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indigozealBefore we dive in here, a caveat. I bought the PSP version of Retour; I don't have a Vita, and there's literally nothing exclusive to the Vita library that interests me. I had planned for a slew of screenshots to accompany my reflections here, but upon reading through the manual, I discovered...that the PSP version of Retour doesn't have a screenshot function. I'd thought that this was now a standard feature with visual novels (which Retour is, basically), considering that Maren included it four years ago, but apparently not! Built-in screenshot functions on platforms like the Vita have led to the phasing out of game-internal screenshot functions, it seems. The lack of accompanying screenshot doesn't matter as much with Retour, I suppose, as this is largely a story with which the audience for Retour thoughts is going to be familiar, and promo screens showing expressions, environments, etc. have been all over the place. Still, it's a disappointment.
Also, I believe I've been spoiled in regards to the truth about Brian. There was a screenshot collection on Tumblr that incidentally mentioned a small but crucial piece of information - just one word, and it's a very deep cut; the OP may not have even realized the significance of the term. But the picture it paints, let us say, seems to fit with the info that's already been leaked about Brian and make it make sense. I'm actually quite interested in how they're gonna do Brian's story if what's being indicated here is correct. (I'm still gritting my teeth a little about being probably spoiled, though. It wasn't as if that post needed that information, dang it.)
Anyhow: I didn't get to any cultivation or gameplay in this session; I got through only the hour-long meet-'n'-greet. After Angelique Limoges & Rosalia meet 255, Dia whisks them off on a tour of the Flying City and its facilities. Unfortunately, she pawns A & R off on newannoyances characters Gerard and Silvan, the Candidates' 10-year-old prospective butlers, halfway through. From there, our candidates continue their tour, meeting up with the Guardians in various locations and getting an opportunity to interact with them in a less constrained setting than the royal throne room.
- First up is a sample Guardian office, which happens to be Julious's. Oscar barges in and, despite the presence of ojou-chans, is immediately hostile: he gripes about us coming into Julious's office when he's not here and rants about how Dear Leader's office "isn't a tourist attraction." (I don't know if he just can't stand Gerard & Silvan either or what.) Rosalia isn't cowed; she stands her ground - go, Rosalia - but Julious happens to step in as she starts to explain and waves Oscar off. Oscar then apologizes and, naturally, starts flirting, to Rosalia's delight - sigh. Oscar is remarkably frank here, though: "I'll be waiting. Come see me - for a cultivation request...or for some...encouraging words. ...Or for a good time." (Yes, he actually says this: ...Matte ru ze. Seiichi no irai de mo, atsui katarai de mo. ...tanoshii asobi no osasoi de mo.) Gerard is a swooning fanboy: "Oooh, I wish I had moves like that!" (Silvan: "Keep dreaming. You just don't have it in you.")
Julious, by the way, is oblivious to Oscar flirting in his office. His office is not a tourist attraction, but it is a swingin' singles club.
Rosalia tells Julious how proud she is to be a Queen Candidate and how hard she'll work, to which he responds with predictable favor. Silvan gets in a nasty dig at Limoges ("Hmph...looks like the other Queen Candidate can't express her sentiments quite as profoundly"), but Gerard smiles and says Limoges is "the strong, silent type. So cool!"
- We meet Clavis & Lumiale in...the open-air Grecian gallery where Dia & Julious go to observe the stars. I don't remember what it's called; I'm sorry. This is why no one asks me to run universes. The two Guardians are chilling in the background, and Gerard enthuses, "They make quite a picture, standing there together!" Shipper? He suggests we eavesdrop, but, as has been noted, Lumi & Clavis's conversation consists entirely of ellipses, and Lumiale wanders over to say: "Conversation does not always consist of words alone."
Lumi, incidentally, isn't familiar with Gerard or Silvan. The other characters will also indicate that this is the first time they've met the Scrappy-Doos, so it's not as if they're established fixtures of the Sanctuary.
Also, Tanaka is consciously trying to imitate Shiozawa's speech patterns, with his cadence and pauses etc. I've mentioned previously that Tanaka's existing Clavis voice doesn't do much for me with its lack of edge and sarcasm, but I'm not sure about the tack of just copying another performance, either. Furthermore, in the new Clavis-Julious duet from the 20th anniversary soundtrack collection, Tanaka is imitating Shou Hayami's singing voice to such a degree that it's difficult for me, someone one who's been a fan of the franchise for a decade-plus, to tell Clavis and Julious apart. What's going on, Tanaka?
- The park holds only a quick encounter with the three younger Guardians. Zephel's reaction is the only one of note: whereas before he expressed excitement about going to a new universe - certainly more than he did in meeting the girls - he's now disappointed with the Flying City, cause it's just like the Sanctuary. (Marcel, on the other hand, loves its greenery.) He then, indicating Angelique & Rosalia, complains about having to "make nice with these brats." In other Zephel news, that lilac fleur de lis shawl still looks all wrong on him.
- Finally, Olivie and Luva are found at the lake: the former "soaking up negative ions," the latter lamenting how fishing is prohibited. Olivie enthuses how "conversing with Luva is relaxing in itself!" Olivie always seems to really like Luva; apparently, though, this is not reciprocated.
Olivie's voice is toned down from "HIHIIIIII~~~" town. It's significantly deeper, and he speaks considerably more slowly and seductively. It's a big adjustment.
~*~
After the tour, you'll be asked to choose either Gerard or Silvan to serve as Limoges's personal butler for the rest of the game. Now, each has a different specialty, so you're supposed to pick Silvan if you want to focus on becoming queen or Gerard if you want to make a love match. However, while I'm not fond of either boy, I find Silvan particularly objectionable: his quotes from promo stuff are all about him boasting that he's going to "crack the whip" on the Queen Candidates and hold them personally accountable to him, and he's consistently rude to the girls in the Retour media I've seen so far, telling them to "shut up" all the time and treating them without an ounce of respect. Angelique is rarely a bastion of feminism - at its heart, the original game is about a girl's path to power being getting boys' approval - but I draw the line at kowtowing to eight-year-olds who think they can treat women like garbage. So I chose Gerard, who, even if his brother lost his trash-pile attitude, is a better match for Limoges personality-wise anyhow. (I'll also note that Gerard is color-coded to Limoges's palette, whereas Silvan suits Rosalia's.) Which made Gerard happy: he outright told Ange "I love you!" ("Ai shite ru" and everything.)
Anyhow, so that will start - NEXT TIME.
Changes to the original:
- Apparently, cultivation is more effective in Retour the more you visit your continent. Can do.
- Also, the first time you visit the continent, the priest expresses a specific complaint in saying that the land is experiencing population stagnation.
- Sara & Pastha are gone, replaced by the two brats. Actually, Dia takes over their functions of providing cultivation data and information on relationship status, but with two characters absent and two new ones rolling in...well, it's hard not to draw the conclusion. Dia claims that the crystal ball she uses for relationship stuff was handed down to them by the "Red Dragon Tribe," but...that ain't no substitute.
- While traveling along the dimensional corridor for the first time, Angelique sees a light in the distance that "seems like it's calling to me." Rosalia doesn't see it, but it appears again, and Limoges wanders off to follow it. Ange falls unconscious for some reason; I forget why. (It's not like she needs much provocation.) Rosalia's the one who brings her to, and she's really freaking out; she's really, genuinely worried about Angelique, in a welcome early attempt to hint at more depth to Rosalia outside her trash-talk bluster.
Dia tells Angelique that since she's a Queen Candidate, seeing stuff others can't is to be expected. We'll see where all this is going; I suspect that it's Brian-related.
Misc.:
- Strange note: the seiyuu for Zephel, Julious, and Brian all get more prominent billing in the attract mode than the other cast members. Granted, Mitsuo Iwata and Shou Hayami are legends in the seiyuu field, and I'm sure they wanted to show off the shiny new cast member they got to voice Brian. But folks like Kenyuu Horiuchi and Nobuo Tobita are no slouches, either, and I have to wonder how Iwata and Hayami were allowed to snag the marquee.
- You can also turn individual voices off. Weird, but convenient, I guess - though, again, this isn't exactly an incompetent voice cast. I want to say that Maren had a similar feature, though, and I really don't play many otome games outside this franchise, so perhaps this is a common feature for the genre.
- Speaking of voices, Gerard's sounds like Charlie and Marcel's seiyuu had a knock-up.
- After Clavis expresses his requisite irritation irritated at the "golden-haired Queen Candidate," Rosalia gets exercised and wonders what's so special about Ange. Silvan asks if she's upset that Clavis didn't make mention of the "blue-eyed Queen Candidate" - which is how she was referred to in Duet, I think.
- Exchange I liked in the opening, after a happy Luva aside:
Zephel: "Again with the lectures, Luva!"
Luva (sadly, looking down): "It wasn't a lecture; it was an explanation..."
- In an odd note, they apparently hand out information packets to Queen Candidates prior to their introduction to the Guardians & Queen. Limoges refers to hers numerous times. I wonder who's writing those.
.
Also, I believe I've been spoiled in regards to the truth about Brian. There was a screenshot collection on Tumblr that incidentally mentioned a small but crucial piece of information - just one word, and it's a very deep cut; the OP may not have even realized the significance of the term. But the picture it paints, let us say, seems to fit with the info that's already been leaked about Brian and make it make sense. I'm actually quite interested in how they're gonna do Brian's story if what's being indicated here is correct. (I'm still gritting my teeth a little about being probably spoiled, though. It wasn't as if that post needed that information, dang it.)
Anyhow: I didn't get to any cultivation or gameplay in this session; I got through only the hour-long meet-'n'-greet. After Angelique Limoges & Rosalia meet 255, Dia whisks them off on a tour of the Flying City and its facilities. Unfortunately, she pawns A & R off on new
- First up is a sample Guardian office, which happens to be Julious's. Oscar barges in and, despite the presence of ojou-chans, is immediately hostile: he gripes about us coming into Julious's office when he's not here and rants about how Dear Leader's office "isn't a tourist attraction." (I don't know if he just can't stand Gerard & Silvan either or what.) Rosalia isn't cowed; she stands her ground - go, Rosalia - but Julious happens to step in as she starts to explain and waves Oscar off. Oscar then apologizes and, naturally, starts flirting, to Rosalia's delight - sigh. Oscar is remarkably frank here, though: "I'll be waiting. Come see me - for a cultivation request...or for some...encouraging words. ...Or for a good time." (Yes, he actually says this: ...Matte ru ze. Seiichi no irai de mo, atsui katarai de mo. ...tanoshii asobi no osasoi de mo.) Gerard is a swooning fanboy: "Oooh, I wish I had moves like that!" (Silvan: "Keep dreaming. You just don't have it in you.")
Julious, by the way, is oblivious to Oscar flirting in his office. His office is not a tourist attraction, but it is a swingin' singles club.
Rosalia tells Julious how proud she is to be a Queen Candidate and how hard she'll work, to which he responds with predictable favor. Silvan gets in a nasty dig at Limoges ("Hmph...looks like the other Queen Candidate can't express her sentiments quite as profoundly"), but Gerard smiles and says Limoges is "the strong, silent type. So cool!"
- We meet Clavis & Lumiale in...the open-air Grecian gallery where Dia & Julious go to observe the stars. I don't remember what it's called; I'm sorry. This is why no one asks me to run universes. The two Guardians are chilling in the background, and Gerard enthuses, "They make quite a picture, standing there together!" Shipper? He suggests we eavesdrop, but, as has been noted, Lumi & Clavis's conversation consists entirely of ellipses, and Lumiale wanders over to say: "Conversation does not always consist of words alone."
Lumi, incidentally, isn't familiar with Gerard or Silvan. The other characters will also indicate that this is the first time they've met the Scrappy-Doos, so it's not as if they're established fixtures of the Sanctuary.
Also, Tanaka is consciously trying to imitate Shiozawa's speech patterns, with his cadence and pauses etc. I've mentioned previously that Tanaka's existing Clavis voice doesn't do much for me with its lack of edge and sarcasm, but I'm not sure about the tack of just copying another performance, either. Furthermore, in the new Clavis-Julious duet from the 20th anniversary soundtrack collection, Tanaka is imitating Shou Hayami's singing voice to such a degree that it's difficult for me, someone one who's been a fan of the franchise for a decade-plus, to tell Clavis and Julious apart. What's going on, Tanaka?
- The park holds only a quick encounter with the three younger Guardians. Zephel's reaction is the only one of note: whereas before he expressed excitement about going to a new universe - certainly more than he did in meeting the girls - he's now disappointed with the Flying City, cause it's just like the Sanctuary. (Marcel, on the other hand, loves its greenery.) He then, indicating Angelique & Rosalia, complains about having to "make nice with these brats." In other Zephel news, that lilac fleur de lis shawl still looks all wrong on him.
- Finally, Olivie and Luva are found at the lake: the former "soaking up negative ions," the latter lamenting how fishing is prohibited. Olivie enthuses how "conversing with Luva is relaxing in itself!" Olivie always seems to really like Luva; apparently, though, this is not reciprocated.
Olivie's voice is toned down from "HIHIIIIII~~~" town. It's significantly deeper, and he speaks considerably more slowly and seductively. It's a big adjustment.
~*~
After the tour, you'll be asked to choose either Gerard or Silvan to serve as Limoges's personal butler for the rest of the game. Now, each has a different specialty, so you're supposed to pick Silvan if you want to focus on becoming queen or Gerard if you want to make a love match. However, while I'm not fond of either boy, I find Silvan particularly objectionable: his quotes from promo stuff are all about him boasting that he's going to "crack the whip" on the Queen Candidates and hold them personally accountable to him, and he's consistently rude to the girls in the Retour media I've seen so far, telling them to "shut up" all the time and treating them without an ounce of respect. Angelique is rarely a bastion of feminism - at its heart, the original game is about a girl's path to power being getting boys' approval - but I draw the line at kowtowing to eight-year-olds who think they can treat women like garbage. So I chose Gerard, who, even if his brother lost his trash-pile attitude, is a better match for Limoges personality-wise anyhow. (I'll also note that Gerard is color-coded to Limoges's palette, whereas Silvan suits Rosalia's.) Which made Gerard happy: he outright told Ange "I love you!" ("Ai shite ru" and everything.)
Anyhow, so that will start - NEXT TIME.
Changes to the original:
- Apparently, cultivation is more effective in Retour the more you visit your continent. Can do.
- Also, the first time you visit the continent, the priest expresses a specific complaint in saying that the land is experiencing population stagnation.
- Sara & Pastha are gone, replaced by the two brats. Actually, Dia takes over their functions of providing cultivation data and information on relationship status, but with two characters absent and two new ones rolling in...well, it's hard not to draw the conclusion. Dia claims that the crystal ball she uses for relationship stuff was handed down to them by the "Red Dragon Tribe," but...that ain't no substitute.
- While traveling along the dimensional corridor for the first time, Angelique sees a light in the distance that "seems like it's calling to me." Rosalia doesn't see it, but it appears again, and Limoges wanders off to follow it. Ange falls unconscious for some reason; I forget why. (It's not like she needs much provocation.) Rosalia's the one who brings her to, and she's really freaking out; she's really, genuinely worried about Angelique, in a welcome early attempt to hint at more depth to Rosalia outside her trash-talk bluster.
Dia tells Angelique that since she's a Queen Candidate, seeing stuff others can't is to be expected. We'll see where all this is going; I suspect that it's Brian-related.
Misc.:
- Strange note: the seiyuu for Zephel, Julious, and Brian all get more prominent billing in the attract mode than the other cast members. Granted, Mitsuo Iwata and Shou Hayami are legends in the seiyuu field, and I'm sure they wanted to show off the shiny new cast member they got to voice Brian. But folks like Kenyuu Horiuchi and Nobuo Tobita are no slouches, either, and I have to wonder how Iwata and Hayami were allowed to snag the marquee.
- You can also turn individual voices off. Weird, but convenient, I guess - though, again, this isn't exactly an incompetent voice cast. I want to say that Maren had a similar feature, though, and I really don't play many otome games outside this franchise, so perhaps this is a common feature for the genre.
- Speaking of voices, Gerard's sounds like Charlie and Marcel's seiyuu had a knock-up.
- After Clavis expresses his requisite irritation irritated at the "golden-haired Queen Candidate," Rosalia gets exercised and wonders what's so special about Ange. Silvan asks if she's upset that Clavis didn't make mention of the "blue-eyed Queen Candidate" - which is how she was referred to in Duet, I think.
- Exchange I liked in the opening, after a happy Luva aside:
Zephel: "Again with the lectures, Luva!"
Luva (sadly, looking down): "It wasn't a lecture; it was an explanation..."
- In an odd note, they apparently hand out information packets to Queen Candidates prior to their introduction to the Guardians & Queen. Limoges refers to hers numerous times. I wonder who's writing those.
.
