I would go so far as to say that you are somewhat intended to romance the RO in each book, and the narrative goes a bit wobbly in places if you don’t. My guess is that there will be an actual lock-in choice close to the end of the series.
10 Likes
Book 5 was phenomenal. Easily the best in the entire series, that’s my opinion, anyway. I read the first book back in late 2015 and I’ve been hooked ever since.
And honestly, that reunion with M in the final chapter really does cement just how strong the bond is between them and the Ronin and the lengths those 2 will go to to save one another.
This series is exquisite and the author really did outdo themselves with this one.
13 Likes
The emotional payoff in this series is incredible. No doubt one of the most accomplished works here, and by far the one that feels the most like an adventure or epic.
16 Likes
Alright hear me out someone said is a miracle if the baby in FemaleMC body survive all of those thing that happen to our FeMC but didnt anyone forget someone? YES GOD JUNKO! SHE IN HELL AND MAYBE PREGNANTH TO!! (If you having sex with her last night) Knowing this i have theory that our MaleMC will not get his baby since we dont know what fate junko will get in hell, and i am sure her fate worse than our FemaleMC…is this a spoiler? Hope not
9 Likes
LOOK, LISTEN. I don’t care how unrealistic, but I will keep believing in the possibility that both FemMC and Junko and their babies will be okayish!!! Which is a bit silly considering we don’t even know if they are pregnant lol. But tbh I believe both MC and Jun/ko are capable of anything.
11 Likes
Sure my friend they are demon with golden eyes
But is they that are capable and not the babies
Also the ending that biggest plot twist i ever see
7 Likes
Great book. Even though the middle section feels filler-rish, I still thoroughly enjoyed it.
Btw, anyone got slightly annoyed that your attunement is hidden from you for the majority of this book. I really like getting the perfect stats so it bugged me a little that I can’t restart everytime I chose an option that reduces my attunement. 
2 Likes
I liked the second half of the book far more than the first. Too much piss.
I like reading others crits. It’s interesting. I’m not sure if my path is popular but in book 4 I did “its complicated” and had my MC realize feelings for Jun/ko much later at chapter 24 I think. That made book 5 very lovey dovey I would have liked more of a nuance especially after learning about Momoko.
Nishi became my fav and I want her and Ezira to meet.
I do agree with the helplessness, not so much in choices not having an affect but I think with the way book 4 ended there were different expectations. If it was more clear that the MC was being taken over by the jigoku or the hell portal that might have been better. It’s like insane, sees reflection, no longer insane but exhausted + voices? It was weird to have a conclusion and then have the MC try to kill themself a second time idk.
I would like for the books to have what was in book3 I think where you’re asked about a romance option just so I don’t have to replay and make separate saves for different ROs. I definitely liked the twists.
2 Likes
Go, Help, Hide, Leave, Rest, Run
Those are the answers you’re given if text input mode isn’t on.
1 Like
Just started, have to be honest. I hate this beginning so far. Wasnt a fan of the whole memory thing when it was done in part 3, and this is particularly irritating.
1 Like
I am confused I could have sworn the takeda blacksmith died after voting during the election, how did he take over?
Another question: is jun/ko communicating through the thread saying Gensai’s sword is more valuable than masa and the ronin’s life? Because that would be a complete 180 from what they say when they confront the ronin after learning about their attemped seppuku.
@Entharex Whereas the player’s attunement is hidden for most of Book 4, in Book 5, the attunement system works by filling up each of the individual bars once your stats change in Chapter 2. How much each bar gets filled is converted over to attunement points in the end.
My approach towards attunement changes in just about every book, but (especially in recent ones) I make design decisions around readers like you. I don’t mean to point you out in particular: there’s a lot of readers out there who will sabotage their own experience in pursuit of 100%.
I’ve written more about perfectionism on my blog, but the short of it is, I’m not a fan! I’ll continue to design around these players, to help them enjoy the ride as much as I can.
@TheSarah Regarding the ‘seppuku attempt’ scene you’re referring to: MC isn’t actually trying kill themself in Book 5. They are re-enacting their first attempt, the one that occured before the events of Book 1, where Masa and them first met.
The primary narrative reason for this is for Tosh to misinterpret MC’s intentions and force an intervention, bringing the two of them back together in a dramatic way.
@ghost3337 The Takeda blacksmith, along with the others attending the election during the later events in Book 4, had their spirts sucked out of them and into the portal. They exit back out of it by the end of Book 4.
I’m not sure what passage you’re referring to in particular in regards to Junko/Jun’s sentiment via the thread. The instance that comes to my mind is whether or not MC believes they need Sensei’s sword or not.
Junko/Jun certainly believes they do, especially because we’re talking about more than just the sword at this point. The Jigoku, both the power itself and the symbolism behind it, is a core part of who MC is–and it can’t just be thrown away.
12 Likes
Blockquote @Entharex Whereas the player’s attunement is hidden for most of Book 4, in Book 5, the attunement system works by filling up each of the individual bars once your stats change in Chapter 2. How much each bar gets filled is converted over to attunement points in the end. My approach towards attunement changes in just about every book, but (especially in recent ones) I make design decisions around readers like you. I don’t mean to point you out in particular: there’s a lot of readers out there who will sabotage their own experience in pursuit of 100%.
I’ve written more about perfectionism on my blog , but the short of it is, I’m not a fan! I’ll continue to design around these players, to help them enjoy the ride as much as I can.
Aaaargh you’re torturing me.
Joking aside, I do appreciate what you have written in your blog post. I admit being perfectionistic takes away a lot of the fun in choicescript games due to the tedious and repetitive process of restarting the game and speedrunning through previous decisions. While I think I will struggle with completely “going with the flow” for the time being, the least I can do is to give the new attunement system a try. Looking forward to SoH 6!
3 Likes
Talking about during the fight with the wolves, if you have the option to protect Masa with your arm or sword, if you choose sword the red string stops you and says "Sensai’s legacy is more important than their life, more important than yours too". I am asking because if that is meant to be Jun/ko communicating to the ronin somehow through the string, that it directly contradicts what they tell the ronin in book 4 when confronting them about trying to commit seppuku. The ronin can say soming like they apologize for almost staining sensai’s precious sword with their blood, and Jun/ko outright says they value the ronin over the sword.
I am very familiar of how the series operates, but the lack of agency is felt more acutely in this entry. I think it was masked much better before, I wasn’t able to appreciate borgia’s sacrifice because how forced it seemed.
1 Like
Throughout much of Book 5, MC ‘hears’ voices throughout their head, most of the time from Masami/Masashi, but from other characters as well. Those characters aren’t actually speaking to MC, though: they are MC’s negative and self-deprecating inner monologue taking different forms.
During the wolf scene you mentioned, for example, the inner sentiment from Junko/Jun isn’t actually from them.
As for player agency, or the lack thereof, it’s probably one of the more interesting critiques I get. Agency is objectively low throughout the series, and consistently so, but it only garners criticism in a very subjective manner.
I certainly can’t tell people how to feel, but I would ask any reader to make sure, when they feel a distinct lack of agency, to see if what’s going on serves some narrative purpose in the story, whether it facilitates character growth, drama, or something else.
Ige’s death and MC’s re-attachment to Junko/Jun are notable examples of this.
4 Likes
I know about the agency, it is actually what I argued years ago in the part 4 thread.
Continuing the discussion from New Hosted Game! Samurai of Hyuga Book 4 by Devon Connell:
I am saying in the scene I mentioned felt it actually went against what the Ronin themselves wanted, that what makes it jarring at least for me.
1 Like
What I’m trying to do is play the game through multiple times on the same route, and then note down any time attunement changes, after three or four replays, I usually have the 100% filled out but it’s a lot harder with this game and I still haven’t pulled it off yet for some reason
About Tosh: I don’t get it, so Tosh relived the Baron murder trial over and over? Why? Is that a power, have they done it before? When did they relive it?