Hyakugojuunenme no Mahoutsukai

I'm going to be blunt, I wasn't really up for playing this in the first place, and as a result, my opinion of this VN is probably quite a bit lower than it actually deserves... but at the same time, it is probably a bit more realistic than those who are tricked by the pretty pictures. I mostly picked this one up to satisfy those who are curious and because it is technically a May release.

From a writing standpoint, this VN is about average, as moege go. There is nothing really special about the narration and the dialogue is actually weaker than I'm accustomed to from non-doujin titles. As such, there really isn't anything to praise linguistically. There are a lot of attempts at humor in this VN, but they are just that... attempts. Not only that, but the patchy way they voiced the game - about half is voiced, half is not - makes it hard to absorb oneself in reading this. It would have been better if they either forewent voices entirely if they didn't have the cash to at least fully voice the heroines in all scenes.

From a visual standpoint... this game is actually as good-looking as a commercial release, and the fact that all the major characters except the protagonist have tachie is a huge plus. As a potential minus (though not for me) the style is a bit old, though not so old that someone who hadn't experienced older styles would have noticed.

I already mentioned the voices above... but what I didn't mention was the music, which was singularly unimpressive, even if you are considering the fact that this was a doujin game. Most VNs manage to have at least a certain level of quality to their soundtracks, even if they are forgettable... but this one doesn't quite make it on that account.

As for the story... disappointing is the only word I had for it. I was surprised at how pathetic the presentation of the plot (such as it was) was, and I have to wonder why they bothered to release this if the endings in general were going to leave you feeling 'eh, what? It's over, that's it?'

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