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Deck","status":"unknown"}],"storeOffers":[{"store":"steam","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/354950/","status":"available","free":false,"price":{"amount":4.99,"currency":"USD"}}],"cloud":[],"subscriptions":[],"reviews":[{"ref":"steam:54396164","audience":"player","origin":"steam","author":"","url":"","language":"en","publishedAt":"2019-07-31T22:46:09.000Z","title":"","text":"“As long as she thinks of a man, nobody objects to a woman thinking.” ― Virginia Woolf, Orlando\nWell, I haven't been playing a visual novel for some time, and to break the hiatus, I have chosen RoseVerte's East Tower series. We will see whether that was a good idea or not. I have played some of RoseVerte's newer games - namely, Cafe 0 series before, and I loved them genuinely. East Tower series are older titles, and it can be counted a bit on the amateurish side, among developer's games. Every game in the series centers on one of the gentlemen which we can develop an intimate relationship with, and this first one takes a close look on Akio.\nYet, before delving into the personality of this first beau, let me present a brief summary of the storyline. Our protagonist, Sakuya - or whatever you name her - is a girl who wishes she'd be a boy instead. Her cousin being a game master for the newest digital entertainment at the local VR game center presents her with an opportunity: to attend the newest puzzle VR called West Tower! Well, not really. You see, East Tower is a game for boys, and West Tower is a game for girls - for some reason. Yet, Sakuya convinces her cousin to allow her to disguise as a boy and attend East Tower instead. She attends the game with four other gentlemen, no problem thus far. Yet, as the game starts, an announcement takes place about a hacker who is trying to infiltrate the game! Things may go wrong and we are asked to partner with someone to tread carefully. With her chosen partner for this puzzle world, Sakuya is to brave challenges and learn a bit more about her chosen teammate.\nSuch is the prologue part of every game in the series, yet in this one, you are partnered with Akio. He is a young boy who claims to be much older than he seems to be. Yet, his demeanor is cold, and quite aggressive - with an \"I'm independent and sh*t\" attitude. Are you willing to discover who he is - or whether he can be the hacker in disguise or not? Spoilers: he is not, and he is actually a young businessman with family trauma. Not that interesting if you ask me, yet he is relatable to a degree. - and the probable identity of the hacker is more than obvious as the game starts, alongside the identities of all participants Anyhow, you can pursue Akio either as a friend or a romantic interest in this one, with appropriate achievements, of course.\nWell, the VN has a promising storyline, yet its execution is a bit rushed - with little to no character development. One can say that the developer really came a long way since East Tower series, when you recall Cafe 0. It is refreshing to encounter the concept of bisexuality - or even a probable nuance on homosexuality - in the genre, yet I believe it could have been handled better. Sakuya's reason for her aspiration to be masculine isn't that deep rooted or well explained either - I found her reasons to be a bit childish. I personally liked Akio, he is the possessive one who could be preferred by many young ladies - nothing to complain. The end game plot twist isn't that groundbreaking - yet I'll refrain myself from presenting a judgement since this is the first game in the storyline, and not much will be revealed until the last game.\nThe artwork is on the amateurish side alongside the story narrative. I have nothing against anime style artwork, but these kinda seem like they were taken out of the sketchbook of a junior high schooler. Proportions are awkward, and the whole - male/female version of the same character portrayal could have more details rather than boobs and chin changing. The soundtrack is a bit annoying, and it being on the loop during the gameplay cringes you a bit. Puzzles themselves, and appropriate VN choice options are fitting and fun - yet I found our protagonist and her responses in conversations to be somewhat dim and childish.\nAt the end of the day, even though it has an interesting concept, its execution is pretty rough on the edges. It takes an hour to complete, and leaves more questions around rather than it answers. Does it intrigue you, does it provoke you to go for other games in the series? Well, yes, and that would count as the foremost success of this title, if you are willing to forgive some execution mistakes. You do wonder what that hacker thing was all about, nonetheless. I'll update my opinion as I continue the series though. Until then, this one is a \"you can take it or leave it\" title. Enjoy!\nPlease also check out Lady Storyteller's Curator page here - follow for regular updates on reviews for other games!","html":"

“As long as she thinks of a man, nobody objects to a woman thinking.” ― Virginia Woolf, Orlando

Well, I haven't been playing a visual novel for some time, and to break the hiatus, I have chosen RoseVerte's East Tower series. We will see whether that was a good idea or not. I have played some of RoseVerte's newer games - namely, Cafe 0 series before, and I loved them genuinely. East Tower series are older titles, and it can be counted a bit on the amateurish side, among developer's games. Every game in the series centers on one of the gentlemen which we can develop an intimate relationship with, and this first one takes a close look on Akio.

Yet, before delving into the personality of this first beau, let me present a brief summary of the storyline. Our protagonist, Sakuya - or whatever you name her - is a girl who wishes she'd be a boy instead. Her cousin being a game master for the newest digital entertainment at the local VR game center presents her with an opportunity: to attend the newest puzzle VR called West Tower! Well, not really. You see, East Tower is a game for boys, and West Tower is a game for girls - for some reason. Yet, Sakuya convinces her cousin to allow her to disguise as a boy and attend East Tower instead. She attends the game with four other gentlemen, no problem thus far. Yet, as the game starts, an announcement takes place about a hacker who is trying to infiltrate the game! Things may go wrong and we are asked to partner with someone to tread carefully. With her chosen partner for this puzzle world, Sakuya is to brave challenges and learn a bit more about her chosen teammate.

Such is the prologue part of every game in the series, yet in this one, you are partnered with Akio. He is a young boy who claims to be much older than he seems to be. Yet, his demeanor is cold, and quite aggressive - with an "I'm independent and sh*t" attitude. Are you willing to discover who he is - or whether he can be the hacker in disguise or not? Spoilers: he is not, and he is actually a young businessman with family trauma. Not that interesting if you ask me, yet he is relatable to a degree. - and the probable identity of the hacker is more than obvious as the game starts, alongside the identities of all participants Anyhow, you can pursue Akio either as a friend or a romantic interest in this one, with appropriate achievements, of course.

Well, the VN has a promising storyline, yet its execution is a bit rushed - with little to no character development. One can say that the developer really came a long way since East Tower series, when you recall Cafe 0. It is refreshing to encounter the concept of bisexuality - or even a probable nuance on homosexuality - in the genre, yet I believe it could have been handled better. Sakuya's reason for her aspiration to be masculine isn't that deep rooted or well explained either - I found her reasons to be a bit childish. I personally liked Akio, he is the possessive one who could be preferred by many young ladies - nothing to complain. The end game plot twist isn't that groundbreaking - yet I'll refrain myself from presenting a judgement since this is the first game in the storyline, and not much will be revealed until the last game.

The artwork is on the amateurish side alongside the story narrative. I have nothing against anime style artwork, but these kinda seem like they were taken out of the sketchbook of a junior high schooler. Proportions are awkward, and the whole - male/female version of the same character portrayal could have more details rather than boobs and chin changing. The soundtrack is a bit annoying, and it being on the loop during the gameplay cringes you a bit. Puzzles themselves, and appropriate VN choice options are fitting and fun - yet I found our protagonist and her responses in conversations to be somewhat dim and childish.

At the end of the day, even though it has an interesting concept, its execution is pretty rough on the edges. It takes an hour to complete, and leaves more questions around rather than it answers. Does it intrigue you, does it provoke you to go for other games in the series? Well, yes, and that would count as the foremost success of this title, if you are willing to forgive some execution mistakes. You do wonder what that hacker thing was all about, nonetheless. I'll update my opinion as I continue the series though. Until then, this one is a "you can take it or leave it" title. Enjoy!

Please also check out Lady Storyteller's Curator page here - follow for regular updates on reviews for other games!

","score":1,"kind":"approval","endorsements":43,"spoiler":true},{"ref":"steam:15713938","audience":"player","origin":"steam","author":"","url":"","language":"en","publishedAt":"2015-05-06T15:32:07.000Z","title":"","text":"If you are not a fan of Visual Novels or how they work this title will not change your mind.\nThis game is produced by Roseverte who have another visual novel Duplicity, the demo of which I honestly didn’t enjoy. I did however enjoy their other demo, with a supernatural twist, Cafe O Mermaid: The Drowned Mermaid. They also have another game, How to Take off your Mask that has been greenlit.\nPlease consider this review an initial impression .East Tower - Akio is part of a series of four inter -related games with three more due for release having been already been greenlit:\nhttp://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=329794198&searchtext=East+Tower\nSome demos can be played here: http://www.roseverte.net/east/en/\nThis is described as as a girls mystery comedy visual novel. Though the ideas presented in this such as a virtual reality world and hackers aren’t necessarily new it makes a change from a typical high school setting and slightly older characters. The japanese voice acting is also good. I think they could be interesting enough for any male visual novel readers as the love ending is easy enough to avoid/skip .Please note that you will not get a perfect game, which is very quick and easy, by doing this.\nI feel that the pricing is slightly high for the content and the artwork is just passable.However this is at the lowest end of visual novel pricing and appears to be in line with other titles.My recommendation is if you don’t already own this from a bundle is to wait for the other character routes as you may be left wanting more.","html":"

If you are not a fan of Visual Novels or how they work this title will not change your mind.

This game is produced by Roseverte who have another visual novel Duplicity, the demo of which I honestly didn’t enjoy. I did however enjoy their other demo, with a supernatural twist, Cafe O Mermaid: The Drowned Mermaid. They also have another game, How to Take off your Mask that has been greenlit.

Please consider this review an initial impression .East Tower - Akio is part of a series of four inter -related games with three more due for release having been already been greenlit:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=329794198&searchtext=East+Tower

Some demos can be played here: http://www.roseverte.net/east/en/

This is described as as a girls mystery comedy visual novel. Though the ideas presented in this such as a virtual reality world and hackers aren’t necessarily new it makes a change from a typical high school setting and slightly older characters. The japanese voice acting is also good. I think they could be interesting enough for any male visual novel readers as the love ending is easy enough to avoid/skip .Please note that you will not get a perfect game, which is very quick and easy, by doing this.

I feel that the pricing is slightly high for the content and the artwork is just passable.However this is at the lowest end of visual novel pricing and appears to be in line with other titles.My recommendation is if you don’t already own this from a bundle is to wait for the other character routes as you may be left wanting more.

","score":1,"kind":"approval","endorsements":43,"spoiler":false},{"ref":"steam:20289079","audience":"player","origin":"steam","author":"","url":"","language":"en","publishedAt":"2016-01-04T12:20:39.000Z","title":"","text":"Care spoilers. Its one of 4 parts. This one is the first you should play before you go to Takashis part. This game has some choices but i dont test the most. I play S and A rank so i dont know what happen if you make wrong choices, maybe direct ending, you can test it. This 2 ways havent many different changes so the best is doing enjoy the S Rang and then skip trough the A Rank. The story is nothing special, but the characters gets warm with the time and this time is very short you have 7 Stages with a few decisions, if you make a wrong one you restart from start of the stage. The story has only a few suprisings that i was a little bit aspecting but its fine. So i hope you enjoy your 1-1,5 hours of middle high quality with 2 likeable characters. The story is still unique 2 different people get like 3 others in a VR game and then its hacked by someone outside, later some other infos will appear and this 5 teams make 3 groups 1 alone runner and 2 groups and this team get a really strange story, the tests help them to learn more about the other person and both grow up. The rest you can replay yourself. I am happy about the story, i hope others will be too. And that should be the heart-part to playing games, reading books, watching movies.\nSo for the time i would say buy the game with 50 or 66% discount, because even short games make many work and its not so bad, but only BUY IT IF YOU LIKE VISUAL NOVEL, if you dont like them or be neutral then buy other games! For all VN Lovers i give 77 points of 100 for me personal, if its would be longer and show more of all characters it would be better, but its just a part and i hope i will enjoy Takashis way like this one. Thank you for reading and hopefully enjoy this game if you buy it, so decide well before you use your money if the 2 trailers and pictures be interesting to you.","html":"

Care spoilers. Its one of 4 parts. This one is the first you should play before you go to Takashis part. This game has some choices but i dont test the most. I play S and A rank so i dont know what happen if you make wrong choices, maybe direct ending, you can test it. This 2 ways havent many different changes so the best is doing enjoy the S Rang and then skip trough the A Rank. The story is nothing special, but the characters gets warm with the time and this time is very short you have 7 Stages with a few decisions, if you make a wrong one you restart from start of the stage. The story has only a few suprisings that i was a little bit aspecting but its fine. So i hope you enjoy your 1-1,5 hours of middle high quality with 2 likeable characters. The story is still unique 2 different people get like 3 others in a VR game and then its hacked by someone outside, later some other infos will appear and this 5 teams make 3 groups 1 alone runner and 2 groups and this team get a really strange story, the tests help them to learn more about the other person and both grow up. The rest you can replay yourself. I am happy about the story, i hope others will be too. And that should be the heart-part to playing games, reading books, watching movies.

So for the time i would say buy the game with 50 or 66% discount, because even short games make many work and its not so bad, but only BUY IT IF YOU LIKE VISUAL NOVEL, if you dont like them or be neutral then buy other games! For all VN Lovers i give 77 points of 100 for me personal, if its would be longer and show more of all characters it would be better, but its just a part and i hope i will enjoy Takashis way like this one. Thank you for reading and hopefully enjoy this game if you buy it, so decide well before you use your money if the 2 trailers and pictures be interesting to you.

","score":1,"kind":"approval","endorsements":48,"spoiler":false},{"ref":"steam:16031229","audience":"player","origin":"steam","author":"","url":"","language":"en","publishedAt":"2015-05-27T22:10:46.000Z","title":"","text":"The story of East Tower: Akio shocked me a bit at first. It is about a girl that likes to dress like a man and act like a man. She is given the opportunity to test a new virtual reality game, in which everything she imagines comes true. And, as anticipated, she chooses to have a male appearance in this game. Because of some hacker, she becomes trapped in this virtual world with other 4 people and she teams up with another boy to find the escape. This is an Otome, so I think we can all imagine where this is going...\nI didn't know at first how to feel about this opposite gender orientation but I decided to continue playing and what seemed in the beginning to be a game about transsexuals turned to be Sakuya's story of discovering herself and accepting her gender through love. And this is the only reason for which I decided to give this game an upvote (because I enjoyed the idea of “Love conquers/changes everything”), despite the fact that I didn't like quite a few aspects.\nFirst of all, her love interest is a bit controversial too, he often makes you wonder if he is bisexual or not, since he is attracted to Sakuya despite her male appearance in the game -- all of this culminating in the declaration that he likes her even in her male form.\nSecondly, the dialogues are a bit childish and nonsensical at times, and there's a whole chapter before the end that did not make any sense at all to me. I tried to find a deeper meaning to it, but I failed miserably.\nThirdly, it is a visual novel so we expect to have only a few backgrounds, but I didn't expect them to be THAT few. Even more so, most of them have a lot of repeating elements.\nAs gameplay, you are supposed to get through 7 stages of the virtual game. Each of them has a set of 2-3 choices. There are usually two right combinations, one that counts towards the romance ending and the other one that counts for the normal ending. All others result in an immediate ending and you are required to play through the stage again, starting from the beginning. The normal ending seems quite dull and emotionless, while the romance path unlocks an extra steamy scene. The effects of the choices you make while playing aren’t always easily foreseeable according to the ending you are going for, so you have to play through pretty much all of them to see their results.\nAkio is the first episode of the 4 which the series consists of; considering how short this visual novel is (a bit over 1h for unlocking both endings and achievements), I think its price (4,99€) is a bit too high for the quality that the game offers. And considering that you might want to try the other 3 episodes, the price of the full series becomes excruciatingly high.\nMore reviews on the Lilly's Corner Curator page","html":"

The story of East Tower: Akio shocked me a bit at first. It is about a girl that likes to dress like a man and act like a man. She is given the opportunity to test a new virtual reality game, in which everything she imagines comes true. And, as anticipated, she chooses to have a male appearance in this game. Because of some hacker, she becomes trapped in this virtual world with other 4 people and she teams up with another boy to find the escape. This is an Otome, so I think we can all imagine where this is going...

I didn't know at first how to feel about this opposite gender orientation but I decided to continue playing and what seemed in the beginning to be a game about transsexuals turned to be Sakuya's story of discovering herself and accepting her gender through love. And this is the only reason for which I decided to give this game an upvote (because I enjoyed the idea of “Love conquers/changes everything”), despite the fact that I didn't like quite a few aspects.

First of all, her love interest is a bit controversial too, he often makes you wonder if he is bisexual or not, since he is attracted to Sakuya despite her male appearance in the game -- all of this culminating in the declaration that he likes her even in her male form.

Secondly, the dialogues are a bit childish and nonsensical at times, and there's a whole chapter before the end that did not make any sense at all to me. I tried to find a deeper meaning to it, but I failed miserably.

Thirdly, it is a visual novel so we expect to have only a few backgrounds, but I didn't expect them to be THAT few. Even more so, most of them have a lot of repeating elements.

As gameplay, you are supposed to get through 7 stages of the virtual game. Each of them has a set of 2-3 choices. There are usually two right combinations, one that counts towards the romance ending and the other one that counts for the normal ending. All others result in an immediate ending and you are required to play through the stage again, starting from the beginning. The normal ending seems quite dull and emotionless, while the romance path unlocks an extra steamy scene. The effects of the choices you make while playing aren’t always easily foreseeable according to the ending you are going for, so you have to play through pretty much all of them to see their results.

Akio is the first episode of the 4 which the series consists of; considering how short this visual novel is (a bit over 1h for unlocking both endings and achievements), I think its price (4,99€) is a bit too high for the quality that the game offers. And considering that you might want to try the other 3 episodes, the price of the full series becomes excruciatingly high.

\n
More reviews on the Lilly's Corner Curator page
\n

","score":1,"kind":"approval","endorsements":40,"spoiler":true},{"ref":"steam:19666119","audience":"player","origin":"steam","author":"","url":"","language":"en","publishedAt":"2015-12-13T03:06:31.000Z","title":"","text":"This game is short. Very short. If you are going to get this series then you are better off buying all of the East Tower chapters at the same time. The art is meh, but the overall storyline is interesting; I have found this game more interesting than some games that have had amazing art, but crap story. Its a pure visual novel with choices, so no stat building or anything. It is very easy to 100% this game in one sitting.\nThe main character is female, but she tends to dress and act like an boy. She convinces her fmaily member (brother, cousin? I don't remmeber) to let her participate in this virtual reality game demo aimed at guys. She dresses up as a guy and the games begin. In the game everyone appears as their heart really desires, so the MC is male in the game world. Also everyone gets trapped in the game, and the main focus is to get out. The game is romantic, but you only interact with whatever East Tower-Character Name you purchased. Since this is East Tower-Akio, Akio is the romanceale guy.","html":"

This game is short. Very short. If you are going to get this series then you are better off buying all of the East Tower chapters at the same time. The art is meh, but the overall storyline is interesting; I have found this game more interesting than some games that have had amazing art, but crap story. Its a pure visual novel with choices, so no stat building or anything. It is very easy to 100% this game in one sitting.
\nThe main character is female, but she tends to dress and act like an boy. She convinces her fmaily member (brother, cousin? I don't remmeber) to let her participate in this virtual reality game demo aimed at guys. She dresses up as a guy and the games begin. In the game everyone appears as their heart really desires, so the MC is male in the game world. Also everyone gets trapped in the game, and the main focus is to get out. The game is romantic, but you only interact with whatever East Tower-Character Name you purchased. Since this is East Tower-Akio, Akio is the romanceale guy.

","score":1,"kind":"approval","endorsements":14,"spoiler":false},{"ref":"steam:20184825","audience":"player","origin":"steam","author":"","url":"","language":"en","publishedAt":"2016-01-01T16:49:27.000Z","title":"","text":"I have mixed feeling about this game. On the one hand, I appreciate original concept, on the other there are some issues with it. So basically our female protagonist is taking part in some sort of virtual reality contest. There's an important gender-bender element - she wakes up in a male's body. This is something she clearly wants, not only inside this game, but in general. At the same time she's still interested in other males... But for same reason she's creeped out by the two males dating...? I didn't really understand that part and the logic behind it. Also, although she clearly want to be a man, whenever she find herself interested in her teammate, she's transforming back to girl....? It's another weird thing, because even though this game don't get too much into serious issues, there are few moments that seems to show and critique how judgefull people can be. While in the same time, I feel like the message is: \"Well, she may acted like she want to be man herself, but nope, she just need this right man to change her mind\". I like the whole explanation that this is: \"about person, not about their gender\", but still, the \"I wanted to be a man, because everyone says girls are weak, but now I just want you\" it's just... Meh. It's not something important in terms of gameplay, it's just something that bugged me within the plot and I couldn't get past it.\nAs for general things:\nPros:\n+ writing is pretty good. Nothing spectacular, but there are funny and cute moments.\n+ interesting concept\n+ interesting protagonist (especially if we compare her to regular female protagonists in VNs)...\nCons:\n- ... but as the game progress and I've learn her motives, she seemed more childish than strong\n- short, even as for part of a series\n- romance is so... out of nowhere, really. The \"seduction\" scene felt very awkward and rushed\nIf the other parts are about the same length and quality, I can't imagine it being worth almost 30 euros.\nBut as for game that I've got as a part of a bundle, it was still rather enjoyable experience, despite all the flaws. Try it if you like visual novels.","html":"

I have mixed feeling about this game. On the one hand, I appreciate original concept, on the other there are some issues with it. So basically our female protagonist is taking part in some sort of virtual reality contest. There's an important gender-bender element - she wakes up in a male's body. This is something she clearly wants, not only inside this game, but in general. At the same time she's still interested in other males... But for same reason she's creeped out by the two males dating...? I didn't really understand that part and the logic behind it. Also, although she clearly want to be a man, whenever she find herself interested in her teammate, she's transforming back to girl....? It's another weird thing, because even though this game don't get too much into serious issues, there are few moments that seems to show and critique how judgefull people can be. While in the same time, I feel like the message is: "Well, she may acted like she want to be man herself, but nope, she just need this right man to change her mind". I like the whole explanation that this is: "about person, not about their gender", but still, the "I wanted to be a man, because everyone says girls are weak, but now I just want you" it's just... Meh. It's not something important in terms of gameplay, it's just something that bugged me within the plot and I couldn't get past it.

As for general things:

Pros:
\n+ writing is pretty good. Nothing spectacular, but there are funny and cute moments.
\n+ interesting concept
\n+ interesting protagonist (especially if we compare her to regular female protagonists in VNs)...

Cons:
\n- ... but as the game progress and I've learn her motives, she seemed more childish than strong
\n- short, even as for part of a series
\n- romance is so... out of nowhere, really. The "seduction" scene felt very awkward and rushed

If the other parts are about the same length and quality, I can't imagine it being worth almost 30 euros.

But as for game that I've got as a part of a bundle, it was still rather enjoyable experience, despite all the flaws. Try it if you like visual novels.

","score":1,"kind":"approval","endorsements":16,"spoiler":false},{"ref":"steam:22272581","audience":"player","origin":"steam","author":"","url":"","language":"en","publishedAt":"2016-04-06T17:48:01.000Z","title":"","text":"Sakuya is a woman wishing to be a man since an incident in her childhood. She makes everything in her power to look like one. Her cousin Daiki works for Dreamworld and needs her help to try a new virtual attraction called West Tower, reserved for women. However, Sakuya managed to convince him to let her try the East Tower, reserved for men. She ends with four other testers, trapped in the virtual world, though she's happy to see that she's a man in it...\nThis is the same beginning in each Each Tower game. Once in the virtual world, Sakuya will team up with one of the guys. In the first of the series, she's Akio's partner, whose virtual form is a child. East Tower is an attraction that will confront everyone to their own insecurities and fears.\nI will go straight the point: this is a visual novel, where you have choices to make. Each stage must be cleared to advance in the story, you don't have any skills or relationships to improve/destroy. However, choices are mattering: you can get a bad ending immediately where you have to begin the stage again (not the entire story), a best friend ending (by scoring A on each stage) and a romance ending (by clearing each stage with a S). If you follow the romance route, you'll end up with an extra chapter. However, some stages don't have a A rank, only a S one - in that case, for the best friend route, it's considered as if it was a A.\nChoices are generally made during the challenges proposed for the team. It's much rare to see them outside of them, before or after them. True, without skills or anything to worry, the game is easier than any other visuel novel I've already played (apart Shan Gui, which is more an interactive book), even the first Heileen was more complex and even Blue Rose was more complicated. I don't mind at all this lack of difficulty.\nI find very interesting the fact that the guy will be your best friend at the end, as the bad ending isn't a \"you're alone\", \"you're killed\", etc.. However, should you choose to pursue him, it means that your character is also evolving and accepting herself more.\nLet's speak about Akio. He seems very calm, cold and trusting no one than himself. However, thanks to Sakuya, Akio will reveal the reason of this attitude and will also evolve and be more friendly. It's a very interesting evolution. I really liked being in a team with him. I'm now with Takashi and while it's also interesting, I still prefer Akio, maybe because his voice was soothing.\nIndeed, the visual novel has voice acting... in Japanese. I don't understand a thing but as the subtitles are in French (else, they're in English), I could follow the story. The only character not voiced is you. However, I find it really good. It's always fun to hear something in a foreign language, it's reminding me some good memories with some anime.\nAs for the style, it's really in a manga style, reminding me of The Rose of Versailles or anything directed to girls - because it's clearly stated in the official website that it's a visual novel for them (but everyone is welcome to play it). I loved it, even if Akio seemed a little weird. I also loved the HUD, kinda hi-tech and with a good shade of green.\nThe music is very good too, very adapted to each scene. I really liked it.\nEast Tower: Akio is a little good moment I've spent. without having to think too much. It's not the best visual novel out there, I admit that, however, it's still worthy of a purchase.","html":"

Sakuya is a woman wishing to be a man since an incident in her childhood. She makes everything in her power to look like one. Her cousin Daiki works for Dreamworld and needs her help to try a new virtual attraction called West Tower, reserved for women. However, Sakuya managed to convince him to let her try the East Tower, reserved for men. She ends with four other testers, trapped in the virtual world, though she's happy to see that she's a man in it...

This is the same beginning in each Each Tower game. Once in the virtual world, Sakuya will team up with one of the guys. In the first of the series, she's Akio's partner, whose virtual form is a child. East Tower is an attraction that will confront everyone to their own insecurities and fears.

I will go straight the point: this is a visual novel, where you have choices to make. Each stage must be cleared to advance in the story, you don't have any skills or relationships to improve/destroy. However, choices are mattering: you can get a bad ending immediately where you have to begin the stage again (not the entire story), a best friend ending (by scoring A on each stage) and a romance ending (by clearing each stage with a S). If you follow the romance route, you'll end up with an extra chapter. However, some stages don't have a A rank, only a S one - in that case, for the best friend route, it's considered as if it was a A.

Choices are generally made during the challenges proposed for the team. It's much rare to see them outside of them, before or after them. True, without skills or anything to worry, the game is easier than any other visuel novel I've already played (apart Shan Gui, which is more an interactive book), even the first Heileen was more complex and even Blue Rose was more complicated. I don't mind at all this lack of difficulty.

I find very interesting the fact that the guy will be your best friend at the end, as the bad ending isn't a "you're alone", "you're killed", etc.. However, should you choose to pursue him, it means that your character is also evolving and accepting herself more.

Let's speak about Akio. He seems very calm, cold and trusting no one than himself. However, thanks to Sakuya, Akio will reveal the reason of this attitude and will also evolve and be more friendly. It's a very interesting evolution. I really liked being in a team with him. I'm now with Takashi and while it's also interesting, I still prefer Akio, maybe because his voice was soothing.

Indeed, the visual novel has voice acting... in Japanese. I don't understand a thing but as the subtitles are in French (else, they're in English), I could follow the story. The only character not voiced is you. However, I find it really good. It's always fun to hear something in a foreign language, it's reminding me some good memories with some anime.

As for the style, it's really in a manga style, reminding me of The Rose of Versailles or anything directed to girls - because it's clearly stated in the official website that it's a visual novel for them (but everyone is welcome to play it). I loved it, even if Akio seemed a little weird. I also loved the HUD, kinda hi-tech and with a good shade of green.

The music is very good too, very adapted to each scene. I really liked it.

East Tower: Akio is a little good moment I've spent. without having to think too much. It's not the best visual novel out there, I admit that, however, it's still worthy of a purchase.

","score":1,"kind":"approval","endorsements":14,"spoiler":false},{"ref":"steam:17942050","audience":"player","origin":"steam","author":"","url":"","language":"en","publishedAt":"2015-09-08T12:36:56.000Z","title":"","text":"East Tower - Akio had an interesting premise. In it, you play as a heroine who goes into a virtual reality game that's meant to fulfill the players wishes. However, things go wrong when the game is hacked and you end-up working as a team with Aiko to make your way through the levels.\nEven though the concept had promise, the execution of the game wasn't all that great. The artwork is rough and the storyline is extremely superficial. Since it only took me an hour to complete the game, I'll play through the other three in the series. However, if I didn't already own them, I wouldn't bother.","html":"

East Tower - Akio had an interesting premise. In it, you play as a heroine who goes into a virtual reality game that's meant to fulfill the players wishes. However, things go wrong when the game is hacked and you end-up working as a team with Aiko to make your way through the levels.

Even though the concept had promise, the execution of the game wasn't all that great. The artwork is rough and the storyline is extremely superficial. Since it only took me an hour to complete the game, I'll play through the other three in the series. However, if I didn't already own them, I wouldn't bother.

","score":0,"kind":"approval","endorsements":11,"spoiler":false},{"ref":"steam:17410804","audience":"player","origin":"steam","author":"","url":"","language":"en","publishedAt":"2015-08-06T07:41:45.000Z","title":"","text":"A short average Visual Novel with an entertaining storyline, the first part of the East Tower series delivers an hour of acceptable immersion as we are introduced to the struggling female protagonist entering a virtual dream world attraction with a group of men, one of which serves as the romance interest for this particular game, competing their way through stages contributing to increasingly contrived feelings and advancing the deeper plot.\nGameplay\nThe game itself is divided into seven stages of the meta-level game, each of which must be passed during a complete playthrough. Being a practically linear VN, the story only branches extremely lightly with bad choices leading to restarts of each stage, while good choices lead to either S- or A-rank passes, depending on the quality of the choice. These are the only decisions the player makes throughout the game.\nStory\nApart from the very superficial first impressions of the characters, the VN does accomplish to use the stage design to gradually form a bond between the protagonists, slowly revealing their pasts and secrets and bringing them closer. With that said, the entire romance part is still dangerously cliché. Thanks to the unusual setting, the overall combination, while definitely not groundbreaking, does manage to deliver some fresh air to the genre, but not in the sense that it would lure in many people that are not positive towards VNs in the first place.\nThe ending is simplisticly conclusive but does provide a cliffhanger for the next episodes in the series.\nGraphics\nAs many recent VNs suffer from, both characters and backgrounds are crudely rendered and severely lack dimension. Faces are portrayed awkwardly and it subtracts from the realism in an otherwise fine story. The amount of backgrounds and character expressions is extremely limited and some are repeatedly used in less appropriate settings. This is an example of many recent VN publishers that have started to favour quantity over quality, and is overall reducing the average of the genre.\nMedia\nThe main protagonist is supposedly the player's avatar, despite a lot of events in the game seemingly not designed for that. Because of this, her speech is not voiced, while all the male characters' are. I find this to be a very poor choice from the developers as not only could this be interpreted in the wrong way, but it simply destroys the atmosphere when one character is mute while others talk (GTA V anyone?) It makes the game feel incomplete.\nThe cutscenes are also the trademark of low-budget VNs, a mixture of theme music with clippings from the game's character portraits and with random quotes from the game passing by the screen (as seen in the Steam trailer). In my opinion, if you cannot make a proper intro, you'd be better off not passing off that kind of work as one and just skip it entirely.\nOn a positive note, the various mood music throughout the game does manage to hit its cues and set the atmosphere as it should.\nAchievements\nAll achievements in the game are very easy to obtain by the length of two playthroughs, picking S-rank and A-rank choices, respectively (saving at a branching point to obtain the carrot ending). By completing S-ranks you unlock each stage's epilogue which eventually unlocks all the CGs. There is a great 100% in the Community Guides section.\nOverall\nEast Tower - Akio manages to deliver a decent, refreshing story covered in the average artwork of mediocricy that is dominating certain mainstream VNs today. It is quite short, and prospective buyers should most likely obtain this in a bundle key or similar for it to be worth it. However, if your mind is tuned for a little trip down VN lane with a drop of feels, then I do believe you can get a good experience out of it.\nPros | Cons\nEntertaining story | Quite short\n | Poor artwork\nGameplay: N/A\nStory: 7/10\nGraphics: 5/10\nMedia: 5/10\nOverall: 7/10","html":"

A short average Visual Novel with an entertaining storyline, the first part of the East Tower series delivers an hour of acceptable immersion as we are introduced to the struggling female protagonist entering a virtual dream world attraction with a group of men, one of which serves as the romance interest for this particular game, competing their way through stages contributing to increasingly contrived feelings and advancing the deeper plot.

Gameplay

The game itself is divided into seven stages of the meta-level game, each of which must be passed during a complete playthrough. Being a practically linear VN, the story only branches extremely lightly with bad choices leading to restarts of each stage, while good choices lead to either S- or A-rank passes, depending on the quality of the choice. These are the only decisions the player makes throughout the game.

Story

Apart from the very superficial first impressions of the characters, the VN does accomplish to use the stage design to gradually form a bond between the protagonists, slowly revealing their pasts and secrets and bringing them closer. With that said, the entire romance part is still dangerously cliché. Thanks to the unusual setting, the overall combination, while definitely not groundbreaking, does manage to deliver some fresh air to the genre, but not in the sense that it would lure in many people that are not positive towards VNs in the first place.

The ending is simplisticly conclusive but does provide a cliffhanger for the next episodes in the series.

Graphics

As many recent VNs suffer from, both characters and backgrounds are crudely rendered and severely lack dimension. Faces are portrayed awkwardly and it subtracts from the realism in an otherwise fine story. The amount of backgrounds and character expressions is extremely limited and some are repeatedly used in less appropriate settings. This is an example of many recent VN publishers that have started to favour quantity over quality, and is overall reducing the average of the genre.

Media

The main protagonist is supposedly the player's avatar, despite a lot of events in the game seemingly not designed for that. Because of this, her speech is not voiced, while all the male characters' are. I find this to be a very poor choice from the developers as not only could this be interpreted in the wrong way, but it simply destroys the atmosphere when one character is mute while others talk (GTA V anyone?) It makes the game feel incomplete.

The cutscenes are also the trademark of low-budget VNs, a mixture of theme music with clippings from the game's character portraits and with random quotes from the game passing by the screen (as seen in the Steam trailer). In my opinion, if you cannot make a proper intro, you'd be better off not passing off that kind of work as one and just skip it entirely.

On a positive note, the various mood music throughout the game does manage to hit its cues and set the atmosphere as it should.

Achievements

All achievements in the game are very easy to obtain by the length of two playthroughs, picking S-rank and A-rank choices, respectively (saving at a branching point to obtain the carrot ending). By completing S-ranks you unlock each stage's epilogue which eventually unlocks all the CGs. There is a great 100% in the Community Guides section.

Overall

East Tower - Akio manages to deliver a decent, refreshing story covered in the average artwork of mediocricy that is dominating certain mainstream VNs today. It is quite short, and prospective buyers should most likely obtain this in a bundle key or similar for it to be worth it. However, if your mind is tuned for a little trip down VN lane with a drop of feels, then I do believe you can get a good experience out of it.

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Pros	Cons
Entertaining story	Quite short
	Poor artwork

Gameplay: N/A
\nStory: 7/10
\nGraphics: 5/10
\nMedia: 5/10

Overall: 7/10

","score":1,"kind":"approval","endorsements":13,"spoiler":false},{"ref":"steam:42622447","audience":"player","origin":"steam","author":"","url":"","language":"en","publishedAt":"2018-06-10T08:02:53.000Z","title":"","text":"An interesting otome VN with the main character's sex changing when in the dream world and their journey about who they want to be. I think Sakuya was the most interesting character for me because a lot of their issues with gender is one I myself have felt but the game is more about Sakuya's discovery in that it's not about gender but the character of a person that defines them. I think it's a good game to check out for it's themes about gender identity and feeling comfortable in your body, but as a romance VN it isn't really all that exciting, and the mystery in this volume is really passive. I'm excited to play the rest of the East Tower games, despite finding this one bit bland because i'm very interested in what was presented of the other characters, and I hear the content in each subsequent volume increased quite a bit. Over all, this is kind of a toss up when it comes to being a reccomendation, but I can see it being a nice game to play if the theme interests you, as it is an original plot idea for an otome.","html":"

An interesting otome VN with the main character's sex changing when in the dream world and their journey about who they want to be. I think Sakuya was the most interesting character for me because a lot of their issues with gender is one I myself have felt but the game is more about Sakuya's discovery in that it's not about gender but the character of a person that defines them. I think it's a good game to check out for it's themes about gender identity and feeling comfortable in your body, but as a romance VN it isn't really all that exciting, and the mystery in this volume is really passive. I'm excited to play the rest of the East Tower games, despite finding this one bit bland because i'm very interested in what was presented of the other characters, and I hear the content in each subsequent volume increased quite a bit. Over all, this is kind of a toss up when it comes to being a reccomendation, but I can see it being a nice game to play if the theme interests you, as it is an original plot idea for an otome.

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We will see whether that was a good idea or not. I have played some of RoseVerte's newer games - namely, Cafe 0 series before, and I loved them genuinely. East Tower series are older titles, and it can be counted a bit on the amateurish side, among developer's games. Every game in the series centers on one of the gentlemen which we can develop an intimate relationship with, and this first one takes a close look on Akio.\nYet, before delving into the personality of this first beau, let me present a brief summary of the storyline. Our protagonist, Sakuya - or whatever you name her - is a girl who wishes she'd be a boy instead. Her cousin being a game master for the newest digital entertainment at the local VR game center presents her with an opportunity: to attend the newest puzzle VR called West Tower! Well, not really. You see, East Tower is a game for boys, and West Tower is a game for girls - for some reason. Yet, Sakuya convinces her cousin to allow her to disguise as a boy and attend East Tower instead. She attends the game with four other gentlemen, no problem thus far. Yet, as the game starts, an announcement takes place about a hacker who is trying to infiltrate the game! Things may go wrong and we are asked to partner with someone to tread carefully. With her chosen partner for this puzzle world, Sakuya is to brave challenges and learn a bit more about her chosen teammate.\nSuch is the prologue part of every game in the series, yet in this one, you are partnered with Akio. He is a young boy who claims to be much older than he seems to be. Yet, his demeanor is cold, and quite aggressive - with an \"I'm independent and sh*t\" attitude. Are you willing to discover who he is - or whether he can be the hacker in disguise or not? Spoilers: he is not, and he is actually a young businessman with family trauma. Not that interesting if you ask me, yet he is relatable to a degree. - and the probable identity of the hacker is more than obvious as the game starts, alongside the identities of all participants Anyhow, you can pursue Akio either as a friend or a romantic interest in this one, with appropriate achievements, of course.\nWell, the VN has a promising storyline, yet its execution is a bit rushed - with little to no character development. One can say that the developer really came a long way since East Tower series, when you recall Cafe 0. It is refreshing to encounter the concept of bisexuality - or even a probable nuance on homosexuality - in the genre, yet I believe it could have been handled better. Sakuya's reason for her aspiration to be masculine isn't that deep rooted or well explained either - I found her reasons to be a bit childish. I personally liked Akio, he is the possessive one who could be preferred by many young ladies - nothing to complain. The end game plot twist isn't that groundbreaking - yet I'll refrain myself from presenting a judgement since this is the first game in the storyline, and not much will be revealed until the last game.\nThe artwork is on the amateurish side alongside the story narrative. I have nothing against anime style artwork, but these kinda seem like they were taken out of the sketchbook of a junior high schooler. Proportions are awkward, and the whole - male/female version of the same character portrayal could have more details rather than boobs and chin changing. The soundtrack is a bit annoying, and it being on the loop during the gameplay cringes you a bit. Puzzles themselves, and appropriate VN choice options are fitting and fun - yet I found our protagonist and her responses in conversations to be somewhat dim and childish.\nAt the end of the day, even though it has an interesting concept, its execution is pretty rough on the edges. It takes an hour to complete, and leaves more questions around rather than it answers. Does it intrigue you, does it provoke you to go for other games in the series? Well, yes, and that would count as the foremost success of this title, if you are willing to forgive some execution mistakes. You do wonder what that hacker thing was all about, nonetheless. I'll update my opinion as I continue the series though. Until then, this one is a \"you can take it or leave it\" title. Enjoy!\nPlease also check out Lady Storyteller's Curator page here - follow for regular updates on reviews for other games!","html":"

East Tower - Akio

2015 ROSEVERTE

First release date

Developer

Publisher

Themes

Genres