Sentimental Trickster: Yaoi BL Gay Visual Novel

This is the best-written VN I've played in probably years, but going from Soichiro's route to Kanae's was AWFUL. I don't care about bros trauma, I purposefully got every possible bad end before begrudgingly doing the good end for the achievement. Lets see what horrors I'm about to embark upon with the other two routes.

I absolutely loved this game. It is a slice of life but it handles some heavy topics. I think whether you'll like it or not hinges on whether you enjoy the MC Haru - if your read the descriptions of the LIs, they are in his voice, so that should give you an idea of how he talks and thinks. He came alive as a character and made this visual novel for me. While the game has its flaws with some graphical glitches, and would have benefited from not being set in Japan for no apparent reason (it would have worked just fine in USA/Europe, where ever the author may be from), I absolutely fell in love with all the characters. Routes are well paced, and didn't feel too long. There is a patch for this game floating around out there, and I think it'd be good both with it or without it. I also enjoyed that there wasn't the assumption that every character you meet is gay like there is in some BL visual novels. And the side characters (mostly) had sprites and felt interesting and real rather than shoehorned in to advance the plot. I think if the summary intrigues you, you'll find this game very enjoyable.

Alright, ive played the entire game, got all the achievements, and can give a full honest review. first of all... love the game, artwork, character design, sound, music, you really get invested into the character's stories. however, some trigger warnings SHOULD be told, ive seen others (after i played some routes) mention them as well, it gave me 'dmmd' vibes (another game) and idk if i cant totally say whats up... theres trauma stuff, like good BL got, some are dark... like dark dark, i was thrown back a lot, i assumed it was cute and fluffy. so be weary of it. and tho not triggering for me, i imagine it can be hell for others. No clue if i bought it or got it for free tho haah ;-: But despite the small plot twist, the turn off events, the game is good. characters are well written and you almost forget its a game, the situations feels real. so yeah thats it for me :')

Changing my review from no to yes. There is a problem with picking routes, but after asking around for tips, I eventually got to play the route I wanted. There's some heavy subject matter but it isn't played for shock value. The stories I've played through have been interesting, MC is likeable, and there are some good jokes.

Great game, finished the four good ends but can't find myself to play the bad ends yet! I at first, thought to "break the characters" from how the game was can be protrayed as, but after finishing the good endings of it. I can't seem to will myself to get those bad ends, even though, they could be the highlight of the game in itself. Since, like trigger warning, theirs a lot of them, if you ever play the game, better watch out for those trigger warnings. But if you want to go in blind, just make sure your morally and mentally prepared for it, cause its a doozy. But still great game, and will play the other ends at another time.

I have had this game in my library since release, but never looked into it, until this summer. Stupid, silly me... I have now spent close to 40 hours on it and... I've had my emotions wrought out of me. I cried, and gasped over the stories and the (seriously) dark twists in some of the routes. In my opinion the writing and the main characters are expertly done. Due to my personal preferences one route theme did not appeal to me at all. But the 3 other routes really hit me. One of the routes in particular chilled/gripped me, like a Pshychological thriller might. After having been through the bad end of that route, the character sort of revenged himself on me, the reader: Yesterday, when I was doing some real-life vacuuming, listening to "The Blame", Bob Moses (Helsloot remix) on earphones, I was re-playing Sentimental Trickster in my mind. Suddenly the character from that route turned his head and looked right at me: ">:-( How could you do that to me! >:-(" Aaaargh! That story really gripped me. If you are looking for a very light Visual Novel, you have been warned! Serious real life themes are about! Thank you for the great writing in this VN. I enjoyed it very much. (PS. Due to vendor restrictions, there are no 18+ patch. I thought that would be annoying. But honestly, I didn't miss it, and as far I know, there really weren't much in that patch anyway. The stories are the main point here).

The most important thing with this game is to mind the tags. There are several spoiler free warnings out there so pay attention to those. I really really loved this game. I have played all the routes more than once. I originally got two bad endings, so I turned to a guide. The good endings are so good. I love angst, so there was quite a bit in the game. I enjoyed all the routes personally, but I know that won't be for everyone. Honestly I can't even choose a favorite, they were all really well written imo. I loved the realness of the relationship between MC and his family. I also love the sense of humor. There's a lot of jokes, but that appeals to me. It's not especially spicy, but there are a few scenes that are nice. I was happy with the ending and resolution. It was fun exploring all the different paths. I don't have any complaints. I just wish this game could last longer. I enjoyed all the characters (with one or two exceptions - minor characters only). If you enjoy visual novels or gay dating sims, you will likely enjoy this game.

**CONTAINS LIGHT SPOILERS** i really, really liked this game. i never leave reviews, but i feel like i should for this one. i got it on a whim and was not disappointed. the order in which i romanced the guys was this: soichiro, shinya, kanae, jin. i loved all the routes, but i do wish the content warnings went beyond innuendos and language. there are intense discussions of sexual abuse and suicide, as well as emotional abuse and [spoiler]guilt over a large age gap, which i found really triggering.[/spoiler] i actually got triggered a couple times while playing specific moments. i also felt like jin's route was forced; like he wasnt originally supposed to be a love interest; i havent read any blog posts or anything so i dont actually know if this is true or not. [spoiler]the dialogue in his route was more established and he and haru were clearer about their feelings than haru and the other love interests in their routes. also, there wasnt as much of a slow burn in harus pursuit of him, compared to shinyas route for example.[/spoiler] but regardless of all that, i really did like this vn. i thought all the characters, minus jin (sorry), were dynamic and interesting. i really enjoyed getting to know them, especially through routes where they werent the focus. i would definitely recommend this game to others. my only caveat is the intense sexual and emotional abuse and [spoiler]age gap guilt.[/spoiler] i really, really think this should have been included in the warnings, and i think it was a massive oversight not to. **SPECIFIC SPOILERS** [spoiler]one other thing i wanted to point out is that i think dialogue is recycled for every love interest when theyre at harus house back home right before bed. they all get him out of his head, but each say the same things (like "i think you should show them, but you dont have to" or something, im not looking at the game as i write this). i think this specific moment would have been a good opportunity to let the love interests' personalities shine. each of them had different ways of calming haru down, and its a shame they didnt get to in their respective ways then.[/spoiler]

This game deals with heavy topics really well and has great humour. For example, it doesn't fall into the trap of making "coming out" this singular inconsequential event if you're accepted. Even if everyone around you supports you, every time it comes up it feels like a big thing that becomes more real to everyone. Also, it has realistic depictions of trauma and family struggles. The most important part of any visual novel is the writing, and this one has great writing. A little clunkiness in one spot is a small price to pay for distinct characters and well earned character growth.

actually has decent plot twists. Trigger warning for trauma tho damn. Also lowkey thought i would hate shinya's route.... then oops business man Lan Zhan type swooped in. Also wierdly thank you for making content with female villains/abusers, i'ts a thing. thanks not every bad guy is a man and visibility is important.