I am be going to Akihabara tomorrow for Summer Days event. Yay~

Don’t ask!

First let me get this out of the way: This game rocks! Nerine’s story really sucked in the original game, so Nerine fanboys (*cough*) shouldn’t miss this.

But anyway, the story is about you (Rin Tsuchimi), Nerine (good sad that the other girls happen to be busy), Mayumi and Itsuki accidentally travelling back in time to the demon world twenty years ago and meeting a young Forbesii (Demon-King-to-be), his fiancée Ai, his maid Sage and his sister Cineraria (Ria-chan).

You soon realize that your presence in the love triangle between Forbesii, Ai and Sage is changing the past and endangering Nerine’s existence.

The playboy mansion

The entire game takes place in Nerine’s childhood home, the Demon King’s mansion. Who you talk to and what you say will influence whether Nerine’s mother-to-be ends up with Forbesii. (Which should long have taken place, but your sudden arrival messed it up)

Ai, Forbesii’s fiancée (hint: not Nerine’s mother)

There’s a watch at the top left hand corner of the screen and your decisions will cause it to move towards either the left (blue) or the right (red) side. When it reaches a certain level in the red zone, Nerine will be replaced with a red-hair version of herself. Like this:

This Nerine has a completely opposite personality

So, you have to make sure that your actions help to bring Forbesii and Nerine’s mother together. (Then again, if you like red, you can do the opposite and get the Red Nerine end)

Sage-chan (se-ji not sage)

Alright, I think you could’ve guessed by now. Yes, Sage-chan is (supposed to be) Nerine’s mother. *shock* Of course, this being the kind of game that it is, there’s an ending for her too (not a very good one at that). She’s quite cute. Nerine inherited her omelet-cooking skills from her. ^^;

Cineraria, or Ria-chan

Besides Ai and Sage, there’re also Bark (just as his name says) the bulter with homosexual tendencies and Cineraria, Forbesii’s sister. Ria-chan is actually Sia-chan’s mother-to-be and you can really see the influence. (Chair-throwing and what not) She’s the funniest character in the bunch and surprisingly, there isn’t a path for her. *shock no.2* She also learns of your plan to get Sage and Forbesii together and offers her “help”.

Get out of my kitchen!

Personally, I enjoyed Tick! Tack! quite a bit more than the original game. Almost all the characters are likable and it further expands on Nerine’s (underdeveloped) backstory. Two complains: the ending for Ai is better than Sage’s. What gives? And also, more Ria-chan pls kthx bye.

Happily ever after

If you like Nerine and found Shuffle! disappointing, then this game is highly recommended. Now if only they port the PS2 Shuffle! On The Stage to PC.

To end off this entry, Sage-chan pics!

Sage-chan~

Sage-chan~

1. Be Ambitious,Guys!
2. Pieces
3. Be Ambitious,Guys! (off vocal)
4. Pieces (off vocal)

My favourite part:

一度きりの貴重な思い出だから
恋しても～　夢見ても～
メリハリつけていこうじゃんか！
大胆なくらいがちょうどいいよ多分
あふれても～　こぼれても
バリバリ幸せ掴んじゃいましょう！

Sage-chan~

The c/w song, Pieces, is more like Miyuki’s normal style, which I don’t hate but I can’t say I really like it either.

So anyway, for the two of you out there who cares, I was stranded on Pulau Ubin , which is not a very fun island to be on, and returned to mainland Singapore yesterday at around evening, after which I was to be confined within the school walls for one more night. Yes, this is one of those “school camps” thingies that you often hear rumours about around the net. The horror.

It’s a leadership-training camp where they throw you and a bunch of guys into the wild and hold tribal councils at the end of every episode to eliminate one participant until one is declared the winner and walks away with a million dollars force you to backstab depend on one another to overcome various obstacles. Well, except that in our case, it was not really that “wild” considering how half the paths are paved with asphalt and there are shops selling canned drinks (not that we had any money with us) all around the island…but I digress.

There were ten of us in a group and two tents that looked like they were designed for two. In total, we probably covered enough distance (walking around in circles) to go from the north end of Singapore mainland to the south end. Sadly, it was just a lot of walking and not much adventuring. The most dangerous things we came across were probably the mosquitos, although that sleeping domesticated boar that looked half-dead in the heat was certainly very frightening too. Really.

Other than the sauna tents and the twenty-over bite marks on my four limbs, the camp was quite fun in a way. 生きて残ってよかった・・・

P.S. My penpal finally replied! イエー～！

I suppose I should sleep early to prepare myself for tomorrow…but I just can’t stop playing Tick! Tack!. I like it more than Shuffle!. Nerine(s?) is cute as always, but Sage and Cineraria are pretty interesting too. ^^;

The story is actually about Rin, Nerine, Mayumi and Itsuki going 20 years back in time by accident and ending up at the mansion of a younger King of Demon (wait, he’s still the crown prince). You, as Rin, have to make sure that your presence doesn’t screw up the past because if it does, Nerine’s personality and even her very existence may be in peril. Sage, the black-hair maid, is actually the future mother of Nerine (forbidden master-maid relationship?!? さããŒé­”王だね！), while Cineraria, the sister of the King of Demons, is actually the future mother of Sia. Yes, she’s a demon and she’s in love with the future King of Gods. (いわゆる「神ちゃん」)

Of course, you can choose to mess up history and Nerine will be replaced with a red-hair version of herself complete with a 100% different personality (but she still loves you anyway). Or you can even end up with Sage…