Mystic Destinies: Serendipity of Aeons - Hikaru: Book 1 DLC

[h1]The destined big conclusion to the game! (or is it? :P) [/h1] No but seriously, it feels great if you played the other routes before and it actually gives the game one last punch! [h1]--if you are unsure if you want to buy book 1 AND 2 [/h1] (wich you probably should as they have a continues storyline. [b]Book 1 has NO climax or ending[/b] really) [b][u]please check out my review on book 2[/u][/b] where i adress the negative points indepth. Sadly the second book is the part where all the issues really come to play. [h1]Game overall: [/h1] - CS were good but i would have hoped for more (or i'm used to get more of them in other VN/Otome). -> the music loops seem to be a lot better in Hikarus playthrough. maybe bc he got some new tracks too. anyhow its not a negative point anymore! yay! + Other that that the game is unusually polished + i personally enjoyed a more western/realistic artstyle for once + and the writing was good (both in grammar AND storytelling) + the maincharacter is normal, in a GOOD way. She reacts grumpy when someone is rude, shes flustered if its the situation but shes not overly anything. The writing conveyed a fully fleshed charcter wich you shape with your reaktions one by one. I really enjoyed seeing this instead of one blunt character! (-? some of the options feel a bit wierd in how he reacts. Like some of tehm make sense later on / in retrospective but not all of them - its a really tiny problem tho) [h1]This particular Route: [/h1] ++ Amazing idea to put all routes together - i loved it! Eventhough i had hoped we would kinda get pay off for actually playing them (i.e. the choises be linked to the story, that you had to know what was "the right choice" to pick) but thats nagging on high niveau! + likewise it feels like on big show down after the first few chapters, wich is really exciting as this is the last released route and kinda the climax of the game over all (well if you leave out the amazing chaos route wich you should play AFTER book 2!) + hikaru might be my fav character yet (even tho he seems a bit ill treated is his own routes (more on that futrher below and on book 2 review) - regarding personal time or like relationship devolopment you have hardly any with hikaru (or even ANY). I get that we learn a lot about him (well more about the divine realm rather) and we kinda get closer to him - but not in a romantic way actually. it cann all be very well seen absolutely firendly/platonic (wich makes book 2's [spoiler]"were destined for each other"[/spoiler] really forced ... wich is really sad!)

!!!DONT PLAY THIS ROUTE FIRST IT HAS SPOILERS FOR THE OTHERS!!!! This game is one of the best that I have found in a while. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who enjoys visual novels and otome games. This one is worth the investment. The vastness of the world and the beings in it is incredible leaving room for so much more! There is so much effort in the writing and world creation and the characters within. I also find it enjoyable that all the characters have varying degrees of relationships that do not center on or revolve around the MC. Note: I personally didn't enjoy Hikaru's route as much as some of the earlier ones. I found him frustrating in the way he reacts to the MC though some of it is understandable since they're Teacher/Student at the start. Still, some of his actions didn't seem to make sense and neither did hers TBH. It was a bit better in the second part of the route. His route was where you finally find out about MC's mother and her past and it answers a lot of the questions you've been wondering through all the other routes. PROS: - Complex world and Lore - Huge array of characters beyond the MC and LIs - The routes are all separate with completely different stories~! - The sprites, BGs and CGs are GORGEOUS - The music is really really lovely! - Really good writing CONS: - The format is a little unusual and potentially confusing for buyers - Buying routes and epilogues separately can feel pricey (but gives you freedom of who you want to romance) - Route split into two different parts - Kind of comes off as the "True" route as a result of things that happen in the story - I'm not fond of MacGuffins as a plot device but can't be helped when dealing with Gods I suppose.

If you bought this DLC hoping to really get to know Hikaru and for romance to blossom like I did, then don't buy it. You're stuck with an annoying and illogical antagonist the entire book instead. The story had some cool moments and twists but it was so action packed that there was zero room for any one-on-one time with Hikaru. And it's main purpose seems to be to set up Book 2. Thankfully book 1 was cheap so the regret of purchasing it isn't as severe.

It's kind of short, and seems to be just setting up for Book Two. Book one feels more like a teaser than anything. The devs put a lot of thought into their creative decisions, I haven't felt dissatisfied with anything they've done so far, so I'm going to trust them on how they've chosen to release Hikaru's story. However, if you're someone who has trouble being patient then I would recommend waiting until the full route is available. Still, it's a beautiful game with an interesting plot. I enjoyed revisiting the characters at least. [spoiler] Galinn's true identity is revealed and I admit I scremb'd a bit. [/spoiler]

Hikaru’s story is finally here, and it seems longer than the previous routes since they had to split his story in two parts. Book I felt short to me tho, in terms of interaction with Hikaru himself. [spoiler]Sure, there’s the “revisiting” the other characters routes, but still…[/spoiler] We get to know new characters too [spoiler]and Galinn’s true identity. I swear I did NOT see that coming lol[/spoiler]. Book I left a lot of unanswered questions, it ends very suddenly. I really recommend getting Book II (which is out by now) at the same time, so you won’t get (too much) frustrated by the lack of answers. [spoiler]Also, I loved that Tsubasa got to chose which "song" would be playing. I died at the "sad song because Hikaru" sort of choice. lol[/spoiler]