The fourth book in the series was quite the emotional ride, wasn’t it? As far as difficulty goes, it’s really not that bad. The biggest issue is that for the majority of the story, players are unable to see their attunement scores. Though there is no incentive for getting 100% attunement, that won’t stop some people!
A general guide for getting a high attunement score is this: if there are three choices, usually one choice is neutral while the other two are opposing stats. Try to identify what those two opposing stats might be before making a choice. The most common are Impulsive/Calculated and Charming/Stoic.
Impulsive choices often end in exclamation marks (!) or are the more offensive action. Calculated choices feel the most reasonable or are the more defensive action. Charming choices are often the longest and usually contain sarcasm. Stoic choices are often the shortest and the most serious.
*Note: Text Input Mode must be selected for text input achievements.
To Go Forward…
At the start of the game, load in a character from Book 3.
Quiet Kid
In chapter 1, say nothing whenever given the option.
Headhunting
In chapter 2, when fighting the headhunters:
If you applied oil to your katana earlier, jump forwards.
If you fixed up your sandals earlier, hop backwards.
If you loaded up on water earlier, roll away.
On Vacation
In chapter 3, tell Ichiro that you are visiting your family for New Year’s.
Well-Oiled
In chapter 3, unsheathe and show your katana to Ichiro. Make sure you applied oil to your katana back in chapter 2.
True Neutral
In chapter 4, when speaking with Fake Junko/Jun at the feast, tell them that you know better than to get involved in the clan war.
Hug It Out
In chapter 4, when leaving the feast, hug ‘Toshie/Toshio’.
Samurai Entourage
In chapter 5, when noticing there are only eight samurai remaining, recall that there were originally ten.
Heel Turn
In chapter 5, when fighting Junko/Jun, kill Hidenobu.
Spare the Rod
In chapter 5, when fighting Junko/Jun, pick up the rod. Make sure you picked up the rod back in chapter 1.
Birdbrained
In chapter 6, the birds depicted in the Uesugi emblem are swallows.
Off the Chain
In chapter 7, when chained to the column of the dojo, an Impulsive ronin should try to force the leash free. A Calculated ronin should try to slip the chain off.
Attack of Opportunity
In chapter 8, in the incinerator, strike Junko/Jun. Make sure you grabbed their spare katana earlier in the chapter.
What Shugenja Are For
In chapter 8, the need Junko/Jun has for a shugenja is to cast a spell.
Physical Fitness
In chapter 9, when marching along in the snow, remark that your body isn’t as strong as it used to be.
Drowning Hazard
In chapter 9, when submerged underwater for the first time, a Chilvarous ronin should push forward to get their legs in the water. A Perverted ronin should think long and hard about Junko/Jun.
What Gives Life*
In chapter 9, type ‘take’ when Junko/Jun asks what it means to live.
A Bigger Fish
In chapter 9, after catching the minnow, state that you want something bigger.
Kondo Couple
In chapter 10, upon seeing the Kondo couple, recall that their names are Hiroyuki & Yuri.
Life on Loan
In chapter 10, when quizzed by Junko/Jun about who you owe your life to, type in or select ‘Sensei’ for each question.
The Best Defense
In chapter 10, when fighting the headhunters, choose to run away. Make sure Junko/Jun didn’t give you a katana beforehand. To insure they don’t, make sure you don’t quality for the Life on Loan achievement.
Cutting the Ice
In chapter 10, when racing against Junko/Jun on ice skates, make sure your arms are out with your knees and back bent.
The Galvanizer
In chapter 12, when giving a speech, say something inspirational. Make sure you opted to wear the red (Takeda) armband earlier in the chapter.
The Agitator
In chapter 12, when giving a speech, say something derogatory. Make sure you opted to wear the white (Uesugi) armband earlier in the chapter.
Riddle Me This
In chapter 12, when deciphering Sensei’s riddle: ‘Who’ is line 1, ‘When’ is line 4, and ‘Where’ is line 3.
Mass Appeal
In chapter 13, when examining the long line for the new Jijinto drink, claim that it must be sweet.
Pocket Paper
In chapter 13, when Junko/Jun shows you a slip of paper, recall that it’s a coupon.
Marketing Master
In chapter 13, when working with the Hokusei Brewing Company, make these remarks:
“Save the bowing until after I chase these Jijinto rebels out of town! Kampai!”
“Love the drink, but to be honest, I’m watching my weight. Something this sweet will go straight to my stomach!”
“Show’s over, people. Remember: drink domestic!”
In Hot Water*
In chapter 13, type ‘hot springs’ when considering where to spend the night.
Domestic Dispute
In chapter 14, when handing armbands out to the first family, an Impulsive ronin should kick the basket at the wife. A Calculating ronin should grab and disarm her instead.
No Place to Hide
In chapter 14, when handing armbands out to the first family, pull Masaki out of the hidden compartment.
Underhanded
In chapter 14, when in the close quarters battle against other ronin, use the Twisted Tongue technique.
Shogi Supporter
In chapter 15, if Ume-Ume is playing shogi in your place, a Charming ronin should claim she is a Kondo chieftess. A Stoic ronin should claim that the first to knock the Kondo out of the tournament will gain the most renown. If Anzai is playing, reveal that you cheated before.
Afterlife
In chapter 15, when watching kagura with Junko/Jun, ask them if they believe in life after death.
Priorities
In chapter 16, when confronting Ichiro, exclaim that we don’t have time to waste playing shogi while mentioning Aimi-chan and the other orphans.
High Fashion*
In chapter 16, type ‘armbands’ when thinking upon what you need to ask Ichiro about.
Southern Kin
In chapter 16, ask Oyama what he’s been up to.
The Ultimate Price
In chapter 16, kill the Oyamas.
Lucky Charms
In chapter 17, opt to check out some Shinto charms with Junko/Jun. Then get something for good luck.
Indifferent
In chapter 17, when Junko/Jun is beating up Bashō, do nothing.
Familiar Scent
In chapter 18, when entering the masquerade ball, mention that the smell in the air is opium.
Working Man
In chapter 18, when you find Hiroyuki whipping the backsides of masquerade guests, leave him be.
The Password
In chapter 19, type in or select ‘Jigoku’ when stopped by the two guards.
Unbent
In chapter 19, don’t bow when Lord Host arrives.
Signs of Life
In chapter 20, when approaching Izumo Shrine, look for smoke.
Those Without
In chapter 20, when in the underground den, deduce that Ichiro does not possess the Jigoku.
Old Habits
In chapter 21, bow before entering the dojo.
Matriarch
In chapter 21, when thinking back to the cultists, reason out that the woman wearing the moose head was an Uesugi.
Stashed Away
In chapter 21, when seeing the tools laid out behind the dojo, determine that there’s something in the tool box.
Two Swords
In chapter 21, when thinking of swordsmen who wielded two swords, recall Toshiaki Mukai.
Gensai’s Rival
In chapter 21, when Junko/Jun shows Fake Junko/Jun their sword, reason out that ‘Izō’ must be written on the blade.
First Things First
In chapter 22, while on the carriage back to Hokusei, decide that securing the other orphans comes first.
Just Business
In chapter 22, when trying to get inside the prison, ask Jukoni/Juni for help. Then, tell the guardsman not to make a scene out of this.
Word of Warding
In chapter 23, when in the honeymoon suite at the hot springs, stop Junko/Jun from assaulting you. Then, recall the word you used back in chapter 1 to snap Junko/Jun to their senses: Daikon, Shiitake or Wasabi.
The Genfu Gang
This achievement is automatically achieved once you recall the first friends you ever had!
Looking the Part
In chapter 24, when Bashō arrives with the geisha, get dressed up.
Equality
In chapter 24, when giving a speech to the election crowd, focus on the equality message. Then, when talking with Hiroyuki about Kondos being treated as equals to samurai, say that it’s a hard Hyuga to imagine but that anything is possible.
Spirit’s Cry
In chapter 25, listen for what your spirit animal sounds like:
Squeaking = Chipmunk
Roaring = Alligator
Hissing = Striped Snake
Crying = Giant Salamander
Buzzing = Firefly
Chirping = Barn Swallow
Screeching = Snow Monkey
Oinking = Wild Boar
Scraping = Spider Crab
Barking = Akita Inu
Magician’s Pet
In chapter 25, when you spot the red panda, recall that its name is Pan-kun.
Reason to Be
In chapter 25, when you are getting eaten by the spirits of Ige and the orphans, what gives you a reason to live is responsibility.
Sword Strategist
In chapter 25, when up against Ichiro and Kiyoshi, choose to go after Ichiro. An Impulsive ronin should close distance while a Calculated ronin should keep distance.
Demon of the North
In chapter 25, when Kiyoshi is transforming, determine that he is the ‘spirit still yet pure’.
Master Ronin
In chapter 25, when dueling Sensei, you must select three correct techniques:
If Impulsive, Skyward Slash. If Calculated, Piercing Palm.
If Charming, Baron’s Bluff. If Stoic, Kabuki Killer.
If Drifter, Twisted Tongue. If Protective, Champion’s Cross.
The Words I Couldn’t Say*
In chapter 25, type ‘thank you’ when telling Sensei the two hardest words to say.
The Thread of Fate
Not even fate can stop you! Congratulations on finishing the game!
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Thanks for the achievement guide although it’s still bit hard to get 100% but still love the game quick question will we wait another two years for book 5?
please make book 5 asap
pls gibe book 5
Dear Devon Connell,
Just wanted to say that I just played through all four of the Samurai of Hyuga books in almost one sitting, and that it’s been a wild ride. I’m still licking my wounds (maybe not the riiiight metaphor to use…) over Book Four, which I can’t help but admire and also want to give the stink eye to. Admire how bigger in scale it is compared to the previous ones and how neatly and interestingly everything fell together, worldbuilding-wise, and give shifty eyes because I’ve now completely abandoned my most deserving MCs and their respective cute romances in favour of rooting for arguably my worst ronin and her creepy stalker to end up together, to the point where they have become my favourites. I do not know what that says about me.
All in all: 7/5, would experience grey morality, existential dread, forcing my character to renounce all their friends, and crying at a cliffhanger again. On a more serious note, thank you for your work! I’ll be looking forward to the next one.
PS: Run into a bit of trouble when at the end of the game: I couldn’t find any way to save my character. Found it a bit odd as the story doesn’t seem to be over, and the save feature had been present in books up till now. Is that a bug as I assume it is, or did you not programm it in this time around? I’d be glad for any light you can shed on the matter 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the series, Emjay! But I definitely wouldn’t recommend reading them all in one sitting: that can’t be healthy! As for the saving issue, unfortunately there’s a new Choice of Games/Hosted Games policy where there won’t be a save option until Book 5 (the next game) is near release.
It’s a pretty terrible policy, but there’s not much I can do. This means you’ll have to play through the game again later. Sorry about that!
Ha! I’ve been off sick, actually, and those books were very hard to put down once you finished one… from where I stand, they contributed to me getting better! But yes, kids, don’t try this at home, especially if you want to keep your heart intact (and/or are actual kids, considering the subject matter at hand…)
Thank you for the explanation, that clears things up! As inconvenient as it may be, it’s definitely way better than not being able to record characters because of some computer issue, which was the thing I’d been afraid of.
Can’t imagine this policy being great if you’re an author trying to hook a new audience, but as a player I don’t mind going through the game again. Just gonna have to keep track of choices for each MC, which isn’t too much of a hassle. All the more excuse to try out different options.
(you’ve very much spoiled us on that font in Book 4, as well! Which is why, even though I see that people are already hungry for Book 5, I’d rather wait until it is exactly how you’d want it to be ^-^ Kudos, in any case!)
That is good to know that there is no save option yet available at the end of the game. I had played through book 4 once already, right after it was released, but while I noticed that it didn’t offer me to save my decisions I think I was still too distraught by the book itself to pay the lack of a save file any more mind. I wanted to read through book 4 again, now that the release of book 5 seems to be coming closer but I guess I will still have to wait for a while longer before reading it again.
This is actually the first choicescript game that made me cry because of the writing. There’s a certain phrase the Ronin says at the end that is the exact same as one in the beginning of the game, and given the circumstances in which it was said, it really hit me hard. And that ending! Wow! The road to book 5 grows longer the more I think about it. I’m eager to see what happens, how the Ronin has handled the recent developments.
And what’s this I read about a time skip? How much time will pass during this event?
-Venkman
Let me just express my overwhelming roller-coaster of emotion for book4 I’ve been rooting for the crazy lover Jun since the beginning! and all those cute (and hot) moments are just what i needed. Until the ending, “WHY!?!!!! I’m crying my eyes here!” The picture in my head with with the MC and Jun pick apples while the kids laugh and play. Everything shattered at the end…
Anyway… Dear Author, this series is so good! Thank you so much for creating it. I’ll be waiting forever for the next one 🙂
Omg what was that ???? I have no words to describe this book… unless FANTASTIC!!! It made me feel so much ! I didn’t really like Jun but I came to care for him, just not in an romantic way. And the last phrase of the book, it was my feelings exactly!
But still what pained me the most was when Toshio came for us and we cant go with him, THAT made me cry.
There’s so many questions about how things will play out now… The waiting for the next book will be an bittersweet agony!
Omg I felt exactly the same
I really love all the books and I gotta say I’m in love with Kiyoshi.
Hey there. So, since I’m done playing the fourth book of your wonderful story, I thought I’ll write some feedback and, more importantly, ask some questions. I hope you don’t mind me doing so here instead of the Steam community discussions. I feel more at ease with spoilers and so on, and it only concerns the author anyway, so yeah…
Well, I don’t have a ton of actual feedback actually. Both Samurai of Hyuga and Fateheaven are in my top 3 favorite text adventure games, but I’m here to talk about the former, obviously.
The characters are all great. Among the main cast, there is no one I could say I dislike. They all have their good and bad sides, and make for incredibly touching beings. And well, the story is breathtaking in many ways – but man it can be stressfull and depressing at times.
Though I feel the need to comment about a small continuity error. I’ve played the first and second book when the third one came out, but then I procrastinated, and only played the third and fourth now (after replaying the first and second – so yeah, all four books one after another, right now). You see, when I first finished the second book, I started the first pages of the third one, and at some point, the recap said the baron painted the ronin’s portrait, and I didn’t have the slightest idea about that – I thought maybe it was something I had missed, but it said the ronin actually let him do it, so I was very confused. But at replaying, it hit me: I guess if you enter his room when the door is ajar and you see him painting, maybe he asks if the ronin would let him do that portrait of him. But I actually never choose to enter the room at all, and instead made the ronin go to his own room (so they didn’t even talk about the possibility of making a portrait). I don’t know how important the choice is, so it may not be a big issue, but I still feel unconfortable with that, and well… it’s a bug non the less. For your information, the same error appears in the “Book 2 choices” section of Book 4.
Another small bug is that at the end of Book 3, once you get past saving your character and the game asks you if you’d rate it, it says: “We hope you’ve enjoyed playing GAME NAME.” instead of actually saying the name. Didn’t pay attention if this happened in previous entries.
Now, about the actual questions, most of them are about things related to overall mechanics or books already out, so I hope you’ll indulge me. Of course, if something feels too spoilery for your tastes, feel free to tell me so. Though first I have to explain something about how I play, since it limits my choices. You see, I never identify myself with the MC when I play a visual novel or text based game. That means the MC is his own person, so I can’t simply replay while thinking “I’ll be someone else this time”. My MCs will always be exactly the same in each playthrough. So my ronin will always unwaveringly lean towards finesse, and be a very calculated, chivalrous, stoic and protective gay man called Shin, with the akita inu as spirit animal (and I can’t help but marvel at the irony of him “being” a dog with his crazy wolf of an ex – though maybe Jun’s animal depends of Shin’s one?).
Anyway, the questions:
1- How does romance work? It may seem silly, but more often than not, in text based games, each love interest’s affinity is a “stat”. It baffles me since I don’t understand why the MC would know about how much people like them, but that’s besides the point. Since it isn’t a visible stat in this game, I’d like to know if it’s a hidden stat, or if it isn’t a stat at all, but something that relies solely on specific answers, like responding positively to their interest, courting them and so on.
2- Related to the previous question: with my playstyle, the thing that mostly varies between my playthroughs is romance, since my character may stay exactly the same, but his heart simply goes to another person. So far, I’m leaning towards Masashi, and that won’t change unless something drastic happens. Luck is on my side since it allows my ronin to have a great attunement to his spirit animal. But if I was to select another romance, could I still have the akita inu as spirit animal with the same efficiency, or would my attunement suffer from it? I try for it not to go below 75 in each book (had 100 in books 3 and 4!), and if only very specific choices relate to romances, I guess it could still work, but I fear that favoring, let’s say Toshio, instead of Masashi would lower the attunement, with Masashi being under Shin’s care and the one he serves and so on.
3- A more straightforward one. Is Hatch a romance option (for a male ronin, or at all)? I mean, he’s interested in girls, and it breaks my heart not to be able to make that work with Momoko, but then it seems things go better with his second crush, so I’m happy for him. Still, he’s so sweet! If he wasn’t so in love, I’d have tried to go for it in my first playthrough, but I don’t even know if he might be interested in the MC, even though you CAN make the MC interested in him.
4- Another easy one. I let Momoko go when she wanted to, in book 2, but she said if Shin asked to, she wouldn’t be able to leave. While he was anxious about her being safe at first, it would’t be like him – in my playthrough – to force her to stay. But would she really stay if he asked? I won’t ever pick the option to force her, and besides, with her fate after that, it all seems scripted, but I’m curious. And on a side note, would she still be in love if the ronin was female?
5- A question about Book 1 now. Is it possible not to forget yourself while fighting against the yakuza? I can resist when first prompted to choose between Shin’s own techniques or his master’s, but the second time he’s too tired and weak from the poison, and the demonic power takes over. I know it would be “easy” to avoid by not being poisoned, but come on, considering how he is in my playthrough, it wouldn’t be in character not to protect Momoko from the dart. And besides, it adds for interesting drama.
6- Back onto Book 3 (sorry for the jumping around). I love the five students you get and what happens to Ige breaks my heart. Though I must add I felt so relieved I did a full on perfect score in that book, since I learned afterwards Daisuke could have died too. But my question is more practical. Kohaku is romantically interested in the ronin, and while in my playthrough my character was seemingly automatically attracted to him too, he didn’t want to start a relationship with him. I assume it was because he was his student, and also because of his unstable state of mind at that point. But I’d love to know something – if my ronin wasn’t interested in men, would Kohaku be a woman? The name is unisex, so it doesn’t have variations as with some of the cast, and I couldn’t confirm one way or another by checking your achievement guides. Oh and also, even if I don’t think so, just to make sure – can you actually accept him by telling you’re not seeing anyone?
7- Another general question: except for Attunement (and Observation/Deduction once they’re added), do the stats change past the moment you get your spirit animal? I don’t think I’ve ever seen my stats move past that point. Even when I did something that lowered a bit my Attunement, I don’t believe the other stats moved whatsoever.
8- Speaking of Attunement. How does it work exactly? From what I’ve gathered, you must act accordingly to the main “stat” of your spirit animal, though some things seem to make it go up by default, like embracing the title given by the Emperor when facing demons, believing in spirits and relying on them, and answering correctly input mode questions, it they’re not specifically Observation or Deduction related. Still, sometimes I interpret some answers wrong and my attunement goes down. But what leaves me confused is that while the game always tells me when it goes up, more often than not it doesn’t tell me when it goes down, so I have to keep an eye on it all the time. Still I know it CAN tell you it went down, since it happened a couple of times. So yeah, why does it tell you some times and others not?
9- Oh, and while we’re at input type answers, there’s that one moment in Book 4, where Jun asks about what it means to live or something like that, and honestly, I’ve checked out your guide for this single thing, curious about possible trophies it could give, since I was at a loss. I’ve answered what the guide said, and my attunement greatly shifted. Usually, it seems it goes up whenever I find the best / correct / special answer for these questions, but in this case it was a weird thing to say for my ronin, and I’m wondering if it went up or down? It could have gone up since I gave the trophy related answer, or down since it’s the opposite of how my ronin should think. But at the same time Jun said his words weren’t sincere, so yeah..
10- Well, this is an obvious one, and you may not know yet, but any idea about the release date of the next entry in the series? I don’t ask for anything exact, but an approximation – next year or not – maybe which quarter or at least half? Something like that. But please, don’t feel pressured, considering the quality of your work, I’m totally fine with waiting. It’s mere curiosity, and the fact I won’t have lot’s of money to spend so I like to plan gaming expenses.
11- The last one… This one is spoilery, so really, I’m asking more for a hint or something rather than a straight answer. The ending of Book 4 was awful. I mean, Jun did horrible things in previous books. Hell, even in Book 4 itself. But while forgetting would be impossible, not forgiving is just as hard. I didn’t expect to like the guy as much as I do, but yeah, I love him. So, I was determined to select options that would be more positive and romance inclined towards him next time I play the game, and well, I’d love to see where it might go if the two went back to being a couple. Considering my current playthrough with me aiming for a Masashi romance, nothing happened at all so far, as far as couples go, so I thought I could deviate from this point and replay Book 4 only in order to aim for Jun… And then, the ending comes like a hammer wrecking my brain and my heart. And well, I’m sincerely hesitating right now. Should I really try going that way for it to end badly anyway? I feel it’s better not to get too close if only to avoid suffering – both for the MC and for me. But if there is some light by the end of that road, it may also be the most rewarding one. So… could you at least tell me if there is some hope to be had for the future, as far as Jun and any romance with him are concerned?
Well, and now I feel like I’m the one who wrote a book. Seriously, I’m sorry for the long as heck comment. I guess it shows just how much I’m passionnate about your story, but still, reading that, and answering if you’re planning to do so, I know it’s hellish in itself. So yeah, sorry again about that. But also thank you for writing such an amazing book/game!
Konoi, thank you for the thoughtful (and lengthy) post!
Regarding the Baron issue, that is indeed a bug where the “isPainted” variable defaulted to true by mistake. This had no impact on the story other than it being incorrectly mentioned in the prologue for Book 3. You mentioned that you saw it in the “Book 2 choices” section of Book 4. For an imported character, I’m not sure how that can be. There is no mention of being painted during Book 4’s prologue sequence at all.
If you can link me a screenshot of the text in Book 4, I’d really appreciate it!
As far as the GAME NAME bug at the end of Book 3, that’s negligence on the publisher’s part. Somebody at the company forgot to do their due diligence. Happens far too often! I’ll send them an email about it.
Now to your questions:
1. I’m really not a fan of the gamey dating sim/otome relationship stats. I find that once you have those, players become fixated on them at the expense of everything else! In SoH, there are a few romance choices that are always direct “How do I feel about Momoko?” “Am I into Toshio?” “Do I still have feelings for Jun?” These set variables that basically give me the all-clear sign to give MC romantic feelings towards them (or not). There’s no courting minigames or anything like that.
2. Romances don’t affect attunement or the spirit animals in any way. I didn’t want any option to close anybody off, but more importantly…that’d be extra work for me lmao! No thanks!
3. Hatch is not romance-able. The bond of masculine friendship between him and the MC is a far more valuable and interesting dynamic, I feel, than being yet another RO in an ever-increasing roster. As far as the canon goes, he’s only attracted to feminine types of women. Hatch sees female MC more as a man than a woman.
4. Lol here’s my motto: “When in doubt, it’s scripted.” Giving the option for Momoko to stick around or not would’ve been a HUGE branch for the Baron’s island and all the drama that happened between you and Hatch. Way too much work. Also, Momoko is in love with MC regardless of their gender.
5. Book 1 is mostly a haze to me, but I’m pretty sure MC HAS to forget themselves at one point or another during the yakuza fight. This is because I needed to introduce the Jigoku and Strike of Non-Thought into the story.
6. In Book 3, because MC is so troubled with losing the Jigoku and being forced to train a bunch of brats, he/she is scriptedly reluctant towards Kohaku’s advances. A ‘sex scene’ in the hot springs for example would make NO sense, especially after the horrific ordeal they had just witnessed regarding Kuniko. In fact because Kohaku is so shaken, MC would feel as if he/she was taking advantage of them at that moment in the story. Kohaku’s gender changes based on what MC is attracted to.
7. The main stats don’t change after the first half or so of Book 1. This is by design to add/force replayability.
8. Attunement often increases and decreases at just about every choice. Because I wanted to avoid constant negative messages that would butthurt most of my playerbase, I rarely add in “Your attunement has decreased” messages. I reserve them for the moments you stated: when there is some non-stat related “correct” answer. My goal (and I’m not sure if I achieved it…) is to reduce the urge for players to check their attunement after each and every choice they make. I’ve got a whole blog post here on how I feel about perfectionists!
9. In that situation, the correct answer isn’t what your MC would think necessarily, but what Jun/Junko would think. He/She is training/torturing MC to get them back into the mindset of the “old MC”. Hope that makes sense.
10. I think I can safely disappoint you on this one. Because the publishing process now takes months vs weeks (as it was with Fatehaven and earlier SoHs), there is near 0% chance of Book 5 being released in 2020. The best guess is Early 2021. That said, the demo will be out in 2020.
11. No comment, sorry!
I think that’s everything! Don’t worry about the essay you wrote lol. Usually when I see this much text it’s from a fan I’ve managed to disappoint and they’re all too eager to explain at length just how disappointed they are. Answering questions is much more enjoyable than that!
I’m glad you enjoyed the series!
Okay, so, the painting thing. Actually, I remembered partly wrongly – it doesn’t say anything about the baron having made a painting in Book 4’s “Book 2 Choices” – it only mentions he wanted to use the MC as a model for his painting, without saying if the MC agreed or not, but it’s still a continuity error for players like me who didn’t enter his room whatsoever and didn’t talk about that at all. Since I didn’t do that talk, I thought the same of it. Here’s the screencap:
https://imgur.com/s3Mth0t
You won’t believe how thankful I am both for the romances not being stats, and for the regular stats not moving pas the first half of the first book. I wouldn’t affect my replay value as I always play the same way, but it helps me to avoid frustrations since I tend to check my stats all the time, and also, it wouldn’t be logical to have it chance since it’s the core behavior of the MC. It would be weird for him to suddenly change if you’re at like 55-45 in one of the stats. It would be easy to go from one to the other and have him act seemingly out of character.
It’s funny, because in Samurai of Hyuga I check my Attunement with each choice specifically because it doesn’t say me when it goes down haha. I tend to be a perfectionnist, but trying to tone these urges down. So, in order not to restart the game every single time something goes down, I have to keep an eye on it, so I know when it went down and be sure to change my answer with the next playthrough. If it appeared on screen I wouldn’t click on stats everytime it didn’t tell me it went up. So I didn’t even consider for some people it would be the opposite. But well, even so, your game helps me fighting the perfectionist urges since the other stats don’t move and romances aren’t stats.
And I’m sorry to hear most people who make lenghty comments do so only to criticize. I think lenghty critiques are annoying – best to be concise with that, and only about things that are truly issues, like bugs and so on. I remember seeing on the Steam community commentaries – for this game – people being angry because the MC still had feelings for Jun, but considering how sudden was their “break-up” years ago, I can’t fathom how some feelings and questions wouldn’t linger. Oh well, haters will be haters I guess.
Thanks for your thorough answers!
Well this end… Really shaked me… I mean REALLY as in REALLY shaked. Great series tough, not saying it is bad, truly the opposite. A shame it made me loss all the hope in life and now I’ll have to work on my newfound depression problem… Unless of course i figure a way to save my dearest ronin from that horrific fate.
Dear Author,
Did you know that you can cause a heart ache? guess I’ll have to endure it until book 5,
but please do tell me that it has a happy ending, maybe it can ease the pain. I beg you.
I hope masashi is romanceable in book 5. And more toshio moments pleaseeee! I loved the book but it kinda made me feel sad since I chose toshio in book 3 and yet in book 4 interaction between them kinda lacked since the story mostly foucused on Jun/Junko. I really appreciate if in book 5, interactions of the mc and the old characters will be back. All in all, I can’t wait for the book 5!
I enjoyed all the books, but in book 4, although Jun(ko) started growing on me, I couldn’t help but miss the rest of the gang! Any chance they’ll be united in book 5?
This is a bit random and I have no idea if you’ll see it, but it’s been on my mind since Book 3, so I’ll ask it anyway – the Ronin, after having the Jigoku stripped from them, is severely weakened to the point I can’t remember them winning a single fight during the entirety of Book 3, implying they’re not as good of a fighter without it. However, they haven’t been using what they were taught by their Sensei for years now, making up their own fighting moves – that’s not something a bad or even average fighter would be able to do! Would you say that the Ronin sees their dependence on the Jigoku as necessary, due to the abuse they suffered while growing up and their low self-esteem, impeding them from being a much better, more independent fighter? x
You make a great point, Bianca! MC is a formidable swordsman even without the Jigoku, and has even developed their own techniques (Skyward Slash, Piercing Palm, etc). The important detail in Book 3 however, is that after forgetting about Junko/Jun, MC loses both the Jigoku AND the “willingness to kill”. It is the latter that renders them so helpless as they must witness their students being put in harm’s way during the tournament.
From my perspective, I knew taking MC from an extremely good swordsman (with the Jigoku) to just a good one (without the Jigoku) wasn’t a great enough drop to really drive the point home, this point being the source of motivation MC has after Ige’s death to go seek out their crazed ex-lover and leave the rest of the party behind.
Gotta say, I almost kept away from this based specifically on the reviews of Book 4. Didn’t know if I wanted to get invested only to get an abusive/crazy romance shoved down my throat. But I enjoyed the demo of Book 1 enough that I decided to dive right in. Having finally caught up and finished book 4, my final thoughts are pleasantly happy.
While Book 4 does tend to try to push you to a Jun romance, I felt there was still an equal amount of weight the other way. I appreciate that while Jun would try to do things with you, you could always stop him. He never actually went to that level of non-consensual. This meant I was able to keep MC and June’s relationship at a point of ‘I thought I loved you once. But that love wasn’t love. It was comfort, lust, and survival.’
It felt real in that way. Like an ex-relationship, where you still care for them as the friend they had been once, but you know it can never be same way again. From the mindset of a first naive idea of love that many youths have, it makes sense. My MC has grown up and started to experience what real love feels like, both as a love of a friend and a budding love, with Toshio, Misashi, and Co. He can now understand that what he had with Jun wasn’t the same, but that he does still care for the child Jun was.
So in that aspect, I think you handled things really well with Book 4. Jun also seemed to grow up as the story progressed, going from completely wild and insane to more of a human again. I mean, I really hated Jun at the start but by the end, I pitied him just a bit. Like a decent redemption arc, sans the jealousy and magic collars. I really felt the pain of losing Toshio, and was glad my MC felt it to. It seemed like a great contrast in that moment, where MC was tortured that the thread kept him from leaving with Toshio. I nice contrast there between MC’s old feelings for Jun and his new feelings for Toshio. So I do hope to inevitably snuggle back into my ninja’s arms in the upcoming books.
Other then that, I also felt like you’ve done really well throughout all the books in how you’ve handled both the darker and more mature themes as well as the demons. (I LOVED the kitsune demon and the whole investigation, though I loathed the stupid Text Input (seriously, sometimes trying to figure out what I’m supposed to type in the box is so annoying).
My only gripe was the idea of my MC being useless without Jigoku. Since I play a MC who has downright avoided using it at any cost, and rather tries to get his dumb chipmunk to do something instead, it did feel a little annoying that my MC seemed so desperate to get it back. But that was soothed over by the addition of actually a lack of ‘killing intent’ that a swordsman needed. Don’t understand why he needed one for the other, honestly, but it WAS nice digging up the dark past and having such an epic showdown. I guess I can accept that in the MC’s mind, he felt like it correlates to the Jigoku, whether he uses the power in the end or not.
I mean, really…I’m just a little confused over whether we’re supposed to resist Jigoku and find a more spiritual path OR use Jigoku and fall into eventual madness. Book 1 – 3 feels like we’re giving those paths to an end, then Book 4 is just you the author telling us we have to have Jigoku. Ok…I got it back. Still going to fight against using it and ending up with a black deformed arm. Maybe I’ve just been overthinking things or expecting to much into the Jigoku dynamic. Maybe its just a tool and there is no threat at all of going insane in the end if you choose to use it every chance?
Finally, LOVED the depictions of MC’s sins at the end. Awesome creative interpretation there with the genfu gang. Probably best depiction of sin and hell I’ve read ever.
In the end, I’m glad I did go ahead and pick this up. I’m looking forward to the next book, with the Silent Lady and hopefully the return of our beloved family of misfits. (sorry if I over-analyzed anything. I tend to do that with stories and stuff I enjoy. xD)
I do have a suggestion in the future. Would be nice if we got a menu page that gave us some details on the different moves that MC has learned up to this point. By the end, there was like…what…10 moves and I couldn’t for the life of me remember what any of them did or were used for. So I’d end up using a defensive move when I needed to attack, etc.
Just a little menu page with a description of what the move involves. Also wouldn’t hurt for a small terminology page that describes the japanese terms you use for those that don’t know. Just small suggestions for possible improvement.
Kikio got killed in soh 3 , will this guide help even after that , please let me know before I start playing
For the guide to save Keiko in Book 3, check here: http://www.multiplechoicestudios.com/?p=1183
Spoilers ahead?
Goddamn this series hit me right in the feels. The ending of the third book was so sad, Ige dying, my MC attacking Hatch and then being kinda mean to the others. I was into Toshie the whole time so leaving her wasn’t easy, but yeah I get it.
Then I felt like nothing in the fourth book, getting captured by some headhunters and someone having to save me felt pretty bad. Also I was kinda hating Junko for all the things she’s done, but I felt bad for leaving her in the past and all the things she’s gone through, so I started being into her too lol.
Everything was going great until that masquerade thing, where to Toshie left me for good (please lemme reunite in the upcoming books). At the point I felt my heart crack lol. Next up is the scene with the cult, where Junko was defending Ichiro and eventually leaving me. At that point I felt my heart crack second time lol.
I felt so hopeless, pretty much like the MC and I like “bruh why not just kill myself.” And my wish came true lol, it was a really interesting scene, my MC committing seppuku. Then the fake Junko arriving and stopped me, and after that the real Junko arrived and all was good once again.
The fighting sensei scene was kinda heartwarming, MC saying thank you to sensei for the first time, pretty nice. But yeah the ending just shattered my heart. I’ve grown really attached to Junko throughout the whole book. After talking about our future and thinking that how everyone will get on well and be happy, that happens. I was in tears reading that lol. But she doesn’t have to be dead yet, right? She’s just being tortured in hell, so there my might be a small chance of meeting her again, or nah?
Overall, a great book and great series. I would say it’s the best book I’ve read. It’s really well done, love it. I’m really looking forward to the sequels. Thank you for creating this, it’s amazing.
ah man I didn’t check for mistakes before posting this, sorry about that
This guide was super helpful. I feel pain for my Junko and my unborn kid XD. I loved the book so much. Can’t wait for book 5. I need her back in my life ;_;.
love this game ! cant wait for book5
Apparently im the only weirdo who LOVES Jun. Damnit… wish the sex scenes were more lengthy and graphic but yeah I’ll just shut up now…
Nah we all love Junko/Jun
NÒOOOOOOOOOO!!!! DAMNIT!!! 😭😭😭 * breathe* Part 5 plzzzz!
OMG the ending! I started this book only intrigued by Jun, and the backstory of him and the MC. However as the book continued, I definitely became invested in him as a character. The way he gradually reconnected with his humanity and the MC was so beautiful. Their relationship, though starting abusive and off-putting, definitely was the highlight of the book for me. So that ending left me BROKEN 😭. Like I was so excited for our happy ending and our future child, then you was like *SIKE!!* Like can MC ever be happy? lol
I also like the growth of the MC and how he came to terms with his past. The parts where he confronted his past friends, Ige, and Sensei were so impactful and touching. His journey from feeling like a failure to realizing his purpose was done so perfectly. I did wish Masashi, Toshio and Hatch played more of a role in the story, but I can overlook it because I loved the focus put on Jun and his journey.
Overall, I loved this series and this book is my favorite! I love Jun and he is definitely my favorite character now. I’m hoping this isn’t the end to his story. Like I NEED more Jun. Can’t wait for book 5!!!
Just finished it, and it was amazing. I did a all-in Junko route, where I refused romances that weren’t Junko: and it was so worth it. With that said, I can’t wait for the next installment and like many, I hope Juu-chan will come back and we’ll be able to have a happy ending. Either way: definitely my favorite romance in all COG games I’ve played: it begun toxic, but then turned into something beautiful.
With that said, for those feeling the feels after what happened, I highly reccommend listening to “WHEREVER YOU ARE” by Galneryus. Its perfect if you went down the Junko route.
When reading the reviews for this book I was like “no way can a Choice of Games make me cry, people are probably overreacting.” And then I read the book. I cried.