VN - Others - Completed - Euphoria [Final] [ClockUp]

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
Dear gods, but this isn't the game I was expecting.

It's really difficult to write a review here without straying into spoiler territory.
But this isn't a straight up fetish game. Don't get me wrong, there more than a fair share of fetishes, primarily sadism - but the strength of the game is it's multilayererd story.

This is not a game intended to be played through a single time. Reaching certain milestones unlock further content including, eventually, the "true" ending.
Be aware, this game is a serious time sink. This isn't a 3 to 4 hour game with a selection of 15 minute endings. I'd even go so far to say that some of the endings are nearly double the length of the main scenario.
Due to the way the characters' moods and traits change according to your actions each playthrough... even the "skip already seen text" doesn't save you that much time, as SO much new content is unlocked/triggered.

By the time you reach the "true ending", you'll come to feel a great deal of empathy for the main characters. You'll also come to understand just how wrong first impressions can be.
I read previous reviews once I had already started playing and thought "oh? feels? I've not really seen much of that yet". How wrong I was. The "feels" are definitely there and done really well.

The game does it's multi layered story exceptionally well. It introduces the "game" and it's rules. It introduces the characters and lets you play with them. Then it goes on to let you realize how your initial superficial view of most of those characters was largely wrong. Then it starts throwing seeming inconsistancies as you, only to explain them each away as you delve deeper.

Most porn games follow the usual tropes and are about as deep as a puddle. This game is as deep as a lake.

I can understand why people might be put off by the graphic violence at the beginning.
I can understand why people might not want to play a sadism/fetish porn game.
I can understand why people might not want to play a game requiring so much time.

To all of you thinking that... put your concerns away and play it anyway... it's definitely worth it if you're looking for something beyond quick fap material.

One hell of a game that you need to put thinking cap on for and will need a walkthrough if you want to get the full story without a massive grind. Some paths do not open until other paths have been completed.

Firstly a good corruption game that actually has well written reasons for path to corruption..

Great characters with both good and bad traits that make more and more sense as more paths finished.

A complex story line that appears fragmented and at times weak that is only drawn together at very end in a masterful storytelling that will leave you thinking long after the game is done. A dark story that still has many bright spots though you often left wondering which endings are really the good ones.

Lots of CG with good artwork and broad range of fetishes that can be customised in options to avoid more extreme content.

Overall the writing is brilliant BUT for some reason a lot of scenes (mostly H scenes) they decided to flesh out with extra dialogue that not written by original author. It is terribly written and I have feeling it was added as script for voice actors which mostly ridiculous moaning or describing the scene in ridiculous terminology (a scene already well described in original narrative). Sadly with so many H scenes with important story relevant information in them it detracts even more from game.

Euphoria is a title rather confused about itself, about what it wants to be. At first it presents itself as something of a psychological horror VN tinged with rape/violence fetishism but midway it evolves into a mystery title, and then into an action-packed love story. The end result, while entertaining and even gripping at times, crumbles a little bit upon replay or closer examination because it tosses away a few plots threads during the journey.

Pros:
- Main characters Nemu and Kanae are interesting and much more than they initially appear and boast very good performance by Ringo Aoba and Himari respectively.
- Really tense moments and surprising twists.
- H scenes are really well-made for the fans of darker content.

Cons:
- Amount of twists is a bit excessive, resulting in a couple plot holes and simply forgotten themes.
- The routes of the secondary characters (except Rinne's) are unnecessary and serve as appetizers at best. Rika's is especially worthless and could have been cut outright.
- Inconsistent protagonist whose personality is whatever the plot dictates to be.

It's still definitely worth playing if you like darker sexual content but if you understand Japanese you'd be better served with something like Gore Screaming Show instead.

Excellent game that some might dismiss for it's extreme content, but do yourself a favor and make it all the way to the true and "normal" endings. This isn't a game for everyone, and getting it to run at the right resolution while full-screen can be a chore (I set my display to 1600x1200 and put my monitor in full-screen mode)--but it's a very worthwhile game all the same. This game has a story that puts almost all adult games to shame.

What to say about this game? I am sorry for not playing it much much before.....It's a rollercoaaster of feelings and thoughts. I swear i spent few nights thinking just about the storyline of this game. Play this game open-minded, the only way to immerse this game properly.

When I first started playing this VN I have to say I was a little put off by the very early graphic tortue scene, putting it away for a little while.

Eventually I came back to it though and decided I would steady my stomache for the hardcore stuff.
I must say I am very very very glad that I did. The sounds in this game are fantastic at relaying what is going on in the images you are seeing, be that romantic stuff, rapes or brutal violence.
The visuals are very nice too, in that Japanese Anime VN style. (which I like)

What truly sets this apart from a lot of others though is the feelings the writers make you feel for the characters and events that happen in this VN.
I went through so many ups and down with regards to my opinions of the characters. The quality of writing and imagination is nothing short of fucking spectacular.

(The true route will blow your mind, and tear at your heartstrings at the same time. As a tip play this one the VERY last, make sure you play the others first Some of the things from the other stories will REALLY start to make sense and make your 'feels' short out if you play the true one last)

Sadist paradise, with some heart tugging moments. Voice acting is great and in Japanese so you wont even have to worry about what they say just the moans and the cries. Options to disable fesses and gore scenes will help the squeemish.