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Hourglass of Summer
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Summary
Right before Summer Vacation, Kotaro Makimura finally makes up his mind to ask out beautiful Kaho Serizawa, but the very next day he wakes up to realize that Summer Vacation is over and he has "Day Dropped", or time-slipped, to September 1st. Going to school in a state of confusion, Kotaro finds his grief-stricken classmates - and they tell him that his girlfriend Kaho had died in a tragic accident on August 31st. How did you start dating Kaho when you don't even remember asking her out? And what were the tragic events that led up to her death? Day dropping back and forth into time, you grapple with the problem of how to overcome this terrible fate awaiting the girl of your dreams. |
Review
Hourglass of Summer is an incredible game. By the time the opening theme played, which is about 30 minutes in, I was hooked!
While playing the game, you will experience some events out of order because Kotaro often "Day Drops" to a random day when he sleeps, which is kind of neat. For example, you go on a date with Kaho before you even ask her out. Going through the game is like watching the pieces of a puzzle come together. The story is very smart and had me completely absorbed from start to finish. It's really quite amazing how well thought-out the story is. The game has two different objectives. One of them is to save Kaho from dying. The other is to make the right decisions to get the girl you want.
The game is voice narrated by the main character, Kotaro. It's surprisingly fun to read, Kotaro is a really likeable guy, and his lines are spoken in an appealing way that keeps even the minor details interesting. His comments also cracked me up a few times when he shares his thoughts on certain events. During the game you make choices based on which girl's heart you want to capture. Kaho is a beautiful rich girl from the adjacent class that Kotaro decides to ask out early in the game. Ai is Kotaro's cheerful childhood friend. Mana is a girl on the swim team who is preparing for her upcoming competition. Tomomi is Kotaro's science teacher. Lee Jane is a mysterious girl from the future. I like all the characters and enjoyed learning about them. No matter which paths you choose to take, all the characters play a major role in the story.
It's very suspenseful at times because it's an unpredictable game. Some scenes had me on the edge of my seat dying to know whether my choices had changed the future or not. There were times where things started to look like I surely made a wrong choice somewhere and then find myself feeling completely relieved a little later after realizing things turned out all right. Then there was another point in the game where it looked like everything was going great and shortly after I got the bad ending. Everything in the game makes sense, though, and I even knew exactly where I messed up.
Hourglass of Summer a very long game, but it never feels like it's dragging on. A ton of stuff happens in this game and the pacing is absolutely perfect. It took me nearly 14 hours to complete, during which I made approximately 60 choices. After I finished the game I felt very satisfied with the ending and relieved that everything turned out the way I wanted.
The artwork is clean looking and the game is beautiful. There are lots of special event CG's thrown in, which are always fun to encounter. The game feels lively and doesn't sit around with the same image on the screen for too long. The girls also have a few different outfits and multiple stances to keep them from looking too static. There are even a couple character images that have slight animation, like their eyes gleaming. The game would have benefited from a few additional background images, though. For instance, in one point in the game you spend some time at the school pool, however, it never shows the pool, just the hallway leading to it. The background music is comprised of several techno songs. I think the music is excellent with a lot of the songs having an uplifting feel to them.
Hourglass of Summer is a very well-made game; the story, characters, artwork and music are all top-notch. It's an amazing experience and I can't recommend it highly enough.
Overall:  Marc Frost, 2006 |
Content 
Language
No offensive language.
Violence
Nothing offensive.
Sex
A few scenes of the girls in suggestive clothing, like only wearing a bath towel or changing their clothes, but it never shows anything (or even comes very close to showing anything). One of the characters is in the swim club so there are a few scenes of her in her bathing suit. There is also a little talk about breast sizes.
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Distributor
Hirameki International Group Inc. (North America, NTSC, Region 1)
There are a few minor spelling and grammer errors, but they are far and few between.
Passwords
Ai's CG scenes: ILOVEYOU
Background music: BGMMODES |
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