[Played via the Never7 -the end of infinity- Eternal Edition v0.6 fan translation]
I didn't have high expectations for this going in - Uchikoshi has some writing quirks that can bug me and this is one of his earliest works, not to mention the fact that I've heard nought but bad things from people whose taste I trust. Unfortunately, my expectations weren't betrayed. I don't really have complaints about the presentation - the art, while not for me, isn't bad, but that's about it. The problem lies in the story and characters.
By chance I recently watched Welcome to the N.H.K, which at one point has a character explain the philosophy behind bishoujo/gal games; as I played through Never 7, I couldn't help but notice that it conformed almost exactly to that formula. The threat or act of death for women serves almost solely as inspiration for the main character, a variant of the 'fridging' trope, and the female characters have very little depth. The treatment of female characters is misogynistic and, in one instance, borderline pedophilic. Also, the protagonist kicks a dog. The supernatural elements are the highlight here and my understanding is that the rest of the series going forward has less focus on romance and more on plot and science fiction themes.
I wouldn't have played this at all if it weren't the beginning of the Infinity series, and I certainly can't recommend it on its own. If and when I get around to other entries in the series, I'll come back and update this review to indicate whether the series is worth playing and if so, how important Never 7 is to it or whether it can be skipped.
I didn't have high expectations for this going in - Uchikoshi has some writing quirks that can bug me and this is one of his earliest works, not to mention the fact that I've heard nought but bad things from people whose taste I trust. Unfortunately, my expectations weren't betrayed. I don't really have complaints about the presentation - the art, while not for me, isn't bad, but that's about it. The problem lies in the story and characters.
By chance I recently watched Welcome to the N.H.K, which at one point has a character explain the philosophy behind bishoujo/gal games; as I played through Never 7, I couldn't help but notice that it conformed almost exactly to that formula. The threat or act of death for women serves almost solely as inspiration for the main character, a variant of the 'fridging' trope, and the female characters have very little depth. The treatment of female characters is misogynistic and, in one instance, borderline pedophilic. Also, the protagonist kicks a dog. The supernatural elements are the highlight here and my understanding is that the rest of the series going forward has less focus on romance and more on plot and science fiction themes.
I wouldn't have played this at all if it weren't the beginning of the Infinity series, and I certainly can't recommend it on its own. If and when I get around to other entries in the series, I'll come back and update this review to indicate whether the series is worth playing and if so, how important Never 7 is to it or whether it can be skipped.