Review: Liberation Maiden

Liberation Maiden

Completed: June 2015

Time Spent: ~1 Hour (Story) ~1 Hour (Extras)

Systems Available: 3DS (Download-Only) & iOS
System Played: 3DS

Spoilers: None

Price: $7.99 MSRP (Purchased during sale @$2.99)

Gameplay

Liberation Maiden is a game where you control Shoko, the main heroine, and her mecha ship (thing) through the course of a five long mission levels. The controls were a bit hard for me to get used to, but after playing games like Kid Icarus, the flow and way the machine was supposed to be controlled became quite clear after clearing the game. You use your main hand to hold the stylus, and control the bottom half of the screen (3DS), which is where your reticle on the top screen goes. Attacking is basically highlighting the enemies (which is bolded in a way, for you), and releasing the stylus to shoot. You start off with some missiles, but you do get another weapon later on in the game. The sweet catch here is that the energy you use to attack enemies is basically your shield energy - meaning that if you're to use all your shield energy for attacking, your mecha becomes very vulnerable to enemy fire, possibly taking your health down at a faster rate than normal. This helps add another level of strategy, as you have to take out the enemies with firepower, but also have to give yourself a bit of space for protection. 

Each of the five levels take place in a different location in Japan, ranging from Osaka to Hokkaido, and the variety of the missions are somewhat good. Your main goal in most of the missions given is to destroy these enemy veins that are plaguing the country of Japan. By destroying these, nature is restored to the land, and peace is just one step closer. There's a boss at the end of each stage, and most all of the bosses stand still, with you circling around it to attack. I don't want to go into too much detail with these bosses, but I can say that it's a pleasant experience and does offer a challenge, depending on the difficulty you choose. Speaking of which, you have the ability to choose one of three levels of difficulty for story mode (Easy, Medium, and Hard). I started off with Normal, and found enough of a challenge after my first playthrough. After completing said difficulty in story mode, you can access all five levels in the 'Score Attack' mode, which is where you can play any of the levels with the goal of getting as many points as you can. 

There are also submissions in some of the missions for each level, but I felt that these were sort of like random add ons, and left me with no idea or clue what to do when they gave me one (especially those with a rather short time limit). Eventually, I got the hang of these submissions, but I still feel that they could have been improved to some extent. Also, the variety in missions you have is there, such as stealthily making your way across a factory, or dodging Touhou-style bullets, but all in all - there isn't really too much. 

Story

The first time through this game, I had little to no idea what the story of this game was going to be about. It seemed that there were these things I had to destroy, and that there were a lot of enemies swarming in what was called, "New Japan." After completing story mode once, you'll be able to access some achievements you naturally unlocked (with the first playthrough) in the Gallery part of the game, where each section (there are 30) gives you a history lesson on what happened to Japan, who the villains are, and various other details related to the game. I found this to be quite a cool feature, as it motivated me to play more levels and achieve what the gallery pieces each required. Although it would have been nicer to get the story and backstory handed to us in a more direct way, I feel that it's one way Level 5 attempted to add replay value to this game. There are two main characters that you get to know in this game; the main character Shoko, and her advisor/commander, Kira. You two will communicate with each other throughout each of the missions and stages, and will serve to help guide the story and gameplay forward. I do believe that this game could have been fleshed out more, as the ending of the game was somewhat of a cliffhanger (pretty much a massive understatement, but...).

Music/Art

In terms of art, Liberation Maiden does a pleasant job of creating scenery that fits with the situation. The scenery for each of the five stages are quite diverse, and it felt like I was actually adventuring in another location in Japan (Which, I was). I'd say that the art of the mecha and main character in action are alright, and the portraits that are drawn for Shoko and Kira are also decent. Animation featured in the beginning and end of the game are well produced, and I would have loved to see more of that. Overall, in terms of art, Liberation Maiden does a pretty decent job, with no major problems.

The music in Liberation Maiden is something else - it's really worth turning up the volume and plugging in your headphones when playing this game. The first stage and last stage bosses have music with vocals, and I have to say that it's some of the best electronic j-pop I've heard in a long time. All the other tracks are very fitting with the scenery and atmosphere (imagine a relaxing techno piece for Hokkaido, and a more intensive piece for Osaka or Tokyo). I found myself listening to the music in and out of the game, which is definitely a good sign. In terms of sound effects, I'd say that Liberation Maiden does a decent job, with no negatives, but no positives. 

Presentation

The menus in Liberation Maiden are really nice looking, and fit for the theme this game tries to present. With lots of flowerlike designs, I felt that surfing through all the menus, fonts, and just the system itself was really fluid and not bad. The layout in the game isn't the smoothest, but everything is somewhat clear after playing for half an hour or so. The gallery looks really nice, and I yeah - just the interface and everything else is really well done. The 3D effects are well done too, so make sure to crank it up when you're deep in enemy territory!

Length/Postgame/Multiplayer

Liberation Maiden doesn't have any multiplayer features, and its campaign is actually really short. I'd say it would take you 1-2 hours just to complete one difficulty mode in story mode. While the campaign is ridiculously short, (as mentioned earlier) there are ways to expand on the time you can spend on this game. I did each stage on Normal difficulty in Score Attack mode two times or more, just to get more of that music and potentially unlock five or six of the hidden gallery items that I couldn't manage to get before. While all of this equates to only a few hours on your list, it's good to take note that this game is under 10 bucks, and with my deal of getting it for only 3 dollars, I have to admit that it can be quite worth the money (or, a great 'bang for your buck' as some people say). The game really felt like a demo, and although a Visual Novel sequel (Liberation Maiden Sin) did get released, I have still been hoping for a new adventure with Shoko, Kira, and some new characters with a story span of at least 5 hours. 

Overall (+Final Impressions)

I really enjoyed my rather short time with Liberation Maiden; it was an experience that not many other games could replicate, and while the campaign was short, the replayability for this game isn't that bad, I would have been hoping for more. On the other hand, with this game, you'll be receiving a ton of great electronic tunes, great art, and a mecha-load of action! With the beautiful menu designs and fun + challenging gameplay, I find it to be worth its price tag if you're willing to delve deep into the adventures of Shoko Ozora!

Pros

+ Wonderful gameplay: Challenging and fun

+ Diverse scenery and great tunes - nice anime cutscenes too

+ Decent replayability value, with the Score Attack mode

+ Smooth and fluid menus, practically no lag

+ Interesting gallery and backstory, once unlocked

Cons

- Campaign is pretty short, even for its price

- Lack of variety in missions

- Submissions aren’t really that well developed; too random

- Due to short length, the story is unclear at the start

FINAL VERDICT

Gameplay: 9.0/10 

Story: 7.0/10 

Music/Art: 9.0/10 

Presentation: 9.0/10 

Length/PostGame/Multiplayer: 5.0/10 

Averaged (7.8) Overall: 7.5/10

Review: Conception II - Children of the Seven Stars

Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars

Completed: June 2015

Time Spent: ~50 Hours (Story + Extras)

Systems Available: 3DS & PSV
System Played: 3DS

Spoilers: None

Price: $39.99 MSRP
*Screenshots are from PSV version

Gameplay

Conception II is actually quite the complicated beast, so let's take things simply from the beginning. Your character has this sort of power/juice named, "Ether," and it's used to create star children with a variety of women who you will have to bond with. That's a simple summary of the first part of this game. You need to create kids, and these kids will aid you in a battle to save your city (and later on... etc.). You're to take 3 teams of 3 children, and the children you make come in a variety of classes. Some classes fit together in a special way and allow for bonus skills to be used when paired (triplets) together. So, now to the women. There are seven women in the game, with contrasting personalities and yes, hair colors. Your job, as the guy on the cover page, is to bond with those women, and create the star children. The process is called, "classmating." Talking to them in a VN/DatingSim styled fashion is how you do so. You'll be given choices, and these choices will affect the mood of your woman, which will then also have its effects on the children you create with them. Each heroine represents a different element, and some of them contain two elements - so taking your time to try things out is quite worth it. They have the usual shop, quest center, and labyrinth locations on the map - and more interesting features will be unlocked later on in the game, so that's that. 

So, let's talk about these Dusk Circles (Dungeons). Your goal is to venture to the top of the dusk circle, whatever floor it may be, and destroy the dusk spawner (aka, the boss). The dusk spawner spawns (sort of like) dark magic, which creates monsters and harms the world, in a way. Things certainly get deeper later on, and that's definitely a huge plus - as it removes the initial thought (that one may have) that this is one of your average lame anime jrpg games. Well, to keep the word count short for all you viewers, another note would be that the battle system is truly a wonder. You control four groups (if you want, or you could auto-attack), them being you and the heroine, and children group A, B, and C. There are always four directions for you to attack the enemy, and there's also always a weak point, usually one or two of those directions. For you to deal more damage then normal, striking the weak point and possibly using an elemental attack that acts as the enemy's weakness (in this case, Wind beating Fire) can help you deal massive damage. Another interesting addition is the Chain Attack. After dealing enough hits (not damage in HP, but hits), your chance at chaining the enemy appears. By chaining the enemy, you can slow it down, which let's you have more turns at attacking it. The EXP you get at the end is also multiplied by 100% + 10x%, depending on how many times you hit the enemy while it's chained (x). Other cool features include the usage of Bond Points (earned through talking to heroines), the Mecunites, which are huge robots that a group of your children turn into to deal massive damage, and special moves that you and your heroine can complete in rhythm. (Yes, there's a lot).

A small downside in this wonderful gameplay is that the dungeons themselves are quite plain and boring. It may be fun for the first or second dusk circle, but after you get through a few of them, the only thing you really notice is the change in color. This also counts for enemies too, as many enemies simple get upgraded by getting a palette swap. There is also some lag in battles (on 3DS at least), and the lag doesn't kill the game, but it does ruin possible urges for a smooth fight! Another thing to take note of is that near the end of the game, at the last dungeon - crashes will occur between the teleportation of floors. I'll give you my warning, and tip for you to save often before switching floors! Other than these small problems, the gameplay side of this game is absolutely fantastic! Think of it like Persona 4, where the dungeons are rather repetitive and boring, but the battle and everything else is pretty good! Anyways, onto the story of this long game

Story

Conception II starts out with you, the God's Gift, having to take on these Dusk Circles to eliminate monsters and their dusk spawners. With too much 'dusk' in the world, bad things will happen (I won't go into detail on that). For the first half of the game, I felt that the story was just a tad bit slow and uninteresting, but that the characters were really cool and fun to hang out with (ALL of them, including side characters like; your bros and others). The comedy in this game is actually quite good, even though many anime-stereotypical events occur rather frequently. (Think breast grabs, or random trips - or both). I found the characters really nice, and the story itself pretty good after the halfway point. Things started to heat up, and the story did certainly turn towards a much deeper reaction. I felt that it was quite surprising, but rather impressing that Spike Chunsoft was able to do so (Maybe they were thinking of Danganronpa?). Nevertheless, the story nearly goes to SMT/Shin Megami Tensei levels in terms of darkness/duskness towards the last 5 hours of the story, so please do look forward to that. There are also 8 or 9 different endings you can get, and a new game that starts you at the beginning of the second-to-last chapter, so you can attempt to modify the ending you get! This helps replay data, and in a way - I find myself coming back to this game in the near future to get a few more endings!

Music/Art

I actually found the art in this game to be really good and attractive. Characters are just slightly moving (like people in real life), which is totally cool, and something you don't usually see in JRPGs. This addition really made the story scenes look more dynamic. When talking to a heroine by yourself, a 3D model of them comes up, one that's like a zoomed in version of the model you see adventuring in the dungeons with you. I felt that those models were also really well done, albeit a bit laggy. You can also change the costumes the heroines wear in the dungeon, and also accessories that they wear when talking to them at the school/academy. For art, it's totally a +.

In terms of music, I found it to be quite good. The dungeon themes are all really catchy, including the theme included in the bonus CD (which only had 10 tracks...). The themes you hear in base and the city itself are also either really calming and relaxing, or rather catchy and electronic - like the Shin Megami Tensei games from the 1990s. The dungeon music itself is alright, and the boss songs are also alright. A special note to the final boss theme too, which actually is quite good! I enjoyed most all (let's say 75%) of the songs that the game had to offer, and even took the time to record some of the pieces for me to listen to on my own time!

Presentation

The menus in this game are everywhere - there are literally 50 menu buttons, or maybe over 9000 if I were to count them all. Whether or not this is a good thing is up on you, but I'd have to say that I enjoyed the details that Atlus and Spike Chunsoft put into for these menus. Almost every menu button has a use, and while slightly difficult to remember and get used to, will always serve to help you when you need it. All the supportive parts of this game are really smooth, with yes and no buttons being circular and very futuristic looking - fitting with the theme and setting of their city, Fort City. With 3D, the game lags a bit, but also does show that there is something virtual to look at. What I'm basically saying is that the 3D effect in this game is also pretty good! 

Length/Postgame/Multiplayer

I found Conception II to be quite the lengthy JRPG, and the plain dungeons helped me feel how long this journey was going to be. After shaking out 30 hours in one month and 20 hours a year later (to finish the game), I felt that the journey was long, well wrapped, and completed. Although the ending I got (the neutral ending) wasn't the most... fulfilling, I have to say that most everything was set to a close, and I was able to continue my save file by taking me back with the New Game+, (taking me to the chapter before the last chapter). I plan on getting 4 or 5 more endings before wrapping up my playthrough of the game, meaning probably another 2-4 hours for each of them, totaling up to 8-20 hours of postgame left - just for me. For a perfectionist, there's at least 80 hours of gaming that can be had here, which is totally a great thing! For players who just want to finish the story part of the game, you'll most likely be there between the 35 and 45 hour mark. In terms of other postgame material, you can actually search for hidden child classes on your own, or spend time maxing your characters at level 99 so that they can battle the ultimate Monokuma! (Free DLC #2) For multiplayer, there is the ability to classmant and blindmate (I believe these are the names), and although it sounds like a great feature, mating with other heroines from other save files or using a heroine to, this feature is limited to local play, which kind of bites. Online features would have been better for this game, but the long single player campaign will suffice.

Overall (+Final Impressions)

I find this game to be very good, and well deserving of the score I've given it. I feel like most of the people reviewing this game focus too much on one side of the game, while not trying hard enough to find the charm of it. The story is fun and gets dark, the battle system is great, and the music and art is just pleasant to hear and see. Although the dungeons are plain, the lag is present, and the multiplayer features are practically nonexistent, this is still a game that you should invest some money into, as it'll serve as a great experience for you! I highly recommend this game! Good stuff.

Pros

+ Deep, wonderful battle system

+ Catchy, worthwhile tunes

+ Great dating-sim elements

+ Characters are mostly all likeable

+ Long and dark single player campaign

+ Great art and models!

Cons

- Lags in battle, and elsewhere

- Occasional crashes near endgame

- Story is a bit slow for starting chapters
- Very plain and boring dungeons

- Weak multiplayer features

FINAL VERDICT

Gameplay: 8.5/10 

Story: 8.0/10 

Music/Art: 9.0/10 

Presentation: 7.0/10 

Length/PostGame/Multiplayer: 8.5/10 

Averaged (8.2) Overall: 8.0/10