I will preface this review with the following. Much like Subahibi the less you know going into this, the better. In this review I will have a spoiler section that I will clearly label and that section will contain spoilers for this game and one other. The other game I am referring too will be openly apparent but despite it being a spoiler section I will try to keep things vague regardless. So if you don’t want to be spoiled then do not read past the obvious warning but also I strongly say that if you hold any interest in this game then it is best to experience it without foresight. The game will be released on Steam on May 25 at time of writing but is currently available on the JAST USA store fully uncensored. I will say that it does hold some content that could rub people the wrong way but if you are a veteran of VNs or even completed Subahibi then you are more than capable of getting through it. This is a fairly liner visual novel that took me 11 hours to complete and it is strongly recommended to do three playthroughs.
YOU and ME and HER, otherwise known as Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi or it’s shortened name Totono, is a story about three people. Our main character encounters a weird girl on the roof one day who is trying to receive signals from god to her phone and believes that the world is a video game just like w88 for pc. Our protagonist sees her as someone with a bad case of “Gamer Brain” and alongside a previously estranged childhood friend decides to become friends with the strange girl in hopes of rehabilitating her back to reality. The story has a fairly small cast of characters. Our gamer brain girl is Mukou Aoi and she is certainly a very meta character. However unlike other media where the meta character often uses four wall breaking and meta knowledge for comedy, Aoi honestly seems truly mentally unstable with it. Her acceptance of the world as a game basically ostracizes her from everyone else and leaves her almost emotionally dead along with being socially awkward. The childhood friend Sono Miyuki seems to be like a standard tsundere archetype but admittedly has a bit more going on under the surface as she makes a good actor and managed to be the “queen bee” of the school through working on social interaction which makes her rather abrasive to Aoi at first who makes no such effort to fit in. The best friend character Yuutarou is mainly comic relief for the story and the comedy is the kind you may somewhat appreciate considering the rather serious tone of the story or find it quite annoying. Personally while I never found him funny, I appreciate the effort to make him more than just a walking punchline and he stands out for actually being a good friend to the main character.
Speaking of which the main character Susuki Shinichi is the weakest link of the bunch as he’s mainly a self insert and unfortunately when he isn’t acting the self insert role he can be insufferable at times. I would say story necessity does make it that he has to play a rather unlikeable role at times as even the first playthrough is about a problem that could be solved by him just getting over himself and getting some guts. One fault I would have with the game is that due to the relatively short length, we don’t really get to delve into these characters as deeply as I would have liked. Miyuki and Shinichi could definitely have used a flashback sequence of sorts to explain why they became estranged or go into more detail about Miyuki’s previous experience of being a loner. Even a bit more backstory or development on Aoi would have helped significantly. Drama is the main bulk of this story as we generally center on a love triangle between the protagonist and the two heroines. I would give credit that it doesn’t quite veer into soap opera levels of ridiculousness but there is a particular scene I do take issue with. I understand the justification and even the story significance of it but it really did feel like a development intended more for shock value than sense. Naturally being a VN we have sex scenes and naturally being a VN they are so terribly written that it makes me question if the writer is truly familer with the act. When a heroine is more or less making a running commentary on how amazing sex is I can’t help but feel patronized instead of turned on. So my response was the usual one of hitting the next button till the characters did the business so I could get back to the real story but I must point out that there was one sex scene in this story that was quite unlike any I have seen before in this medium. All things considered I give props for creativity.
What makes this VN work the most is the relationship between the three characters and how it complicates and goes as the story moves forward. Your millage will depend on your total investment in the trio but the story does go to lengths to get you to care about them. Totono to me is a story about empathy and a cautionary tale against thoughtless choices and indecision. When I finished the game I was left in a state of pensive silence and a strange sense of emptiness. When I thought about the whirlpool of emotions this game put me though, frustration and anger, smiles and fun, regret and sadness, it gave me a feeling that this was an experience quite like no other. Flaws it has certainly but this game got me to truly care for fictional characters and give a lesson I feel people truly need to take into account. It starts typical but ends unforgettable and in that I would recommend you play it as I feel this is an experience worth having.
SPOILER SECTION NEXT YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
So it’s safe to say at this point that you have been given plenty fair warning so I shall let the cat out of the bag and say the game that this will draw an inevitable comparison to is Doki Doki Literature club. Indeed once Dan Salvato was accused of ripping off the idea for DDLC from Totono which is a statement that is clearly untrue as quite frankly, I would say it’s far more likely that he was unaware of Totono. Even in that regard the two games have very different approaches and only really hold a similarity in some meta elements and the big twist. Ultimately DDLC is a horror game first and foremost while Totono is more focused on thriller and romance. I would even question Dan’s familiarity with visual novels in general as DDLC is more geared towards parodying anime cliches and he does profess a love/hate relationship with anime. Which has me reluctant to believe that he held love for a more niche and potentially even more trope heavy medium. I certainly respect the effort put into the gimmick but the writing of DDLC wasn’t it’s strongest point while Totono has much stronger writing and characters by comparison. To me DDLC is a horror game based on a generalised idea of what people think visual novels are like. Meanwhile Totono is a love letter to the visual novel fans asking them to reconsider actions which to them is more second nature.
The meta element of Totono is front and center despite me trying to paint otherwise as we have a character dedicated to it and in that I found the meta elements of Totono to be much better integrated with the story and a critique of the medium itself. Aoi’s existence is honestly a haunting and dark one that could even make a visual novel fan feel rather remorseful as it does highlight how deposabile a character can be in a medium of entertainment. As for the eventual villain reveal I was unfortunately spoiled in regards to that due to my own impatience in thinking it would never receive an english release. Still I think I would have seen it coming even without spoilers as the signs are all there but…even if you know it’s coming it’s still brutal and unnerving. To bring back the DDLC comparison, when the villain of that is revealed they pretty much hand you your victory on a silver platter while the villain of Totono fights you tooth and goddamn nail. The entire third route is a battle between you and them with you directly fighting the game itself and Shinichi being a mere bystander caught in the middle. And damn is it something, I originally started by trying everything to resist them with what meagar power I had and finding that just when I thought I had the upper hand, they come along and show me that they read me like an open book. Then paying false flattery to get them to let their guard down…until something strange happened. In the battle between us, despite the horrible things this person had done, I started to like them again. This may be what stockholm syndrome is like but as I fought with them they no longer spoke to Shinichi but directly to me and a strange bond formed between me and them.
In order to progress you truly need to become intimate with your captor and in that I found myself somewhat enjoying the experience. True it was also frustrating as well as you can easily get stuck or begin to believe you are caught in a game breaking bug with no end in sight. But at the climatic moment with some ARG degree puzzle solving and math, I was given the choice to (in a manner of speaking) punish this villain, only to find that I no longer held any negative sentiment towards them. So a choice which by all accounts would have been a no brainer a few hours ago turned into a moral dilemma with no correct answer. In the end my heart decided on an answer that even surprised myself and for a game to bring that degree of emotion out of me is the sign of a truly exceptional experience. I found that as things came to an end, we had all played our part in this tragedy and there is a cost to make things right again. Totono is likely a game I will not play again but not for the reasons you might surmise. It’s more that to reinstall the game and start that dance all over again would feel like a betrayal to the characters I made this journey with and if it’s one thing this game has taught me, it’s just how bad that can hurt. I got my ending and even if it isn’t sunshine and rainbows, there are no take backs, second chances or perfect answers. I made my choice and now have to live with that, just as I would in the real situation. With the hopeful outlook that maybe I learned enough to not repeat my mistakes.
Sorry, Aidan. I only skimmed through your review so as to avoid spoilers. But considering that you really like this VN, I might pick it up soon as I’m done with Wonderful Everyday. So, guess it was a necessary precaution to take in order to experience the story like it was intended to.
Nothing to apologize for. If anything that’s the wise move.
But yes I do recommend it quite highly.
I was checking out this game like yesterday and what do I see here? Nice!
I initially decided to pass on this because I didnt like the art too much, but when DDLC was mentioned I checked it out on VNDB and read minor spoilers. But then I decided to pass on it anyway. Now I see you mentioning SubaHibi and I’m split again. I like unique experienes above all else, but I still am skeptical about this game, I feel like It’s going to have one good aspect to it.
Anyway what is interesting is that you made me play DDLC and I liked it. You made me play SubaHibi and I liked it, at first, then I lost all interest and I still havent finished it (I have serious issues with that game), but the part that I liked was totally worth it to me (so I’m considering skipping the nope parts to see how it all ends). So, I can not imagine, that this game would not have something that would make me not regret reading it.
I’m gonna read it arent I… Damn.
If I may also chip in with a recommendation of my own, and an oldie at that – Irisu Syndrome. Beware: The less you know the better!!
Sorry Evafan, already played Irisu Syndrome. Didn’t get that much out of it though as I just got flustered on how to progress with it.
The only reason I made the Subahibi comparison is to get across that this is something that should be played blind. I thought about using DDLC as a comparison but that unfortunately gives too much of an idea of what to expect.
This has one particular scene that may be a nope for you but it’s not even near the level of NOPE in Subahibi.
Np. Irisu is mostly dumb tetris. However I found the ‘story’ engaging and its 4th wall horror tangible, so despite not liking games that force gameplay to progress, I became obsessed until I got those 100k. I still play the game once in a while.
Yes. That’s why I mentioned Irisu and Cross Channel, both work the same way.
I wouldn’t worry about something being too much this or that for me, its just, I’m the type that reads slowly and tries to enjoy every word of the text, so if it gets worse I take a hit, and once I start skipping – its tough to take it seriously again. I’m one of those masochists that watch even the shittiest anime until the end just for the sake of completion. Once I started skipping Suba, and I saw the same shit pop up, over and over… Give me creepy Mamiya or no deal, fck everything else. Hm. Could those dozens hours be spend better? Yes. Was it worth just for the ominous Mamiya Takuji wallpaper and that bone-chilling song or two? And bloody Precure-chans raining down. Yes. Would reading further make it more worth anything to me? Unlikely. I already listened through the OST to my heart’s content so I’m ready to depart elsewhere.
But I’m still sad, because I dont (want to) skip/drop. Not even Ever 17′ baggetes and Coco jokes.
The only VNs I truly havent finished is some Muv Luv side-story because it got too irrrelevant and Steins Gate after the game did not allow me to just go straight main route and I had to do all the dead ends and by the time I finished Fairis’ shitty route (still my fav SG girl, nya) through sheer will, its been hours since main story got derailed and I said fuck it, I know the story from anime and now all the suspense is gone too – fuck this game, fuck Kurisu that didnt appear for the last 10 hours, fuck tired Okabe moaning on a bicycle, fuck random thug with smug in a piss contest with beta-wannabe Okabe in a side route in what amounts to a one-street-only parallel universe of a story I already know. Also fuck that ring tone that takes me out of the game (every fkin time) and is worse than my alarm clock in my 4th grade (yes I did pick the least cancerous one).
I’d be so much better skipping through that shit, silencing that ringtone and so much more but I feel like I’d lose something important if I did that. I either consume the work, all, as intended or not at all. Skipping means it’s shit.
I’d much rather listen to The Final Cut and read on Scala monads than skip side routes in a game because someone is catering to an idiot who needs a maid route. And perhaps I’m just a dumb too-old-for-that twat that cant even pick a route properly. I guess I am because I recently picked up Kisaragi no Hougyouku and Kindred Spirits and havent finished either either. But each time I think I’m done for, I find a new gem. Like Sea Bed. So I just need to start dropping shit more. Sometimes good things can be boring (like Texhnolyze, which took me years to get through ep2), but lots of it is shit. No need to bother with shit.
PS: from the little I know about this game I’m hoping for it to be sort of dumber Cross Channel. I should reread that one.
Did you pick Miyuki at the end? I haven’t seen her ending yet, but I felt Aoi’s ending wrapped things up well, although I did wish there was more screentime for her. At the end, I understood Miyuki more, but I was still somewhat terrified of her lol
Yep I picked Miyuki and actually watched Aoi’s from YouTube.(Hey it’s not cheating if someone else picked them) Miyukis ending is pretty standard and maybe a bit anticlimactic as it’s basically just a love confession and happy end. Aoi’s I feel leaves off on a more profound note and I feel is a better end to the game.