Sweet Fuse

Title – Sweet Fuse: At Your Side

• Author – Otomate/Aksys Games/Idea Factory
• Style – Otome Visual Novel (interactive)
• Rating - Teen (Language and Mild Violence)
• Trial – No
• Price- $29.99 (PSP)
• Buy! - http://store.aksysgames.com/products/sweet-fuse-at-your-side

Story- The protagonist goes to the opening of her uncle's theme park. Great so far, but then a giant hog appears on every screen and declares reign over the park. Count Hogstien as he is called takes some hostages, including the protagonist's uncle. The only way to free them is to beat the games that are part of the original theme park. Of course Saki (the protagonist) jumps in to save her uncle! She and her new 6 other and the theme park actually happens to be based on games that the protagonist's uncle designed. The group of characters have to beat 7 attractions in 7 days. Oh and their lives are in danger too, what a horrible pig!

After the third day the story divulges into the path into your chosen guy's route. All of the paths come to a realization that they were not just chosen to be victims at random but because of a more sinister secret. There are 14 different endings with 8 main endings, so you will find some variety in the game. There is of course the “main” path which explains the most and is the most in depth of the endings (Subaru Shidou's route). I was never a big fan of here is the main guy so take his route to get the game to make the most sense, but that just might be me. 9.5/10

Graphics- This game was much more anime style than any of the other otome games I have played. It was a refreshing change of style, after all you do want your game to stand out. Although I was a bit disappointed in the event cgs. I thought they were a little too plain and boring. They didn't make me go: Yes! I can go back and look at this! It was more like a: that's cute reaction picture but I didn't feel the strong need to go back and look at them in the gallery. And if I can put my own two cents here, all the kissing scenes are rather lame. 8.5/10

My version of a good kissing scene. More contact!

Music/SFX- I like the variety of music, I think the music fits the mood of the sections of the game well. I really liked Count Hogstien's music theme. One of the tracks that is just standard background music sounds like it came out of Hakuouki (was far too generic and I think that the flute sounds like it doesn't belong in this game) and I thought it was very out of place in this game. But other than that track, I liked the music a lot. It was not too standard and was different enough to make me want to listen to it out of the game. Also each ride had its own theme song which was nice to set the mood for that game. There are also some tracks with hilarious Engrish for all you English speakers to enjoy! 9/10

Voice Acting- The voice acting is good as I have found of all Otomate games. I think they hire good voice actors and they can get the character across well. I thought Kouta Meoshi's voice actor did a good job of making him sound super embarrassed which fit his character so well. Kimimaro Urabe's voice actor is very good at the soothing, relaxed type but has versatility for later interesting turns in the story. I thought that all the voices were fitting but I didn't feel like all the characters had voices I wanted to drool over (not sure if that's a good thing.) 9/10

Characters- The one thing that really stands out to me is the characters. After playing quite a few games I get a general feel for what character types they tend to put in otome games. The standard characters such as playboy type, quiet shy type, cold emotionless type, kind and gentle type etc. I thought that Sweet Fuse really took the characters to a new level of originality. True some of those types are in the game but they are expanded on and defined which makes them all the more interesting. For example Kouta Meoshi is the quiet shy type but he is also a very nervous hikikomori and game otaku that doesn't really know how to act around other people. There is also Ryuusei Mitarashi who is the buff host (as in a host club, women paying for time with handsome men) who is constantly taking hits for everyone. Each character has their own quirks that make them more unique than your standard characters. 10/10

Setting- A theme park based on video games that turns deadly. Each stage is quite different and interesting and have different challenges to overcome. The rides are not all the same and the genres are all different, quite a nice variety. At first I thought they didn't even go to all the rides, but the first two routes I chose both neglected the same two rides and used the same ride to the end, but they do! I just hadn't played all the routes, turns out some skip some rides and other skip other rides so you do actually get to play on all the rides. 4.5/5

Originality- I think that this is a very strong point of this game. The best is the part with a hot tempered heroine! Saki is not just gonna lay down and take your shit, you are getting yelled at until you are reasonable, you dumb men!! Ok, the guys aren't that bad, but all of the characters need a good yelling at sometimes. With the different characters and a much different game play I can safely give a perfect score for originality. 5/5

Game play – I think one of the great parts of this game is that the game play is different than a standard otome game. I also like the fact that the main character gets super pissed sometimes and can yell at a character for being stupid or unreasonable. I LOVE this feature of the game, I can yell at the characters when they are being stupid! You don't know how many other times I wish I had that function in other games. Of course there are choices which guide the story. But there is also a cute word game where you have to pick the clue that everyone has overlooked and gain Explosive Insight! The only thing I would say is that mini-games could be added because there are puzzles but that's being nit-picky. 4.5/5 

Extras- There was the standard extra on the game. A gallery with the ability to go back to the scene and a music box. I love music boxes so I'm always happy when they are included in the extras. But pretty standard for any visual novel/otome game. 3.5/5

Overall- If you are looking for a different otome game, I would say that this is a game to definitely get. It also has a good comedic tone at parts making it a cute and fun game.

Score- 63.5/70 - 91% - So much variety from your standard otome game, I rated it very high! If you like otome games, don't miss this one! GO GET IT NOW!

The best part is when you get to yell at Subaru for being sexist.

 I love Count Hogstein's expressions... and when he bounces when he comes on screen.

Well then.... 

 Towa's cute grumpy face.

 The second best thing is the reactions of everyone getting yelled at. Kimimaru is very concerned about being yelled out.

Kouta makes cute stressed faces. And yes that is a statue of the silly Count Hogstein in the background.

 It turns out that Kouta has sweet moves in real life, not just as a gamer.

It turns out that Ryuusei just loves amusement parks XD

You are totally convincing everyone Towa...

I think the Piglets are soooo adorable....

Saya no Uta ~Song of Saya~

• Author – JAST USA/Nitro Plus
• Style – Multi-path eroge visual novel (Interactive)
• Rating - 18+ (Eroge and Gore)
• Trial – No
• Price- $24.95(PC)
• Buy!- Click for J-List!

Story- The story is where this game really shines! Written by Gen Urobuchi (creator of the hit series Madoka), this is the story of Sakisaka Fuminori (the protagonist) who's life takes a turn into the land of WTF after he gets in a bad car crash. An emergency new brain surgery is performed to save his life but unfortunately, the treatment wasn't exactly FDA approved and has some less than ideal side effects... After the surgery, something happens in his brain to make the world look completely different. Everything is now a horrifying mess of soft meats. Meaty organ shaped blobs and pulsating veins now cover the world in a terrifying reality. And now his friends are horrible deformed monsters with their human words skewed into a gross vomit of horrifying sounds. Nothing is normal any more... expect one thing. Saya, An adorable girl (who's totally over 18 you guys) has moved in with Fuminori becoming the one shining beacon in his transformed life.

The story unfolds as Fuminori struggles through life and to help Saya with her one request, to find her dad. Truths darker than Fuminori's skewed world come to life and vault his own life out of control. It's an amazing story that is very different than your standard eroge. Unique and exciting, weird and out there. If you are tired of standard eroge with similar plots, then this is for you. 10/10

Graphics- The art in this game is drawn in a much more realistic style with Saya being the only character to come across as less realistic and more anime-esque. Saya is super cute but still sexy when she takes her clothes off. It's a great balance. I also like the way that Tonoh Koji and Takahata Omi (Fuminori's college friends) are drawn, kind of dark and sketchy even though this is the real world and not the messed up world that Fuminori sees which makes the game still unsettling looking through anyone's eyes. I will say that I do not like the character design Tsukuba Yoh, Fuminori's college friend that has a big crush on him. It's the way her boobs look in her shirt (put a freakin' support bra on woman!)... but then again I'm not a guy. Maybe it looks better when you don't know how much it'd hurt not to have any support on those thing. I really think that's the only gripe I have with the art. And I LOVE how the art in the backgrounds and cgs of what Fuminori sees. The backgrounds make me feel like I am in this disgusting world (I use disgusting because it's supposed to be but that's really the bg art's charm) It's absolutely fascinating and creepy! 9.5/10

Music/SFX- To start out with- I looooooved Saya's theme. It was creepy, eerie and pretty all at the same time. I actually opened the music box just to hear Saya's theme. This game does well on the other eerie tracks, making it very fitting for a much more somber game. The one thing it lacks is quantity, there just aren't that many tracks. It is a short game but I still want to hear more creepy and unsettling songs! 8.5/10

Voice Acting- I love Saya's voice! It's cute and really fits her. It's sweet enough to make her sound extra cute when screwing Fuminori. Also, all the other voice acting is good enough. All the voices fit the characters but they don't scream super awesome the way Saya's voice does. I did like the creepy “voice acting” that was from the point of Fuminori for all his monster friends. Very unsettling and creepy (like WTF is that sound coming out of their mouths?). 9/10

Characters- To start off with, the protagonist has a great personality. Not great as in cheerful but a deep character who has many layers to him. You have the cracking outer layer which is to put up a semi normal front to fool his friends and other people even though he despises the monsters that he sees them as. A loving layer that is reserved for Saya only as she is his saving grace. And at the core you have one very confused man dealing with the messed up world that he was thrown into. Also Saya is precious, cute and almost innocently naïve. Something really strikes me that she is a great character, I think it's that she seems the only pure thing that is left in Fuminori's life. The side characters are good as well, but the story is really about Saya and Fuminori anyway. Favorite Character: Saya Least Favorite Character: Tsukuba Yoh 10/10

H- Great H-scenes for the type that love their girls slender and little (I like it because that is my body type as well, which make it all the more easier to get into the scenes.) If you go the right way on the path, you get scenes with one of the other characters, but I'll let you find out which one it is ^^;. There aren't that many H scenes but again this isn't a very long game. But I think that there is a good variety of different positions and they are all rendered beautifully. I like the color schemes for the scenes as well, I think that they fit the mood of this game (A light and dark theme). 9/10

Setting- The world is sooo unique, you can definitely feel unsettled when looking through Fuminori's eyes and see the creepy meaty world that he sees. I think that for most people this unsettling reality would drive most people insane. Fuminori would have been himself if not for Saya. The world is just fascinating, I don't think that I would have ever thought of something so weird and different. Delightfully different! 5/5

Originality- Man I think all the comments before have summarized what I think about the originality of this game. But I will add that it is really out there and is probably not for everyone. The endings are really different than your standard endings in eroge as well. 5/5

Game play– Standard game play, you make choices to get determine the path of the story. Nothing really extra beyond choices (And not that many). Maybe it would have been a bit nicer if there were more choices, even if it's just a small bit of dialogue, it can spice up a story. I will say that the choices and what they lead to made sense so it wasn't annoying or stupidly hard. 3/5

Extras- There was the standard extras in the game. A gallery with the ability to go back to the scene and a music box. But in an eroge a gallery is a must! I love music boxes so I'm always happy when they include it. But pretty standard for any visual novel. 3/5

Overall- As most people know this is a very unique game but for a certain audience. If you don't like weird and creepy this game isn't for you. But if you do it's a gem. I LOVE this game. I preordered it like a year in advance when there was no clue of a release date even though I had played it with an unofficial English patch like 5 years ago. The only thing I would change is to make the game longer! I was sad when it ended so fast!

Score- 72/80 - 90% - One of a kind! IF YOU LIKE CREEPY THEN STOP READING RIGHT NOW AND GO BUY IT! NO SERIOUSLY! WHY ARE YOU STILL READING THIS? BUY IT ALREADY!

Now you too can feel as confused as trying to live in a world full of keyboard smash language!

Things never go well when the door to your friends house is unlocked... just waiting for you...

Now just look at that room! You can't even watch TV anymore... What a shame...

Even the trees are meaty tendrils! Creepy...

The cutest girl in the on the most disgusting floor. 

Just be happy your dirty room never turned into this kind of frightening! 

Does it bother you, Saya that the room is still half disgusting? Oh well... at least the TV isn't ruined yet!

An example of Yoh's boobs that I don't like, I think her “bad luck” applies to support bras too...

Yeah Doctor, what could possibly go more wrong than living in my disgusting world?

I'm pretty sure that Fuminori doesn't have to be worried about being robbed......

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