[Review] The Second Reproduction

I haven't posted up a review up in forever, and this is one that I've been meaning to do for a long time already. Have no fear, I have not abandoned this blog I assure you guys. I just haven't found the time to just sit down and write a review.

I initially stumbled across this game when a reader of this blog requested a walkthrough. It piqued my curiosity quite a fair bit, and the first thing I noticed was the beautiful art. Although it's a doujin game, it actually included voice acting for the most part so I was quite surprised. All in all, it was definitely a game that lived up to my expectations and one that I enjoyed playing very much.

The company that created the game (Heterodoxy) however, has sadly and disappointingly become bankrupt so it is quite difficult to purchase the game. The english patch can be downloaded from here, and if you are unable to find a copy of the game; I don't usually condone this, but since it's almost impossible to buy you can try scouring the internet. 

Storyline

"Christina was the third princess of Alemenan, and born in an era of war against the Demons. Having the status of a "Champion", Christina had countless battle victories upon her shoulders and was feared by the Demon race. 

Being the most successful of her three sisters, her mother the queen sent her on a secret mission to assasinate the Demon lord Gardis in return for his ruthless annihilation of the Kingdom of Crofts. 

Obeying her mother's orders for the sake of her kingdom, Christina set out alongside with her most loyal knight Lezette to take the Demon Lord's head and bring peace to the land."

I absolutely loved the storyline, and I especially adored the heroine. It's rare to find female heroines in a Visual Novel nowadays with some backbone, and a strong sense of justice. She's not the type to just sit back on the sidelines and do nothing. She's not the kind of person who'd just let her lover run into battle, whilst she waited for his return. No, she's the type to join the fray no matter the consequences and how dangerous. She's headstrong and resilient, and whilst not all of her actions are wise, it's that inner courage of hers that makes her so endearing as a protagonist. 

The storyline seemed interesting enough at first glance, and the fantasy element of the Visual Novel was executed very well. Most of the plot holes tied up with one another at some point in the paths, and it actually included some HUGE twists that even had me surprised. These twists came as a total shock for me, which I totally commend. The build up was just right, and had me on the edge of my seat stringing the clues together. 

The fantasy itself added so much spice to the story, and had the perfect balance between action, romance, and drama. The only thing I didn't quite like was the whole 'time travel' idea, since I felt it wasn't explained clearly enough. It was left completely ambiguous, which disappointed me. If you guys understood it, feel free to leave a comment telling me what you guys managed to interpret.  

If you didn't realise, then when you finish all the paths it unlocks the extra Valentine's Day side story. It also explains the last missing CG in the gallery. Although it's not very long, I thought it was very cute and showed some insight to the character's future relationship together, and whatever conflict they may have come across. 

Lezette's and Jin's were so-so, but Gardis' one was just so incredibly cute. I felt that the extra just summarised their relationship perfectly, and it was a touching and befitting end. 

Character Development

I had a soft spot for all the characters but I do have to say Gardis' story was my absolute favourite. Overall, all of them are worth the play through since they allow you to see different perspectives of the events, and reveals information central to the story that weren't included in the others. 

GARDIS: My absolute favourite path in the game, which isn't a surprise since it is the canon pairing/story. I loved the tension between Gardis' and Christina's characters in their personas, belief and race. Their stark contrast and differences between good and evil was all too clear. I felt like it made their love story so much more interesting, as Christina is such a headstrong character. I loved their conflicts, their struggle and eventual love that was just so incredibly realistic considering everything that they had to go through, to get to that point. It was just so heart wrenching at some moments in the story, that I couldn't help but feel so involved in the game. Gardis had a level of depth to him that I don't usually find in Visual Novels, and he is such an incredibly likeable character that you can't help but adore. 

The overall execution of the storyline and the gradual build up was amazing. The twists in the story left me thinking 'wow... I never even expected that.' I suppose what I liked the most about this path was how their personalities just complemented each other so well. Gardis opened Christina's eyes to the lies and deception her life had been surrounded by, whereas she proved to him that his love for humankind and her is real and justified. 

It was from this that they both grew and learned from one another. I do like how the story is quite misleading, for us to automatically label Gardis as the 'bad guy' when really, he's anything but that. He's virtuous, kind and compassionate, everything a benevolent king should be.

The only thing I really can criticise is the fact that the story didn't quite answer the whole 'bird' thing, and the time travel aspect. I felt that it was quite vague, and I was disappointed that they just left it hanging there unanswered. 

LEZETTE: I went for him next since well, how can you resist his fiery determination to protect the princess, and his secret love? I usually don't really like the 'nice guy' or 'clean-cut honourable' character since I have a tendency to lose interest in their stories fairly quickly, since they usually don't have any dimension to their personalities to discover. There's really no 'conflict' in their paths from what I've seen and played. I was pleasantly surprised since I quite enjoyed Lezette's path, although it was albeit cliche since he always loved her, and all it took was the acceptance of her feelings. His 'self-sacrificial' and loving nature really grew on me, and I felt that he was one of those few characters with a well written story and strong dialogue to match which is why he pulls off the 'nice guy' persona so very well. 

Their story was rather sweet and enjoyable and it was definitely worth the play through. I actually found their bad ending to be quite intriguing, and a nice change in the overall tone of the game. Lezette admittedly had the prettiest CGs in the game, and there was just something about his character that you couldn't help but eventually like. 

JIN: Eh, how do I say this? He just didn't really interest me from start to finish, although I did sense there was something rather strange about his character. He's one of those extreme bi-polar characters, who pull off a nice charade but on the inside; it's a completely different story. His path was definitely the more sexually explicit of the three, and I felt like his love with Christina was more so a sensual one, than one built on 'true love'. I did blush at some of their scenes together but it was still enjoyable to play nonetheless. It wasn't quite as lengthy as the others, nor as in depth (it doesn't include the main storyline/plot twist) and it really is more so a bonus path.

Nonetheless, it was still quite entertaining to play especially for you deviants out there, haha. Jin's overall personality wasn't exactly my favourite, but it did have a few unique quirks. 

Design

The art was admittedly one of the main factors that initially drew me into the game. The lines were crisply drawn, the characters were in the right proportions and suited their persona's, and the colouring was great. Although I can't say I'm entirely surprised since this was made by a commercial Japanese Company which sadly, as I stated earlier become bankrupt and shut down. There really isn't anything more I can say about the art, other than the fact that I liked the drawing style and design. 

The CGs were very well done, and included quite an array for a doujin game. Overall, then I really did enjoy The Second Reproduction's art.

Music and Voice Acting

The music itself was quite interesting to listen to, and I admittedly got hooked onto the tracks after several play throughs. They suited the mood of the game, and they really were pleasant to listen to after hours of playing the game. I particularly liked the song and promotional trailer/op for the game (which you can watch here). I actually downloaded it, since that was how much I really liked the song.

Voice acting wise, then I was initially quite surprised since it is a doujin game and rarely do you find one voiced nowadays. I loved the voices of the cast, since they suited their characters perfectly. I particularly liked Gardis' voice, since although it was quite soft to listen to at some parts; in the most climatic of moments, just wow. I could just hear the pain, and anguish punctuated through every word and syllable. 

I suppose the only thing I didn't like was that it's only partially voiced. For the greater portion of the game there are voices, but in some segments there aren't. I guess it's only natural considering the cost of voice actors, but since the voice acting was splendid in this game; without it, it did lose some of its spark in the various scenes.

Overall, then I really was quite impressed. 

System

System wise then the design of the game was quite crisp and easy to navigate. It included all the basic controls in a Visual Novel (play, pause, auto-forward, text speed etc.) It even allows you to turn off particular voices, and included your 'affection' points with each character. What I particularly liked was how you could even replay certain events/moments with each character (each of them had their own particular title). The general plot events as well, you could rewatch without playing the entire game. 

I found that this was a great bonus feature, and really added onto the overall quality of the game. Most of the movement in The Second Reproduction focused on choosing options from a map, and it did have a time limit to your stay in Deathryde (the land of Demons). I thought it was a nice, concise way of travelling in the game and made the game far more enjoyable, since there was the whole 'exploration' factor. 

Once you figure out the dynamics of the game, it really isn't hard to navigate whatsoever. There weren't any bugs, crashes or errors etc. when I played the game, which I commend. 

Personal Opinion

Overall, then I loved the game. The storyline of it, the build up of tension and the character development was what made this Visual Novel really stand out to me. The plotline was well written and executed, whilst balancing the perfect amount of tension and conflict. It included various twists in the story that even I wasn't expecting, and yet at the same time they made perfect sense. The characters were each likeable in their own way, and I really do recommend playing all their story paths since it reveals so much to the overall picture of the game. What one story leaves hanging, the other answers. 

This to me, is what replayability in a game means. Being able to write a well formed web of events, that complement one another and completes the whole picture when you've finished the game. It had a mixture of romance, comedy and angst without overwhelming the player. I couldn't stop playing this game, since it just had me hooked on the story and 'universe'. The bad endings themselves, were worth the play through as well. 

The only things I was disappointed in was the fact that it wasn't fully voiced. I understand the whole 'budget' idea, and how costly voice actors are considering the company's relatively small size. It did however, take away some of the magic in the scenes without voices. It felt empty, and incomplete as though something was missing. 

Although the plot was very well done, the writers failed to properly answer the whole 'time travel paradox' that was a main driving force behind the storyline. It was vague, and left pretty much unanswered. It left me questioning, What was the "bird" Gardis and Jin were talking about? How did Christina get a second chance to do it all over again? Why is she the only one who remembers? What is the 'key' to open doors? Who is 'Shade'? 

Other than that, then this was truly a fantastic game, especially for a doujin. I also have to mention that it stems off from the universe in Heterodoxy's previous game, Queen of Darkness which is also an otome game, but is 18+. Considering how much I liked The Second Reproduction, I am quite curious to try this one out. 

It has sadly not been translated yet, so hopefully it will be in future. Overall, then I definitely recommend this game for all the otome lovers out there!

Overall Rating: ★★★★