15/12/2020

Robotics;Notes Double Pack: Unpolished but sweet

 


I have this complicated relationship with the Science Adventure VNs. Saying I love the series would be an exaggeration, but saying I hate it would be as well. The truth is that between both swings my heart, as the French say; and so, I continue playing its entries in the hope of finding THE game that I'll either fully love or hate.

That game won't be RNDP, that's for sure. I could have hated it, mind you: of all the Science Adventure titles I've played, this is by far the most half-baked. First thing first, I must comment on the utter silliness ill-inspired choice of telling a story about giant robots involving epic fights with a limited budget: something's obviously got to give, and that something is said epic fights, which suffer from a serious case of 'Tell, don't show'. On the graphic front, the digitized character models look wooden as heck, and sorely lack the charm and warmth of good ole hand-drawn ones; and the rather dull background art only makes matters worse. The route triggers are infuriatingly hard to pinpoint in Elite, forcing me to run straight to an FAQ; they're easier to figure out in DaSH, but — too little to late, alas. Then you have the annoyingly grandiose and arcane chapter titles, which teeter the fine line between cleverness and silliness — typical Science Adventure fare, I'd say. And pray tell, why are the Elite QTR sequences such a snoozefest? They don't pack an ounce of challenge, and might as well not have been there for all they bring to the game.

 


Despite that long list of flaws, I had a really sweet time with RNDP, and most especially with DaSH — confirming that we do indeed have a pattern of yours truly loving VN sequels more than original games. Not only does the awesome Itaru Hashida join the fray in DaSH, but many characters that annoyed me as heck in Elite are granted some lovely character development. Cherry on the cake, the tone is deliciously humourous and light-hearted this time around, and there's a plethora of gorgeous hand-drawn CGs. Also: Frau Koujiro is totes my waifu!!! Gee, I friggin' love that girl. As far as perverted ladies with their mind in the gutter go, Asano in OWIE was a nice specimen already; but boy, does Frau crank the hentai factor up to eleven. To shove a hardcore fujoshi into a gal game was a very bold move indeed, and I can only commend Chiyomaru Shikura for taking up the gauntlet on that one.




And since I'm mentioning this, we do indeed have a new inclusive trend when it comes to fanservice in games: many VNs and niche RPGs I've played these last ten years offer shotacon/lolicon and yaoi fan service on top of the usual tits&arse. I'd dub that the Three-Course Fanservice Menu; and I'm really glad it's all the rage these days, as it keeps fan service nicely fresh and varied. Not sure it's the French gourmet or the hentai lover in me speaking on this one; but the more fanservice for everyone, the merrier! And with those words, my praise of RNDP comes to an end — but not my VN roll, as my VN itch has not yet been thoroughly scratched. I'll see you soon with my next run report, dear fellow gamers; in the meantime, keep playing and take care!

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