This past weekend I finished
Utawarerumono. This was a game I consider a diamond in the rough. If you're familiar with the
Trails in the Sky series, Uta shares a number of similarities which I think will appeal to Trails fans. The way the game structured was also Trails-like in its execution, where you begin in a small village (or Town in
Trails in the Sky FC) as a mysterious guest and during the course of the game, the true nature of the world revealed organically through the protagonist's interactions with powerful characters which may or may not become their allies. The game was not without its blemishes, though. The SRPG mechanics is rather sparse, mostly because there wasn't a lot of unit types variation, and we don't even have access to magic/AoE type units until almost halfway through the game. While the levels sometimes make good use of choke points/obstacles, the lack of Turn Limits in all but 3 levels could almost take away the challenge in the normal difficulty. Secondly, I had an issue with how the protagonist can (sexual content in the game)
sleep with the younger characters without making it optional through dialogue selection or other mechanics. Of course, you can skip through their H-scenes, but the notion that the scenes even exist rubs me the wrong way.
"Roadtripping with my harem~"
Despite all that, I think
Utawarerumono is still a good game, there were a number of themes which were quite touching and you get to know the characters and invested in them in the same way you love the characters in the Trails series.
I just finished up with case 1-3 in
Ace Attorney, and I can say that I'm now a new fan of the series. There is something unique and satisfying about trying to pick apart a witness through logic. While I also enjoyed the investigation segments in the same way I enjoy solving P&C adventures' puzzles, I feel the courtroom segment is where the series truly shines. I love the soundtrack too and splurged on the OST after solving case 1-2.
"Marbles are optional~"
I'm looking forward to playing cases 1-4/5 since almost everyone says these are the best cases in the first game.