Others - Completed - How to Build a Flying City [v1.00] [Irisfield]

3.5: The game is good. Some of the CGs have weird proportions, and of course we're talking about an older game, but the game itself is good. RagueltheUFO made a good description so I'll not repeat what was already said, but I'll confirm:

You'll enjoy more to start playing this first, and then the prequel (i.e. in the order they were released), than playing them in chronological order (i.e. in the order the events happen).

That's because this game is good, but the prequel is better (in essentially every aspect, although I felt this one ran more smoothly in my machine). It tints your view and hinders your experience, producing an average experience out of a good game. In fact, if you compare this to newer games in general, your experience will inevitably be inferior and more on the average side (hence 3.5 stars).

This being said: There's not many (porn) games of this niche, and even less which does things decently. It may lack some modern polish (no animation and no voice acting might turn some people off), and while it shows its age, it is not aged like milk and I feel to be fair with the game itself I should round the rating to Good.

I, at least, had fun, and I feel any player can have fun with this too: if they tone down their expectations a little to what this game could deliver. (In other words: YMMV)

With this being the first in the "How to _____" series it feels unfair to judge it by the standards of the fantastic How To Build A Magnificent Kingdom but unfortunately that was the game we got first.

This feels more like a proof-of-concept of that game. It's not bad, certainly, but there's much less of everything. There's glimmers of the amazing writing that would define later entries but for the most part it's all very barebones here.

It's still essentially a clicker battle system where you fight to gather money to spend on upgrades to fight harder to etc while marrying every girl and(optionally, the rewards are much less than fighting so you can ignore this aspect completely like I did) prostituting them. There's also a number of scenes between characters but it is again all very much more barebones than Kingdom, which had character arcs between every single possible character combination for an event total numbering in the hundreds.

Overall it's not outstanding but not bad either, and I'm glad we at least have it translated.

I 100% the game and I would give the game a 4.5/5 but rounding up because I personally enjoyed the experience. Perhaps because I'm playing the game based on when it is made rather than chronologically that I have a way more possible outlook on this game.

Pros:

• Game’s art is very 90s based. It can be outdated to some but nostalgic for others.
• This game is a sequel to How to Build a Magnificent Kingdom but was translated later and was made before it. A lot of the gameplay is different as a result.
• The h scenes are divided into two main scenarios. The support conversation the girl has with the protagonist and the brothel scene. Because there are more than fifteen characters, they try to go with quantity where the quality changes depending on the character. There is clearly a harem option.
• H scenes are also optional. Unfortunately, you can’t get stat bonuses for the girl if you don’t view them. This is just for the protagonist and not the brothel scenes.
• NG+ transfer the stats over even if you return to level 1, so you can max out a character’s stats in the next playthrough.
• Game allows for different combinations because some girls work well with others and some girls have support with each other that adds more to their character than just their support with the protagonist.
• Each girl specializes in a different fetish in the brothel. The game tries to bring each one to the surface and which girl you like is most likely based on which fetish is your favorite. I enjoy my femdom and the consensual customer/host ones but detest the extreme rape play.
• The story is rather light-hearted outside of the Sages using the farm workers to attack the flying city and Lana’s rather depressing support conversation.
• A lot of the girls are from the previous game, so it requires you to play that one first.
• Game isn’t that long. There are nine chapters total and only a few of them make you go to multiple maps in one chapter. There are a lot of extra maps though to increase experience.
• Game allows for a lot of customization of how you play tower defense. Do you want to be an archer, a gunner or a mixed case? Do you want to spam specials or focus on getting rid of the enemy quickly? Unfortunately, playing defensive is crucial for lunatic mode.

Cons:

• It's hard making money in the early game because there aren’t enough characters to throw into the brothel on top of low income from prioritizing the most important aspects of the city (the wall and inventory). Once you are making millions, then this issue is trivial by end game.
• This is a skill issue moment but I hate when the enemy has a tiny hit box and your weapon just misses entirely. Like, “I’m sorry you little shit! I clearly aimed at your head but it just went over you!” Not even the MISS shows up when they dodge. You just suck at aiming.
• Lunatic difficulty stems more from the game lagging which results in the game not registering your fire button. More enemies isn’t an issue until the lag happens AND they start dodging everything that isn’t explosives and stun weapons.
• Game forgets to give you an option to look at the tutorial after the fact. I didn’t know how to use specials for half the game because the game didn’t specifically mention what button to press on the keyboard (you have to click on the character icon).
• Sometimes the RNG is just not kind to you on higher difficulty settings. RNG plays a role in the loot drop. Yukari can help with getting better items, but you really don’t need three characters guarding the gate.
• Game doesn’t tell you that girls with support with the other girls can result in obtaining unique weapons for them with bonuses. Eryl and Silquitto’s support ends with Eryl getting the Blade of Freedom. I got it too late to actually take advantage of it but it’s the perfect weapon if you use them both early on.
• No voice acting
• You can only play tower defense. Despite the game saying you can equip a close range weapon, you cannot control the character once they are on the ground. This is meant to be a double edge sword as only some characters can do both long range and close range. It would be nice if they made an exception to the character you are playing.
• Not all the girls are made equal. This is life for a game like this but it's kind of damning how Eryl and Silquitto are two of the best characters you get early game and there is zero reason to actually replace them (the former has an ability to force the enemy back and is easily spammable and the latter has insane stat growth and a customized sword from the start). It’s very easy to pass over the empress who has horrible stats due to starting at level one and joining half-way into the game but if you level her up, she really is busted. But this is the type of game where you stick with the original group and don’t really move your party around.
• The NTR is very forced and is really off putting. You can throw any of the girls to the brothel to make money and most of them will consent to it. I was not happy with Miru’s brothel event. That male customer was the most entitled piece of shit. Unlike the other customers where the game clearly tells you it’s roleplay, this guy becomes a bigger jerk as the events go on before he starts degrading Miru and then insults the player character. Given how you are the acting mayor, you should be allowed to throw him out of the city. It stopped being consensual once he started verbally abusing her.
• Pertaining to the above, some of the brothel scenes are very concerning. Some borderline break the consent rule and go straight into the noncon territory. Lana’s brothel scene was more of a turn-off than anything. She doesn’t exactly consent to the rape-play and without any safe words, it makes it seem like the guys abusing her really had it out for her. The fact she passed out and there was no aftercare really rubbed me the wrong way. Lana is established to be a masochist but Bianca displays this better without destroying her character (or the fact the guys are rather gentle with her).
• I am not a fan of the empress brothel scene. Game makes it clear she’s not an adult and calls her a child multiple times. She is the game’s token loli (but is an actual child) and her fetish is literally absolute obedience and dominance. Atsuhkia is rather mean-spirited when she told her she is not allowed to argue and had to have sex raw despite her clear inexperience leading to a mind break that is just sad.
• Mr. Slime not getting any h scenes is so sad. Slimes have feelings too. He could have filled the tentacle fetish. ;v; (Putting him in the brothel is punishing because he advertises and doesn’t do sex).
• Building up the affection of the girls takes too long in comparison to leveling up. The girls will be at a higher level before you get to have sex with them.
• I don’t think it's possible to get the harem route on the first playthrough because of how one of the two girl’s is a NG+ (while the other is a sidequest that requires you to do a lot of achievements before unlocking her).
• UI issue that annoys me but important scenarios like what is going on with the story are mixed in with the brothel scenes and the protagonist scenes with the girls. They are not ordered correctly either. It should be MAIN STORY, PROTAGONIST SUPPORTS, BROTHEL SCENES. Instead its NEW BROTHEL SCENES, MAIN STORY, PROTAGONIST SUPPORTS, OTHER. The only consistent thing is the happy sex will always be listed last and the last brothel scenes are listed first. I think they should have removed them entirely when you can access the CG Gallery from the main menu.

Overall, I think the game is great for its time. The later games probably fix a lot of issues I might have, but it's definitely not a bad game. :v

Pretty bad. If you played How to build a Magnificent Kingdom, it's the same, but worse. Magnificent Kingdom had redeeming qualities, this one has none. The story is completely non-sensical, the ending is even more non-sensical and makes zero sense even in the non-sense story, it's short, the gameplay is terrible, and you are just using piercing weapons in order to fuel skills (because weapons overall are so trash you can't expect to beat anything above normal just by using them).
Also, the H-scenes are similar to magnificent Kingdom, but again, a lot worse. You have the brothel, which got the lion share, and you have a grand total of 1.5 "love" scene per character (the first one, and then the very short "repeat" scene). But even the brothel is limited to 1 CG set per girl, with 3 variations.
Don't play this, unless Magnificent Kingdom is somehow you GOAT game and you really want to play everything from the same universe.