Cradle Song preview

OELVNs are not something I really keep track of. I know about Katawa Shoujo of course, as well as Dandelion Girl, and I'm sure we're all well aware of Uncle Mugen's masterpieces, but my understanding was that everything else is mostly pretty bad. I heard about Cradle Song on /a/ the other day and checked the teaser out, having no expectations. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was well made, and actually pretty interesting.

The story (going by the synopsis on the devs' site) sounds like The Matrix with superpowers and high school students. It may not be original but it's certainly not generic and sounds like it could make for a good setting. The downloadable preview version is only 10-15 minutes long: don't expect a demo, it's just a teaser. If you're interested, you can get it off the site.

If you'd rather not, I took a few screenshots from the teaser.

The protag and his crush

All VNs need a lewd onee-san

"Welcome...to the real world."

It ends immediately following that choice.

Apparently it'll be at least a year before we're likely to see a demo, and presumably at least another year before a full release (assuming it doesn't just fall apart somewhere along the way). I hope it makes it to a release though - I like the idea of OELVNs and I think they have the potential to take off if a few decent works make it to release (consider how many people are interested in KS outside the pre-existing VN fanbase). The art looks good, the music is good, and the story seems like it has potential. The writing quality is pretty good too, although I think there may be a few too many adjectives forced into some sentences. 

The good thing about the writing, common to all OELVNs, is that it isn't a translation. It's refreshing to see some everyday English phrases and idioms that you just don't see in translated works, and it makes conversations feel more real. It's a nice change to not see "It can't be helped..." at least.

Speaking of translated VNs, I've just finished Muv Luv Extra. It was okay. I did Sumika's route first but regretted my decision about half way through as I found Meiya to be the more interesting character by far. After finishing those two routes I decided to do Ayamine's as well, which was another bad decision. Her route was boring and involved her having feelings for another guy. I'm definitely not going through the rest, and will go straight on to Unlimited. Somehow I've still managed to avoid any spoilers about Alternative, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

I know Alternative is supposed to be awesome, but I don't know what Unlimited is like. Is it just the same as Extra with a military theme? I really don't want to go through the same SoL comedy again straight away.