I bought my first visual novel earlier today! Yay, capitalism!
Three guesses as to what I bought.
"Uh, a hentai?"
GOD DAMN IT, NO!
I got episodes 1 through 4 of Umineko, a digital copy no less. (The price is in yen, but it's about 32 American dollars. Still less expensive than a PS3 game on disc.) More of that music I crave, more of that writing that moves me, more of . . . Beatrice.
By the way, I am aware that there's a PS3 version of Umineko, one with updated graphics, audible voices, and stuff like that. I also know that, much like with the patching for Fate/Stay Night, someone's currently making a patch to make the PC copy showcase the visuals and voices of the PS3 version. Granted, I'd rather play through the entire game first before attempting this (don't wanna render my game unplayable by an unforeseen bug) but just hearing this . . .
must . . . resist . . . urge . . . to laugh . . . like . . . Kira . . .
Oh, also, it's too soon to say who my favorite character is, but I can understand why fans hold Battler to a high regard. So far, Natsuhi has earned a lot of favor from me. She also arms herself with a sawed-off Winchester rifle, the same one Steve McQueen used in the vintage tv series Wanted: Dead or Alive. I've never seen that show, but my parents have. I'm honestly surprised to see a Japanese video game reference a popular American culture reference, especially one that I doubt most people of my generation would recognize. Amazing.
Oh, also, there's a lot of usage of the trope, "Everyone is Jesus in Purgatory." The scene I last left off was a Deal With The Devil. After all, when I heard The Golden Land being described, I couldn't help but picture the Judeo-Christian Heaven.
SYMBOLISM!!!!!111!!!1!!
. . . except this game actually makes good use of symbolism. None of that Xenogears horseshit here.
Oh, one last thing. It's about the manga version of Higurashi. Each story arc begins with a cryptic quote . . . by Frederica Bernkastel. Mother of God.
