quote:
Originally posted by Nandemonai:
So what's so great about Triangle Hearts, anyway?
I've talked about this game a lot, so I thought about writing down my impressions.
As always, first, disclaimers: please look at my recommendations score to see what my opinion is worth; meaning I'm usually easily pleased with a game. ^_^
Also, Lamuness gave in Anime Densetsu a review. You can check there for another point of view (note though that he reviewed the old version while I'm reviewing the recent DVD-released version, as far as bugs are concerned...)
"Triangle Heart" (Toraha for the fans) is a game series created in 12.18.1998 by jANIS in association with Ivory. The official page is here: http://www.sp-janis.com/soft/trh.shtml
It was very successful a series, leading to 2 another games, 2 toyboxes and a DVD edition (containing all previous games and toyboxes with additional scenarii) and have its own official page. It have its own CD collection (the Sound Stage CDs), two OVA anime series (one released, one to be released soon), the usual goods (novels, artbooks, etc. While jANIS and Ivory released some little goods, Face is the main source for most goods. I probably will talk about the drama in another message. [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/tongue.gif[/img]
Toraha1:
Graphics: good and cute (IMO [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/smile.gif[/img]). In game, Toraha1 uses blurred real scenes as backgrounds. The number of CGs is pretty average (151) and includes a _high_ number of H ones (104 = 69%).
Music: pleasant, without being exceptional. There is one OP and two ED songs, quite enjoyable.
Gameplay: Toraha is an ADV. Nonetheless, I liked its gameplay, which I found practical: you could play with the keyboard only, which quicken the gameplay a lot IMO (don't like when you _have_ to use the mouse). Most "move" choices happen at school, where you can choose where you're going; it's very easy to go after a specific girl, as the face of the girl whom you'll meet at a location appears when you select that location.
Characters: seven winnable and five supporting cast.
Why I like the game.
The background is quite standard: you're playing a highschooler, Aikawa Shin'ichirou, who will, in the course of the game, fall in love with a girl. Though Shin'ichirou himself isn't the average ren'ai game protagonist (i.e. he's not completely stupid! ^_-, is quite short and has a feminine face), it's not what makes Toraha1 *that* different from the zillions other highschool love games.
What makes this difference are the female characters.
Sure, you may take into account the stories themselves. Contrary to some games, Toraha's stories are quite independant, meaning each story goes its own way, with little join. Each story follows 3 phases: first, you "discover" the girl and fall in love with her (and vice-versa); second, both of you enjoy a lover "normal" time (i.e. you're dating); third, some "crisis" happens, breaking the lover time and you resolve this "crisis". While it may not appear so, this story structure actually benefits the game, giving the player the opportunity to truly "discover" the girl and enjoy a "normal" love life with her, during which you will date her, bed her (eventually #^_^#), etc. and probably truly care for her.
You can also talk about the sex scenes, in which you can choose how you make love to the girl (for instance, you can choose to... massage the girl's breasts before... massaging... somewhere else ##^_^##) and which are (of course) replayable in the omake mode.
But the most attractive feature remains the girls themselves.
First, Toraha1 has a quite unique cast of female characters, from the ninja Izumi to the _two_ childhood friends Yuiko and Kotori to the karateka senpai Hitomi to a ghost, an assassin and a half-vampire/half-werewolf. Each with their personality and story. And all loveable.
This difference in characters allows Toraha to put into the same game stories of very different tones: from dark supernatural stories to ninja stories to normal highschooler stories. The story structure allows it to make the player truly care for the girl, as you feel as if you truly date her.
At last, and even more than everything else, I loved the endings.
A love story doesn't end when you fall in love, nor when you make your declaration and start a love relationship (which is where 90% games end), nor even at your marriage or first child. Toraha's endings takes you at the start of a new beginning, or in your future with your happy family life to even... farer. One of its endings is my fav. for every and all endings I ever get in a ren'ai games, the one I found the most romantic.
Also, Toraha is one of the very few games (the others being... Toraha2 and Toraha3! [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/tongue.gif[/img]) in which I actually like all the characters. If forced to chose a fav, I... probably won't chose anyone, because it's really hard to chose one of them!!! Thing is... sometimes I loved the girl, and sometimes I loved the story, so it's hard to chose a fav... [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/tongue.gif[/img]
Oh, just a note, you can have pretty bad endings in this game (i.e. you can die!).
Toraha2:
Graphics: good and cute (IMO [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/smile.gif[/img]). This time, Toraha2 uses drawn pictures as backgrounds. The number of CGs is lower than in Toraha1 (118) and still includes a _high_ number of H ones (53 = 45%).
Music: pleasant, without being exceptional. There is one OP and two ED songs, very enjoyable.
Gameplay: Toraha2 is still an ADV. Apparently, it was supposed to be a SIM (the old interface allows you to choose daily activities), but it was turned into an ADV (the new interface in the DVD edition is ADV-only). As in the previous game, the face of the girl whom you'll meet at a location appears when you select that location.
Characters: nine winnable main, three winnable secret and four supporting cast.
Why I like the game.
The setting is more original than the previous game: you're Makihara Kousuke and was asked by your aunt to temporarily replace her as the manager of an all-girls dormitory. What is interesting to notice is that you're an _adult_, i.e. you're not a student anymore, which is a change from the "inexperienced young boy" of most of ren'ai games. In fact, you even had a previous love experience. This is interesting, as it gives a different tone to the stories.
The game happens in the same universe as the previous game, so you'll have cameo appearances of characters from Toraha1 (in fact, two of them are winnable, one of them was your previous girlfriend... and one of the girl dates Shin'ichirou in one of the story! ^^;;; [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/wink.gif[/img].
The game structure is almost like the previous one, with a trick beginning. Indeed, most residents of the dormitory doesn't like you being there AT ALL so in the first part, you'll have to earn their trust (and it's not *that* easy, believe me...).
In a way, I think the stories in Toraha2 are not as good as in Toraha1. Or perhaps it's the characters who aren't as interesting as in Toraha1. But, if I think about why I like Toraha2, I think it's, in a way, normal.
In Toraha2, you're the manager of the Sazanami dormitory, thus live around the girls and have to take care of them. This define the atmosphere: a family. It is what I liked and enjoyed most about Toraha2: the family atmosphere. Even more, as the manager (and among the few grown-ups of the dorm), you have a fatherly (and sometimes motherly [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/smile.gif[/img]) position on the girls, having to prepare the meals, doing the housework, watching the "kids", etc.
Of course, Toraha2 still has a unique set of characters: a singer-to-be, a ghost-hunter, an ESPer/Angel, another ESPer, a catgirl, a sword (yeah, _sword_) spirit and some more "normal" characters, but they seem less memorable that the girls in Toraha1. And in fact, it's true... if you take them alone to make the comparison. Because the Toraha2 characters are part of this family, and, without the others they seem less that what they are. And, so, even if each story is pretty unique (and you still have the broad range of stories as in Toraha1) and good, it's not the story of the girl and Kousuke only which is important, but it's their story, surrounded by all the other people of the dorm (in fact, in one of the story, you marry one of the girl and adopt another).
A comment: since you _may_ think so, Toraha2 is not "Love Hina" AT ALL!!! Kousuke is a very mature guy (and a genius cook!!), a diligent worker and a righteous man: he won't go after many girls at the same time. So, no, no fanservice; the _only_ sex events are when he makes love to the woman he's in love with.
Another note: I think one of the story is waaay too lolicon, though... ^^;;;;;;
Toraha3:
The way I talked about them, you thought Toraha1 and Toraha2 were very good? Well, they are. And yet, Toraha3 is better than them (IMO). In every way.
But you'll have to wait for next time, as I have to go. *grins*
Next time: Toraha3, the drama, the toyboxes and the OVAs.
quote:
Originally posted by Unicorn:
Mio-chan! [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/biggrin.gif[/img]
For the record, while I love all the girls in Toraha2 as well, I love most of them as friends or little sister or children. So, I would have fav., i.e. ones I would rather pursue in a romantic way. And they are Yuuhi and Ai.
EDT (ATT: Spec): No, this was NOT a review!!! I once said I won't write review (on the BBS), so it is not!!! Just a short... presentation of the game, like last time about "Machine Maiden". ^_-
[This message has been edited by olf_le_fol (edited 06-06-2003).]
