iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

I desperately need to finish Control Resonance before GTA 6 comes out and destroys my free time.

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

For the first time I have abandoned a visual novel with no plans to return. A Sky Full of Stars is a slice of life romance about an astronomy club obsessive and the four girls he wants to be a paternal figure to.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Continuing with unintentionally reading all of Key’s visual novels, I have now completed “Angel Beats: First Beat”. There’s not much to this one, being incomplete, however the insane amount of dialogue options that subtlety alter the story are fascinating.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Reading the remake of “Never7” and the original is clearly from an era before the ability to remove the textbox was popularized. The story is not about aliens invading earth to seduce our women. 😭

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

UuultraC has been completed. 1970s Showa Japan: What if “kaiju” was a sexually transmitted disease? Plays like a short film where there’s one concept taken to its furthest extent. A bit dream-like/Lynchian I really enjoyed this super gay story. And dear god is it beautiful.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Wow it’s almost been 10 years since the last mainline Mario game.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Sometimes a game understands what it is.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

If I never hear “sailing to Cuba” again I’ll be a happy man. I swear my crew put that song on repeat.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Z.A.T.O. has been beaten. This may be my new recommendation for starting visual novels. It’s free. It’s about 6 hours long. What starts out as a slice of life mystery slowly turns into sci-fi existential horror. Unlike Song of Saya there’s no sexual horror crap to get in the way of a good story.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

I downloaded every start up movie for steam deck. Most of them are terrible, even more of them have no title to the game it’s referencing. So it makes it really easy to pretend they’re like those fake ads you used to see in old video games. Makes me chuckle more often than not.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

L♾️pers completed. I didn’t know Ryukishi07 had a bad visual novel. Now I do. Reads like an outline to an idea of maybe an okay visual novel. But the execution is pretty darn boring. It’s pretty at least, high Key production value, but a waste of the talent involved.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Tsukihime (2000) Review - You don’t need to read the original. The translation is bad, there is a total of about 5 minutes of music that loops constantly. The story is not very fleshed out (possibly an issue with the translation), and is very repetative even for Nasu.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

I don’t just read visual novels.

120

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Example of the stellar Tsukihime 2000 translation.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Man, I’m kind of shocked by how well regarded the original Tsukihime is regarded. The translation is straight up trash. Been a struggle to push through it.

000

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Completed 9-Nine: Episode 1 Weirdly my first visual novel where it’s way more of a girlfriend simulator despite the plot being about runaway super powers. Did not like how… submissive the female lead was. “You’re so much cleverer than me I could never figure this out on my own.”

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Mixtape was done in two sittings. Should have done it in one, it all flows together really well. Once you get over the fact that the main character is a teenager, she becomes a lot more likable. Brought me close to tears a couple times. Lots of laughs. Definitely targeting people my age.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

I’ve never seen an uncanny valley on something not human until I saw the Star Fox 64 remake footage.

000

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

I’ve been too focused on visual novels to give Eurovision the attention it needs. I’m going in semi-blind this year having only watched each music video once, listened to the Spotify playlist and couple times, and only taken very cursory notes on each song.

020

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Finished Steins;Gate. Most of my complaints are with the many dangling threads in the story. Seems to be resolved by the sequel and expanded universe. Not sure if that’s intentional or if enough people pointed them out that they fixed the holes. This one was overhyped but fun.

000

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Tomodachi Life may get me to dust off the old Switch for the first time in years.

020

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Stella of the End has been completed. I think that will be my review of Clannad, I enjoyed it enough that I went into another game by the Key. I think I liked Stella better though. More focused and digestible. But both were excellent.

010

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Crimson Desert is the type of game where you will walk up to a door and go, “huh?” And then you google. “That’s fucking dumb, how was I to know that the random stone on the ground was to be picked up and put into a basin when all other stones in the game are crafting materials?” For everything!

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

@portlandpolice.bsky.social could not figure out how to report these drivers so I’m doing it here. 4th and Burnside, went through red light crossed the bridge heading east. 1:16 pm, April 5th.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

I have completed the beast that is Clannad. #exhausted

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Wild. 70 hours into Clannad and I finally get the opening credits.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

Marathon is 100% style over substance. To the point where, while there’s a lot of substance, it’s hard to see over all obnoxious style.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

After reading for 3 hours in a day I often go to bed annoyed that I didn’t read more.

120

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

I am in a new round of “what visual novel will win my attention next?” Current contenders: Rewrite+ Fate/Hollow Ateraxia Trails from Zero Steins;Gate Dies irea I’m pushing myself through Rewrite+ the hardest because I’ve yet to finish a Key game despite their pedigree.

020

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

I have completed Fate/Stay Night. It took me about a year of off and on reading. I really wish steam deck playtimes weren’t so broken. I know I didn’t beat this in 59 hours. I would read this again, which I guess makes this a 10 out of 10. Although I think each route could lose 3 days easily.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

I’m so close to finishing Fate/stay night that it’s. All I’ve been reading. Normally I’d come back to it as a bit of fresh air after reading something terrible because the writing is so good. But now I’m at the point that my completionist tendencies are becoming annoyed that it isn’t done yet.

020

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Rhythm Doctor is a game you play with your eyes closed until 2-2 when you give up in frustration. Cool music though, at least from the 4 levels I managed to stumble my way through.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

When I play a visual novel without a walkthrough I never end up in a sex scene. I find all the ways to die before I have straight sex in my games. 😅

030

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

Don’t tell me a “game out now!” when it’s just early access. That’s not a game, that’s a playable bug test.

030

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

The severance paper clip punishment amuses me because I’ve done that job multiple times as a temp and for waaaaaaaay more stacks of paper and it did not traumatize me. Writers have the weirdest aversion to office work.

020

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

I respect the reporter not laughing in derision at being call “piggy”. Then again, I think if I was in most Trump press conferences I’d be rolling my eyes and laughing constantly.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

Beginning of season 2 of severance. I think this show will only work if they never explain anything about the big picture. They can only solve the interpersonal drama. No explanation will ever trump the imagination of the audience.

020

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Finished Cartagra. My review: it’s bad. Bad writing, bad protagonist, bad mystery, bad resolution. At least it’s short. Started the acclaimed Kara no Shojo, the sequel series. Holy cow even a couple hours in the bump in quality is insane. Someone must have taken a class or two in between games.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

You know that these eroge scenes are tacked on in most visual novels because the characters lose all personality once their clothes are off.

200

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

Well Cartagra is going to go waaay faster than expected since it’s like 50% hard core sex scenes and I’m a gay man. The first route was like 3 hours long and had 5ish sex scenes. Will definitely check and see if the rest of the series has a non-pervy version. This is kind of ridiculous.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

Next Visual Novel: Cartagra, the prequel to the Kara No Sho(u)jo trilogy. Another murder mystery series because it’s fall in Portland and a grey wet story fits perfectly with the weather. Also this one is 15-20 hours and it would be nice to finish a visual novel in a couple weeks for once.

010

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

Raging Loop VN Review: Ummmm, ehhhhh, wellll, I mean, i guess, huh, okay. Stop reading after chapter 6. There, I just saved you 15 hours. Great at the setup and the cast, but the finish line is rushed, the protagonist lies to the audience (big no-no for mystery novels), and pulls a Paranoia Agent.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

Ball x Pit is $15 bucks and I would have paid $40 bucks for it. That’s my review.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Baby Steps has been abandoned. I made it to the poison desert where it goes from funny frustrating to just plain frustrating and said “NOPE!”

020

Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

Finished the first third of Fate Stay Night, the Fate Stay Night part… Shirou is such a misogynist ass in this route, I hope that does not continue.

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

When people say, “That intolerance is a product of 10 years ago comedy, that wouldn’t happen today,” I always want to respond with, “I’ve been hearing that all my life, and I’m sure you will too.”

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

I’ve been thinking about this since the whole Jimmy Kimmel thing happened and John Oliver helped define it in my head. I was worried because I kept thinking, “well we have friend of speech not freedom of consequences am I defending Kimmel because he was chastising the right?”

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Bacchus @paulbarber.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

The only people who know that most dating apps are own by the same company so if you get band by one you get band by them all are people who have been band from a lot of dating apps. And now you.

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