A really beautiful looking remake. Like jaw-dropping at times.
I actually had no idea this was related to Key in any way, I didn't even know Jun Maeda wrote most of it until after I started. After seeing Sumii (an actual Sunohara clone) and the general vibe, I began to piece it together.
So, the story. The nicest way I could put it is that it was very obvious this was one of Jun Maeda's earlier works.
I see much of the foundation in this game that he managed to capitalize on in later Key works, but this was overall very weak. Annoyingly ambiguous serious scenes that often seem out of place, Kohei's almost bipolar characterization makes early routes unsatisfying (especially Nagamori's).
Once I realized what HAPPENING to Kohei, stuff is easier to swallow, but I still never really LIKED it. I don't think anything in this game was realized to its full potential. Misaki's route was easily my favorite route and girl, which had an amazing theme of accepting your lot in life and finding beauty that you never thought was there.
The theming of the whole game is its strongest point (well, aside from the insanely adorable characters), but like I said, disappointing in that it doesn't quite feel complete.

However, I enjoyed it enough thanks to me being a sucker for cute girls and the indescribable Key-like atmosphere it provides.

I've been thinking about why I liked this so much. It's in no way a new concept; I've seen it done before. The story beats are fairly predictable, as is the ending. So what is it that makes THIS stand out? The world building? The setting? The pacing? The dynamic between Jude and Philia? The translation, even?
Yes. It's all of that, working in perfect tandem to create a masterfully told story. It's simple, yes, but beautiful.
I'm not a Tanaka Romeo fan in particular (I've only read Rewrite of his, other than this) but I'm sold on him being an extremely competent writer, without a doubt.

Really I'm almost shocked at how captivated I ended up being by the very believable world he built up. And in the short amount of time, how attached I was to Jude and Philia by the end. Philia in particular was the star of the show, her development by the end is just...ugh. I love it. So proud of her, as I know Jude would be.
She radiates "MUST PROTECT" energy to the highest degree I swear.

On a less serious note, I loved when Jude went full assault mode and dropped a bunch of savages using Promethean vision from Halo, fun times

The general presentation was really top-notch, the grayish and grainy visuals intelligently serve the purpose, i.e. desolate landscapes, ghost cities, or dilapidated towns, looking like refugee camps, in which dystopian microcosms develop, and to which human heart doesn't belong.

But the coolest part is obviously the text itself. It is indeed through Judo's long sentences that we feel the most how much this universe is credible. I wouldn't say that his character is particularly fascinating, but to be immersed in his thoughts in such a raw fashion contributes to the characterization of his emotions, and thus to immersion.

"Fundamental and irrational feelings, only once we rationalize them can we call ourselves human." The desire to become human, the unconditional parental love, both are impulses with no logical basis. The heart of Tsui no Stella is indeed to attach rationality to them as best we can, through prose, through tribulations. But we are also human precisely because we find it difficult to verbalize these things. Romeo does not reveal these truths through flowery and charming dialogues. The interactions are grey, sullen, the men are on edge, and that makes them all the more believable.

Another point that surprised me as much as it pleased me was the focus on a parental relationship instead of a romantic one. This is quite rare in the medium - especially for such a big production. But it was the natural choice here: since being human is about being able to "pass on to the next generation", what better way to illustrate that than a father-daughter relationship?

It's really a good game that I highly recommend (plus it's very short). I have only one desire now and that is to discover the other works of Tanaka Romeo. In particular Saihate no Ima, Kazoku Keikaku and Cross Channel. But until then, I'll cry just a bit more: https://youtu.be/_wmrP0DOj0Q

i thrust awake in a cold sweat beneath the quiet roof of my sengoku ranch. i remember that the deed is nearly complete - i'm on the brink of the backloggd alignment lock

the panting starts. then the puke; panicking over what i must do. i reflect on what has brought me to this point. the truth sets in

humans are given two choices in the fleeting existence they call life:

1. they rate kichikuou rance with a half star. completion status: abandoned. review roughly reads, "dont let rance fans near children" or, "i feel like a worse person for playing this". these people absolutely rule at parties and you should unconditionally take everything they say completely seriously

2. ten out of ten. reasons enigmatic. their thoughts may be more driven by seemingly sociopathic notions regarding how their life was changed by a fun strategy game with cartoon humor about a guy who does bad shit for women, money and power. there's a good chance these ones aren't getting invited to the aforementioned parties

this is where i forge my path; where i shall walk the road to dawn

...in all seriousness, i'm pretty amazed that something this meticulously detailed came from an eroge company - let alone in 1996. there are so many moving parts and interlinked events that it borders on overwhelming. tons of characters too - many of which you even won't meet because of how structurally dynamic everything is. seemingly whimsical decisions could have lasting consequences, be they positive or negative. it's all so thorough that looking up just about anything in a guide seriously compromises the overall experience

alicesoft's sheer fuck-it-we-ball energy is impossible not to respect here. they crammed every ridiculous idea they had for the series at the time into one sprawling what-if finale and somehow it actually worked. that said, since it's a rough summary for five games that at the time didn't even exist, the narrative feels a little rushed even though it clocks in at 40+ hours. definitely left me wanting a little more from the antagonists and world, but that's what the hundreds of hours worth in sequels is for, i suppose

look - if you think crassness is funny and you've remained skeptical of this series as i have for so long, i'd suggest considering it. if you're on the "i'd never play that shit" side of the spectrum, then you've already made up your mind and that's fine too

if you think this game's bad mechanically, however: skill issue, filtered and so on

here is a pdf that better formats/clarifies the in-game how to play section without any spoilers

Being a massive fan of White Album 2, I was excited for White Album to finally get a release in the west. However, despite being considered a classic, White Album does not stand out much amoung other visual novels in 2023. Yuki, Yayoi, Mana, Haruka, and Misaki's routes were mediocre at best. Despite this, I still give it 3 stars because it does have some positives. Rina's route, while having a bit of an abrupt ending, was pretty good and Sayoko (new heroine only available after clearing Rina or Yuki's routes) was by far my favorite character in the game and had the best route IMO. Her route alone would've been about a 4.5/5 for me. Other positives in the game are the soundtrack and art. The CGs are really well done and even look great 13 years after the game's release in Japan. Another positive is the voice acting. Nana Mizuki plays Rina, and Aya Hirano plays Yuki, and both of them are quite famous in the industry. Satou Rina (Rixia from Trails, Makoto from P5) plays Sayoko as well. Overall, I think it's worth playing White Album, if not for the sake of playing a classic, then for Sayoko (best girl).

This visual novel does romance in a way I haven't really seen before and thought I would never find in a work like this. By the end of it I disliked the main characters in the same amount that I loved them, and I think it'll stick with me for a long time.
I wouldn't call it perfect, Closing Chapter had some weaker parts that dragged and made me stall it for some time (especially in the side routes), but CODA was good enough that the whole journey felt worth it in the end. One of the routes especially was the highest point of the VN and every scene in it was that much powerful because of everything that came before.

今でも覚えている あの日見た雪の白さ
初めて触れた 唇の温もりも忘れない
粉雪のようなあなたは 汚れなく奇麗で
私もなりたいと雪に願う
I still love you.