7’sCarlet is the second of three otome visual novels releasing for Vita in what Aksys Games calls their “Summer of Mystery.” I was already a bit worried that three otome visual novels releasing back-to-back with the same companies behind the wheel would be too similar to one another to really make an impact. How many different ways can you tell summer mystery stories with one girl picking between five guys" Then the opening sequence featured a man chasing a girl, telling her she can’t beg for her life because she has none. I hung my head for a couple of seconds. Was this really going to be just like Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly" Is this another story of a group of dead teenagers trying to come back to life" Between Black Butterfly and Bad Apple Wars, I’ve had my fill of that tune for a little while. Fortunately, my assumption was dead wrong, and leading me to voraciously read through all seven main endings (and five normal endings) in about two days. Like a good paperback, I could not put it down. I had to learn everything there is to know about the town of Okunezato, these characters, and the truth about the disappearance of Ichiko’s brother. All I can say is that I couldn’t (and still can’t) handle the truth.
Met a boy, cute as can be
Our heroine of this story is Ichiko Hanamaki, who is talked into visiting the remote country town of Okunezato by her childhood friend, Hino. Hino frequently visits a...