Otome Game Review : Area-X

Title                      : Area-X
Publisher               : Zeiva Inc Production
Released                : 16-06-2013
Rating                   : 13+
Type                      : Visual Novel, Flash
Original Language : English
Platform               : PC



My second review and also the second series of X Otome Games by Zeiva Inc. Before this game is released, I was waiting and can't wait for it to be released!

First Impression

Based on my experience playing X-note, I expected this game to be a good game. Better, or at least in the same level with X-note.


Art

If the art of this game compared to X-note, the previous game,  I can say the art improved (Well, seen from the cover already). The background graphic is those which improved so much! I can say the art is smoother than the one in X-note. And I love the Towers in Area-X too.

Music

The music is still good, but it's just me, I think. The music when Elcia's first day.. Well, it's the same BGM in Leah's Tale for Miomir, so I can't help but keep thinking of gnomes in every time that music pops up. Besides that, I don't have any problem. I just love when now, each character got their own BGM.


Mini Games

The mini games improved, yes. The mini-games not only clicking on the right time or memorizing, but to those which require some thought, like when we have to make fire in Yuras' route, and the piano quest in Belph's route.

Plot

In here, we're playing as Elcia, a time negotiator from the future who has to go to the past in the name of Project Recovery. Btw, I recommend you play Yuras' route first, followed by Belph's, Rexus', Livan's and the secret guy's.

Yuras - The baby-faced boy who can be found in Ice Age. Well.. The first meeting with him, actually, I got really surprised because I never imagine an otome game where one of the guy would bury the heroine in the snow! I mean, if I become Elcia, I wouldn't know how to react as well, especially if in the future, he'll become the prince-charming-of-my-life or whatever is that.

If you played X-note, Yuras is like Yuon and Oure mixed into one and turn out as a horrible result when first knowing him: cold, naive, intimidating and has no consideration in speaking (And he only speaks whether he needs to). His stare also scary enough to make someone decided to eat raw meat than being stared at him for longer. But deep inside, he's a caring person (Oure side? I don't know) and kind enough to bring Elcia to Akrot despite Santo-hate-outsiders condition and told the villagers to not tell Santo's people about Elcia. He also saved Elcia so many times from.. jaguars (Yeah, only jaguars). He's not good at words but he's good at his actions ("Actions speaks louder than words" maybe is what he believeing in.) Aside from the intimidating and no-joking person, Zeiva provided some jokes in his routes because the difference of dimension, like dimension become die-mansion and planetarium become plain-nectar-rum. The so-sweet about Yuras is he's not hesitated to ask Elcia to lean closer after Elcia sneezed in the middle of their star-seeing (Bawww... I wanna someone like him too in my life lol). If me, I want Yuras to be my big brother, although you can't expect more than a caveman self from him.

Yuras' route focuses on looking for Elcia's 'village' (I assume it's searching signal) and the sacrifice of Ciera, Yuras' sister. In this route, I'm seeing a "kill or be killed" and "be the strongest so you can see tomorrow" world. Yeah, classical Ice Age life, but I don't think many otome game take its story at that era (as far as I know). In this route, there's Oure in Crete and I love to see his cute face again. Maybe he's a guest star? I don't know. Forgot about Oure and back to the story. Yuras' route has a very touching story about how precious is family, and after finished this route I felt like I wanna hug my mother ><

Belph - Elcia's operator and old friend from the institute. He's the other member of  'Sadistic Duo'. He's full of sarcasm, messing around and looks like has no responsibility at all. Irina said that a duet of Elcia and Belph will turn out as something.. dangerous? Considering what they have done at school..

Elcia and Belph has become good friends since their school days, so they don't have any awkward moment or something like that. They're also very much alike, with the pranks, sarcasm and their intelligence. It's like he always knows what is Elcia thinking Elcia knows what is in his mind. Despite talking about slacking off all the time and looks like never care for Elcia, he's a perfect best friend who always supports Elcia throughout the game, by offering helps and cheering up Elcia after Irina's incident. Although he's the best friend of Elcia, he kept so many secrets, especially about his family. Elcia always said that he's not romantic at all, but in my opinion, he's still become a good boyfriend (I mean, a relationship isn't only about romantic things, right?) If there's a word that can describe Belph, I believe that word is 'betrayed'. He might be smiling a lot times in the beginning, but as the story goes, he is someone who need to be cheered up. His story also reminded mine with a sentence "In the end, it's your own expectation who betrayed you." If Yuras' story is a story about family, Belph's story is about how a thing could change someone entirely, from innocent and naive to someone entirely different.

Belph's route focuses on Elcia's past, his past, and where is the stolen Eon Database. This route focuses on what is the purpose of Axial Power and Belph's uncle as well. From the Land Path routes, this route is the key route of what's happening. And in this route.. Well, it's unclear whether Belph really loves Elcia in the ending because Belph only said when he said that he hated Elcia, it was the biggest lie he ever made. Even the bonus scene still made it unclear because their relationship is only messing here and there in underground cities with "Sadistic Duo" name.

Rexus - The guy that Elcia met in the Present. He looks like a badass with carrying bamboo stick everywhere and his serious face made him looks like he can kill a puppy with his glare. At their first meeting, he was trying to protect Yuon who got bullied by the infamous gang D or whatever is that and he admitted that Elcia is scary. He's the same Rexus as the Rexus in X-note, yes. He looks cool too, like usual ><

Still with the same characteristics in X-note, Rexus has a big body but very mild-mannered and terrible at lying. He even said that he's the huge fan of ORZ Corporate statue when the third meeting! LOL He's also the only guy who can be teased and that's what made his route is fun, like when Elcia said she's gonna change in front of Rexus (His face gone red. I told you, gone red like it has been painted with a red paint LOL *died for a few minutes 'cause of laughing*). He's also the type of guy who can't win over his girl.. No matter how hard he's trying to fight Elcia, he lost in the end and ended up bullied by Elcia and Belph (You two are really a sadistic duo..) He's somewhat childish, with his concept as leader and so on, and I think he's naive because he can't hide when Elcia stated that he's the leader of Project Recovery. Aside from that, he's actually only want to be acknowledged by Elcia and not seen as someone weak. He also wanted to protect everyone that he loves - making him has a perfect heart for a leader.

Rexus' route focuses on Elcia's past before Elcia met Belph. This route is quite surprising, considering both of them 'originally' from the future. This route also focuses on why is the time machine made and the source of Eon Database. Basically I won't say there's a good ending for Rexus' route, both the Puppy and Yuon ending. In this route, we only gotta choose who will die: Elcia or Rexus and the 'good' ending is Elcia died to save the world from dimension breaking. If I gotta choose Puppy or Yuon's path, well, can't choose because both of them had a good story. Puppy's path way more exciting and Yuon's path has a touching story of a son who can't interact well with his father.

Livan - The guy that Elcia met in the Middle Ages. He's a private artist for Pedoe Manor. He looks calm and polite with a calming smile. He always compares anything with anything painting-related, like his love for painting and the feeling when he mixed the wrong color. From their first meeting, Livan is kind, just too kind to offer Elcia help to go in to Pedoe Manor.

If there's a guy who caught my attention in first-time seeing the face, it'd him. I love his hairstyle, although I hate his hat. He looks like a perfect gentleman and looks like he'd make a perfect husband (He's able to survive living alone and the top of that, he can cook very well, especially baking. I love sweets ><)
He's awfully too kind, and he's persistent on helping Elcia and making Elcia become dependent to him. He and Elcia sometimes debates on odd things like "I shouldn't accept more of your kindness" but Livan keep persistent. He's also overthinking irrelevant things like the crab and the spider hairstyle of Captain D.. From all the guys, he's the most mysterious because.. I sensed something is strange when playing his route. I mean, there is no person who is too kind in the world, even in the fiction world because there will no story if someone's too kind. And yeah, I am right. If Belph is lying and hiding facts, he's manipulating people with his smile just to get what he wants - probably unexpectable from someone who looked like only doing good deeds for people. He's just too good with it.

Livan's route is the key route in Land Path. Actually, not only in the Land Path but also the key route from all the stories. This route is the hardest route too, if I must say with all THREE TIMES action. Gosh, I believe this route is believing 'three times is a magical number' and somehow made it into a fundamental belief. This route also has the most interesting yet odd people too, like Pedoe with his absurd interest in bears, The King with his crazy interest in cookies and Livan himself with his obsession in paintings. And the first mystery that aren't solved in other routes are solved in this route too, I mean, the real culprit who behind all the problems. Btw, I don't mind having a husband like Livan.. He's perfect for that position (?) This route also has no good ending too.. So I kinda disappointed but I guess that made a variety in otome games where good endings aren't always with the heroine and the guy live together happily every after, right?

Ferim - He can be found at Area-X. He's the mysterious guy who hides his face. He said that he controlled the time, that's why in the first he asked to be called as 'Time Manager' but Elcia complained how long 'Time Manager' to be pronounced. He's stoic, like has no character at all. I mean, he's like a machine who doesn't have any emotion. He's just flat and yeah, that's it.

His route holds the key, the real explanation from mysteries that still not explained in Rexus' route. He also holds the very good ending (I said that because.. yeah, you gotta play it by yourself). I don't think this route can be called as a GxB route.. Can you say that you're having romantic or at least good time with Ferim? The answer is no. This route is only explaining what is happened, while Ferim is trying to understand humans' emotions. This route only has one path which leads to good ending.

Conclusion

Zeiva still presented a very good story in this game, along with the improved art. However, I'm expecting more in the next game after Area-X. This game has a very original idea and I love it. But still.. for an otome game, it kinda lacks of romantic session but I don't think it can be added more romantic session as well.. It's still like X-note: You're choosing your partner and how you want to finish the problem, not choosing the prince-charming for your life (maybe exceptional for Belph's route..)