SNOW

 Few years ago when I downloaded snow I opened up the menu and I haven't been able to get it out of my head ever since. It's magical. My favorite menu experience of all time most likely. The sound when Studio Mobius logo appears, the snowy landscape appearing right after slowly revealing the menu. I'm dead

 

After two years of waiting for winter and some free time aligning I finally started snow. I do try to match vns I read to the season more or less I'm flexible with that and I might prefer to read something during spring or fall but I wouldn't mind reading them someother time if I really feel like it but if it's a vn explicitly set in winter where there's snow I refuse to play it eny other time so I have winters scheduled for the next few years. 

The setting of snow already speaks to me a lot. I'm a sucker for rural japanese areas especially in winter. In a lot of ways snow shares a lot of similarities with kanon. Humor and character writing seems very similar with Sumino really feeling like a Key heroine. I have finished two routes so far and I can say that it's better than kanon in a lot of ways for sure and I'll likely end up liking it way more. I did like kanon despite how long it took me to beat, some moments were a slog to go through and what I like about kanon the most is the atmosphere (and Sayuri and Mai). 

Outside of a few tracks BGM is decent. Fits well with the setting and whatever's happening, how I imagine every 2000s vn bgm set in winter sound like. By far my favorite soundtracks are the first two that play (flying dragon and titular snow)

It took me a bit to realize I got on Asahi's route which surprised me since I thought I was choosing the most options to get into Sumino's route and I was not very pleased with that at first but her route ended up being much better and I think it was a great start for me. Asahi's route really reminded me of Makoto's route in Kanon and it pretty much is but better in every way. Makoto is the only heroine in kanon that I really disliked and Asahi is also a brat but not nearly as irritating. With her it was funnier to me how Kanata didn't have dinner again because she still got something wrong. I did like Makoto's route overall more than her as a character but Asahi's was just everything Makoto's route but better.

About half an hour before the end of her route I caught myself thinking "are nakige really supposed to make you cry?" I have never cried on a nakige before, the only vns I cried or where either utsuge or some edgy shit that just happened to speak to me (togainu etc etc) but overall I'd consider myself someone who cries easily. I don't cry on whatever bullshit spoats sappy stuff. I feel like I have cried on more things than people around me but now when I think about it out of everything I have seen throuout my life there isn't that many, alas it's not hard to make me cry so nakige should make me cry. I might've shed a tear or two on HBR's angels beats event but I cried on togainu more than any nakige which is really dissapointing to me because when I discovered nakige I was hoping to cry like a baby on them. Alas, right after I thought that to myself I started tearing up. So nakige can make me cry, all the other ones I have read were just really shit at it (not to say they were bad, just didn't have much of an emotional impact on me). supisupi

I was looking forward to Sumino's route since I liked her more in the common route and I still like her more but here route wasn't nearly as good. It was decent at best. Nothing really happened and the drama that did happen made no sense. I wouldn't be surprised if I were just stupid but turns out it's not supposed to make much sense without playing locked routes which seems very badly planned. Because why would you buther route of the poster girl of the game pretty much like this. I find it hard to believe no one would realize how little sense it made so why was this decision made? Still didn't lost my excitement and I'm looking forward to getting the whole picture. Also where the fuck is Tsugumi

I feel betrayed, I waited two years to play snow when it's winter and white outside just for one of the routes to suddenly take place sometime warm and very green. That aside I really like whenever vns talk about cultural and more religious things, take place at shrines, talk about japanese folklor etc. so even if this isn't what I was looking for I'm really enjoying this bit and I'm curious how it's going to unfold and connect with all the heroines because I assume it will. 

I gotta say snow is shaping up to be my favorite nakige. I've been really enjoying the characters and their banter with each other. I'm especially looking forward to Meiko's route. I do like her in the present much more than in the Legend route. Visual novels rarely make me laugh I feel like but snow can really be hillarius sometimes. I'm turning into an old man laughing at 2003 humor man (me in the pic below). I just started Shigure's route and it's been fun. I'll try to focus more on snow in the coming days because I've been sitting on it for way too long.

It's good to play something pure from time to time. Just two people in love raising child they found at a shrine, her cat and a green rabbit. 

stupid

Mysterious girl route was much different and at times felt more like a fandisc or something but it being about Shamon was pretty unexpected. I really like how each heroine gets really thought out stories and connects to the bigger picture. On a technical level it's a very well-thought out story and the best nakige I've played so far. In the end I ended up liking every heroine, Meiko-sama being on top obviously. She was my favorite even before her route, I need more humorous characters like this in vns. As for routes the only one I thought was meh was Sumino's due to how little sense it made without playing the rest of the game first so unfortunetly it's a lost cause by design. 

I hope Meiko and Kanata live happily ever after and Meiko can age alongside him. What an amazing game. 

      heroines

Meiko>Shigure>Sumino>Mysterious girl>Ouka>Asahi

      routes

Asahi>Meiko>Ouka>Legend>Shigure>Mysterious girl>Sumino

Mysterious girl could've been higher if her route was longer and we'd see more of her and not when she's possesed. Hopefully she lives well now reincarnated as Sumino and Kanata's child.