“As long as she thinks of a man, nobody objects to a woman thinking.” ― Virginia Woolf, Orlando

Well, I haven't been playing a visual novel for some time, and to break the hiatus, I have chosen RoseVerte's East Tower series. We will see whether that was a good idea or not. I have played some of RoseVerte's newer games - namely, Cafe 0 series before, and I loved them genuinely. East Tower series are older titles, and it can be counted a bit on the amateurish side, among developer's games. Every game in the series centers on one of the gentlemen which we can develop an intimate relationship with, and this first one takes a close look on Akio.

Yet, before delving into the personality of this first beau, let me present a brief summary of the storyline. Our protagonist, Sakuya - or whatever you name her - is a girl who wishes she'd be a boy instead. Her cousin being a game master for the newest digital entertainment at the local VR game center presents her with an opportunity: to attend the newest puzzle VR called West Tower! Well, not really. You see, East Tower is a game for boys, and West Tower is a game for girls - for some reason. Yet, Sakuya convinces her cousin to allow her to disguise as a boy and attend East Tower instead. She attends the game with four other gentlemen, no problem thus far. Yet, as the game starts, an announcement takes place about a hacker who is trying to infiltrate the game! Things may go wrong and we are asked to partner with someone to tread carefully. With her chosen partner for this puzzle world, Sakuya is to brave challenges and learn a bit more about her chosen teammate.

Such is the prologue part of every game in the series, yet in this one, you are partnered with Akio. He is a young boy who claims to be much older than he seems to be. Yet, his demeanor is cold, and quite aggressive - with an "I'm independent and sh*t" attitude. Are you willing to discover who he is - or whether he can be the hacker in disguise or not? Spoilers: he is not, and he is actually a young businessman with family trauma. Not that interesting if you ask me, yet he is relatable to a degree. - and the probable identity of the hacker is more than obvious as the game starts, alongside the identities of all participants Anyhow, you can pursue Akio either as a friend or a romantic interest in this one, with appropriate achievements, of course.

Well, the VN has a promising storyline, yet its execution is a bit rushed - with little to no character development. One can say that the developer really came a long way since East Tower series, when you recall Cafe 0. It is refreshing to encounter the concept of bisexuality - or even a probable nuance on homosexuality - in the genre, yet I believe it could have been handled better. Sakuya's reason for her aspiration to be masculine isn't that deep rooted or well explained either - I found her reasons to be a bit childish. I personally liked Akio, he is the possessive one who could be preferred by many young ladies - nothing to complain. The end game plot twist isn't that groundbreaking - yet I'll refrain myself from presenting a judgement since this is the first game in the storyline, and not much will be revealed until the last game.

The artwork is on the amateurish side alongside the story narrative. I have nothing against anime style artwork, but these kinda seem like they were taken out of the sketchbook of a junior high schooler. Proportions are awkward, and the whole - male/female version of the same character portrayal could have more details rather than boobs and chin changing. The soundtrack is a bit annoying, and it being on the loop during the gameplay cringes you a bit. Puzzles themselves, and appropriate VN choice options are fitting and fun - yet I found our protagonist and her responses in conversations to be somewhat dim and childish.

At the end of the day, even though it has an interesting concept, its execution is pretty rough on the edges. It takes an hour to complete, and leaves more questions around rather than it answers. Does it intrigue you, does it provoke you to go for other games in the series? Well, yes, and that would count as the foremost success of this title, if you are willing to forgive some execution mistakes. You do wonder what that hacker thing was all about, nonetheless. I'll update my opinion as I continue the series though. Until then, this one is a "you can take it or leave it" title. Enjoy!

Please also check out Lady Storyteller's Curator page here - follow for regular updates on reviews for other games!

[b]“As long as she thinks of a man, nobody objects to a woman thinking.” ― Virginia Woolf, [i]Orlando[/i][/b] Well, I haven't been playing a visual novel for some time, and to break the hiatus, I have chosen RoseVerte's [i]East Tower[/i] series. We will see whether that was a good idea or not. I have played some of RoseVerte's newer games - namely, [i]Cafe 0[/i] series before, and I loved them genuinely. [i]East Tower[/i] series are older titles, and it can be counted a bit on the amateurish side, among developer's games. Every game in the series centers on one of the gentlemen which we can develop an intimate relationship with, and this first one takes a close look on Akio. Yet, before delving into the personality of this first beau, let me present a brief summary of the storyline. Our protagonist, Sakuya - or whatever you name her - is a girl who wishes she'd be a boy instead. Her cousin being a game master for the newest digital entertainment at the local VR game center presents her with an opportunity: to attend the newest puzzle VR called West Tower! Well, not really. You see, East Tower is a game for boys, and West Tower is a game for girls - for some reason. Yet, Sakuya convinces her cousin to allow her to disguise as a boy and attend East Tower instead. She attends the game with four other gentlemen, no problem thus far. Yet, as the game starts, an announcement takes place about a hacker who is trying to infiltrate the game! Things may go wrong and we are asked to partner with someone to tread carefully. With her chosen partner for this puzzle world, Sakuya is to brave challenges and learn a bit more about her chosen teammate. Such is the prologue part of every game in the series, yet in this one, you are partnered with Akio. He is a young boy who claims to be much older than he seems to be. Yet, his demeanor is cold, and quite aggressive - with an "I'm independent and sh*t" attitude. Are you willing to discover who he is - or whether he can be the hacker in disguise or not? Spoilers: [spoiler] he is not, and he is actually a young businessman with family trauma. Not that interesting if you ask me, yet he is relatable to a degree. - and the probable identity of the hacker is more than obvious as the game starts, alongside the identities of all participants[/spoiler] Anyhow, you can pursue Akio either as a friend or a romantic interest in this one, with appropriate achievements, of course. Well, the VN has a promising storyline, yet its execution is a bit rushed - with little to no character development. One can say that the developer really came a long way since [i]East Tower[/i] series, when you recall [i]Cafe 0[/i]. It is refreshing to encounter the concept of bisexuality - or even a probable nuance on homosexuality - in the genre, yet I believe it could have been handled better. Sakuya's reason for her aspiration to be masculine isn't that deep rooted or well explained either - I found her reasons to be a bit childish. I personally liked Akio, he is the possessive one who could be preferred by many young ladies - nothing to complain. The end game plot twist isn't that groundbreaking - yet I'll refrain myself from presenting a judgement since this is the first game in the storyline, and not much will be revealed until the last game. The artwork is on the amateurish side alongside the story narrative. I have nothing against anime style artwork, but these kinda seem like they were taken out of the sketchbook of a junior high schooler. Proportions are awkward, and the whole - male/female version of the same character portrayal could have more details rather than boobs and chin changing. The soundtrack is a bit annoying, and it being on the loop during the gameplay cringes you a bit. Puzzles themselves, and appropriate VN choice options are fitting and fun - yet I found our protagonist and her responses in conversations to be somewhat dim and childish. At the end of the day, even though it has an interesting concept, its execution is pretty rough on the edges. It takes an hour to complete, and leaves more questions around rather than it answers. Does it intrigue you, does it provoke you to go for other games in the series? Well, yes, and that would count as the foremost success of this title, if you are willing to forgive some execution mistakes. You do wonder what that hacker thing was all about, nonetheless. I'll update my opinion as I continue the series though. Until then, this one is a "you can take it or leave it" title. Enjoy! Please also check out Lady Storyteller's Curator page [url=http://steamoss.com/steamstore/curator/11672469/]here[/url] - follow for regular updates on reviews for other games!