Moon Observatory Iris

[h1]*Important Note*[/h1] Even without reading this review, I [b]highly recommend that you download the demo prior to purchasing this game[/b]. It helps give a good feel with how the game runs. Save files from the demo will be transferred over to the full game when purchased and you also have the option to skip the events from the demo. [h1]Overview:[/h1] Reiterating what was stated in this game’s description, “Magical Otoge Iris” is an otome visual novel. The player takes the role of the female protagonist, Iris, who works as a “purifier” – a person who helps move spirits onto the afterlife. There are four main routes (Rieffe, Lanneis, Reqieu, and Septem) and four best friend routes (the mechanics of these routes will be explained further in the Gameplay section). As I continue on with this review, I may shorten “Magical Otoge Iris” to “MO Iris.” [h1]Gameplay:[/h1] (Skip the first paragraph since it’s mostly my horrible explanation of what a visual novel is) Magical Otoge Iris is rather straightforward otome visual novel game. If you have never played a visual novel before, the basic rundown is this: it’s a story-driven game that is expressed through visuals and dialogue. Think of it like reading a book, except without the paragraphs and incorporates the use of pictures, dialogue, music, sound effects, and choices that can affect the story. This game is referred to as an “otome” visual novel since it usually targets the female demographic and one of the goals of an otome game revolves around a female protagonist building a romantic relationship with a selection of love interests. The game has four main routes which are then accompanied by best friend routes. While the main routes focus on the chosen love interest, the best friend routes are played alongside the main route and focus on the platonic friendships between the protagonist and her chosen friend. The best friend available is dependent on the route taken and helps compliment the overall narrative. The game will be rather direct when telling you which choices will impact the story. All other choices will give off a slightly different outcome to minor events that happen in the story, but will not impact the route’s direction. The average time it takes to complete all the routes in the game would be around 30+ hours (depending on your reading speed). Once you completed at least one route, you can skip over story events and dialogue you have already seen to route-specific dialogue you have not encountered. [h1]Story:[/h1] Without spoiling too much of the game, the story is rather good. There’s lots of lore in this game – [i]lots[/i] of lore. It may be overwhelming at first, but the lore in this game really sets the tone of the story and the world the game takes place in. Much of this lore is spread out across the routes (both main routes and best friend routes) and having played all the routes creates an interesting picture of where the game takes place – and what’s at stake. In terms of narrative, the main plot is present in all routes. However, the chosen main route will alter what story events both occur and intertwine with the main plot to impact the route’s ending. After the completing at least one route, you can skip dialogue from the main plot to route-specific dialogue. The overall tone of the game is heartwarming and comedic, but it balances out to be rather dramatic and even dark at times. [h1]Characters:[/h1] There’s a lot of characters. I won’t say how many, but if you love meeting lots of new characters and how they contribute to the overall worldbuilding and lore in this game – trust me when I say it’s a [i]lot[/i]. While Iris and the primary love interests may be the main focus of the game, the side characters and banter between characters is one of the game’s many charms. It may seem strange that the focus isn’t solely on the main protagonist and her love interest, but that’s perhaps the interesting thing about MO Iris. Iris’ life is filled with many interesting people, the world she lives in is full of people (and spirits!). It makes sense to see how her relationships with other people (romantic, platonic, etc.) play a role in her overall life and the game’s narrative. [h1]Visuals:[/h1] Have you taken a look at the promotional screenshots of this game? The. Game. Looks. So. Good! From the backgrounds to the character art to the CGs – it’s just *chef’s kiss*. That being said, please make sure you read the warnings in the game. There is [b]light to moderate depictions of blood[/b] and [b]themes of death[/b]. If these things make you feel uncomfortable, it may be a bit difficult for you to play this game. [h1]Music / SFX:[/h1] The music is pretty nice. Although I wish there were a few tracks that were extended a bit, the use of the tracks was used really well. The music helped set the tone of the situation and some tracks had a really catchy tune. When the music hits hard though – it hits [i]hard[/i]. [strike]Bring a box of tissues, you may need it.[/strike] [h1]TL;DR:[/h1] Average Play Time: 30+ hrs (around 8+ hrs for one route) [u]If you like:[/u] + Pretty visuals + Lots of lore and good worldbuilding + Hidden secrets + Lots of characters + Fun dialogue between characters + Getting a man AND a best friend [strike](because the bestie is here to help you get your man)[/strike] + [strike]When the story gets pretty dark[/strike] + Lots of puns and jokes about glasses This game might be for you! [u]If you don’t like:[/u] - Light / moderate depictions of blood - Themes regarding death - Puns and jokes about glasses - Things that were stated above in the “like” section This game might not be for you. [u]Route Recommendations:[/u] If you would like to experience the game’s story based off of the amount of lore and action that takes place, I recommend going in this order: Main Route (and Best Friend Route): Lanneis (Henri) -> Reqieu (Mikhail) -> Rieffe (Juniper) -> Septem (Kann) [u]Additional Commentary:[/u] * While this game acts a stand-alone game, references from Magical Otoge Ciel (which can be downloaded for free on Steam) and Magical Otoge Anholly (which is only downloadable from the developer’s itch.io store). These games were made some years before MO Iris, so the writing and visuals there may not be as appealing as the one in MO Iris. * The developer has made stretch goals to create additional “what-if” routes if the game sells a certain number of copies. These routes will be must shorter than the main routes of the game, but if there was a particular character you wished had more screen time, an “Extra Route Survey” will be available in the game’s files to vote for that particular character. Note that the character who has the most votes will have their route taken into consideration. There are currently no time limits to when this survey ends. * Although the game divides the plot into chapters of sorts, they can be a little lengthy at times. If you’re not trying to finish a chapter all in one go, it’s good to save and return to play at another time. I suggest stopping and saving during the beginning of a new scene to help you pace yourself while reading. * MO Iris hides some interesting secrets. Pay close attention to the dialogue and – if you’re willing to – play all the routes and get all possible endings. There’s an [i]interesting treat[/i] for players who go out of their way to unlock whatever secrets the game is hiding.

You May Not Know Him Yet, But You Will. Augustus, otherwise known as Auggie, from Magical Otoge Iris is essentially the best boy. He does not have a route (yet), but he shows up in every route later because [redacted] and I am telling you the payoff is huge. This is not to downplay the other boys or bff choices as they are also lovely and charming (smooches Lanny and Mikhail), my love for Auggie is simply that immense. The best friend feature in particular caught my attention as I had not seen any other otome with this before, but it added so much to the experience and I can now say I would die for these characters. Please give this game a try if you enjoy (harrassing) high quality glasses men, laughing, crying, and deep lore to go with your dating simming .

I was so excited for this to come out, and I feel like it was well worth the wait! The artwork is beautiful, the writing keeps me interested all the way through, and the jokes... *chefs kiss*. I honestly had trouble settling on which guy's story I wanted Iris to explore through first, and I'm ready to go back for them all. Highly recommend, especially if you've read through this developer's other works and enjoyed them!

First of, I never played any other games of the series. I just jumped into the game without further knowledge of the other games. Additionally, my actual playtime is not as long as it is shown, since I sometimes left the game open, while I was not even on the PC. However, it's still not a short game. I'm a bit struggling whatever I would recommend the game or not. It's not like I didn't enjoy the game - though there were some parts I really did not like. I would've probably enjoyed the game a bit more, if I had been younger :) Anyway, lets start with pro, neutral, contra - so you guys can decide it yourself if you think the game might be worth it: Pro:: - Loved the Background Art - Many different Characters (depending on the route you meet other characters) - Lovers Route + Best Friend Route - CG Gallery - Easy skipping of already seen parts - Bad jokes - Interesting World and Story Idea Neutral: - Music was fitting - Some BF Routes were more like unrequited lovers route that are forced to be best friends - Female Character is not "blank". She has her own unique characteristics Contra: - Sometimes the silly jokes destroy the settings (since it is a serious setting) - There is a part, where you can type/ask some questions in game. If you don't know what to type - it's useless. Though you could just ask about already known characters… - The True Ending is an Open End - Many questions are left open Although I really enjoyed the VN, and some jokes tend to lighting up the serious topic, it sometimes went a bit overboard and destroyed some sad/serious parts. My main issue is, that there are many questions left open and the True Ending felt like a beginning of a complete new VN giving one more questions than answering questions. I would be probably less mixed about the VN, if I never played the True Ending. As I said before, it's not a bad game - the routes are fascinating, and it has a variety of different characters that sometimes only appear in one route. If you don't mind having questions left unanswered then you should give the game a try.

5/5，终于又遇到可以打满分的vn了，甚至可以比满分更高的程度，我真的要给所有人安利这部。 剧情： 要强调的是作者拥有精密的剧情构建技巧，她很会用剧情来自然地推动角色成长。虽然是轻松愉快的治愈风但各条线的疑点又能在打其他线的过程中收拢，且战斗部分也跌宕起伏写得很紧凑，打得我很爽。剧情很丰富，不同恋爱线有不同的很动人的小短篇但都是和主线息息相关，多打几条线之后发现这些小短篇人物都是有内在联系的。除去恋爱线还有多个可以走友情线的角色，并且选择爱情线时友情线也交织得非常紧密且情节相互照应。故事没有真正意义上的反派，但be也是有铺垫有缓冲的，不会有那种很突兀的感觉。剧情写得很细，即便是同一个故事元素，在不同的线中也会有很大的差异，多周目的过程中不会让人审美疲劳。 角色： 一开始打觉得设定实在很土，女主是神经大条的善良小白花，所有人（所有人！）都爱她并且充满过保护欲，但实际上打起来又很上头因为作者很懂大家的爽点，谁打谁懂（玩家打到最后也一定会爱上女主iris）。RO们都非常主动，i狗系的人有福了因为有各种风味的狗，而且会出现无数次修罗场和争风吃醋情节，我太喜欢了。很有趣的一点是，很多角色哪怕在不是自己的线里仍然十分出彩，甚至会展现出完全不同的魅力。另外作者真的喜欢各种白毛。 其他细节： 居然有配音，而且意外地都还蛮不错的。打完一轮后作者会给攻略，游戏内部也会提醒你哪些地方可以直接skip到关键部分，很贴心，会继续支持作者的其他作品。买的时候觉得画风一般般但后面越看越喜欢，因为色彩太漂亮了。作者提到这部卖得不好我觉得还蛮可惜的。 有的情节好像是和作者其他的同世界观作品有点联动，但她自己也提到说那些游都太古早了哈哈。想提一个建议是如果可以有成就系统就好了，内置的也行。 It would be better if the author can add an achievement system!!! [u][b]我的取向是rieffe（+vendetta+februum）＞lanneis = septem = auggie＞＞reqieu，总的来说就是除了老师之外都非常喜欢。接下来包括许多许多剧透。[/b][/u] lanneis： lanneis是比较讨喜的那种醋精傲娇，作为武器伴生灵一直陪伴女主，主要是可以随时变化形态并且“物化”自己这样的魔具设定我在英乙里还是第一次遇到，实在好吃。tease这种严肃认真但稍微有点刻薄嘴臭的角色很有意思，有一段是[spoiler]他因为女主去武器店摸了别的武器而吃醋真的萌[/spoiler]，和其他几个眼镜仔打打闹闹的日常也很有趣。女主一直提醒他不要太凶，像在训狗，好喜欢。在别人线里lanneis完全是忠诚老实任劳任怨的管家（或者骑士？），[spoiler]帮女主处理各种麻烦的paperwork啊tax啊，他自己不需要进食但是会帮女主做饭洗碗做家务，女主来月经的时候他的反应也蛮萌。[/spoiler]他的be[spoiler]倒是有点像fiuheim的he。[/spoiler] rieffe： rieffe一看就是纯正王道系真男主（虽然打完septem线之后感觉又是另一种意味的真男主），狗变男鬼，竹马变天降，soul fragments剧情虽然看得很多但实在好吃，他爱得很坚定很明显，而女主对他的感情也完全是独一无二的偏爱。我一开始打的别人的线但rieffe每次出现我都好喜欢，他越是冷静我越觉得他可怜兮兮的，怜爱；打完他这条线之后，在别人的线里看到他落寞的状态真的好可怜。女主有点像rieffe的人生锚点，他很孤独也很缺爱，将一切感情都悬挂在女主身上，充满指哪打哪的狗味。游里其他角色其实也是这样，但都不会有那种让人产生压力或者负罪感的情况。 我本来就很喜欢rieffe，但vendetta的存在（包括februum）更是给rieffe加分，达成一加一大于二的效果，虽然我也很想作者给vendetta单开一条线但好像这种遗憾感就是与角色塑造相辅相成的。rieffe很直球但患得患失，他的占有欲是疯狂内耗而不是将攻击性对准女主（尽管有的时候事与愿违），而vendetta性格跟轻佻会中和rieffe的正经。别人的线里vendetta说[spoiler]自己才是更理智的人格，that‘s true。vendetta总是把自己当成不必要的那一个，说you’d rather talking to rieffe以及类似的话的时候感觉惨惨的，告别的时候我真的大心碎。[/spoiler] reqieu： 不喜欢这种冷漠无趣的人设，主要是女主在这条线就是那种偷偷爱慕老师的学生，[spoiler]热脸贴冷屁股，变成了可怜沮丧又挫败的小女孩。[/spoiler]初见到reqieu我甚至都有退款的冲动，但最后为了解锁septem的线还是被迫打了这条。而且游戏很前面就有提到老师三十五岁并且二十岁的女主已经认识老师差不多十年了，感觉像一种abuse of power，我以为欧美会对这个题材更敏感呢。但是看英文评测，大家居然都非常喜欢这条线，可能东亚妹和洋妞确实还是有审美差异。哪怕恋爱线给morgen这种爽朗大姐姐呢？但说实话这条线的剧情还是没什么可以挑剔的地方，我只是单纯不喜欢reqieu的人设而已。 这条线里我无限怜爱[spoiler]rieffe和vendetta，他俩爱得太深太用力太痛苦了，惨得我心碎；这条线里lanneis和septem也都很萌，可能也有reqieu这个反面衬托的原因。[/spoiler] septem： septem这条线比我想象中有意思太多了，后面甚至打得我大感动。他的人设乍一看很一般，但他的剧情实在是扭转了我对他的看法（再一次强调作者很会写剧情）。看起来有礼貌很温柔疏离的灵魂记录者为了人类而凡心大动，他的直球和其他人略有不同，他有一种不太懂人情世故所以比较纯真的直球，[spoiler]但这不代表他是纯好人性格，有的时候会有很具戏剧冲突的狡黠。[/spoiler]他的性格莫名其妙的狗系（褒义），有那种非常想要吸引女主关注的感觉。 他这条线没想到居然是这个走向，难怪是锁住的一条线，写得很好吃，性格的变化也很自然。tournament[spoiler]那一段他和女主打真的是太有性张力了，我都没想到他这样性格的角色会有这么微妙的张力，告白那一段我好喜欢，两个世界时间流速不同这个设定也好好吃。[/spoiler]be也好吃。没想到还有中华风，甚至还出现了一点中文拼音！ auggie： auggie线是作者后续添加的，好勤劳的作者。auggie有一种又腼腆又害羞的感觉，特别有意思，也很有男友力。 不愧是bonus线，这条线里所有人都相处融洽，有一种幸福大结局的感觉，弥补了好多意难平，[spoiler]连februum都平静了呜呜我真的好喜欢和februum谈话的那一段。[/spoiler]这条线里甚至有点轻微的meta元素，甚至对别的线有callback，我几次起鸡皮疙瘩。wynrou有的线说自己是brother有的线说自己是uncle好好笑。此外bonus里那个演员花絮au真的抹平了我的一切心碎。 不单独评价友情线角色了，但每个都很萌。在所有的角色里我特别喜欢的有wynrou、kann和augustia。而且打完所有故事线之后很难不爱上女主iris，非常勇敢善良的小女孩。

I've only played a few hours, so I'll have to update this review once I finished the routes. For now my first impressions are all very positive. The writing is funny and sweet, with likable characters. There's magic, adventure, and THREE different meganes! It does have serious moments dealing with subjects like death and suicidal ideation, so it's not all fluff and cuteness. Overall this game just feels so warm. It's like revisiting a beloved shoujo manga that I didn't even know existed.

The compelling characters and story, and hilarious moments sprinkled throughout make this a title worth having in your library imo. Having completed the whole game (playtime is not reflective of actual time spent playing, as I have frequently left the game on while AFK), this game is definitely worth the price tag despite the short length. It's goofy at times in a good way, but the great story and visuals really cement it as something to come back to. I followed a route that someone else suggested in their review here, and thank goodness I did because otherwise, I think I would've ended up confused. Here is what they suggested, with the friends being n the brackets: Lanneis (Henri) -> Reqieu (Mikhail) -> Rieffe (Juniper) -> Septem (Kann) My only qualm with this game is how the true ending is a cliffhanger until the next title releases. I was really invested in the story only to end up getting torn out of it back into reality lol. Despite this, I look forward to any future routes that get added as well as future titles from batensan :) Btw the art book is really good... so much cute art :3 [spoiler] psst, I really want that Wynrou route too if that's still possible ;D maybe even Vendetta too lolol[/spoiler]

Yo! I actually got this game from itch.io, but THIS GAME IS FANTASTIC! Compared to the previous MO games, the story goes into soooo much depth and characters are all unique and memorable. The story, art, and music is phenomenal and leaves you wanting for more. The music is very beautiful and fitting with the universe the world resides in. The art style is pleasing to the eye, along with extremely good character design. There are so many characters with such varying personalities that you're bound to love at least one of them. There is plenty of cheap comedy in this story, especially about Baten's fetish with glasses men. Heheheheh. Some of the flaws is that the story can be a bit too complex if this is your first game stepping into the MO Universe. I recommend playing Baten's other free MO games to understand what's happening and the nostalgia of reappearing and mentioned characters is always nice to listen to. While I love the characters, there are soooooo many with unique stories that all of them are very hard to follow. Another thing is that Iris is loved by all for seemingly very little reasoning, so if you don't like that cheesy stuff, there's gonna be a lot of that, but at the same time there are a lot of interesting plot points so I suggest giving it a chance. Rieffe: edgy kid in another edgy kid with another edgy kid on the side Lanneis: tsundere glasses man Reqieu: tsundere glasses man but old Septem: rip

What.the.heck with that true end? [spoiler]I hope someone will beat the ♥♥♥♥ out of Septem in later game, or kill him even.[/spoiler] I deserve that 50% sale since I only enjoy half of the game ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ (1 skip route and 1 true route which I wish I didn't play it - EVER), I wish I didn't buy the game that early, who would thought it gonna sale that low THAT soon?