a poorly arranged h game that can't be fun. nice review over all. I've only played a few visual novels in my time, but the way you displayed this one, I probably won't bother. I'm not really into cheesy, yes it may get better later, but I will still have that situation stuck in my head first. magical themed really don't impress me much either. thanks for the review, I can possibly add this to the list of things that do not interest me and find something that does :)
Princess Waltz game Review
Story & Playability
Story Introduction
You take control of the protaginist , Fukamori Arata.
He soon meets a charismatic transfer student when he was requested to do so by his classmates and perhaps owing to a
twist of fate , he soon realised that there was a parallel dimension of which a battle was hosted - The Princess Waltz ,
a duel between the princesses of various countries in an alternate world for the Prince - the transfer student himself
whom is called "Chris Northfield".
Early Character Sypnosis
Fukamori Arata
Fukamori is but a regular student , but soon finds himself dragged into a series of events due to his own irrationality
and personality.
However , his background is not all that it seems to be , as he would soon realise after the sequence of events that
awaits for him.
Personality
Arata is rash , irrational , but he can't leave anyone alone when he knows that they are in trouble.
However , he starts to mature and he starts to use his head more as the story progresses , whilst not bearing a princely
charm like Chris , his devotion , selflessness and the ability to open people's hearts is in itself another form of
charm.
Chris Northfield
He is the new transfer of Fukamori's school and is in fact a Crown Prince of a distant world.
He had no choice but to allow Fukamori to fight by his side , as their joined alter ego - Iris - owing to circumstances
they faced.
Personality
Chris radiates a princely charm which others lack , but he is similar to Arata in many ways.
His determination and strength of will is unmatched , but his mind bears a great shadow which weakens him in many
ways.
Iris ( Arata and Chris )
When Arata and Chris joins as one due to the influence of the rings they bear , they become the Princess of the Sword
and take part in the Princess Waltz , a competition for the hand of the prince and the future king.
Iris is a replica of the very same Iris whom was known to be the Empress a thousand years ago.
Story Overview
Whilst it may appear cheesy and very "magical girl"-like on the first glance , within that poorly made
exterior is a story of epic proportions.
The story is indeed distasteful as the player plays through the initial chapters of the game , featuring much typicality
and the lack of originality , thoroughly blended in with a load of cheesiness within it's fundamental concept.
However , as the story progresses , it is not all that it seems to be.
The story itself have a fairytale-like setting , with a prince and multiple princesses vying for his hand , but the conspiracy involved in this Waltz , the suspense in the battle scenarios , the play of power between the princesses and the warp of emotions that the characters have to face over time.
It is as though a fairytale had gone wrong , the prince was not all he seems to be , the dark conspiracies set afoot , the story was initially shallow but soon enough , the player would find themselves caught in the waves of the ocean and that they had lost their footing for they had experienced something that they did not expect , a torrent of emotions , of conspiracies , of confusion and of tragedy and devotion , the storyline shifts itself effectively from a shallow plotline to a chasm of unexpected rewards and steepness.
Character development was done in a fairly interesting manner. It is interesting to see how the characters actually "rub off" their personalities off one another. The influence they play amongst one another , the beliefs they shared and how the greatest of rivals became great allies in the conclusion of the game and not to mention , a variety of unique and emotional cast of characters whom are not all they appear to be upon first glance.
Whilst not all of the concepts nor elements of the story was fuly explained and the story was set in a very
"convenient" way of which the hero can hog a Harem to himself , not to mention that there are some pretty
unneccessary elements in this game like the eroge scenes involved in the game.
The Eroge is there just because it is the sake of being there , the way it is intergrated into the storyline makes it
jut out in an undesirable fashion which does often kill some of the emotions in the game.
Not to mention that in the Second Part of the game , it is unclear whether the protaginist's affection for Chris is that of love or that of loyalty , because of the fact that he does indeed fall in love with one of the other princesses depending on the choices of the player.
Rating:
Graphics
Artwork Review
The artwork was splendid , yes , it was indeed at the height of excellence , but one would feel that the developers
could have done more.
There are many emotional and action-packed scenes in the game , but how many of these scenes were represented in the
form of CGs was shockingly little.
Whilst the battle scenarios was described and there were indeed special effects to add to the mood , but it does feel
somewhat anti-climatic if some of the best scenes were brought about graphically instead.
However , the design of the Princesses in question was indeed excellent. One could almost tell what the heroine is like
solely by judging from their appearances and their Dresses.
Though I am still sort of disoriented by Chris' appearances , for he appears both feminine and manly. I would not
elaborate on the problem due to spoiler reasons , but I believe you would experience the issue as you play through the
Visual Novel itself.
Rating:
Sound
Music Review
Well , what do you know?
I am actually quite impressed by the orchestratic arrangements in the game. While it does appear off-theme at first (
Why does it sound so epic when the storyline is so shallow? ) , the music does come into play as the story progresses to
it's "finer state" and I must admit , a lot of the music were recycled time and time again , but time and
time again I did not grow weary of listening to it. It adds emotions , it stirs excitement and it brings about the fiery
nature of combat in the battle scenarios , that is what the music in this game can do to you.
Rating:
Fun
This is a Review of Princess Waltz
Whilst it is linear , allowing little influence from the player and have little special events and bonus scenarios for a
Visual Novel , it is heavily compensated by the storyline , which grows stronger and stronger over time with it's
cast of unique characters.
Though perhaps not all of the factors of the game is finely explained , the story still progresses smoothly over time ,
leaving little neccessity of concern for some parts of the story of which still remains a mystery to the
player.
It is also interesting to see the strength of bonds between people , the bonds of friendship and love , which is
displayed in a way more unique and in a stronger way compared to that of other Visual Novels.
Whilst not without it's flaws , nor does it make one feel like replaying it once more due to the linearity of the
plotline , reading through it once is enough to mark it's place in your memories as one of the best stories you had
ever encountered in your lifetime.
Overall ( Others )
Age Rating : 18+
Genre : Fantasy / Romance
Bishoujo Visual Novel ( Meant for Male Audiences )
Comedy
Comedy isn't a persistent element in the game , but it is there , not to mention , it is there at the most
unexpected of times as well.
Initially , comedy does work out fairly well , it does not make one laugh , but it is enough to raise the mood of the player and keep things going. However , comedy is a poor element to have as the story progresses , but the developers did not remove this element and cause an unexpected "cut" at some of the scenarios , which does often kill the mood , rather than breaking it into a "relief point" for the player.
H Scenes
Right , for once , I don't think I'd feel as embarassed talking about the H Scenes in a Visual Novel.
It is interesting to know that the game is more descriptive about the emotions stirring up in the characters and not
focusing on some crazy fetish that may excite the player in the worse possible way , like somwhere below their
navel.
*cough*
As I have said , the H Scenes may be poorly arranged in the storyline , not to mention it happens in the most
"convenient of ways" , but the fact that they were so loving ( IN A POSITIVE WAY ) that it does kinda make you
go "Aww" at times.
Still , the H Scenes in this game was random and poorly arranged , whilst it is not plentiful in nature nor is it
particularly overdone , it feels as though the eroge part of the game was just added for the sake of it.
Trivia :
- This VN is brought to you by Pulltop ( Developer ) and Peach Princess ( Publisher )
- North America version was released in 2008 , so there is no need for fan patches
Rating:
Final Verdict
7.5000 (good)
Reviewed by z827, May 02, 2011
Comments
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angelxxuan Banned Member May 02, 2011
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SnickerdoodleNinja Retired Moderator May 03, 2011
Overall, nice review! I have yet to really hear of many VN that are not at least somewhat eroge, which is a large part of why I've never really looked into the genre. I liked the thoroughness of your review and the detail you gave; good job!
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grimmangel May 03, 2011
Good job on this review! still, this game is a liitle different from other VN, but the battle on this game still impress me,
Anyways thx 4 da review..
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