Review of Aiyoku no Eustia
| Subject | Aiyoku no Eustia |
| By | Helpfulness: 2 Vote: 6funnerific on 2020-09-08 |
| Review | (Impressions originally posted at Fuwanovel) This could've been a great game. I quite enjoyed the early parts, and there's no SoL outside of the short heroine endings to distract you from the story, making for an exciting read. The characters in this game, however, are a problem. Starting with Caim, specifically. I'm sick of his tough guy attitude. He's not such a bad protagonist, he doesn't find himself at a loss for words every time someone makes a seemingly sound argument, he's capable in a fight — there's that. But he's like an empty shell for almost the entire game — not living for anything, unable to strongly love anyone. The writers sacrificed the meat of the game, as well as all the other heroine endings for the sake of Eustia's finale. And for what? For Caim, a man who had lived a life of walking on a razor's edge and supposedly seen it all, who finally gathered his resolve to sacrifice the remnants of the human race and release Eustia from suffering, to be easily tricked by his brother, whom he can't match even then? That's some weak resolve right there. It was disappointing. As for the ending itself - if I was writing for the game and wanted it to sell, I'd do it the same way, but personally I'd prefer a "together in death" ending. Something like this. When Caim loses literally an arm and a leg, you think he's paid the price for his mistakes — only to magically have them back the next scene because at some point Eustia got a new ability we've never heard of. Now, I don't really hate Caim and don't want him to live the rest of his life in despair and without a shred of hope — it's this kind of writing that bothers me. Making it look like there's no turning back, then copping out of it. I see it as pretentious. It also doesn't make sense that the first Saint wanted to bring the city down all along, yet never did so. Did I miss something? Caim also has less face than the protagonist of Fortune Arterial, which was nowhere near as plot-focused, and chronologically came before Eustia. Moving on to Irene. I can't tell if August made an awful heroine by accident or were intentionally making fun of religious people with this one. She's the worst kind of friend. Colette is extremely cold to Laviria, with whom she's been through thick and thin. In spite of everything Lavi has done for her and even after learning she's been cutting off her wings in agony Colette gives zero shits. Their "reconciliation" at the end of the chapter doesn't change the fact that she treats Lavi like a servant, remaining self-centered to the bitter end. With that and her overzealous, blind faith, I can't imagine anyone actually liking her. Finally, something that concerns pretty much the whole cast. Basically, they're too Japanese, despite the setting. 1) Gladly accepting whatever unreasonable burdens other people push onto you. Letting others set your direction in life as if it's the most natural thing ever. Applies the most to Eris, Irene, Eustia. 2) Pride. Caim loves to lecture Fione, Irene and Licia about how spoiled they are, bringing up the miserable state of things in Rougoku, yet he and other characters, who are in a much direr financial situation, stubbornly refuse to accept easy money, insisting on earning it instead. I'm sure those prostitutes love their job and wouldn't jump at shortcuts to leaving the brothel. 3) 恩返し (returning the favor). This is related to #1, but specifically involves wasting your life away for no good reason, in a way that won't benefit anyone. Eris should know Caim doesn't want her money. In fact, it doesn't make sense that she earned 600 golden coins (was it?) in just a few months' time by working as a doctor, though that's not what matters. I liked Licia, at least. Fione was pretty decent too. |
| 2 points |
