Lunatic Tears

I am fucking stoked over 11eyes now! The trial was awesome, and it hooked me in from start to end. My only complaint?

THE DEMO FUCKING CUTS OFF LIKE AN ABRUPT AND VIOLENT COCKSLAP THAT FEELS MORE LIKE A GORY CASTRATION. WHAT THE FUCK LASS, WHAT THE FUCK. IF YOU’RE GOING TO END THE DEMO WITH THAT SCENE THEN AT LEAST SHOW WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENS AND HOW IT ENDS, JESUS CASTRATING CHRIST.

The demo introduces us to several characters. First we have Satsuki Kakeru, the protagonist. Wears an eyepatch and still can’t get over his sister’s suicide, even though it’s been five years. He’s the calm and collected kind of guy who rarely looses his composure, though he’s prone to melancholic episodes from time to time. There’s Minase Yuka, Kakeru’s osananajimi who’s quite childish on occasion. Obviously she really has a thing for Kakeru but she’s yet to express it - she’s also Kakeru’s stepsister, since Kakeru and his deceased sister were both adopted by her parents. She likes a lot of cute stuff and is very much Kakeru’s caretaker. There’s their classmate, the newly-transferred Momono Shiori who just came from Italy. She’s soft-spoken and tries to keep to herself by using that harsh, scalding tongue of hers as she doesn’t like to be bothered by people. She likes reading books an awful lot, though, and is quite an expert at video games. Kusakabe Misuzu is an Onmyouji who wields the five sacred swords of the Kusakabe clan, and she stumbles upon both Kakeru and Yuka after the second Red Night incident. She’s very talented, knowledgeable and skilled in the arts of Onmyouji, but is very much an idiot when it comes to the affairs of normal people. Oh, and she’s also being hunted down by her clan. Tachibana Kukuri is the daughter of a famous writer, but Kakeru and Yuka are both reminded very much of Kakeru’s departed sister whenever they see her - who incidentally is also named Kukuri. She cannot speak, but makes up for this by using the sketchpad that she always brings with her. She also has amnesia, rendering her unable to remember the past 13 years of her life. And last is Hirohara Yukiko, who is from the Hirohara zaibatsu, but is disowned for family reasons. She’s quite cheerful, spunky, and is very much like a human tornado. She’s also Kakeru’s fellow coworker in the cafe Cyberiada. These are the main characters mostly featured in the demo. Takahisa only makes a brief appearance, so I’m certain that his role will be fully explored in the main game.

The game features animated character CGs, which is quite something to look at. Seeing the characters move their eyes, shut their eyelids as well as move their mouths while speaking adds a whole new appeal to the characters whenever they speak their lines, or even when they’re not speaking! It gives a whole dynamic approach to the characters and the way they interact with you (as Kakeru, most of the time), and its a fun thing to see. The game also features “Cross Vision”, which as I predicted enables you to view and review scenes not only from Kakeru’s point of view, but from others as well. Up to the end of the demo, you’ll have the chance to view scenes through Yuka’s, Misuzu’s, Lisette’s, Verard’s and Spelvia’s points of view. Doing so allows you to not only witness scenes that are unavailable to Kakeru’s, but also explore the characters in greater detail than you would have with just Kakeru’s perspective. You get to peek not only through the heads of the main characters, but also the villains, thus giving you more pieces with which to work the whole puzzle surrounding 11eyes with.

I’ll skip the summary portion because the demo is quite long, as it starts from September 16 and ends at September 30. I have to say, for a demo, this one was very long, and very well worth it. The humor is done in typical Lass fashion; you’ve got violent humor and sexual innuendos with gags referring to popular anime series thrown in, though you’ll notice these not only in the dialogue (BAKUNETSU! SHAKING FINGER!) but also in the CGs and background. One particular example that sticks to mind is Yukiko’s clubroom which contains several references, like Sakura’s wand (of CCS), Nanoha’s Raging Heart, Al’s headplate (from FMA), and a Bonta headgear (from FMP). But it’s just not the humor that makes this game so engaging. The whole issue regarding the Red Night, and how Kakeru and Yuka deal with it was very well-executed, as well as the whole drama involving the suicide of Kakeru’s sister. I’d say that they managed to find just the right mix between the drama, humor and action, and it’s done in a pretty compelling way that left me unable to discern any problems when it came to scene transitions. They were very well executed, and I found myself fixated with wanting to know what happens next. The whole slew of events surrounding the Red Night with Kakeru and company is also pretty realistic and believable, because save for Misuzu and Kukuri, both Kakeru and Yuka behave just like they’re supposed to when two normal high school students are suddenly thrust into a world they know nothing about, full of monsters and unknown danger. No superpowers, deus ex machina or sudden heroic tendencies - just fear, hesitation and the will to survive spurring them on.

The voice acting is also remarkably done, with all of the characters well-voiced and their voice performances suitably matched to their personas. I was looking forward to hearing Kakeru voiced full-time, just like FESTA’s lead but sadly Kakeru’s voice only kicks in during certain scenes. So far, I only counted two - one with the dream sequence with Verard, and one other scene through Yuka’s eyes. As for the music - oh god, the music. What can I say about it? The mix of synth, rock and orchestral music just makes my ears bleed whenever it’s done poorly and in bad taste, but in 11eyes’ case, I swear I could loop the BGMs over and over again and not give a damn. The music in this game is just wonderful as it matches the scenes they’re played in very perfectly. They’re also played at exactly the right moments, with no abrupt cut-ins that would leave you otherwise hanging or perturbed. Hell, right now I have the OP looping on my iPod Touch for the nth time now, and it’s still fucking awesome!

Overall, I loved the demo. No, that’s an understatement. I love the demo, and if it were alive I’m sure it’d be filing for a restraining order right about now. If my anticipation for 11eyes before was like a bonfire in a dry tinder forest just waiting to erupt into a huge blaze, right now that demo just dumped in in several container trucks worth of gasoline into that bonfire, and, not content with the erupting inferno, started committing arson to various houses in neighboring states. Remember how I said that this game reminded me of Persona 3? Well, if you liked that game, then you might find it in your best interests to pick up 11eyes’ trial. Sure you might find similarities between the two, like the Red Night and the Dark Hour, Mitsuru and Misuzu’s characters, but 11eyes has enough of its own strengths to stand on its own. Sure, I’m a sucker for these kinds of stories which might explain why I like it so much, but that’s only half, or rather 1/4th of the whole equation.

…I hate you Lass. Now I have to wait 17 more days before I get my fix hands on this game. God I can’t wait - and that’s me being restrained.