School of Talent: SUZU-ROUTE

[b]If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. - Maya Angelou[/b] Here is the first game coming from MyDearest, a small Japanese indie developer trying its luck in visual novel market, and I must say that [i]School of Talent: SUZU-ROUTE[/i] is an impressive debut game from the team. As it may be understood from the title, this one is intended to be the first route - the route which belongs to the character Yuki Suzu - in the School of Talent setting. If this debut is to receive some recognition and positive feedback, developers already announced that they'll be making various other games, centering other characters in the story. So let's take a quick look to this one, shall we? In this kinetic VN, we are to observe the result of Sakurai Kotaro's incredible luck, as he wins a lottery for his admission into Mikage Academy, an educational institution for young people with talents. Talents in this setting, are apparently various supernatural powers invoked in some people due to their powerful wish for a specific achievement in their childhood or early adolescence. At Mikage Academy, the Talented are to be trained properly, so one day they may use their talents to the benefit of the society. Earning his admittance by pure luck, Kotaro is the only talentless student that Mikage Academy has ever accepted. So, it should be challenge enough for him to earn a place and social acceptance in a school full of people with supernatural powers anyhow. Yet, this is not Kotaro's main problem. The night he gets accepted, Kotaro comes across a mysterious young girl who's been singing an enchantingly beautiful song: Yuki Suzu. Falling in love with the girl, Kotaro pursues her in hopes of learning more about her, and gradually winning her affection. As I've stated before, this one is a kinetic visual novel, which means that there will be no choice actions. You'll be reading the storyline accompanied by various character CGs and some artwork until the end. Is this a good enough story to be witnessed? Well, if you do enjoy shoujo anime/manga with sexual comedy remarks and dramatic revelations following a "follow your heart" theme, you are at the right place. The setting itself presents an adventurous enough atmosphere as it begins, but the main strength of the story centers around those elements. As you read, expect a smirk for the comedic parts and a smile for the dramatic parts. Characters involving the story are mostly enjoyable stereotypes, and their interactions are not majorly creative. We have our eroticism obsessed generic pervert, our tsundere princess hidden behind an innocent facade, our tomboy girl with mediocre intelligence but golden heart, our wise yet mischievous mentor, and of course our decent guy protagonist, who is the most ordinary guy in the world with just good intentions. I'd say not to expect anything spectacular, but the setting and the character interactions are a good combination for your enjoyment. Enjoyed [i]Oh, My Goddess![/i] or [i]Fruits Basket[/i]? Consider this one in a similar context. It is a comedy run until its very end, then it comes to present a tragic challenge and a heartwarming "you are not alone" closure. Neat alright! Artwork is quite good and CGs are very much likable with various facial expressions. Yet, CGs do lack a variety for body language, presenting all characters mostly in the same physical stance, aside 1-2 exceptions. Soundtrack, on the other hand, is truly nice, with Yuki Suzu's trademark song, of course. The game is fully voice acted too. I must add that the sexualization and fan service within game was a tad bit more than what I'd like, but I do understand that some people would find it just right. Go ahead and follow Kotaro's heart alongside him, and aid Suzu to make friends. It is a short yet beautiful story you may enjoy, if you do like the genre anyhow. The game presents an 8 hour or so storyline for you to go through, and Steam Cards were just added. I may advise to grab it on a sale though, since it doesn't present any active gaming. Please also check out Lady Storyteller's Curator page [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/ladystoryteller#curation]here[/url] - follow for regular updates on reviews for other games!

[h1]Basic Information[/h1] [b]Title:[/b] School of Talent: SUZU-ROUTE [b]Status:[/b] Released [b]Developer:[/b] MyDearest [b]Publisher:[/b] MyDearest [b]Genre:[/b] Visual Novel [b]Release Date:[/b] 23rd of February, 2017 [b]Type:[/b] Singleplayer [h1]General Impression[/h1] Visual Novels on Steam or elsewhere, haven’t been a genre that I may have attempted many times before. But that doesn’t really disqualify my written opinion since it won’t be just an educated guess either. By my estimation, I’ve taken this story halfway through. My expectations weren’t very high to begin with and yet I was still pleasantly surprised by the plotline itself. For a Steam debut, I’m certain MyDearest have nothing to fear as far as public perception is concerned. School of Talent: SUZU-ROUTE’s title is fairly self-explanatory. “Talent” is a substitute for magic but don’t go thinking that we’re dealing with a Japanese-style Hogwarts now. This particular School of Talent, known as the Mikage Academy, draws and trains the finest students from the entire country into the future’s ruling elites. When our protagonist, Kotaro Sakurai (not the racing driver) is fortunate enough to receive a very rare scholarship there, a gentle balance of powers begins to shift erratically. As with any prestigious educational institution, there are factions that form a rift between the students themselves. The seemingly pure White Lilies and their doctrinary rivals, the underdogs never shy of speaking their minds, the Black Roses. I won’t go too much into detail since I’m not gonna spoil anything to you, but this tale of love and rivalry is more complex than it seems. I was expecting mostly clichés and equally cheesy dialogue lines but the game’s writing is top notch. The game mechanics are standard fare for Visual Novels, but that is not an inherently bad thing. You can’t fix what’s not broken in the first place. As a result, School of Talent: SUZU-ROUTE features the options of pausing or fast-forwarding the story, which unfolds through a numerous succession of slides, as I like to call them. Backgrounds, usually hand drawn in the same style as the characters, with slight animations that are always a nice touch and an obvious sign that you’re not simply reading Manga on your PC monitor. What I would have enjoyed though, is the inclusion of dialogue branches. The option to alter the storyline in a meaningful way as you progress. It would have really given players both an increased sense of achievement and the option to replay the game at a future time and perhaps follow another path of direct interaction with the rich cast of characters. As per Steam’s own strict policy on nudity, the few slides which feature nude bodies, are treated in a tasteful manner, being more erotic and less revealing by nature. I am fully aware that adding full English voice acting, would have considerably driven the game’s price up. I guess I will have to contend with the English subtitles (which were spotless in terms of grammar) until I shall learn Japanese. It does feel more authentic in its native tongue, given the locations and plot. You know best what you prefer. English dubs in anime and in visual novels aren’t always hit-or-miss, but still represent a polarizing subject to some fans. I’m perfectly fine with School of Talent: SUZU-ROUTE’s pricing and I can only hope the dev team might add Achievements along with the recently included Trading Cards. Whether you’re a visual novel aficionado or someone who enjoys them sparingly, I firmly believe that no gamer should reject a genre, based on preconceptions. Try it out and if you like it, that’s great. If you don’t, it’s also fine and at least you tried and can now judge it in an informed manner. [h1]Strong Points[/h1] + Gripping story which resembles an emotional rollercoaster. + Pleasant graphics and appropriate soundtrack. + Decent length which justifies the price tag. + Steam Trading Cards (even if the Store Page isn’t mentioning them). [h1]Weak Points[/h1] - No English dubs. - No Steam Achievements. [b]Rating 85/100 [/b] [quote]This review was submitted for [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/ImperialReviews]Imperial Reviews[/url] and [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/Cubbes]Cubbes[/url].[/quote]

It's been delightful to witness so many visual novels being released on Steam over the past year. Some of them top-notch, some of them less so, and a couple of black sheep just dragging the reputation of the genre down. Sifting through the many visual novels on Steam, School of Talent: SUZU Route was a title that initially slipped past my radar, probably because it was an Early Access title, and the first ever release of this tiny studio called MyDearest. I am extremely glad to have stumbled upon this unknown gem! School of Talent: SUZU Route takes place in a prestigious school which only individuals with unique talents can enter (something like the academy in Danganronpa). There lie bitter rivalries amongst groups of students, in particular the Black Roses (where the male MC resides) and the White Lilies (of which Suzu, the female protagonist, heads). If you enjoyed Baka to Test or Assassination Classroom, you'll get a very similar vibes of the "us versus them" student mentality in this game. Strengths: [list] [*]The voice-acting is absolutely phenomenal. The lead girl Suzu is voiced by Rie Yamaguchi, who sang the [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzKCrBGwc2Q]Kore Wa Zombie Desu Ka ED[/url] (definitely worth a listen if you've never heard of her before). School of Talent features her singing voice as well! Right at the start of the game we are treated to her singing - it is the one of the greatest examples of mesmerising voice-acting I have experienced in a visual novel. As it turns out, singing is Suzu's talent, and we are spoiled with plenty more opportunities to enjoy her vocals. [*]The art is a joy to behold! This may just be personal opinion, but I feel that the illustrations are on par with anime studio quality. [/list] Downsides: [list] [*]There is only 1 route at the moment (As the title suggests, that of Suzu). The story does feature other girls, and hints at romances with them which sadly will never reach fruition. Such a tease! [/list] Definitely, given the price of the game and its quality, I'm really not entitled to complain about this downside. Still, I would prefer paying more to buy a full game, compared to the possibility of individual routes as future DLC? As someone who dislikes the trend of DLC releases, I would hate to see such a feature forced onto the realm of visual novels. Although the game is rather short at the moment, at its current price point I don't think there are any better visual novels out there on Steam. Especially not for a fully voice-acted title. I'd thoroughly recommend this title to any fans of visual novels, especially those looking to support budding developers of talent! I look forward to MyDearest's foray out of Early Access, and hopefully further game releases in the future!

A great slice of life / romance story that really is a surprisingly lengthy. Definitely for people who like a good long read! Excellent artwork and music. It's a great piece of software, that, sure, has a few wrinkles, but give how long it is, and how little it costs to buy, still translates in to a real bargain. Oh, and it's written and presented in the first person so you get a real sense that you are the protagonist. The title, incidentally, School of Talents, refers to the fact that ( most of ) the students have special abilities, the concept of which I am sure you are well used to if, like me, you watch loads and loads of anime! Having said that, the story is not one that insists that the reader is a real fan of anime to appreciate. Some anime defintely needs the uninitiated to be lowered in gently (!!). So all in all if you like a good long read, with a great story, and love anime art style, then this is definitely a novel you will enjoy. And lets be honest, even if you don't, you haven't exactly spent a lot of money buying it, but you really have helped some talented people with their startup venture.

💙Amazing novel💜

[h1]School of Hidden Gems[/h1] You play as Kotaro, a lucky winner of a lottery for a scholarship and admittance into an academy of the Talented - people with extraordinary and magical gifts. There, he becomes the outlier, the only person without a single special power. This slice of life, mostly-voiced kinetic VN allows you watch Kotaro's relationship with his friends and love interest develop. Note that there is only one route/romance option - Suzu. Be warned that there are tons of super clichéd and cringy situations here without imaginative dialogue or narration to cover them up. Kotaro, the weak nobody, has a major crush on the most powerful girl in school, the head of the White Lilies dorm. In a sequence of eye-rolling events every otaku will see a mile away, there will be [i]some[/i] surprises that'll at least bring a laugh or two. Naturally, there will be a locker room scene, a bathing scene, and a summer festival, but this has become a welcomed norm in school VNs/anime for a very long time so I can't imagine anyone not expecting that. One surprise in this novel, an underutilized fan favorite in my opinion, is the crowd-pleasing body swap chapter. The gameplay can be a bit rough at times with random untranslated lines and menu-language issues, but nothing was jarring enough to become critical, just a bit immersion breaking. The music and sound effects are relatively generic, and the artwork is more down-to-earth so to speak, with very simplistic backgrounds in most cases (CGs do look good though). Furthermore, there aren't that many CGs/camera pans with [b]overt[/b] pandering to fanservice, maybe only a few - take that how you will. Instead you will mostly find fanservice in the very suggestive dialogue and people's reactions, but I find that much more enjoyable than generic hyper boob VNs. Everyone has their own tastes so I'm not going to judge, just inform. It did seem unfortunate that although the setting is in an elite school of "special powers" (magic), everything is too ordinary and mundane. There's nothing technologically advanced, occult-like, or magical in sight. Even though there are magical duels, there are no graphics, animations or even CGs of the magic itself. Just a lightbulb flash here or there with a couple sound effects, making me feel like the game is shying away from the visual aspect of being a visual novel. What further shines a light on this problem is that the writing is fairly weak during the duels, devoid of artistic imagery or smooth transitions. When you couple that with absentee magic illustrations/animations, we end up with drab special talent duels. Fortunately, the school life aspect of the game (which comprises the bulk of SoT) is much more interesting and prevalent than the magical duels aspect. What really made the game stand out was the voice acting, hands down. The VO added lively personality traits that the script could not and solely carried my engagement and attachment to the cast. In the beginning of the game, we secretly catch Suzu singing and it was really jaw dropping. It made a really strong impression which carried itself throughout the game. Wait until you can hear the entire song with accompaniment - its ASMR levels of amazing. Afterwards we meet Otake, a perverted dorm mate who’s Talent is Eroticidence, and Mayu, a masochistic stalker that can turn invisible. Although these descriptions make them seem very amusing to watch, it's their voice acting that really sells the part. SoT has some colorful characters, and even though there were many common tropes and rushed situational developments, I somewhat miss the goofballs now that everything is over. [h1]Complete [Early Access] Walkthrough Playlist[/h1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm7OvVsx94w&list=PLeavCsRFiP55vWFNNhua1_0nn0dngvp7F&index=1 [h1]Verdict[/h1] With a little more love, polish, and some script re-writing, School of Talent can be a really amazing VN for its price. The voice acting and character traits are just that good. Even in its current state, SoT is still a worthwhile adventure. I've played some very aggressively average VNs on steam, many costing more than this game, but I haven't run into any with voice acting (especially ones that are this well done) at a similar price point. This makes it easy for me to recommend School of Talent to any VN fan looking for a casual, albeit rough, kinetic novel. Note: the devs are open to a possibility of releasing other routes as separate games. I really hope they do, as long as they can maintain the great voice acting. [table][tr][td]Press copy provided by MyDearest[/td][/tr][/table] [table][tr][td][url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/BeforeYouBuy]Before You Buy[/url] – analyses of newly released indie games[/td][/tr][/table]

I bought the game the moment it got released, Was pretty excited to play too. So I try'd playing around a little and my first impression was; damn, that's some fine art and voicing too! Tho I haven't really been playing much yet, I'm looking forward to finish the game. There are some bugs here and there, but nothing mayor yet. I also have talked with the Devoloper a little, and he/she is a cool relaxed person to talk too, So if u have any feedback, I'd say feel free to speak with the devoloper :D Also I've read alot of visual novels/rpg's already and I gotta say, for the price I paid, I love it! From my perspective I'd give this game a 9/10. ~Shiina♪

Well overall this is quite a wholesome little Kinetic Novel mainly focusing on some Romance and Friendship. I quite like the setting and the story itself. It isnt really super unique, but it is a quite lovely read. The art is alsopretty good and the big seller for me was that the voice acting is actually very good. The rest however isnt all that great from a technical viewpoint. The UI is really quite bad, if you tap out of the game it can mute the sound and it wouldnt come back, some parts of the game just were missed to translate, however mostly just names of characters, there are also a few typos. Hoewever for the most part all of those minor things dont affect the reading experience. Considering the VN is also quite cheap I would say that it is easily worth playing even if it has quite an abrupt start into the game and it also doesnt really introduce the characters and some other minor faults which I assume are because this is only one route and not really the entire game like they wanted to do it. Check out my Curator Page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34401214/

Disclaimer: Bought it for 1/2 the price when it was still in Early Access I'm not an avid visual novel reader but I felt like I had to leave a review for this since theres not that many. It is pretty short since it is only one route but for what you are paying for, its worth it. Story is great but sometimes felt it got a little too predictable at times IMO. The soundtrack and voice acting overall was great as well but noticed it had awkward transitions and would cut out unexpectedly in some scenes. The art was beautiful and showed character but I was dissappointed in the amount of blank black screens with text. The main voiced characters all had diverse traits and personalities and had chemistry in conversations but the named reoccuring characters that didn't have sprites or a voice just felt out of place and rushed. MyDearest have proven themselves here in creating this hidden gem. They deserve more recognition for their talents as well as more supporters and fans. This VN is not perfect but its still pretty damn good. It does make me sad that it was so short though. I do wish it was longer. I hope that MyDearest will continue to create more visual novels and create more routes for this series.

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