25 people found this review helpful
1 person found this review funny
Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 170.6 hrs on record (79.4 hrs at review time)
Posted: 16 Mar, 2018 @ 11:19pm
Updated: 5 Dec, 2019 @ 3:44am

The new content is well done and the music is excellent. I enjoyed it very much.

A word of warning: the translation still leaves something to be desired, and can be frustrating. It is still better than a lot of localizations, and in many places the language is quite nice. [Edited to clarify that the English is acceptable; I just expect more from a big name game.]

The game design allows you to go straight to the route of the partner you wish to select. At that point, it's up to you to maximize affection and minimize the Corruption of those partners who are furies. Unlike with Part I (Kyoto Winds), there is no repetitive common route.

The new content for the original 6 characters - and Chizuru / the protagonist - is a major bonus for returning fans and new fans alike.

The controls generally feel and work better than they did with Kyoto Winds. I found I could control more things from my mouse. I still had to go into button control to discover that "I" would give me my Top Menu.

I recommend this game. I am also - once again - left wondering why Otomate / IF / DF / IFI won't hire a strong English editor to fix grammar issues (tenses and prepositions especially) and the (mis)use of idiomatic expressions. Just as examples, English distinguishes between "the floor" and "the ground"; also, people do not "thin" their eyes - they "narrow" their eyes (easy to fix, but found throughout both KW and EB). It wouldn't be so jarring, but the original translation (of Hakuoki pre-KW) is much better.***

It was great to dive back into Hakuouki though!! I found the tone/style of the translation jarring at times (overly crude, as if the Urban Dictionary was used a bit too often), but the whole is still a lot of fun for fans.

Seriously, these stories are still great, and the additions are generally well-done.

~ Imp
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7 Comments
Impracticalmagic 18 Mar, 2018 @ 9:12pm 
@deadsombiegurls
Yes, you get to play all 12 stories for all 12 guys, plus one "neutral" story that's just a read-through (kinetic novel - no choices). You can play some or all.

Hakuoki Kyoto Winds: branching choices throughout 3-4 chapters of "common route" to determine who you get to romance in the final chapter (you can gain romance points with more than one guy, but it's generally better to try for just one, for cut-scenes and the best endings. (You can save as much as you want and go back to different saves any time. Plus, there are good guides out there.)

Edo Blossoms: You pick which one of the 12 routes and play it - it picks up where the guy's "good end" was in Kyoto Winds (with a short summary). All 12 have bad endings, a so-so ending, and a good ending. :Chibi_Saito:

~ Imp (impracticaldemon on tumblr)
deadzombiegurls 18 Mar, 2018 @ 3:39pm 
do you get to date 12 guys in the game?
Mifititi 18 Mar, 2018 @ 2:53am 
Actually, I sort of get what you are trying to say.

There was a part where Kimigiku "smiled timidly", which I felt didn't quite fit the situation...
Impracticalmagic 18 Mar, 2018 @ 2:30am 
(I'm currently composing a list of words are overused / don't work, and have added "languid" furies, and "sauntering" Saito - he just wouldn't, nor does it work in the other situations where used. The difficulty in most cases is that it feels like they took a nice word out of a thesaurus but didn't take context into account. Zombies might "shamble", or go slowly, but they aren't languid, which suggests a sunny afternoon with nothing urgent on the agenda and it's slightly too warm for anything vigorous.)

The odd thing is that "timid" would work for looking *at* somebody, if you were nervous or unsure or a little afraid. It doesn't suit the Hakuoki guys very well because it is SO meek / frightened, but I could see "Saito timidly took her hand" or "After telling her how he felt, [X] glanced at her timidly to see her reaction." (The taking or glancing is being done *in a timid way* / "nervously" / "anxiously".)

I'll try to find a simpler explanation!
Mifititi 17 Mar, 2018 @ 11:14pm 
I actually looked at the text more critically after your review, and I did notice some odd stuff. Mostly repeated words or stuff. But yeah, everyone looks down "timidly". But is it necessarily a bad word to use? And I'm asking this as someone whose first language isn't English. ^^
Impracticalmagic 17 Mar, 2018 @ 4:13pm 
The errors are mostly idiom and tense use (esp. past tense). They're the kinds of mistakes I see a lot of when I edit for non-English writers. I don't worry about typos and little things - it's a big script, and typos per se are NOT pervasive. :Chibi_Hijikata:

Ex. Nagakura doesn't have "doe eyes" (mild, soft, timid, us. feminine, us. brown). :hakedoshinpachi: Characters look "timidly" down a LOT, and the word really doesn't apply as used. "Shyly", "uncertainly", "in embarassment" work. "Jovial" has the connotation of "heartiness" - Shinpachi can be jovial, or Kondo. Cheerful is a much better word.

*Sigh* Difficult to explain how pervasive some of the unfortunate word choices and twisted idioms are, and why it's distracting if English is your first language. BUT I still think the game is good and I'm truly enjoying the romantic and just slightly sexier routes! :Chibi_Saito:

~ Imp
Mifititi 16 Mar, 2018 @ 11:39pm 
I haven't noticed that my mistakes, but I'm not a native English speaker, so I don't always "see" them.