After putting it off for a REALLY long time, I finally decided to try out Da Capo. I’d heard quite mixed things about it, so I wasn’t sure if it was really “Da Crapo”, or a fairly decent, entertaining game. After playing for a while, I realized the downfall of Da Capo: it’s just really, really boring. None of the characters are particularly memorable, although several are slightly more interesting than others. The common route is pretty much non-existent, since Da Capo relies on a map movement system which allows you to witness events with the characters you would like to see. I’ve never been much of a fan of this system, since I think it requires too much random guessing in order to get to the route that you want. Some people might like it, but it was a definite downside for me. The lack of a common route is ultimately a good thing though, since the quality of the routes really varies.
I started off with Kotori’s route. It was a pretty nice route, and I’d say it was the second best of the game. Although Kotori isn’t all that interesting, she’s a likeable character, and her route implemented the magical elements of Da Capo well, unlike some of the others. Kotori’s route was a fun route that didn’t drag, and I found myself satisfied with the ending.
When I first saw Mako, I instantly liked her. Although I liked Mako the most initially, her route was absolutely terrible. It just felt like her route was a rush job with very little effort put into it (I wouldn’t be surprised). Not only was the route the shortest, but it was the only route that didn’t explain anything about the magic of the island or of Juni’chi himself. Don’t you hate it when interesting characters get such horrible routes?
I didn’t expect much going into Moe’s route. She’s a cute character, but I didn’t feel like there was a lot of depth to her. Luckily, I was wrong! Moe’s route is by far the most interesting in Da Capo. There is more to her than it seems, and the drama in her route was handled well. I think her route was the longest, but the length was put to good use.
I’m not sure if Sakura’s route was bad, or if I just really didn’t like Sakura as a character. I suppose you could like this route, if you’re a fan of hyperactive lolis that also happen to be geniuses. It really seemed to drag though! The drama in this route felt really forced and everything seemed to tie together a bit too neatly.
I decided to leave the main heroine’s route for last, excluding the two secret routes. I wasn’t looking forward to playing Nemu’s route, since I really don’t like her. Since the moment I saw her, she made me think of Miyako from ef, another character I disliked (Yes, I know Da Capo was made before ef, but I played it first, so it still reminds me of her!) Speaking of ef, that is a visual novel I recommend. It starts out a little slow, but the last few chapters are amazing. Yuuko is lovely! Anyway, back to Nemu’s route! Well, Nemu’s a clingy annoyance with no personality, in my opinion. Like Sakura’s route, I couldn’t really get into it. It had a good ending though; they managed to make it quite unexpected.
On to the secret routes! (Spoilers ahead)
Well, there are two secret routes in Da Capo, but I’ll group them together since they worked in a pretty similar way. Basically, both of these routes take place with characters that have a human counterpart, but are not human themselves. Miharu (top picture) is Nemu’s best friend, who unlike Nemu, is cute, lovable, and not a bitch! Sadly, Miharu gets injured in an accident, and ends up in a coma. Naturally, a robot is created to replace her. By Kotori’s sister! Anyway, cute, fluffy robot times, the robot starts to malfunction, and Miharu wakes up again. Happily ever after with the real Miharu is implied.
Finally, there is the Misaki/Yoriko route. Because humans aren’t interesting enough, Yoriko is a catgirl maid. Yes, a catgirl AND a maid. I still have no idea why she was a maid in the first place…anyway, Yoriko is the cat of a wealthy, but unhappy and secluded, girl named Misaki. Misaki has a crush on an unnamed guy (woah, it’s you!!!!!!!!!), but she doesn’t have the guts to do anything about it. Yoriko does what any good cat would do: takes the place of her owner so she can live win over the man that she loves! That is disturbing in so many ways…anyway, happy living together times, Yoriko turns back into a cat, Misaki goes to Jun’ichi’s school and they live happily ever after. Neither of these routes have much substance, but they were cute enough and entertaining.
Da Capo isn’t all that bad, but it’s not good by any means either. Conveniently, the common route is short, so if there’s a particular girl (or robot or catmaid) that you like, feel free to go on their route and ignore the rest. You won’t be missing much. Instead of playing Da Capo, play ef! Yuuko is much more worthy of your love! It’d be a lot more fitting to end on a Da Capo picture, but I like Yuuko, so whatever!
Aww, I love Yuuko! Too bad ef isn’t the cheerful happy land of Da Capo…*sniff*
