by Hatch, no matter what my PC tried to do in that situation with Momoka, and could do nothing to try and remedy that instead of run away and hide.
And I absolutely, positively, could not stand the ending. All that build up, all that tension, and then no payoff. It was Versus: the Lost Ones all over again for me. The story seemed to just get going when it justâŚended. It dragged out certain scenes, like those with Momoka, and then when it came to the important things like Hatch getting arrested with the looming possibility of execution and killing the demon that we were sent to kill there didnât seem to be enough time for it. And something I feel the need to add is the unnecessary genre shift. I donât know about anyone else but I didnât start this series to solve mysteries. I started this as a ronin who lives by the sword, protects my charge with my life, and enjoys a bottle of sake while slipping innuendos into every conversation. This genre shift hurt the series and made it feel like no actual progress was made. Someone mentioned above about this book feeling like one big filler episode and honestly? I have to agree.[/spoiler]
22 Likes
Iâve just finished this and overall, it was good but it didnât live up to my expectations. ;-;
Like most of the people here said, some parts felt railroaded and restrictive. It would be nice to build up some interactions with your targeted RO, not restrict them to certain situations. I saw lot of instances where I could build up the romanctic relationship between my PC and my targeted RO. I guess I have to wait next year for it hopefully.
I donât mind the ending though. Overall, it is good and will still look forward to the next iinstallment
10 Likes
[spoiler]Whole situation with Momoko this time kinda reminding me about âLove in Spaceâ game called âSunrider Liberation Dayâ. That one gotten butchered on release by majority for exact same situation with forced romantic segment.
And, for more familiar to Choice forums analogue, I guess I could remember Black Magic in first part of Hero Rise.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]i did want to mention that i really enjoyed how post-jun/ko interactions were written with regards to my ronin? it seemed like they had a very unhealthy relationship, ronin ended it, ronin is still trying to figure out who they are when theyâre not in a relationship with them.
plus all the âyou shouldnât be near me because i only hurt people iâm close toâ angst was so good for me to read? i just want to take my emotionally stunted ronin and hold her in my arms lmao all of it was great from book 2.[/spoiler]
17 Likes
I have to agree with you. Iâm pretty much attached to my ronin. I canât wait for book 3. I want her to discover love again via our beloved ninja. XD
Even though there were some parts that I donât like but I do like my roninâs interaction with Toshio. I always let my ronin talk to Toshio very chance I get even though they donât see eye to eye at times. These kind of situations makes this game more realistic. XD I was sorely disappointed that I wasnât able to romance Toshio right away though;-;
8 Likes
Great story I remember reading Fatehaven an enjoying the character interaction and great lore to the world and it has only gotten better here. Book two was a great continuation and I just love the feeling the world gives. I like how the romance was potrayed and enjoy the other relationships that seem to be building for future books, and I hope the Momoko romance continues because I found it interesting but like I said Iâm confident you have character interactions down. I enjoyed the surreal island experienc and mystery feel, basically my only complaint is the wait to book 3⌠So your doing good.
1 Like
Good thing I like Momoko and wanted to romance her anyways, so I didnât have the problems others have ^^ I did however want to romance Toshie on my second run and was a bit dissapointed to know that itâs not possible (I mean, Iâd understand if it wouldnât fluorish until the next book, but there wasnât even any option to suggest that youâre interested in her and whatnot).
9 Likes
Iâm slightly confused by the claim that this Book feels like filler because that implies that once Book 3 comes out you could go from Book 1 to Book 3, skip Book 2 entirely, and not lose anything.
But the main plot of the series does progress in Book 2 (the culmination of which is the team ending up on the demonâs island) and the characters do undergo development (Momoko leaves, Tosh cracks under pressure, Masashi/mi matures, etc) that impacts the team dynamics.
And that, imo, isnât filler.
9 Likes
First of all, I wanted to thank @MultipleChoice for the great sequel to one of my fave Hosted Games! I really liked how it is similar, but also different than Book 1 
Now for my humble opinion on the story:
[spoiler] Many people said that the railroading in Book 2 is too much, but I personally donât feel the same way, mostly because I understand from the very beginning that my choices as a player are mostly on how I feel about what happened in the story, which has been the case since Book 1 so no one should be surprised. The theater scene was Momokaâs arc, and it saddens me that many are disliking it just because you canât go with other people, even when you invite them (which I am sure won some points for the one you invite, the payoff will just come later 
).
The story took a route that focuses more on intrigue rather than brute strength, and I appreciate it as a change of pace from Book 1 where you go around leaving body counts as you proceed. The demon in Book 2 is much more mysterious and deceptive than the previous one, so the fact that the conclusion may be resolved in a murder mystery will make it better, in my opinion. After all, I want my Ronin to slay demons, but going about it in a hack-and-slash manner will get boring quite fast. [/spoiler]
As for the characters:
Masashi showed a small growth in character via the shogi game and Toshioâs guidance. Still a Tsundere to the Ronin, but now added with jealousy towards Jun/Junko 
. I appreciate that Masashi was given some distance from the Ronin because he needed to be more than just somebody to berate the Ronin.
Toshio is still an enigma, but the relationship between him and the Ronin are progressing very well, IMO, as the Ronin is starting to understand how Toshio functions as a person. Unlike some, I am very pleased that we cannot romance Toshio at this time, because it will be completely out of character for a character so loyal to the mission to allow himself to be distracted at this time, and also the Roninâs perceptions about the Kondo will have to be resolved first.
Momoka was given plenty of screentime in this Book. Her infatuation with the MC has been foreshadowed in Book 1, and now it has appeared in full force. I really like that she confessed her feelings so soon, and that she was very sympathetic to me (that line when she said how she regrets not being a man when I played a gay Ronin was well done ). I like that despite matchmaking, she does not fall for Hatch. Attraction doesnât work like that, and you canât help who you like. Her leaving was obviously her way of trying to cope with the rejection, and the fact that she was so emotionally wrecked from the rejection, added with the guilt from the whole Opium case, makes her leaving and not daring to firmly reject Hatch makes her very human. Flawed, but human
Hatch was a bit of a roller coaster for me. One minute he is so caring towards the Ronin to the extent of buying Obsidian Armor, pledging loyalty to the Ronin that he will never betray him if you take him to the shogi match, to angry at the Ronin at his relationship with Momoka (which he took as a betrayal, and he REALLY donât like betrayals). He is clearly emotional, and I canât wait for him to be more developed next book
Ronin meeting Jun really took a big toll on their mental state, hoooo boy. Poor thing. The angst mixed with lust was very well written and so enjoyable. Canât wait for more 
In conclusion I was satisfied with Book 2 and wish @MultipleChoice good luck on the sequel 
25 Likes