cj_iwakura
Member
Torn between Urabe and Mitarishi, probably the latter.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Sweet Fuse: At Your Side |OT| Keiji Inafune wants to help you get laid
- Thread starter Hours Left
- Start date
Torn between Urabe and Mitarishi, probably the latter.
Hours Left
Member
I like both guys, but Mitarashi is the best husbando for reals.
cj_iwakura
Member
Wound up with Urabe's end, working on Mitarashi's.
Saki with long hair = bestest.
Hours Left
Member
I hope some more reviews come out this week. With the PSP still being utilized by companies, I really think sites should be giving great games like this more coverage.
Hours Left
Member
Thanks, adding to the OP.
MidnightRain
Member
I just finished Urabe's route and now I just have Shidou's route left.
More Reviews
Save/Continue: 7/10
Game Podunk: 8.5/10
Interview
The X Button -Sweet Somethings
An interview with Ben Bateman about Sweet Fuse, Hakuoki, and Otome Games in general.
More Reviews
Save/Continue: 7/10
Game Podunk: 8.5/10
Interview
The X Button -Sweet Somethings
An interview with Ben Bateman about Sweet Fuse, Hakuoki, and Otome Games in general.
Thanks!
Seriously. I don't quite hate being asked that question, but it's basically always a conversation speed-bump.
cj_iwakura
Member
Got two endings. Surprisingly Urabe's was the better, mostly for the epilogue. Great stuff.
I guess the optional route answers all the questions? So far, nada, though I have guesses.
I guess the optional route answers all the questions? So far, nada, though I have guesses.
Hours Left
Member
It's good to see some more gaffers playing this. 
(Ah, Ben's favorite dude is Mitarashi too. Excellent taste sir.)
Thanks, adding to the OP.
(Ah, Ben's favorite dude is Mitarashi too. Excellent taste sir.)
hosannainexcelsis
Member
I think anyone who plays games such as Sweet Fuse knows that feeling.
Tizoc
Member
Will I be spoiled if I read any of the reviews or interviews in the recent posts?
ATM I finished Meoshi and Shirabe's routes, though I feel I should've left Shirabe for last or before Mitarashi.
Just a few questions though:
1- When I go to Diary and click on say Meoshi Chapter 5, it shows that I have X affection points, what is this for exactly?
2- If I want to get the 7th guy am I supposed to
I might do Wakasa now, but I am slowly plowing through this haha.
ATM I finished Meoshi and Shirabe's routes, though I feel I should've left Shirabe for last or before Mitarashi.
Just a few questions though:
1- When I go to Diary and click on say Meoshi Chapter 5, it shows that I have X affection points, what is this for exactly?
2- If I want to get the 7th guy am I supposed to
have no affection points for any of the other guys throughout the game?
I might do Wakasa now, but I am slowly plowing through this haha.
Hours Left
Member
None of the reviews contain any major spoilers, just some minor things you'd expect from a review.
As for your other questions...
1. The Diary mode is a way you can revisit specific parts of the game instantly and toggle the affection points you have with the guys. The main point of this is to quickly get on a certain path, or to see the the other ending of a path you just completed. (Just raise the affection points to max to get the good ending, or don't add any points to get the bad ending.)
2. To get on the secret path, you need to
wait until at least your second playthrough, and then when you first meet him right near the beginning of the game, you need to choose the option that gets you an affection point with him. This will unlock his scenes in the first three chapters. Then just make sure you have the highest affection with him at the end of chapter 3.
There is no "true" ending, and flowcharts aren't needed. There are seven main paths in the game (one for each guy) and a good and a bad ending at the end of each. The only thing you need to do to get on a specific guy's path is have the highest affection with him at the end of chapter 3.
And as a side note, the seventh path isn't available until your second playthrough, and has one more (very easy) condition to get on it.
Once you get Meoshi's missing CG, you'll get the other.
Hours Left
Member
I think you got your answer on another board, but I'll post it here for anyone else wondering...
The first Meoshi CG is from going to the arcade with him on the first night, but you won't be able to do that if you activate the Makoto events. (They override the entire first night.) This also goes for any other non-Makoto CGs gotten during the first night.
The last CG is unlocked by getting every other CG in the game.
The last CG is unlocked by getting every other CG in the game.
MidnightRain
Member
Hours Left
Member
Been totally buried at work lately, so I haven't been able to finish all the routes yet, but I plan to have them done by the end of the month. I always end up playing waaaaaaaaay too late into the evening and then I'm dead on my feet at work the next day. -_-
Thanks, adding to the OP.
I completely forgot about this (stupid FFXIV).
I'm going to buy it now but I'm in Canada. I can get it for $29.99 (+tax) at EBGames.
But then I saw this:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BFU8IFS/?tag=neogaf0e-20
After shipping, import fees, and exchange rate, it should be around $45 (a little more probably). But if it comes with the pre-order bonus I want it. What is the chance it actually still has the pre-order bonus included?
I'm going to buy it now but I'm in Canada. I can get it for $29.99 (+tax) at EBGames.
But then I saw this:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BFU8IFS/?tag=neogaf0e-20
After shipping, import fees, and exchange rate, it should be around $45 (a little more probably). But if it comes with the pre-order bonus I want it. What is the chance it actually still has the pre-order bonus included?
cj_iwakura
Member
I'd say very high, wasn't it with every launch copy?
Oh, I didn't know that. Thank you!
Hours Left
Member
A little late, but I'm finishing up the last few routes that I haven't done yet. I still plan on posting my final thoughts when completed.
Also, Wakasa is kinda... dumb.
Also, Wakasa is kinda... dumb.
I meant to do this sooner, but I interviewed Ben Bateman (the game's editor, he also localized 999 and VLR) about Sweet Fuse, as well as the Otome and VN genres in general.
As for my thought on SF, I loved it. I'm surprised how well it balances humour and terror, with a dash of romance thrown in to really complicate things. It's one of my Top 10 games of the year, it really made an impression.
As for my thought on SF, I loved it. I'm surprised how well it balances humour and terror, with a dash of romance thrown in to really complicate things. It's one of my Top 10 games of the year, it really made an impression.
Hours Left
Member
Great interview, I'll add it to the OP.
I've only got two routes left, and then my way overdue final thoughts will be posted. Spoiler: I like the game.
Hours Left
Member
All right, just finished the last route and I wanted to post my final thoughts about the game.
In short, I loved it. As I've mentioned before, I really think Sweet Fuse is the anti-otome otome game. Not because I think it doesn't belong in the genre, far from it, but because I think it bucks the trends that many other otome games seem to fall into.
First and foremost, I would say a big part of that is due to the art style. The artwork, particularly the character designs, are gorgeous. Everything is bright and vivid, very pleasing to the eye. Many visual novels tend to fall into a very samey type of aesthetic, with muted pastel colors and a cast of lithe pretty boys and fragile, doe-eyed heroines. And while that style of course has it's merits, it's so refreshing to see a game that has a whole new take on the formula. This game has one of the most diverse looking range of datable candidates I'd ever seen in a dating sim. Variety really is the spice of life folks, and Sweet Fuse has it in spades. Add to that beautifully animated portraits and some very atmospheric backgrounds, and you have one lovely looking game.
And now to the meat of the title, the characters themselves. The variety of men in Sweet Fuse goes beyond just their appearance, it extends throughout your entire interaction with them, from start to finish. The personalities of these guys are far from the tired pastiche of tropes that many games tend to fall into, your companions in this game feel like living, breathing beings. You feel their fears, experience their triumphs, and grow to love their quirks alongside the main heroine without it ever feeling overplayed or monotonous. A big part of this is due to the fact that your fellow players in the game don't just lavish all their attention on you, but instead interact with each other in a way seldom seen in games of this sort. You really get the sense that everyone truly cares for each other, and that in turn makes the player feel intrinsically attached to this plucky group of characters. You end up really caring for these people, and I feel this is a huge part of what makes the game so successful.
But I can't talk about characters without mentioning the protagonist, Saki. This girl is a breath of fresh air. Anyone looking to find a believable, relatable and just plain lovable main character need to give her a look. Saki is a typical teenage girl, except in the world of video games were tropes and stereotypes are commonplace, there is really nothing "typical" about her. She experiences the events of the game in ways that you would think that most people would in real life, with a variety of emotions, yet none of them feel forced or out of place. She has moments of hubris, fear, anger, attraction, joy, sadness and doubt. She recognizes her own strengths and faults, and tries to utilize them to her best ability and learn from her mistakes. Basically, Saki feels human, and I think that is the best praise I could give her. She's pretty awesome. (And I'd like to say that the strength of all these character are in a big part due to the awesome writing done by Aksys. They really did a stellar job with the localization of this game.)
Another aspect of the game that I think deserves some attention is the music. I truly wasn't expecting anything special from the soundtrack, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Besides one notable dud, (the main romance theme), I felt the music in this game does an excellent job of setting the mood for the various scenes and locations that you experience throughout the game, which are quite varied. This was a big revelation to me, and a very welcome one at that.
And finally, the story. Suffice to say, Sweet Fuse starts off with a bang, and doesn't let up until the very end. Unlike other games of this genre which have the tendency to be very slow going, this game hits the ground running and makes every playthrough a unique and intriguing experience. Is this game's narrative gonna rock your world in the way a game, like say 999, would? No, but that doesn't mean that it's not a worthwhile part of the experience. The story has enough twists and turns to keep the player engrossed, even those that may not care for the romantic aspects of the game. Again, I think this harkens back to what I said about this not being your typical otome experience. This game has a much wider base of appeal than many people may give it credit for, and I think is a perfect introduction to the genre for people that might be a bit wary of it. And with 14 endings, all accompanied by unique and satisfying branching routes, I think Sweet Fuse really should be the hallmark of how to put together a successful otome game with a more "worldly" audience in mind.
Now, not all aspects of the game are successful. There are some flaws that I would like to see addressed in future titles. Namely, I feel that the gameplay aspect of Sweet Fuse doesn't quite live up to its inherent potential. I know it's a cliche to complain about a lack of gameplay in a text adventure, and usually I'd be the first to agree with that, but for anyone that has played the game already, I think it's quite apparent that there is a lot of missed opportunity for varying styles of interaction, solely based on the premise of the story. What little there is of something outside the standard reading and decision making is vastly underutilized. If there is ever a sequel to this game, and I hope there is, I would really like to see it become more of a hybrid style of VN, simply because it would be the perfect fit for this type of narrative. That said, I don't think this is a major issue, but I do think it would give the IP an even greater level of appeal, and I do not feel that the story would suffer in anyway because of it. (Quite the opposite, actually.) Another small issue I had was the lack of polish the script had. As I said before, the writing is excellent, but there were quite a few typos, and some of the text for certain choices has been cut off, making them a bit confusing. Luckily, this is not a major hindrance, but I felt that it does bear mentioning.
Overall, I think this is a phenomenal game. One of the best games of 2013 in my opinion, and an excellent addition to the growing stable of quality VNs coming to North America. I think Aksys games should be quite proud of what they accomplished here, and I hope that this paves the way for more titles of this caliber. Anyone looking for an instantly enjoyable and memorable game with a fun story and incredibly endearing characters really owe it to themselves to give Sweet Fuse a look. It's the bomb. (Heh.) A+++ Would otome again.
Also, for the official record...
Mitarashi > Shidou > Shirabe = Urabe > Meoshi >>> Wakasa >>>>>>>>>>
In short, I loved it. As I've mentioned before, I really think Sweet Fuse is the anti-otome otome game. Not because I think it doesn't belong in the genre, far from it, but because I think it bucks the trends that many other otome games seem to fall into.
First and foremost, I would say a big part of that is due to the art style. The artwork, particularly the character designs, are gorgeous. Everything is bright and vivid, very pleasing to the eye. Many visual novels tend to fall into a very samey type of aesthetic, with muted pastel colors and a cast of lithe pretty boys and fragile, doe-eyed heroines. And while that style of course has it's merits, it's so refreshing to see a game that has a whole new take on the formula. This game has one of the most diverse looking range of datable candidates I'd ever seen in a dating sim. Variety really is the spice of life folks, and Sweet Fuse has it in spades. Add to that beautifully animated portraits and some very atmospheric backgrounds, and you have one lovely looking game.
And now to the meat of the title, the characters themselves. The variety of men in Sweet Fuse goes beyond just their appearance, it extends throughout your entire interaction with them, from start to finish. The personalities of these guys are far from the tired pastiche of tropes that many games tend to fall into, your companions in this game feel like living, breathing beings. You feel their fears, experience their triumphs, and grow to love their quirks alongside the main heroine without it ever feeling overplayed or monotonous. A big part of this is due to the fact that your fellow players in the game don't just lavish all their attention on you, but instead interact with each other in a way seldom seen in games of this sort. You really get the sense that everyone truly cares for each other, and that in turn makes the player feel intrinsically attached to this plucky group of characters. You end up really caring for these people, and I feel this is a huge part of what makes the game so successful.
But I can't talk about characters without mentioning the protagonist, Saki. This girl is a breath of fresh air. Anyone looking to find a believable, relatable and just plain lovable main character need to give her a look. Saki is a typical teenage girl, except in the world of video games were tropes and stereotypes are commonplace, there is really nothing "typical" about her. She experiences the events of the game in ways that you would think that most people would in real life, with a variety of emotions, yet none of them feel forced or out of place. She has moments of hubris, fear, anger, attraction, joy, sadness and doubt. She recognizes her own strengths and faults, and tries to utilize them to her best ability and learn from her mistakes. Basically, Saki feels human, and I think that is the best praise I could give her. She's pretty awesome. (And I'd like to say that the strength of all these character are in a big part due to the awesome writing done by Aksys. They really did a stellar job with the localization of this game.)
Another aspect of the game that I think deserves some attention is the music. I truly wasn't expecting anything special from the soundtrack, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Besides one notable dud, (the main romance theme), I felt the music in this game does an excellent job of setting the mood for the various scenes and locations that you experience throughout the game, which are quite varied. This was a big revelation to me, and a very welcome one at that.
And finally, the story. Suffice to say, Sweet Fuse starts off with a bang, and doesn't let up until the very end. Unlike other games of this genre which have the tendency to be very slow going, this game hits the ground running and makes every playthrough a unique and intriguing experience. Is this game's narrative gonna rock your world in the way a game, like say 999, would? No, but that doesn't mean that it's not a worthwhile part of the experience. The story has enough twists and turns to keep the player engrossed, even those that may not care for the romantic aspects of the game. Again, I think this harkens back to what I said about this not being your typical otome experience. This game has a much wider base of appeal than many people may give it credit for, and I think is a perfect introduction to the genre for people that might be a bit wary of it. And with 14 endings, all accompanied by unique and satisfying branching routes, I think Sweet Fuse really should be the hallmark of how to put together a successful otome game with a more "worldly" audience in mind.
Now, not all aspects of the game are successful. There are some flaws that I would like to see addressed in future titles. Namely, I feel that the gameplay aspect of Sweet Fuse doesn't quite live up to its inherent potential. I know it's a cliche to complain about a lack of gameplay in a text adventure, and usually I'd be the first to agree with that, but for anyone that has played the game already, I think it's quite apparent that there is a lot of missed opportunity for varying styles of interaction, solely based on the premise of the story. What little there is of something outside the standard reading and decision making is vastly underutilized. If there is ever a sequel to this game, and I hope there is, I would really like to see it become more of a hybrid style of VN, simply because it would be the perfect fit for this type of narrative. That said, I don't think this is a major issue, but I do think it would give the IP an even greater level of appeal, and I do not feel that the story would suffer in anyway because of it. (Quite the opposite, actually.) Another small issue I had was the lack of polish the script had. As I said before, the writing is excellent, but there were quite a few typos, and some of the text for certain choices has been cut off, making them a bit confusing. Luckily, this is not a major hindrance, but I felt that it does bear mentioning.
Overall, I think this is a phenomenal game. One of the best games of 2013 in my opinion, and an excellent addition to the growing stable of quality VNs coming to North America. I think Aksys games should be quite proud of what they accomplished here, and I hope that this paves the way for more titles of this caliber. Anyone looking for an instantly enjoyable and memorable game with a fun story and incredibly endearing characters really owe it to themselves to give Sweet Fuse a look. It's the bomb. (Heh.) A+++ Would otome again.
Also, for the official record...
Mitarashi > Shidou > Shirabe = Urabe > Meoshi >>> Wakasa >>>>>>>>>>
Mikami
So... I just picked this up on PSN for £3 ....
I feel like I am going towards a really bad ending. Wakasa did his best to protect me, but he's not doing as good as Mitarashi-senpai.
So far my favourite is Mitarashi, judging by the thread that seems to be the popular choice. Somehow I ended up being closer to Wakasa though, just because I was curious and wanted to get to know all of them.
I'm 8 hours in, but I already know I'll be replaying this like mad.
I feel like I am going towards a really bad ending. Wakasa did his best to protect me, but he's not doing as good as Mitarashi-senpai.
So far my favourite is Mitarashi, judging by the thread that seems to be the popular choice. Somehow I ended up being closer to Wakasa though, just because I was curious and wanted to get to know all of them.
I'm 8 hours in, but I already know I'll be replaying this like mad.
Glad you're enjoying it! Seriously, game devs need to take notes when it comes to Saki. Best female protag.
I do like her when she gets pissed off.
That time when Shidou made the
'woman' comment in the first challenge I was like... bitch, imma get real pissed off now.
Somehow I ended hooking up with Shidou. I don't even like him that much lol, but the romance is quite sweet. Is it like...
the person I spent least time with in the first half, becomes my partner after the hospital?
Wakasa's fault and I somehow ended up with him after the hospital first, but then it was Shidou.
Hours Left
Member
Whoever you have the most affection points with at the end of
chapter 3
You can also use the bookmark(?) function to skip to any part of the game you've already played with however much affection you want with each guy, so you can see the alternate endings and get on a specfic dude's route quicker if you want. (I wouldn't suggest doing the latter though, because you'll miss out on CGs and character development in the early chapters.)
Ah thanks!
I got 3 endings now, but none of them actually got the full picture. I loved the
Mitarashi ending. That was soooo sweet and romantic, BUT I didn't get any of the main story on it. Now I want to know what's going on - which ending will give me all the answers?
Hours Left
Member
*Vague Spoilers*Ah thanks!
I got 3 endings now, but none of them actually got the full picture. I loved theMitarashi ending. That was soooo sweet and romantic, BUT I didn't get any of the main story on it. Now I want to know what's going on - which ending will give me all the answers?
There isn't really an ending that wraps everything up, it's more just seeing things from different angles. The secret route probably answers the most questions, but it's also my least favorite route personally.
Sorry for the late reply.