Recent reviews by Eville Caston

It's been awhile since I've had a chance to enjoy a visual novel, and I've wanted to get back to the genre. So why not jump back in with this one? It's about...dolls that come to life and battle. Well, that's certainly a choice of all time...

Artificial Mansion is the wild story of Reuben, who recently inherited his rich uncle's mansion. After discovering two life-sized dolls named Lottie and Briar, he suddenly finds himself in a battle for his life. For five nights (heh heh), he and his new doll friends must survive against Adelaide, another doll who's evil and much more powerful. Thankfully, during the daytime, Reuben gets a chance to put his dating sim skills to test with Lottie or Briar, which will determine the good ending he gets upon surviving. It's up to the player to make the right choices for him to survive though!

Any good visual novel will need solid art, and Artificial Mansion delivers in this regard. The character designs are quite nice, striking a nice balance between details and overall appeal. I feel like Adelaide's design is missing something that Lottie and Briar have, but they're all great. The CGs do a fine job matching the main style as well, which is greatly appreciated. I think the most impressive art is the backgrounds, however. They clearly show a lot of care, which is not sadly something easily found these days. As for the audio, I like the music, though there's not much of it. Sounds effects are fine, nothing special. It all makes for a pretty experience.

As for the story itself, I found the premise a bit goofy, but it worked out quite well. Each of the five days are split into daytime for Reuben to be social, and nighttime for the action. At night, you simply have to make the right choices to avoid a game over. Each night gets a bit more complex, but the objective is always to survive. Adelaide can't function during the day, so this is when Reuben gets the chance to get closer to Lottie or Briar, depending again on your choices. Both of the girls are unique, with Lottie being the sweet one, while Briar is...not so sweet. Each of them have a route that leads to a romance ending, and there's a third good ending in which they're equally friends with Reuben. Naturally, I first went for Lottie's route, and I was rather happy how it turned out. She's a good character, and her story didn't disappoint. Next, I got the friendship ending, which was fine but didn't feel very conclusive. Finally was Briar's route, and I was pleasantly surprised by her. Normally I can't stand tsunderes, but Briar managed to intrigue me. None of the routes are all that long, so I definitely respect how much was accomplished in only a handful of scenes. My only complaints are a lack of interactions with Adelaide (no route for her, sadly), and the endings are all rather abrupt. My playtime didn't track for some reason, but in total I believe was a pretty solid three hour experience.

So there you have it, playing with dolls was worth it. Artificial Mansion is my second encounter with RhinoGearz, and I really like their work. This one isn't quite as good as my first time with them -- that being Dimension of Monster Girls (I reviewed that as well, of course) -- but this team is quite good at what they do, and I look forward to seeing more from them soon. I'm really hopeful for the best!

Catgril is always nice, but I was also hoping Keanu Reeves would be in this one. Oh well.

I eat Jon. It's what I do.

Match cats, earn coins, unlock catgril, play with catgril. Easy!
All it's missing is an American Curl catgril. I like Curls.

Finally, the sequel that I've been quietly anticipating for a long time! I wish more people knew about Monster Girl Fantasy, because it deserves to be known more. So how is this sequel?

By and large, MGF2 is a continuation of what made the original so solid. It's the same engine and assets and such, used with the same proficiency as before. I think my previous review mostly applies here, so go read that first (shameless self-promo, I guess?). You'll want to experience the first game before this one, anyways. As you'll see though, MGF2 isn't just a carbon copy.

The first obvious addition is this...well, subtraction of clothes that our monster girls boast. Yeah, they have a tendency to get naked this around. Considering how gorgeous their art already was, this is all the better. That said, don't get our hopes up to see any action. The descriptions given leave much less to the imagination, but it's still a fade to black. As far as "adult only" games, it's pretty tame. Nudity on its own might not be enough to bring in the hardcore audience, but I'm fine with this, as there's more to the game itself that has appeal.

Remember the plot to MGF1? Probably not, because it wasn't all that unique. The sequel has much more self-awareness in this regard. Basically, you have to reunite with your monster girl harem through the power of portals and romance. You'll also meet a few new girls this time around (plus a surprise girl near the end), and they're just as lovely. But watch out, there's an interdimensional sex demon trying to cuck you along the way, and you have to find...something interesting to defeat him! It's not overly serious, but getting everyone back is a great motivation to keep playing. After all, they're your girls, and you have to fight for them!

Speaking of fighting, there are some combat changes that are highly appreciated. First of all, you actually gain levels and experience this time around. You can customize the stats, abilities, and spells of the main character as you see fit, while the girls are pre-determined to level and learn. This means you don't have to rely solely on equipment to get better, and you're not potentially stuck in a power loop. If you ever feel the need to reset your customizations, you can do that as you see fit. Also, random battles are gone, as you can see every mob in the world, so in theory you can avoid them when possible. They often chase you pretty hard when spotted though, so don't expect to cut down on battles that much. I noticed that my total playtime was much less than in MGF1, and I think it's thanks to avoiding some battles and the difficulty being scaled for the better, along with a more focused plot. it's safe to say that if you were turned off by that in the past, your concerns have been addressed.

If you enjoyed the first MGF game, you'll like this one even more. There seems to be potential for a third one, which definitely intrigues me. How could it up the stakes? I hope someday to find out. Until then, I really hope this series can gain more exposure (hah, get it?), because it deserves to be more known. Monster girls need more love!

Oh man, a Pokemon clone ported from mobile made that originally had microtransactions? Sounds like a disaster in the making, but don't write this game off so quickly...

There's no doubt about it; Nexomon is very similar to older Pokemon games. While unique enough to have its own merits, there's definitely a large overlap in target audiences. It may not seem fair to compare an indie game with a small team to the largest media franchise in existence, but it's inevitable for any game in the creature collection genre. In the case of Nexomon, I find these comparisons are mostly favorable.

Starting off with the visuals, Nexomon doesn't quite look like any Pokemon game in existence. The whole aesthetic is more like an RPGmaker game, but styled like an anime mobile game. It's hard to describe exactly, but it really does work well. The monster designs are fairly basic but appealing. I find the human characters to be the best and most unique artistic aspect. Their designs are expressive but not stereotypical JRPG levels of crazy. There were some moments when I could clearly tell that this was an upscaled mobile game (and not many options to change it), but everything does a good job of translating to larger screens.

Nexomon's audio is more of a mixed bag. The music is pretty solid, with the battle themes being real bangers. There's a really good range to everything. However, the sound effects aren't so great. They're pretty basic, and they have a tendency to vary in volume. it's nothing major, at least. Just be warned that you might have to change the default volume.

It's about time I address how Nexomon plays, or more specifically, how similar it is to Pokemon. I hope you like carrying up to six monsters that have up to four moves each, because that's what you'll be doing here yet again. I guess there's no use fixing what's not broken. Fortunately, there are only seven types of Nexomon, with every mon only being one type. In addition, all types have two weakness and two resistances (except the normal/beast type which has none). As such, your party of six can cover for each other just fine. While some mons can learn moves of a different type, it's nowhere near as wild as Pokemon can get. The battle system itself also has a couple major differences. First of all, speed doesn't determine who moves first, because the player always goes first. However, knocking out an enemy doesn't take away their turn, and they can get revenge immediately with their next mon. Also, status ailments are very powerful in Nexomon, as most of them completely incapacitate for several turns. Using them is vital to defeating higher levels, which I found myself doing fairly often. In short, Nexomon battles are similar to Pokemon, but without all the associated bloat of innovation. I imagine kids would have an easy time with it, but it's not hardcore by any means.

Finally, there's the most surprising element of Nexomon: the story. At first, it seems all familiar. Your goal is to defeat eight overseers (gym leaders) and then the Nexolord (champion), but that's only the beginning. Before long, it becomes clear that the stakes are far more than just being "the very best". Along the way, you'll meet numerous characters who all play a part in saving the world with you, including the overseers themselves. I don't really want to spoil the details, but it gets pretty intense. Your character doesn't speak, but you have a robot buddy named Atlas who effectively is your voice as a player. He also provides the necessary guiding (quite a bit, in fact) and plenty of humor to boot. Nothing is particularly complicated, but it all makes for a greater experience than you might expect. Honestly, I think Pokemon could learn a thing or two from this story.

In short, Nexomon is a familiar but fresh take on the creature collection genre. It's perfect for those times when you want to play Pokemon, yet don't actually want to play Pokemon. While Nexomon might not be the exact replacement you're looking for, it's leagues better than what Sword/Shield have to offer. I might just have to get the sequel now that it's out...

"Judge me by my words and my actions, not by the words of others." -Zaros

Let's be real here, does RuneScape even need an introduction? It's over twenty years old, and personally I've spent about 12000 hours of my own on it through most of its lifetime. Even as countless competitors come and go, RS just refuses to go away. I'm willing to bet that if you're reading this, you've at least tried the game yourself at some point. So let me try to catch you up to speed with current year RS.

First of all, as an MMO with countless updates throughout the years, RS is definitely massive. I can imagine that new players will quickly be intimidated by the vast amount of choices they have right away. The game is ultimately about starting with nothing and accomplishing anything you set yourself to do over time. There are no restrictions such as classes or races, so everyone is effectively equal. It's certainly a unique idea for MMOs these days. There's so much you can do at any given time, and regular updates keep things fresh, though this does lead to older content becoming obsolete without its own updates. Basically, you'll always have something to do.

As far as what you can do in RS, well, there's quite a bit. Unlike most MMOs, there's a a surprising amount of non-combat activities to choose from. There are 28 skills to train from level 1 to 99 (or 120 sometimes), each with their own unique activities and synergies among each other. It would take me far too long to describe everything in detail, but expect to spend time training everything. The combat is decent, if not a bit derivative of other MMOs. It's basically tab-targeting with action bars. Fortunately, you can choose to automate much of this if you want, so it's not super reflex-intensive. This system was controversial when it first came out in 2012, but it's had plenty of time to improve, and I think newer players will have little trouble getting used to it.

Easily my favorite aspect of RS is the story. Unlike some other MMOs that use established worlds and lore to build on, RS has to do everything on its own in game (there were some novels but...I think everyone forgot them). The main way in which the story of Gielinor is presented is through quests. These are no simple "do this task x times" sort of affair, but adventures in their own right, often taking several hours each to complete. As a player, you actually make a huge difference in Gielinor, as you interact with gods, demigods, and mortals alike, each with their own stories. And then these quests lead into more quests, sometimes linearly, but often connecting to others. Honestly, the storyboard for all the quests is insane to comprehend, but it makes plenty of sense in game. There's not even really a "main" story to the game, just a crazy collection of stories that build up over time. I can't recommend quests enough, as some of them rival some of the best single-player RPGs ever, let alone the paltry offerings compared to most other MMOs. There are also non-quest activities for even more lore. If there's one thing about RS that would make me recommend it without hesitation, it's the insane story.

Let's take a step back into more superficial territory; the graphics and sound. RS is certainly not the most demanding game visually, which has certainly drawn criticism over the years. I think for a formerly browser-based MMO meant for minimal specs, it looks alright. It's supposed to look like a "fairy tale", as in not super realistic nor heavily stylized otherwise. Judge it for yourself, I guess. The music is quite varied, from pleasant ambiance to some intense moments. It's pretty good, especially the newer tracks. The sound effects are pretty standard, I suppose. I think most people play without sound, so I suppose it's not a big deal. I suggest to at least check out some of the music though, it's nice.

Unfortunately, there's one aspect to RS that's very controversial: the microtransactions. They're not that bad, but their presence just feels odd. Many of them are purely cosmetic, which I guess is some relief, though that's not really a good excuse. Keep in mind that this is on top of a monthly subscription. I think my biggest issue is how complicated these MTX get. There are multiple currencies, as well as bonds which allow in-game money to be used. They just feel out of place in a game that's so focused on player freedom. Personally, I've not actively bought any, and I would encourage others to think twice as well. Maybe just stick to membership, since you'll still support the game. Hey, it's your money though, so you decide for yourself.

As a whole, I think RuneScape is a one-of-a-kind experience. Sure, it's awkward at times, and some of its decisions can be frustrating, but I think that it's mostly a positive time. Honestly, I could talk about this game for far too long, but I think it's best to let others experience the game in their own way. And hey, maybe you'll find your own little community to join along the way. It's an MMO, after all. If you're new, then welcome to RuneScape! If you've been here before, then welcome back! Either way, thanks for taking the time to read my overly long essay. Happy Scaping!

Okay, not gonna lie. A title like this is bound to grab my attention. Surely I'm the only one...

So what exactly is Monster Girl Fantasy? Simply put, it's a slightly adult RPG made with the RPGmaker engine. I'll get to what the "slightly adult" content is, but that RPGmaker caveat might put off some people right away. It's no secret that the engine has a reputation for leading to many a horrible "babby's first game" experience, but there are some gems hidden among them if you know where to look. It should be fairly apparent that MGF has some effort put into it, so at least try to go in with an open mind if you're a veteran of these sorts of games.

In terms of presentation, MGF is an interesting experience. I've not dabbled in RPGmaker that much, but I'm pretty sure all the music and sound effects, as well as most of the sprites back backgrounds etc., are default assets. I don't really mind this, since these assets are used rather effectively. I can at least tell that they were selected with good purpose, if that makes sense. The real draw of the game is the artwork of the monster girls themselves. It's amazing! I'm not even sure what to compare it to, but it's all gorgeous. Honestly, I could see these girls in a high-quality visual novel, if there was more auxiliary art to complete the package. That alone is a huge selling point for this game.

Hold up, this isn't a visual novel though. MGF is an RPG, so we have to know how it plays! On the surface, it's a basic RPGmaker affair. Your character and the monster girls of your choice roam the world, interacting through towns and fighting through dungeons with a straightforward turn-based system. It's all fairly standard, but there are a couple quirks that make the game stand out a bit. First of all, there is no levelling up. The only way to continuously increase your stats is to buy better equipment. Enemies drop money, but it's somewhat challenging to manage everyone's equipment, as the battles can get intense at times. Equipment is vital to survival, and money is more akin to traditional experience points. You can also get better spells and abilities over time through the game's other currency, magic orbs. These are limited in supply until late in the game, so it's also important to choose wisely what you want to do. Each of the girls have some spells and abilities by default, but the protagonist doesn't have any. Overall, the game is moderately challenging since money and orbs are almost always scarce, but there's always a chance for growth over time. Oh, and if you really feel underpowered, try using status ailments. Enemies can be pretty tanky at times.

This brings us to the story. The plot to MGF is...well, there isn't much of one, really. Basically, demons are bad and monster girls are good, and you travel through four parts of the world to stop those demons. The main plot really isn't a major focus of the game as a whole. There are also some side quests as you might expect, and they're alright. It's nothing to write home about. However, the most interesting part of the plot, and arguably the game's biggest selling point, is the interactions with the girls. Your character gains affection for each of the six girls over time, and you can even get intimate with them. Or at least I think you can. It's just a black screen, so don't get your hopes up (hence the "slightly adult" themes), but you do get stat boosts from it. I believe each of the girls has their own sidequest that you can do to gain the needed affection, but i could only find two of the six, and I think I messed up one of them. While the ones I found were interesting, I lost the motivation to find the others. I don't even know what you would do with the girls you find later in the game. So yeah, I feel a bit disappointed, but at least the girls are good enough characters to leave a lasting impression. At the very least, they're worth wanting to interact with more, which is what most effectively drives the plot for me.

Wow, I guess I had a lot more to say than I originally thought about this game. Overall, I think Monster Girl Fantasy is a good RPGmaker game. It's not exactly revolutionary or profound, but it's got enough quality that I can comfortably recommend it. If you're solely hoping for lewd content, you might be disappointed, but other than that I think it's hard to go wrong with a solid RPG like this. Apparently there's a sequel in the works that will have actual naughty content and an emphasis on the interactions with the girls, so at the very least I'm glad I played this game so that I can properly enjoy the next one. And once it happens, I'm sure I'll see you guys again then!

Ah yes, Chex Quest. If there was ever an awesome IP that I never expect to see again, CQ was it. The 1996 original was not only the best cereal box prize of all time, but it also was one of the first complete overhauls of the Doom engine that was actually good. It was so awesome that we had to have a trilogy before the license ran out, which we all assumed would be the end. But alas, CQ is back, and my excitement is through the roof!

Unfortunately, my first impressions were not good. Right away I noticed that CQHD has a serious lack of options across the board. Why is there no controller remapping? What's with the paltry video options? This is an Unreal Engine 4 game, so surely these things could have been included. Also, I can't help but feel like the game doesn't run all that well compared to other UE4 titles, as if there's no real optimization present. I had to turn the options down to minimum just to get acceptable performance, which is a first for me. Maybe that's my fault for not having cutting edge hardware, but surely I'm not alone here.

Now that I dealt with the technical nonsense, I must say the graphics are pretty appealing. The cartoony aesthetic translates well into 3D, even if it's a bit silly. The perspective is slightly odd, and the HUD is rather large, but I don't mind too much. As for the audio, it's faithful to the original. The SFX are the exact same, and the music is redone but completely recognizable. This time around we also have voice acting, but I don't like it at all. Each piece of Chex Mix is represented in game with its own character and voice, and they're all quite obnoxious in their own way. Oh well, at least it's not enough to ruin the experience.

Alright, with all the basics out of the way, how does CQHD play? The levels are all remade from the original, taking full advantage of that once impossible third dimension. They play alright, but they aren't very interesting. I'm kind of disappointed in that regard. One thing that got particularly annoying is the lack of ammo throughout every level. Seriously, I ran out on several occasions, even when being mindful. Does that mean the game is tough? Actually no, it was very easy, even when I had nothing but the bootspoon left. Enemies were basically braindead, and most of them could only slowly shamble up to me in hopes of attacking. As for the layout of the levels, they consist of a mix of nostalgic remade areas and some original ideas. Unfortunately, the former felt watered down from the originals, and the latter were mostly bland. The result is a game that only takes about an hour to complete and leaves no real impact. There are numerous secrets though, and they contain text logs that add a bit of story, if you can even call it that. Oh, and there are several glitches that I noticed, especially in the final level. All in all, the game is just kind of...there.

Unfortunately, the surprise release of CQHD left me disappointed in the end. I appreciate the thought of reviving the franchise, and I certainly see what the developers were attempting to do. It may seem harsh to be so critical of a free game, but it still takes time to play, and the time I spent with it didn't really do much for me. Maybe if I didn't remember the originals so fondly, I would have had a better time. I urge anyone who might not understand the context of this game to seek out the original trilogy instead. Chex Quest HD isn't horrible or offensive in any way, but it has no real appeal to me, and I imagine many fans would feel the same way in the end.

Back in the day, people complained that Greenlight was crap. I guess they weren't wrong...