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Otome Game Extras => Kokoro Cafe Reviews => Topic started by: OtomeBabe on April 14, 2015, 08:20:34 PM

Title: [Review] Hakuoki UK/European Version Review
Post by: OtomeBabe on April 14, 2015, 08:20:34 PM
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7-FJBdKSeb8/VRtcysp2snI/AAAAAAAAB1E/JdVRO3C0aCM/w400-h563-no/huk.jpg)


Hakuoki UK/European Version Review


~~~

“Finally!”

That's what I said to myself as I read about the release of Hakuoki on March 31st for iOS and Android after having to wait more than a year for the game. So of course I was ecstatic when Kokoro Café had the chance to be one of the first to try out Hakuoki UK/European version.

You play as Chizuru Yukimura (first name changeable with default family name), daughter of a doctor specializing in western medicine. After Chizuru’s father stopped writing letters to her, she left her home in Edo disguised as a boy, and headed to Kyoto to find him. One night, she accidentally stumbled upon one of Shinsengumi's biggest secrets and to ensure their secret stayed hidden, the Shinsengumi took her captive. As time passed living amongst the Shinsengumi, what sort of secrets did she discover about herself? ....Her father? ...And the Shinsengumi???

The outstanding art in this game quickly impressed me. The choice of colours and shading were beautifully applied for almost all CGs. The CG with a cherry tree for example; the pink petals danced beautifully upon the background of a light blue sky which helped to convey the sadness on Saito's face. Coupled with the beautiful BGM’s, it aided in enhancing the mood within the scenes.

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_DXyXyXCrd4/VS0aHPPYm1I/AAAAAAAAB1s/Rjx2Q-lkqfE/w599-h330-no/huk1.jpg)
 
Unfortunately, the voice acting is totally dominated by the volume of the BGM despite setting the voice acting to the maximum. It was almost impossible to hear the voice acting clearly when the voice actor whispered as the BGM blared in the background.

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Oveo60f0bFU/VS0aHCUJthI/AAAAAAAAB5I/SIYCDzRkk0Y/w600-h335-no/huk2.jpg)

Quick save and load functions are a big help to redo any wrong choices. The game offers 12 slots to save your game. There is no need to replay the prologue again after finishing a route. With 6 characters available, there is a chance that some of the stories overlap. Fast forwarding through previous text is simple; just tap the screen to skip. Miss some text? Tap the screen again to access history. I also found a nice surprise that made me happy. There's an encyclopedia window that pops out every time an unfamiliar Japanese word appears which required more than a simple line of English to translate. Goodbye, Uncle Google! It certainly makes this game more enjoyable.

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-a1LKTk5pDb0/VS0aIH4wSXI/AAAAAAAAB5A/iTYhsEbNqOg/w600-h335-no/huk3.jpg)

It took more time for me to clear one route than the normal routes on mobile platforms but I became emotionally invested more and more as I advanced in the story. However, Kazama's route has the potential to be better. Admittedly though, I still have a sad feeling lingering in my heart as I bid farewell to the Shinsengumi after completing the normal ending.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2xHQuoyUyas/VS0aHVfIyiI/AAAAAAAAB1w/n9IP4qNCDPg/w600-h333-no/huk10.jpg)

So, would I spend my €24.80 to get Hakuoki from the Google Play store (€27.99 - Apple store) for the premium edition???  Absolutely! There aren’t many localized otoge’s out there that are well written in English and are fully voiced in Japanese. Also, the new bonus content is exclusive to the UK/European edition. The bonus content includes a special episode and a character episode and two new CGs. With the release of Hakuoki I really hope more Idea Factory games will be localized in the west in the near future.

Story: 4/5
Music: 4/5
Graphics: 5/5
CV: 4/5
System: 5/5



The Shinsengumi:

Toshizo Hijikata

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N9TxCDJITaA/VS0aIIdCCmI/AAAAAAAAB2s/7EX7lQ5EAhk/w223-h345-no/huk4.jpg)
 
CV: Shinichiro Miki

The commander of the Shinsengumi, also known as The Demon because he is so strict to his underlings and to himself. Despite his reputation, he is a kind, hard working, and intelligent man.

Souji Okita

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LqRO7ACHhrI/VS0aIQcdiAI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/bgWv5FMLo_4/w223-h356-no/huk5.jpg)
 
CV: Shotaro Morikubo

Captain of the Shinsengumi's 1st Division. He is a prodigy in swordsmanship. A teaser with a wry smile on his face, often teasing people at someone else's expense. One of his jokes when the Shinsengumi interrogated the MC: "Let's kill the kid."

Hajime Saito

(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-g5-z5VJHkyE/VS0aIZ6FGnI/AAAAAAAAB5g/gq6CF5FXCl0/w219-h334-no/huk6.jpg)
 
CV: Kosuke Toriumi

Captain of the Shinsengumi's 3rd Division. A man of few words. He is very loyal to the Shinsengumi even though he hardly shows his emotions. He possesses amazing swordsmanship skills and a master of the art of iai.

Heisuke Toudou

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v0HJ3y2Cmec/VS0aIzlXPxI/AAAAAAAAB5Q/MYW2IJx8BYw/w222-h395-no/huk7.jpg)
 
CV: Hiroyuki Yoshino

Captain of the Shinsengumi's 8th Division. Despite being the youngest captain, he is a top notch swordsman. A cheerful guy, always giving the MC courage.

Sanosuke Harada

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-sC98t5Z1fjE/VS0aJA_ebOI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/SeEbXtP9Gbg/w219-h394-no/huk8.jpg)
 
CV: Kouji Yusa

Captain of the Shinsengumi's 10th Division. He uses both spear and sword as his weapon. He is a bit quick tempered but has strong principles.

Chikage Kazama

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RRIld216blQ/VS0aJQKBgqI/AAAAAAAAB2k/2-2KEIWYmRA/w222-h340-no/huk9.jpg)
 
CV: Kenjiro Shuda

A warrior working for the Shinsengumi's enemy. He crossed swords with them a couple of times. He possesses great strength and it was difficult for the Shinsengumi to defeat him. The Shinsengumi questioned his motive for pursuing the MC.


Additional Screenshots:

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-y4vbLm0N14o/VS0aLblWDPI/AAAAAAAAB44/52mrdbU7EhM/w640-h357-no/hukm1.png)(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rH7rVMPCitQ/VS0aM0jjcpI/AAAAAAAAB4w/kP0NP25KBg4/w640-h359-no/hukm2.png)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wjqq_u9Po7k/VS0aNiJWE8I/AAAAAAAAB4o/DOcAeWKDki4/w640-h360-no/hukm3.png) (https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ywHdinZmOzg/VS0aO8VkfWI/AAAAAAAAB4g/ZMqtHkPO8GQ/w640-h358-no/hukm4.png)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-o60d7jgFCrA/VS0aP_xe3YI/AAAAAAAAB4Y/Hh1jP5HDcXE/w640-h354-no/hukm5.png)(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-AW_eqDHeO7s/VS0aPqtpdII/AAAAAAAAB3Y/sAKUwgOymd0/w600-h330-no/hukm6.jpg)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6Y7JLk3GLrI/VS0aRCkMwNI/AAAAAAAAB4I/YnuDqKIEtBc/w640-h356-no/hukm7.png)(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Nzk9uw4svdU/VS0aSQdYwCI/AAAAAAAAB4A/F-8eEDFbZOQ/w640-h358-no/hukm8.png)

~~~

For more information, visit:

Hakuoki Website (http://otomate-world.com/hakuoki/index.html)
Hakuoki Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Otomate-World/1023425927673435?fref=ts)

Google Play
Standard Edition (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gloczus.hakuokismp)
Premium Edition (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gloczus.hakuokismppremium)

iTunes
Standard Edition (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/hakuoki/id945670638)
Premium Edition (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/hakuoki-premium-edition/id965078377?mt=8)
Title: Re: Hakuoki UK/European Version Review
Post by: Aiwethryne on April 14, 2015, 08:36:18 PM
It still looks like this beats out the 3DS version of the game. Do you know how much the aspect ratio changes with the device? Which device were you on? Phone or tablet? I know which OS you are usually talking about, but which did you actually choose to go with? I can only guess that you maybe chose Android for the Google Play price.

The BGM versus SFX/voices imbalance is one of the things that I would have hoped were better, since I have experienced that issue in various other visual novels. Were you still able to decrease the BGM volume from the point in the screenshot? How is it with headphones?

Eheh~ Saitou~ :heart: My old computer background five years ago~~

By the way, should this review only be here? What about the User Review section? This topic will be buried soon enough.
Title: Re: Hakuoki UK/European Version Review
Post by: kokoro-cafe on April 14, 2015, 09:05:08 PM
[member=7333]Aiwethryne[/member] Yeah, I'll probably move it over to the user review section later.
Title: Re: Hakuoki UK/European Version Review
Post by: OtomeBabe on April 15, 2015, 06:48:46 AM
I played the game on my iPhone. I installed Hakuoki too on my Android tablet. On both devices and OS, game takes up the full screen device.

As for sound setting, I played with and without using headphones. I can hear the whisper voice with headphones on but hard to hear it clearly without my headphones. With the setting like in the Screenshot, I can still decrease the BGM sound but it  makes game less enjoyable. Some scenes picture only the protagonist and the BGM sounds help the players to set mood as the scenes change.