Shira Oka is still alive! It's a bishoujo game but the interface is so slick I don't care. Reminds me of an English PC version of Love Plus. There is a demo version that was released two weeks ago. Here's a link to their site:
http://www.shira-oka.com/
Shira Oka: Second Chances
I don't think they are sure, but I believe the game is mostly done, just balancing and tweaks are left.sayuri wrote:Well it took them five years to come out with a demo spanning 3 game months. At this rate they'll probably be done in... 100 years. I actually have no clue when they'll be done, but everything looks pretty solid so it shouldn't be terribly long.
In addition to that, they posted earlier that a public release date should be available soon.J_Yum1978 wrote:The beta testing has been completed. There is a 2nd extended demo version. Try it out!!
(I was one of the beta testers, btw, so I can say that the game is definitely worth your patience! I can also say the team worked very hard, so I know they hope you all enjoy it!)
Okay, I definitely recommend this game to people! The demo gives you a taste of it, but there is an incredibly amount of depth to the game that doesn't start to show as much until you've made a couple of 'cycles' - there are some undercurrents that are very interesting 
....as a result, there's a high re-play value.
....as a result, there's a high re-play value.
They are adding an easy mode, but you also get a tiny bonus for doing it in regular mode.emichan wrote:i heard it was too hard and everyone fails all the time and has to start over
It also depends on who you are going for. People like Rena and Alice have pretty easy endings, but others like Yui, Kiku, and Kazuki have very hard ones. They also vary in different ways, so one you might have to be more popular, another good at sports, etc etc. Generally it's just making the right choices and doing tasks that people assign, though.
Well, I think kind of the point is to start over your character does really poorly the first time - and gets reset back to the beginning when he fails. My first run through, my guy was on his fifth cycle (what they call it when you reset to the beginning - with your stats intact, and the knowledge you've gained!) before he achieved an ending. I had 1 reset that was due to lack of knowledge (a reset everyone gets pretty early on), 2 resets due to poor grades, and 1 reset due to a lack of socializing.
But reseting is what makes the game interesting! It's not like most visual novels where replaying it is exactly the same - things are different based on the knowledge you've gained, and your relationships with the characters.
The game is not just a basic, boring highschool game. There is a ton more depth there.
And...a little hint to some people who like this sort of thing~ there are two guys in the game (other than the main character). And word on the Shira Oka forums is that you can get endings with them...they're left purposefully ambiguous, but someone who knows what they are looking for will see it (I haven't managed to get their endings yet, since I've only gotten Alice's so far, so this is word of mouth).
your character does really poorly the first time - and gets reset back to the beginning when he fails. My first run through, my guy was on his fifth cycle (what they call it when you reset to the beginning - with your stats intact, and the knowledge you've gained!) before he achieved an ending. I had 1 reset that was due to lack of knowledge (a reset everyone gets pretty early on), 2 resets due to poor grades, and 1 reset due to a lack of socializing.But reseting is what makes the game interesting! It's not like most visual novels where replaying it is exactly the same - things are different based on the knowledge you've gained, and your relationships with the characters.
The game is not just a basic, boring highschool game. There is a ton more depth there.
And...a little hint to some people who like this sort of thing~ there are two guys in the game (other than the main character). And word on the Shira Oka forums is that you can get endings with them...they're left purposefully ambiguous, but someone who knows what they are looking for will see it
(I haven't managed to get their endings yet, since I've only gotten Alice's so far, so this is word of mouth).ok!
So i like the game. i completed 1 of the guys endings. It was pretty much a friendship ending. The thing i like about this game is that when you do go back you retain the knowledge of what happened so sometimes your not reading the same thing over and over.
What really bugs me about this game though is the lack of hints when it comes to stats you need. I hate investing into music because a character likes it and then find out in the last section of the game that i needed strength as well, and they send me back to the beginning of the game.
There is a continuing storyline conflict in the game that is going to make you play it over and over so you can resolve it.
What really bugs me about this game though is the lack of hints when it comes to stats you need. I hate investing into music because a character likes it and then find out in the last section of the game that i needed strength as well, and they send me back to the beginning of the game.
There is a continuing storyline conflict in the game that is going to make you play it over and over so you can resolve it.