NEKO-exHeart 3

NEKO-exHeart 3 picks up where the 2nd VN left off. That is in my opinion one of the good things about this Visual Novel is that it tends to pick up right where it leaves off on the previous volume. It also has a nice little intro that helps any new players to kind of catch the 'bullet points' of what happened previously. Though in all honesty, I think it goes without saying that you should probably play the first 2 before playing this one. 

So this installment of the series not only picks up where the second one left off but it also adds not two but three new characters that the protag now has a semi relationship with.

Himari who is a daughter and possible heir to one of the largest influential families in all of Japan that has its hands in just about anything. However due to infighting and the fact that she is an 'impure blood' she is technically not able to become the leader. The thought process behind her character is that she is a direct decedent of the family's current leader but as being born to a demi-human mother she was one of the few that ended up obtaining the demi-human attributes such as as the tail and ears. Because of this, she is considered impure blood. 

She has however decided to try her hand at it anyway and has attempted to keep her impure blood a secret. She decided to reach out to the protag in an attempt to get him to join her cause and support her in her rise to become a leader. At first, she makes her case sound like it is a pure reason, but the purity of her cause is stained with a secret. She however does towards the end has genuine feelings for the protag.  

Shino is a dog demi-human and a very adept fighter that uses raw power and jitsu arts to make a powerful combined assault. Shino is part of the same ninja clan as Ritsu and trained alongside her. However, as the members of the ninja group spread out she ended up running into Himari. Himari helped her out when she needed it most and upon that she pledged herself to help her in her cause. 

Ritsu however can't agree to this as Shino is supposed to be a ninja to the protag and this bond is eternal and for her to go against that is something that causes a lot of problems. However, Shino isn't one to show emotion and tends to be very reserved. This makes her seem cold, but the reality of it is she simply has issues showing how she truly feels and tends to be extremely emotional on the inside taking everything personally. 

Shana is a tiger demi-human and has unique powers. She isn't a ninja in the sense that Shino is, she is more resembling of a Taoist caster using the arts of Tao to create powerful magic effects and summons. Shana is a maid that serves Himari and fights alongside Shino when she's needed. 

Shana is very direct in her approach to things but also a very straight forward person that doesn't like to beat around the bush if she can avoid it. She is the opposite of Shino when it comes to showing emotions, but Shana is very playful and enjoys teasing Himari and Shino when she can.

Shana in essence is a powerful force of nature that will do whatever it takes to get Himari where she wants to go.

With these characters added into the mix with the already growing household, the protag is forced to think about the future more and more. He then hears more about Ritsu and the other ninjas that are coming to his aid to serve him as well as hears more about the Fuma village that has pledged all its ninja's to his family name. 

In essence, he has control over two powerful ninja families and villages making him one of the more powerful people in Japan even if he doesn't fully understand that yet. During his time with Himari and the others, he finds out more about what it is that Himari is trying to do as well as more about what is required of him as a Master of all these ninja's and demi-humans.  

This VN was shorter than the other two and I felt that while it did a decent job of explaining the background plotline I think it was an attempt to cram as much information as they could into one episode. They also greatly reduced the number of H-Scenes in this one which was a bit of a bummer, but that said there were a few. I a hoping that a Neko-nin exHeart 4 is in development and will do a better job of explaining more about the protags family and history as well as take time to explain things more with how it will affect his future.

Even though it is a bit of a set back I think compared to the first two, I still highly recommend this VN to keep up with the series and to see the new characters that are added to his team.

 Neko-nin exHeart 2

Neko-nin exHeart 2 picks up right where the first one left off with it finally introducing a couple of new characters. Without spoiling everything from the first one the two characters that are added are seeking to also be Shinobi of the main character. This leads to conflict between the two sets of Shinobi. Yura and Tama of the Fuuma Clan and the two new Shinobi of Maya and Ritsu that make up a small part of another Clan. 

During their first few engagements, it is clear that each side has its own advantages and disadvantages. Tama is a master of Jitsu but lacks the physical endurance of long fights. Yura is the opposite of Tama, with raw brute animalistic, and almost ungodly like physical strength she lacks the focus to use Jitsu effectively like Tama. 

Maya which says she's a Neko even though she is obviously not (she's a bunny girl) lacks both physical and Jitsu abilities but makes up for it through tenacity. She is very dedicated to serving Haruki in any way she can.

Maya is also very childish at times and comes off as a bit of a clutz and airhead. She can get confused easily and the fact that she has a lot of tendencies that rabbits have, it makes her even more so at times. 

The second member of the small clan that has decided to also serve Haruki is Ritsu which is a Neko. Ritsu is a master of specialized forms of Jitsu such as barrier casting and sense masking Jitsu. She is also very agile and nimble and accelerates using her speed to gain an upper hand. 

During a contest, Ritsu uses her speed to strike Yura multiple times and appeared to have the upper hand thanks to her speed and the fact that Yura lacks the speed to keep up with Ritsu. However, Yura uses her raw power to take the hits then delivers a powerful counter that takes Ritsu by surprise.

At first, the two sets of Shinobi are at odds with one another as they fight for control of being given the highest honor and to serve Haruki. However, Haruki is a kind soul and through luck and a little fumbling Haruki is able to get all four to cohabitate with one another and him. 

Some other aspects of the story start to come to light as well as the setting up of some major events that deal with Haruki and those that he has started to serve for the time being. 

This Visual Novel like the last one has an 18+ patch that removes the censors. The Visual Novel also has language, crude humor, nudity, and H-Scenes. The protag is your average protag but character development is slow going but the weight of the situation he is in is getting more fleshed out.

 NEKO-NIN exHeart

NEKO-NIN exHeart is a Visual Novel that takes place in modern-day Japan but with a twist to the history of the nation. In the times of the Shogunate and under the feudal system houses fought for power and control. During this time the use of Demi-Humans (beastman like people that look human but have characteristics of an animal), were used as Ninja and trained to serve one of the noble houses as such. They dedicated their lives and deaths to the house they were sworn to protect. 

The era of the Shogunate has long since ended, and these Demi-Humans now face something worse than worrying about death, living in a world that no longer wants or needs them. Demi-Humans now live in remote areas of Japan and send out their members to perform tasks for money in order to survive. However, that doesn't mean that some don't still find work as Ninjas.  

Haruki the protag of this VN and the perspective you will play from is a decedent of one of the Noble Houses, though he doesn't know it. It isn't until one day that he is heading to school does he have his first encounter with the sisters Yura and Tama.

The sisters are from a village that has dedicated its existence to the noble family that Haruki is a part of. To that end, they have been sent to his side to become his Shinobi and protect him from any harm that may come his way. The sisters are still young and not very experienced in the ways of the world as they have spent their lives in a small village out in the middle of nowhere.

At first, Haruki is a bit distressed by the sudden changes and events that lead up to these two Neko Demi-Humans that are now in his life. He at first keeps them at arms distance of him and tries to get them to leave him. However, over time he finds that the two Neko Shinobi are not going to be leaving, and in the end through ongoing events, he comes to finally accept them and takes them in. 

Yura is the oldest of the two sisters and yet to some degree isn't the most mature of the two. She isn't good using what they refer to as 'jitsu' powers that are more like magic then anything else. She is however very strong and uses a special skill that increases her strength beyond most limits. She is also the one that fawns over Haruki the most and is a jealous Neko. She isn't the brightest and can easily get sidetracked. 

Tama is the youngest sister of the two and is still in some ways more like a kitten than a cat. Despite that, however, she is very versed in the arts of 'jitsu' and can use a wide variety of them without losing much stamina. Despite being the youngest she is in most ways more mature. She is a bottomless pit though when it comes to eating and tends to overeat quite a bit. She is a bit timid and very clingy.

This Visual Novel adds other characters and other events that develop the characters nicely. Haruki first sees the girls simply as Shinobi but within a few days sees them as girls more than Shinobi. At some point, Haruki enters into a relationship first with Yaru and then later Tama. The sisters know that each one is a love interest to him and it doesn't really matter to them. 

The music is nice and refreshing as it does have several tracks that play. Visually it is extremely nice though the backgrounds could use some refinement the characters themselves are well done. Overall though I still find this to be a Grade A Visual Novel. 

All that said, this is an adult-oriented Visual Novel that comes with an 18+ Patch able to be downloaded for a small price. The patch removes all censors and adds several H-Scene graphics. As you may have guessed Haruki has intercourse with Yura and Tama pretty regular. There are also two extensions that you can purchase that adds two additional short stories that add two other girls and H-Scenes for them. 

 Sankaku Renai: Love Triangle Trouble

Sankaku Renai: Love Triangle Trouble is a unique VN that tells a pretty interesting story about a group of High School kids in the last years of their school life. Obviously with the name you can tell that there are some serious love issues that will be taking place between the members of this group.

I want to be upfront and say that this game comes both in a 'Standard' edition on Steam and then you can download the 18+ Patch off the company site to upgrade to the 'Adult' Version of this game. Both versions of the VN are the same, the only difference between them is that the 18+ version adds H-Scenes.

I both enjoyed this VN for the most part but there are a few things that I have to give bad marks for. Primarily I don't mind an occasional use of 'breaking the fourth wall' but the number of comments, statements, and usage of breaking the fourth wall and so on was a bit off-key to me.  It wasn't well balanced and in some cases, it kind of hurt the story that was being told. I still enjoyed the game though mainly due to the fact that it is a very well done story and with multiple choices and multiple endings and paths this game.

Sankaku Renai sets you up as the protagonist named Sousuke that lives with his father, stepmother, and stepsister.  

His stepsister Nanaru is a bit of a trip. She is a bit loud and upfront about things and lacks filters for other things. She can be a bit of a brat at times and forceful but all in all, she is a good person that enjoys spending time with her stepbrother Sousuke. 

But Nanaru has a secret that I won't tell, but going through her path will allow you to find out more about Nanaru and the secret that will make or break the family.

The next girl that you could say takes a spotlight is Sousuke's blood sister. After their parents divorced Sousuke went and lived with his father who later remarried Nanaru's mother. His sister Suzu however went and lived with their mother. Sadly years after they were broke apart their mother passed away and Suzu went and lived with her grandmother. 

Suzu is the ideal sister and friend. She shares many of the same interests that Sousuke and Nanaru have. She is very bright and intelligent but a bit naive to the real world. She is helpful in doing housework and helping Nanaru with her homework even though she would pass as the younger sister. 

Like Nanaru, Suzu has a secret that if you choose to go down her path you will be able to find out what it is. I am not going to tell you what it is because I think you would not like to know if you plan on playing it.

You will be introduced to two other main love interests one being Moho the childhood friend and Shiina a strange girl that has fallen for Sousuke from the first moment she laid eyes on him.

Moho is the childhood friend of Sousuke and has been by his side since they were in grade school. She looked at Suzu as her little sister and the three spent a great deal of time together. Moho is a diehard Fighting game player and is really good at it. She is open and tends to put her foot in her mouth at times. She can be shy when it comes to talking about love or relationships. Sousuke asked her out one time and she turned him down, though not for the reason you may think. After that, they both remained friends though it did cause some awkwardness. She is one of the love interests in the VN. 

Shiina is a unique character as a whole. She is very open to all kinds of things. She doesn't have a problem making jokes about sex or other sexually oriented topics as she is a complete nut for games that deal with Hentai and other adult-oriented content. (She could be the spokesman for GNKG). 

That said though Shiina is unique in the fact that she can also be very shy about talking about things dealing with true romance and relationships, especially it involves her. She falls in love with Sousuke from the first time she sees him. She is also another primary love interest within the game. 

Shiina and Moho at one point decide to go against one another in an attempt to get Sousuke for themself and through this odd battle of wills, they become friends, and in the end regardless of who you choose the other will remain resolute to staying friends with Sousuke and the lover you choose.

There are also two girls you can have a romantic relationship with if you choose but they are not considered to be primary love interests and in fact, their ending stories are not as long as the main love interests but they do add a new spin on the game.

However I feel like that one of them was added in the end, it was like the game committee decided to add her at the last minute and the editor just didn't catch it until after the fact and just gave up on trying to redo it. 

Cara is a foreigner that starts out as a bit of a pudgy girl that is all about cosplay. However, over the summer, she ends up overheating and spending two weeks out of school. When she returns she's lost a large amount of weight and catches the interest of Sousuke. You can choose her later on in the game as a secondary love interest, however, their story after that choice isn't very long compared to the others.

Akane is the resident BL (Boy Love) fanatic. However, despite her being into yoai she is still into boys. She is usually seen in the group of friends eating candy and talking non stop about BL manga and light novels. 

As another secondary love interest, I feel like she got chipped when it came to the dating phase of the VN and would like to have seen more development of this relationship.

There is a lot more involved in this story and a lot of ups and downs. And one thing I found out was when you chose a certain path each path had the 'triangle' effect so an opponent of sorts. 

Nanaru - Suzu

Moho - Shiina

Cara - Akane

This VN is a rollercoaster ride of emotions and while it has moments of sadness it has a lot of comedy as well. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a long drawn out VN that is good and funny while also having serious moments in it as well. Currently, I have unlocked all endings and I have accumulated around 22 hours of time on the game. If you are also interested you can go to the companies website and download for free the 18+ patch which adds H-Scenes for the love interests.

Real Life Plus Ver. Kaname Komatsuzaki

 Real Life Plus

Real Life Plus is a unique Visual Novel like game that doesn't follow the traditional VN Meta. I want to put this out there up front, if you get this game then expect to turn the music and sound effects off, for some reason when it came to Audio the group doing this didn't consider adjusting sound levels so the music and sound effects can drown out the voices and be quiet loud. 

The game is unique in a couple of ways. The first is that it is played through with a single focus, that is the growing up of the Protag alongside the primary and only Love interest I saw named Kaname. You start as grade school students in the year 1999 and then as you make choices and watch the short and brief scenarios that transpire as you make your choices, you will go all the way till your High School graduation in 2015.

The second unique aspect of this game is the story itself. Whereas most VN's focus on multiple characters, their development, and of course a bunch of filler stories to make it more interesting, this game forgoes all of that.  Instead, it sticks to you and Kaname and your direct conversations and decisions. 

The next thing that I have heard though I have only played through it once at the time of this review, is that as you make choices that Kaname's appearance and characteristics will change pending on how you make your choices. 

I think that the developer of this did a good job of keeping the pace pretty quick as well as not focusing on one time period longer than the rest. This game is a pretty fast pace and doesn't take long to play through. But that said the game also has multiple endings so playing through to get all the different endings is something that I would recommend.

Artistically, the game isn't bad at all, I wouldn't say it is on par with some of the larger Visual Novels but considering the nature of this VN, I can understand why this isn't what I would call a Grade A artistic VN. 

Now I will be the first to say that I didn't feel all that connected to the characters as I would in other VN's but I am actually ok with that. I think that most VN's are very story heavy and while I do enjoy those I also think sometimes a little bit of a variety makes things better. 

My only reservation was the price. I don't feel that even with the replay value that it has and the multiple endings that make it actually worth the price tag that it has in the Steam Marketplace. Currently, in the Steam Marketplace, the game is selling for around $12 which isn't really all that high considering that more extensive VN's can cost upwards to $50. 

That said, I do still think this game would be a good addition for a game that you can play if you don't have a lot of time and want to do something. I think a better price tag would be around $5 or $6 personally, but that is just my opinion.

So unlike many of the games I review, this one has no adult content that I am aware of and none that I saw. It does have a couple of instances that it talks about 'the act of sex' indirectly and it is implied that the main character and Kaname have sexual relations, (at least in the playthrough I did). 

Despite it not having much in the way of H-Scenes and so on it isn't a bad game. I think that this style of VN is unique enough to be used again. Maybe this will lead to a few more VN's that are alike to this one.

 You and Me and Her

I have had this game for a little bit, I actually bought it the same day it came out after seeing some people talking about it in a discussion forum for upcoming VN's. On the outside, this Visual Novel looks wholesome and the artwork is unique. I wasn't sure if I would like the style of art myself but after playing it through a couple of times the artwork really works well with this VN and the artwork kind of grows on you. The music isn't bad and it does have several tracks. I will say the music really does go well with the mood and feelings that are portrayed through the VN. 

So now that I have touched on those aspects slightly let's talk about the meat of the VN. Before I start, I want to say that there are some new terms that I will be using so if you're not familiar with them I will attempt to explain them as best I can. Honestly, there was one term I had to look up myself because I didn't know that this type of writing had its own tag.

So quickly let me start off by saying that this type of VN is something that I have a love/hate relationship with. Why you ask?  Because there are multiple endings that I do enjoy greatly. That said there are few choices, but more than that certain endings require special interactions or extra steps that sometimes are just a pain. Not to mention that unless you have access to the 'Guide' you may or may not find out about those 'special endings'. In other words, they take a simple task of decision making and then add stipulations and steps that while not all that bad does take away from the game itself in my opinion. 

You play as the protag named Shinichi, who wants nothing more than a simple life without having to do too much. Which seems to be the primary protags coming from Japan these days. Shinichi is your average High School student that doesn't cause many waves. In fact, he's pretty much off the radar and likes it that way. But as is notorious with Visual Novels the Protag doesn't stay that way for very long.

During a trip to the roof of the school to take care of some after school choirs, he finds a phone on the roof. Looking at it you can make the choice to look at the call log to see if you can figure out who's phone it is. However, if you do check the call log you find only one number being called at any time and that is under the name 'God'. 

Soon a girl falls into his lap...no literally, she falls from the top of the primary room and lands on him. And that girl is Aoi, who you find out is a very interesting character with some really weird characteristics.

Aoi is a loner, she doesn't exist on anyone's radar really, and the way she acts many just ignore her. Her eyes are always devoid of any sign of emotion and she stares off into space often not really paying attention to anyone around her. However, there are rumors about Aoi, not so good ones.

However, after a brief and unusual conversation, another girl enters and she is not too pleased to see Shinichi laying there with Aoi on his lap.

Miyuki is a long time friend of Shinichi, but upon entering High School they really haven't spoken much to one another. Miyuki used to be the odd girl out and wasn't treated very well through school. However, upon entering High School she quickly became seen as the 'Queen Bee' of the school. She is respected and in some cases feared by students and teachers alike. 

Miyuki is an aspiring actress and she is really good at it, so good that no one realizes that in reality, the persona that she displays to everyone else is not her real self at all, but a self she created to make things easier for her. The only person that knows the truth is Shinichi and he's not going to say anything. 

Shinichi taught Miyuki a few things when they were growing up and it was during that time he realized something and once he realized it there was an unspoken deal between them.

The story as you may know from other Visual Novels enters a period of developing your feelings for the characters. This of course also revolves around the fact that Shinichi decides to help Aoi to become better aware of the world around her and to help her make friends. Miyuki at first wants nothing to do with her, but after realizing that in a strange way Aoi was like Miyuki in her earlier years she takes to Aoi and decides to help Shinichi with Aoi.

The game takes a couple of weird and unexpected turns that make you question the reality of the Visual Novel. Honestly, it kind of reminds me slightly of the style used in the Visual Novel game Doki Doki Literature Club (I have done a review of said VN which you can find in my blog archives.)  The game has roughly 8 endings with one end being one you want to wait and only do after unlocking all the others. From what I read it could ultimately end up changing the game files and erasing your save games. Now I am not sure why it does this but it is something to remember.

As time passes you will be faced with some different choices that will lead you into taking one of the two girls for more than a friend. This is also where things can get complicated. Aoi keeps telling you that Miyuki is the 'primary love interest' and that Shinichi has to get with her. That is one path that you can choose and end up with Miyuki. Now I'm not going to give any spoilers as far as telling you how or what happens afterward if you want that information you will need to play the game. 

As for Aoi's route, I have to be upfront here and tell you that I honestly had a thing for Aoi and thought she deserved to be 'best girl' in this Visual Novel. (Best Girl is a reference to the primary love interest in most Manga's, Anime's, and Visual Novels. They are seen as the girl that the main character SHOULD end up with.) So yes, Aoi was the girl I had picked. However, I was greatly heartbroken when I found out what would happen if you went down that route. The ending I got wit Aoi was in a nutshell an NTR ending. 

NTR also referred to as Netorare, is in the Japanese media meta represents the concept of cheating or unfaithful to one's significant other. So using that as your reference you can imagine what happens and the sad shape that things turn into. I won't like with me picking Aoi as 'best girl' and then her ending being an NTR one means I am 0 for 2 of best girl picks. Now points added to you if you remember who my first pick was and what anime it was on. Though I haven't mentioned yet the ending of that particular anime because it is still in production just know the manga is done and I already know who the main character picks to be with...and I wasn't thrilled but it is what it is.

This game isn't for everyone, if you get the 18+ version it adds several H-Scenes which are nice if you like that. It will play on your emotions and you will find yourself connecting with the characters and looking for a happy ending where everyone is happy...but like real life very seldom does that happen. In the end, You and Me and Her is a love triangle VN with some unique twists and turns that make it both exciting and interesting to the end. 

I would highly recommend this to those that enjoy a good mind-twisting, emotion drilling, and multiple ending style Visual Novel.