Six Rules

Written by Kokoro Hane and MikiSayana

From the creator who brought other short titles, such as Ribbon of Green and RE: Prince of Nigeria, as well as the in-progress Crimson Rafflesia, comes a short Kinetic story entitled Six Rules. The interesting thing is instead of the usual teenagers or adult protagonists, we follow children. Ryouji is a boy, the youngest in the Minamoto clan who has been given six strict rules to follow. The greatest of these rules is to NEVER trust anyone from the Taira clan; it is emphasized in it being repeated twice in the rule set. Ryouji has always been faithful in following these six rules, until one fateful day he meets a beautiful little girl taking a nap in the snow. Slowly, these rules begin to bend...

There's a lot I could say about Six Rules, but would have to be careful to avoid spoilers. The story is written in a third-person narrative, very well written to draw you in. The conversations between Ryouji and the strange girl Yuki are fun to read. Yuki is extremely adorable, especially with her manner of speech. There's an mysterious yet innocent aura about her, which will draw you just as it does Ryouji's curiosity. To be honest, there really isn't much to complain about the story, except that I was a bit torn over the ending, yet I must say it was executed beautifully, too. Your initial feelings over the ending may change after you read Another View, an extra part of the story that unlocks when the main is done. With both of them together, you get an entire picture of what's going on.

Overall, Six Rules may be a bit short, yet it still leaves an impact. Ryouji and Yuki are adorable children, who you'll enjoy to see interact with each other, but that doesn't mean interesting things won't happen. Coren does it again, in creating yet another short but brilliant piece.


RECOMMENDED?
Yes! If you like historical fiction, especially based in Japan, give this a try. Keep your children away, though - you probably don't want to damage their minds the poor children in this story have been. That's how beautiful and tragic it is - to see such innocent children capable of such treachery.

PLAYER'S COMFORT

MUSIC:
Brilliant! The music really fit the moods quite well, and there were some very lovely pieces. This game boasts a complete OST by Marc Conrad Tabula, in a very oriental-style mix with a dark atmosphere. 5/5

ARTWORK:
Simply lovely! The backgrounds are befitting to the era, and the sprites are cute and eye-pleasing of a professional level. 5/5

INTERACTION:
This is a Kinetic novel, so there is no interaction. After playing through once, you will unlock the Extras section, and it even comes with a bonus segment of the story, Another View. (Will not factor into score)

Total: 5/5

CONTENT CARD

LANGUAGE
None.

TABACCO/ALCOHOL/DRUG USE
None.

SEXUAL CONTENT/NUDITY
None.

VIOLENCE/BLOOD AND GORE
There is mention of murdering in cold blood and being beheaded, but it is not seen.

RELIGIOUS MATERIAL
None.