So, finally finished
Coμ.
Man, it was a long one. Some assorted thoughts.
Setting-wise it couldn't be more typical. High-school kids(+some uni students for flavour) acquire mysterious power, are forced to fight others with similar powers. The fact that it is not super-powered individuals, but random people tied together with a dead man's switch makes it more interesting though. A large dose of suspension of disbelief is naturally needed, but at least the writing tries to provide some degree of plausibility to the events.
Characters are largely typical fodder, though with some appropriate twists and turns. The heroines and harem members are not that interesting, but they each have their moments. The antagonists, a few psychopaths aside, all have their internally coherent motivations. If this was a C&C-laden cRPG, it'd be hard to pick a side. Everyone tends to have both good and bad sides to them, with plenty of blood in their hands - intentionally or not.
The protagonist is also a bit atypical for the genre. He is more proactive and less prone to self-deprecation than one would expect. Not a super-powered shounen hero or a nerdy loser with a heart of gold. He's more of a wannabe brooding good guy with a bad habit of helping damsels in distress. And refreshingly, if the situation calls for it, he isn't afraid of getting himself dirtied either.
The routes vary wildly. The common route is obviously introductory round, which in game of this scale will take a while. The first route you get to is kind of half-hearted in a way. It fits the heroine, as she too is a bit... immature. Many things are left open and not that much is revealed. From here the story branches off and you're presented with one good, one funny and one pointless route.
The good one is a bit cliché, but it moves the story along and gives plenty of new perspective to events you've witnessed (or will see in other routes). The heroine in this one isn't the most memorable, but maybe that fits her character as well.
The funny route is pretty much joke, as it revolves around a comedic relief character. It is completely detached from the main story, and if it wasn't for the fact that it had the hottest sex scenes, it'd probably feel like a huge chore to plough through, since you have to finish all routes until you get to the "true route".
The pointless route is another side story. It suffers from the fact that it is detached from the main story and that it features the weakest of the heroines. She's so blatantly obvious fan-pandering creation that it isn't even funny. Especially since that fan segment happens to be the NEET paedophile segment To make things worse, a majority of the route is seriously the two characters sitting home in front of the computer, checking wiki updates and internet boards. Not to mention that to make the whole thing work, they need to rewrite the protagonist becoming something that he isn't (pedophile and otaku).
Finally, after going through all those routes, you'll get to the "true route" which reveals all the remaining secrets and revolves around the best waifu of the game. Hands down, no doubt about it:
A super-powered childhood friend who scares the living hell out of everybody, protagonist included. Snarky, remorseless and unfaltering. She is like a gender-reversed male anti-hero. The kind of woman that really wouldn't exist in real life. She walks around naked, ruthlessly tempts the protagonist when she isn't busy calling him out for his stupidity, and generally doesn't give a fuck. Even banging her doesn't make her mellow.
I'd reckon the game is worth checking out just for Kagome. She's the kind of heroine you won't see often, mainly because she isn't weak and submissive and there isn't a bit of "moe" in her character. A genuinely strong individual.
If we move on from the setting and the characters, the writing itself, as I mentioned in my previous post about the game, is incredibly pretentious sometimes. It balances a fine balance, but ultimately it makes that work as a strength. Occasionally too self-aware and fourth-wall breaking, but still the story has that degree of maturity that is hard to find in weabooland writing. Occasionally over-lengthy slice of life -scenes and repeated segments aside, the story keeps moving on and managed to keep me entertained 'till the classy ending.
Would pay money for.
